Void Cultivation

Grey's hands moved with increasing precision as he mixed the ingredients, his focus narrowing entirely on the pill cauldron before him. The faint, acrid smell of the poisons filled the air, clinging to the walls of the small cabin, but Grey barely noticed it anymore. His senses were already dulled to the intensity of the concoctions he regularly dealt with. Each breath he took, each minute of concentration, was a step closer to refining the poison to its lethal perfection.

The poisonous gold-leaf night grass dissolved into the base liquid with a sizzle, releasing a faint golden glow before it vanished into the swirling blackish brew. Next came the retarded blood shoot, a deep crimson liquid that swirled like liquid fire as it touched the mixture. The result was a sinister red-black hue that flickered ominously under the pale glow of the candles surrounding the room. The air seemed to hum with suppressed energy, and the thick atmosphere of poison grew heavier.

Grey added the tainted bluesilver grass with a careful motion, watching as the herb, once just a harmless plant, transformed into something entirely more deadly. The bluesilver grass had been corrupted by the corrosive substances he'd been gathering for months now, turning it into a poison so insidious that even Early Foundation Establishment cultivators would feel its effects over time. But that wasn't enough.

'I need something so strong enough to be able to affect even Middle stage Foundation Establishment realm cultivators, maybe even the Later stages.

He adjusted the flow of his spiritual energy, setting up a perfect harmony between the components in his cauldron and the protective walls of spirituality he had erected. The wall itself pulsed with a faint, bluish invisible hue that you could only notice if you are observational enough. Any potential leaks of corrosive energy that might escape was carefully monitored by Grey. He did not want to end up corrodinh the captain's rooms. The poisons within the cauldron were volatile, and with each new material being added, it became much more dangerous than the last, and they needed to be kept contained until the right moment.

Grey's breathing slowed, each movement now deliberate, as if he were performing a sacred ritual. His hand hovered over the cauldron, preparing to add the next ingredient. His thoughts briefly drifted to his shadow. He noticed that any large seeps of poison that overflowed would be eaten by his shadow. Although his level of proficient in it was not much, Grey could feel his level of control over it increase bit by bit as if swallowed more corrosive substance and poison aura.

The gray smoke that began to emanate from the cauldron snapped him back into focus. It was thick, heavy, and hung in the air like a tangible presence. Immediately, Grey's eyes narrowed, and his hands moved faster than before, reaching for the poison dispersal herbs in his storage bag. These herbs were supposed to counteract the smog, neutralizing its potency before it could expand further. But as the smoke billowed and swirled, the herbs did nothing to dissipate the poison cloud.

'Damn it.' Grey cursed inwardly. 'This is worse than I expected.'

The poison smog continued to spread, thickening the walls of spirituality, weaving into every corner of his protective space. It was a smothering cloud of dark energy, the type that could kill even the strongest Qi Accumulation cultivators within moments. His eyes stung from the fumes, and his throat tightened. The corrosive substance was doing more than just eating away at the air—it was assaulting his body, his very flesh. Already, he felt the tingling sensation of rot spreading across his skin, like insects crawling under his flesh.

Grey's face, pale from the pressure, began to twist in pain as the poison started to eat into him. His left cheek burned, the skin and muscle starting to break down, revealing raw tissue beneath. The sight was grotesque, but Grey didn't falter. His focus remained absolute.

With a strained exhale, Grey hurled a handful of poison dispersal herbs into the air, his hands blurring with speed as he moved to add more, his voice barely a whisper as he muttered the names of the herbs under his breath.

The herbs sparked as they hit the cauldron, their spiritual energy creating a burst of light that immediately tried to combat the poison's effects. But the gray smog only grew stronger, more unruly. Grey's body began to tremble from the pressure. His left cheek, already stripped of skin, now oozed blackened fluid, the flesh beneath liquefying as the poison took hold. His face was becoming a mask of agony, but still, he did not scream.

His Shadow responded, the tendrils of black energy slithering around his body, wrapping themselves around the rotting flesh like a loving embrace. The Shadow devoured the poison, consumed it entirely, but not without cost. Grey's skin remained marked, the decay spreading like a dark tattoo.

'This should not be happening.' The thought rang in Grey's mind as the pain grew. His hands blurred faster, a frenzied blur of motion as he added herb after herb into the cauldron, each attempt to neutralize the poison met with failure.

The gray smog thickened until it was almost suffocating. The wall of spirituality, though sturdy, could no longer contain the poison's full effect. It began to corrode the spirit energy itself, breaking down the very defenses Grey had built. His face continued to rot, his fingers growing stiff as his body fought against the poison's overwhelming effects.

'I can't stop now'. Grey thought desperately. 'Not when I'm this close to creating such a deadly poison!'

His mind raced as he recalled the last component he needed, the one that could balance the concoction, that could stabilize the poisons and halt the further spread of the gray smog. It was a rare herb, one that had cost him a small fortune to acquire. Without it, everything would be for nothing.

The Black Ice Root, he remembered, his fingers scraping across the surface of his storage bag until he found the delicate root wrapped in protective seals.

Grey hesitated only for a moment before dropping the Black Ice Root into the cauldron. It was a gamble. The root, known for its ability to freeze and control poison, would need to be used with absolute precision. If he overused it, it could render the poison useless, reducing it to nothing more than a mild irritant. If used too little, it would remain ineffective.

He had no room for error.

With the root added, Grey focused, channeling all of his spiritual energy into the cauldron. The swirling gray smog began to slow, its movement stuttering as the root's icy energy began to take hold. The poison seemed to recoil, twisting and writhing as if it could feel the freezing energy locking it down.

Grey's face was a mask of concentration, his skin now deeply pale and starting to crack. His left cheek had all but disintegrated, the once smooth flesh now a sickly array of exposed muscle, but his Shadow had not yet abandoned him. It continued to devour the poison, though with increasing difficulty.

Minutes passed in silence, the only sound the faint hiss of the cauldron as it continued to bubble and churn. The gray smog began to recede, losing its potency. Grey's breathing slowed as he felt the pressure lift. The poison had been subdued—at least for now.

Finally, with one last effort, Grey stood back and surveyed the cauldron. The contents had darkened into a thick, viscous liquid, and the air was free of the toxic gray smoke. His skin was still raw, but the worst of the damage had been absorbed by his Shadow. His face, though scarred, had begun to heal.

Grey's lips twitched in a strained smile as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was a close one," he muttered to himself, staring down at the finished poison.

'It is done... But the cost had been high, nearly costing my life!' Grey said internally as he wiped the sweat off his brows.

The purple crystal had already kicked into action and had begun diverting it's power from his spirit sea to his physical wounds. And albeit slowly, they began to heal at quite a visible speed.

And not only that, Grey could feel the Shadow sect secret art, slowly coming to life. With a single thought, his shadow flew down from under his legs to the side of the wooden walls.

But no sooner had it touched the walls did it begin to emit a sizzling sound. Grey reacted quick and brought his shadow back under his feet.

"Strangely, it does not corrode anything while under my feet. But why does it immediately begin to corrode stuff when I control it from my body?" Grey had a thought.

He also noticed that he could move his shadow more fluently now. Even able to mold it into some certain, less complicated shapes.

'Alright, this is one boon from this refinement. Now with my control of the shadow increased, I have one more trump card up my sleeve.' Strangely, Grey did not use his shadow in any of the previous battles. If he had, he doubted that the outcome of the fight would not be in his favor.

'I guess I forgot. But I'll have to slowly implement the shadow into my attack patterns. So as to increase my battle unpredictability and versatility.' Grey said internally. He then slowly walked to the pill cauldron to look at the final result for his poison pill refinement.