Void Cultivation

Chapter 353: Chapter 352- Paranoia (1)

Hearing Grey’s apology, the small coin suspended in the air suddenly stopped rotating. At the same time, the dagger that had already begun to pierce his forehead slowly retreated by an inch.

Grey had already concluded that the woman did not truly intend to kill him. If she did, there would be no need for all this. More importantly, killing a disciple of the sect without proper justification would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar. As an elder, the punishment she would face would be severe.

Still, Grey did not allow his thoughts to show on his face.

Instead, he pretended to be relieved as the dagger slowly withdrew from his forehead. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he maintained his respectful posture.

"I must say," the woman said coldly, "for a talented child like yourself, you possess quite a bit of courage. You nearly caused the death of my disciple. Had I arrived a little later, she would already be dead."

Her voice was icy and emotionless. Grey found it impossible to discern her true intentions.

Keeping his head lowered, he immediately replied, "This disciple did not know she was Elder’s student. This disciple sincerely apologizes."

As he spoke, he bowed once more.

Silence followed.

Several seconds passed without either of them moving.

Then Grey felt the steely blade completely withdraw from the center of his forehead.

Even so, he did not immediately relax.

Only after waiting a few more breaths did he slowly raise his head.

As he did, he recalled both the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird and the purple phantom.

The transformation happened almost instantly.

The magnificent purple emperor’s robe draped around his body began to break apart. Countless strands of purple flame separated from the robe and gathered together before reforming into the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird.

The bird released a loud, piercing screech.

Its enormous wings spread wide as it circled around Grey once. However, before returning to his body, it turned its head and shot the young woman a particularly hostile look, as if memorizing her appearance.

Only then did it dissolve into streams of purple fire and disappear into Grey’s body.

Meanwhile, the purple phantom also began to fade.

Its form gradually broke apart into countless fragments of violet light before reappearing within Grey’s sea of consciousness.

Under the faint glow of the purple moon hanging above the endless waters, Grey examined the phantom carefully.

The figure stood motionlessly with a dull and vacant expression.

One arm was missing.

One leg was missing as well.

Both had been casually torn off by the young woman before being discarded as though they were worthless.

Fortunately, despite its damaged appearance, Grey could sense that the phantom had not suffered any lasting harm.

As he observed it, another movement caught his attention.

Deep beneath the dark waters of his sea of consciousness, the enormous Mosasaur that had remained silent for days slowly emerged.

Its massive head broke through the water’s surface.

The creature’s golden eyes fixed themselves on the purple phantom.

Confusion and curiosity could clearly be seen within its gaze.

However, the purple phantom completely ignored the giant beast.

It simply continued staring blankly into the distance as though nothing around it existed.

After confirming that the phantom was truly fine, Grey shifted his attention back to the outside world.

The young woman was now releasing the countless branches of the shadow tree that she had restrained in her grasp.

The moment she let go, a miserable whimper echoed within Grey’s mind.

The strange shadow instantly retreated.

Its countless eyes blinked simultaneously as they stared at the young woman one final time.

There was fear in those eyes.

For perhaps the first time since obtaining it, Grey had witnessed the shadow showing such an obvious reaction toward another person.

A moment later, it shrank back beneath his feet and returned to its usual state.

Only now did Grey finally believe that the young woman truly had no intention of harming him.

The dagger that had nearly pierced his skull had withdrawn.

The mysterious coin hovering above had also retreated.

Neither of the terrifying treasures seemed interested in attacking him any longer.

However, just as Grey began to relax slightly, the woman started walking toward him.

Step.

Step.

Her movements appeared ordinary.

Yet in the blink of an eye, she crossed the distance separating them and appeared directly in front of him.

Grey’s expression remained respectful.

His back remained slightly bent.

His eyes showed neither fear nor hostility.

The woman silently studied him.

Several seconds passed.

Then, without saying another word, she turned around and walked away.

Only after she disappeared into the distance did the tense atmosphere finally loosen.

Inside the cabin, Violet, who had been sitting in a rather uncomfortable position the entire time, released a long sigh of relief.

Her body relaxed against the chair.

The tension in her shoulders gradually disappeared.

A strange smile appeared on her face.

Reaching into her storage ring, she pulled out a brightly colored lollipop covered in sugar.

She immediately placed it in her mouth and took a satisfied bite.

Crunch.

"I guess Master’s reputation is still powerful enough to make other elders think twice before causing too much trouble."

A proud expression appeared on her face.

However, it did not last long.

As if she had suddenly remembered something, her smile slowly faded.

The lollipop remained between her lips as her brows furrowed in thought.

"Or..." she muttered quietly.

"Could it be because of the changes that will soon happen within the sect?"

Her eyes narrowed.

The more she thought about it, the more suspicious the situation became.

The elder had given up far too easily.

Someone of her status would not normally let such a matter end with a simple apology.

Could she have been restraining herself because of the upcoming turmoil?

Was she avoiding unnecessary conflict before the storm arrived?

Violet could not be certain.

However, she refused to believe there wasn’t a deeper reason behind the elder’s actions.