Void Cultivation-Chapter 212-

Seeing the sleazy expression on the captain’s face, Grey’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to his encounter with the middle-aged man he had met earlier.

Although she had executed the disguise flawlessly, there were still things she couldn’t completely hide. Habitual actions, deeply ingrained behaviors, were far more difficult to erase than appearances.

One such habit was the way she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her arm.

To an outsider, it would have looked like nothing more than a meaningless motion, something easily ignored. But Grey wasn’t an outsider. He had spent a considerable amount of time with the captain, long enough to recognize that this specific action only appeared when she was trying, very hard, to restrain herself from getting a snack.

As Grey continued to look at her in silence, the carefree smile on the captain’s face stiffened, freezing in place for the briefest moment.

’Could he have recognized me back then?’

The thought flashed through her mind like lightning. But when she saw that Grey didn’t speak, and instead calmly walked over and sat down in the seat opposite her, the tension in her heart finally eased.

She subtly let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

The two of them sized each other up in silence.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Grey was confident in his senses. He was now certain that he could perceive any other Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if they deliberately tried to conceal their aura.

This was especially true after he had formed his first Spirit Fire and gained access to the Special Brilliance form.

Yet, even as he sat directly across from the captain, Grey couldn’t sense the slightest trace of a Foundation Establishment aura coming from her body.

It felt... wrong.

If anything, she felt like an ordinary Qi Accumulation cultivator.

That realization made Grey narrow his eyes ever so slightly.

When the captain observed Grey in return, a faint smile slowly formed on her lips. Outwardly, the expression was calm and relaxed, masking the displeasure and faint frown hidden beneath it.

Internally, however, her thoughts were anything but relaxed.

She couldn’t tell whether Grey had already formed his Spirit Fire.

But one thing was clear, she could sense that he had opened an abnormal number of spirit perforations.

’I need to hurry up with my plan and break open more nodes,’ she thought grimly.

’I don’t like the feeling Little Grey is giving me.’

After failing to sense the captain’s cultivation base, Grey decided not to probe any further. Everyone had secrets, hers more than most.

"I take it you’re here to rejoin the Detective Agency," the captain said casually, her carefree smile returning in full force.

Her soft features and relaxed demeanor would have easily entranced anyone else. But Grey had long since grown used to it.

He shook his head calmly. "I never left."

"Sure," she replied lazily. "But your six-month absence says otherwise. I’ve also appointed a new vice-captain in your absence."

Grey didn’t respond.

To him, whether he was vice-captain or not meant nothing. Titles were meaningless. What mattered was survival, it didn’t matter how it had to be achieved.

"Anyway," the captain continued, waving her hand dismissively, "the Detective Agency is always open to new members. If you’d like, you can also become my direct subordinate. You’d enjoy far more benefits that way."

"No, thank you," Grey replied without hesitation. "I work better alone."

Although the captain’s cultivation remained a mystery, Grey was confident in one thing, if he went all out, he wouldn’t necessarily lose against her.

That was, of course, assuming she had only formed a single Spirit Fire.

The captain didn’t argue. Her faint smile remained as she casually took out her jade slip.

A few seconds later, Grey’s identity was officially restored. He was once again registered under the Detective Agency, this time as a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.

Afterward, Grey cupped his fists and stood up, preparing to leave.

"Little Grey," the captain suddenly said, her tone sharp and direct.

"Wouldn’t you like to open spirit perforations faster?"

Grey froze.

"I’m working on something that can greatly accelerate the process," she continued, leaning forward slightly. "Of course, there’s a bit of danger involved, but it’s minimal. Completely manageable."

Her eyes gleamed with barely restrained excitement.

Grey could almost see the enthusiasm burning behind her calm expression.

Still, he resisted the urge to ask for details.

Opening spirit perforations was already difficult enough. Breaking open nodes was even more dangerous. If the captain claimed she had a method to speed up the process, then the so-called "minimal danger" was almost certainly something capable of killing Foundation Establishment cultivators outright. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The temptation was there but... Grey valued his life.

He remembered her past ideas. Her crazy, reckless ideas.

This time, he chose not to get involved.

What he needed was money. Once his magic ship was repaired, he planned to head out to sea and use the Life Demon Art to open his spirit perforations properly.

Seeing that Grey had no intention of accepting, the captain didn’t stop him.

Instead, she licked her lips slightly and stared at the door through which he had left.

Several moments passed before she spoke again, her voice calm and thoughtful.

"Since Little Grey has returned and advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm... I no longer need the current vice-captain."

She frowned slightly, tapping her fingers against the armrest.

"But how should I get rid of him?"

After a brief pause, a sharp glint flashed through her eyes.

"I’ve got it."

She immediately sent a voice transmission to the vice-captain, informing him that a large batch of criminals had infiltrated the Sky Mist Sect. She ordered him to apprehend them at once, instructing him to bring several Detective Agency members along so nothing would appear suspicious.

After sending the message, she leaned back into her seat, her expression returning to its usual carefree state.

She pulled out an apple.

Taking a large bite, she chewed happily, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

After his identity was restored, Grey returned to the cave abode hidden within the mountain to study the Life Demon Art. The moment he stepped inside the cave, before he could even settle down, a faint vibration came from his storage bag.

Grey paused.

He reached inside and retrieved the object that was trembling. As expected, it was his jade slip. A familiar fluctuation rippled across its surface, it was a voice transmission.

Ange.

The instant he sensed her spiritual imprint, the image of a slender figure with auburn hair surfaced unbidden in his mind. For a brief moment, Grey’s cold expression softened.

The voice transmission was short, containing only a few words, but it was unmistakably hers. Although Grey felt a surge of joy at hearing from Ange again, he quickly suppressed his emotions. Right now, sentimentality was a luxury he could not afford.

His priority was clear.

To learn the Life Demon Art... and the Soul Severing Dao.

Grey sat down cross-legged and activated all the arrays he had set up earlier. One by one, the formations lit up faintly before sinking into the cave walls. These arrays would immediately alert him if anyone approached the mountain.

Only after confirming that everything was in place did Grey relax slightly.

Instinctively, he spread out his arm.

Then he froze.

Grey frowned and slowly lowered his hand as he remembered that he had already used up his last reserve of poison. A hint of annoyance flickered across his eyes.

"Once I’ve fully grasped this art, I’ll head out and buy more poison," Grey muttered under his breath.

With that, he closed his eyes and immersed himself in the Life Demon Art.

Time flowed silently.

Before Grey realized it, an entire day had passed.

Suddenly, Grey’s eyes snapped open, and a sharp, brilliant glint flashed through them.

"Life Demon Art..." he murmured softly.

In the next instant, a violent eruption burst forth from Grey’s first spirit perforation. The sudden surge of power caused his entire body to tremble violently, and a deep, muffled bang echoed from within his flesh and bones.

Before the shock could fade, twenty-four more muffled booms rang out in rapid succession.

A dense, tyrannical aura surged out from Grey’s body, filling the cave with oppressive pressure. At the same time, an illusory flame ignited within him. The flame was not ordinary, it burned with a deep, unnatural purple hue, its color influenced by the shattered purple crystal shards embedded within his chest.

As the purple flame appeared, Grey felt an intense, unfamiliar heat bloom in his chest. Along with it came a disturbing sensation, as though something alive was crawling upward from his stomach, inching its way toward his heart.

Before Grey could fully react, the space beside him distorted.

A purple phantom slowly emerged next to his seated form.

The phantom’s head was lowered, its facial features obscured in shadow. Yet despite this, a terrifying killing intent and murderous aura poured out from its body like a tide. The heat radiating from it was so intense that Grey’s clothes immediately ignited into flames.

The temperature inside the cave skyrocketed.

The stone ground beneath them began to blacken and crack from the extreme heat, releasing a faint burnt smell into the air. Watching this scene unfold, a strange, unreadable glint flashed across Grey’s eyes.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and drew the phantom back into his body.

The moment it disappeared, the oppressive heat receded.

Grey exhaled deeply, breathing in and out several times to steady himself. His chest rose and fell as his turbulent energy gradually calmed.

That purple phantom was...

"...the Life Demon," Grey muttered quietly.

With a small wave of his hand, the remaining flames on his body were extinguished. As the fire died out, Grey calmly retrieved a spare robe from his storage bag and changed into it without any sense of urgency.

Once he was done, Grey closed his eyes briefly and recalled the contents of the jade slip, the words that described the essence of the Life Demon Art.

"Only when you feel the oppressive desire to kill and plunder can you become a demon."

"With the power of heavenly flames, you may devour the souls and life of those you choose."

"Only then shall you become a true Demon of Life."

Grey slowly opened his eyes.

A faint smile, cold and dangerous, tugged at the corners of his lips.