Void Cultivation

Chapter 285 284

With a thunderous boom, the two of them crashed into each other like colliding meteors. The impact sent shockwaves through the air.

Grey was flung away like a broken kite with its strings severed. His chest caved inward from the sheer force, and the sound of cracking bones echoed faintly in the air.

The young man, however, did not come out unscathed.

Both of his arms exploded instantly, bursting apart into two gruesome ribbons of flesh and blood. Torn muscles hung loosely while fragments of bone protruded through the shredded skin.

Yet the young man did not even seem to feel the pain.

Instead, he threw his head back and roared with wild laughter.

"Haha!"

Without hesitation, he rushed toward Grey once more, his pace as fast and ferocious as before.

Grey staggered upright, wiping the blood that trickled down the corner of his lips. His vision swam slightly from the injuries he had sustained, and every breath he took sent stabbing pain through his collapsed chest.

Even so, a faint glimmer of determination shone in his eyes.

Despite the overwhelming pain, Grey knew that the battle was already nearing its end.

If he could endure just a few more attacks… victory would be his.

The poison he had secretly released earlier had already begun to take effect.

The young man's blood had gradually turned black, and his skin was beginning to swell grotesquely. His once healthy complexion had turned sickly green, and dark veins bulged beneath the surface of his flesh.

The symptoms were obvious.

He was being poisoned.

But even in this state, the young man continued fighting as though his wounds meant nothing.

At one point during their relentless clashes, their bodies slammed into each other again, bringing their faces only inches apart.

For the first time, Grey saw the young man's expression clearly.

Madness.

Pure madness burned within his eyes.

The intensity of that madness made Grey's body shudder involuntarily.

However, the feeling it gave him was strange.

It was not the same madness that the captain possessed, the kind of terrifying insanity that came from courting death with absolute confidence.

No.

The madness in this young man's eyes was different.

It was the madness of someone who had already abandoned his life.

The madness of someone who wanted to die.

That single realization confused Grey for a brief moment, causing his movements to slow ever so slightly.

And that moment of hesitation proved costly.

A ruthless punch slammed into his stomach.

The impact crushed the air out of his lungs and shattered several bones inside his body.

Grey spat out a mouthful of blood as his body was sent flying backward once again.

Yet this time, the young man did not chase after him.

He simply stood there.

Right now, both of his arms had been reduced to nothing but mangled flesh and blackened blood. The poison had spread rapidly through his body.

His skin continued swelling grotesquely as cracks began appearing across its surface.

A foul stench of decay slowly spread from his body.

The once handsome young man was transforming into something grotesque.

His greenish-black flesh sagged loosely, and pieces of rotting skin even began to peel off from his face.

The sight was horrifying and revolting.

Yet the young man only laughed louder.

The madness in his eyes grew even deeper.

His voice came out hoarse as his vocal cords began to decay, but Grey could still clearly hear what he was saying.

"You bastard…"

"You only won because of poison."

"If not for that… you would already be dead."

Although his tone was filled with disgust, the expression in his eyes revealed something completely different.

Delight.

It was an extremely contradictory and unsettling sight.

Then a dangerous glint flashed across his eyes as he lowered his voice and spoke solemnly.

"If you can withstand my next attacks… then you will win."

"I will fall."

"But I will be delighted to have faced an enemy like you."

As soon as those words fell, the young man tensed his body.

Grey also instantly became vigilant.

From the very beginning of their battle, the young man had not used a single cultivation art.

Even after both of his arms exploded… even after being poisoned… he still had not revealed any techniques.

That alone made Grey extremely wary.

An enemy who hid his trump cards until the final moment was often the most dangerous opponent of all.

Therefore, when Grey heard that the young man was finally about to attack seriously, his entire body tensed instinctively.

He even spread out his senses to monitor his surroundings, wary that some kind of spell might suddenly appear before he could react.

Suddenly,

The young man hunched his back. Then he disappeared.

Grey's pupils contracted violently.

A powerful sense of life-and-death danger instantly enveloped him.

If he reacted even a single second too late…

He would die.

Without hesitation, Grey poured all of his remaining strength into dodging.

However, the attack he expected to descend from above never came.

Instead,

A fierce gust of wind suddenly swept across the battlefield.

The young man appeared directly in front of him.

Both of his arms had already been destroyed, so he used his legs instead.

His body twisted violently as he unleashed a savage horizontal kick.

Grey had not anticipated this.

In panic, he hurriedly raised both arms to block.

'Too fast!'

The young man's kick slammed into Grey's arms with terrifying force.

The sound of bones breaking echoed sharply through the air.

But the attack did not stop there.

The young man's leg continued forward with unstoppable momentum until it slammed directly into Grey's already shattered chest.

Grey felt as though his body had slammed into a massive mountain while traveling at an unimaginable speed.

The force of the impact was terrifying.

Blood burst from his mouth uncontrollably as his body was hurled backward through the air. His chest felt as though it had been completely crushed, and his vision darkened for a brief moment as intense dizziness overwhelmed him.

But the assault did not end there.

The young man suddenly vanished from where he stood and reappeared almost instantly, catching up to Grey before he could even regain control of his tumbling body.

Without hesitation, he lifted his leg high into the air and brought it crashing down toward Grey.