Void Cultivation

Chapter 355: Chapter 355- Paranoia (3)

The next three days trickled by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Grey spent most of his time cultivating and recovering from his injuries. During this period, one more Spirit Perforation cracked open under the constant pressure of his spiritual energy.

This brought the total number of Spirit Perforations he had opened to exactly seventy-eight.

Only twenty-two remained before he could manifest his third Ball of Spirit Fire.

Once that happened, Grey would officially possess the cultivation of a Three-Ball Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, if he incorporated the power of his Cold Yin Core into battle, his true combat strength could already be considered comparable to that of a Four-Ball Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Apart from cultivating during the day, Grey spent his nights wandering through the city in search of wanted criminals and foreign fugitives.

As the Vice-Captain of the Detective Agency Department, he no longer needed to personally carry out missions of this nature. His position afforded him a great deal of freedom, and most cultivators at his level would rather spend their time cultivating than patrolling dark streets.

Yet Grey found himself missing the feeling.

The feeling of tracking prey through the darkness.

The feeling of uncovering hidden clues and capturing criminals with his own hands.

For that reason, he deliberately concealed his cultivation and roamed through the city like a silent specter beneath the cover of night.

Unfortunately, most of his excursions ended the same way.

Empty-handed.

No criminals.

No fugitives.

No severed heads to collect.

Nothing.

The situation was so unusual that it gradually strengthened Grey’s belief that something significant was about to happen.

The absence of criminal activity during this time of the night was practically unheard of in Sky Mist City.

Apart from the nauseating smell drifting in from the Dead Sea and the constant sea breeze carrying it deeper into the city, there was hardly any sound to be heard.

The streets were dark and desolate.

Rows of shops stood closed and abandoned.

The faint light produced by scattered spirit lamps illuminated stretches of empty sidewalks, yet there was not a single pedestrian in sight.

This was already Grey’s third consecutive night of searching.

And still, he had found nothing.

When he eventually returned to the Detective Agency Department, a thoughtful expression lingered on his face.

"The tension in the air is becoming more noticeable with every passing day."

Grey muttered quietly as he stared out of his office window.

"So noticeable that even the crime rate in Sky Mist City has dropped significantly."

His fingers tapped lightly against the wooden desk as he sank into thought.

"If something is truly about to happen within the sect, then I need to prepare for the worst-case scenario."

A cold glint flashed through his eyes.

"And that means creating a more lethal poison."

His thoughts drifted toward the middle-aged man who had pursued him days ago.

The poison Grey had secretly planted within his opponent’s body had eventually erupted with devastating force. However, the process had taken more than two days to fully spread throughout the Spirit Core Formation cultivator’s body.

More importantly, it had failed to cripple him in any meaningful way.

In truth, if the middle-aged man had not been obsessed with obtaining Grey’s Emperor-Level cultivation technique, Grey would likely have died during that encounter.

The realization left him deeply dissatisfied.

"I even released poison into the surrounding air while fighting that elder from the sect."

Grey frowned.

"Yet it barely affected her."

The more he thought about it, the more apparent his shortcomings became.

His poison was deadly against weaker opponents.

Against truly powerful cultivators, however, its effectiveness was far from satisfactory.

Several moments passed in silence.

Then Grey lowered his gaze toward the ground beneath his feet.

In the dim lighting, most people would not have been able to distinguish his shadow from the surrounding darkness.

Yet Grey could clearly sense it.

He pointed downward.

"Go."

The shadow immediately stirred.

"Absorb as many corrosive substances as you can and attempt to evolve further."

The black silhouette rippled slightly.

"If you need to venture into the Dead Sea to accomplish that, then do so. But make sure you return before dawn."

The shadow nodded once.

Without making a sound, it detached itself from Grey’s feet and flowed away into the darkness.

Watching it leave, Grey suddenly imagined the sight of a pitch-black shadow covered in branch-like tendrils racing across rooftops and walls.

Such a sight would undoubtedly terrify ordinary cultivators.

It might even trigger panic throughout the city.

Thinking about that possibility, Grey called out one final reminder before the shadow disappeared entirely into the night.

Only after receiving another acknowledgment did he allow it to leave.

Afterward, Grey shifted his attention to another matter.

His magic ship.

The memory immediately made his expression sour.

During the chase several days ago, his magic ship had been the first casualty.

It had exploded into countless fragments before he even had the opportunity to react.

Worse still, he had been too busy escaping for his life to recover any of the wreckage.

Not a single plank.

Not a single component.

Nothing.

The loss was painful.

Without any surviving pieces, Bao would be unable to repair the vessel.

The only option remaining was to construct an entirely new magic ship from scratch.

The thought alone was enough to make Grey sigh.

When dawn finally arrived, the shadow returned as promised.

Its body seemed darker than before, and Grey could clearly sense large quantities of corrosive energy hidden within it.

Satisfied, he stood up and left his office.

His destination was the warehouse where Bao usually worked.

However, when he arrived, he discovered that the workshop was completely empty.

Bao was nowhere to be seen.

After searching briefly, Grey took out a voice transmission talisman and contacted Violet.

The captain answered almost immediately.

When she heard his question, a smile entered her voice.

"I know where he is."

Then, after a brief pause, she added,

"Wait for me. I need to go there as well."

"Oh?"

Grey raised an eyebrow.

"I want to upgrade my magic ship too."

Grey agreed and ended the transmission.

Roughly ten minutes later, he spotted a familiar figure approaching from the distance.

Violet.

Her beautiful appearance immediately attracted the attention of numerous passing cultivators.

Her long white hair flowed gently in the morning breeze.

Her pale skin appeared almost flawless beneath the sunlight.

And her deep blue eyes carried a strange charm that naturally drew the gaze of others.

Several young male cultivators stared openly as she walked past.

Yet none dared approach.

By now, most members of the sect knew exactly what kind of person the captain was.

When Violet finally arrived beside him, she casually produced an apple from her storage ring and took a large bite.

Crunch.

She chewed for a moment before speaking.

"These young men can’t even approach a woman."

She frowned slightly.

"I don’t know whether they’re cultivators or cowards."

Grey glanced at her.

He seriously doubted any of those men would survive an actual conversation with her.

In fact, he suspected Violet would rob them before they even managed to confess their feelings.

That was simply the kind of person she was. Completely unhinged.

"Anyway."

Violet finished another bite of her apple.

"Let’s go."

She pointed toward the distant harbor district.

"Bao moved his workshop recently."

Grey nodded and followed beside her.

"I heard he became the director in charge of the warehouse in District Twelve of Port One Hundred and Thirty-Eight."

A hint of surprise appeared in Grey’s eyes.

That was quite a promotion.

Violet took another bite from her apple before muttering thoughtfully,

"Maybe we should relocate the Detective Agency Department there as well."

Her voice was so low that it sounded more like she was speaking to herself than to Grey.

Grey chose not to comment.

Instead, he quietly followed her as they headed toward Port One Hundred and Thirty-Eight.

After a short twenty-minute walk, they finally arrived at Port 138 in District 12. Despite how early it was, the harbor was already bustling with activity. Cultivators constantly came and went, while workers hurriedly moved crates and supplies between warehouses. The sounds of shouting merchants, creaking ship hulls, and clanking metal filled the air.

Grey and Violet passed several massive warehouse buildings belonging to the Transportation Department. Some stored cargo, while others appeared to house magic ships of various sizes. Although many people glanced in their direction, none paid them much attention. To everyone else, they were simply two more cultivators conducting business at the harbor.

After asking for directions, they were eventually guided toward a slightly smaller warehouse located near the edge of the port.

Upon entering, they immediately spotted Bao.

The fatty was standing over a large wooden table covered by an enormous blueprint. His face was drenched in sweat, and his brows were tightly furrowed in concentration. He appeared so engrossed in studying the complicated design before him that he failed to notice Grey and Violet approaching.

"Sup, Fatty Bao."

It was only after Violet called out jokingly that Bao finally looked up.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Violet... and Grey..."

The moment he recognized the pair, especially Violet’s completely new appearance... surprise flashed across his face.

After their last encounter, Grey and Bao were no longer enemies. While they could hardly be considered friends, they had at least reached the level of acquaintances.

Grey gave him a simple nod in greeting.

Bao looked between the two of them before asking, "You’re already back? What brings you here? Don’t tell me you want me to repair another magic ship."

As he spoke, he rolled up the blueprint and set it aside.

Behind him stood an enormous magic ship that immediately drew Grey’s attention.

Dozens of artisans were busy working on its hull. Although portions of the vessel were covered by scaffolding and protective sheets, Grey could still see six towering masts rising toward the ceiling.

The ship’s stern was exceptionally broad and sturdy, making one wonder how such a massive vessel had even managed to fit through the warehouse entrance.

Along both sides of the hull were intricate carvings depicting fierce dragons. Several ghostly blue lanterns hung from metal hooks, their eerie light casting strange shadows across the wooden planks. Combined with the ship’s nearly fifty-meter-long frame, the entire vessel resembled a ghost ship that had sailed straight out of a nightmare.

"I want to upgrade my magic ship," Violet said as she produced a small bottle.

Inside floated a miniature magic ship.

"It’s too slow. If I ever need to escape, it won’t be much help. The divinity you infused into it before has also completely dissipated."

Bao nodded.

He accepted the bottle and carefully inspected the vessel contained within. After several moments, he nodded in approval before turning toward Grey.

"What about you?" Bao asked. "Don’t tell me you’re here just to watch. Do you want any upgrades for your magic ship?"

Grey nodded.

Several seconds passed.

Bao blinked.

"...Uh, where exactly is your magic ship?"

"Destroyed."

Grey’s answer was simple and direct.

"Huh? Destroyed?" Bao repeated.

Then he waved his hand dismissively.

"That’s fine. Just bring out the wreckage and I’ll see what can be salvaged."

He stretched out his hand expectantly.

Grey merely shook his head.

Bao froze.

"...Wait."

His expression stiffened.

"What do you mean by that?"

Grey remained silent. Bao’s eyes slowly widened.

"Don’t tell me..." he muttered.

"You can’t possibly mean it was completely destroyed, right? As in completely destroyed?"

Grey nodded.

The fatty’s entire body trembled. Grey couldn’t help but feel somewhat sympathetic.