Void Cultivation

Chapter 330 - 329-

Seeing the protective barrier around the surroundings that Grey had already begun restoring, the piece of cloth containing divinity could not help but let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Grey, who was pulling the shattered barrier back together, also felt slightly relieved. He had been right all along, the piece of cloth had truly been hiding itself.

It had even forgotten its current situation and was on the verge of releasing its aura in rage. Thankfully, Grey’s words had snapped it back to reality, causing it to quickly suppress itself once more.

Several seconds passed in silence as Grey continued repairing the barrier while swallowing mouthful after mouthful of medicine. His body, which had originally been on the verge of recovery, was now still trapped in a terrifying state of mutation.

No matter how much medicine he consumed, his condition refused to improve.

However, it also did not worsen further.

That alone was already fortunate enough.

When six breaths of time passed, Grey suddenly noticed something emerging from his storage bag.

It was a small piece of cloth shaped vaguely like a person.

Most of the doll-like figure appeared drenched in blood. Its eyes looked as though they had been violently gouged out of their sockets, while blood continuously trickled from the empty holes where its eyes and mouth should have been.

At the same time, the unsettling sound of chewing and biting echoed from within the tiny doll.

If it were anyone else standing there, they would have already been horrified by such a grotesque scene.

Its limbs were tiny and frail, appearing as though they could tear apart at any moment. Even the fabric composing its body looked ancient and worn, as if it would crumble with the slightest touch. Furthermore, its exact shape remained unclear. After all, how could a mere piece of cloth naturally form itself into a small humanoid doll?

Seeing the child-like figure appear before him, Grey’s expression remained completely indifferent. However, deep inside, he was carefully waiting to hear what it intended to say.

"You’re fortunate that I still have use for you, mortal. Otherwise, you would already be dead."

The small doll finally spoke after a long moment of silence.

Its voice sounded like that of a child, yet there was something unnaturally cold hidden within it.

However, instead of feeling threatened, Grey merely revealed a faint smile.

"Are you certain about that?" he asked calmly. "Or are you simply pretending because you’re afraid the ’god’ who created you might discover where you’re hiding?"

The moment those words left his mouth, the small doll immediately fell silent.

An eerie stillness descended upon the surroundings.

"What do you mean by that?" it asked coldly after a few moments.

Grey ignored the question entirely and slowly closed his eyes. At the same time, he brought out even more medicine from his storage bag and swallowed it without hesitation.

Seeing Grey disregard it completely, veins suddenly bulged across the doll’s blood-soaked fabric. More blood began leaking from beneath its empty eye sockets, while the area where its mouth should have been suddenly split open.

A small tear appeared first.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the tear widened violently into a grotesque mouth.

Inside the gaping opening were several rows of jagged black teeth that looked sharp enough to tear through flesh with ease. Thick blood continuously flowed from the corners of its newly formed mouth, making the already horrifying figure appear even more terrifying.

"Are you ignoring me?" the doll asked again.

Its tiny mouth moved unnaturally as the voice of a child echoed out once more. Although the tone remained cold and emotionless, anyone could tell that it was already furious.

Yet Grey still ignored it completely.

He shut his eyes and focused entirely on circulating his cultivation.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, his current condition was actually far worse than it looked. His body was already standing at the edge of complete mutation.

Even after consuming large amounts of medicine, his condition showed no signs of improving. In truth, the medicine merely slowed the terrifying corruption that was rapidly devouring his flesh, blood, and spiritual energy from within.

Because of this, Grey no longer wasted any attention on the strange doll.

Instead, he focused all of his concentration on suppressing the corrosive substance spreading throughout his body.

Moreover, through his connection with the shadow, Grey could sense that it was still extremely far away and would not be able to return to his side anytime soon.

That meant that, at least for now, he still had enough time to stabilize his condition before facing whatever came next.

"I know that you wish to remain hidden for a while, and I have no objections to that. However, while you are with me, you will follow my rules. If I ask you to participate in battle, then you must do so," Grey said after a long moment of silence.

"No. I do not agree to such terms. I will remain hidden for as long as necessary, and during that time, you shall not disturb me. You still owe me, after all..."

The small doll paused briefly before continuing in a cold voice.

"And do not assume that strange purple aura gives you the right to oppress me as you please. Unlike the other existences within your body, I was once a part of a true ’god’."

Grey remained silent.

However, his previously closed eyes slowly opened into narrow slits, a faint glint flashing through them as he stared at the floating child-like doll before him. His expression was unreadable, calm to the point of being unsettling.

After several seconds, he closed his eyes once more.

And just like that, a tacit agreement was formed between the two.

While the small doll remained in hiding, Grey would conceal its existence from the outside world. In return, whenever Grey required assistance, the doll would lend him its power.

Although it appeared as though both sides had reached a mutual understanding, Grey knew the truth.

This was not trust.

It was merely temporary compromise.

Still, he chose to ignore the matter for now and focused entirely on recovering his condition.

Silence soon descended upon the surroundings once again. Only the endless black waters beneath the magic ship continued to ripple softly as faint waves spread across the dark surface.

A few minutes later, a streak of purple light suddenly shot out from beneath the black waters at astonishing speed. Several enormous shadows followed closely behind it, tearing through the water like massive predators pursuing their prey.

The purple streak rapidly approached Grey’s magic ship.

When it was less than a hundred feet away, the blur abruptly burst out from the surface of the water and landed heavily on the deck of the ship.

Naturally, this purple blur was Grey’s Life Demon Phantom.

The moment it landed, the entire magic ship trembled slightly under the impact. Its petite and fragile body - much like Grey’s, radiated a violent and savage aura while droplets of dark water slid down its form and splashed across the deck.

Behind it, the gigantic shapes beneath the black waters slowly stopped moving, their enormous outlines faintly visible beneath the surface before gradually disappearing back into the darkness.