Void Cultivation

Chapter 321 - 320

Grey’s entire world was painted in white.

When he opened his eyes, all he could see was an overwhelming, radiant brilliance, an endless expanse of blinding light that seemed to swallow everything else. For a brief moment, it felt as though reality itself had been erased, leaving behind nothing but pure luminance.

However, the light did not last.

Within moments, the brilliance began to dim, receding like a tide being pulled back into the depths. Slowly, the true colors of the world revealed themselves once more, returning clarity to his vision.

As Grey steadied himself, he looked around, and what he saw made his breath hitch.

He was standing atop a vast and magnificent crystal palace, its structure stretching endlessly into the horizon. The palace shimmered with an otherworldly brilliance, refracting light in countless directions like a frozen ocean of glass.

Beneath his feet lay an enormous and intricately carved array. Countless yellow lines, woven together in a complex and almost incomprehensible pattern, pulsed faintly before gradually fading like dying embers losing their last trace of heat.

Not far from him stood the Captain and Roxanne.

They were calm, far too calm for what they had just gone through. When their eyes met Grey’s, their expressions softened into faint smiles, as though they had been expecting this outcome all along.

Roxanne gave him a small nod, her gaze drifting upward toward the sky where six blazing suns burned ominously overhead.

Meanwhile, the Captain approached.

Before Grey could react, she casually swung her arm over his shoulder with a wide, almost mischievous grin. He instinctively tried to evade her, but she was far too fast. In a single fluid motion, she pulled him in, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Ignoring his stiff and slightly disturbed expression, she let out a long sigh before speaking.

"Well done," she said, her voice carrying a rare hint of sincerity. "I must admit, I’m genuinely impressed. I didn’t expect that outcome at all."

Her grin widened slightly.

"I was already preparing to perform another sacrifice just to get us out of there... but who would’ve thought you’d actually pull through?"

She tilted her head, her eyes locking onto his with sharp curiosity.

"Still... I want to know how you did it, Little Grey."

Grey could see it clearly, this wasn’t just casual praise. There was real surprise in her gaze. She hadn’t expected him to suddenly wield a power capable of exempting them from the very laws of that world.

But one word stuck with him.

Sacrifice.

His expression darkened slightly, confusion and unease creeping in.

"...Sacrifice?" he repeated in a low voice. "What were you planning to sacrifice this time?"

The memory of her previous act, summoning something dangerously close to a divine entity, remained vivid in his mind. The sheer pressure, the presence... it wasn’t something he could ever forget.

So hearing that she still had more to give unsettled him deeply.

Violet turned to him, a strange, almost playful smile forming on her lips.

"What else?" she said lightly. "This new body of mine."

She shrugged, as though she were talking about something trivial.

"But thanks to you, we didn’t have to go that far. You saved me the trouble of finding another one... so really, I should be thanking you."

Her tone was sincere, but something about it didn’t sit right with Grey.

Instead of relief, a quiet sense of unease settled in his chest.

He looked at her again. And this time... he really looked. That was when he noticed her body no longer resembled that of a male.

The oversized clothes she wore had hidden the change well enough at first, but now that he paid closer attention, the difference was unmistakable. Her features had softened, her face becoming more refined, delicately feminine.

Her hair had grown longer, cascading down in pale strands that shimmered faintly against her equally pale skin.

If anyone were to see her now, they would undoubtedly call her beautiful, and strikingly so. The kind of beauty that could leave people momentarily stunned, even infatuated at first glance.

She looked like a cold maiden standing untouched in a field of snow, distant, elegant, and almost unreal.

Grey hadn’t noticed earlier.

Partly because he had always subconsciously perceived the Captain as female, and partly because her voice had never changed. Even when her body had still been masculine, her tone carried a natural femininity that made the transition feel... seamless.

As if sensing his thoughts, her smile widened.

She reached up and casually ruffled his hair.

They were nearly the same height, but that didn’t stop her. No matter how much he tried to pull away, she still managed to mess up his hair with ease.

"So now you’re finally paying attention to me, huh?" she teased. Then her expression sharpened slightly.

"But don’t get distracted. We still have one final task."

She straightened, a confident gleam in her eyes.

"And I can proudly say... this will be the easiest part."

Grey glanced around again and found himself agreeing.

Despite standing atop the massive crystal palace, the enormous head they had seen earlier was nowhere to be found.

All that remained was an eternally crimson sky... and the faint, lingering scent of blood that refused to fade.

The Captain removed her arm from his shoulder and stepped forward.

Without hesitation, she began drawing a magic array in midair.

Her movements were smooth and graceful. Every motion flowed seamlessly into the next, as though she had performed this exact sequence countless times before.

As she drew, something strange happened.

A massive yellow line suddenly appeared in the sky above them.

It stretched across the heavens, vast and imposing, visible even from the palace’s highest point.

And as her hand continued to move, the line followed.. expanding, shifting, and forming intricate patterns that mirrored the array she was creating.

Within moments, a colossal inscription took shape in the sky.

It was identical to the one she had drawn, only infinitely larger.

When she finally stopped, she let out a soft breath, wiping the faint sweat from her forehead.

"Do you remember the head we saw earlier?" she asked, glancing at Grey.

He gave a vague nod, his attention still partially fixed on the glowing inscription above.

"That head... doesn’t exist anymore." She paused briefly before correcting herself. "More accurately, it no longer exists."

Her gaze lifted toward the sky.

"It was nothing more than the residual will of a great expert. After ascending the steps, we destroyed that will and scattered it completely."

Her tone remained calm, almost indifferent.

"It wasn’t difficult. Reaching the fourteenth step was enough."

As she spoke, she began drawing smaller inscriptions behind the massive one.

Thin lines appeared in the air, forming secondary patterns that connected to the larger structure.

"Time had already weakened it," she continued. "It was on the verge of dispersing on its own. All it needed... was someone to reach the top."

Her eyes flickered slightly. "And once that happened..." A faint smile returned to her lips.

"It shattered like fragments."