Void Cultivation

A short while later, Grey’s body swayed slightly before he leaned forward.

In the next instant, his body turned into a blur, leaving behind a series of rapidly fading afterimages as he shot into the depths of the Corroded Zone.

However, before completely distancing himself from Iria, Grey turned his head and glanced back one last time.

He saw her standing there with a blank expression on her face. She remained motionless as the distance between them continued to widen with every step he took.

Very soon, Grey had crossed several hundred yards in only a few moments. His speed continued to increase as he ventured deeper into the Corroded Zone.

In his hand was a blue flower that had been cut directly from its stalk.

Despite the powerful wind generated by Grey’s rapid movement, the flower swayed gently in his grasp, its delicate petals moving rhythmically as though they were completely unaffected by the terrifying speed at which he traveled.

A gentle, questioning voice suddenly rang out from the blue flower.

Grey heard Violet’s voice directly within his mind.

"Why did you pick me up? Are you thinking of carrying me along? But I wanted to keep an eye on the little girl for you while you were away. That way, we could guarantee her safety while you venture into the depths."

Violet’s voice sounded completely harmless.

However, Grey was far too familiar with her to be fooled by that innocent tone. Beneath her seemingly sweet words, he could faintly sense both annoyance and amusement.

"Fat chance."

Grey snorted coldly. His body suddenly erupted with even greater speed.

There was no way he would leave the Captain behind to keep an eye on Iria while he ventured into the depths of the Corroded Zone. If he did something that foolish, it would be equivalent to handing himself over to her.

It would be far too obvious that the Captain had ulterior motives.

For all Grey knew, she might already have another lifeform waiting somewhere within the Corroded Zone. The moment he triggered whatever opportunity she was leading him toward, that hidden existence could immediately swoop in and seize everything of value.

Although Grey had no idea whether carrying the blue flower would truly prevent the Captain from using him as bait, he still felt that it was a much safer option than leaving her free to wander around while he was away.

At the very least, he could keep an eye on her.

Thinking about this, Grey couldn’t help but wonder whether he should have left the Shadow or the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird behind with Iria.

If he had done so, then through his connection with them, he would have been able to locate Iria almost instantly and rush back if anything happened.

Moreover, both the Shadow and the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird were powerful existences. Even if they couldn’t completely protect Iria from every possible threat, they could at least buy enough time for Grey to return.

However, Grey eventually decided against it.

He didn’t know whether the direction Iria was leading him toward was actually correct. If he left the Shadow behind, there was a possibility that he would lose the connection to it once he ventured too deeply into the Corroded Zone.

The Shadow also possessed a level of intelligence that made it capable of acting independently.

As for the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird, Grey decided that leaving it behind would be even more troublesome.

The Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird wasn’t fully conscious in the same way the Shadow was. Although it possessed incredible strength, it still required Grey’s control to properly perform complicated actions.

Therefore, Grey had ultimately chosen to bring the Shadow with him.

Before leaving, however, he had given Iria a communication slip. The moment she encountered danger, she could use it to immediately alert him and he would be on his way.

The slip’s range wasn’t particularly impressive, but it was still enough to cover more than half the radius of the Corroded Zone.

Unless Grey ventured too deeply into the Corroded Zone, he should be able to receive the signal almost immediately.

With that arrangement, Grey felt slightly more at ease. Still, he wasn’t completely relaxed.

"Tell me exactly what I’m supposed to look for. Don’t give me that nonsense about not knowing what it is while claiming that you can sense it."

Grey’s calm voice echoed through the surrounding forest as his body continued forward.

He wasn’t using his full strength, nor was he utilizing his cultivation base to its maximum potential. Yet even so, his speed was astonishing.

Every step he took caused the surrounding air to distort slightly.

His body repeatedly transformed into a fleeting blur, leaving behind afterimages that remained in place for several moments before gradually disappearing.

The deeper he went, the more dangerous the surroundings became.

Occasionally, thick black branches that could easily be mistaken for enormous vines would descend from the dense canopy above, attempting to wrap around Grey’s body.

However, Grey merely shifted his body slightly each time.

The branches would miss him by the smallest of margins before crashing into the ground behind him.

He didn’t even need to slow down. At other times, Grey would see enormous trees trembling violently.

Their roots would twist beneath the soil as though they were preparing to uproot themselves and chase after him.

Some of the trees even seemed to possess malicious intent, their branches stretching toward Grey like the claws of some enormous beast.

But before they could complete whatever strange transformation was taking place within their bodies, Grey would already be long gone.

Only rapidly fading afterimages remained behind.

"Humph! What hurtful words to say."

Violet’s voice once again sounded within Grey’s mind.

"Little Grey, is it because I’m not really here that you’re talking to me like this? You know I’m your eldest senior sister, right? I would never lie to you."

Her voice was sweet and seemingly sincere. Grey’s expression remained completely indifferent.

"You’re exactly the type of person who would say that right before lying."

"How could you say something like that?"

Violet sounded genuinely offended, but Grey didn’t bother responding. His eyes suddenly narrowed however, and the next instant, he raised his hand and punched violently toward the massive tree standing several meters ahead.

Bang!

The enormous tree exploded. Chunks of dead wood and splinters flew in every direction as the trunk was blasted apart.

However, something that was hidden behind the tree was revealed.

It was a massive python was coiled around the remains of the trunk. It was at least five meters long, with dark scales covering its body and a single sharp horn protruding from its head.

The moment Grey appeared before it, the Horned Python reacted almost instinctively.

It raised its head and released a dangerous hiss. Then, without the slightest hesitation, it lunged toward Grey.

Grey’s eyes flickered with a strange emotion. He could instantly determine the cultivation level of the creature.

It was the Ninth level of Qi Accumulation.

To Grey, such a creature was nothing. He could kill it with ease, and even if its attack landed directly on his body, it would be extremely difficult for it to cause any meaningful damage to a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator like him.

However, Grey was slightly surprised by its reaction speed.

Barely a second had passed since he destroyed the tree around which it had been coiled, yet the Horned Python had already launched an attack.

If Grey had encountered this creature when he was still in the Qi Accumulation realm, this sudden assault might have been troublesome for him to deal with.

But the current Grey was completely different.

The Horned Python had barely traveled a few meters before Grey calmly raised one finger.

Boom!

His fingertip touched the python’s head. That simple touch contained an overwhelming force.

The Horned Python’s enormous body trembled violently. Then its head suddenly exploded.

Flesh, bone, and blood erupted outward in an instant. But that wasn’t the end.

The destructive force continued through its entire body.

From its head to its tail, the Horned Python’s body collapsed under the terrifying force, exploding into countless pieces of flesh and blood.

Nothing remained. Not even a complete scale could be found. Everything had turned into blood and bones

Less than a second had passed. The creature was already dead.

Grey’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. There was no pity or emotion in his eyes, nor was there excitement from having killed another creature.

To him, the Horned Python was nothing more than an insignificant obstacle.

He continued forward and his body erupted with speed once again, and he disappeared into the blood mist left behind by the python.

As Grey advanced deeper into the Corroded Zone, he encountered more mutated creatures.

Some were strange beasts whose appearances Grey had never seen before while others looked like ordinary creatures that had undergone terrifying mutations after being exposed to the corrosive environment.

Yet none of them could stop him. Whenever a creature appeared before him, Grey would simply raise a finger. A single touch was enough.

Bang!

And their bodies would collapse into pieces of flesh and puddles of blood.

Qi Accumulation realm creatures were completely incapable of resisting him. Their bodies would often explode instantly, transforming into thick clouds of blood mist before Grey had even passed them.

However, Foundation Establishment realm creatures were different.

Their bodies were considerably stronger and so was the corrosive substance within them.

When Grey struck them, they wouldn’t always explode completely. Sometimes only their heads would burst apart with a deafening bang.

At other times, a portion of their bodies would collapse instantly, turning into blood and flesh before the creatures finally fell dead.

But the result was always the same.

Death.

Grey continued moving forward without slowing down. The surrounding forest became increasingly gloomy as he advanced.

The already dim sky seemed to grow darker.

The strange mist that permeated the Corroded Zone became thicker, and even the corrosive substance in the air appeared denser.

The deeper Grey went, the stronger the creatures he encountered became. At first, the mutated creatures were mostly at the Qi Accumulation realm.

Then Foundation Establishment realm creatures began appearing more frequently.

Eventually, even Grey had to narrow his eyes slightly whenever he sensed the powerful auras hidden within the darkness.

He was getting closer. Closer to the veil of darkness. Closer to the place where even the Captain’s usually carefree voice had become noticeably more serious. And closed to the edge of the peripheral.

Grey’s expression gradually became solemn.

He continued forward.

The trees around him became larger and more twisted. Their branches intertwined high above, blocking out what little light remained in the sky.

The ground beneath his feet was also changing.

The soil had become darker, and strange black veins could occasionally be seen spreading across the earth like the roots of some enormous organism.

Grey’s gaze swept across his surroundings.

Something was different. The creatures here weren’t simply stronger. They were also more intelligent.

While sensing his charge towards the depth, some of them had begun avoiding him. Others watched him from the darkness without attacking, as though they were waiting for something.

Grey’s instincts warned him that he was approaching a truly dangerous area in the peripheral when a heavy sound suddenly echoed through the forest.

Boom.

Grey’s footsteps came to a sudden halt and his eyes shone with a gleam.

A massive figure slowly emerged from between the twisted trees.

It was a Minotaur.

Its body was enormous, its muscles bulging beneath its rough, dark hide. Two thick horns curved upward from its head, and a pair of crimson eyes stared directly at Grey.

In its hands was a massive weapon that resembled an enormous axe. The Minotaur slowly raised the weapon onto its shoulder.

Grey’s gaze became sharp.

For the first time since entering the deeper regions of the Corroded Zone, he didn’t immediately advance.

He simply stood there while he Minotaur stared at him.

For several breaths, neither side moved. The atmosphere became strangely oppressive.

Grey could faintly sense a powerful aura radiating from the Minotaur’s body.

His expression slowly became serious. But along with that solemnity, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

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