Void Cultivation

As the two of them clashed, a powerful devouring force erupted from the tip of the rusty nail.

The force was terrifying.

It spread outward like an invisible vortex, threatening to suck in everything within its path and swallow it into the endless darkness contained within the rusty nail.

And what stood directly in its path...

Was the strange bizarre existence that had attacked Grey and the shadow.

The instant the two forces collided, a violent tremor swept through the surroundings. The air distorted, and the ground beneath them cracked further as an invisible pressure descended upon the area.

However, at that moment, Grey, who had been completely frozen by the hollow singing, suddenly regained control of his body.

His fingers twitched.

Then his arm moved.

Grey’s body was finally free.

But instead of choosing to retreat or put some distance between himself and the bizarre existence, Grey’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.

His eyes were bloodshot.

A terrifying killing intent burned within them.

At the same time, an intense urge to hunt the bizarre existence erupted from deep within Grey’s heart.

It was an instinctive desire.

He wanted to kill it.

Hence, without even loosening his hold on the still-unconscious Iria, Grey immediately punched out several times.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each punch caused the surrounding air to tremble violently. The atmosphere seemed to tighten and compress around his fists before exploding outward.

Several air cannons shot forward.

They moved with astonishing speed, tearing through the air as they flew toward the bizarre existence.

Yet the strange creature remained invisible.

The air cannons flew past the rusty nail and continued toward what appeared to be empty space.

However... They did not continue traveling.

Instead...

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four loud explosions rang out almost simultaneously.

The air cannons had struck something.

Although Grey could not see the bizarre existence, the impact clearly landed on its body.

The invisible space trembled violently.

At the same time, the rusty nail suddenly pierced forward with even greater force.

Its devouring intent intensified.

The two footprints that had remained on the ground also began sliding backward.

The bizarre existence was being forced back.

It was resisting the combined assault of Grey and the rusty nail, but the fact that it was being pushed backward was enough to tell Grey that his attacks were having an effect.

His eyes flashed.

"In that case..."

Since his attacks could actually affect the bizarre existence, Grey no longer held back.

Boom!

His Special Brilliance form erupted completely.

All eighty-something spirit perforations within his body roared at once.

An immense amount of spirit power surged through his body like an erupting river. His muscles tightened, and his entire body seemed to become infused with tremendous strength.

Then three balls of Spirit Fire ignited around him.

The moment they appeared, an overwhelming heat and a contrasting cold spread through the surroundings.

The three balls of fire rotated violently before releasing a terrifying pressure.

Their combined might was already comparable to that of a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm.

Grey’s expression remained cold.

He raised his fist then punched with all his strength.

Bang!

A deafening explosion erupted. An air cannon far larger than the ones before blasted forward.

Unlike the previous attacks, this air cannon was enormous. The compressed air around it distorted the surroundings as it shot forward, giving the impression that it was traveling through an incredibly long distance despite the target being only a short distance away.

Yet in the blink of an eye, it reached its destination.

At almost the exact same moment, one of the huge fireballs shot from Grey’s hand.

Whoosh!

It tore through the air, leaving behind a trail of scorching flames.

Grey’s hands moved rapidly.

He formed several hand seals, and one fireball after another appeared before shooting toward the empty space.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fireballs exploded upon reaching their target.

The remaining patches of ice on the ground instantly melted beneath the intense heat, transforming into streams of water that hissed as they evaporated.

Grey did not stop.

His attacks continued relentlessly.

He was no longer fighting simply to defend himself. He was hunting.

His eyes suddenly flashed with purple light. Deep within his pupils, the faint image of a purple moon gradually emerged.

The moment the purple moon appeared, purple moonlight beamed out from Grey’s eyes.

A mysterious and oppressive feeling instantly descended upon the surroundings.

The atmosphere seemed to become heavier. For a brief moment, everything appeared to fall silent.

At this exact second, the purple crystal shards within Grey’s heart became fully activated.

A strange power surged through his body. Grey slowly raised his hand.

A faint purple sword gradually manifested within his grasp.

The instant the sword appeared, the mysterious feeling emanating from Grey intensified several times over.

For a fleeting moment, Grey felt as though he had transformed into an existence standing at the very peak of the world.

An existence capable of looking down upon all living beings.

An existence capable of suppressing all life forms beneath its gaze.

A hint of tranquility appeared within Grey’s eyes. It was an eerie tranquility that should not have appeared such a chaotic battle like this one.

But it lasted for less than a second. Killing intent quickly replaced it.

Grey’s grip tightened around the purple sword.

Without wasting another moment, he raised the sword above his head and slashed downward.

At the same time, a gigantic purple sword appeared above the invisible bizarre existence.

The phantom sword was several feet longer than the sword in Grey’s hand.

It mirrored his movements perfectly.

As Grey’s sword descended, the enormous purple sword above the bizarre existence also descended.

The two swords seemed to align perfectly, then their figures overlapped before they became one.

A terrifying purple sword light descended from the heavens.

In the blink of an eye, the sword strike Grey had unleashed transformed into a long streak of dazzling purple light as it cleaved downward.

At almost the exact same moment, the enormous air cannon and the numerous fireballs also reached their target.

Everything struck at once.

Boom!!!

The resulting explosion was deafening.

A terrifying shockwave erupted from the point of impact, sending dirt and soil flying in every direction.

The ground violently trembled.

Dust filled the air.

The surrounding trees shook as if they were about to be uprooted.

Then a loud, mournful cry rang out. It came from the exact location where the rusty nail was piercing. The cry was unlike anything Grey had ever heard before.

It was filled with pain, hatred and despair all at once. As well as something far deeper that he could not understand.

Grey’s pupils contracted.

For the first time since the battle began, he finally saw the being that had been attacking them.

It was at least three meters tall.

Its body was bulky and unnaturally shaped, with thick limbs that gave it an almost humanoid appearance.

Its flesh was tinged blue.

But that was not the most disturbing part.

Something seemed to be moving beneath its skin.

It was worms and maggots.

Countless pale, writhing creatures crawled beneath its translucent flesh, twisting and squirming as though its body itself had become a nest for them.

Tendrils of decaying flesh protruded from various parts of its body.

Some hung loosely from its arms.

Others extended from its chest and back, swaying slightly in the air like rotten vines.

The stench of decay seemed to permeate the surroundings.

But the most peculiar and horrifying part of the creature was its head.

It had none. There was no head atop its shoulders.

Instead...

A massive face was embedded directly within its abdomen.

The face was twisted in agony.

Its eyes were wide open, and blood continuously flowed from them, mixing with thick yellow pus that dripped down its cheeks.

Its mouth was stretched wide.

And from that mouth came the mournful cries and hollow singing Grey had heard earlier.

Yet the sound did not seem to originate from the creature alone.

It came from everywhere.

From above.

Below.

Behind Grey.

From the trees.

From the ground.

From the very air itself.

It was as though countless invisible ghosts surrounded them, all singing the exact same song at the same time.

A ghostly choir.

A chorus of mournful voices that seemed capable of invading the mind itself.

Grey’s expression became solemn.

The bizarre existence slowly raised one of its arms.

Its hand had ten fingers.

And on each of those fingers were enormous amounts of pus and maggots.

The disgusting substance continuously spilled from its fingertips, while the pale maggots writhed and crawled across its decaying flesh.

It was an image of pure horror and degeneration.

Yet despite the terrifying appearance of the creature, Grey’s attention was immediately drawn toward the rusty nail.

The nail had not stopped.

In fact, its devouring force had become even more terrifying.

The combined attacks from Grey had clearly weakened the bizarre existence. The rusty nail seized that opportunity.

It pierced forward with even greater force. Its tip trembled slightly as an increasingly terrifying suction erupted from it.

The space around the nail warped. Everything nearby seemed to be pulled toward its tip.

The bizarre existence struggled desperately.

Its massive body began sliding backward across the ground.

Its mournful face opened its mouth even wider, releasing an even more horrifying cry.

But it was too late. The rusty nail had already locked onto it.

Grey watched with narrowed eyes.

Then, right before his eyes, He saw the rusty nail devour the eerie-looking bizarre existence.

Its enormous body began to distort. The decaying flesh was pulled inward.

The maggots and worms vanished into the terrifying suction.

Even the mournful face embedded within its abdomen twisted violently as its body was dragged toward the tip of the rusty nail.

The ghostly singing abruptly became louder.

Then... it suddenly disappeared. Everything was swallowed. The bizarre existence that had nearly killed Grey moments ago...

Was completely devoured by the rusty nail.