Chapter 481 - 480-

In the blink of an eye, her chest had split open into a huge, menacing maw lined with countless rows of jagged shark-like teeth. Inside the maw writhed countless tongues resembling living shadows and liquid, sinuous beings. There were at least five of them, and they hissed out low, aggressive words toward the approaching entity, as if issuing some kind of warning or threat.

Seeing this, the expression of the six-eyed being shifted for a fleeting instant. Its entire form began to shudder, as though gripped by some deep, instinctual fear it could not name. But before it could fully register that fear and attempt to retreat, Violet’s figure had already appeared before it, the maw in her chest thrown wide open and ravenous.

With a swift, almost casual motion, the entity was swallowed whole by the maw in her chest, vanishing without so much as a final cry. Sounds of wet chewing echoed from within the gaping mouth, accompanied by low, guttural gurgling noises.

Blood ran freely down from the massive mouth, and a few droplets even fell toward the floor, but before they could land, one of the tongues shot out and licked the falling blood voraciously, retracting with a satisfied burp.

A few seconds later, the six-eyed entity had been completely devoured, and Violet’s eyes fluttered for several moments before she regained her usual composed expression. However, her presence had changed quite noticeably in the aftermath, as if her entire being had just undergone some eerie, ominous transformation that lingered in the air around her like a shadow.

When Grey reached the transparent sword, he heard a loud buzzing sound that made his ears tremble slightly. As he drew closer, he saw the visage of a rather large sword embedded into the Heavenly Vine.

The sword trembled and shook violently, as if it could release itself at any moment. But when Grey observed it more closely, he noticed several tentacle-like branches extending from the side of the vine, wrapped tightly around the blade and hilt of the transparent sword.

Because of these tentacles, the sword couldn’t free itself quickly. And judging by how violently it trembled every time it buzzed and attempted to escape, one could tell that these tentacles had an unyielding grip on it one that would be very difficult to break.

By the time Grey had drawn close enough to reach out and grab the hilt if he wanted to, he could make out several patterns and runes carved into the body of the transparent sword. They ran through the entire length of the blade, glowing faintly with a pale yellow light every few breaths.

There was also a rather complicated symbol etched into the base of the hilt. Grey wanted to decipher its meaning and leaned in for a closer look, but the sword shook violently again, preventing him from seeing it clearly.

This close to it, the sword seemed to sense his presence and let out a loud, intimidating buzz a warning for Grey not to come any nearer.

The sound was so sharp and forceful that Grey couldn’t help but grow dazed for a few moments. Still, he quickly gathered himself and steadied his mind.

You’re still trapped in this vine, and yet you dare threaten me before you’ve even freed yourself, Grey thought, his tone mocking inwardly, though his expression remained perfectly calm and unreadable.

He could feel a dangerous intent radiating from the sword. An acute instinct told him that if he tried to forcefully seize it, he would be gravely injured. Though the sword was bound and helpless, the threat it posed to Grey was many times greater than what an ordinary cultivator could hope to withstand.

Under normal circumstances, Grey wouldn’t have known how to grab the sword and imprint his aura on it before it broke free and escaped. He even doubted whether it was possible now, even at this close a distance. But he had a faint intuition a feeling that he could succeed if he carried himself like a blade drawn and ready to strike.

And so he let the purple aura circulate through his body, drawing it repeatedly toward his hands. Grey did not summon the purple sword itself, but his entire being began to radiate the presence of a sharp, illustrious blade piercing the heavens.

Sensing this, the transparent sword’s furious buzzing quieted, and it seemed to calm somewhat in response to the sword-like aura now emanating from Grey.

The moment it settled, Grey reached out and gripped the transparent sword. The instant his hand made contact, a deafening bang seemed to explode inside his skull.

An overwhelming sword intent surged into his body and mind sharp, merciless, and utterly overwhelming, as though it meant to cut down anything and everything standing in its path. Its presence was arrogant beyond measure, radiating the conviction that it could defeat any who dared oppose it.

For a brief moment, Grey was stunned. But he quickly grasped what was happening, and his eyes narrowed into a sharp, dangerous glint. Within his sea of consciousness, a transparent sword materialized, unleashing a dangerously sharp sword aura that swept toward his spirit sea, intent on eviscerating every living thing within.

In the face of such overwhelming pressure, every single life form in his spirit sea froze in shock and awe. Only the purple moon hanging overhead continued to shine down its brilliant light upon his inner world, entirely unconcerned.

At that moment, Grey realized exactly what the sword intended to do, and a cold snort echoed through his mind. Without yet summoning his spirit body, he commanded the mosasaur to seize the sword and drag it deeper into the spirit sea.

Receiving the order, the mosasaur shook off its daze and lunged forward, jaws wide, cutting through the water toward the invading blade. It let out a thunderous, intimidating roar as it closed the distance.

The gap between them had narrowed to only a few meters when the buzzing from the sword grew even more intense and shrill. Two flashes of sword light lanced out and a moment later, a pained bellow rang out from the mosasaur.

A blur shot past, resolving itself into the transparent sword, its surface still etched with those complex symbols and runes. The mosasaur that had rushed to intercept it had been cleanly sliced in two. But the cut didn’t stop there the severed halves continued to split further, until the creature had been divided into four separate pieces. It let out one final, agonized cry before sinking into the depths of the spirit sea.

At that same instant, two purple blurs shot out from different corners of the sea of consciousness the Life Demon phantom and the Soul-Devouring Everlasting Bird. Sensing that a foreign object had invaded their world and intended to destroy everything within it, their instincts drove them into action at once.

Neither needed Grey’s command or guidance before moving to intervene.

The Soul-Devouring Everlasting Bird twisted into a strange, three-eyed creature with six long tail feathers, its legs tucked beneath them as it took to the air with a piercing shriek.

The Life Demon, meanwhile, pounced like a beast driven mad, hurling itself toward the transparent sword. Having failed to enter Grey’s sea of consciousness in time, it had already been touched by the aura of divinity that lingered in the air, and a trace of divine energy had seeped into its body.

Because the Life Demon was formed from an entirely different type of essence, that divine energy reacted as corruption within it, slowly dissolving the phantom from the inside out. The change was gradual and would take time to fully consume it which was why, for now, it could still charge forward alongside the Soul-Devouring Everlasting Bird.

Together, the two entities closed in and attacked the transparent sword, each in its own way. The Life Demon phantom lashed out with its long claws, striking at the rune-covered blade, while the Soul-Devouring Bird inhaled deeply, attempting to devour the very soul of the sword itself.

At that moment, in another part of his sea of consciousness, Grey’s spirit body finally took shape. It was translucent, indistinct, lacking any true tangible form. The instant it materialized, its attention was drawn toward the battle raging some distance away.

It took a single step forward, and its figure blurred instantly. When it reappeared, it was just in time to see the transparent sword cut clean through the Life Demon phantom, the blade driving into its chest and slashing upward, splitting it entirely in two before it could even react.

The phantom’s body collapsed into the sea and began to dissipate. As for the Soul-Devouring Everlasting Bird, it continued its fierce, ravenous inhalation but the sword only buzzed louder, weathering the pull of the suction, before slashing decisively through it. The bird was cleaved in two with a final, mournful cry.

Against such an indomitable blade, both entities had fallen in no time at all. The transparent sword buzzed even more triumphantly, as though celebrating its victory, just as Grey suddenly reappeared beside it and closed his hand firmly around the hilt.