Chapter 1354: Thousand-Eyed Water Pearl

“You should be able to guess why I’ve come to you,” said the North River Divine Emperor.

“Why? Could it be that you wish to pledge allegiance to me?” Dongbo Xueying looked at North River. “Would you dare?”

North River’s expression darkened slightly.

In Chiyun City, Dongbo Xueying was undoubtedly the most sought-after figure. Countless individuals wished to serve under him.

“I came for the Thousand-Eyed Water Pearl,” North River said coldly. “In any other world, I would never sell it to you. But now, I need food. So, I’m willing to sell this one pearl to you. Name your price. If it satisfies me, it’s yours.”

“The Thousand-Eyed Water Pearl?” Dongbo Xueying’s heart stirred.

He had long yearned for it.

While many external treasures in the Sacred World could aid his cultivation in the Void Path, only the mysterious eyes left behind by the terrifying ‘Thousand-Eyed Being’ and the Thousand-Eyed Water Pearl could assist him in the Illusory Dream Path. He had only briefly studied the pearl before North River turned hostile and seized it from him.

“Ten God-Emperor Perfection-level Hunyuan Lifeforms,” Dongbo Xueying stated.

North River’s heart twitched.

Ten?

That would be enough food for hundreds of billions of years.

“Not enough. Far from it,” North River sneered. “Yingshan Xueying, for you, obtaining God-Emperor Perfection-level Hunyuan Lifeforms is effortless. A single outing could easily net you dozens. And now you think ten is enough to buy the Thousand-Eyed Water Pearl? This is a relic of the Thousand-Eyed Being—a terrifying existence capable of wounding the great ‘Yuan.’ Its value is immeasurably higher than these ordinary Hunyuan Lifeforms.”

“Ten isn’t enough?” Dongbo Xueying frowned.

“One thousand!”

North River stared at Dongbo Xueying. “Gather one thousand God-Emperor Perfection-level Hunyuan Lifeforms, and the pearl is yours.”

Dongbo Xueying arched an eyebrow, looking at North River with a faint smile. “One thousand? With that many, you’d hardly need to venture out again. I advise you to seek more battles and temper yourself. Such trials are beneficial to cultivation. I believe ten is sufficient.”

“Not enough. Far from it,” North River shook his head.

“The Thousand-Eyed Water Pearl is only useful to me. Who else in Chiyun City would buy it?” Dongbo Xueying asked.

“If I spread the word—that this is a bodily material left behind by a Hunyuan Lifeform nearly the size of an Origin World—how much do you think I could sell it for?” North River countered.

Dongbo Xueying scoffed. “Just because you spread the word, others will believe you? Moreover, one glance at the pearl will tell any cultivator whether it benefits them. Those who gain nothing won’t pay a high price. In this Sacred World, no other cultivator’s soul path comes close to mine. You won’t fetch a high price.”

“Perhaps I can,” North River said, eyeing Dongbo Xueying.

“Don’t threaten me.”

Dongbo Xueying’s voice turned icy. “First, my strength is already unrivaled in the Broken Tooth Mountain Range. Even the Five Supreme Rulers must show me respect. If another Thousand-Eyed Water Pearl is discovered, they will surely hand it to me.”

North River shuddered.

It was true.

The Broken Tooth Mountain Range might yield another pearl at any time. With Dongbo Xueying’s current power—enough to slay ordinary God-Emperor Perfection-level beings—the Five Supreme Rulers wouldn’t dare slight him.

“Second, killing you wouldn’t be difficult for me,” Dongbo Xueying said, locking eyes with North River.

North River’s mind raced. Indeed, within the hunting squads, Dongbo Xueying could easily enlist the help of their founders. A top-tier expert would surely grant him that favor. Without allies in battle, North River’s life would hang by a thread.

“When I first arrived in Chiyun City, you said we should set aside past grievances in this world,” Dongbo Xueying reminded him. “I had no intention of acting against you again. Are you sure you want to push me?”

North River’s face darkened.

With Dongbo Xueying’s current reputation, coercion would make life unbearable for him. During hunts, without allies, he could easily face dire straits. Had ‘Heart-Eye Sword Ancestor’ not aided him earlier, he might already be dead.

No—

In desperation, North River could always activate the mark on his wrist and flee to the third world.

Dongbo Xueying watched him, knowing North River could vanish from the Sacred World in an instant. That was why he refrained from pressing too hard.

Yet he was certain—North River was ambitious. He wouldn’t abandon this world lightly.

The three worlds were opportunities granted by Yuan. Each one was precious.

“Fine. One hundred God-Emperor Perfection-level Hunyuan Lifeforms, and the pearl is yours,” North River gritted out.

“One hundred? I’ll compromise—twenty. Not one more,” Dongbo Xueying said coldly.

North River glared at him, then relented. “Ruthless. Very well. Hand them over.”

Without another word, Dongbo Xueying tossed a storage treasure.

North River, in turn, flung the Thousand-Eyed Water Pearl across.

Whoosh.

The pearl resembled a dewdrop, refracting myriad colors as it arced through the air.

Dongbo Xueying caught it in his palm.

“Finally, it’s mine,” he thought, exhilarated. Though another might appear in the Broken Tooth Mountain Range someday, such treasures were exceedingly rare. Waiting tens of trillions of years—or longer—was normal.

Obtaining it early meant earlier enlightenment.

North River inspected the twenty Hunyuan Lifeform corpses within the storage treasure, his heart surging with excitement. Despite falling short of his expectations, his goal was achieved.

“Farewell.”

He turned and left without another word.

Dongbo Xueying watched his retreating figure briefly before immersing himself in the pearl’s mysteries. With numerous avatars, some delved into the Void Path while others pursued the Illusory Dream Path. To transcend, he couldn’t abandon either. Though the Void Path seemed more advanced, the Illusory Dream Path was even more extraordinary.

At his current level, its power was immense. Upon reaching the ultimate stage, Dongbo Xueying faintly sensed—at the very least—his soul could merge with a world’s origin, granting him immortality so long as that world endured. That much he knew. The rest awaited his breakthrough.

The soul was the essence of life.

Reaching the pinnacle of the soul path—this was Dongbo Xueying’s fervent aspiration.

***

Time flowed on.

The fifteen newly acquired God-Emperor Perfection-level Hunyuan Lifeform carcasses of the Void lineage took Dongbo Xueying nearly ten billion years to fully study.

With all twenty-one Void-lineage carcasses now examined, he meticulously cross-referenced them, deriving new methods for Hunyuan Body Refinement and testing them repeatedly.

Amidst his cultivation…

Dongbo Xueying occasionally formed hunting squads. Even when claiming ninety percent of the spoils, his teams drew frenzied interest from Chiyun City’s cultivators. Top-tier experts joined to forge connections, while ordinary God-Emperor Perfection-level and late-stage God-Emperor cultivators fought desperately for a spot.

Yet Dongbo Xueying capped his squads at fifty members.

Hunting near the city’s outskirts required no larger numbers.

His first hunt yielded seventy-five God-Emperor Perfection-level carcasses, with even more mid and late-stage kills. Even after distributing ten percent, each member secured enough food for billions of years. Safe, effortless, and swift—such rewards made cultivators vie fiercely for inclusion.

He formed several squads—partly to aid friends like Eagle Serpent God and Red Fiend, partly to temper himself in battle. Often, he spared some Hunyuan Lifeforms, suppressing their illusions to engage in direct combat and test his techniques.

Thus, a trillion years passed in the blink of an eye.