Chapter 1265: Unstable Body Cultivation

Outside the glowing orb space.

Dongbo Xueying swiftly traversed the vein-like passage and soon arrived before the eagerly awaiting Haogu Venerable.

“Well?” Haogu Venerable asked.

“It was a memory fragment space, with no retrievable treasures,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“I see.” Haogu Venerable pondered, glancing at other areas. Memory fragments were only useful if one could enter and witness them personally! Under such immense soul pressure, he couldn’t enter, rendering them useless. Still, he wasn’t too concerned—memory fragments were only valuable if they related to one’s own power. Otherwise, their utility was negligible.

—

During his first entry into the Sea of Consciousness, Dongbo Xueying had obtained that single ‘fiery-red feather,’ leading him to believe that retrieving treasures wouldn’t be difficult.

But soon, he realized he was wrong.

The entire Sea of Consciousness contained only a few hundred glowing orbs! Excluding those he couldn’t enter and those already explored by Haogu Venerable, only 56 orb spaces remained accessible to him. Among these 56, only 33 contained treasures—most of which were terrifyingly powerful. Dongbo Xueying was utterly overwhelmed, unable to claim any of them.

Only seven orbs held treasures he might have a chance to obtain—and even that was uncertain.

*Whoosh!*

Dongbo Xueying stumbled out of an orb space, landing on the vein-like passage, clutching a black scale in his hand.

“You got it?” Seeing this from a distant node, Haogu Venerable’s face lit up with joy. He rushed over without hesitation, disregarding the additional drain on the Serpent Fang Marrow Pearl’s power.

“Barely made it, by sheer luck,” Dongbo Xueying sighed, examining the black scale. The most alluring object in that orb space had been a fang, sharp as a blade—but its overwhelming aura had repelled him before he could even approach. Someone of Haogu Venerable’s strength might have endured it.

Though obtaining this black scale had been extremely difficult, after five attempts, he’d finally succeeded.

“Excellent.” Haogu Venerable took the black scale, sensing the profound destructive power within it. He smiled at Dongbo Xueying. “Flying Snow Divine Emperor, as per our prior agreement, once you help me gather three treasures, you’re free to act independently. Now, you may explore as you wish.”

“I thought gathering three treasures would be easier. After so many attempts, my Serpent Fang Marrow Pearl’s power is nearly half-depleted,” Dongbo Xueying said helplessly. “If this were a mission requiring a return trip, I’d have no choice but to turn back.”

But he had no intention of returning.

He would use every last drop of the Serpent Fang Marrow Pearl’s power.

“Haha, thank you, Flying Snow Divine Emperor,” Haogu Venerable said, satisfied with his gains. “My Serpent Fang Marrow Pearl still has plenty of energy. I plan to explore other areas—care to join me?”

“No need,” Dongbo Xueying declined.

Haogu Venerable nodded. “Then I’ll take my leave.”

*Whoosh!*

Transforming into a streak of light, he soared into the distance. The Serpent Fang Corridor was vast—even the serpent’s ‘brain’ alone was enormous. The Sea of Consciousness, though special, was but a small corner in comparison. Soon, Haogu Venerable pierced through the membrane wall, leaving the Sea of Consciousness to explore other parts of the corridor.

*Whoosh!*

Dongbo Xueying also departed the Sea of Consciousness.

After traversing the blood-red membrane wall in a few breaths, he retraced his path swiftly. Though his flight speed was far slower than Haogu Venerable’s, after three days, he finally reached his destination.

“Here we are.”

Dongbo Xueying arrived before a towering, mountain-like ‘Serpent Fang,’ pitch-black and surrounded by countless spatial rifts.

*Whoosh!*

He shot upward, ascending rapidly toward the peak of the fang.

*Hiss—*

Void rifts appeared incessantly, but Dongbo Xueying sensed and dodged them in advance. Upon reaching the summit, he saw the fang’s razor-sharp tip—so lethal it made him imagine the colossal serpent using it to rend its enemies. This fang was likely far more terrifying than even his simplified Hunyuan divine weapon.

The apex of the towering black fang was a convergence of countless blade-like formations, each edge sharper than the last. As Dongbo Xueying observed closely, the ‘blades’ in his vision expanded—growing larger than entire continents. He could clearly discern their intricate internal structures.

“Fascinating.” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes widened in surprise. Frowning slightly, he quickly descended, seating himself cross-legged between two of the blade-like formations at the fang’s peak.

He immersed himself in contemplation.

—

Here, atop the Void Serpent Fang, there were no dangers, no drain on the Serpent Fang Marrow Pearl’s power. Dongbo Xueying could cultivate freely.

One of his avatars remained inside an orb space, repeatedly studying memory fragments for insights.

Meanwhile, his main body—armed with the Serpent Fang Marrow Pearl—meditated atop the black Void Serpent Fang.

The moment he saw the internal structure of the countless blades at the fang’s peak, he was captivated. Why? Because it bore striking similarities to his own deductions for *Hunyuan Body Refining, Third Layer*. His goal for this layer was to create the perfect body-refining technique.

The ‘initial version’ had been a collaborative effort between him and the Xia Emperor, granting them physical prowess rivaling ordinary invincible experts.

Yet, the initial version remained crude, with many imperfections.

Both Dongbo Xueying and the Xia Emperor had chosen to pursue their own paths, parting ways for the time being.

“This Void Serpent Fang…” Dongbo Xueying reveled in his discovery.

The internal structure of the countless blades was sublimely profound.

Drawing from it and integrating his own insights, he gradually refined the ‘second version’ of *Hunyuan Body Refining, Third Layer*.

Time flew.

Eighteen billion years had passed since Dongbo Xueying entered the Serpent Fang Corridor.

Seated between two ‘blades’ atop a colossal black fang, the white-robed cultivator smiled. “This time, it must succeed! It feels flawless—let’s test it!” He extended his right hand, initiating a transformation from the most microscopic level.

Creating a body-refining technique was a trial-and-error process. Countless attempts often led to bodily disintegration.

But with his soul intact, he could reform his body in an instant.

*Hiss—*

Starting with his right hand, Dongbo Xueying’s fingernails sharpened into lethal edges, his skin hardening into overlapping blade-like layers. A terrifying power gathered within his hand.

“Not good.”

His expression darkened.

The sheer force concentrated in his right hand placed immense strain on his body. Continuing the transformation risked total collapse.

Even maintaining this ‘monstrous right hand’ drained his energy at an alarming rate.

“How is this possible? Just sustaining my right hand consumes energy this quickly?” Panic surged within him. At this rate, his body would disintegrate within minutes.

“Failure.”

He shook his head.

In theory, a perfected body should endure eternally with negligible energy expenditure—like the initial version of *Hunyuan Body Refining, Third Layer*, which was stable and efficient.

But this ‘second version’ was unstable, demanding exorbitant costs just to maintain a single enhanced limb.

“Yet, this is the most perfected method I’ve conceived.” Dongbo Xueying sighed. He had exhausted all avenues of thought, convinced of its perfection—yet the result fell far short of expectations.

“But what of its power?” He waved his right hand experimentally.

*Slash—*

The five fingers, their nails and skin lined with countless micro-blades, merged their forces seamlessly, slicing open five spatial rifts. Dongbo Xueying’s eyes widened slightly. Given the Serpent Fang Corridor’s resilience, this display was impressive.

“Though far from the flawless state I envisioned, its power is at least at the Emperor-tier level.”

He and the Xia Emperor sought perfection—a *Hunyuan Body Refining, Third Layer* that would elevate them to semi-Hunyankin lifeforms, granting them Emperor-tier pinnacle strength, perhaps even breaking their shackles to ascend as true Hunyankin.

“Regardless, this is at least entry-level Emperor-tier strength,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled wryly. “Becoming a Hunyankin is no simple feat. Even reaching semi-Hunyankin status is a distant dream.”

The initial version of *Hunyuan Body Refining* had granted him King-tier pinnacle power.

Now, despite its instability, this second version granted him entry-level Emperor-tier strength—roughly 30% of his full combat power when wielding the Hunyuan divine spear, River of Azure.