I Can Extract Divine Power

Chapter 374 - 157: Entering the Netherworld, Confronting Wang Tianxing

As for first place, that was naturally Shen Bai.

’There’s always someone better out there. They must have been laying low for a long time,’ Shen Bai thought, looking at the participants who had taken second, third, and fourth place.

After all, before they arrived, no one had expected much from them, nor had there been any news about them.

Shen Bai knew that these three must have kept a low profile before the examination, only to burst onto the scene and shine at this moment.

With the competition drawing to a close, Feng Zheng watched the Observatory participants emerge from the nine-story tower. He gave a grand wave of his hand and began his closing remarks.

"Does anyone wish to challenge Shen Bai?"

When he said this, the lower-ranked members exchanged glances, but no one said a word.

Even those in the top ten, including Ouyang Sword, remained silent.

There was no chance of victory, so they weren’t about to waste their time.

"Alright, in that case, you will all stay here for a few days. Afterward, I will distribute your rewards."

This internal examination was the same as previous ones.

Everyone, regardless of rank, would receive a reward.

The rewards varied in value, but even the most modest among them would be enough to make people in the Jianghu fight to the death for it.

Of course, for the participants of the internal examination, these tangible rewards weren’t the most important prize.

The greatest prize was earning the esteem of the Great Zhou Country’s Observatory, and the subsequent Cultivation resources that would be invested in them.

With the examination concluded, nothing else of note occurred.

Everyone prepared to return to their quarters to rest for a few days. Once the rewards were distributed, they would depart.

As for the results and individual performances, Feng Zheng would compile a detailed report. This report would be submitted to the Emperor of the Great Zhou Country for his personal review, then forwarded to the Observatory headquarters for a final assessment.

Only then would a decision be made on how to allocate resources.

Shen Bai wasn’t particularly interested in any of that.

He sat in his seat, chin resting on his hand, his thoughts drifting to matters concerning Wang Tianxing.

The third trial had come to a successful conclusion, yet Wang Tianxing’s whereabouts remained a complete mystery.

In Shen Bai’s view, the man should have made a move by now.

But there had been nothing, which was precisely what he found so strange.

"Alright, since the competition is over, everyone should go back and get some rest," Feng Zheng said, waving his hand to dismiss them to their rooms.

In a few days, they would all go their separate ways.

But just at that moment, something happened.

Shen Bai was the first to sense it. He shot to his feet, his eyes narrowing.

From atop the nine-story tower, a strange aura suddenly emanated.

The aura exuded an icy coldness and a deathly stillness, instantly pervading the entire Space within Cyan Spirit Mountain.

The aura was faint at first, but in the blink of an eye, it expanded rapidly.

In a mere instant, the chilling gloom and deathly stillness filled every last crevice.

The ground began to freeze over, and a thick layer of frost coated the surroundings.

The entire process, from the first appearance of the icy, still aura to its complete saturation of the area, took only a few breaths.

By now, it wasn’t just Shen Bai; everyone else had instantly noticed it too.

Everyone immediately looked around, only to feel that their surroundings had become utterly alien.

It was as if something had been overlaid upon the place where they had just battled for three days.

Feng Zheng clenched his fists and said abruptly, "This is bad! It must be that thing!"

A look of confusion crossed Shen Bai’s face.

He didn’t know what this phenomenon was. Despite his long tenure at the Fenglin State Observatory and the numerous documents he had read, he was no longer the greenhorn he once was.

But a person’s knowledge has its limits, and Shen Bai couldn’t possibly know everything.

He looked at Feng Zheng and asked, "Lord Feng, what is it?"

The other participants all wore grave expressions, standing on high alert.

When Shen Bai asked his question, all the participants, including the Observatory members from Yunxi State, turned their gazes toward Feng Zheng.

Feng Zheng’s expression became incredibly grave. He said slowly, "This is the Netherworld. It’s about to descend."

Upon hearing the word "Netherworld," some members who understood its meaning showed a flicker of shock.

Others who didn’t understand simply looked on in confusion.

Shen Bai was also unfamiliar with the term. "What is the Netherworld?" he asked.

Although the icy, still feeling was constantly spreading, there was no other imminent danger, so Shen Bai decided to get a clear explanation.

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

Feng Zheng turned back and explained, "The Netherworld is a special type of Space. It expands gradually each time a strange entity dies, but it has never overlapped with our world."

"Only on extremely rare occasions will a Cultivator enter it. The odds are so low as to be practically impossible."

"And once inside, getting out is even more difficult."

This was the first Shen Bai had ever heard of it, and he found himself slightly interested in this so-called Netherworld.

In that same instant, he understood Wang Tianxing’s plan.

"It seems he wants to use the Netherworld against us," Shen Bai said.

Feng Zheng nodded, a confused look on his face. "But even if the Netherworld descends, it poses no danger to the outside world. It doesn’t attack. It’s merely a special kind of Space. Even if it were to overlap with the entirety of Yunxi State, no one would wander into it by mistake, unless their luck was absolutely abysmal."

Such are the Attributes of the Netherworld. Although it was still expanding, there were indeed no signs of any danger yet.

Of course, Great Zhou and other countries were all investigating the reason for the Netherworld’s appearance.