Void Cultivation

Just as Grey thought of this, he suddenly caught sight of a shadow crawling through the streets before disappearing around a corner.

It was so quick that Grey would have missed it entirely if he hadn’t been paying close attention.

More importantly, there had been no aura or fluctuation of energy coming from it whatsoever.

That was what made Grey’s expression turn slightly solemn.

For a moment, he wondered if his eyes had deceived him.

"No. That can’t be right." Grey muttered in a low voice.

He glanced behind him.

Iria was still sitting cross-legged, completely immersed in meditation. Her breathing was steady, and her aura remained calm. She seemed completely unaware of what had just happened outside.

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly.

After pondering for a moment, he silently issued a command to his shadow.

Several seconds later, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly began to stretch.

It grew longer and longer, spreading across the floor like black ink before finally separating itself from Grey’s body.

At that moment, his shadow no longer resembled an ordinary shadow.

It had become a completely independent entity.

"Find out what that shadow is and report back to me."

Grey’s voice was cold and collected.

However, the shadow didn’t immediately respond.

It remained motionless for several seconds, as though deliberately ignoring him.

Grey’s brows twitched.

Then, slowly, the shadow began to change.

Its shapeless body twisted and morphed, gradually developing two arms and two legs. Its form became increasingly similar to that of a human.

Then its features began to take shape.

It’s shadowy form began to contor into a face, hair, limbs and it’s complete body.

Within moments, the shadow had transformed into an exact replica of Grey.

The only difference was its appearance.

While Grey’s hair, eyes, and clothes carried their usual grey-blue coloration, the shadow’s entire body was pitch black.

Its eyes were completely dark, devoid of even the slightest trace of light.

"As you wish... Master."

The shadow spoke in a hoarse and strangely distorted voice before turning around and slipping out of the room.

Its body melted into the darkness almost instantly.

Watching it disappear, Grey couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed and uncomfortable.

Of all the forms the shadow could have taken, it had chosen to imitate him again.

Apart from the bizarre tree form that it usually adopted, this humanoid form was the one it used most often when communicating with him.

Grey had long since realized that his shadow hated him.

Although it concealed its disdain exceptionally well, Grey could still sense the hostility buried beneath its obedience.

Perhaps that was precisely why the shadow preferred this form.

It was almost as though it enjoyed mocking him by taking his appearance.

Grey’s eyes narrowed.

"Let’s see what you find."

He closed his eyes.

The moment he did so, he focused on the connection between himself and the shadow.

An instant later, a blurry scene appeared inside his mind.

It was as though he was looking through another person’s eyes.

The shadow was moving through the streets.

It crept silently through every corner, following the direction in which the mysterious shadow had disappeared.

The streets were almost completely dark.

There were barely any traces of light, and the buildings on either side blocked most of what little moonlight remained.

Yet the shadow moved through the darkness with ease.

In fact, it seemed more comfortable there.

Its body constantly blended into the darkness, sometimes becoming almost completely invisible before reappearing several meters away.

Its movements were smooth and fluid, far more natural than they had been when it was attached to Grey.

Time slowly passed.

Barely a few minutes had gone by when the shadow suddenly stopped.

Something had caught its attention. It lowered its head.

Footprints.

There was a pair of footprints on the street. However, they weren’t shoeprints as you would think.

They were actual footprints.

Grey’s expression immediately became solemn. He had seen such a scene before when he was still in the Corroded Zone. However, at that time, the footprints still looked somewhat human.

But the footprints here were enormous.

They didn’t resemble those of a human being at all. Instead, they looked like the footprints of some massive, feral beast.

The toes were long and slightly curved, while the marks pressed deeply into the ground as though whatever had left them possessed an incredible weight.

The shadow crouched down and carefully examined them.

There was no aura or lingering energy. Neither was there any scent.

Nothing that could reveal what kind of creature had left them behind.

Then suddenly another footprint appeared. The shadow froze. It hadn’t heard anything.

There was no sound of footsteps.

Nothing had moved in its field of vision.

Yet another footprint had simply appeared several meters ahead.

A second later... Another one appeared.

Then another.

And another.

One after the other, the footprints emerged from the darkness.

Step.

Step.

Step.

They continued appearing in a straight line, forming a trail that extended deeper into the street.

It was as if an invisible creature was calmly walking through the city.

Grey’s expression changed.

He had been observing everything through his shadow’s senses, but the moment he witnessed this strange scene, an indescribable feeling of trepidation emerged within his soul.

His instincts were screaming at him.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

Whatever was walking through these streets wasn’t something Grey understood.

It wasn’t merely an invisible creature. There was something fundamentally unnatural about it. At that moment, another footprint appeared.

But this time, it was different. The trail stopped. The next footprint appeared several meters away.

And it was facing the shadow. Grey’s pupils instantly became contracted.

The shadow remained motionless. Then... a sharp pain suddenly erupted inside Grey’s head.

"Ugh!"

His body trembled violently.

It felt as though an invisible, freezing blade had pierced directly through his skull and was attempting to force its way into his brain.

The sensation lasted only for an instant. But that single instant was enough to nearly drive him insane.

Grey’s face twisted in pain.

At the same time, something similar happened to the shadow.

Its head suddenly split apart. There was no blood and no flesh. Yet its head was violently torn open as though an invisible hand had grabbed both sides and was attempting to rip it apart.

The shadow’s body convulsed.

A silent wail echoed through the connection between them.

The streets themselves remained completely silent. No sound escaped the darkness.

No person heard the shadow’s mournful cry. Only Grey could hear it, and the moment he did, his expression changed drastically.

"Return."

Grey immediately issued an order. He didn’t hesitate.

"Come back!"

The command traveled through their connection.

But the shadow didn’t move. It remained frozen in place.Then another footprint appeared.

This time, it appeared directly in front of the shadow.

Facing it.

Grey’s heart sank the moment that footprint emerged, a terrifying chill swept through the entire street.

Ice suddenly spread across the ground and covered the stones, the walls, and everything within its reach.

Crack!

The temperature in the surroundings dropped rapidly. The shadow’s body began to tremble violently.

The force tearing its head apart became even more intense.

Previously, only its head had been affected.

But now... Its neck began to split. Then its shoulders... until it reached its torso.

It was as though whatever invisible being stood before it had become dissatisfied with merely tearing apart its head.

It wanted to rip the entire shadow into two. Grey’s expression turned grim.

"Return!"

He issued the command again. But there was still no response. The connection between them began to distort.

And then... A voice drifted through the silent streets.

Singing.

It was a hollow, emotionless melody. The sound seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

It drifted through the darkness and entered the shadow’s ears.

The moment Grey heard it through their connection, his body violently trembled.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood suddenly erupted from his mouth.

His face instantly became deathly pale as his vision blurred. His soul was shook, and an overwhelming sensation of death suddenly descended upon him.

Grey’s heart pounded violently inside his chest.

This wasn’t fear but instinct.

The most primal instinct of a living being warning him that something far beyond his understanding was approaching.

His breathing became ragged. Cold sweat covered his forehead.

The connection between him and his shadow was rapidly deteriorating.

Grey clenched his teeth.

"If I don’t stop this..."

His eyes widened.

"I’ll die."

The thought appeared in his mind with absolute clarity. There was no doubt and uncertainty.

It was as though some part of his soul already knew the answer.

If he allowed whatever was happening to continue, he wouldn’t merely lose his shadow.

The thing on the other end of the connection would eventually reach him.

And when it did... he would die.

Grey didn’t waste another second. His spiritual energy erupted. Without a second thought, he immediately acted.