Void Cultivation-Chapter 240- Fishing for Foundation Establishment (14)

Chapter 240: Chapter 240- Fishing for Foundation Establishment (14)

White fog continued to scatter in all directions as the spear itself gradually dimmed. The overwhelming presence and terrifying intent it carried slowly faded away, disappearing into nothingness.

It was as if after revealing that insane speed that resembled teleportation, the power in the spear was rapidly dissipating and disappearing. Soon, the presence in it would vanish.

However, before the light on the spear could completely extinguish, Grey reached out and grabbed it firmly.

Without wasting time to examine it, the spear disappeared into his storage ring and was kept away.

This spear was undoubtedly a powerful treasure. More importantly, unlike the other fog creatures, it did not dissipate upon defeat. It remained in a solid, physical state, even though its light had dimmed significantly.

Grey could clearly tell that the spear’s dimness did not mean it had become useless. Rather, its previous owner—the bull—had already died, and the presence and authority it once exerted over the spear had completely vanished.

After putting away the spear, Grey frowned as he looked at the shadow tree before him. A trace of coldness flashed through his eyes.

When he had been faced with such a terrifying disaster, the other party had hesitated. It had not helped him at all. It had simply watched from the side.

If it had intervened, if it had even given the slightest assistance, Grey might not have been injured to this extent.

This realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.

In the end, Grey originally planned to suppress the shadow later, when he was free and had more time to deal with it properly. But the events that had just transpired forced him to reconsider.

At this moment, the explosion caused by the spear had driven the surrounding fog far away. The white fog churned restlessly at the edges of the area, yet it struggled to roll back toward them. It was as if the terrifying power contained within the spear was still lingering in the surroundings, forming an invisible deterrent.

Because of this, Grey finally gained a brief moment to catch his breath.

And he did not waste it.

The first thing he did was suppress the shadow.

Spirit power circulated rapidly through his body as Grey guided it toward the purple crystal shards embedded deep within his chest. The moment the spirit power made contact, a dense and tyrannical purple intent erupted outward, spreading across his entire body.

In an instant, a piercing wail rang out.

The shadow screamed.

The purple light within Grey’s body surged violently, ruthlessly suppressing the shadow. The shadow tree that it had manifested into began to shake intensely, its massive form trembling as if it were about to collapse.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Countless branches formed from pure shadow snapped and fell, dispersing into black mist before they even touched the ground.

Yet, even under such overwhelming suppression, the shadow tree did not completely vanish.

Grey looked at this scene coldly.

Without hesitation, he suppressed it again.

A second wave of purple intent crashed down. This time, the shadow’s wails were silent, echoing only within the endless world of white fog.

Only Grey could hear its pitiful cries.

Still, he felt it was not enough.

His expression did not change.

He suppressed it a third time.

A fourth time.

A seventh time.

Then a fourteenth time.

Each suppression was heavier than the last, like repeated divine judgments striking down without mercy.

After the fifteenth suppression, the shadow tree shuddered violently before finally collapsing inward. Its massive form shrank rapidly, condensing into a tiny figure.

When it stabilized, a small figure stood before Grey.

It looked exactly like him.

The same face. The same outline.

The only differences were its jet-black hair and round, pitch-black eyes. Its demeanor was also far more mischievous and twisted, and it had once looked at everything around it with nothing but disdain.

When the tiny Grey appeared, it hesitated. After a moment, it raised a hand slightly, signaling for Grey to stop.

The disdain had not fully disappeared from its face, though it was clearly trying to hide it.

Grey observed all of this calmly.

Then, he suppressed the shadow again.

An inhuman wail erupted.

But Grey was not done.

Seventeen times.

Twenty-one times.

Thirty-seven times.

Forty-nine times.

Each suppression shattered more of the shadow’s resistance.

The moment Grey suppressed it for the fiftieth time, the small figure finally broke down completely. Its body trembled as it rushed toward Grey’s feet, attempting to escape, attempting to hide.

Grey’s eyes were cold.

He ruthlessly cut off its retreat.

Five more suppressions followed.

At this moment, the shadow no longer looked at Grey with disdain or contempt. Instead, fear filled its eyes. Pure, undisguised fear.

However, Grey noticed something else, a dark glint hidden deep within its gaze.

Seeing this glint, Grey did not hesitate.

He suppressed it again.

Normally, Grey would not have been so ruthless.

In the past, he had tried to make the shadow side with him willingly. He believed that cooperation was possible. But now, he finally understood.

If the other party did nothing to protect him when he was in danger, what did he truly gain from keeping it?

Not only was it useless in critical moments, it was also a hidden threat, something that might one day stab him in the back.

Since that was the case...

Why not remove the thorn in his throat now, instead of regretting it later in the future?

This chaotic world had opened Grey’s eyes to many things.

In this world, the strong suppressed those beneath them in order to survive. Meanwhile, the weak had no choice but to resist the suppression of the strong if they wished to live.

The shadow was no different.

It, too, was struggling to survive by resisting Grey’s suppression.

But if this resistance were to turn into rebellion in the future...

How would Grey handle it then?

Right now, Grey was the strong one.

He could only remain strong so that he, too, could continue to survive in this cruel world.

That was why he did not hesitate when he pressed down on the shadow and commanded the purple crystal to suppress it again. That was also why his emotions did not fluctuate in the slightest when he heard the shadow’s shrill screams.

If he did not want to become like the shadow one day...

Then he could only close his eyes and become heartless.

With that thought, the power of the purple crystal surged once more.

The shadow was suppressed again.

And again.

And again.

Each time, its wails grew shriller, yet weaker. Its cries became thinner, more desperate. Still, the cold light in Grey’s eyes never faded.

Gradually, words began to surface within Grey’s mind.

They did not appear suddenly, nor did they feel unfamiliar. It was as if they had always been there, buried deep within his memory, only emerging now because of the situation.

"If the heavens are not cold, why did God descend upon the world and bring chaos?

If the heavens do not care about our fate, why did corrosive substances appear?

If the heavens are not heartless, why did the gods turn their backs on us?

If the heavens are not indifferent to our destinies, why did my human race... decline so completely?"

The words echoed in his mind like fragments of an ancient memory.

At the same time, Grey felt as though a figure was rapidly forming before his eyes. The figure was blurry, and only its back could be seen. It felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

Before Grey could grasp it, the figure began to dissipate.

"I woke up in this realm with my memories scattered and fragmented," Grey muttered softly. "It was only because my soul was nearly possessed that I managed to recover some of them. Even so... a blanket of fog still covers the rest."

Slowly, Grey lowered his hand.

The suppression stopped.

Melancholy and confusion surfaced deep within his eyes, though even Grey did not understand where those emotions came from. In the end, only confusion remained.

"There must be more to my past that I don’t know," he said quietly. "But as time goes on, I will recover my memories. The fog will disappear... and I will remember everything."

At this moment, Grey no longer felt the urge to suppress the shadow.

The shadow, which had been wailing moments ago, gradually quieted down.

At first, it pretended not to notice Grey’s strange behavior. But when the suppression stopped and it heard his murmured words, it could not help but pay attention.

When Grey failed to raise his hand again, a faint glint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

This made the shadow extremely confused.

Although it appeared intelligent, in reality, its intelligence was very low. After following Grey for some time, it had learned a few things, but its understanding of complex emotions was still shallow.

Because of this, it did not dare make any sudden movements.

It did not even attempt to escape.

But then...

Grey’s hand slowly fell once more.

The power of the purple crystal descended again.

The shadow wailed instantly.

This time, its screams were deafening, filled with intense pain and terror.

Grey did not look at it.

His gaze remained fixed on the empty void as he tried to recall where those words had come from.