I Can Extract Divine Power

The sound of the Guqin was like a celestial melody. The Courtesan kept her head bowed, continuously playing the instrument before her.

Accompanied by the ethereal strains of the Guqin, wisps of sandalwood smoke drifted through the Ten Thousand Flowers Building like a celestial mist, dancing gracefully in the air.

"In the end, it’s all just a lie." A deep-seated exhaustion and bitterness was etched upon the Ruo Shui City Lord’s beautiful face.

Hearing this, Shen Bai knew his suspicions were correct. "Senior," he said, "why must you put yourself through this?"

This seemingly living, breathing Ruo Shui City was, in fact, an illusion—all of it created by the Ruo Shui City Lord using the Illusion Technique, Flowing Water Thousand Machines.

It was only because the Ruo Shui City Lord’s power was so immense that Ruo Shui City looked indistinguishable from the real thing.

The Ruo Shui City Lord sighed. "Would you like to hear my story?"

Shen Bai made a small gesture with his hand. "I would be glad to listen."

Shen Bai was more than happy to listen, especially to ancient secrets like this, from which he could uncover countless clues.

The mastermind behind the Era of Ten Thousand Cities, the voice he had heard before—Shen Bai was curious about every single one of these secrets.

Now that the Ruo Shui City Lord was willing to tell her story, Shen Bai was certainly willing to listen.

The Ruo Shui City Lord took another sip of tea. "In truth, I was not of noble birth. Back then, I was just an ordinary person in the Daqi Divine Dynasty."

To the accompaniment of the melodious Guqin, the Ruo Shui City Lord gazed into the swirling smoke and began to tell her story.

The Daqi Divine Dynasty was a nation at its zenith, its power extending over the entire world. Eras rose and fell, but this behemoth endured.

At that time, the one who would become the Ruo Shui City Lord was but an ordinary woman. However, by a stroke of fate, she crossed the threshold into the world of practitioners.

After crossing that threshold, she displayed extraordinary talent, far surpassing her peers in just a few short years.

What’s more, the Ruo Shui City Lord blazed her own trail, creating Flowing Water Thousand Machines. It was a world-encompassing Illusion Technique rooted in water, capable of eroding the minds and wills of others.

And so, a female General rose to prominence, establishing a firm foothold in the Daqi Divine Dynasty.

But then, calamity befell the Daqi Divine Dynasty.

The Divine Dynasty collapsed. The Ruo Shui City Lord led a group of her followers and founded Ruo Shui City, becoming a City Lord in her own right and dedicating herself to protecting her people.

She had no desire to contend for worldly power and only wished to peacefully rule her own small corner of the world. But alas, the world would not grant her that wish.

Even while guarding her remote lands, she was still drawn into endless conflict.

In the end, Ruo Shui City was destroyed.

Only the Ruo Shui City Lord, by a twist of fate, survived.

Her heart like dead embers, the Ruo Shui City Lord looked upon the ruins of her city and her people. In her sorrow, she carved out a Space deep underground and sealed the entrance with a powerful Array she had obtained long ago.

From that day forward, she was cut off from the world.

This city, formed from an Illusion Technique, is the Ruo Shui City Lord’s dream.

She lives within that dream, as if everything still exists.

Her people have not died, and her city was never destroyed.

Shen Bai mused, "But why did the Courtesan have the idea of wanting to leave?"

It was an illusion, true, but the Courtesan’s behavior was far from normal.

If the Ruo Shui City Lord had known of his arrival and arranged it deliberately, that might explain it.

But after he spoke, the Ruo Shui City Lord simply shook her head.

"They may be illusions, but I didn’t want to be reminded of those painful times, so I changed everything."

"I turned the supernatural horrors of that time into Deceitful Beasts, and the currency into Deceit Coins, all to forget the pain."

"But I never imagined that under the influence of my Qi, some of these illusions would develop Spirituality because of my own state of mind."

A hint of wistfulness appeared in the Ruo Shui City Lord’s eyes. "Perhaps it is because I, too, wish to leave that the people here have developed the same desire."

Shen Bai rubbed his chin. "Your power is truly incredible, Senior."

’The Illusion Technique is certainly formidable, and creating something so real it passes for the genuine article is a display of immense power, but it’s still an illusion in the end.’

’But for the Ruo Shui City Lord’s state of mind to actually grant Spirituality to her illusions... even accounting for the long passage of time, that was a terrifying thought.’

The Ruo Shui City Lord shook her head. "It’s not as incredible as you imagine. It’s only a flicker of Spirituality, and it’s still under my influence. If I were to will it, all of their Spirituality would vanish in an instant."

Shen Bai asked, "Senior, if you truly wish to leave, why don’t you?"

Setting aside the question of her power, Shen Bai had picked up on an underlying meaning in the Ruo Shui City Lord’s words.

The illusions had gained Spirituality because of the Ruo Shui City Lord’s own thoughts, and that Spirituality manifested as a desire to leave.

That meant the Ruo Shui City Lord also wanted to leave.

Hearing this, the Ruo Shui City Lord traced the corner of her lips with a pale finger. "For one who is about to die, what good would leaving do?"

"After all these years, my lifespan has long since been exhausted. For me, leaving would mean only three more days of clinging to life."

Shen Bai was taken aback. "Three days?"

The Ruo Shui City Lord nodded. "If you hadn’t come, I would have passed away peacefully in three days. But before I died, I planned to destroy the most dangerous thing here."

Shen Bai pondered for a moment. "There’s no way for you to live?"

The Ruo Shui City Lord shook her head. "Not unless I achieve a breakthrough. But for me, death is not something to be feared."

Her gentle eyes, as clear as autumn pools, held a serene detachment, as if she had seen through everything the world had to offer.

Shen Bai asked, "Senior, what is this ’most dangerous thing’ you mentioned?"

The Ruo Shui City Lord lowered her delicate hand. "Deep beneath this place, a terrifying enemy is hidden. He is trapped by my Illusion Technique, unable to break free."

"If I were to kill him, I would die in the process. I wanted to experience, just a little longer, this illusion where my people still live. I intended to wait until the very end, and then take him down with me."

"Now, the time has come."

As she said this, a cautious expression appeared on the Ruo Shui City Lord’s face, as if the mere mention of this terrifying enemy could bring about a world-ending catastrophe.