Chapter 460 - 459-

Unknown to Grey, the moment he tried to simulate the Piercing Sword, the eyes of the massive statue suddenly shone with a strange glint.

However, Grey was too deep in thought to notice the subtle change. His entire mind was focused on the sword intent he had sensed from the statue, leaving him completely oblivious to everything happening around him.

Instead, he continued trying to execute the Piercing Sword several more times with his purple sword.

Yet every attempt ended in failure.

No matter how he tried to replicate the mysterious sword technique, he could not capture its true essence. His movements lacked the strange profundity contained within the statue’s faded sword, and the sword intent he produced was merely an imitation of what he had sensed.

Eventually, the coldness that had filled the entire Corroded Zone slowly began to dissipate.

The frigid aura receded little by little, and the oppressive atmosphere that had enveloped the ruined city throughout the night gradually disappeared. Outside the Corroded Zone, the sun had already risen high into the sky, bathing the world in brilliant sunlight.

Grey, however, remained completely unaware of the passage of time.

It was only several hours later, when the loud roars of mutated creatures suddenly resounded through the ruins and reached his ears, that he finally snapped out of his deep contemplation.

His blank and pensive expression changed slightly.

A strange glint flashed through his eyes.

"I understand now..."

Grey muttered softly.

The moment those words left his mouth, his body suddenly swayed.

Whoosh!

Like a fleeting blur, he shot out from the crack in the tree and rushed into the open area of the ruined city.

His speed was astonishing.

His body moved so quickly that faint afterimages were left behind in his wake, lingering for several moments before slowly fading away. If another Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator happened to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly assume that Grey was using the full power of his cultivation base to achieve such terrifying speed.

But that was not the case.

At this moment, not even a hint of spirit power was circulating through Grey’s body.

He was relying entirely on his physical strength.

More accurately, Grey was utilizing the Wind Monarch’s comprehension of the Wind Dao to enhance his movement. By borrowing the natural laws of wind and incorporating them into his movements, he could reach a speed that far surpassed what his physical body should normally be capable of.

"Little Grey, I told you that it is nearly impossible to comprehend the Sword Dao contained within that statue."

Violet’s voice suddenly resounded within Grey’s mind.

"Yet you still wasted an entire night that you could have used to meditate and rest."

Her tone carried a trace of helplessness, but there was also genuine concern within it.

"But don’t worry. There are plenty of Sword Dao statues scattered throughout the world. If you really want to comprehend the Sword Dao within one of them, I can take you to another statue."

Violet paused briefly before adding,

"Though I cannot guarantee that you’ll be able to comprehend anything from it."

Her voice contained a hint of consolation, as though she was afraid Grey would become discouraged after failing for an entire night.

"En."

Grey nodded slightly.

He understood Violet’s concern toward him.

From her perspective, his efforts throughout the night must have been a complete waste. He had spent countless hours trying to comprehend something that even powerful cultivators might not be able to understand, yet he had seemingly gained nothing substantial from it.

But Grey did not think his efforts had been wasted.

Not in the slightest.

’If I slash downward, then I am adhering to the laws of heaven.’

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly as he continued moving through the ruins.

’With that slash, I take upon myself the role of heaven’s executioner, wielding its authority to smite evil from this world.’

His thoughts became increasingly profound.

’But if I pierce the heavens... then I am no longer obeying them.’

’Instead, I am challenging them.’

’One is an undertaker of heaven, while the other is an objector to the heavenly laws.’

Grey’s expression gradually became solemn.

’All in all, one could say that one represents good while the other represents evil.’

’But in this world... what exactly is the difference between good and evil?’

’How can the two truly be separated?’

’What defines good? What defines evil?’

’And who has the right to determine which is which?’

These questions had continuously echoed within Grey’s mind throughout the entire night.

He had repeated them over and over again, dissecting every word and pondering their meaning.

At first, he had only wanted to comprehend the Sword Dao contained within the statue.

But somewhere along the way, his thoughts had unknowingly shifted toward something far deeper.

To Violet, Grey had gained nothing.

But to Grey himself, what he had gained from that night could not be measured in words.

It was not a technique.

It was not a strand of sword intent.

Nor was it a complete comprehension of the Sword Dao.

Instead, it was something far more elusive.

It was as though he had caught a fleeting glimpse of the truth hidden behind the world itself.

A tiny crack had appeared in the veil covering his understanding of the heavenly laws.

And through that crack, he had seen something.

Something he could not yet describe.

Inside Grey’s mind, the blurry outline of a sword slowly began to take shape.

It was a sword that seemed to pierce directly into the heavens.

The image was extremely vague, almost as though it would disappear at any moment.

Yet despite its indistinct appearance, its existence was undeniable.

If someone could look directly into Grey’s mind at this moment, they would discover that the sword resembled the faded sword held by the massive statue.

Even the angle at which its tip pointed was almost identical to that of the statue’s sword.

Violet was completely unaware of this.

If she knew what was happening inside Grey’s mind, she would undoubtedly be shocked.

Because what Grey had unknowingly achieved could already be considered a tiny comprehension of the essence of the Piercing Sword.

It was not enough for him to execute the technique.

It was not even enough to allow him to reproduce the sword’s true power.

But it was a beginning.

If Grey could eventually comprehend the complete essence contained within the sword, then he would be able to execute the Piercing Sword using his own purple sword.

At that time, he would have comprehended two Ancient Sword Daos.

Throughout the entire Pangu World, cultivators capable of comprehending even one Ancient Sword Dao were already exceedingly rare.

As for those who had comprehended two... They could be described as true geniuses.

Even among the countless powerful cultivators scattered throughout Pangu, such individuals were extremely uncommon.

Yet Grey had already unknowingly stepped onto that path.

He simply did not realize how significant this tiny step would become in the future.

"Sword Piercing the Heavens..."

Grey muttered in a low voice.His eyes remained calm, but deep within them, an indescribable sharpness flickered.

His figure continued speeding through the ruins of the Corroded Zone, leaving countless afterimages behind him as he headed deeper into the ruined city.

The image of that sword remained firmly etched within his mind. A sword that did not submit. A sword that did not obey.

A sword that dared to point its edge toward the heavens themselves.

And for the first time, Grey began to understand that perhaps the true essence of the Piercing Sword was never about piercing the heavens.

Perhaps...

It was about possessing the courage to raise one’s sword against them.