Chapter 1324: The Journey

So hungry!

His stomach had even begun digesting the energy within his own body. If his flesh continued to devour itself like this, it wouldn’t be long before he was reduced to skin and bones. In half a year, his body would be completely consumed, and he would perish.

Dongbo Xueying couldn’t afford to hesitate. He immediately directed part of the energy released from his body’s partial disintegration, swiftly channeling it into his stomach to alleviate the hunger. Upon arriving in this world, due to the differences in its laws, his strength had dropped from the late-stage Divine Emperor level to only the mid-stage Divine Emperor level! Naturally, parts of his body’s internal structure had collapsed, releasing vast amounts of energy.

“Relying on your physical body alone, how long do you think you can last?” scoffed the tall, lean man in black robes beside him. “Your tiny body can’t compare to a Hunyuan lifeform. You are ultimately weak creatures who have yet to break free from your cages. Those born as Hunyuan lifeforms… though their intelligence is lacking and their mastery over their own power is minimal, they are still at the Divine Emperor level. But they are born from the very essence of the Hunyuan space—every piece of their flesh is nearly equivalent to an equal volume of Hunyuan crystal jade. Eating their meat is the most effective way to stave off hunger! So you must hunt these natural-born Hunyuan lifeforms as soon as possible.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

In terms of physical bodies, there was a qualitative difference between them and natural-born Hunyuan lifeforms.

It was only because their cultivation realms far surpassed those of the Hunyuan lifeforms that their combat power could reach comparable levels.

“Enough,” the black-robed man said. “Quickly choose one of the five gathering points. I’ll teleport you near it. You’ll need to escape from the outskirts… into the gathering point itself.”

“Escape?” Dongbo Xueying caught the implication.

“Correct. Hunyuan lifeforms are everywhere in this world. Even if I send you close, you may still encounter attacks. This is the simplest test. If you fail and are killed and devoured by a Hunyuan lifeform, then your path of cultivation ends here. I imagine that after all the effort it took to reach this level and come to this world, you wouldn’t be content to die so easily, would you?” The black-robed man grinned. “If you’re unwilling, prepare well. Once you ask me to teleport you, I’ll do so immediately.”

“How long can I stay here?” Dongbo Xueying asked.

“Night will fall soon,” the black-robed man said, glancing outside. “When the sky brightens again, I must send you away.”

“Understood.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

Without further delay, he sat cross-legged, focusing on recovering his strength.

The sky would brighten again, and he would have to leave?

To achieve a qualitative transformation in his Hunyuan-refined body—enough to temporarily sustain the late-stage Divine Emperor level—would take at least eight to ten years. There was no way he could accomplish that in such a short time.

However, with his current mastery of the Void Dao, recreating a version of the Great World Transcendence Teleportation Art that conformed to this world’s laws shouldn’t be too difficult. He might even succeed before dawn. Once he mastered this technique, his survival chances would increase dramatically.

*Rip—*

Sitting cross-legged, Dongbo Xueying flicked his hand lightly. The void rippled, and for a brief moment, he glimpsed the membrane of this world. Beyond it surged the vast currents of Hunyuan force, intertwined with countless chains of arcane runes. The dense, interwoven runic chains left him breathless—he felt utterly powerless before them.

They were on an entirely different level.

“What are you doing?” the black-robed man chuckled. “Studying the void? Are you trying to develop a void traversal technique?”

Dongbo Xueying looked at him, puzzled.

“Don’t bother. Countless experts from various worlds have ascended to this Sacred World. The weakest among them are usually at the late-stage Divine Emperor level,” the black-robed man said. “Among them are bloodline cultivators, Dao-comprehenders, world-refiners… all kinds of cultivation paths exist, and many excel in escape techniques. Yet, in this Sacred World, void traversal is outright impossible!”

He shook his head. “No one can do it. Comparatively, becoming a Hunyuan lifeform is far easier.”

“No traversal?” Dongbo Xueying’s expression darkened.

If that was the case…

This world was far more dangerous than he thought. If he were surrounded by numerous Hunyuan lifeforms, escape would be nearly impossible.

“In many of your worlds, isn’t this place called the ‘Exile World’ or the ‘World of Despair’? If void traversal were possible, how could it deserve such names?” the black-robed man said with a mocking grin.

…

Despite the palace artifact spirit’s words, Dongbo Xueying remained seated, continuing his attempts.

After an hour, he confirmed that the other party hadn’t lied.

*The suppression here is terrifying,* he thought. *The gravitational and other pressures are a thousand times stronger than in the Thunderbolt World, and the void is completely sealed. Void traversal is impossible.*

In the Thunderbolt World, techniques like teleportation and spatial shifting had been suppressed. But in this world, even the Great World Transcendence Teleportation Art was useless.

*Meta… the worlds you send me to grow ever more brutal.*

“I prefer to call this world the Sacred World,” the black-robed man mused. “For you, though it is far more dangerous, it is also filled with opportunities! The endless Hunyuan lifeforms are your chance. Seize it, and you may ascend to the Hunyuan level. This is your World of Despair—but also your sacred land of cultivation!”

Dongbo Xueying smiled faintly and focused entirely on refining his Hunyuan body.

Night fell…

And then, dawn arrived.

“Time to go,” the black-robed man said. “Choose a gathering point.”

Dongbo Xueying stood, sighing inwardly. A single night’s progress in refining his body was negligible.

“Which gathering point did the last ascendant choose?” he asked suddenly.

“The last one?” The black-robed man grinned. “Chiyun City.”

“Then I’ll go to Chiyun City as well,” Dongbo Xueying said.

It was highly likely…

That the last ascendant was the Northriver Divine Emperor!

After all, they had arrived one after the other, with little time in between.

“Very well.” The black-robed man waved his hand, enveloping Dongbo Xueying. “Go. May you survive long in this world.”

…

Dongbo Xueying felt the void shift around him. When his vision cleared, he stood in a desolate wilderness.

Weeds taller than a man surrounded him.

*Hmm?*

He levitated slightly, rising just above the grass, and gazed into the distance.

With his vision, he immediately spotted a grand city far to his left—one of the five gathering points in this “Sacred Land of Cultivation.”

*First, I must reach that city. According to the artifact spirit, some ascendants die before even making it to a gathering point.*

Those who ascended to this world were said to be at least late-stage Divine Emperors. Clearly, they were all supreme experts who had come here seeking higher realms of cultivation.

*I must be cautious.*

*Whoosh—*

Suppressing his aura completely, Dongbo Xueying activated his Void Worm movement technique, darting swiftly toward the city.

His form melded seamlessly into the void, invisible to the naked eye.

*The suppression here is immense.* His flight speed was drastically slower than in the Thunderbolt World. There, even a single stone was too heavy for a True God to lift. Here, the gravity was a thousand times stronger.

*Sssk—*

Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged in the distance, locking onto Dongbo Xueying’s position.

*Discovered!*

Despite his complete concealment and void integration, he had been detected.

Without hesitation, Dongbo Xueying unleashed his Illusory Realm Domain. Compared to his Void Domain, his soul-based techniques were far stronger. The domain expanded, scanning the area without attacking—for now.

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh—*

The Illusory Realm covered an enormous range—nearly a million miles.

The moment it spread out…

Dongbo Xueying was stunned.

Aside from the single Hunyuan lifeform watching him, dozens more were already charging toward him within the domain’s range. More were entering even now.

All belonged to the same species—semi-transparent bodies dotted with violet spots, their forms exuding the laws of shadows and death. Clearly, they were natural-born Hunyuan lifeforms skilled in shadow and death techniques.

Their power levels varied. The strongest rivaled even the Phoenix Fire Divine Emperor—and among the fifty-three lifeforms detected, sixteen were estimated to be at the Divine Emperor Perfection level!

*So cunning!* His heart pounded. *It called for reinforcements? And they’re this powerful?*

More of the same species continued flooding into his domain.

*No time to waste.*

*Kill!*

While fleeing at full speed, Dongbo Xueying immediately unleashed the third killing move of his Illusory Void Dao—he couldn’t afford to delay.

…