Void Cultivation

The moment Grey released his power, an intense purple radiance burst forth from his body, instantly flooding the room with a brilliant glow. The violent surge of light washed over the walls, ceiling, and floor, making the dimly lit room appear as though it had been submerged beneath a sea of violet.

Grey, who had already been on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, suddenly felt the malicious aura that had locked onto him retreat without warning. The overwhelming sensation of death that had wrapped around his body like invisible chains rapidly faded, allowing clarity to return to his eyes.

He immediately turned around and glanced at Iria, who remained seated quietly on the bed in deep meditation. Her breathing was calm and steady, and her expression remained tranquil, as though she had neither noticed the sudden eruption of purple light nor sensed the terrifying pressure that had just descended upon the room.

When Grey realized that she had not awakened, a wave of relief spread through his body.

However, that relief lasted for only a brief moment.

The heart-rending cry of the shadow echoed inside his mind once again.

Grey’s expression stiffened.

He instinctively wanted to reconnect his senses to the shadow and perceive the world through its eyes once more. However, the memory of the horrifying scene he had witnessed earlier caused him to hesitate. If the strange creature was still staring through the shadow’s vision, reconnecting might once again expose him to whatever incomprehensible horror had nearly destroyed his mind.

Fortunately, he did not need to share the shadow’s senses in order to command it.

No matter how great the distance between them was, the connection between master and servant remained unbroken. Grey could clearly feel the existence of the shadow, just as the shadow could sense him.

Without wasting another second, Grey mentally ordered it to return immediately.

Several seconds passed.

Then another several seconds.

Yet there was still no sign of the shadow.

Grey’s expression gradually turned solemn.

Although he did not treasure the shadow to the extent one might expect, he was equally unwilling to watch it perish such a miserable death before his eyes.

Among all the strange existences under his control, the shadow possessed abilities unlike any other.

More importantly, Grey understood better than anyone just how much potential it possessed. Compared to many bizarre existences wandering the world, the shadow was still nothing more than a newborn. It had yet to fully mature or awaken its true strength.

Even so, it had already assisted him countless times.

The greatest example was its ability to continuously absorb the Corrosive Substance accumulating inside his body.

That single ability had completely changed Grey’s cultivation path.

Without the shadow, cultivating inside dangerous places like the Dead Sea or venturing into Corroded Zones would have been nothing short of suicide. The Corrosive Substance would have accumulated until it reached the point of no return, eventually consuming him from within.

Because of the shadow, however, Grey could cultivate in environments that others considered certain death without constantly fearing the inevitable decay that awaited every cultivator.

For more than two years, the shadow had remained by his side.

It had accompanied him through countless life-and-death situations, silently carrying out every command without complaint.

Whether he admitted it or not, Grey had grown accustomed to its presence.

Allowing it to disappear now left an unpleasant feeling in his heart.

"As my servant," Grey muttered coldly, "you’re supposed to be the one protecting me. Not the other way around."

His eyes turned toward the window.

If the shadow truly could not escape, then he would personally retrieve it.

Grey immediately stood up, prepared to leap from the window and rush toward the location where the shadow and that terrifying existence were confronting one another.

Just as he was about to summon the Purple Phantom and the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird to remain behind and protect Iria, something suddenly caught his attention.

A faint, dim shadow darted through the streets below with astonishing speed.

It rushed toward the inn before flowing effortlessly up the outer wall like liquid darkness.

Moments later, it slipped through the window and entered the room where Grey stood waiting.

The instant it arrived, the shadow trembled violently before instinctively trying to merge back into Grey’s feet.

"Stop."

Grey’s calm voice immediately halted its movement.

"Explain yourself."

The shadow froze.

After a brief silence, it slowly reshaped itself into a miniature version of Grey.

Its appearance was almost identical to his own, but its body looked unusually transparent and unstable. Its once-dark form had become noticeably dimmer, while its eyes appeared deeply sunken and devoid of vitality.

Although there were no visible wounds on its body, Grey could clearly sense the severe weakness emanating from it.

The shadow had suffered injuries far worse than they appeared.

In a hoarse, exhausted voice, it slowly recounted everything that had happened after Grey severed their shared vision.

The moment Grey disconnected from its sight, an invisible force had descended upon it.

Without warning, the shadow’s body had been split cleanly in half from its head all the way down.

Fortunately, the shadow was not a creature of flesh and blood.

As an existence formed entirely from darkness, such an injury alone was insufficient to kill it.

However, before it could even react, one half of its body was instantly swallowed by the unknown creature.

Not bitten.

Not cut apart.

Simply... devoured.

The remaining half of the shadow immediately discovered that whatever invisible force had restrained it had vanished.

Without the slightest hesitation, it turned and fled with every ounce of strength it possessed.

But the bizarre existence had no intention of letting it escape.

It continued chasing the shadow through the streets.

Wherever it passed, the ground beneath it instantly froze over.

Buildings became coated in frost.

The air itself seemed to crystallize.

Every step caused the surrounding temperature to plummet further.

The shadow escaped only by the narrowest of margins.

Several times during the pursuit, portions of its body were frozen solid.

Each time that happened, it had no choice but to tear away the frozen sections of itself before continuing its desperate escape.

Little by little, its body became smaller and weaker.

Only after sacrificing nearly half of itself was it finally able to shake off the creature long enough to return to Grey.

When Grey finished listening to the explanation, his pupils contracted violently.

A deep sense of dread resurfaced inside his heart.

If something capable of nearly killing the shadow had followed it here...

Then that meant...

Almost as though responding to his thoughts, the temperature inside the room abruptly dropped by several degrees.

A chilling wind swept through the room.

Thin layers of frost rapidly spread across the corners of the windows before creeping along the wooden walls.

The candles flickered violently.

Then, from somewhere outside...

A faint melody drifted through the night.

It sounded like someone softly singing.

The voice was distant, almost ethereal.

Beautiful.

Yet every note carried an indescribable chill that made Grey’s scalp tingle.

His instincts screamed at him.

Run.

Without the slightest hesitation, Grey rushed toward Iria.

She remained completely immersed in cultivation, oblivious to the danger rapidly approaching.

Grey grabbed her without bothering to wake her and immediately fled the room with the shadow following closely behind.

Only a few seconds after they disappeared...

Two icy footprints slowly materialized in the center of the room.

No figure could be seen.

Only the footprints.

The instant they appeared, an unbearable cold erupted throughout the room.

The windows shattered into countless pieces with explosive cracks.

The wooden furniture froze solid before becoming completely encased in thick layers of ice.

The very air seemed to stop moving.

Everything inside the room fell into absolute silence.

Then...

The two frozen footprints slowly turned.

They were facing the exact direction Grey had escaped.