Void Cultivation

"This place is becoming very creepy, little Grey. Let’s leave this area."

Violet’s gentle voice resounded in Grey’s ears, carrying a rare trace of uneasiness.

Grey did not hesitate to agree with her. The moment he heard her words, he changed the direction he was moving in without altering his overall path. He deliberately avoided the tall, ruined structures where the straw doll was hanging.

Without a second of hesitation, Grey moved farther away from the building.

He did not look back.

He simply continued walking through the ruined streets, his expression calm but his senses fully alert.

However, barely three minutes later, a cold wind suddenly swept through the ruined city.

Whoosh!

Grey’s footsteps slowed.

For some reason, the cold wind made him instinctively turn his head.

His gaze immediately landed on the broken structures where he had last seen the straw doll.

Empty.

The doll was gone.

Grey’s pupils contracted slightly.

Caution instantly filled his heart, and an inexplicable instinct urged him to leave this area as quickly as possible.

He did not understand why.

There was no obvious danger.

He could not sense any powerful existence nearby, nor could he detect any killing intent directed at him.

Yet his instincts were screaming at him to leave.

Grey turned around and continued forward.

He passed through another group of destroyed buildings, weaving between collapsed walls and thick vegetation.

Then his footsteps suddenly stopped.

On top of the tallest building ahead of him was a familiar figure.

The straw doll.

Grey’s eyes narrowed.

It was the same doll.

There was no doubt about it.

However, it was no longer hanging in the same position as before.

Its body was lying against the ruined structure, its face turned directly toward Grey.

Its button eyes stared at him from a distance.

A cold chill instantly ran through Grey’s body.

For a brief moment, he felt as though the straw doll was truly watching him.

Not merely facing his direction.

Watching him.

Grey remained motionless for several seconds.

The doll did not move.

Neither did it attack.

There was no sudden burst of killing intent or terrifying aura.

It simply remained there.

Looking at him.

Grey’s eyes gradually became colder.

He had encountered many strange things throughout his journey, but this was different.

There was something deeply unsettling about the doll’s behavior.

Still, Grey did not allow himself to be distracted.

He turned around and continued moving.

This time, his speed increased slightly.

He did not run.

There was no need to panic.

But he was no longer interested in staying anywhere near that doll.

Unfortunately, the matter did not end there.

After moving through another section of the ruined city, Grey reached a cluster of destroyed buildings.

His eyes swept across the surroundings.

Then his expression changed.

Once again, he saw it.

The straw doll.

It was hanging from the top of the tallest ruined building.

Grey’s pupils contracted.

This time, however, the doll’s position was even stranger.

It was hanging upside down.

Its thin, withered body dangled from the building while its head pointed toward the ground.

The button eyes stared directly at Grey.

And somehow, despite having no real facial expression, the doll seemed to be wearing a sinister smile.

Grey’s entire body tensed.

Something was wrong.

There was no longer any possibility that this was a coincidence.

Even Violet and the shadow had noticed the abnormality.

The shadow beneath Grey’s feet slowly twisted, spreading faintly across the ground as if preparing itself for an attack.

Violet’s voice became slightly more serious.

"Little Grey..."

Grey raised his hand slightly, signaling her to remain quiet.

His eyes remained fixed on the doll.

The distance between them was considerably shorter than before.

It was almost as though the doll had deliberately chosen a place closer to him.

Grey’s expression became solemn.

"You’re following me..."

His voice was low, but the ruined city was so silent that his words easily carried across the distance.

The straw doll did not respond.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then—

A faint wind blew through the ruined streets.

The doll hanging upside down swayed gently.

Rustle...

Rustle...

The sound of leaves moving in the wind echoed through the surroundings.

Grey’s eyes narrowed.

For some reason, the sound made him feel as though countless invisible eyes were staring at him from the darkness.

His instincts screamed danger.

The feeling of being watched became even stronger.

Grey’s grip tightened slightly.

The instinct to leave this place had never been stronger.

Without any hesitation, he turned around and ran.

This time, he increased his speed considerably.

He did not care about conserving his stamina anymore.

Whatever this thing was, he had no intention of allowing it to continue following him.

But only a few seconds later, Grey’s footsteps slowed.

His expression became ugly.

He saw it again.

The straw doll.

It was sitting gloomily on top of a large rock.

Its tiny legs were stretched out in front of it, while its head hung slightly downward.

It looked almost like a child sitting alone after being abandoned.

But there was nothing innocent about its appearance.

That sinister smile remained on its face.

Grey stared at it.

His eyes narrowed into slits.

"This is getting troublesome."

He immediately turned around and left.

He did not attack.

He did not approach.

He simply walked away.

However, after taking several steps, Grey’s instincts suddenly prompted him to look back.

His gaze landed on the rock.

Empty.

The straw doll had vanished.

Grey’s expression instantly became serious.

He stopped.

His eyes swept across the surrounding ruins.

Nothing.

There was no movement.

No sound.

No strange aura.

The doll had simply disappeared.

Then...

Rustle!

A faint rustling sound suddenly came from behind him. Grey’s body instantly tensed. When he turned around, his pupils contracted.

The straw doll was lying on the ground several meters behind him.

Its body was twisted into an unnatural position, its button eyes staring directly at Grey.

That sinister expression had never left its face. Grey’s breathing became slightly heavier.

For the first time, a trace of genuine wariness appeared in his eyes.

It had moved. He was certain of it.

But he had not sensed anything.

Not even the slightest fluctuation. No spirit energy or killing intent.

Nothing.

Grey’s shadow spread beneath his feet.

"Interesting..."

His voice was calm, but the coldness in his eyes deepened.

The straw doll suddenly disappeared right before his eyes. Grey’s pupils shrank.

In the next instant, the straw doll appeared directly in front of him.

Only several feet away from his feet. Its small body was standing motionlessly on the ruined ground.

Its head was tilted slightly to the side.

And those two button eyes were looking directly at Grey. The distance between them was so short that Grey could clearly see the individual strands of old, withered straw protruding from its body.

For several seconds, neither Grey nor the doll moved.

The ruined city became deathly silent. Even the cold wind seemed to have stopped at this moment.

Grey stared at the doll. The doll stared back.

And for the first time since entering the ruined city, Grey felt a genuine chill crawl down his spine.

Whatever this thing was... It had not been following him from a distance.

It had been playing with him.

"Father..."

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