Void Cultivation

Chapter 383: Chapter 382- Sudden Horror

The moment Grey noticed the person, his shadow also slowed to a halt as his eyes narrowed with hesitation and caution. This was Port Thirty-Three, a harbor completely controlled by this mysterious Super Sect.

The flying vessel alone occupied almost the entire harbor. It was so enormous that the port could barely accommodate it, leaving only a tiny amount of space for any other boats to dock nearby.

In fact, out of fear and respect for the Super Sect, the cultivators of Sky Mist City did not even dare approach the vessel. Instead, they deliberately kept their distance, docking their own magic ships at other ports that were crowded with cultivators just like themselves.

Because of this, the sight before them immediately appeared abnormal.

A plain, weathered canoe floated gently upon the calm sea, rising and falling with the slow rhythm of the waves. Standing silently upon it was a lone figure, his back facing the harbor as he quietly gazed toward the endless horizon. His posture was relaxed, almost indifferent, as though he did not care in the slightest about the terrifying presence of the Super Sect behind him.

The scene was simply too strange.

It was more than enough reason for both Grey and his shadow to remain on guard.

Neither of them made a sound.

The two figures remained perfectly still for several long seconds, carefully observing the mysterious cultivator from afar.

Yet throughout that entire time, the person did not react in the slightest. He neither turned around nor shifted his feet. It was as though he had become a lifeless statue standing upon the canoe, with only the gentle swaying of the waves creating any movement in the scene.

Realizing that the person did not seem to have noticed their presence, Grey was just about to signal his gloomy counterpart to quietly leave when everything changed.

Crack!

The person’s neck suddenly twisted violently to one side.

The sound was so loud and abrupt that it echoed clearly across the silent harbor.

Before either Grey or his shadow could react, the man’s head jerked backward unnaturally, as though an enormous invisible hand had seized his skull and was ruthlessly wrenching it upward.

Crack! Crack!

Several more sickening sounds of breaking bones echoed through the air.

At that moment, despite the man’s back still facing them, both Grey and his shadow could clearly see his face.

His head had rotated so far that his features were now completely upside down.

His bloodshot eyes rolled wildly within their sockets, while every muscle in his face trembled uncontrollably.

Pure fear.

Unrestrained terror.

Both emotions were frozen upon his distorted face.

It was obvious that he was no longer in control of his own body.

Yet the nightmare had only just begun.

His arms suddenly bent in impossible directions.

The elbows folded backward.

The wrists twisted several complete rotations.

His fingers snapped one after another until they pointed in grotesque directions.

Then—

Rip!

Both arms were violently torn away from his body.

Blood exploded into the air like crimson rain, accompanied by shattered bones, strips of flesh, and fragments of muscle that scattered in every direction before crashing into the sea and harbor.

The mutilated body convulsed violently.

But even then...

It still did not end.

The limbless cultivator was suddenly lifted several feet into the air by an unseen force.

His legs began twisting violently at the hips.

The bones shattered one after another before the flesh itself gave way.

Rip!

Both legs were brutally ripped from his body.

Only after every one of his limbs had been torn away did the invisible force finally release him.

The armless, legless corpse crashed heavily onto the wooden floor of the canoe with a dull, sickening thud, fresh blood rapidly staining the weathered planks beneath him.

All throughout the horrifying ordeal, the man’s eyes remained wide open, filled with unrestrained pain and absolute terror. Every muscle on his face twitched uncontrollably, yet he was unable to utter even the slightest cry. Despite having both his arms and legs ripped from his body, he somehow refused to die immediately.

It was as though the unseen force had deliberately kept him alive, forcing him to experience every ounce of agony before allowing death to claim him.

Nevertheless, it was obvious that his life would soon come to an end.

Although the entire scene felt as though it had lasted for several agonizing minutes, in reality, only two breaths of time had passed.

An overwhelming sense of dread instantly flooded Grey’s heart.

Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to run.

Run.

Flee this place.

Escape as far away as possible.

A powerful premonition gripped his mind, warning him that if he remained here for even a single moment longer, he would meet the exact same gruesome fate as the cultivator before him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Grey attempted to retreat.

Yet the instant he tried to move, his heart sank.

His body refused to obey him.

No matter how much strength he exerted, he could not move even a single finger. It felt as though countless invisible chains had wrapped tightly around every part of his body, locking him firmly in place. He could neither advance nor retreat.

The same was true for his shadow.

Its expression had become grotesquely contorted with horror and dread.

Then, without any warning whatsoever, the shadow was silently lifted off the ground.

It was as though the invisible force that had brutally dismembered the mysterious cultivator had finally noticed Grey and his shadow.

And now...

It had chosen its next victims.

In less than the blink of an eye, the shadow’s body rotated until its back faced Grey.

Crack!

Its neck was violently snapped backward.

Another deafening crack followed as its head was ruthlessly forced upward, twisting far beyond what should have been physically possible.

Grey could clearly see the terror frozen upon his shadow’s face.

Its eyes trembled violently.

Its mouth hung open soundlessly.

Although no voice escaped its lips, the fear reflected within its expression was enough to send chills coursing through Grey’s entire body.

Then came the arms.

The shadow’s shoulders jerked violently as both arms began twisting into impossible angles.

Its elbows folded in unnatural directions.

Its wrists spun repeatedly while its fingers bent backward one after another.

A series of crisp, sickening cracks echoed through the silent harbor as every joint seemed to shatter simultaneously.

Moments later—

Rip!

Both arms were violently torn away from its body.

Unlike the previous cultivator, no blood splashed into the air. Instead, wisps of dark shadowy mist scattered in every direction before quickly dissolving into nothingness.

Although his shadow could not speak, Grey heard an ear-piercing scream echo directly within his soul through the connection they shared.

The sound never reached his ears.

Instead, it resonated inside his mind.

It was a scream filled with unimaginable pain, despair, and terror.

A freezing chill immediately crawled down Grey’s spine, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.

Yet the invisible force showed no intention of stopping.

The shadow’s legs twisted violently at the hips before the bones shattered with several loud cracks.

A moment later, both legs were ripped away and casually tossed aside as though they were nothing more than broken branches.

Having stripped away all four of its limbs, the unseen force finally released its grip.

The mutilated shadow fell heavily onto the ground with a dull thud before lying completely motionless.

From beginning to end, only eight breaths of time had passed.

Grey’s pupils contracted before suddenly dilating as he felt a strange, invisible force gather beneath his body and begin lifting him into the air.

An overwhelming sense of dread instantly filled his heart.

He knew exactly what was about to happen.

In only a few more seconds, he too would be reduced to a limbless corpse, discarded upon the harbor just like the unfortunate cultivator before him.

A cold chill spread through every inch of his body.

’What... is this...?’

Grey roared inwardly.

The invisible force felt like an enormous hand made of nothingness. Although he could neither see nor sense its true form, he could clearly feel its terrifying grip wrapping around his body.

It was firm.

Absolute.

Completely impossible to resist.

Like a child being picked up by an adult, Grey’s body was effortlessly lifted several feet into the air.

The invisible hand slowly rotated him around until his back faced the harbor.

His breathing became ragged.

His heart pounded violently against his chest.

Every instinct within him screamed that death was only moments away.

He had to do something.

Anything.

Otherwise, this harbor would become his grave.

The next instant, Grey felt the unseen force seize one of his arms.

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, it pulled.

An intense, bone-deep pain exploded through his arm before rapidly spreading across his entire body.

It felt as though every tendon, muscle, and bone inside his arm was being stretched beyond its limits.

The flesh around his shoulder tightened painfully as if it were about to tear apart.

Grey clenched his teeth so hard that blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, desperately enduring the unbearable agony.

Then...

Just as the invisible force was about to twist his arm into an impossible angle before tearing it away—

Something moved.

Deep within Grey’s Sea of Consciousness...

A tiny, rusty nail that had remained hidden for so long suddenly trembled.

It was only a slight vibration.

Yet the moment it stirred, the entire Sea of Consciousness seemed to grow strangely silent.

An indescribable aura burst forth from the nail.

It was madness.

Pure, uncontrollable madness.

At the same time...

It was hunger.

An endless hunger that seemed capable of devouring everything that existed.

The aura was ancient, savage, and utterly insane.

Whoosh!

With a sharp, piercing whistle, the rusty nail shot across Grey’s Sea of Consciousness like a streak of dim light before instantly emerging from between his brows.

The moment it appeared in the outside world, the surrounding space seemed to tremble.

The aura of madness and hunger erupted without restraint, sweeping across the harbor like an invisible storm.

For the very first time...

The unseen force hesitated.

The invisible hand gripping Grey’s arm suddenly froze in place, as though it had encountered something completely beyond its expectations.

It did not even last for a single heartbeat.

But that tiny pause was enough.

Whoosh!

The rusty nail shot forward with terrifying speed.

It vanished almost the instant it moved.

There was no dazzling light.

No overwhelming pressure.

Only a faint ripple through space.

The nail pierced directly into the empty air above Grey’s head.

The instant it did so, the invisible force gripping him came to a complete stop.

It trembled.

As though whatever unseen existence lurked there had been caught completely off guard.

As though...

It had actually been wounded.

Yet the rusty nail showed no intention of stopping.

The boundless madness and insatiable hunger erupting from it rapidly condensed into a swirling black vortex around the point where it had pierced the empty space.

The vortex spun faster and faster.

An irresistible devouring force erupted from within it, violently pulling at the seemingly empty space above Grey, as though it intended to consume whatever invisible existence was hiding there.

The surrounding air twisted violently.

Space itself seemed to distort.

Then, a mournful, heart-piercing cry suddenly echoed through the harbor.

The voice carried indescribable pain, fury, and disbelief.

It did not seem to originate from any visible creature.

Instead, it rang directly from the distorted space above Grey, causing the sea below to churn violently as the entire harbor fell into an eerie silence.

---

Sitting down cross-legged on a fairly large magic ship several thousand meters away from the shore was a young man.

His complexion was pale and his expression was gloomy. However, at the same moment that Grey’s rusty nail pierced the invisible creature above him, the person suddenly opened his eyes.

Shock and surprise appeared on his face as a small wound appeared on his chest. Where his heart was supposed to be.