Chapter 492 - 491- Inhuman race

.Within the blink of an eye, the massive entity flew through the air at a speed that far surpassed anything Grey had ever witnessed before. Its enormous figure tore through the skies and entered the depths of the Corroded Zone.

The surrounding clouds of dust and haze were blown violently apart by the sheer force of its movement. They surged and rolled like enormous waves, following the insurmountable creature into the skies of the Corroded Zone before its colossal form quickly disappeared into the distance.

Yet, despite its extremely brief appearance, the entire world seemed to tremble and buzz incessantly.

It was as if the surrounding space itself was still locked in awe and shock after witnessing such an existence pass through the area.

Grey felt an immense pressure descend upon him the moment the entity passed overhead. His entire body stiffened, and his head felt as though an invisible mountain had suddenly been pressed down upon it. His breathing became slightly labored, while an instinctive sense of danger emerged from the deepest parts of his soul.

Iria was no different.

The girl’s face had turned pale, and her body trembled slightly under the residual pressure left behind by the creature. For a brief moment, she genuinely felt as though her life was about to be snuffed out simply because she had been in its presence.

It was not an attack. The entity had not even spared them a glance. Yet, merely being near it had almost caused their bodies and souls to instinctively submit.

Fortunately, after the entity disappeared into the depths of the Corroded Zone, the strange pressure that had descended upon them also gradually vanished.

Several long seconds passed before Grey finally recovered from the shock. His expression became solemn as a thought emerged in his mind.

That entity was probably the Overlord of the Corroded Zone. The manner in which it had entered the Zone, its overwhelming speed, and the terrifying grandeur surrounding its presence made Grey immediately associate it with the mysterious Overlord. The Sentient Spirit soon confirmed his guess.

"That was the Overlord of the Corroded Zone returning."

Its voice was unusually soft.

"Thankfully, we managed to leave before it returned. Otherwise, we would have been trapped there for a significant amount of time." Hearing its words, Grey’s brows furrowed slightly.

"Trapped?"

The Sentient Spirit seemed to understand his confusion and immediately explained.

"The few times the Overlord has left the Corroded Zone, an eerie peculiarity has always followed its departure."

"Firstly, the entire Zone enters a state of constant chaos. All the beasts and bizarre existences within the Zone become completely irrational and violent. They lose whatever restraints they normally possess and attack anything they perceive as an enemy."

"Secondly, a barrier of blood covers the entire Corroded Zone."

"Nothing can enter and nothing can leave." Grey’s expression gradually became serious.

"The last few times this phenomenon occurred, the blood barrier remained for more than twelve days. During that period, the chaos within the Zone became even more severe, causing almost every dangerous creature inside to attack anything they encountered on sight."

The Sentient Spirit paused briefly before continuing.

"If you were an ordinary human or a low-level cultivator, you would die regardless of how careful you were. And high level cultivators will be in a constant danger from the moment the barrier enveloped the zone. It was only a matter of time until they fell as well."

Grey nodded inwardly. He could understand this point. Constant fighting would drain a person’s spirit energy and strength. And regaining it back in the Corroded Zone was several times tougher than in the outside world. Even if you never ventured into the deeper regions of the Corroded Zone, the danger would still eventually find you.

Grey remained silent. The words of the Sentient Spirit caused his thoughts to turn rapidly.

The faint corruption that had entered his body after the Inhuman roar sounded earlier was already beginning to be suppressed by the purple crystal. The corruption was extremely strange. Although it was only a faint remnant left behind by the terrifying roar, it had still managed to affect his body and soul.

Grey could vaguely guess why such a phenomenon occurred and what was most likely happening within the Corroded Zone.

Firstly, it was possible that after returning, the Overlord of the Corroded Zone had somehow obtained an even greater amount of power. Perhaps it had encountered some extraordinary opportunity outside the Zone, or perhaps it had devoured something powerful.

Or perhaps it had simply undergone some kind of transformation.

Whatever the reason, it might now require a significant amount of time to digest and completely assimilate the power it had obtained.

Hence, the entire Corroded Zone was sealed.

No outsiders could enter. And no inhabitants could leave.

As for why the creatures within the Zone would become irrational, Grey felt that the answer was relatively simple.

The Overlord was the absolute ruler of the Corroded Zone.

Its will and consciousness were deeply connected to the entire region. If something unusual had happened to it, then its control over the Zone would naturally be affected.

Perhaps the creatures within the Zone normally remained under a certain degree of suppression because of the Overlord’s existence.

But now that the Overlord had entered a peculiar state, that suppression might have weakened considerably.

As a result, the countless bizarre creatures and beasts within the Zone had lost their restraints.

Their instincts would rise to the surface. Similarly would their bloodlust would become unrestrained.

And the entire Zone would descend into madness.

However, even after reasoning through all of this, one thing still remained certain. The Overlord of the Corroded Zone had either become significantly stronger...

Or something extraordinary had happened to it. Grey narrowed his eyes slightly.

He instinctively attempted to peer deeper into the matter. But the moment he did so, a faint headache suddenly emerged.

At the same time, an inexplicable heaviness descended upon his heart.

It felt as though he was standing before a bottomless abyss and attempting to forcefully look into its depths.

A terrifying instinct immediately warned him. Do not look. Do not investigate.

There were some things that he simply did not have the qualifications to know yet. Grey immediately withdrew his thoughts and stopped trying to probe deeper.

He did not want to gamble with his life merely to satisfy his curiosity.

He then took out the storage bag containing the Sentient Spirit and placed it back inside.

However, even after the Sentient Spirit returned to the storage bag, Grey could still hear its voice within his mind. Through their connection, he could also speak to it and receive its responses without needing to physically release it.

"At this point, trying to learn more would only bring unnecessary danger upon myself."

Grey’s expression remained calm, but his thoughts were extremely cautious.

"The level of corruption brought about by that faint yet clear roar is still being suppressed by the shadow."

He glanced inwardly at the strange power within his body.

"Even though that roar supposedly came from nothing more than a lingering will, it still possesses such a terrifying influence over me."

Grey’s eyes became slightly solemn.

"If that existence were still alive..." He did not finish the sentence.

There was no need to. Just imagining it was enough. Grey sucked in a deep breath before forcing himself to stop thinking about the matter.

For now, there were more important things to deal with. His main priority was to return to the Sect together with Iria.

Firstly, they had already obtained what they had come to the Corroded Zone for, the Moon Blossom Flower. Although they had only obtained a single flower, its value was still incredibly high.

Secondly, he was only two perforations away from manifesting his third Ball of Spirit Fire. Once that happened, his overall strength would rise considerably.

With three Balls of Spirit Fire combined with his Cold Yin Energy Core, his combat power would reach an entirely different level.

Moreover, the shadow was still undergoing its mysterious evolution. At any moment, it could break free from its cocoon.

Grey wanted to be adequately prepared for that moment. If something went wrong during the shadow’s evolution, he might also need to assist it.

There was another matter that Grey could not ignore.

The ancient technique within his Sea of Consciousness was already close to completely activating itself.

Based on his current estimations, it would probably take around a week before the technique fully awakened.

Grey needed to properly sort out all these changes occurring within his body as quickly as possible.

He needed to understand his current limits, stabilize his cultivation, and keep track of his overall strength.

There was also the reward from the captain.

The captain had promised him a reward, and Grey was certain he would receive it once he returned to the Sect.

With all these thoughts occupying his mind, Grey and Iria ascended into the skies.

Their figures quickly transformed into streaks of light as they flew in the opposite direction of the Corroded Zone.

Their destination was a nearby city.

Once they arrived there, they would be able to use the city’s teleportation rune and return to a safer region.

However, they had not flown for long when Grey suddenly noticed something approaching from the distance.

His eyes narrowed.

A battered and haggard old man was flying toward them like an arrow.

His clothes were torn, and his body was covered in wounds. His once orderly appearance had become extremely disheveled, while his face was filled with a mixture of exhaustion, grief, and barely restrained sorrow.

His expression was livid.

Yet, beneath that anger was an even deeper emotion.

Despair.

His eyes contained an intense sorrow that immediately caught Grey’s attention.

Behind the old man was a young girl.

She was much younger than both Grey and Iria.

At first glance, she appeared almost completely human.

However, there was one obvious difference.

A small horn protruded from the side of her head, resembling the horn of a bull.

The horn was not particularly large, but its existence was enough to reveal that the girl was not an ordinary human.

The old man possessed a similar feature.

However, his horn was considerably larger and longer, extending prominently from his head.

Grey’s gaze flickered.

These people were clearly not humans. They belonged to an Inhuman race.

The old man continued flying toward them without slowing down. His battered appearance suggested that he had just experienced some kind of terrifying encounter.

And judging from the grief and sorrow within his eyes, whatever had happened was clearly not something ordinary.

Grey’s instincts immediately became alert. He slowed his flight slightly and observed the approaching pair from a distance.

There was something strange about them. The old man seemed to be desperately fleeing from something.

And the fact that he had brought such a young girl with him made the situation even more suspicious.

Grey did not immediately approach. Instead, he quietly watched them draw closer.