Void Cultivation

Time slowly passed, and before Grey knew it, night had descended upon the Corroded Zone once again.

As soon as darkness arrived, the behavior of the mutated creatures changed.

The howls and shrill cries that had filled the surroundings throughout the day gradually faded. One after another, the creatures retreated into their hiding places, as though they instinctively knew that something far more terrifying than themselves would soon emerge from the darkness.

Grey already knew what was happening and did not linger outside for long.

The area he was currently in was filled with several tall buildings. Although most of them had been reduced to ruins, with their walls cracked and their structures partially collapsed, it was still possible to imagine how magnificent they must have been when the city was still intact.

Among the ruins, one particular structure caught Grey’s attention.

It was a tall, slender stone monument that stood more than twelve feet above the ground. Its surface was covered in countless cracks and patches of mottled stone, making it appear ancient beyond measure.

At the base of the monument was a narrow crack, barely wide enough for Grey to squeeze through.

When he had first seen the structure from a distance, Grey had mistaken it for an old statue of a person bowing toward the heavens.

However, after approaching it, he realized that his first impression had been completely wrong.

The figure carved into the stone was indeed shaped like a person, but it was not bowing.

Instead, the figure appeared to be kneeling on one leg.

Its body was slightly bent forward, while one arm was raised toward the sky. In its hand was a strange object that pointed menacingly toward the heavens, as though the stone figure was challenging something above.

Grey stared at the monument for a few moments.

He did not understand the meaning behind the strange posture, nor did he particularly care to find out.

What truly caught his attention was the strange sense of familiarity he experienced while standing before it.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

In fact, the closer he got to the monument, the stronger that inexplicable sensation became.

It reminded him of something he had encountered in the past.

The purple sword slash.

When Grey had comprehended that mysterious sword art, a transparent figure had emerged from a massive boulder within another Corroded Zone.

The figure had been completely silent.

It had simply raised its sword and casually swung it once.

Yet that single sword strike had contained an indescribable profundity.

Grey had been completely entranced by the sight.

At that moment, the purple crystal within his body had also reacted.

It had released a trace of its suppressive intent and forcefully siphoned a portion of the aura contained within the transparent figure’s sword strike.

That strange aura had then merged with the comprehension Grey had obtained.

From that moment onward, Grey had been able to manifest a purple sword and reproduce the exact same sword strike he had witnessed from the transparent figure.

Now, standing before this strange monument, Grey felt an almost identical sensation.

The feeling was extremely close to what he had experienced before the mysterious boulder.

Grey narrowed his eyes.

Although he could not explain why, his instincts told him that there was a deep connection between the two.

"An Ancient Comprehensible Dao from the previous eras?"

A hint of surprise appeared in Grey’s eyes.

After spending so much time in the cultivation world, he had eventually learned the name of the mysterious sword art he had once comprehended.

Ancient Sword Dao.

After God descended upon the world, countless experts had attempted to stop him.

None had succeeded.

Those experts had died bizarre deaths, their existences completely erased from the world. Not even their corpses had remained behind.

Among those experts had been an entire race whose name had long since been forgotten.

The passage of countless years had erased their history from the world, leaving behind almost nothing that could prove they had ever existed.

However, one thing remained.

Their sword arts.

The members of that ancient race had referred to their sword arts as Sword Daos.

These Sword Daos could not simply be learned through ordinary cultivation.

They had to be comprehended.

And comprehension required more than talent.

One needed an extraordinary amount of luck, an exceptionally strong mind, and the ability to perceive profound principles hidden within seemingly ordinary things.

When God descended and those ancient experts attempted to resist him, many of them died bizarre deaths.

However, a few were not killed.

Instead, their bodies were transformed into strange monuments.

Neither alive nor dead, these experts became eternal existences that remained scattered throughout the world.

Under certain special conditions, the experts sealed within these monuments would temporarily manifest.

When they appeared, they would unleash the strongest sword attack they had possessed during their lives.

These attacks became known as Ancient Sword Daos.

Even during the previous eras, Ancient Sword Daos were extraordinarily difficult to comprehend.

In the current era, they were even more precious.

Only a handful of heaven’s chosen could successfully comprehend even one Ancient Sword Dao.

Grey had already comprehended one.

He had done so back when he was still within the Corroded Zone with Caster and the others.

At that time, however, Grey had not understood what the strange sword art truly was.

After leaving that place, his attention had gradually shifted toward other matters, and he had eventually stopped thinking about it.

But now...

Standing before this strange monument, with its stone figure pointing its weapon toward the heavens, Grey could clearly feel an aura similar to that of the purple sword.

His heart began to stir.

He wanted to comprehend it.

He wanted to see whether he could obtain another Ancient Sword Dao.

After carefully examining the monument, Grey discovered the narrow crack near its base.

He cautiously inspected the interior, making sure there was no hidden danger lurking inside.

Only after confirming that the area was safe did he finally squeeze himself through the crack.

The space inside was extremely narrow.

Grey could barely move, but it was enough.

He settled himself down and prepared to meditate.

Outside, the roars of the mutated creatures were gradually disappearing.

Soon, the entire Corroded Zone would be plunged into complete silence.

Grey closed his eyes and waited.

Several minutes passed.

Suddenly, the temperature within the Corroded Zone began to drop at an astonishing rate.

The cold seeped through the cracks in the ruins and gradually spread throughout the surroundings.

Grey had already experienced this phenomenon the previous night, so he did not panic.

Instead, he remained calm and sat cross-legged.

His breathing gradually slowed.

His mind became tranquil.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the monument to move.

Waiting for the moment when the ancient figure would emerge and unleash the sword strike hidden within it.

Once that happened, Grey would memorize every detail of the attack.

And just as he had done before, he would stimulate the purple crystal and use its terrifying power to forcibly absorb a trace of the monument’s aura.

"Little Grey."

Violet’s voice suddenly echoed inside his head.

"Do you know that we are currently inside an Ancient Sword Dao monument?"

Grey was startled.

His eyes snapped open, and his body instinctively tensed.

For an instant, he was ready to attack.

But after recognizing the familiar voice, he immediately relaxed.

He quietly sucked in a deep breath.

"Yes, I’m aware."

Grey closed his eyes again.

"I’ll try to see if I can comprehend the Dao within this monument before we leave."

He fell silent and continued meditating.

Violet did not immediately respond.

For several seconds, there was only silence.

Then, a faint laugh echoed within Grey’s mind.

"Hehe, Little Grey... your knowledge about Ancient Sword Daos is still a little shallow."

Grey’s eyebrows twitched.

Violet continued.

"It’s not simply a matter of luck. Timing is also extremely important."

"Many of these Ancient Sword Daos have specific rules governing who can comprehend them and obtain their power."

"Generally speaking, humans are more favored than other races. Their chances of successfully comprehending an Ancient Sword Dao are much higher."

"But that doesn’t mean every human can simply come here and try their luck."

Grey remained silent, listening carefully.

"You see, after someone successfully comprehends the Dao within a monument, that monument usually becomes inactive for roughly fifty years."

"During that period, nobody can comprehend the Dao within it again."

"Of course, fifty years isn’t an absolute rule."

"Every monument is different, just as every Sword Dao within them is different. Some monuments require more than fifty years before they become active again. Others may require a hundred years or even longer, depending on the strength and profundity of the Sword Dao contained within them."

Grey’s expression gradually became serious.

Violet’s voice continued to echo through his mind.

"Think about it. You might see an Ancient Sword Dao monument and assume that you have a chance to comprehend it simply because it has appeared before you."

"But what if the last person to comprehend its Dao did so only a few years ago?"

"You would have no choice but to wait."

"Perhaps ten years."

"Perhaps fifty."

"Perhaps even longer."

"That is why simply finding an Ancient Sword Dao monument doesn’t mean you have found an opportunity."

Grey’s eyes flickered.

Violet paused briefly before continuing.

"And there’s another important rule."

"Every time the Dao within a monument is successfully comprehended, the period before it can activate again becomes longer."

"At the same time, the difficulty of comprehending the Dao increases."

Grey’s expression became solemn.

If that was true, then Ancient Sword Dao monuments were far more complicated than he had originally imagined.

Violet let out a soft laugh.

"And that’s still without considering the special factor that determines when a monument will actually activate and display the Sword Dao contained within it."

She paused.

Then her tone became slightly mysterious.

"That factor is even more important than everything I just told you."

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