Void Cultivation

The moment night arrived, Grey felt the atmosphere throughout the entire Corroded Zone change.

The shadows of the trees grew longer, stretching across the ground like enormous black fingers, while the wind became even colder than before. A chilling silence descended over the surroundings.

There was no longer any sound of rustling leaves or mutated creatures wandering through the darkness. The strange cries and roars that Grey had been hearing for hours had also come to a complete stop.

At this moment, Grey noticed something even stranger.

The shadow of a nearby tree suddenly began to stretch across the ground, extending for an extremely long distance. It was as if something of unimaginable length was about to emerge from within it.

Grey’s eyes narrowed.

The phenomenon did not happen to just one tree. One after another, the shadows of the surrounding trees began stretching farther and farther, covering large portions of the ground beneath them.

Grey was still trying to understand how bizarre the sight was when the trees suddenly caught fire.

The flames appeared without warning, burning silently across the trunks and branches.

As soon as they ignited, several figures emerged from the elongated shadows beneath the trees.

They possessed humanoid forms, but their limbs were unnaturally long, almost reaching the ground. Their entire bodies were covered in black, cracked skin, making them resemble creatures that had crawled out of some ancient abyss.

The strange flames did not burn for long. Shortly after appearing, they suddenly extinguished themselves.

The humanoid figures turned their heads in different directions before scattering.

Their eyes were completely black and devoid of emotion. There was nothing within them that resembled the vitality of a living creature.

Grey, who was observing the scene from high within a tree, could not help but suck in a deep breath.

He remained motionless.

One of the strange humanoids slowly approached a dilapidated building that was already on the brink of collapse.

Beneath the ruined structure was a mutated creature roughly the size of a bear.

At this moment, the mutated creature was trembling violently, as though it could already sense that its life was about to end.

The black humanoid bent down slowly.

Its long neck twisted slightly as it peered into the cracks of the dilapidated building where the mutated creature was hiding.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then—

"Grunt!"

A muffled cry came from beneath the ruins.

Immediately afterward, Grey heard several loud snapping sounds.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

The sounds continued for a while before abruptly stopping.

The humanoid existence slowly stood up.

In its hands was a small green light.

It continued walking in another direction, seemingly searching for more prey.

Seeing this, a faint chill traveled down Grey’s neck.

The humanoid existence did not seem particularly powerful.

At least, from what Grey could sense, its cultivation was not overwhelmingly high.

Yet despite this, it gave him an intense feeling of danger.

"What is that humanoid creature?"

Grey’s expression became solemn.

"Could it be a bizarre existence that only appears at night?"

His gaze remained fixed on the humanoid figure.

"It must have killed the mutated creature hiding there. I can’t sense anything from it anymore."

Grey tilted his head slightly.

"Could it be that these humanoid existences are killing all the mutated creatures around them?"

His eyes eventually fell upon the green light in the creature’s hands.

"But what are those green spots of light?"

Curiosity filled Grey’s heart.

He continued watching.

Not long afterward, another humanoid existence emerged from one of the elongated shadows.

It moved toward another hiding place with surprising nimbleness.

Grey remained perfectly still, carefully observing its every movement.

A few seconds later, the same sounds of heavy grunting and snapping echoed through the silent night.

Then the humanoid existence returned.

Another green light was held within its hands.

As for the mutated creature it had approached, Grey could no longer sense even the slightest trace of life from it.

It was obviously dead.

Grey found the scene extremely strange.

However, he did not make a sound.

He remained completely silent, hiding among the branches of the enormous tree.

If not for the cold glint occasionally flashing within his eyes, anyone passing beneath the tree would probably not have noticed him at all.

Time passed slowly.

Throughout the entire night, the strange humanoid existences continued moving through the Corroded Zone.

They searched for mutated creatures hidden beneath ruins, within caves, and among the trees.

Whenever they found one, the process was almost identical.

The mutated creature would tremble violently before eventually dying beneath the humanoid’s hands.

Afterward, the humanoid existence would plunge its hand into the corpse and extract a small green light from within it.

Grey watched silently.

Eventually, the sky began to brighten.

It was almost dawn.

One by one, the humanoid existences began returning.

Every single one of them carried green lights in their hands.

They moved toward the elongated shadows beneath the trees and slowly disappeared into them.

It was as if the shadows themselves had swallowed their bodies.

The moment the last humanoid existence disappeared, the sun rose.

A warm orange glow spread across the horizon, bathing the world in a pleasant light.

The contrast between the two scenes was almost surreal.

Only a few moments ago, the Corroded Zone had been shrouded in darkness, filled with bizarre humanoid creatures that silently hunted mutated beasts.

Now, the outside world seemed peaceful.

It was as if the entire world was melting beneath the warm orange sunlight, slowly becoming bright and pleasant once again.

However, that beautiful sight could only truly be appreciated by those outside the Corroded Zone.

To Grey, nothing had changed.

The Corroded Zone remained as cold and dangerous as ever.

Grey waited for several more minutes, making absolutely certain that the strange humanoid existences had truly disappeared.

Only then did he finally heave a sigh of relief.

He had spent the entire night observing them.

The longer he watched, the more terrifying they had seemed.

Grey was almost certain that the green lights they harvested from the mutated creatures were some form of life force.

However, the method by which they extracted them was extremely strange.

Whenever one of the humanoid existences approached, the mutated creatures seemed to realize that they could not escape.

They would tremble in fear before eventually dying.

Afterward, the humanoid would plunge its hand into the corpse and retrieve the green light.

Grey was not entirely certain of the exact process.

It had been pitch-black throughout the night, and he had been observing from high within the trees.

But he was certain of what he had managed to see.

"Then... the green lights could be said to be the mutated creatures’ life force?"

Grey mumbled inwardly, his brows furrowing slightly.

The concept seemed simple, yet there was something about it that made him feel uneasy.

Why did the humanoid existences need the life force of mutated creatures?

And why did they only appear during the night?

Most importantly, what were they going to do with all the life force they had gathered?

Unfortunately, Grey did not have the answers.

"It’s safe to go down now. The night has passed, and those terrifying existences have already returned to their resting places."

As soon as Violet’s voice sounded in his mind, Grey heard the distant howl of a wolf.

His eyes immediately narrowed.

He waited for several seconds, carefully listening to the surroundings and making sure there was no immediate danger.

Only then did Grey leap from the tree.

His body descended rapidly before landing steadily on the ground.

Without wasting any time, he began moving in the direction the Captain had been leading him.

After running for some time, Grey finally broke the silence.

"Do you really not know what the treasure we’re looking for is?"

His expression remained indifferent as he continued forward, dried blood still covering parts of his face.

Violet remained silent for several seconds.

Then, instead of answering his question directly, she asked,

"Grey, have you ever thought about where the Super Sects of the Sects Alliance come from?"

Hearing her question, Grey fell silent.

He had never really considered it.

To him, the Super Sects had simply come from deeper within the Central Quadrant.

"I thought they came from the Central Quadrant," Grey replied honestly. "Just from a location deeper than where we currently are."

"You’re right in a sense, but your answer is incomplete."

Violet’s voice sounded slightly amused.

"The Central Quadrant is like a ring. There are various regions within it, and those regions continue expanding the deeper you travel into the quadrant."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"The region we’re currently in is called the Kamui Region, or Kamui County. It isn’t particularly large, and there aren’t too many dominant Sects or major cities here."

"Kamui County is also home to many inhuman races. Although they possess various characteristics that distinguish them from humans, many of them still resemble normal humans."

Grey listened carefully.

"You could say that Kamui County is the peripheral region of the Central Quadrant—the first ring."

"The second county is much larger, and the people there are considerably stronger. Many of the Super Sects originate from this region."

"It is called the Lese Region, or Lese County."

"Lese County..." Grey muttered.

"Why haven’t I heard of it before?"

Violet’s voice immediately carried a faint chuckle.

"It’s only natural. Many cultivators spend their entire lives within Kamui County. They have never left this region and have come to regard this place as their entire world."

"To them, Kamui County is everything that exists."

"Although they may have heard of famous places beyond the region, they don’t truly understand what lies beyond their immediate surroundings."

Grey nodded thoughtfully.

"But I thought a county was basically a major city, or perhaps a city with the greatest influence in its surroundings."

"Why is an entire region being called a county?"

"The reason is actually quite simple."

Violet explained patiently.

"When these regions were first established, there were already large and prosperous cities within them. Those cities could be referred to as counties."

"Therefore, when the regions were formed, they were named after the strongest and most influential counties within them."

"I see."

Grey’s expression became thoughtful.

"Although it may not sound like it, Kamui Region is actually enormous."

"However, compared to Lese, it cannot hold a candle to it."

"Lese County is large enough to contain two or even three Kamui Counties."

"Despite its enormous size, there aren’t as many cities there as you might imagine. Many of the cities are enormous settlements that have gradually absorbed and merged with smaller cities."

"It is completely different from Kamui Region, where cities can be found in almost every direction."

Grey nodded slowly.

The more he listened, the more he realized how limited his understanding of the Central Quadrant actually was.

He had always thought that the Central Quadrant was already an unimaginably vast place.

Now, he was discovering that even the region he had spent so much time in was merely a small part of something much larger.

Violet continued explaining.

"In Lese Region, there are also smaller regions within it. One of the most famous is the Dark Namye Region."

"There’s also the White Flames Region and the Mystical Nether Region."

"All of these places are enormous. Because of their size and importance, powerful cultivators can be found there at almost all times."

Grey pondered over Violet’s words seriously.

This was the first time he had ever heard such detailed information about the regions beyond Kamui County.

He found it astonishing.

The world he had once considered enormous suddenly felt much smaller.

What surprised Grey the most was that the land beneath his feet, the Corroded Zone, Kamui County, and everything he had experienced within it was still only a tiny part of the vast world beyond.

"In Lese Region, the number of factions is roughly three times greater than those in our small county."

"The factions there also operate on a much larger scale, and many of them are terrifyingly powerful."

Violet’s tone became slightly more serious.

"There is even a faction there that you should find familiar."

Grey raised an eyebrow.

"Which one?"

"The Secret Order."

The moment Grey heard those words, his eyes narrowed into thin slits.

A powerful feeling of hatred and animosity immediately surged within his heart.

The Secret Order. He had already encountered them several times before.

They were not merely some distant faction whose name he had heard in passing.

They had caused him enough trouble that the mere mention of their name was enough to make his mood darken.

Knowing that the Secret Order also operated within Lese Region and on a much larger scale than they did in Kamui County left a bitter taste in Grey’s mouth.

"If they are that powerful in Lese Region..." Grey thought inwardly, his gaze becoming cold.

"Then what exactly are they planning?"

Violet did not immediately answer.

"But just as there are countless evil factions with terrible reputations, there are also powerful factions known for their honorable reputations in Lese."

Grey’s expression remained calm. Yet deep within his heart, a strange anticipation began to grow.

Lese Region.

For the first time, Grey began to realize that the place he had considered the vast world was merely the beginning.

There were larger regions, stronger cultivators and more powerful factions.

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