I Can Extract Divine Power

Dressed in black, his longsword the color of blood.

The young man in black stood there, his eyes as cold as a blade.

Despite the pleasant climate within the Celestial Pride Hall, everyone felt as though they’d been plunged into the depths of winter, and they couldn’t help but shudder.

Wang Jiu had been knocked into the midst of the puppets and was completely surrounded by more than ten of them.

Even with his Henglian Peak training that made his body as tough as iron, Wang Jiu couldn’t withstand so many attacks. His flesh was being torn to shreds, and he was clearly on the verge of death.

Zhu Qingyao reacted in a flash. Her silk ribbon wrapped around Wang Jiu, pulling him back toward the crowd.

’She wasn’t being kind. Wang Jiu’s combat prowess was respectable, and he could still be useful.’

Zhu Qingyao saw Shen Bai, too. A moment ago, a rift had suddenly torn open amidst the crowd. Before she could even react, Shen Bai had stepped through.

’Now, it’s time for a reckoning.’

As she flew back, Zhu Qingyao repeatedly shot meaningful glances at Li Ruofeng.

’Her meaning was clear: it was time to find an opportunity to strike.’

Li Ruofeng hesitated, glancing at Nan Huang and his group nearby.

’If Nan Huang and his people hadn’t shown up, I might have actually done it,’ he thought. ’But now the sides are evenly matched. And with Shen Bai here... I don’t dare make a move.’

’The contract had power, yes, but it wasn’t an instant death sentence. If I move against Shen Bai now, I’ll probably be crushed so thoroughly that not even dust will remain.’

"Lao Shen!"

"Shen Bai!"

"Brother Shen!"

Zhou Qing, Qin Shuang, Ouyang Sword, and the other geniuses from the Great Zhou Country all looked overjoyed to see Shen Bai.

With Shen Bai’s appearance in this desperate situation, their crisis was all but over.

Shen Bai watched Zhu Qingyao fly toward him, the corner of his mouth lifting in a slight smirk. "Did I say you could come back?"

The moment he finished speaking, a wave of Blood Red Sword Qi shot out. It arced like a crescent moon, heralding the arrival of death.

Zhu Qingyao was hit by a sudden, overwhelming sense of mortal danger. In the next instant, she saw Shen Bai’s Sword Qi was upon her.

In that critical moment, she acted without a second thought, shoving Wang Jiu in front of her as a shield.

Wang Jiu was already grievously wounded and had no strength to resist.

Wang Jiu’s eyes widened in disbelief as he saw Zhu Qingyao place him in the path of the attack.

SHLICK!

With the sickening sound of a blade slicing through flesh, Wang Jiu—who had known nothing but misfortune since arriving in the Great Zhou Country—was decapitated. His head hit the floor, and he died with his eyes open.

Having used Wang Jiu to block the attack, Zhu Qingyao finally reached the group and furiously rebuked him. "Shen Bai, you act with such lawless abandon! Do you have no regard for the nations we represent?"

Her white pupils held a trace of terror.

’She couldn’t believe Shen Bai would be so decisive. It completely shattered her worldview.’

’If she hadn’t reacted so quickly, it would have been her head on the floor.’

Shen Bai’s pupils shifted, finally settling on a terrifying, heart-stopping red. They radiated a terrifying heat, like miniature suns.

Under the gaze of his Void-breaking Red Eye, Shen Bai detected an aura on Zhu Qingyao that he found utterly repulsive.

—Era of Ten Thousand Cities. The power behind the curtain.

It was all so simple.

His Level 5 Void-breaking Red Eye possessed a +16 Information Attribute. This "Information" allowed him to use his eyes to perceive deeply hidden intel.

’This woman, Zhu Qingyao, is one of the masterminds. Therefore, she deserves to die.’

"You people from the Era of Ten Thousand Cities... have you infiltrated this deeply?" Shen Bai’s eyes grew progressively colder.

Zhu Qingyao faltered for a moment, then a strange expression crossed her face. "What Era of Ten Thousand Cities? Shen Bai, what are you talking about? Are you trying to change the subject after you just attacked me?"

’I don’t know how he figured it out, but this isn’t the time to discuss it.’

’The first priority is to stabilize the situation, to stop Shen Bai from attacking again.’

’I have a trump card I haven’t used, but it requires time—time Shen Bai won’t give me.’

’For now, all I can do is stall.’

But before she could utter another word, a streak of Blood Red Sword Qi erupted, shattering the constraints of Space and appearing right before her eyes.

’How does he dare?!’

Another wave of mortal terror washed over Zhu Qingyao, raising goosebumps all over her skin.

Zhu Qingyao whipped her silk ribbon, and the formidable artifact transformed into a series of protective barriers before her.

BOOM!

A deafening roar echoed as the ribbon shattered, piece by piece.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhu Qingyao threw out a Jade Pendant.

The Jade Pendant shattered, releasing a terrifying Suction Power that absorbed all of Shen Bai’s Sword Qi.

Finally getting a moment’s reprieve, Zhu Qingyao spun around and fled down the corridor ahead, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Shen Bai remarked coolly, "As expected of someone from a prominent clan. So many toys."

Meanwhile, the surrounding puppets had closed in, slowly encircling the group and, ironically, aiding Zhu Qingyao’s escape.

’It doesn’t matter. As long as you can’t get out of Celestial Pride Hall, you’re a dead woman.’

Shen Bai glanced at the surrounding puppets and swung his Longsword.

Countless streams of Blood Red Sword Qi gathered before him.

Once the Sword Qi had condensed, Shen Bai flicked his finger.

The terrifying Sword Qi shot out, piercing through Space itself. Everything in its path met with utter destruction.

There were countless Void Realm puppets, far too many to be dealt with in a single strike.

But for Shen Bai, that wasn’t a problem.

If one strike wasn’t enough, he would use two, then three, then four...

Shen Bai didn’t even bother to move his feet. He just stood in place and swung his sword, taking the concept of "stationary damage" to its absolute extreme.

Everyone watched Shen Bai, their faces etched with horror.

’Each of these puppets possessed the power of the Void Realm,’ they thought, ’and they were masters of some strange Battle Array.’

Yet before Shen Bai, they were as fragile as paper.

Every condensed wave of Blood Red Sword Qi took down another puppet.

When Shen Bai returned Cold Moon to its scabbard, not a single puppet remained standing—only a floor littered with wreckage.