Void Cultivation-Chapter 261

The red fog rushed into his lungs.

It was thick, far thicker than normal mist,and it carried a suffocating, metallic stench of blood and rot. The moment it entered his body, it stung violently, like inhaling burning ash. His chest felt as though it were being scraped from the inside.

Grey’s brows twitched in pain.

But he did not stop.

Because along with the agony came something else.

The red fog transformed into a faint, nourishing essence that seeped into his spirit perforations. Each perforation trembled slightly as it absorbed the energy, growing just a fraction more complete.

The improvement was small.

Yet real.

So Grey endured the pain and continued inhaling.

Very soon, the sentient spirit inside the purple scythe let out a surprised cry.

"This is good stuff! Let me take a whiff!"

Before Grey could even respond, a suction force erupted from the scythe. A large portion of the red fog in the surrounding area twisted and was forcefully dragged into the weapon.

The spirit inside trembled in pleasure.

"This is good! Really good!"

The purple scythe glowed faintly, its aura becoming sharper and more stable as it devoured the mist.

Seeing this, Grey fell into brief contemplation.

Then he made another decision.

He summoned the weakened Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird.

The bird’s form emerged beside him, blurry and unstable, its once-majestic outline now fragmented and faint. Traces of death still lingered around its body like wisps of black smoke. Its aura was fragile, as though a strong gust of wind could scatter it entirely.

Grey’s eyes softened slightly.

"Devour it," he instructed.

The bird let out a faint cry and opened its beak.

A stream of red fog was drawn into its body.

At first, nothing seemed to change.

But gradually, its aura strengthened, just a little.

The instability around its form decreased. The signs of collapse retreated slightly.

Though the improvement was subtle, it was undeniable.

Meanwhile, beneath Grey’s feet, the shadow stirred.

After helping him escape earlier and blocking the majority of the incoming attacks, the shadow had been pushed to the brink of collapse. It had nearly dispersed completely.

Grey did not know what would happen if his shadow truly died.

Would it vanish permanently?

Would part of his own existence be damaged?

He did not know, and he had no intention of finding out.

So he had forbidden the shadow from participating in this battle.

It had been quietly recuperating beneath him, clinging to existence.

But now, sensing that everything attached to Grey was absorbing the red fog and recovering, the shadow grew restless.

A thin black tendril slowly extended outward from beneath Grey’s feet.

It touched the red mist.

Then began absorbing it.

The moment it did, the shadow trembled faintly in surprise, as though it, too, had not expected the effect.

Then it silently continued absorbing.

At this moment, a strange scene unfolded on the battlefield.

The red figures were being slashed apart by the purple scythe.

The Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird devoured the mist in controlled gulps.

The sentient spirit within the scythe absorbed greedily.

The shadow quietly siphoned what it could.

And Grey himself inhaled and refined the red fog without restraint.

They were devouring the battlefield itself.

Their auras rose gradually.

The most obvious change was seen in the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird. After absorbing for several hours, its previously unstable form gradually solidified. The aura around it no longer flickered as violently.

Although it still could not compare to its former peak before being injured, it was undeniably stronger now.

Strong enough to assist Grey in battle, at least a little.

Eventually, the red fog around Grey thinned significantly.

Without hesitation, he rushed forward to catch up with the captain, who had long since turned into a streak of light tearing across the red sky.

Battle intent burned in his eyes.

As he moved, his body began to rumble.

Muffled booming sounds erupted from within his spirit perforations.

The forty-fourth spirit perforation trembled violently.

Cracks began appearing on its surface.

Grey’s breathing grew heavier, not from exhaustion, but from anticipation.

He did not slow down.

Instead, he charged straight toward a cluster of red figures that were still in the process of forming from the fog.

Before their bodies could fully solidify...

He slashed.

The purple scythe tore through the air, producing a sharp, ripping sound as though space itself had been cut open.

The half-formed red figures were instantly severed and scattered.

Grey moved like the god of death.

He shuttled through the fog like a phantom, appearing and disappearing in flashes of purple light. With every swing of his scythe, red figures exploded into mist.

With every breath, he absorbed their essence.

They were nothing more than fuel.

Eventually, under Grey’s relentless refinement.

The forty-fourth spirit perforation trembled violently and shattered with a loud bang!

A surge of spirit energy flooded into the newly opened node within his body. The empty space filled rapidly, transforming into a fully formed spirit perforation.

Energy circulated through his meridians like a roaring river.

Dense spirit energy converted into pure spirit power, flowing through his veins and strengthening every part of his body.

His aura swelled outward.

At that same moment, however, his Special Brilliance form reached its limit.

The strain on his body had become too great.

With no choice, Grey deactivated it.

The brilliant light surrounding him faded instantly. The intense heat vanished. The explosive boost in strength and speed receded like a withdrawn tide.

His body felt heavier and slower. Much weaker than moments ago. He even felt the urge to ignite his Special Brilliance form again just to continue to revel in the feeling of strength. But Grey restrained himself.

The Special Brilliance form out a lot of pressure on his soul as well as his body. If he used it for too long, his body would show signs of collapse, and his spirit perforations would also show signs of withering.

If it reached that stage, then his spirit perforation would be permanently damaged. His cultivation would be crippled to some extent.

But even with this, the will to fight in his eyes never dimmed.

Throughout this battle, Grey had relied almost entirely on his fists and the purple scythe. He had barely used his techniques or spells.

Now, with the Special Brilliance form gone, clarity struck him.

He had wasted an opportunity. he battlefield had been filled with energy. He could have refined it with techniques, and he could have tempered himself further. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

He could have pushed even harder.

"But nonetheless..."