Chapter 1323: Hunger

The blood-red bubble enveloped Dongbo Xueying as it tore through the Hunyuan space at a terrifying speed.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Countless vast Source Worlds blurred past his vision, vanishing in an instant.

“This is the second time, yet the speed still feels absurdly fast,” Dongbo Xueying mused. He had a premonition—if a single grain of Hunyuan sand were to strike him at such a velocity, it would likely annihilate him instantly.

This time, they traversed over twelve hundred Source Worlds, far more than before.

“Hmm?”

Dongbo Xueying’s eyes widened in shock.

Ahead, countless fissures stretched across the Hunyuan space, each spanning billions of miles—far longer than any Source World. His vision couldn’t even trace their ends. These jagged spatial rifts loomed like an impassable chasm, splitting the Hunyuan space in two.

Swish!

The blood-red bubble surged forward. Near the countless rifts lay an inconspicuous, tiny world—so small it resembled a lone island in an endless sea. Dongbo Xueying only noticed it as the bubble plunged inside, barely glimpsing its form before entry. It seemed fragile, as if the surrounding spatial rifts could obliterate it at any moment.

…

“Hum.”

The moment he entered, the scenery shifted.

He now stood in the center of a vast, ancient hall. In one corner, a formation array pulsed faintly.

“Another cultivator arrives?” A tall, gaunt man in black robes materialized in the hall, approaching Dongbo Xueying with a faint smile.

“Not good.” Before Dongbo Xueying could speak, he felt his physical form beginning to destabilize—his internal structures unraveling.

Having experienced this before, he remained calm. The world’s laws differed from those of the Thunderbolt World, necessitating adaptation.

“Haha, struggling to maintain your body?” The black-robed man chuckled. “This world’s rules differ from your homeland. Adapting to them will aid your eventual transcendence into a Hunyuan being. After all, the laws of Hunyuan govern all realms.”

Dongbo Xueying wasted no time, focusing entirely on adjusting his physique to the new rules.

Half an hour later, his body stabilized—though only at the mid-stage Divine Emperor level.

“Returning to late-stage Divine Emperor will take at least a million years,” he mused. “But an unstable late-stage form should come much faster.”

A temporary late-stage body might only require a decade or so.

This pleased him. Rebuilding his strength would deepen his mastery of the Void Path, hastening his evolution into a semi-Hunyuan lifeform. As for full transcendence? No rush. His immediate goal was reaching semi-Hunyuan in the Void Path and attaining the ultimate realm in the Illusory Dream Path.

“Fellow Daoist, stabilized now?” The black-robed man spoke as Dongbo Xueying opened his eyes.

Dongbo Xueying blinked.

Fellow Daoist?

“I am Feixue. And you are…?” He sensed no aura from the man whatsoever.

“I am the artifact spirit of this Welcoming Hall,” the man replied with a smile.

“Artifact spirit?” Dongbo Xueying nodded, then frowned. “Welcoming Hall? What does that mean?”

“Welcoming, of course, refers to receiving ascendants like you into this world,” the man explained. “Your homeland must have legends about this place. Different worlds call it different names—’Sanctuary of Cultivation,’ ‘World of Despair,’ ‘Exile World,’ ‘Survival World.’ Regardless, survival here is harsh, but it sharpens one’s cultivation.”

Dongbo Xueying’s heart chilled.

World of Despair? Exile World?

These names suggested a far grimmer reality than the Thunderbolt World. And “survival is harsh”?

“Fellow Daoist, observe.” The black-robed man waved a hand, conjuring a miniature projection of the world.

“Danger lurks everywhere here,” he said, pointing at the map. “These five glowing regions are the only safe havens for cultivators. Venture beyond, and peril awaits. Innumerable native Hunyuan lifeforms roam, all eager to hunt you down.”

“Innumerable?” Dongbo Xueying couldn’t help but ask.

The Broken Tooth Mountains had only dozens of native Hunyuan lifeforms. The Thunderbolt World had more, but cultivators still held overwhelming dominance.

Yet here…

Cultivators were pitifully few, confined to five sanctuaries. The rest of the world belonged to Hunyuan lifeforms?

“How many are there? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand?”

“The Molten Gold River alone houses thirty thousand. And as you can see, many regions dwarf it,” the man said. “As for the exact number… who knows? But heed this warning—never approach the Abyssal Sea.”

He pointed solemnly at a black expanse covering a tenth of the map.

“The Abyssal Sea is this world’s deadliest zone. Even if you become its strongest cultivator, never set foot there.”

“Why not?”

“Forbidden. You’ll understand once you reach the sanctuaries. All long-term survivors know its horrors.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded—then froze as his stomach growled violently.

“I’m… hungry?” He hadn’t felt hunger since becoming a transcendent being eons ago.

Yet now, ravenous agony tore through him. His stomach screamed for sustenance, the hunger so intense his body trembled uncontrollably. It worsened by the second.

“Food.” He summoned a crimson fruit from his storage ring and devoured it. Yet the moment it digested, the hunger remained unabated.

“I told you,” the black-robed man said, amused. “Survival here is harsh. The stronger you are, the more sustenance you need under this world’s laws. Without it, you’ll starve—to death.”

“Starve?!” Dongbo Xueying was aghast. At his level?

“Ordinary food is useless. There’s only one solution—hunt native Hunyuan lifeforms and consume their flesh. Only their energy-rich meat can sate you.”

The man’s smile turned grim.

“Welcome to the World of Despair.”