Chapter 480 - 479-

Previously, the total number of spirit perforations that Grey had managed to unlock was eighty-six. After that period, he found it increasingly difficult to open even one more. The amount of effort and energy it took to crack open a single one now could have broken open several more in the past, back when his cultivation base was still shallow and every perforation yielded easily to his will.

Because of this, Grey had decided to stop opening spirit perforations for a while, at least until he had the chance to head out to the Dead Sea once again. Although it was dangerous, the amount of life force he could harvest from the bountiful sea creatures there was always plentiful and abundant, more than enough to make the risk worthwhile.

Seven muffled bangs rang out consecutively within his body, one after another like distant drumbeats sealed beneath his skin. Bringing the total number of spirit perforations to ninety-three. Very soon, two more bangs rang out in quick succession. In total, nine spirit perforations had been blown open on their own, and Grey had unlocked ninety-five spirit perforations in all. Five more, and he would finally be able to manifest his fourth ball of spirit fire, bringing the official number of spirit fires he possessed to three, and raising his overall strength to that of a cultivator with four balls of spirit fire.

However, while all of this unfolded within him, Grey didn’t lose sight of the mission at hand. After the Cloth Puppet had taken the damage meant for him, he was somewhat impacted by the afterblast and sent flying away. However, the direction he was sent flying happened to be the very same direction the captain had flown in moments earlier.

Grey simply borrowed the momentum of the blast to increase his speed and close the distance between the two of them.

"After taking such significant damage, its strength is nowhere close to what it was when it first appeared. In fact, its attacks are barely at the level of the Spirit Core Formation realm. Its speed, however, is bordering between the Foundation Establishment realm and the Spirit Core Formation realm," Grey said to himself as he released the power of all ninety-five spirit perforations and let spirit power flow freely to every single part of his body.

His figure pierced through the broken sky like an arrow released from its bow, tracing a quick arc toward the top of the withered Heavenly Vine, leaving a faint trail of shimmering spirit energy behind him.

The six-eyed being gazed at Grey with open malice. The divinity within its body had long begun to evaporate, and it was clear that it would no longer be able to keep its form stable for much longer. Even so, it rushed toward him like a crimson blur, its outline flickering and unstable with every passing second.

However, Grey’s speed after activating his full cultivation base and channeling the power within him as the Wind Monarch was at such a phenomenal level that an ordinary Spirit Core Formation cultivator wouldn’t be able to catch up to him in such a short period of time, let alone a being as weakened as this one.

When Grey had risen several thousand meters into the air, the black crack that had long since stopped distorting began to fade away into obscurity. Since it could no longer merge with the six-eyed entity, the being whose closed eye it belonged to began to sink into a state of deep sleep, its presence dimming like a snuffed-out flame.

And in just a few seconds, the crack faded entirely and blended seamlessly into the cracked and shattered sky above. The fury contained within the six-eyed bizarre existence was so overwhelming that it let out a loud, guttural roar that seemed to shake the very air around it.

However, by then Grey had already risen even further toward the top of the Heavenly Vine. But before he could even reach the summit, he heard a loud bang resound from somewhere near the top of the withered structure.

Suddenly, the entire vine swayed and shuddered dangerously, its massive frame groaning under some unseen strain. After withering to such an extremely weakened state and having five of its sections utterly destroyed, it could definitely not remain tall and vibrant against the sky any longer.

The bang seemed to resonate through the whole tree, and all of its leaves shook violently, some of them tearing loose and drifting down toward the ruined earth below. The crimson color that had once saturated the Heavenly Vine began to fade and recede slowly, draining away like ink dissolving in water. And just like that, the entire world that had once threatened to be consumed by the crimson blood of the Heavenly Vine was washed clean once more.

When Grey finally reached the top of the Heavenly Vine, he saw a battered captain leaning heavily against a black spear, a bitter expression etched across her face. Opposite her stood a dwarf-like wooden being that had been struck down and shattered by the captain’s spear, its remains still faintly twitching.

It had three arms and four legs, each bent at an unnatural angle and facing a different direction, as though its very body defied any coherent shape. Its face was blank, utterly without features such as eyes, nose, or mouth. But where its eyes should have been were two long, jagged cracks that vaguely resembled eyes, faintly glowing with a dying light.

In its wooden chest was a large cavity, a gaping hole surrounded by spreading cracks, from which a yellowish-white liquid dripped steadily and pooled onto the floor below.

Seeing Grey approach, Violet gave him a bitter, tired smile. But beneath the exhaustion on her face was an unmistakable look of satisfaction.

"Get the sword before it frees itself. If it does, it’ll break open this place and leave before we have the chance to imprint our mark on it. You have to do it before it leaves. Go now!" Violet said hurriedly, her voice strained but urgent.

"Why can’t you do it yourself? And are you even sure that I can grab hold of it before it frees itself?" Grey asked, his tone carrying a note of suspicion. He couldn’t be certain whether the captain was lying to him or simply trying to use him as bait.

As if reading his thoughts, she rolled her eyes and spoke. "If I wanted to use you as bait, I wouldn’t have said it the way I just did. And perhaps only you can imprint your mark on it now. After all, you were able to comprehend an Ancient Sword Dao from countless eras ago at such a young age." She spoke before offering a faint smile.

"If even you can’t manage it, then I doubt I myself would be able to so much as lift that sword." Despite her tired and heavily battered appearance, she smiled lightly, as though the matter were nothing more than a trivial inconvenience.

And Grey couldn’t help but wonder how the battle had gone, and how it had ended so quickly. After all, when Grey had emerged from the oil painting canvas, it had been around the same time that she had reached the top herself.

Even if the captain possessed some outlandish yet powerful method of instantly killing the wooden creature, the battle shouldn’t have concluded so swiftly, not against something of that scale.

All of this weighed on Grey’s mind until he finally decided it was best not to dwell on it further. The captain herself possessed strange methods and deeper secrets of her own. Grey had no wish to pry, in the same way the captain never pried into or questioned his own strange abilities.

Despite their closeness, the two of them respected each other deeply and never asked questions unless the other party chose to volunteer the answer themselves.

With this thought settled in his mind, Grey flew toward the transparent sword still lodged in the side of the Heavenly Vine, which struggled rather intensely against its confinement, straining to break free. And now that the Heavenly Vine had been destroyed even further, it was obvious that it was only a matter of minutes, perhaps even seconds, until the blade finally tore itself loose.

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Violet watched with a small, knowing smile as Grey left without asking any further questions, flying toward the transparent sword with great speed.

However, barely two breaths after he had departed, the six-eyed entity arrived, its form gradually loosening and coming to resemble a being cobbled together from blood, flesh, and rotten internal organs, a grotesque mockery of a living creature.

Seeing it arrive, a crazed smile spread across Violet’s face as she released her grip on her spear and let it clatter to the ground, spreading her hands wide in a gesture that almost resembled an embrace.

"Finally. I’ve been waiting for you to come to me in such a weakened state." As she spoke, her body began to change, and the entirety of her chest began to shift and transform grotesquely before the entity’s very eyes.