Void Cultivation-Chapter 239- Fishing for Foundation Establishment (13)

Chapter 239: Chapter 239- Fishing for Foundation Establishment (13)

With each slash, the white fog churned more violently, as if angered by his resistance. Gradually, wounds began to appear all over Grey’s body. Shallow cuts layered over deeper gashes, some already crusted with dried blood while others continued to bleed freely. He had changed his daggers many times throughout the battle, some were lost in the fog after being knocked from his hands, while others shattered outright under repeated strain.

As the fight dragged on, Grey noticed something unsettling.

The creatures formed from the fog were growing stronger.

If it had taken ten slashes to kill one at the beginning, now it took twelve.

The difference seemed minor on the surface, but in the chaos of battle, those extra slashes were often the line between survival and death. Each additional movement slowed him, drained his stamina, and left openings that the fog creatures were all too eager to exploit.

Because of this, Grey began to accumulate injuries at a faster pace. His clothes were torn and shredded in several places, long slashes running across the fabric. Blood seeped through the rips, soaking the cloth and dyeing it a dark, sticky red. With every breath, pain flared across his body, yet his expression remained unnervingly calm.

The shadow had also joined the battle.

At first, Grey believed it could deal with the fog creatures the same way it handled other enemies, by infecting them and dissolving them with its corrosive substance. However, he quickly realized that this method was ineffective.

Even though the white fog itself carried a faint corrosive nature, the creatures formed from it showed no reaction at all. They were completely unaffected.

Unable to rely on its usual methods, the shadow altered its form.

It transformed into a towering, leafless tree made entirely of pitch-black darkness. The shadow tree rose several feet into the air, its trunk thick and twisted. From its base, countless roots spread outward, extending deep into the fog like grasping tendrils.

Every time one of its branches shook, sharp shadowy spikes pierced through nearby creatures. The fog-beasts let out blood-curdling screams before collapsing and dissipating back into white mist.

The shadow attempted to absorb the remnants.

It failed.

Moments later, it violently coughed out the white fog, its form trembling slightly. A look of clear disgust crossed its features, its single eye narrowing into a sharp glint as it writhed inwardly, as though suppressing revulsion.

Grey frowned at the sight.

He couldn’t understand it.

Why could the shadow not absorb the fog, yet both he and the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird could?

There must be a deeper reason why the shadow can’t consume them, Grey muttered inwardly, forcing himself to ignore the shadow’s wretched display.

Even so, he began paying closer attention to it.

This place was wrong.

Every instinct he had screamed danger, and he knew that even a slight misjudgment here could cost him his life.

"And I still don’t know what the captain’s goal is for coming here," Grey said softly, his voice barely audible over the swirling fog. "She said she wanted to retrieve something..."

His body swayed slightly as fatigue crept in. Still, his hand moved on instinct. The dagger in his grip flashed as he slashed at another creature emerging from the fog.

This one took the shape of a massive bull.

It had six legs and three twisted horns. Its mouth was split unnaturally in two, and a massive scar ran across its body. Despite being composed entirely of fog, its appearance was grotesque and disturbingly detailed.

A sharp glint flashed in Grey’s eyes.

Without hesitation, he activated the sword art he had comprehended.

In an instant, a purple sword materialized in his hand. At the same time, another massive sword appeared above his head, radiating dense sword intent.

Grey slashed downward decisively.

A purple sword light, more than ten meters long, tore through the fog and shot toward the bull-like creature. The beast let out a deep huff and charged forward, crashing head-on into the incoming sword light.

Half of its body collapsed immediately, dispersing into white fog.

The remaining half burst through the attack and continued charging straight toward Grey.

At that moment, the bull’s horns began to glow with a blinding radiance.

Grey’s eyes widened as his body swayed, instinctively dodging the charging bull. However, before he could fully evade, the bull’s horns flared even brighter. A brilliant white light burst forth, instantly enveloping Grey’s entire body.

In that instant, an overwhelming sense of life and death washed over him. It was as though an invisible hand had wrapped around his throat, squeezing tighter and tighter. Grey clearly felt that if he hesitated for even a single breath, his life would end right there.

That realization entered his mind at the exact same moment the light from the bull’s horns reached its peak.

Without thinking twice, Grey activated his fastest movement technique while simultaneously forming hand seals. His figure blurred as he shot backward at extreme speed. At his peak velocity, Grey was already faster than many experts at the Foundation Establishment realm.

Yet, to his shock, the bull’s speed increased as well.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between them vanished.

Before Grey could fully escape, the bull slammed into him.

However, at the crucial moment, a brilliant purple light suddenly erupted and wrapped itself tightly around Grey’s body. The light condensed into countless thin, thread-like strands that wove together rapidly, forming a set of battle armor around him.

Although the armor was illusionary in nature—formed entirely from shimmering purple threads of light—it still carried an undeniable sense of solidity. A strange magnetic pressure emanated from it, distorting the surrounding fog.

At that moment, Grey’s eyes glowed with a deep purple hue as he faced the charging bull head-on.

Bang!

A deafening explosion echoed through the fog as the bull rammed violently into Grey. The remaining half of the bull’s body instantly shattered and dissipated into white mist. At the same time, the intense light from its horns did not fade. Instead, it condensed, reshaping itself into an iridescent spear made entirely of light.

The spear shimmered with multiple colors, each hue flowing into the next. A dense and oppressive aura radiated from it, causing the surrounding fog to tremble.

Grey staggered backward several steps, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. His face had turned pale as he stared at the incoming multicolored spear, his breath growing ragged.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

Grey opened his mouth and spat out another mouthful of blood. However, this blood did not fall to the ground. It hovered in midair before shooting forward like an arrow, heading straight toward the approaching spear.

When the two collided a moment later, Grey’s already pale face turned deathly white, making him look almost like a ghost. Beneath the purple armor, his body visibly grew thinner, as if something essential had been drained from him.

A violent shockwave rippled outward.

The multicolored spear was blasted backward, while the blood Grey had spat out scattered into a fine crimson mist and dissipated into the fog.

Grey had infused that blood with a portion of his vitality and life force. Using his own life essence as an attack, he forcibly altered the trajectory of the spear. Though life force and vitality could eventually be restored, the price was enormous. A crushing wave of fatigue swept over him, leaving his limbs heavy and his mind sluggish.

At that moment, the battle armor covering Grey’s body reached its limit. The purple threads of light shattered into countless sparks, which flickered briefly before sinking back into his body and disappearing. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He had exhausted his ability to maintain the armor.

After the clash, the multicolored spear grew noticeably dimmer, its form blurring as if it might collapse at any moment. However, a low, furious roar echoed from within it. Defying expectations, the spear suddenly changed direction once more and shot back toward Grey with renewed intent.

Surprise appeared on Grey’s face at this moment. He hadn’t expected that after everything he had done, the spear would still return and target him once again.

A strong sense of life and death washed over him, and almost immediately, a chill ran down his spine. His instincts screamed in warning, it felt as if his neck had been locked onto by something deadly.

The spear abruptly changed direction and pointed straight at Grey. As it moved, its form flickered violently before disappearing entirely from sight. At the same time, the life-and-death crisis Grey sensed intensified to an unbearable level.

In that instant, Grey was certain of one thing, if he reacted even a fraction of a second too late, he would die.

Without the slightest hesitation, he pushed his body to its absolute limit and dodged sideways at the fastest speed he could manage.

Several fog creatures seized this opportunity to surge forward, attempting to suppress and restrain him. However, the purple phantom instantly appeared, its long arms sweeping through the fog as it brandished them with terrifying force.

At the same time, the Soul Devouring Bird flew to Grey’s side and rapidly inhaled the scattered white fog, preventing the creatures from fully forming and buying him precious moments.

The shadow tree also stopped sending out its branches to pierce the surrounding monsters and instead turned toward Grey’s direction. Yet, strangely, it did not immediately strike. Its branches trembled slightly, as if it were hesitating.

Even without the shadow tree’s assistance, the purple phantom and the Soul Devouring Bird were more than enough. Together, they held back the creatures just long enough for Grey to fully evade the attack.

And just as Grey’s body left the spot he had been standing in moments earlier, a terrifying intent flashed through the air.

Boom!

The place where Grey had just stood was violently struck. All the fog creatures that were rapidly forming in that area were blasted into smithereens, instantly dispersing into scattered mist.

A portion of Grey’s clothes was shredded into countless fragments, and even his neck was lightly pierced by the attack. Blood sprayed outward as Grey’s pupils violently dilated. The sense of life and death still clung to him, it had not faded in the slightest.

If he had reacted any slower, there was no doubt that his neck would have been completely severed.

The weapon responsible for this terrifying strike was clearly the multicolored spear.