Void Cultivation

Chapter 328 - 327-

And just like that, the quiet journey of the ghost ship continued across the fog-covered waters.

---

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed since they left the hidden world at the bottom of the sea. During this time, Grey remained aboard the magic ship, cultivating the Soul Severing Dao Art without pause.

At this moment, his face was twisted in pain as he endured the horrifying process of severing his soul into tiny fragments before reabsorbing them back into himself.

The agony was indescribable.

Cold sweat poured endlessly from his body, soaking his clothes completely. Veins bulged across his forehead while his breathing became ragged and uneven. Yet despite the torment, Grey refused to stop.

Because the results were worth it.

The number of spirit perforations within his body had increased once again. From barely over fifty, he had now successfully opened sixty-four spirit perforations.

Only thirty-four more remained before he could unlock his Third Ball of Spirit Fire.

Once that happened, his strength would rise dramatically. His spiritual energy would become denser, his destructive power would increase, and his combat prowess would ascend to an entirely different level.

More importantly, unlike ordinary cultivators, Grey would possess four Balls of Spirit Fire at the Third Flame stage instead of three.

In the outside world, such a phenomenon was exceedingly rare.

Very few people were capable of manifesting four Balls of Spirit Fire, and every single one of them was considered a monstrous genius capable of shaking entire regions.

And if Grey someday cultivated to the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm...

Then he would become an anomaly that possessed five Balls of Spirit Fire.

"And all of this became possible because my Cold Yin Core transformed into a Spirit Fire..." Grey muttered softly as he sensed the gradual changes occurring within his body.

Thinking back on everything, even he found it somewhat unbelievable.

Several months ago, nearly two years ago now, Grey had still been a mere Qi Accumulation cultivator. Back then, he knew almost nothing about the cultivation world and had only just stepped onto the path of cultivation.

At that time, Foundation Establishment experts had seemed like distant existences standing far above him. He could still remember wondering how many years it would take before he could ever reach such a realm.

But now, not only had he already stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm, his cultivation speed was advancing at a terrifying rate.

Not to mention the strange and powerful arts in his possession.

Grey possessed several Emperor-level cultivation arts, along with an ancient technique left behind from a previous era. Any one of those inheritances would be enough to drive countless cultivators insane with greed.

If news of such treasures ever spread...

The major forces of the continent would hunt him relentlessly.

His life would instantly become one of endless pursuit and bloodshed.

That was why Grey had decided long ago to keep everything hidden. Some secrets were too dangerous to reveal. Merely knowing about them could drag others into disaster.

Several moments later, Grey slowly recovered from the pain of severing his soul. His breathing steadied, and the sweat covering his body gradually dried.

Only then did he summon the Life Phantom and order it to hunt sea creatures beneath the dark waters and absorb their life force.

The Life Demon remained motionless for a brief moment before suddenly swaying.

The next instant, it plunged into the pitch-black sea below.

Its enormous movement stirred violent waves that caused the ghost ship to tremble slightly atop the water.

A long time ago, Grey had discovered that the Life Demon Art and the Soul Severing Dao Art seemed to complement one another perfectly.

Whenever he cultivated one technique, the other would naturally support it.

For example, after absorbing large amounts of life force from living creatures, Grey could use the Soul Severing Dao Art to remove the residual soul energy that clung to his own spirit.

Likewise, after using the Soul Severing Dao Art, if he immediately absorbed life force afterward, not only would the pain in his soul lessen significantly, but the amount of life force he could absorb would also increase far beyond normal.

It was almost as if the two arts originated from the same source.

Or perhaps...

They were once part of a greater whole.

Grey silently memorized this thought before nodding to himself in satisfaction.

Then his gaze slowly drifted downward toward his shadow.

The shadow beneath him suddenly rippled unnaturally.

Moments later, it twisted and transformed into the figure of a pale young boy with delicate yet handsome features.

His hair was black as night, while his eyes resembled bottomless abysses capable of swallowing anyone foolish enough to stare too deeply into them.

This was the form the shadow preferred using after gaining life.

Of course, this was not its true appearance.

Grey still remembered its original form clearly, a gigantic tree covered in countless sharp branches devoid of leaves. It had looked ancient, sinister, and utterly unnatural.

This human form was merely one it liked to use while outside its true body.

As Grey looked at the shadow boy, he fell silent for a moment before finally speaking in an indifferent tone.

"You want to go out to sea?"

Hearing Grey’s words, the shadow trembled slightly before nodding its head.

Compared to before, the hostility in its gaze had lessened considerably. The obvious contempt and hatred it once directed toward Grey had faded somewhat after everything that had happened.

Even so, Grey could still sense the resentment buried deep within its heart.

But he did not care.

If the shadow ever dared betray him, he could use the purple crystal to suppress it to the brink of death. In truth, if not for the terrifying fact that the creature refused to die no matter how much he suppressed it, Grey would have already erased it completely long ago.

"Go out into the sea," Grey said coldly. "Absorb the Corrosive Substance drifting through the waters and grow stronger. We’ll be returning to the sect in a few days."

His voice was indifferent and devoid of emotion.

The shadow visibly shivered again.

Moments later, its body suddenly dissolved into countless strands of black darkness that spread rapidly beneath Grey’s feet before slithering across the deck of the ghost ship and plunging into the Dead Sea below.

Soon, the shadow vanished completely.

Although Grey no longer possessed a visible shadow beneath him, he did not feel uncomfortable about it.

There was still a strange connection linking the two of them together.

Grey could vaguely sense the shadow’s direction, and the shadow could naturally sense him as well. No matter how far away it traveled, it would always be capable of following that connection back to him.

Only after the shadow had completely disappeared into the sea did Grey finally release a silent sigh of relief.

The real reason he had sent it away was because there was something he needed to discuss in private.

Something he absolutely did not want the shadow hearing.

Grey’s gaze slowly lowered toward the storage bag resting beside him.

Inside it... was the piece of cloth containing divinity.

Back when he needed its assistance, Grey had struck a deal with it, and the mysterious existence hidden within the cloth had accepted.

Although Grey was far from being a righteous person, he still honored his agreements.

At the same time, he also wanted to understand exactly what this thing wanted from him.

If its intentions brought danger upon him...

Then Grey would not hesitate to throw the cloth into the sea and flee as far away as possible.

Anything related to gods was something he wanted no involvement with.

Those ancient existences were far too terrifying.

Even merely becoming entangled with traces of their power could result in catastrophe.

Grey slowly picked up the storage bag and opened it carefully.

The instant he did...

BOOM!

A terrifying divine aura suddenly erupted from within the bag.

The air around the magic ship instantly distorted while the surrounding fog churned violently. Even the dark waters beneath the ship began rippling as though reacting instinctively to the pressure.

Grey’s eyes immediately turned ice-cold.

Without hesitation, he released the suppressive aura of the purple crystal hidden within his body and directed it toward the storage bag.

The effect was immediate.

The divine aura that had been surging outward abruptly froze before rapidly collapsing inward as though crushed by an invisible force.

Within moments, the pressure vanished completely.

However, the coldness in Grey’s expression did not fade in the slightest.

Thankfully, he had already prepared beforehand.

Several layers of spiritual walls surrounded the ghost ship, and multiple concealment arrays had been activated around the area specifically to contain any traces of divine aura.

Grey had expected something like this might happen the moment he opened the bag.

Otherwise, if even a tiny trace of that aura leaked outward...

Who knew what horrifying creatures or existences might notice it within the Dead Sea?

The atmosphere turned deathly silent.

Then Grey finally spoke.

"What are you trying to do?"

The moment his cold voice rang out, the remnants of divine aura lingering within the air paused briefly before disappearing completely.

For several seconds, there was no response.

Then,

A small sigh echoed out softly from within the storage bag.

Immediately afterward came a strange scraping sound...

Followed by faint chewing noises.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The eerie sound echoed across the silent ghost ship, causing Grey’s eyes to narrow slightly.

Then a childlike voice suddenly rang out.

"Ah... it’s you. Thank..."

The voice abruptly paused midway through its sentence.

Silence followed for a brief moment before the child continued speaking again.

"I thought you had died. Thankfully, you are still alive."

The voice still sounded soft and childish, yet for some reason, it carried an indescribably unsettling feeling that made Grey’s instincts scream in warning.

Then the tone of the voice slowly changed.

The childish softness faded away and was replaced by something cold...

Something unnervingly calm.

"So," the voice said quietly from within the storage bag, "let us discuss the contents of our deal."