Chapter 1334: Application for the Hunting Squad

The Garden of the Cave Abode.

“Whoosh—whoosh—” The icy wind howled like blades, carrying countless shards of ice in its dark, chaotic gales. The ice crystals shattered upon impact with rooftops, corridors, and stones.

Beneath a pavilion in the garden, Dongbo Xueying sat cross-legged in white robes, a wine flask warming beside him, surrounded by rare and exotic fruits. Holding a crystal-clear wine cup, he sipped the fruit wine and murmured softly, “I’ve been in this Sacred Realm for a full ten billion years. My remaining food supplies are dwindling. It’s time to join a hunting party and gather provisions by slaying Hunyuan lifeforms.”

During the last treasure auction, he had secured a full million units of food, allowing him to remain safely within the city for these ten billion years.

Though the corpses of these perfected Divine Emperor-level Hunyuan lifeforms still held immense value—and he had even obtained a corpse of a Void lineage Hunyuan lifeform from the Thunder World—Dongbo Xueying had no intention of selling them yet. He still needed to study the profound laws manifested by these Void lineage corpses.

“Since my last breakthrough, my body has maintained the level of a semi-Hunyuan lifeform, enduring for the duration of a cup of tea… Yet, in the past billion years, my progress has been negligible.” Dongbo Xueying shook his head inwardly.

That previous breakthrough had been the result of accumulated insights and a sudden flash of inspiration.

Now, he needed to refine his body-tempering technique, extending the duration of his transformation. Once his body could stabilize completely without internal collapse, he would fully achieve the state of a semi-Hunyuan lifeform—the pinnacle below true Hunyuan existence.

“To progress further?”

“First, I must invest enough time to refine my techniques. To cultivate in peace within the Sacred Realm, I need ample food reserves.”

“Second, I must gather more perfected Divine Emperor-level Void lineage Hunyuan corpses—or even obtain a high-level Void lineage corpse. According to intelligence, among the imprisoned Hunyuan beings, there are three of the Void lineage.” Dongbo Xueying pondered. Within the Sacred Realm, there were thirty-five Void lineage Hunyuan tribes.

However, only the three strongest among them had imprisoned members.

Though these imprisoned Hunyuan beings were all high-level lifeforms—capable of annihilating cultivators like Dongbo Xueying with ease—they were shackled by their confinement. The farther they strayed from their lairs, the harsher their punishment, weakening their strength.

In the entire Sacred Realm…

Among the many imprisoned Hunyuan beings, the most terrifying was the ‘Abyssal Sea Master,’ whose power was utterly despair-inducing. But aside from him, the others could still be slain.

“A dragon stranded in shallow waters is toyed with by shrimp; a tiger on flat land is bullied by dogs.” These imprisoned Hunyuan beings, bound by countless restrictions, could indeed perish.

Even the great Lords left behind messages…

The cultivator who contributed most to slaying the Abyssal Sea Master would receive astonishing rewards.

“The most terrifying ‘Lords’ among the Hunyuan powerhouses likely expect us to eliminate these imprisoned beings.” Dongbo Xueying shared this ambition.

The laws manifested by a high-level Hunyuan corpse would far surpass those of ordinary ones.

“Third, this hunting expedition will also serve as combat tempering, allowing me to test my Void Dao in battle.” Dongbo Xueying mused. Through combat, he could better identify his flaws and refine his path.

Food, corpses for cultivation, combat tempering…

Dongbo Xueying had no choice but to venture out.

The great Lords had created the Sacred Realm with such harsh conditions precisely because they believed life-and-death trials aided in achieving Hunyuan.

“Hunting parties.”

Dongbo Xueying immediately checked the communication treasures.

The latest hunting party had been formed by ‘Daoist Youya,’ with the ultimate goal of slaying a perfected Divine Emperor-level Hunyuan lifeform—the ‘Mowu Chaos Serpent.’ The party required at least fifty members, and thirty-three cultivators had already applied.

“Mowu Chaos Serpent?” Dongbo Xueying nodded slightly. Among the Hunyuan lifeforms in the Sacred Realm, this was a relatively noble bloodline.

By convention, the hunting party would journey forth, slay one Mowu Chaos Serpent, and then return.

Along the way, they would inevitably encounter other Hunyuan lifeforms, engaging in battles to secure food. Upon return, the spoils would be distributed based on each member’s contributions. The ‘Chiyun Palace artifact spirit’ would oversee the entire expedition, ensuring fair allocation. The party leader had the right to claim the Mowu Chaos Serpent’s corpse but had to compensate the others accordingly.

“Brother Youya?” Dongbo Xueying smiled. He had exchanged a few words with Daoist Youya during the treasure auction.

Daoist Youya’s strength ranked among the top few dozen in Chiyun City.

“Apply!”

Without hesitation, Dongbo Xueying submitted his request.

Instantly, the hunting party’s roster expanded to thirty-four. This information was simultaneously relayed to all cultivators in Chiyun City.

—

Xie Fan was deep in meditation within the underground hall of his cave abode.

Seated cross-legged, his eyes half-lidded, he exuded an aura so dense it warped and collapsed the surrounding spacetime. ‘Xie Fan’ was the heaviest among all cultivators in Chiyun City, his physical body reaching unfathomable levels of strength. Even Fengyun Yiye held him in high regard. At his level, the three city lords were only marginally stronger—by a mere fraction.

Even in a life-or-death duel, the city lords could only claim a slight advantage over him, far from an overwhelming one.

The closer one approached the limit, the smaller the gaps in strength became.

With such power, despite his infamous temperament, few cultivators dared to provoke him.

Xie Fan was no fool—he showed respect to those strong enough to earn it.

But ordinary perfected Divine Emperor-level cultivators? He disdained them. He could single-handedly slay a ‘perfected Divine Emperor-level Hunyuan lifeform’—a feat far beyond most, given the lifeform’s resilience. The eighty percent of Chiyun City’s inhabitants at that level? He could kill them with ease.

Those he could crush effortlessly, he disregarded. That was why he had confronted Dongbo Xueying directly, only to be ignored.

“Brother Xie Fan.” A voice transmitted.

“What is it?” Xie Fan opened his eyes, displeased. He loathed interruptions during cultivation, even blocking routine messages from Chiyun Palace. The constant flood of hunting party announcements was too disruptive.

“You asked me to monitor Feixue’s movements. He just applied to join the latest hunting party.”

“He joined?”

Xie Fan immediately checked.

The previously blocked messages flooded in, and he swiftly located the update.

Daoist Youya’s hunting party now had thirty-four members—the newest being ‘Emperor Feixue.’

“Hmph. Finally joining a hunting party? I thought you’d never leave the city.” Xie Fan sneered. In Chiyun City, food was finite, and he had been waiting for this moment. “A mere Dao-comprehender, barely reaching perfected Divine Emperor-level combat power—commonplace in Chiyun City. And yet, you dared to slight me, barring me from your abode during the auction. Well then!”

“Apply.”

Without hesitation, Xie Fan joined the hunting party.

The roster updated—’Demon God Xie Fan.’

“Little Feixue, what will you do now? Will you withdraw?” Xie Fan scoffed. By the rules, cultivators could exit the party anytime before departure—whether due to sudden enlightenment or other reasons.

But withdrawing cost ‘one unit of food’—a deterrent against frivolous comings and goings.

One unit could sustain a cultivator for ten thousand years. No one would withdraw without good reason.

“I’ve got my eye on you.”

“If you quit this time, will you quit next time too? Will you quit forever? Without food, you’ll starve to death. Sooner or later, you’ll have to hunt.” Xie Fan smirked. His status and strength ensured he never lacked provisions.

—

Dongbo Xueying watched the raging winds, sipping his wine, when a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

After his application, two more cultivators had joined—one of whom bore a grudge against him.

“Xie Fan?” Dongbo Xueying’s lips curled slightly. “He joined the same party? After I humiliated him and barred him from my abode, he still seeks revenge.”