Cultivation Online

”A trail of Unknown Ores...? In that case, it probably stopped here because we collected them,” admitted one of the Spirit City soldiers.

”The tunnel was also empty. Hell, it’d been cleared even before we entered it.”

”What sort of entity are you looking for, anyway?” another asked.

The soldiers of Ember City exchanged glances with each other, wondering if they should reveal any information to soldiers from another city.

However, after giving it some thought, they realized that if this mysterious Void Specter was anything like the Void Hunter, keeping the information to themselves would only put everyone at greater risk. It would be wiser to share what they knew so that the cities could work together to deal with the threat.

”As mentioned earlier, we’re currently still investigating, but from what we know so far, this is a new type of Void Specter,” said the Ember City soldier.

”Is that true?! A new type of Void Specter has been discovered?!”

The soldiers of Spirit City were shocked to hear this, which wasn’t surprising, considering that it had been thousands of years since they had made such a discovery.

”Of course it’s true. Why would we lie about something like this? This Void Specter has already killed two of our soldiers.”

”What does this Void Specter look like? Any special characteristics?”

”You’ll probably find this hard to believe, but this Void Specter looks exactly like a human. Indistinguishable, too.”

”A Void Specter with human features? Sounds like the Void Hunter.”

”No, you don’t understand. This Void Specter doesn’t just look like a human. It is literally indistinguishable from a real human, meaning if it hid in a crowd of people, we wouldn’t be able to tell it apart from the others. Hell, it can even speak the human language!”

”Is that even possible...? Are you sure this entity isn’t a real human?” The soldiers of Spirit City wore doubtful expressions at this unbelievable information, wondering if this was just a big misunderstanding.

”It’s possible, and that monster definitely wasn’t human!” Captain Heen suddenly shouted.

”I—my squad encountered it, and the way that monster killed my squad member... there’s no way a human is capable of vaporizing another human with a single touch!” Captain Heen’s body trembled with fear just recalling the moment.

”Vaporized...”

”With a single touch...?”

The soldiers of Spirit City muttered with a dazed look on their faces.

”Anyway, this Void Specter is currently disguised as a soldier from Gaia’s Heaven. He has a tall, refined build, long black hair tied into a ponytail, brown eyes, and a strikingly handsome face. If you encounter him, do not engage under any circumstances. Run away immediately.”

The soldiers of Spirit City raised an eyebrow at this familiar-sounding description.

”Oh, right. He’s also wearing the insignia of a corporal,” the Ember City soldier added.

”?!?!”

”That reaction... did you see this monster?” asked Captain Chen after seeing their surprised face.

They nodded in slow motion before turning to look in the direction Yuan went.

”H-He went that way...”

”Thanks! Let’s hurry up and chase after it!” Captain Heen said to the others.

”W-Wait!”

”What is it?”

”Are you really sure he’s a Void Specter? I still think this is some kind of misunderstanding. After all, if he really is a Void Specter, why would he clear out a tunnel by himself?”

”What did you just say? That monster cleared out a tunnel by himself?” Captain Heen’s eyes widened with disbelief at this unexpected information.

”That’s right. We said this tunnel was empty, didn’t we? Well, that wasn’t our doing. That corporal came out of this tunnel while we were collecting the Unknown Ores. In fact, he even claimed that he had cleared the entire place by himself.”

Captain Heen fell silent upon hearing this.

”What if this Void Specter grows stronger by consuming its own kind?” one of the Ember City soldiers suddenly suggested.

”Now that you mention it... we haven’t encountered a single Void Specter since we started following the trail through the Black Zone!” another exclaimed at this realization.

”A Void Specter that devours its own kind...?”

The others swallowed nervously.

”Hm? Hold on. This is actually our second encounter with this corporal.” One of the Spirit City soldiers suddenly remarked. ”The first time we encountered him, he wasn’t alone.”

”Are you saying that there are actually two of these monsters wandering this land?!” Captain Heen exclaimed in shock.

”No...? That other individual with him is someone you should be familiar with, given her vast reputation.”

”Who is this person?”

”It’s the Ironwoman.”

”...”

The place fell silent, and the soldiers of Ember City turned to look at Captain Heen, as even they were beginning to wonder if this had been a huge misunderstanding.

”T-That must be it!” Captain Heen suddenly exclaimed.

”What is?”

”The reason this monster looks exactly like a human! It must possess some kind of ability that allows it to perfectly imitate a human’s appearance!”

”...”

The others stared at him with raised eyebrows, wondering if he’d gone crazy to think of such a crazy theory.

”Why are you all looking at me like I’m crazy?! Think about it! Would a mere corporal really be able to survive in the Black Zone for this long if he weren’t actually a Void Specter in disguise?!” Captain Heen shouted, his voice growing louder with every word.

”That’s...”

As ridiculous as Captain Heen’s theory sounded, none of them could deny that it somehow seemed more plausible than a mere corporal surviving alone in the Black Zone for so long.

”Anyway, let’s stop wasting time and continue pursuing that Void Specter. We can talk while we move.”

”Do you mind if we come with you?” one of the Spirit City soldiers suddenly asked. ”We’ve interacted with him several times without any issues, and I want to see for myself whether he’s truly a Void Specter.”

”Well...”

After a quick discussion, the Ember City soldiers said, ”You can follow us if you want. However, keep some distance from us. With both groups together, we’d exceed ten people, and I’d rather not risk attracting the Void Hunter while we’re already dealing with an unknown Void Specter.”