Void Cultivation

Chapter 390: Chapter 389- Rotten Lotus in your flesh (2)

By the time Grey retreated several dozen meters backward, he noticed the image of a rotten lotus slowly emerging on Kaien’s forehead. The lotus looked ancient and decayed, its petals withered and stained a dark crimson. Resting atop it were several tiny skeletal heads, each one grinning maliciously as they released sinister, chilling laughter.

The moment Grey laid eyes on it, an intense itching sensation spread throughout his entire body. At the same time, he heard a strange, hollow laughter echoing from deep within his own flesh and bones.

The eerie sound was so bizarre and unsettling that a flash of horror momentarily appeared in Grey’s eyes.

However, he quickly composed himself. With a wave of his hand, he retrieved a medicinal pill and swallowed it without hesitation. Unfortunately, the pill seemed utterly ineffective. Not only did it fail to suppress the itching sensation, but the discomfort also grew increasingly intense.

A few breaths later, a sharp pain suddenly assaulted him.

Grey looked down and saw that the pores all over his body had begun to expand before violently tearing open. Blood seeped from the wounds, and from within those tiny tears in his skin, little rotten red lotuses slowly emerged.

Each of those lotuses possessed a miniature skeletal face.

Their mouths twisted into sinister grins as they laughed maliciously.

Only then did Grey realize that these creatures were the source of the strange laughter he had heard coming from inside his body.

A faint shiver immediately ran down his spine.

An unprecedented sense of danger washed over him.

His entire body was gradually opening up, and his flesh and blood were slowly transforming into those grotesque rotten lotuses.

Grey had a terrifying feeling that if he failed to get rid of them soon, his body would be completely converted into a nest for those flowers, causing him to lose himself forever.

After executing his sect’s secret art, Kaien looked at Grey with a smile on his face.

However, due to his sunken and emaciated features, cracks appeared around his skin. The smile that should have been gentle and filled with excitement instead became something extraordinarily eerie and nauseating.

"Escape if you can," he said with a cruel grin. "In just a few breaths, your body will become the perfect nesting ground for my sect’s secret art to blossom. And when that happens... you’ll become my puppet."

Yet, contrary to expectations, Kaien did not rush forward to finish the battle.

He remained where he was.

Hesitant.

Although it appeared that he had gained the upper hand, he had not forgotten the strange sword art that Grey had unleashed earlier, an attack that had nearly taken his life.

Even though he and his bizarre existence had been separated by a considerable distance, Grey’s sword strike had somehow tracked him down and nearly cleaved him in half.

Even if that attack had not killed him outright, it would have left him gravely injured.

More importantly, he still remembered the overwhelming suppressive aura released by that sword, as well as the illusionary phantom that had descended from the heavens and struck in the exact same manner.

The memory alone was enough to make his heart tremble.

Although Grey was currently on the receiving end of his secret art, Kaien had no intention of lowering his guard and suffering from that terrifying attack again.

Even after activating his Special Brilliance Form and revealing the cultivation of a Four-Ball Spirit Fire expert, he still lacked confidence when facing that bizarre sword art that could transcend distance and cut down its target.

When Grey noticed that Kaien had not advanced and instead remained rooted in place with a slightly hesitant expression, his own expression changed slightly.

However, he continued swallowing medicinal pills one after another in a desperate attempt to suppress the mutation occurring within his body.

The reason he had deliberately retreated earlier was simple.

He had been waiting for Kaien to close the distance once more before unleashing the Purple Phantom and the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird.

He was even prepared to summon the Mosasaur and end the battle as quickly as possible.

After all, his opponent was a Four-Ball Spirit Fire cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Even if he possessed many hidden trump cards, Grey was not foolish enough to reveal all of them at once.

It was always better to strike when the enemy was unprepared and completely off guard.

Therefore, when he saw that Kaien had not fallen for his passive bait and had instead chosen to remain cautious, Grey could not help but click his tongue inwardly in annoyance.

This person was far more cautious than he had expected.

"How do I end this battle as quickly as possible?" Grey muttered inwardly as his eyes swept across the battlefield.

His gaze moved from one corner of the area to another, searching for a certain familiar figure. However, no matter where he looked, he couldn’t spot Violet anywhere.

Grey wasn’t disappointed by her absence, though.

By now, he had long grown accustomed to her strange habits and mysterious behavior. Whenever a dangerous battle erupted, the Captain had an uncanny tendency to disappear without a trace, only to reappear when everything was already over.

Shaking his head, Grey pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. This wasn’t the time to think about Violet.

Taking a deep breath, a determined glint flashed through his eyes as he made a decision.

Since this battle had dragged on long enough, it was time to reveal one of his hidden trump cards.

Screech!

A sharp and piercing cry suddenly echoed through the surroundings.

At the same time, the totem hidden beneath Grey’s arm abruptly came alive, emitting a brilliant flash of purple light.

The mysterious symbol glowed brightly as purple flames surged out of it like a raging tide. A moment later, a majestic bird wreathed in purple-black flames emerged from Grey’s body.

Its enormous wings spread wide, and it let out another shrill cry that seemed capable of piercing through one’s soul.

The flaming bird circled around Grey several times, leaving streaks of purple fire in its wake. Then, its sharp and intelligent eyes locked onto Kaien with unmistakable hostility and killing intent.

The pressure it emitted caused the surrounding air to become heavy.

Without any hesitation, the bird suddenly folded its wings and flew directly toward Grey.

The two figures overlapped.

A dazzling purple radiance erupted.

Several seconds later, Grey’s appearance underwent a complete transformation.

A luxurious robe woven from purple and black flames covered his entire body, causing him to appear both mysterious and majestic. His eyes turned bright and deep, shining with a faint purple glow that seemed capable of seeing through all things.

Meanwhile, the flaming bird transformed into an illusory crown made of dancing purple flames that rested proudly upon his head.

At this moment, Grey no longer looked like an ordinary cultivator.

Instead, he resembled the noble young heir of an ancient emperor, a supreme existence that had descended from the heavens to the mortal world.