Void Cultivation

Chapter 339: Chapter 338- Payoff

Time trickled by at a painfully slow pace, and before long, two full days had passed since the middle-aged man began chasing Grey across the vast expanse of the Dead Sea.

Grey had long since deactivated his Special Brilliance form after maintaining it for nearly eight hours straight. Pushing it any further would have placed an unbearable burden on his spirit perforations, risking permanent damage and causing them to become dull and less responsive in the future.

During these past two days, the middle-aged man’s impression of Grey had deepened considerably.

The more he observed him, the more shocked he became.

First of all, Grey’s Special Brilliance form lasted far longer than it should have.

Ordinary cultivators could only maintain their Special Brilliance forms for a couple of hours before exhausting themselves. Yet Grey’s twin spirit fires had continued burning for more than six hours without showing any obvious signs of weakening.

To the middle-aged man, this was both shocking and absurd.

It completely defied common sense.

Not only that, but Grey’s speed was equally monstrous.

Even after deactivating his Special Brilliance form, his movements remained astonishingly swift. He darted across the sea like a streak of lightning, covering vast distances in mere moments.

A normal Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator would struggle to even perceive his movements clearly at such speeds. Even Spirit Core Formation experts would find it difficult to catch him unless they unleashed the full extent of their cultivation and borrowed the power of the world to increase their velocity.

Yet despite all these abnormalities, the middle-aged man’s greed only intensified.

In fact, every new display of talent strengthened his conviction.

His desire to obtain the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird cultivation art grew stronger with every passing hour.

In his eyes, there was only one explanation for Grey’s extraordinary performance.

The Emperor-Level cultivation art.

He firmly believed that the cultivation art was responsible for granting Grey such terrifying advantages. It had elevated him to a level where ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could no longer be compared to him.

Even geniuses who possessed three or four spirit fires would struggle to stand on equal footing with Grey.

The more he thought about it, the hotter the flames of greed burned within his heart.

No matter the cost, he had to obtain that cultivation art.

However, just as the thought crossed his mind, the middle-aged man suddenly felt an unusual sensation spreading through his body.

His skin began to tingle violently.

At first, it was merely irritating, like countless tiny insects crawling beneath his flesh. But within moments, the sensation intensified. It felt as though invisible spoons were scraping away layers of his skin from the inside out.

The abrupt discomfort caused his brows to furrow.

Just as he was about to inspect his condition, his body trembled violently.

Pfft!

A mouthful of thick black blood sprayed from his lips.

His eyes widened.

Before he could even react, another mouthful followed.

Then another.

And another.

The middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically as he doubled over and coughed uncontrollably.

"What—"

His words were abruptly cut short.

The countless mouths scattered across his grotesque body suddenly erupted into shrill screams.

Some cried.

Some wailed.

Others shrieked in agony.

The combined sound echoed across the Dead Sea like the lamentations of countless tortured souls.

At the same time, an alarming transformation began to occur.

The middle-aged man watched as his healthy complexion rapidly darkened.

Greenish-black discoloration spread across his skin like a plague.

Bulges began forming beneath the surface of his flesh.

One.

Ten.

Hundreds.

Countless boils swelled beneath his skin, writhing and pulsating as if living creatures were trapped inside his body.

A foul smell soon followed.

Yellow pus seeped from cracks in the swollen boils, releasing a nauseating stench of decay.

The surrounding air seemed to grow heavier.

The middle-aged man’s pupils constricted.

For the first time since beginning this pursuit, genuine shock appeared on his face.

His arms gradually darkened until they resembled rotten wood.

The veins beneath his skin turned black and twisted grotesquely.

Then—

Pop!

One of the boils burst.

Yellow pus mixed with black blood sprayed into the air.

A mouth located directly above the boil exploded alongside it, releasing a blood-curdling scream.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

More boils burst apart one after another.

Each explosion was accompanied by the destruction of another mouth.

The screams became even more chaotic.

"P-Poison!"

The middle-aged man’s voice trembled slightly.

"This poison!"

Realizing the severity of the situation, he immediately reached into his spatial storage and retrieved a jade bottle.

Without hesitation, he poured several medicinal pills into his mouth.

Normally, these pills would have neutralized most toxins beneath the Nascent Soul Transformation realm.

Yet the moment the medicinal energy entered his body, his expression froze.

Instead of suppressing the poison, the medicinal properties were devoured instantly.

The poison surged.

It became even more violent than before.

The black veins spread further.

The boils multiplied.

The pain intensified several times over.

"Impossible!"

The middle-aged man’s face twisted.

"What kind of poison is this?!"

His furious roar shook the surrounding sea.

"How is it resistant to medicine?!"

Another boil burst on his shoulder.

The mouth attached to it exploded with a miserable scream.

"Who created such a monstrous poison?!"

His killing intent erupted uncontrollably.

The seawater beneath him exploded as terrifying pressure spread outward.

Meanwhile, several kilometers away, Grey continued flying forward at an almost impossible speed.

The violent winds whipped against his face as he maintained his escape.

Then, sensing the changes behind him, he slowly turned his head.

His gaze landed on the distant figure of the middle-aged man.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

The poison had finally taken effect.

This was precisely why he had been willing to endure being chased for so long.

He had never intended to confront the man head-on.

From the very beginning, he had only needed time.

Time for the poison to spread.

Time for it to mature.

Time for it to become impossible to suppress.

Seeing the miserable state of his pursuer, the smile on Grey’s face widened slightly.

At that exact moment, the middle-aged man, who had begun venting his rage while frantically scanning the surrounding area, suddenly felt a cold prickling sensation crawl across his back.

A dangerous feeling surged within his heart.

His eyes narrowed instantly.

Then he heard a distant voice carried by the wind.

"Dammit! Who did this?!"

His furious roar echoed endlessly across the Dead Sea.

Yet for some reason, the vast sea remained eerily silent in response.

And that silence only made the unease in his heart grow stronger.

He felt that this was far from over.

In fact, a lingering sense of unease continued to grow within him, as though something even worse was yet to come. The poison had only just begun to reveal its effects, and his instincts told him that what he was experiencing now was merely the beginning.

Several kilometers away, Grey, who had noticed that the poison had finally begun to take effect, could not help but heave a small sigh of relief.

This latest batch of poison was fundamentally different from the previous ones he had concocted.

In the past, his poisons were only capable of corroding and devouring a person’s flesh. While they were deadly, they did not directly affect a cultivator’s realm or the spirit energy within their body. At most, they weakened the target physically and left them vulnerable.

However, after repeatedly experimenting with the corrosive substance hidden within his shadow, Grey discovered something unexpected.

He realized that he could completely integrate the corrosive substance into the poison itself.

As a result, once the poison entered a person’s body, it would not merely eat away at their skin, muscles, and internal organs. The corrosive substance mixed within it would also begin attacking their spirit energy, eroding it little by little while simultaneously damaging their cultivation foundation.

The only thing capable of devouring spirit energy so effectively was the corrosive substance.

Ever since God’s descent, the corrosive substance released from His hand had been constantly consuming every trace of spirit energy that existed throughout the world. If not for the fact that spirit energy was continuously being generated by heaven and earth, the spirit energy across the entire continent would have long since vanished.

Because of this unique property, Grey’s poison had become significantly more dangerous than before.

Not only was it deadlier, but it was also far more difficult to defend against.

The fact that it rendered medicinal pills ineffective was a property that even the middle-aged man had only just discovered. Grey himself had not intentionally created that effect. It was merely an unforeseen result of combining the poison with the corrosive substance.

Nevertheless, he certainly was not complaining.

"This should buy me enough time to reach the sect," Grey muttered softly as he continued racing forward.

His eyes flickered briefly before narrowing.

"It would be even better if there were other cultivators nearby..."

Without slowing down, he increased his speed even further.

Resting above his dantian, Grey ignited the spirit power within his body and activated his Special Brilliance form.

A series of muffled booming sounds echoed from within him as vast amounts of spirit energy surged through his meridians like raging rivers.

His aura exploded outward.

Three brilliant balls of Spirit Fire emerged around him and began revolving through the air, orbiting his body like celestial bodies circling a star.

Two of the Spirit Fires burned with a radiant brilliance capable of illuminating the surrounding darkness, their flames carrying an intense heat that distorted the air around them.

The third Spirit Fire was completely different.

It emitted a chilling cold that spread endlessly in every direction. Wherever its icy aura reached, the surface of the black seawater began to freeze, forming layers of frost that rapidly expanded across the waves.

The heat of the first two flames was comparable, each one resembling a miniature volcano on the verge of eruption.

The cold of the third flame stood in direct contrast to them.

One side scorched the air with unbearable heat.

The other froze everything in its path.

The opposing forces created a breathtaking sight, yet instead of conflicting with one another, they harmonized perfectly, further amplifying Grey’s strength.

At this moment, he had finally released every ounce of power he could currently wield.

The instant his Special Brilliance form fully manifested, Grey shot forward.

Boom!

The seawater beneath him exploded apart.

His figure transformed into a brilliant streak of light that tore across the vast black ocean. Like a comet cutting through the heavens, he surged toward the distant horizon at terrifying speed, leaving behind only a trail of shattered waves and lingering spiritual fluctuations.