Void Cultivation

Chapter 341: Chapter 340- A Scam! (2)

The middle-aged man had finally arrived.

However, his arrival carried with it endless rage and overwhelming killing intent.

Ever since he had been afflicted by Grey’s poison, he had found it extraordinarily difficult to recover. No matter what methods he employed, the poison stubbornly lingered within his body like a relentless parasite.

Even now, portions of his flesh continued to decay before his very eyes, while the corrosive substance spread through his body and slowly eroded his internal organs.

Not only that, but the spirit energy fluctuations that once surged from his body like a mighty ocean had diminished considerably.

It was as though a foreign force had rooted itself deep within his cultivation base and was gradually devouring it from the inside. The more spirit energy he circulated and the more power of the world he drew upon, the faster the corrosion spread.

This forced the middle-aged man to grit his teeth and endure the agony while continuing his pursuit of Grey.

Yet even then, he could not fly at his maximum speed. Every burst of power accelerated the poison’s effects, forcing him to suppress his cultivation and proceed cautiously. Because of this, he repeatedly lagged behind.

Whenever he was on the verge of catching up, Grey would suddenly activate his Special Brilliance form and widen the distance once again.

The situation was maddening.

Again and again, his prey escaped from his grasp.

The frustration and humiliation continued to accumulate until the fury within him was already nearing its breaking point.

Thus, when he finally caught sight of Grey once more, he immediately saw the young man crushing a talisman in his right hand while gently embracing a young girl aboard a magic ship.

The girl’s beautiful face was filled with shock and confusion.

Before she could even react, Grey’s figure rapidly faded from existence.

The arm wrapped around her waist vanished.

The warmth of his body disappeared.

Even the faint traces of his presence dissipated into the air.

He had teleported away.

"What... what just happened...?"

The young girl muttered in a stunned voice.

However, before she could process what had occurred, she noticed the middle-aged man descending from the sky.

His appearance was horrifying.

His face was twisted into an ugly scowl, and patches of skin had begun peeling away from his flesh. Numerous boils bulged beneath his skin, shifting and writhing as though something alive lurked underneath.

Every few moments, one of the boils would burst.

A disgusting stream of yellow pus would seep out before trailing down his body.

The sight was enough to make anyone’s stomach churn.

Yet that was not the most terrifying thing about him.

His entire body radiated an aura of death, decay, and corruption.

The surrounding air seemed to grow heavier wherever he passed.

Even the faint traces of spirit energy in the atmosphere appeared tainted by the corrosive force surrounding him.

Still, none of that compared to the overwhelming pressure emanating from his body.

Although he remained several thousand meters away, the young girl’s body began trembling uncontrollably.

Cold sweat poured down her forehead.

An instinctive fear rose from the depths of her soul, making it feel as though she were standing before a monstrous beast capable of crushing her with a single thought.

This pressure had long surpassed the Foundation Establishment Realm.

In fact, she had only experienced a similar sensation when observing the elders and senior experts of her sect display their power.

Yet even those experts could not compare to the terrifying pressure emitted by this man.

Without a doubt, she immediately realized that the person before her was a Spirit Core Formation expert.

Moreover, his cultivation was definitely not at the lower stages of the realm.

Had she never encountered Spirit Core Formation cultivators before, she would have likely frozen on the spot from sheer terror.

Even so, it still took several long moments before she managed to regain her composure.

Unfortunately, those few moments were all the time the middle-aged man needed.

Before the young girl could retreat even a single step, the space before her blurred.

A hand suddenly shot forward.

Whoosh!

The speed was so fast that she could not even react.

The next instant, a powerful hand wrapped around her delicate throat.

"Ghk!"

The young girl’s eyes widened in shock as her body was lifted off the deck of the ship.

Her feet dangled helplessly in the air while both hands instinctively grabbed at the middle-aged man’s wrist.

The overwhelming difference in strength left her completely powerless.

The cold, rough sensation of his decaying skin pressed against her neck, causing a wave of fear and disgust to surge through her heart.

At such close range, the stench emanating from his body became even more unbearable.

The smell of rotting flesh, festering wounds, and corrosive poison flooded her senses.

Several boils on his face burst with soft popping sounds, allowing streams of yellow pus to trickle down his cheeks.

Combined with the murderous expression on his face, he resembled a demon that had crawled out from the depths of hell.

The young girl’s face quickly turned pale.

Her breathing became increasingly difficult as she struggled in his grasp.

Yet the middle-aged man showed no intention of releasing her.

His bloodshot eyes stared directly into hers.

Boundless rage, frustration, and killing intent churned within those eyes like a raging storm.

After being toyed with for days by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, the fury within him had long since reached its limit.

Slowly tightening his grip around her throat, he spoke in a low, menacing voice that sent chills down her spine.

"Where..."

His fingers tightened further.

"...is that wretched..."

The killing intent surrounding him erupted violently, causing the sea beneath the ship to churn and roar.

"...mangy dog?"

’Wretched dog? Is he talking about that young man?’

The young girl’s eyes widened in realization.

’Just what did he do to provoke a Spirit Core Formation expert to this extent? And not just any expert either! This man’s cultivation is clearly at the peak of the realm!’

The more she thought about it, the more shocked she became.

How could she possibly answer his question?

She had absolutely no idea where Grey had gone.

In fact, she still did not understand what had just happened.

One moment, she had been peacefully traveling across the Dead Sea.

The next, a strange young man had suddenly appeared on her ship, snatched away the talisman her master had specially prepared for her, and used it to teleport away.

Everything had happened so quickly that her mind had yet to fully process it.

The talisman was supposed to be her life-saving treasure.

Her master had personally refined it and entrusted it to her before she left Sky Mist City. It was meant to be used only in a desperate situation where her life was in danger.

Yet before she could even react, Grey had somehow seized it from her hand and activated it without hesitation.

Then he had disappeared.

Just like that.

Leaving her behind to face the wrath of a terrifying Spirit Core Formation expert.

The young girl felt like crying.

How had a simple journey to the Dead Sea turned into such a nightmare?

She had not provoked anyone.

She had not interfered in anyone’s affairs.

Yet somehow, she had become involved in a conflict between monsters far beyond her ability to handle.

Was her luck truly this terrible?

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man’s patience had finally reached its limit.

Seeing the confusion and fear in the young girl’s eyes, he naturally assumed she was attempting to deceive him.

The rage that had accumulated over the past several days erupted violently.

His fingers tightened around her throat.

"Ghk!"

The young girl’s delicate face immediately turned red.

Her struggles became increasingly frantic as she desperately clawed at his wrist.

However, the difference in strength between them was simply too great.

To the middle-aged man, she was no different from an ant.

As he watched her struggle helplessly, a vicious light flashed through his eyes.

If she refused to speak, then there was no reason to keep her alive.

At worst, he would continue searching for Grey himself.

The moment that thought appeared in his mind, killing intent surged from his body.

The surrounding air grew heavy.

Even the sea beneath them became restless.

Just as he was about to crush her throat—

A cold and indifferent female voice suddenly echoed through the heavens.

"You must possess considerable courage to lay a hand on my disciple while within the territory of Sky Mist City."

The voice was neither loud nor aggressive.

Yet the moment it sounded, both the sea and the sky seemed to fall silent.

The middle-aged man’s expression immediately changed.

Without hesitation, he turned toward the source of the voice.

Several hundred meters away stood a middle-aged woman suspended calmly in mid-air.

She wore flowing blue robes that fluttered gently despite the absence of wind.

Her face was beautiful yet cold, carrying an expression of complete indifference.

However, beneath that calm exterior lurked a terrifying killing intent.

It was clear that if he dared to harm the young girl, she would immediately take action.

The most remarkable thing about the woman was the aura emanating from her body.

She made no effort to conceal it.

Her cultivation surged outward openly and without restraint.

The surrounding spirit energy trembled as though acknowledging her existence.

Without a doubt, she was also a peak Spirit Core Formation expert.

Moreover, judging by the steadiness of her aura, she was likely not weaker than the middle-aged man in the slightest.

Only now did the middle-aged man finally realize what had happened.

His gaze slowly shifted toward the young girl’s clothing.

The deep-blue robes she wore were unmistakable.

They were the trademark robes of the Second Sequence disciples of Sky Mist City.

A flicker of realization appeared in his eyes.

He had become so consumed by anger and his obsession with hunting Grey that he had completely failed to notice the identity of the person he had seized.

And now, the master of that disciple had personally arrived.