I Can Extract Divine Power

He walked over and carefully observed the clay figure before him. After a moment, he shook his head and thought, ’It’s not a living person. Can it be that no one in this entire city is alive?’

People couldn’t just turn into clay figures. In all his time in Nanxing Prefecture, and in all the records he had ever studied, Shen Bai had never heard of such a thing.

Now that this had happened, he guessed that perhaps nothing here was a living creature.

It was highly likely that every person he could see was not, in fact, alive.

Just as Shen Bai was entertaining this thought, a faint sigh echoed from within Ruo Shui City.

Even from such a distance, Shen Bai could hear it with perfect clarity.

Shen Bai drew Cold Moon.

He felt a terrifying pressure bear down on him, as heavy as a mountain.

’I’m no match for this.’

It was the first time in his life Shen Bai had ever felt such terror.

Just as he was contemplating a temporary retreat, a somewhat weary female voice drifted from within Ruo Shui City.

"Young friend, since you are here, why not come in and we can talk?"

"Rest assured, I mean you no harm. Otherwise, your life would have already been in danger."

After her words, Ruo Shui City fell silent once more.

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes and once again used his Divination Divine Power to foresee the Fortune and Misfortune of this path.

The result was still highly auspicious, indicating that no danger would befall him if he entered.

After a moment of thought, Shen Bai called out, "May I ask for your name, Senior? And why did you not attack me when I entered the city?"

The voice from Ruo Shui City replied at once.

"You should have already guessed who I am. I am the Ruo Shui City Lord. As for why I didn’t attack you... you already made your choice back at the Ten Thousand Flowers Building."

"What choice?" Shen Bai asked.

The Ruo Shui City Lord answered slowly, "If you had chosen to go on a killing spree in Ruo Shui City, I would have treated you as a villain. But since you were willing to leave with the Courtesan, it showed you have a compassionate heart."

Hearing this, Shen Bai finally understood why his earlier divination had yielded two completely contradictory outcomes.

’In truth, the Ruo Shui City Lord probably has no idea I possess a Divination Skill, so she doesn’t know my decision was based on its results.’

With this in mind, Shen Bai looked at the auspicious reading before him, and after a moment’s thought, he turned and headed toward Ruo Shui City.

’I’ve come this far. If I don’t get to the bottom of this mystery, it will bother me so much that even grinding my Skill Level won’t be satisfying when I get back.’

There was undoubtedly an enormous secret waiting for him inside.

...

It took only a few moments for Shen Bai to arrive back at Ruo Shui City.

The entire city was now plunged into absolute stillness.

The vendors hawking their wares on the street, the soldiers standing guard at the gates—all of them were as motionless as wooden statues.

Even their clothes had lost their resilience, becoming stiff and rigid.

Before Shen Bai could even process this bizarre sight, the Ruo Shui City Lord’s voice reached him again.

"I am waiting for you in the Ten Thousand Flowers Building."

With that, her voice fell silent.

Shen Bai didn’t hesitate, flying directly toward the Ten Thousand Flowers Building.

A short while later, he descended from the sky, landing before the Ten Thousand Flowers Building.

The Ten Thousand Flowers Building looked just as it had before. Its main doors stood open, revealing a figure seated inside. The melodious strains of a guqin drifted out from within.

"Master, there is an extremely powerful aura inside," Amber’s voice sounded in Shen Bai’s mind. "You must be careful. We are likely no match for it."

Shen Bai nodded in acknowledgement and stepped across the threshold.

Inside was the same incredibly spacious building. A guqin rested on a platform in the center of the main hall.

Before the guqin, the Courtesan sat on a chair, plucking the strings delicately, as if completely unaware of Shen Bai’s arrival.

Just moments ago, the Courtesan had crumbled into a pile of yellow dust, yet now she was here again, as vivid and real as life.

Seeing this, Shen Bai felt a clue click into place. He didn’t voice his thoughts, instead shifting his gaze in another direction.

Seated before him was a woman of classical beauty and elegance.

She was stunningly beautiful, with the refined air of a highborn lady.

Sensing his gaze, she gestured to the seat beside her. "Come, sit. We can listen to the music as we talk."

Shen Bai did not refuse. He nodded and sat down beside the Ruo Shui City Lord, studying her as his expression grew more and more thoughtful.

The Ruo Shui City Lord poured Shen Bai a cup of tea. "I imagine you’ve formed some ideas. If so, why not share your theories about Ruo Shui City with me?"

Her tone was gentle, but it did little to conceal a deep, profound weariness.

Shen Bai looked at the tea before him but did not pick it up. Instead, he placed his hand on the table and tapped his fingers lightly against the surface.

The Ruo Shui City Lord said nothing, simply waiting for him to speak.

After a few breaths, Shen Bai stopped tapping the table. He slowly looked up and said, "I have heard that you, City Lord, are a master of Water Type Cultivation Techniques. They say you forged a unique path, using the formless nature of water to create a supreme Illusion Technique."

"An Illusion Technique powerful enough to trap people within it and control their very lives and deaths."

The Ruo Shui City Lord nodded. "That’s right. I call it Flowing Water Thousand Machines. It was the foundation of my power during the Era of Ten Thousand Cities, my greatest asset. What new theory have you come up with?"

Shen Bai glanced around the room, then said something that made the Ruo Shui City Lord freeze. "Senior, the Era of Ten Thousand Cities is over. The past is the past. Why must you cling to it so?"

"It is one thing to have such an attachment, but maintaining an illusion of this scale—one that covers an entire city—must be an immense burden."

As his words faded, an absolute silence fell over the Ten Thousand Flowers Building.

After a long moment, the Ruo Shui City Lord sighed softly. "I have been lying to myself," she said. "Pretending that Ruo Shui City, which was destroyed during the Era of Ten Thousand Cities, had never fallen. Pretending its people still lived in peace and happiness. But in the end... it’s all just a lie."