Clack! A brush fell to the floor.0

The painter's mouth gaped open in shock. The expressions of the others varied, but they were all equally stunned.0

Everyone had witnessed the servant laying out the drawing paper, seen the painter pick up the brush, and watched every stroke under their scrutiny. The final portrait was astonishingly vivid, almost lifelike, yet no one could have anticipated that the figure in the painting seemed to come to life and turned its head to stare directly at them just moments later.0

Could the legends of the past centuries about Master Dou's ability to bring portraits to life be true? Had a descendant inherited such divine artistic skills after all these years?0

Everyone turned their gaze to Sir Dou. However, Sir Dou looked even more shocked than they did.0

In his astonishment, there was also a hint of fear.0

No one knew better than he did that he did not possess the divine skill of his ancestors to bring portraits to life. This phenomenon was not due to his own painting skills.0

As for the cause...0

It reminded him of the teachings from his ancestors—one should not casually paint people or gods. To paint people casually was to risk imbuing the painting with too much realism, which could lead to unforeseen consequences, good or bad.1

To paint gods casually was even more dangerous, as gods with high cultivation could detect their likeness in a painting. If the painting was too lifelike, the god might become aware and even manifest in the painting to question why they were depicted. Even powerful demons of great skill could sometimes behave this way.0

Could...0