Void Cultivation

Chapter 329 - 328-

Hearing the words spoken by the small voice, Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression turned cold. A faint baleful aura spread out from his body, carrying with it a terrifying killing intent.

Even though he did not release too much of it, it was still enough to make the surrounding temperature seem to plummet.

"Yes," Grey began indifferently. "We had a deal... so what exactly do you want in exchange for helping me?" he asked coldly.

The child-like voice remained silent for a few moments before finally replying.

"Simple really... I want freedom."

Hearing those words, Grey could not help but narrow his eyes further. With the abilities the mysterious existence possessed, coupled with the obvious traces of divinity surrounding it, Grey had long believed that it could leave his possession whenever it wanted, even if he tried desperately to stop it.

Thus, he had not expected such an answer.

A thought flashed through Grey’s mind, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

"And what if I don’t want you to leave?" Grey asked with a faint chuckle. "What exactly will you do then?"

Although there was amusement in his voice, his tone was anything but friendly. Instead, it carried a chilling coldness that made his intentions clear.

The faint chewing sounds coming from inside Grey’s storage bag suddenly stopped.

In the next instant, a horrifying divine aura exploded outward.

It was incomparably intense, like an endless ocean threatening to drown Grey whole.

"What do you mean by that?" the voice roared furiously. The childish tone from before had completely vanished, replaced by pure icy coldness and overwhelming murderous intent.

"Didn’t we already have a deal? Don’t test me, mortal. Do you have any idea what kind of power I possess?"

However, instead of darkening, Grey’s eyes lit up slightly when he heard those words. Still, he quickly concealed the strange glint in his eyes and spoke with open disdain.

"You’re nothing more than an ordinary piece of cloth pretending to be powerful," Grey sneered coldly. "At the end of the day, you’re just a filthy worthless rag. And even if I break our deal... what exactly can you do about it?"

Grey’s expression remained calm and steady as he spoke. At the same time, he silently circulated the power of his cultivation base, fully prepared to stir the purple crystal within his body the moment the cloth showed any signs of attacking him.

Meanwhile, Grey could clearly sense the boiling rage of the mysterious cloth.

The divine aura pouring from it became more and more violent, resembling an endless tidal wave that sought to completely devour him.

Yet Grey was not afraid.

On the contrary...

He was pleased.

At this point, Grey had finally confirmed something important.

The mysterious cloth could not leave him.

Or more accurately... it did not dare to.

The reason for this realization was something Grey had discovered shortly after they escaped from that crimson world.

The divine existence whose aura had created the cloth was currently in an extremely weakened state.

It stood on the verge of evolving further and desperately needed nourishment to survive the upcoming transformation. And to such a being, what better source of nourishment could there possibly be than a fragment born from its own divine aura?

After all, devouring a divine entity created from itself would undoubtedly provide enormous benefits and greatly accelerate its advancement.

Because of that, Grey was certain that the moment the true divine being regained enough strength, it would no longer care about whatever plans the cloth might have had in the past. It would simply devour it whole without hesitation.

That was why, immediately after Grey and the cloth returned to the Dead Sea, the cloth had instantly concealed its aura and folded tightly into itself.

It even went as far as suppressing every trace of its divinity, disguising itself as nothing more than an ordinary torn rag.

Back in the crimson world, when Grey had probed it, the cloth merely pretended to be ordinary.

But this time... it truly wanted to disappear from the outside world.

It did not attempt to contact Grey again.

It did not remind him about their agreement.

It did not even reveal the slightest trace of its presence.

It was as though it wished to completely vanish from existence itself.

Although Grey had been suspicious of its actions during that period of time, he had been unable to fully understand the reason behind such behavior. Still, one thing was certain in his mind.

Something had definitely forced the mysterious cloth into hiding.

That was why Grey had decisively chosen to renege on their agreement.

Although such an action could easily backfire against him, Grey did not want to lose this rare opportunity to completely subdue the piece of cloth and make it his own.

After all, an object that possessed intelligence, divinity, and terrifying abilities was far too valuable.

Even if it carried enormous risks.

Silence filled the magic ship.

However, despite the lack of words, Grey could clearly feel the overwhelming fury radiating from within his storage bag. He was absolutely certain that the piece of cloth was enraged after being repeatedly called a filthy rag.

"You lowly mortal!" the childish voice screamed madly. "How dare you insult a god?!"

The moment those furious words rang out, a terrifying aura erupted from inside the storage bag.

BOOM!

A shocking surge of divine power burst outward like a collapsing dam, instantly flooding the entire ghost ship.

Grey’s expression immediately darkened.

The terrifying divinity mixed with the corrosive aura of the Dead Sea and violently invaded his body.

In the blink of an eye, Grey’s flesh began to mutate.

His skin rapidly blackened and swelled grotesquely. Dark green patches spread across his body while large festering boils appeared on his arms, neck, and face.

At the same time, his eyes turned bloodshot.

Every blood vessel and vein throughout his body bulged outward violently, becoming pitch-black and twisted like venomous worms crawling beneath his skin.

The sight was horrifying beyond belief.

This was the terrifying mutation caused by the corrosive substance of the Dead Sea.

An unbearable pain immediately engulfed Grey’s entire body.

It felt as though countless scorching metal rods were being driven through his flesh repeatedly. His nerves trembled violently under the torture, and even the bones within his body began to emit faint cracking sounds.

Yet despite the horrifying pain...

Grey’s expression did not twist in agony.

Instead, his face slowly sank into a deep frown.

Without the shadow inside his body absorbing the corrosive substance for him, Grey knew that his body would soon reach its limit.

And once that happened, only two outcomes awaited him.

Either he would completely lose control and transform into a twisted abomination...

Or he would die from the overwhelming mutation.

Neither option was acceptable.

Both represented a direct threat to his life.

Still, Grey forcefully endured the pain and lifted his cold gaze toward the storage bag.

"Control your aura," Grey said icily. "And don’t damage my ship."

His voice remained calm and controlled despite the grotesque state of his body. Combined with his stern expression and dangerous gaze, he looked like a predator prepared to attack at any moment if the piece of cloth crossed the line.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

The divine cloth remained silent for a moment.

Then, it suddenly noticed something.

The spiritual barrier surrounding Grey’s magic ship, and even the nearby section of the Dead Sea, was rapidly destabilizing.

The black waters boiled and the cracks had already begun spreading across the invisible wall of spirituality.

The concealment protecting them from the outside world was on the verge of collapse.

Once the barrier shattered completely, every trace of the cloth’s divine aura would be exposed to the outside world.

At that point, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The furious divine aura pouring from the storage bag abruptly halted.

Then, little by little...

It receded completely.

The terrifying pressure flooding the ghost ship instantly weakened.

At the same time, Grey wasted no time repairing the damaged wall of spirituality around the vessel. His fingers moved rapidly as he manipulated his spiritual power to reinforce the cracking barrier.

Simultaneously, he swallowed several mouthfuls of medicinal liquid he had prepared beforehand.

The medicine rapidly circulated through his body, suppressing the spreading mutation and stabilizing the decaying flesh temporarily.

Even so, Grey’s appearance still looked horrifying.

His swollen black veins remained visible beneath his skin, while traces of greenish decay lingered around his arms and neck.

Yet throughout the entire process... Grey’s expression never changed. It remained stern, cold and unreadable.

As if the horrifying pain consuming his body was nothing more than a minor inconvenience to him.