Void Cultivation

Standing atop the Mosasaur’s head, Grey looked coldly into the distance.

His long gray hair and clothes fluttered wildly in the wind as the enormous Mosasaur soared through the sky at incredible speed. Several strands of his hair were blown across his face, partially obscuring his features.

However, Grey’s expression did not change.

Even though the hair covering his face made it difficult to see his emotions, it could not conceal the faint glint in his eyes.

He appeared to be calmly observing the sky and the vast world stretching out before him. However, Grey’s true thoughts were not focused on the world outside.

His consciousness was entirely focused on his sea of consciousness.

Within that vast spiritual space, the rusty nail trembled intensely.

A wave of frigid air continuously drifted out from the rusty nail, spreading throughout Grey’s entire sea of consciousness. Wherever the cold air passed, the normally vibrant spiritual sea became strangely quiet.

The flames surrounding the symbol of the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird trembled whenever the cold air brushed against it.

It was almost as if the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird was instinctively afraid of the rusty nail.

The purple phantom had also kept its distance. Neither of the two dared to approach the rusty nail.

Grey’s sea of consciousness, which was normally filled with activity, had become eerily silent and cold. Even the spiritual energy within it seemed to have become sluggish under the influence of the rusty nail.

’After devouring that bizarre existence, the rusty nail showed signs of awakening.’ Grey’s eyes flickered slightly.

’This has happened before as well... when it devoured the similar existence that was connected to Kaien.’

The memory of that incident resurfaced in his mind.

Back then, Grey had already suspected that the rusty nail was undergoing some kind of transformation. However, there had been no way for him to determine what was happening.

Now, after witnessing its reaction several times, he finally had a reasonable guess.

’If my guess is correct, then the rusty nail is transforming into the Ancient technique from the previous eras.’

Grey’s expression became solemn.

’It has finally accumulated enough nourishment... enough to begin its true awakening.’

He slowly sucked in a deep breath. This was something Grey had never expected.

A few weeks ago, he had been seriously pondering how he could activate the Ancient technique and force it to awaken. He had even considered whether he needed some kind of special medium or opportunity.

Yet, after everything that had happened during these past few weeks, the Ancient technique had begun awakening on its own.

Grey had not needed to do anything. It was as though the rusty nail had been waiting for the right amount of nourishment.

And after devouring several bizarre existences, it had finally reached the threshold required for its awakening.

At this point, Grey couldn’t help but feel both anxious and expectant. He was anxious because he had no idea what would happen once the Ancient technique completely awakened.

But at the same time, he was filled with anticipation. Up until now, all Grey knew about the Ancient technique was that it possessed an incredibly terrifying piercing ability and could devour bizarre existences.

In fact, after the rusty nail’s latest devouring, Grey had discovered that its devouring ability had already surpassed that of the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird in certain aspects.

That alone was astonishing. However, the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird was no ordinary cultivation art.

It was an Emperor-level cultivation art inherited through an Emperor’s bloodline.

Unfortunately, Grey had yet to fully activate it. What he was currently using was only its essence. He had not manifested its true form, nor had he completely unleashed the power hidden within the cultivation art.

Therefore, comparing the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird with the Ancient technique was extremely difficult.

One was an inheritance belonging to an Emperor-level existence while the other was an Ancient technique that originated from an era so old that even the current world knew almost nothing about it.

Their origins were completely different. Hence, their strengths would naturally be different as well.

’Which one is stronger?’

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly. He honestly did not know.

Perhaps the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird would become stronger once he fully activated it. Or maybe the Ancient technique would completely surpass it after awakening.

Or perhaps both possessed different strengths and weaknesses, making it impossible to determine which was truly superior.

For now, there was no way for Grey to know. He could only wait for two weeks to pass.

Just as Grey was thinking about this, a faint blue light suddenly emerged from the rusty nail.

His attention immediately shifted toward it. The rusty nail’s surface began to glow with an increasingly intense blue radiance.

Then, before Grey could react, a layer of ice began spreading across its surface.

Crack!

Thin strands of frost spread rapidly over the rusty nail before completely encasing it. In just a few breaths, the rusty nail had been wrapped in a thick layer of translucent ice.

It looked almost like a cocoon. However, Grey could still clearly sense the terrifying fluctuations coming from within.

Not only had the fluctuations failed to weaken, but they were actually becoming stronger with every passing second.

The spiritual energy within his sea of consciousness trembled faintly in response.

Grey’s eyes flashed.

’I suppose that in another two weeks or so, whatever is inside this cocoon should have completely awakened.’

He stared at the frozen rusty nail.

’At that time, the Ancient technique I obtained from the inner reality of that Soul Ascendancy Realm expert should truly be activated.’

The thought alone caused a faint sense of excitement to rise within him. The Ancient technique had already displayed such terrifying abilities while it was incomplete.

Grey could hardly imagine what it would be capable of once it completely awakened.

He had obtained it from the inner reality of a Soul Ascendancy Realm expert, an existence whose cultivation was far beyond anything Grey could currently comprehend.

Although he still did not understand the true origin of the Ancient technique, Grey was certain of one thing.

It was extraordinary. Perhaps it was even far more extraordinary than he had initially imagined.

Grey slowly withdrew his attention from his sea of consciousness. An expression of anticipation appeared on his usually indifferent face.

The wind continued to howl around him as the Mosasaur carried him through the vast sky.

Standing beside him, Iria noticed the subtle change in his expression.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She couldn’t understand what Grey was anticipating.

’It’s already been a full day, yet I’ve still been unable to make an impression on him.’

Iria couldn’t help but feel somewhat helpless. Ever since they left Sky Mist city, Grey had remained cold and distant.

He rarely spoke unless it was necessary, and even when they did talk, his words were usually concise and straight to the point.

She had initially thought that after spending some time together, she would eventually be able to find an opportunity to get closer to him. But that had clearly been wishful thinking.

’If it weren’t for the fact that we’re advancing much faster than I originally expected, I would’ve already followed through with the plan I prepared.’

Her gaze flickered. The original plan she had devised before leaving the city was becoming increasingly difficult to execute.

Now, they were only a few hours away from reaching the Corroded Zone.

Once they entered the Corroded Zone, whatever plans she had made beforehand would become almost useless.

’Why did he suddenly decide to leave the city so early?’

This question had been bothering Iria for some time. After leaving the city, Grey had seemed unusually eager to move forward.

In fact, he had caused them to miss the teleportation array entirely.

They had left the city early in the morning instead of using the teleportation array, something that Iria found strange.

Normally, she would have questioned him about it. But Grey had not bothered to explain anything.

And since he didn’t seem interested in discussing the matter, Iria had decided to remain silent.

’The only other possibility is that we encountered some kind of trouble during the night.’

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

’But if something happened, why wasn’t I aware of it?’

That was the real question bothering her. And it was also the main reason she had remained quiet throughout their journey. She had a feeling that Grey was hiding something.

Unfortunately, she had no evidence to back up her claim.

Time slowly passed and several hours went by without either of them speaking much.

Since both Grey and Iria were Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, they did not need to eat or sleep as frequently as ordinary humans.

Cultivators at their level could survive for days, and even weeks, without food or sleep as long as they continuously replenished their spiritual energy through meditation and cultivation.

Therefore, the long journey did not pose much of a problem for them.

A few more hours passed before Grey suddenly raised his head. Far in the distance, he could faintly see something different.

His eyes narrowed into a small slit.

The peripheral region of the Corroded Zone had finally appeared in his sight.

The moment Grey saw it, his expression became solemn. The sky ahead was darker than normal.

The clouds seemed to have become thicker and heavier, as though an invisible darkness had settled over the entire region.

The warm sunlight that had accompanied them throughout their journey gradually faded.

Instead, a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere began spreading through the surroundings.

Even from this distance, Grey could already sense the dense corrosive substance drifting out from the Corroded Zone.

It mixed with the air and slowly approached them. The moment it touched their bodies, both Grey and Iria shivered slightly.

A bone-chilling coldness enough to freeze their souls infiltrated their bodies.

For Grey, this was a sensation he had not experienced in a very long time. The Dead Sea was also cold and filled with corrosive substance, but the corrosion here was on an entirely different level.

The corrosive substance in the Corroded Zone seemed to possess a strange destructive quality.

It did not simply erode the physical body. It could even affect spiritual energy.

Grey’s gaze became slightly more serious. As for Iria, her face became noticeably paler.

Her previous relaxed expression disappeared completely, replaced by solemnity.

Everyone who had some understanding of the world knew what a Corroded Zone represented.

It was the result of God’s blinding radiance corrupting the world.

The terrifying radiance had once descended upon this world, destroying and distorting everything in its path.

What remained afterward was a region where normal life struggled to survive. Almost nothing ordinary could live within a Corroded Zone. The creatures that survived were either heavily mutated or strange abominations born from the corruption.

And deeper within the Corroded Zone, there were even more terrifying existences.

Bizarre existences.

Fortunately, bizarre existences rarely appeared in the peripheral regions. They generally remained deep within the Corroded Zone and were unwilling to wander outside.

Unless, of course, something attracted them. And if something did attract them...

The consequences would be unimaginable.

As soon as they approached the edge of the Corroded Zone, the Mosasaur beneath their feet began to deteriorate.

Grey immediately noticed the change.

The enormous creature, which had been formed from his spirit essence, began to show signs of decay.

Its body gradually became unstable as the corrosive substance ate away at its spiritual energy.

Grey’s eyes flashed. The corrosive substance was even capable of affecting spirit energy.

He didn’t want the Mosasaur to become too contaminated.

Without hesitation, he waved his hand.

The Mosasaur’s enormous body gradually turned into a stream of spiritual energy before returning to Grey’s sea of consciousness.

It settled within his sea of consciousness and entered a dormant state of prowling around in his spirit sea. Slowly recovering itself. Grey and Iria continued flying forward in silence.

Before reaching the Corroded Zone, Iria had already explained the purpose of her journey.

Grey had listened carefully to everything she said. He had also silently formulated a rough plan for what they would do after entering the Corroded Zone.

Now that they had finally arrived, it was time to put that plan into action.

Just as they reached the edge of the region where the coldness and corrosive substance began drifting outward, Grey suddenly raised his hand.

Two talismans appeared between his fingers.

They were concealment talismans that Grey had specifically prepared them for this journey.

Their primary purpose was to conceal their presence and prevent them from being easily noticed by bizarre existences or other beings they absolutely should not encounter.

Given the number of abnormalities they had encountered on their journey, Grey was unwilling to take any unnecessary risks.

He handed one of the talismans to Iria.

"Keep this close."

Iria accepted the talisman and nodded. Grey then retrieved several small bottles from his storage ring and handed them to her as well.

"Medicinal pills. They have a strong resistance against corrosive substances. Take them if the corrosion becomes too intense."

Iria glanced at the bottles before accepting them. She didn’t say anything.

Grey was about to take out another protective talisman for her when Iria suddenly reached into her own storage bag.

She retrieved a small bracelet that could wrap around her hand nicely.

The bracelet looked ordinary at first glance. However, the moment Iria injected her spirit energy into it, a faint yellow radiance suddenly emerged.

The yellow light spread outward and completely enveloped her body.

In the blink of an eye, Iria was surrounded by a thin but remarkably stable layer of yellow light. It was a protective shield.

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly. This was clearly not an ordinary defensive treasure.

"My master gave this to me," Iria explained.

The yellow barrier surrounding her body pulsed faintly.

"It can protect me from attacks from cultivators ranging from the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm all the way to the Spirit Core Formation Realm."

Grey’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes flashed with a hint of understanding.

However, Iria quickly added,

"Of course, its primary purpose isn’t to defend against ordinary cultivators."

She looked toward the dark and gloomy Corroded Zone ahead.

"It’s meant to protect me from bizarre existences."

Grey’s gaze became slightly more solemn. If the bracelet had been specifically created to withstand attacks from bizarre existences, then its defensive capabilities were undoubtedly much stronger than Iria’s words suggested.

After all, bizarre existences did not follow the conventional standards of cultivation.

A bizarre existence at a certain level could potentially possess destructive abilities far beyond what an ordinary cultivator of the same realm could display.

Having such a protective treasure was undoubtedly a major advantage.

Grey glanced at the yellow barrier surrounding Iria before looking toward the dark world ahead.

The Corroded Zone stretched endlessly into the distance.

The sky was gloomy and the air was as cold as ever.

And faint, strange sounds could occasionally be heard from somewhere deep within the darkness.

Grey’s eyes gradually became colder.

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