Star Core Secret Treasure, Void Ancient Palace

Deep within the Starfall Secret Realm, lay an area even more silent and fragmented.

Massive star remnants floated like gravestones in the Void Realm, their cold starlight reflecting eternal desolation. The space here was even more unstable; tiny cracks frequently appeared and disappeared silently, swallowing everything.

Nightmare's figure moved like a phantom, traversing between the star remnants. He concealed all his aura, relying on the rule fragment's subtle spatial perception to precisely avoid the dangerous spatial cracks and energy turbulence.

After seizing the heavenly fate flower king, he did not immediately leave the Secret Realm. The "exotic treasure" that caused the Secret Realm to open prematurely still stirred his curiosity, as well as a faint resonance with the vast Luck within his body.

He could feel that the source of the exotic treasure's fluctuation was in the most core and dangerous area of this Secret Realm.

Along the way, he encountered several groups of other Cultivators searching for the exotic treasure, and even saw the party of Azure Glass, the Blue Phoenix Saintess, and the Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son from afar. Both sides clearly had not given up and were still searching diligently.

Nightmare did not meet them face-to-face, but instead relied on his stronger Divine Sense and the guidance of Luck, always managing to avoid them first or find a more convenient path.

The deeper he went, the harsher the environment became. Not only were spatial cracks densely packed, but a strange **Star Evil Spirit** also began to appear. This Evil Spirit had no physical body, composed entirely of pure Star Evil Qi and residual resentment. It was formless and intangible, yet capable of directly attacking the Divine Soul, making it extremely difficult to deal with. Once entangled, it would fight relentlessly.

Relying on the power of his Myriad Poison Demonic Soul and the protection of the rule fragment, Nightmare handled the situation with ease. He even conveniently killed several particularly powerful Evil Spirits, absorbing their Evil Qi to slightly nourish his myriad soul banner and Wind-Devouring Demonic Vine.

After traveling for several more days and passing through a massive jungle of star remnants that resembled a labyrinth, the scene before him suddenly opened up.

Ahead, a relatively stable patch of the Void Realm actually appeared. Suspended within the Void Realm was a complete, small palace radiating soft starlight!

This palace was similar in style to the broken ancient palace seen outside, but much smaller in scale and preserved extremely well. It was entirely forged from a dark blue Star Divine Metal, with starlight flowing across its surface like water waves, emanating an ancient and vast aura.

The palace gate was tightly shut, inscribed with countless complex Star Runes that formed a powerful Protective Formation.

And the fluctuation of the exotic treasure that had triggered the Secret Realm and resonated with Nightmare's Luck was emanating precisely from this complete Star Palace!

"This is it!" A sharp light flashed in Nightmare's eyes. He could sense that the treasure inside the palace was definitely extraordinary!

He carefully observed the Formation on the palace gate. The Formation was extremely profound, connected to the core Power of the Stars of the entire Secret Realm. Forcibly breaking it would likely trigger a devastating counterattack from the entire Secret Realm.

But for Nightmare, this was not unsolvable. He possessed a rule fragment, which allowed him to a certain extent to "deceive" and "bypass" the Formation Laws of this realm.

He sat cross-legged in the Void Realm, and his Divine Sense slowly extended, like the finest carving knife, beginning to analyze the structure and energy nodes of the gate's Formation. The power of the rule fragment circulated in his Sea of Consciousness, helping him decipher the ancient Star Runes.

This process was extremely taxing on his mind. This Formation was left behind by an Ancient Star Official, and its complexity far exceeded the Formation system of the current Cultivation World.

Time passed little by little.

During this time, other Cultivators also found their way here. When they saw the complete Star Palace, all of them revealed expressions of greed and ecstasy! But when they tried to approach or attack the gate, they were all mercilessly repelled by the Formation, with some even sustaining serious injuries.

Later, the party of Saintess Azure Glass and the Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son also arrived successively. When they saw the palace, their gazes were equally fervent, but after trying, they also failed to break the Formation. They could only guard from a distance with ugly expressions, seemingly planning to wait for someone else to open the Formation before making their move.

Some also tried to launch a joint powerful attack, but the Formation was as stable as Mount Tai, and the backlash was incredibly fierce. After losing a few more people, no one dared to try again easily.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily fell upon the black-robed figure who had been sitting quietly in front of the palace gate, seemingly in meditation. They could sense that this person seemed to be using some special method to break the Formation.

Saintess Azure Glass and the Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son looked at Nightmare with even greater apprehension and killing intent. They had already recognized that this person was the mysterious Devil Head who stole the heavenly fate flower king!

Nightmare seemed oblivious to the surrounding stares, his entire mind immersed in the deduction of the Formation.

After an unknown amount of time, his tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open!

"So that's it... Using the Stars of the Universe as the foundation, and the star core as the eye... What an exquisite arrangement!"

He stood up tall, and his hands began to quickly form seals. Strange demonic formulas, imbued with the power of the rule fragment, were struck into different positions on the gate.

Buzz... Buzz... Buzz... As the demonic formulas merged, the tightly shut Star Gate began to vibrate slightly! The starlight flowing across its surface became rapid, and the Star Runes lit up one by one, as if coming alive!

All the surrounding Cultivators held their breath, watching the scene nervously.

Saintess Azure Glass and the Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son secretly condensed their magic power, preparing to strike and seize the treasure at any moment!

Finally, as the last demonic formula fell!

Click... a soft sound, as if some kind of lock had been opened.

The impossibly heavy Star Gate slowly and silently opened a crack inwards!

An aura that was purer, more ancient, and seemed to contain the mysteries of the Star Origin surged out from the gap!

The door was open!

The moment the gate opened!

"Attack!"

"Grab it!"

Saintess Azure Glass and the Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son roared almost simultaneously! The two transformed into streaks of azure and gold light, rushing toward the opening gate at the fastest speed! Their subordinates simultaneously pounced on Nightmare, trying to stop him!

Seeing this, the other Cultivators also turned red-eyed, howling as they rushed forward, hoping to fish in troubled waters!

"You don't know how to treasure your life!"

Nightmare's eyes turned cold; he was already prepared!

He simply stomped his foot!

Boom!

The myriad soul soul-devouring banner suddenly plunged into the Void Realm, its banner surface swelling. Countless powerful vengeful souls surged out like a tide, instantly setting up the **Myriad Soul Netherworld Formation**, covering a large area around the palace! Yin winds howled and ghosts wailed, instantly trapping most of the charging Cultivators within the Formation!

At the same time, the Wind-Devouring Demonic Vine grew wildly, transforming into countless ferocious black Flood Dragons, whipping and coiling towards Saintess Azure Glass and the Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son, slowing their speed!

As for Nightmare himself, when the gate opened just enough for a person to pass through, his figure flashed, and he was the first to rush into the palace!

"Dream on!" Fairy Qing Li shouted, and a True Blue Phoenix Feather appeared above her head, erupting with dazzling blue light, temporarily forcing back the Wind-Devouring Demonic Vine, and she immediately rushed inside as well!

The Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son also roared, sacrificing a shuttle-shaped Magic Treasure to break through the vine obstruction, and was the third to rush into the palace!

The remaining Cultivators were firmly blocked by the Myriad Soul Formation and the demonic vine, completely unable to approach the gate!

Inside the palace, it was not the treasure chamber filled with treasures they had imagined, but an incredibly vast **Starry Sky**!

It felt like stepping into a miniature Universe! All around were slowly rotating stars, and beneath their feet was a brilliant Milky Way. And at the very center of the Starry Sky, three items were suspended:

A mass of **liquid metal** constantly changing shape and emitting multicolored starlight;

A **scroll** composed of starlight;

And a **Star Heart** only the size of a fist, yet seemingly containing endless energy and slowly pulsing!

The exotic treasure fluctuations that triggered the Secret Realm were emanating precisely from these three items! Moreover, the fluctuations emitted by each item were distinctly different, yet all were powerful enough to make one tremble!

"star source core!"

"The ancient scripture of the star god!"

"And... the Heart of the Ancient Star Official?!"

Saintess Azure Glass gasped in surprise, her beautiful eyes filled with incredible ecstasy! Each of these three items was a peerless rarity capable of triggering a great war in the Cultivation World! Especially for Cultivators who Cultivate Star Cultivation Techniques, they were supreme treasures!

The Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son was also breathing rapidly, his eyes full of greed!

Although Nightmare did not know the specific names of these three items, he could sense the terrifying value and energy they contained!

Without any further ado!

The three of them attacked almost simultaneously, reaching for the target they desired most!

Nightmare's target was the constantly changing **star source core**! This item felt the strangest to him, seemingly containing the Star Origin Law, subtly resonating with his rule fragment!

Fairy Qing Li reached for the ancient scripture of the star god! This scripture was clearly the most suitable for her to Cultivate.

The Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son reached for the Star Heart with the strongest energy!

However, just as their hands were about to touch the treasures!

A change occurred again!

The three treasures suddenly erupted with intense light, and then, as if possessing sentience, they abruptly separated and shot away in three different directions! Their speed was astonishing!

At the same time, the entire Starry Sky Palace violently shook! The surrounding stars began to fall, and the Milky Way rolled backward! This space seemed on the verge of collapse due to the movement of the treasures!

"Treasures have spirit and choose their own masters? Trying to escape?" A fierce light flashed in Nightmare's eyes. The power of the rule fragment erupted fully, instantly locking onto the escaping star source core. His five fingers curled into a claw, and he fiercely grabbed at the Void Realm!

"Get back here!"

An invisible power of confinement, transcending the Law of this realm, instantly enveloped the star source core!

The mass of liquid metal suddenly paused, struggling violently. The multicolored starlight flashed frantically, subtly trying to break free from the rule fragment's restraint!

On the other side, Fairy Qing Li also sacrificed the azure feather fan. With a fierce wave, an azure tornado instantly caught up to the ancient scripture of the star god, wrapping around it and pulling! Starlight burst forth from the ancient scripture, resisting the tornado.

The Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son directly spat out essence blood, sprinkling it onto the Star Heart, attempting to forcibly seize it using the Blood Refinement Method! The heart pounded frantically, erupting with terrifying energy shockwaves that sent him staggering backward, spitting blood!

All three were locked in a stalemate with the treasures! And the speed at which the entire palace was collapsing grew faster and faster!

Nightmare snorted coldly, demonic light bursting from his eyes. The rule fragment in his Sea of Consciousness operated frantically!

"A dead thing dares to resist? Suppress!"

He fiercely increased the output of the rule power, and the invisible confinement instantly tightened!

Poof!

The starlight on the surface of the star source core suddenly dimmed, its struggling intensity greatly reduced. He forcibly pulled it back and grabbed it in his hand! It felt cold to the touch yet incredibly heavy, as if he were holding a sea of stars!

After succeeding, he didn't even look at the other two, turning around and rushing toward the collapsing palace gate!

Seeing this, Fairy Qing Li gritted her silver teeth and fiercely activated a secret technique. The phantom of a Blue Phoenix reappeared behind her, letting out a clear cry. Its claws firmly grasped the ancient scripture of the star god, finally suppressing it temporarily and storing it in her sleeve, then rapidly retreated toward the palace gate.

Only the Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son, whose strength was slightly inferior and who was too eager for success, was severely injured by the backlash from the Star Heart. He could only watch helplessly as the heart transformed into a streak of light, pierced through the top of the palace, and vanished into the collapsing Starry Sky!

"No!" He let out an unwilling roar, but was struck by a falling star fragment, compounding his injuries!

At this moment, Nightmare and Fairy Qing Li had already rushed out of the palace gate one after the other!

The moment the two rushed out of the palace gate!

Boom—!!!

The entire Star Palace violently collapsed inward, then erupted in an indescribably terrifying Star Storm, sweeping in all directions!

The Cultivators waiting outside were terrified out of their wits and scattered, fleeing!

Nightmare and Fairy Qing Li also used their respective methods to resist the impact of the storm, rapidly fleeing in different directions!

After the storm, only a massive spatial vortex remained in that section of the Void Realm, slowly rotating. The Star Palace had completely vanished.

The Heavenly Patrol Alliance Holy Son and his subordinates were of unknown fate.

The battle for the exotic treasure thus concluded.

Nightmare fled millions of miles away, and only stopped after confirming no one was tracking him.

He opened his palm. The star source core lay quietly in his grasp, emitting charming multicolored starlight and vast Star Law fluctuations.

"It truly is a good thing..." Nightmare could feel that this item offered incalculable benefits for him to comprehend the rule fragment and perfect his own Dao.

This journey was a complete Perfection.

Not only did he obtain the heavenly mandate flower, but he also unexpectedly gained this star source core.

It was time to leave the Starfall Secret Realm and prepare for the final ceremony.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the Secret Realm space, looking toward the distant Central State Continent.

The Secret Curse of Stealing Fate and Exchanging Heaven was about to be truly completed.

And his path to Soul Transformation would begin from here.

Nightmare no longer lingered, transforming into a streak of light and heading toward the Secret Realm exit.