Chapter 462 - 461-

A hoarse grunt drifted from the mouth of the pale corpse as it stretched out its long, decaying arms and clawed at the air.

The moment it did so, the towering green vine that extended all the way into the heavens suddenly began to sway violently toward them. It was as though the corpse’s seemingly meaningless gesture had somehow attracted its attention.

Then, a deafening roar erupted from the vine.

Grey’s expression instantly became solemn.

An overwhelming aura descended upon the area, an aura unlike anything he had ever felt before. It wasn’t the pressure of a cultivator with an incredibly high level of cultivation. Neither did it belong to some bizarre existence or sinister mutated creature.

This was something far more terrifying.

It was an aura that Grey had only encountered a handful of times throughout his life, and every single time he had felt it, an inexplicable chill had run down his spine.

"Divinity!"

Grey and the corpse spoke at almost exactly the same time.

However, while Grey’s expression remained solemn and cautious, the corpse’s face immediately lit up with excitement.

If it were still alive, the expression might have been beautiful.

Unfortunately, it was not.

The sight of a rotting corpse grinning from ear to ear while laughing excitedly was an eerie and unnatural sight by any standard.

"Haha! See this, little Grey? It has already begun to form its own divinity. It’s even better than I expected!"

Violet’s excited voice came from the corpse’s mouth as it suddenly charged toward the heavenly vine.

The instant it moved, the aura of divinity radiating from the vine erupted with even greater intensity.

Suddenly, the countless organs hanging from the tips of the vine’s leaves began to tremble violently.

Tremble.

Tremble.

Tremble.

Black blood slowly seeped from the organs before dripping down and being rapidly absorbed by the ground below.

As the blood flowed and the organs continued to tremble, their shapes began to distort.

At first, they merely twisted unnaturally.

Then they began to expand.

Their flesh split apart, revealing something crimson and sinister beneath.

Before Grey could fully comprehend what was happening, the countless organs hanging from the heavenly vine had completely transformed.

They had become eyes.

Countless eyes.

Every single one was completely red, their pupils filled with a sinister and chilling intent. They all stared directly at the corpse that was charging toward the heavenly vine.

Another deafening roar shook the entire area.

The sound reverberated through Grey’s mind, causing his soul to tremble faintly.

The countless mutated creatures and bizarre existences that had previously been bowing reverently toward the heavenly vine slowly raised their heads.

Their blank expressions gradually changed.

Confusion became malice.

Malice became hatred.

And hatred eventually transformed into an intense bloodthirst.

In the next instant, all of them roared and simultaneously pounced toward the approaching corpse.

"Little Grey, what are you waiting for? If I get the treasure by myself, I promise I won’t share it with you!"

Violet’s slightly anxious voice rang out from ahead.

Grey merely snorted.

He didn’t need to be reminded.

The moment he discovered the true reason he had come here, the final trace of hesitation within his heart disappeared.

Now, he could finally fight at full strength.

At least, for the time being, he no longer needed to worry about the corrosive substance filling the surrounding air.

With a thought, Grey’s figure shot forward like a phantom.

The instant he displayed any intention of attacking, the mutated creatures surrounding him also reacted.

Their sinister gazes immediately locked onto Grey.

One after another, they revealed cruel and bloodthirsty expressions before rushing toward him.

Grey merely harrumphed inwardly.

With a single thought, four objects appeared almost simultaneously.

The purple phantom.

The Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird.

The purple moon.

And the purple scythe.

When Grey took the purple scythe from his storage bag, the sentient spirit residing within it suddenly let out an anxious cry, as though it desperately wanted to say something.

Grey, however, didn’t pay it any attention.

He simply tossed the scythe toward the purple phantom.

Everything that had happened so far seemed to have taken a considerable amount of time.

In reality, however, barely four breaths had passed.

After arming the purple phantom, Grey sent an instruction to the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird.

A piercing cry immediately burst from its beak.

The bird spread its wings and soared through the air, circling Grey once before suddenly diving downward.

Its enormous body transformed into a stream of purple light and overlapped with Grey’s figure.

The moment the two merged, a dazzling brilliance erupted around Grey.

His gray hair gained a faint purple tint.

His eyes became cold and indifferent.

His clothes were instantly covered in purple flames, while a robe woven from intertwined purple and black flames appeared around his body, completely enveloping his figure.

In the blink of an eye, Grey’s appearance underwent a tremendous transformation.

He had gone from a handsome young man with a calm temperament to a noble figure radiating an overwhelming aura of grace and elegance.

His cold eyes and purple-tinted hair made him appear like the descendant of an ancient emperor who had descended upon the mortal world.

The Purple Emperor.

Yet Grey did not attack immediately.

After merging with the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird, his gaze lowered toward his feet.

He stared at the shadow beneath him.

"It’s your time to show me what you can do."

The instant Grey finished speaking, the shadow suddenly detached itself from his feet.

It could no longer restrain its hunger.

Even though the heavenly vine was emitting an incredibly dangerous aura—one that the shadow instinctively feared and dared not approach—the delicious fragrance it emitted was simply too powerful.

It was impossible for the shadow to resist.

"This meal..."

The shadow’s body trembled with excitement.

"How can I possibly say no to this meal?"

Its eyes burned with greed.

"If I consume this delicious fragrance, I’ll be able to make a breakthrough. Once I break through, I’ll finally be free of this despicable person."

The shadow’s excitement grew increasingly intense.

"I’ll even possess enough power to consume him in an instant and destroy that suppressive force within him!"

That had been the shadow’s plan all along.

For several months, it had endured.

It had restrained itself.

During this period, it had sensed countless delicious things that could have helped it grow closer to a breakthrough.

Yet it had never dared to act.

The shadow knew Grey too well.

If Grey discovered its intentions, he would undoubtedly suppress it before it could make a move.

From the beginning, the shadow had always feared the purple crystal and everything connected to it.

The purple sword.

The purple moon.

The purple phantom.

All of them had been influenced by the aura of the purple crystal within Grey’s body.

That aura was the greatest threat to it.

However, the shadow had never revealed its fear.

It had patiently endured.

It had quietly waited.

It had been bidding its time, waiting for an opportunity to grow powerful enough that Grey would no longer be able to suppress it.

Then, it would devour him.

That had been its only desire.

Its only dream.

To finally rid itself of this despicable existence that had both created it and turned it into a slave.

"Haha!"

A cruel laugh echoed through the battlefield.

The shadow’s body rapidly changed, transforming into a strange creature with two enormous horns protruding from its head and a humanoid figure beneath them.

Several strange bumps covered its back.

Then those bumps suddenly split open.

Flames erupted from them.

Even its eyes spewed scorching flames, making its entire appearance resemble a creature born from the depths of hell.

With a single step, the shadow launched itself into the air.

Its body tore through the surrounding space as it crashed directly toward the countless mutated creatures rushing toward them.

Grey watched from behind.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

He could clearly sense the shadow’s excitement.

It was excited about consuming the thing that had attracted it here.

But something about that excitement felt wrong.

Far too wrong.

A faint frown appeared on Grey’s face.

He could not shake the feeling that the shadow was hiding something from him.

However, he didn’t stop it.

Neither did he call the shadow back.

Instead, he continued forward with his original plan.

His hands moved rapidly, forming several mysterious seals in the air.

The surrounding energy began to surge violently.

Then Grey suddenly clenched his fist.

He punched forward.

’Bang!’

A deafening explosion resounded through the battlefield.

The moment his fist descended, an enormous sea of flames erupted from the point of impact.

The flames spread outward with terrifying momentum, instantly engulfing a vast region before him.

The surrounding mutated creatures were swallowed by the raging flames as the temperature of the entire area skyrocketed.

Grey’s cold eyes remained fixed ahead.

His expression did not change in the slightest.

The battle had officially begun.