Chapter 486 - 485- Unknown entity

She was about to speak when Grey raised a hand and made a subtle gesture, signaling for her to stop talking. For a split second, Iria was confused by what he meant. Then, her expression changed as she remembered their current surroundings.

They were still in the Corroded Zone. Although Grey had already dealt with the mutated creatures that had attacked them earlier, that did not mean the danger had disappeared. There were still countless unknown beings lurking within the darkness, creatures and existences that could kill them with ease if they became careless.

Iria immediately closed her mouth. "This must be the reason... Why is he so strong? Even in a place like this, and at a time like this, he remains ever cautious and vigilant."

She muttered the words under her breath, speaking so quietly that only she could hear them.

In fact, even Iria could barely hear her own voice. However, the truth was that Grey had not suddenly become cautious.

His vigilance was not something he had developed recently, nor was it merely a habit he had picked up after entering the Corroded Zone.

Years of constantly hiding, fleeing from danger, concealing his true intentions, and suppressing his actual strength had gradually molded him into the person he was today.

Grey had learned long ago that the moment he lowered his guard could very well be the moment he died.

Unless he wanted to deliberately invite trouble, he would always maintain the same level of vigilance toward potential foes and enemies. He would observe his surroundings, pay attention to even the smallest changes, and never assume that a seemingly safe environment was actually safe.

He was like a blade that remained sheathed for most of the time.

Quiet, unassuming and almost harmless.

But the instant a battle became unavoidable, that blade would be unsheathed without hesitation and driven ruthlessly into his opponent’s throat.

Currently, Grey had already determined that it would take some time before they could reach the veil once again and finally leave the depths of the Corroded Zone.

However, compared to when he had entered the depths, leaving was going to be far more difficult. When Grey had first entered this place, he had sensed something strange.

There had been an inexplicable pull coming from somewhere deep within the Corroded Zone.

It was difficult to describe. It felt as if something had been watching him from an extremely distant location, silently observing his every movement.

And that gaze had carried an invisible force . A force that seemed to want to drag him deeper into the Corroded Zone.

At the time, Grey had noticed the sensation, but he had suppressed his instincts and continued forward.

He had not allowed himself to be distracted. However, the sensation he was experiencing now was completely different.

When he thought about leaving, Grey could faintly sense a gaze staring in his direction.

Unlike the strange attraction he had experienced when entering, this gaze was filled with hostility and malevolence.

It was as though the moment he crossed a certain boundary, he would immediately provoke the attention of that existence.

And once that happened, an attack would follow.

"I guess this is the reason why there are so few survivors." Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully analyzed the situation. "Entering the depths is not necessarily the difficult part. Leaving seems to be the real problem."

His expression became thoughtful.

"As for those shrill cries that can be heard several hours after a person ventures deep into the Corroded Zone..." He paused briefly. "Then it is highly likely that the hostile gaze attacks them after they pass a specific point."

The more Grey thought about it, the more reasonable the explanation seemed. If that was truly the case, then the strange phenomenon surrounding the Corroded Zone suddenly made more sense.

People could enter and explore but once they reached a certain depth, something would begin watching them.

And when they eventually attempted to leave, they would have to pass through that same territory while under the gaze of the unknown existence.

This was also one of the main reasons Grey had decided to stop and rest for a while.

He did not intend to recklessly charge toward the exit without understanding what he was dealing with.

"If this is the case, then how did the Captain manage to get out of here?"

Grey’s brows furrowed slightly.

"It’s very possible that she would have been attacked as well. But if that is true, then is there a method that allows her to avoid the gaze of that great entity?"

The question lingered in his mind. Grey’s eyes narrowed whenever he thought about the Captain’s behavior throughout the numerous missions they had undertaken together.

She had always been strange. During almost every mission, she would either leave him behind at some point, deliberately misinform him, or conveniently neglect to mention something important.

And now, after the mission was completed, she had immediately bolted away with his share of the rewards.

If Grey did not have some understanding of the Captain’s personality, he might have genuinely suspected that she was trying to kill him.

However, after participating in numerous missions with her, he had gradually realized that this was simply something the Captain did.

She was unreliable in some ways, but not necessarily malicious. At least, that was what Grey had concluded so far.

If she had found a method to leave the depths without provoking that terrifying gaze, then it was highly likely that Grey could discover the same method.

He only needed enough information. At that moment, Grey lowered his gaze toward the developing shadow cocoon beneath his feet.

Because the entire region was as dark as night, it was almost impossible to distinguish Grey’s shadow from the surrounding darkness.

Yet if someone possessed sufficiently sharp perception and looked closely, they would notice something strange.

The shadow was no longer shaped like a human. Instead, it had gradually transformed into the shape of a fairly large pitch black egg.

The shadow cocoon remained completely still, silently undergoing its transformation. Grey had originally wanted to see whether the shadow could provide him with any ideas.

After all, the shadow possessed certain similarities to the bizarre existences found within Corroded Zones. Its strange nature might allow it to sense something that ordinary beings could not.

Unfortunately, it was currently in the middle of its transformation.bDisturbing it now would probably be unwise.

Grey even doubted whether the shadow would be capable of hearing him at this moment.

"Now the shadow is evolving, and the Ancient Technique is also slowly forming itself inside my Sea of Consciousness."

Grey’s gaze flickered.

"It won’t be long before my overall strength increases once again."

After considering the matter for a moment, Grey ultimately decided that there was another existence he could consult. An existence he had not spoken to for quite some time.

The sentient spirit residing within the purple scythe. With a thought, Grey summoned the purple scythe into his hand.

The instant the scythe appeared, a thunderous voice obediently bellowed within his mind.

"Finally! Great Master has finally decided to speak to this lowly servant of his once again!"

As the voice echoed, Grey saw the translucent figure of the sentient spirit emerge beside the scythe.

The spirit immediately bowed deeply toward him. Grey raised an eyebrow slightly.

’Great Master?’

This was the first time he had heard the sentient spirit address him with such extreme respect.

More importantly, Grey could clearly sense the fluctuations emanating from the soul weapon.

The scythe had become significantly stronger. Previously, its strength had only been roughly comparable to the beginning stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

But now...

Grey carefully sensed its aura. It seemed to possess strength comparable to the middle stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

In terms of Spirit Fire, it was roughly equivalent to two or perhaps even three balls of Spirit Fire.

"Your strength has also increased?"

Grey was genuinely surprised by this development. The sentient spirit seemed to have anticipated his reaction. It maintained its respectful bow and spoke with an almost flattering tone.

"Great Master, you may not have noticed, but while you were in that strange place battling against that divinity-infused Vine, I was secretly supporting you by consuming the excess Divinity emanating from your body."

The spirit paused before continuing.

"Little Shadow did not seem capable of keeping up, and I did not want to let Master down. Therefore, I decided to lend a hand."

It remained bowed as it spoke, seemingly unwilling to raise its head and meet Grey’s eyes. Grey remained silent.

As he thought about it, he realized that there was some truth in the spirit’s words.

For instance, he had indeed noticed that the shadow had been struggling to suppress the enormous amount of Divinity within his body.

The Divinity had been far too violent. Even with the shadow’s assistance, maintaining the balance had clearly placed an enormous burden on it.

Yet, surprisingly, from beginning to end, nothing unexpected had happened. The shadow had not exploded from being overwhelmed by the Divinity.

Nor had the Divinity completely ravaged his body. At the time, Grey had simply assumed that the shadow had managed to suppress it somehow.

But now that he thought about it... His gaze shifted toward the translucent spirit. The Sentient Spirit had once been a divine existence that had reached the verge of death.

It had wanted to end its own life and revive in a completely different manner while preserving its Divinity and intelligence.

Unfortunately, just as it was about to accomplish that goal, several humans had appeared and killed it.

Its corpse had eventually been turned into a soul weapon, and its consciousness had gradually recovered within the weapon.

Grey had never really considered this aspect before. But since the Sentient Spirit had once been a divine being, it was entirely possible that it still retained some connection to Divinity.

Perhaps consuming Divinity was not merely beneficial to it, maybe it was something deeply connected to its very existence.

"So the Divinity you consumed was used as fuel to improve yourself as an Artifact Spirit?"

Grey’s tone remained bland. There was no anger in his voice, but there was similarly no emotion in it. The Sentient Spirit immediately became flustered.

It opened its mouth several times, seemingly intending to explain itself.

However, after several attempts, it still failed to produce anything meaningful.

It could only remain there with its head lowered.

Grey stared at it silently for a few seconds.

The pressure of his silence seemed to make the Sentient Spirit increasingly nervous.

Eventually, Grey spoke.

"I shall let it go this time." The Sentient Spirit’s body visibly relaxed.

"But the next time you do something like this without my permission..."

Grey deliberately allowed his words to trail off. He did not need to finish the sentence. The Sentient Spirit immediately understood the warning.

It lowered its head even further. "Yes, Great Master." Grey ignored its exaggerated response.

His gaze shifted toward the endless darkness ahead. The faint feeling of being watched had not disappeared.

If anything, it seemed to have become more distinct. After a brief moment of silence, Grey finally turned his attention back toward the Sentient Spirit.

"Do you know how we can leave the depths of this Corroded Zone?"