Void Cultivation

Everyone remained silent for a long time. The cool sea breeze swept across the port, causing their robes to flutter wildly in the wind. Several strands of hair danced around their faces, yet none of them paid any attention to it. Their expressions were solemn and grave, their gazes fixed on the severed head and the unconscious Kaien.

The atmosphere was heavy, almost suffocating.

"What do we do now?" one of the captains finally asked, his voice carrying a hint of confusion.

This outcome had been completely unexpected. None of them had imagined that the investigation would end with the death of one Heaven’s Chosen and the capture of another. More importantly, they had no idea how to proceed from this point onward.

Throughout their lives, they had dealt with countless criminals who had committed unforgivable sins. Since many of them had clawed their way from the bottom of the cultivation world to reach their current positions, they were more than familiar with how justice should be administered.

However, this matter was entirely different.

For the first time in many years, all of them found themselves at a loss.

Surprisingly, the one who finally broke the silence was not Violet but Grey.

"He is a wanted criminal," Grey said in a cold and indifferent tone. "Until the Director gives further instructions, he will remain imprisoned under the Detective Agency’s jurisdiction."

His voice was firm and carried an unquestionable authority.

Under the moonlight, his cold grey eyes appeared particularly sharp. Combined with his expressionless face, he resembled a ruthless officer who would uphold the law regardless of the consequences.

No one questioned his words.

"Do we have any evidence that allows us to keep him imprisoned until his crimes are confirmed?" another captain asked calmly. "I’m sure all of you understand the consequences of imprisoning a Heaven’s Chosen of the Sects Alliance."

His words caused everyone’s expressions to turn even more solemn.

The consequences could not be underestimated.

The Sects Alliance was one of the greatest powers in the region. If they discovered that one of their Heaven’s Chosen had been imprisoned without sufficient evidence, they would undoubtedly retaliate. Such an incident could easily escalate into a conflict between major powers.

At that moment, Violet stepped forward.

"When I intercepted this headless fellow..." he said while pointing at the severed head in his hand, "...I discovered a ship filled with helpless civilians and bound cultivators. They were preparing to leave the city through a teleportation formation."

A cold glint flashed through his eyes.

"Fortunately, I arrived in time and managed to stop them. I rescued quite a few of the captives and handed them over to the patrol members. They should be arriving at the agency shortly."

The expressions of the captains changed slightly.

This was more than enough evidence.

Human trafficking, kidnapping, and the attempted smuggling of civilians through a teleportation formation were grave crimes. Even a Heaven’s Chosen could not escape punishment after committing such acts.

With this testimony and the rescued victims as witnesses, they finally had sufficient grounds to imprison Kaien and carry out a proper investigation.

After all, the thought of foreign cultivators infiltrating their city and trampling upon their dignity left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths.

Including Grey.

Soon, the meeting came to an end, and everyone departed to carry out their respective duties within the Detective Agency.

Without saying it aloud, all of them unanimously decided that the captive should remain imprisoned in Grey and Violet’s branch.

After all, they were the ones who had captured him.

Moreover, among everyone present, only the two of them possessed the strength necessary to suppress him if he suddenly regained consciousness and attempted to escape.

Thus, Grey returned to the Detective Agency.

Without wasting any time, he headed toward the underground section of the building that served as the prison.

The underground prison was vast and gloomy. Rows of cells stretched into the darkness, each one containing different kinds of prisoners.

Some were ordinary civilians who had chosen a life of crime.

Others were cultivators who had strayed onto dark and twisted paths.

There were even several non-human races among the prisoners, each confined within specially designed cages and cells.

Normally, four or five prisoners would share a single cell. However, because many of them were cultivators, a clear separation had been established.

The mundane criminals and ordinary mortals occupied one side of the prison, while the cultivators were confined to another section entirely.

This arrangement existed for a simple reason.

It prevented powerful cultivators from bullying, torturing, or even killing ordinary people.

As soon as Grey stepped into the underground prison, his eyes immediately adjusted to the dim lighting.

Although darkness posed no obstacle to him and he could see perfectly well without light, this reaction had become a natural instinct after years of cultivation.

The air underground was cold and damp.

A faint smell of blood and mold lingered in the surroundings.

The moment the heavy prison door creaked open, the occasional laughter, cries, and moans echoing throughout the cells suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

An eerie silence descended.

One after another, countless pairs of eyes turned toward the entrance.

Every prisoner had become alert.

They all stared at the young man standing beneath the dim light, his expression cold and indifferent as he slowly walked deeper into the prison.

As he drew closer, many of the previously apprehensive criminals were finally able to see his face clearly. The moment they realized that the newcomer was merely a youth, they began to laugh wickedly, their shrill and unpleasant voices echoing throughout the prison.

"It’s a kid! Hahaha, come over here and suck my d*ck!" one person shouted in a hoarse and grainy voice.

He gyrated his hips in a slow and sensual manner with a wicked expression on his face. One of his eye was blinded with yellow pus slowly out.

"Hahaha! Come here! Come over here!" another yelled while banging his hands against the iron bars. He was a non-human with four arms.

However, two of his arms had been cut off and mutilated. Leaving only two stumps in their place.

Some of them uttered provocative words that would have made an ordinary person furious. Others grinned maliciously and hurled insults at him, hoping to see some kind of reaction.

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

His face remained calm and indifferent, as if he had heard nothing at all.

These people were already condemned to a fate worse than death. Many of them had committed grave and unforgivable sins, crimes that could not be redeemed so easily.

The prisoners themselves were well aware of this fact. Therefore, they were no longer afraid of death. In fact, many of them wished that death would come sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately, death had not answered their prayers.

Trapped in this dark and damp place, completely cut off from the outside world and deprived of even a single ray of sunlight, many people had gradually begun to lose their minds.

Both cultivators and mundane humans alike had succumbed to madness.

Surprisingly, however, the majority of the insane criminals were cultivators.

Perhaps it was because their senses were far sharper than those of ordinary people, causing them to suffer even more in this dreadful environment. Coupled with the effects of the corrosive substance that constantly permeated the prison, it was hardly surprising that many of them had eventually gone mad.

Madness was not at all out of place here.

Ignoring the endless insults and jeers, Grey calmly strode toward a cage that had only one person left in it.

Compared to the others, this cage was somewhat cleaner and did not have nearly as much blood splattered across its floor and walls.

The only person inside was a pale and frail old man whose face was covered with countless scratches. His hair had grown long and disheveled, and his fingernails were equally long, resembling the claws of a wild beast.

His eyes stared blankly into the empty space before him, as though he were looking at something that no one else could see.

He did not react in the slightest when Grey casually threw the unconscious Kaien into the cage.

"Ow... uh..."

Kaien let out a low groan, his eyes remaining tightly shut.

Grey did not spare him another second of attention. To him, Kaien’s fate had already been decided.

Without another word, he turned around and began to leave.

Seeing him depart so calmly, many of the prisoners became even more agitated.

They shouted even louder than before, hurling insults and mocking words in an attempt to provoke him.

Yet Grey ignored every single one of them.

It was only when he passed by a cage near the exit that he finally reacted.

A dirty and bony hand suddenly shot through the bars and attempted to grab his clothes.

"Come over here... you despicable..." the owner of the hand muttered in a clearly dazed voice as he tried to pull Grey closer.

Grey stopped in his tracks.

He slowly turned his head and cast a single glance at the man.

That one glance was enough.

The prisoner’s eyes immediately regained their lucidity.

An overwhelming sense of dread suddenly exploded within his heart.

At that moment, it felt as though he had been stared at by an unimaginably hungry demonic beast, a terrifying creature capable of devouring him whole with a single bite.

The man’s pupils shrank violently.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

In sheer terror, he stumbled backward until his back and head slammed against the opposite side of the cage.

Bang!

His face twisted into one of absolute horror and fear, while beads of cold sweat trickled down the sides of his forehead.

He looked as though he had just seen a grotesque monster from the depths of hell.