Void Cultivation

Grey had heard of the mysterious faction known as the Secret Order before. When he had first arrived in Sky Mist City and been assigned to the Detective Agency Department, one of the first missions issued to him had been the capture and extermination of every Secret Order member hiding within the city.

At that time, Grey had still been in the Qi Accumulation Realm and was nothing more than a newly recruited cultivator with little experience. Moreover, the mission had not been assigned to him alone. Every member of the Detective Agency Department had been mobilized and ordered to scour every corner of Sky Mist City in search of the Secret Order’s hideouts.

It had been a night drenched in blood, screams, and fire—a night that Grey would never truly forget. The memory of severed limbs and burning buildings still lingered in the depths of his mind. However, that had all happened a long time ago, and he had never expected to hear that infamous name again, especially not at a time like this.

As he thought about it, Grey suddenly recalled that incidents involving missing people had been occurring long before the Secret Order had been placed on the blacklist by the upper echelons of Sky Mist. Their cases almost always involved the disappearance of ordinary people, rogue cultivators, or even entire families.

Yet, despite remembering all of this, Grey still couldn’t connect the events from several months ago with what was happening now.

A trace of confusion appeared on his face as he looked at the captain.

"Are you saying that the Secret Order is responsible for all of this?" he asked.

Violet, who seemed to have been waiting for him to ask that very question, suddenly chuckled softly.

"If you had been paying attention all those months ago, you would have noticed that this incident is incredibly similar to what happened during the raid," she said leisurely. "The Secret Order is known throughout the underground world as a faction obsessed with capturing people and using them for experiments."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"As for what exactly they’re experimenting on, nobody knows for certain. However, several rumors have been circulating over the past few years. According to those rumors, the Secret Order is attempting to create a method to completely break down and dissolve corrosive substances."

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"They believe that corrosive substance is the source of all suffering and the very thing that caused the world to fall into its current state. Because of that belief, they experiment on both ordinary people and cultivators alike in an attempt to completely purge the human body of corrosive substance."

Violet shook her head before letting out a hearty laugh.

"How preposterous!"

She said those final words as though she had just heard the greatest joke in the world.

However, Grey wasn’t laughing in the slightest.

His expression gradually turned solemn.

Whether or not the Secret Order could truly eliminate corrosive substance was irrelevant. An organization willing to sacrifice countless innocent lives for its experiments was not something that could be ignored.

In his eyes, they were far more dangerous than ordinary criminals.

Any faction capable of treating human lives as mere test subjects was bound to become a calamity sooner or later.

Although Grey was far from being a saint, he disliked needless suffering and had never been someone who could calmly watch innocent people be sacrificed for another person’s ambitions.

Moreover, he was different from everyone else.

Not a single trace of corrosive substance existed within his body.

He was pure and completely untainted. He possessed no decay points and had no need to fear death by mutation or the possibility of turning into an abomination. In a world where everyone constantly struggled against corruption and decay, his existence was an anomaly.

Perhaps because of this, he found it difficult to understand the desperation of those who sought salvation at any cost. Yet, he could still sympathize with them.

After all, fear of death had driven countless people to commit terrible acts throughout history.

Seeing Grey remain silent, Violet’s expression quickly became smug.

In her eyes, she had successfully improved her image in front of him. She believed that her vast knowledge had impressed Grey and further established her position as a reliable and experienced senior sister.

Although she said nothing, her thoughts were practically written all over her face.

Grey glanced at her before calmly looking away, completely ignoring the silly expression she was wearing.

Instead, he asked another question.

"Have they ever succeeded in completely expelling the corrosive substance from a person’s body?"

Violet’s expression became slightly serious.

She slowly shook her head.

"No. According to the rumors, there hasn’t been a single successful attempt."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"The only people we know of who are completely free from the taint of God are the humans and non-humans who fled this world several thousand years ago. However, even they are not truly immune to God’s corruption."

A complicated expression appeared in her eyes.

"In the end, their bodies would also begin to corrode if they remained in contact with the outside world for too long. At best, they can only resist it for a longer period than ordinary people."

The captain, who seemed eager to continue displaying her knowledge in front of Grey, quickly added another explanation.

"But this is merely the tip of the iceberg. There are many hidden factions like this scattered all across Pangu. Some are ancient organizations that have existed for thousands of years, while others were only established in recent centuries."

She leaned against her chair and crossed her arms.

"Their beliefs, goals, and methods all differ from one another. In fact, many of them completely contradict each other and would rather destroy one another than cooperate."

Her expression became meaningful.

"If you explore the world in the future, you’ll undoubtedly encounter some of these organizations. Some may even try to recruit you into their ranks."

She then added in a warning tone,

"Not all of them are evil, and not all of them harbor malicious intentions. Some genuinely wish to save this world. Others seek knowledge, power, or a path toward transcendence. However, before deciding to join any of them, you should first understand their motives and the price they demand."

Grey took the captain’s words seriously and slowly nodded.

The existence of such factions actually gave him a faint sense of hope.

The fact that countless organizations were still searching for a way to save the world meant that there were still people who refused to surrender to fate.

However, he also understood something else.

The greater the hope they offered, the greater the disappointment they would bring once they failed.

Worse still, some organizations might abandon their humanity entirely in pursuit of their goals, transforming themselves into something neither human nor monster.

The Secret Order was likely one such example.

Grey did not doubt that there were many similar factions lurking in the shadows of the world. They might be hiding within bustling cities, secluded mountains, forgotten ruins, or even within the ranks of powerful sects.

Each of them possessed their own agendas and secret missions.

The Secret Order, for example, had already attempted to kidnap people from Sky Mist City. They had even managed to use a Super Sect from the Sect Alliance as a cover for their activities.

That alone proved that they were far more powerful and influential than most people realized.

They were not some distant organization hidden beyond the horizon.

No.

They were much closer than anyone imagined, quietly extending their hands from the darkness and watching the world with unseen eyes.