Void Cultivation

Chapter 318 - 317

At the time Grey had reached the ninth step, the captain had stepped on the twelfth step and was just two more away from the fourteenth step. Meanwhile, Roxanne’s speed was the fastest out of the three of them. She was already on the eighth step, just behind Grey.

’It works! It really works! He actually did it...’ the captain thought inwardly, a faint glint appearing in her eyes. Although she was surprised at how Grey could suddenly endure the pressure on their behalf, she was nonetheless stunned and excited.

Mainly because she was now on the twelfth step, and closer to the top of the crystal palace.

With a piece of cloth containing divinity in his right hand, Grey took another step forward. The moment he did, he felt the power of the laws he was controlling within him suddenly tremble and shiver, as though resisting an overwhelming force they could barely withstand.

At that moment, Grey reached the ninth step. His speed could not be described as fast, but he had already crossed two significant steps within the short moment he had spoken.

At the same time that the laws within him resonated and trembled, the piece of cloth containing divinity also seemed to sense something and began to contort slightly, as though reacting instinctively.

The moment he saw this, Grey knew that the amount of time he could continue borrowing energy was rapidly eroding.

Very soon, the array he had set up would completely dissipate, and the central piece of the array—which was the cloth containing divinity—would also begin to corrode the remaining energy.

If he were to count how much time had passed since he began, not more than nine breaths had elapsed. The array was collapsing, and very soon, the chance Grey had created would vanish completely.

’Not good. I have to move faster!’ Grey thought with urgency as he forced his body forward even more.

However, this was already the maximum speed he could fully output, even while manifesting his Special Brilliance form and drawing additional augmentation from the purple moon.

In fact, this was the fastest speed Grey had ever achieved. Although Foundation Establishment realm cultivators were not known for exceptional speed, with each advancement in realm, their physical bodies became stronger and naturally faster.

Grey was an anomaly in that regard. His speed already far surpassed normal Foundation Establishment realm cultivators. Even Spirit Core Formation realm experts were not his match when it came to raw speed.

And if Grey brought out his full combat strength, he could completely dominate all those in the Foundation Establishment realm, as well as those in the early stages of the Spirit Core Formation realm.

However, people like Roxanne and Violet were not normal cultivators in the least. Roxanne was not human, and Violet was just as freakish. Each of them possessed methods that allowed them to briefly surpass the limits of the Foundation Establishment realm and even faintly touch the Spirit Core Formation realm.

Among these two terrifying individuals, Grey was on the losing side in terms of raw speed.

However... that did not mean he would lose to them in every aspect. Especially since he was the one who formulated this plan and had already accounted for the worst-case scenario, he had prepared a contingency to help him when things became difficult.

"Regardless of whether you have gained consciousness or not, my offer still stands. Help me reach the top, and I will consider not killing you," Grey said in a low, cold voice.

The person he was speaking to was none other than the piece of cloth containing divinity.

---

Previously, while performing the finishing touches on the array, Grey had noticed that the cloth had attempted to distort itself and disrupt the formation before he even activated it.

But after discovering its actions, he had spoken in a calm, controlled voice, as though he had already anticipated everything.

"If you want to regain your freedom, you will have to do something for me first," he had said.

The moment those words fell, the piece of cloth had suddenly frozen, as though it did not expect Grey to perceive its actions.

It then went silent and behaved like an ordinary piece of cloth... swaying gently like an ordinary piece of cloth being lifted by the wind. However, Grey did not buy it. He was absolutely certain the cloth had heard him clearly and was simply pretending in an attempt to confuse him.

Hence, Grey said nothing further and continued with the array. But before activating the array, he addressed it once more.

"If you try to tamper with my array, I’ll make sure you die an extremely slow and painful death of suppression. Even the god you belong to won’t to save you." Grey said coldly as he circulated the power of the purple crystal within him. As he stirred that power, the purple moon faintly appeared behind him, dyeing his clothes and surroundings with a soft violet hue.

Then he spoke again.

"My offer from before still stands. Help me with a certain matter, and I will consider not killing you right here, and even granting you your freedom after some time. If you don’t..." Grey paused briefly, his gaze fixed on the seemingly ordinary cloth.

Even though his expression remained cold and devoid of emotion, his inner thoughts were in turmoil. First, he wasn’t even sure if he truly had the power to threaten this piece of cloth.

After all, it was divinity—mysterious, ancient, and powerful. Furthermore, it had the advantage of the unknown. Grey did not know whether it held good or malicious intent, nor could he confirm if it was truly sentient or merely acting on instinct. The two were very different things.

However, when he released the aura of the purple crystal while issuing his threat, the cloth had visibly trembled. Although it was subtle, it did not escape Grey’s sharp perception, as he had been monitoring it closely.

At that moment, Grey knew the power of the purple crystal was enough to intimidate it. Even if it refused to show it openly, it had clearly been affected. Whether it liked it or not, the cloth was now forced to adhere, at least temporarily, to Grey’s instructions.

But Grey was not certain how long that control would last. So he steadied his mind and activated the array immediately.

---

"Regardless of whether you have gained consciousness or not, my offer still stands. Help me reach the top, and I will consider not killing you. If you don’t, I’ll make sure I suppress you till death if we get trapped here," Grey said in a low, ruthless tone.