I Can Extract Divine Power

Thanks to his Water Control Technique, Shen Bai was incredibly fast underwater. In the blink of an eye, he was already behind the Bone Giant.

But he didn’t overtake the Bone Giant, choosing instead to follow patiently.

The water was extremely deep, but it had to have a bottom.

After following the Bone Giant for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Shen Bai finally reached the bottom of the lake.

At this depth, there were no longer any fish, for the water pressure was simply too immense.

For Shen Bai, however, it was no obstacle at all.

Not far off, the Bone Giant was walking along the lakebed. In the distance, there was a small hillock.

At the front of the hillock was a large cave, wide enough for the Bone Giant to step through.

Just then, the Bone Giant turned its head to look at Shen Bai. It repeated the gesture from the shore, beckoning with a finger before walking into the massive cave entrance.

’I’d like to see what strange things are really in here.’

Without a second thought, Shen Bai used his Water Control Technique, transforming into an afterimage and entering the cave.

It was too dark on the lakebed to see clearly from the outside, but once Shen Bai stepped into the cave, his Void-breaking Red Eye allowed him to grasp the situation within completely.

From the outside, it looked like a simple sunken hilltop. But after Shen Bai entered, he found the cave’s interior was incredibly lavish.

The walls were inlaid with precious gems, each one emitting a soft glow.

The floor was paved with high-quality square tiles, making it feel like walking on solid ground.

Everything he could see stood in stark contrast to the simple, natural exterior of the hill.

The Bone Giant continued walking ahead, and Shen Bai followed at a safe distance.

After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the scenery ahead finally changed.

A massive exit opened into an incredibly vast underwater grotto. The Bone Giant leaped through, landing in the very center.

A Bone Throne stood there. Surrounding it, with the throne as the center, were countless skeletons kneeling in prostration.

The Bone Giant sat upon the Bone Throne like a king receiving the worship of his subjects.

Then, the Bone Giant turned its head back, its eyes flashing.

From the Bone Giant’s gaze, Shen Bai felt the Suppression of a superior being.

He didn’t step into the underground grotto, but remained at the entrance, surveying his surroundings.

At that exact moment, the Bone Throne suddenly stirred.

From the very top of the Bone Throne, two Bone Lock Chains suddenly shot out. They then drilled into the Bone Giant’s skull at a bizarre, grotesque angle.

The Bone Lock Chains and the skull seemed to fuse into one.

The Bone Giant leaned back against the Bone Throne, the eerie green flames in its eye sockets flickering erratically.

Before him, Shen Bai’s Infinite Divination Skill still showed a sign of great fortune.

After a moment’s thought, he remained at the entrance and watched patiently.

A shimmering light flowed along the Bone Lock Chains and into the Bone Giant’s skull.

After a short while, the flickering flames finally subsided.

The vacant look on the Bone Giant’s face vanished at a visible rate, replaced by an expression of pure clarity.

CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...

The sound of grinding bones echoed through the water.

A moment later, the water inside the grotto began to recede at a frantic pace.

If not for Shen Bai’s Water Control Technique, he likely would have been swept away by the receding current.

In just a few moments, the rushing water vanished completely. The grotto at the bottom of the lake had become a space without a single drop of water, as if it were on dry land.

Just then, a distant yet steady voice emanated from the Bone Giant’s mouth.

"It has been a long time since I have seen one who could truly enter the Celestial Pride Hall."

After these words were spoken, the surrounding throng of prostrate skeletons slowly rose to their feet, clearing a path for Shen Bai.

Shen Bai wasn’t surprised by the skeletons, nor by the secrets hidden here. He was surprised by the way the Bone Giant had just referred to itself.

He had used the imperial pronoun to refer to himself. Throughout the entire world, only an Emperor was permitted to do so.

And the Bone Giant before him was certainly not any of the current emperors of the four countries.

Shen Bai immediately voiced his suspicion. "You are the Former Emperor?"

The question escaped him subconsciously.

This was the Celestial Pride Hall.

The Celestial Pride Hall was a creation of the former dynasty. This Bone Giant was neither human nor aberrant, yet it used the imperial pronoun.

That form of address alone led Shen Bai to think of the former dynasty.

"The former dynasty... I do not care for that description. But it is all merely the result of the wheels of history turning."

"No matter. Come forward. Let me see what the prodigies of this era are truly like," the Bone Giant said.

Shen Bai remained leaning against the entrance to the grotto, completely still.

He wasn’t about to go looking for trouble.

As long as he stayed here, the trigram reading showed great fortune, meaning there was no threat.

If he made a move and the reading suddenly turned black, he might not even be able to escape.

Seeing that Shen Bai wasn’t entering, the Bone Giant shook its head. "The ones who overthrew the former dynasty call themselves the Great Zhou. You must be from the Great Zhou Country, then."

Shen Bai glanced around and said, "You’ve asked me so much since I arrived, yet I know nothing about your identity. You say you’re the Former Emperor, but what is your family name?"

The Bone Giant heard Shen Bai’s question, a counter to its own, and fell silent.

After a long while, a deep sigh escaped the Bone Giant’s mouth.