Zhang Xingcha sets sail, revealing the ancient battlefield.

After the father and son of Yang Dingtian fled in disarray, the Sea Market once again returned to superficial calm. However, rumors about "Nightmare" grew even more rampant, and his fearsome reputation completely intimidated all Cultivators who came and went. As a result, no one dared to approach the Star Raft Sea branch easily, which allowed Nightmare to enjoy some peace and quiet.

Inside the quiet room, Nightmare toyed with the black metal fragment he had obtained from Yang Yan. The fragment was cool to the touch, neither gold nor iron in material. The ancient patterns etched on it were remarkably similar to the style of the Star Palace, and the faint spatial fluctuations it emitted carried a unique Star Palace charm.

"System, perform a deep scan of the fragment, cross-reference the database, and analyze its origin and possible uses," Nightmare commanded.

[Command received... Initiating deep scan... Material analysis: Unknown stellar alloy, 78% similarity to Star Palace Ruins Materials... Pattern analysis: Incomplete spatial array pattern, 13% commonality with Star Palace teleportation arrays... Contains extremely faint and chaotic spatial coordinate information internally, completely damaged and unreadable...]

[Speculation: This object should be part of a large Star Palace Magic Treasure or structure, shattered due to violent impact or ancient age. Its main body may have been completely destroyed.]

[Usage: Cannot be used directly, but its material can serve as an auxiliary material for refining spatial Magic Treasures, or as a faint beacon to sense other Star Palace Ruins.]

"Beacon?" Nightmare's eyes flickered. Although the fragment itself was not of great value, if it could help him sense other Star Palace Ruins, it would be an unexpected delight. He put the fragment away, saving it for future study.

After several days of quiet Cultivation and Medicinal Pill conditioning, his injuries were fully recovered. His cultivation had even benefited from the misfortune, making progress in confronting the pressure of a Soul Transformation Perfection Cultivator and the dangers of the Void Realm, firmly stabilizing at the peak of Mid-stage Soul Transformation, just a hair's breadth from the Late Stage.

It was time to leave the Sea Market and continue his journey.

He found Liu Jin and directly stated his intention to leave.

Although Liu Jin felt regret, he dared not force this harbinger of evil to stay, yet he still said enthusiastically, "Fellow Daoist Ye, where do you intend to go? If you need transportation, my Star Raft Sea has several well-performing 'Gale Shuttles' prepared here. They are extremely fast and can be given to Fellow Daoist for travel."

Nightmare shook his head, took out the Jade Slip that recorded the dangerous areas of the Void Sea, and pointed to one of the areas marked as extremely dangerous—the "Star Remains Ancient Battlefield."

"This Sovereign wishes to visit this place. I heard your sect excels at Void Realm navigation. Do you have a Star Raft or route that goes directly to this area?"

"Star Remains Ancient Battlefield?" Liu Jin's face instantly changed when he saw the location, revealing a look of fear, "Fellow Daoist Ye, you cannot go there!"

He quickly explained, "That Star Remains Ancient Battlefield is one of the most dangerous forbidden lands in the Void Sea! Legend has it that it is the site of an earth-shattering war in ancient times, where countless stars shattered, forming a large area of extremely chaotic airspace. Not only is it densely packed with spatial rifts and ravaged by energy storms, but what's more terrifying is the pervasive 'Battle Soul Evil Qi' and spatial traps, which can erode the Divine Soul and distort space. Even a Deity Transformation Cultivator who falls into it would have only a slim chance of survival! Moreover, it is said that there are extremely powerful 'Ancient Battlefield Evil Spirits' wandering there, whose strength is comparable to, or even stronger than, a Deity Transformation Cultivator! Our Star Raft Sea's routes dare not approach within ten thousand li of that area!"

Upon hearing this, Nightmare showed no fear; instead, a hint of interest flashed in his eyes. The more dangerous a place, the more likely it was to hide opportunities. That Battle Soul Evil Qi might be helpful for him to temper his Nirvana Star Evil, and Ancient Battlefield ruins often implied the possibility of lost treasures or Legacies.

"No matter, you just need to tell This Sovereign the general location," Nightmare said calmly.

Seeing that persuasion was useless, Liu Jin could only give a wry smile, took out a more detailed Void Sea star chart Jade Slip, marked the general location of the Star Remains Ancient Battlefield on it, and repeatedly warned him about several famous dangerous spots.

"Thank you." Nightmare put away the star chart and prepared to take his leave.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, please wait!" Liu Jin suddenly called out to him. After a slight hesitation, he took out a palm-sized, exquisitely crafted silver miniature boat model from his storage ring and handed it over.

"This is a 'void submersible boat' specially made by my Star Raft Sea. Although it is only miniature, once activated, it can burst out with extreme speed in a short time and can, to a certain extent, evade Spatial Turbulence and conceal its aura. It might be helpful for Fellow Daoist's movements in such a dangerous place. This is a small token of my regard; please be sure to accept it, Fellow Daoist!"

The void submersible boat was clearly not an ordinary item and was quite valuable. Liu Jin's action was both to repay the life-saving grace and to forge a good relationship.

Nightmare glanced at the silver boat, did not decline, and casually took it: "You are thoughtful."

He said no more, nodded slightly to Liu Jin, and with a flicker of his figure, he vanished from the branch.

The next moment, his figure had already appeared in the Void Realm outside the Sea Market.

Looking back at the Sea Market, which resembled an isolated island, Nightmare did not linger. Guided by the star chart, he transformed into a faint stream of light and sped towards the "Star Remains Ancient Battlefield," a place known as a forbidden zone of life.

The further he flew towards the Ancient Battlefield, the harsher the surrounding environment became.

The stellar remnants floating in the Void Realm grew larger and denser, some even resembling small continents, covered with enormous impact craters and torn marks. The Spatial Turbulence became more violent and chaotic, and color-distorted energy storms swept through like giant beasts from time to time, devouring everything.

Even some huge, scar-like spatial rifts began to appear, slowly opening and closing, emitting a heart-palpitating suction.

Nightmare had to slow down, carefully avoiding these dangers. He tried activating the void submersible boat.

The silver boat instantly enlarged, transforming into a streamlined flying boat capable of carrying only one person. Runes flashed on its surface, forming a shuttle-shaped protective shield. Its speed indeed increased significantly, and its resistance to Spatial Turbulence was greatly enhanced. It could also conceal its tracks to a certain extent, truly proving to be a good Void Realm flying Magic Treasure.

With the submersible boat as transportation, his speed increased considerably.

After several more days of travel, the surrounding scenery became even more terrifying.

The Void Realm before him was like a shattered mirror haphazardly pieced back together, covered with huge, grotesque spatial rifts and twisted bands of light. Countless enormous stellar remnants and fragments of broken Magic Treasures and warships were mixed together, forming an endless graveyard of death.

The air was filled with an intensely thick, suffocating Evil Qi! This Evil Qi was mixed with endless grievances, Battle Intent, Killing Intent, and a strange energy radiation, continuously impacting Cultivators' Divine Souls and Physical Bodies. An ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator here would likely lose control of their mind and have their Physical Body collapse within an hour or two.

This was the edge of the Star Remains Ancient Battlefield!

Nightmare put away the void submersible boat, hovering at the edge of this death-filled airspace. Feeling the immense Battle Soul Evil Qi, his eyes showed not discomfort, but a hint of satisfaction.

Although this Evil Qi was violent, it was a great tonic for his Nirvana Star Evil Cultivation! Especially the remnants of Battle Intent from ancient powerhouses contained within it—if he could absorb and refine them, it would bring immeasurable benefits to tempering his Divine Soul and enhancing the power of his Nirvana Star Evil!

He circulated his Cultivation Technique, and dark gold patterns and starlight appeared on his body, like an invisible vortex, slowly beginning to absorb and refine the surrounding Battle Soul Evil Qi.

Strands of gray-red Evil Qi were drawn into his body, refined by the rule fragment and his Cultivation Technique, removing Impurities and harmful grievances, and integrating the purest Evil Qi and Battle Intent into himself.

His Nirvana Star Evil became even more condensed, subtly imbued with a tragic, murderous Qi of clashing weapons and charging horses, its power seemingly increasing by another fraction.

"Indeed, a good place." Nightmare smiled faintly and stepped into the depths of this Ancient Battlefield.

The deeper he went, the denser the Evil Qi became, even beginning to condense into faint gray-red mist. Within the mist, indistinct shouts of battle, roars, and sounds of Magic Treasure collisions occasionally echoed, as if they were the reverberations of that ancient war, disturbing one's mind.

Huge skeletons began to appear on the ground. Some were humanoid, others were strangely shaped alien races, uncorrupted after countless ages, still exuding astonishing pressure. Occasionally, he could also see some broken Magic Treasure fragments, stripped of all spiritual essence, buried in the dust.

Nightmare activated his Divine Sense fully, absorbing Evil Qi while carefully searching for possible treasures or clues.

Suddenly!

From his front-side, a highly condensed gray-red Evil Qi, filled with insane Killing Intent, shot out from the mist like a venomous snake, directly piercing towards the back of Nightmare's head!

This attack was silent, swift, and vicious, and it carried the characteristic of directly harming the Divine Soul!

Nightmare seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he simply turned around and inhaled!

That Evil Qi attack, which was enough to severely injure a Nascent Soul Cultivator's Divine Soul, was directly swallowed by him like a whale sucking in water!

Gulp.

He even smacked his lips in satisfaction, as if he had tasted something delicious.

"You hiding wretch, get out here for This Sovereign!"

He flicked a finger, and a wisp of Nirvana Star Evil, fused with Battle Soul Evil Qi, shot out, disappearing into the mist ahead.

"Aooo!"

A non-human roar, full of pain and ferocity, erupted! The mist churned, and a vaguely defined monster, entirely composed of condensed Evil Qi and fragmented battle souls, was forced out!

It had no fixed form, sometimes transforming into a hideous ghost face, sometimes into a broken weapon, exuding powerful fluctuations comparable to the Early Spirit Transformation Stage!

Ancient Battlefield Evil Spirit!

This Evil Spirit clearly had low intelligence, possessing only instincts for devouring and killing. After being attacked by Nightmare, it immediately pounced with rage, stirring up monstrous Evil Qi!

"Perfect timing!"

Nightmare was not alarmed but delighted. This Evil Spirit was the best tonic for refining the Evil Qi of this place!

He actively met it, not using any other Divine Ability, but simply circulating his Cultivation Technique, opening his large hand, and directly grabbing at the Evil Spirit!

His hand seemed to transform into a black hole, erupting with terrifying suction! As the Evil Spirit pounced closer, the Evil Qi on its body uncontrollably left it, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, being absorbed and refined by Nightmare into his body!

The Evil Spirit let out a terrified shriek, struggling desperately, but it could not resist the devouring power of the Nirvana Star Evil and rule fragment, which countered all evil and malevolent Qi!

In just a few breaths, that Evil Spirit, comparable to the Early Spirit Transformation Stage, was completely sucked dry and refined by Nightmare, turning into pure energy to replenish himself, leaving only a dark red Evil Qi crystal, the size of a longan, falling to the ground.

After absorbing this power, Nightmare felt his Divine Soul become even more condensed, and his Nirvana Star Evil also grew a little stronger.

"Not bad." He nodded in satisfaction, picked up the Evil Qi crystal, and continued to explore forward.

The closer he got to the core area, the higher the frequency of Evil Spirits appearing, and their strength also grew, with powerful Mid-stage Soul Transformation Evil Spirits even starting to emerge. But without exception, they all became cultivation resources for Nightmare.

He also found a relatively complete corpse of an alien race beneath a massive stellar remnant. Beside it, he discovered the remnant of a broken, dark golden spear, which, despite its damage, still exuded a fierce Killing Intent. Its grade had actually reached the Spirit Treasure level, though it was severely damaged and had lost much of its spiritual essence. Nightmare put it away, thinking it might be useful for re-refining in the future.

Finally, after passing through an extremely dense, almost impenetrable mist of Evil Qi, the scene before him suddenly opened up.

Ahead appeared a relatively open area. In the center of the area, a colossal, dark star core fragment, seemingly cleaved cleanly by a sharp blade, floated!

And on that star fragment, a broken greatsword was strikingly embedded!

Only half of the greatsword's blade and its hilt remained, with a jagged break. Its entire body displayed a dull, blood-red color, as if stained with the blood of countless gods and demons. Although long broken and devoid of all spiritual light, it still exuded a terrifying Killing Intent capable of annihilating stars and slaughtering all beings, along with supreme majesty!

Its Material was an exotic metal Nightmare had never seen before, seemingly capable of absorbing light, causing one's Divine Soul to ache with just a glance!

What shocked Nightmare even more was that both the rule fragment and the newly fused star rule imprint simultaneously transmitted strong pulsations and warnings when approaching this broken sword!

The level of this broken sword definitely far surpassed Spirit Treasures, possibly even exceeding the scope of Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures!

And the Killing Intent and majesty it exuded also made Nightmare feel a trace of fatal threat!

But at the same time, beneath the broken sword, on the surface of the star core, it seemed that due to its long-term suppression, several strange small grasses, entirely blood-red and shaped like small swords, had been nurtured, emitting incredibly pure Sword Intent and Evil Qi!

"This is... god-slaying sword grass?" Nightmare's eyes burst with astonishing light!

According to ancient records, this item is born only in places of extreme slaughter, absorbing the essence and residual Sword Intent of fallen gods and demons. It is a supreme holy object for tempering the Physical Body, condensing Sword Intent, and even comprehending the Law of Slaughter!

Danger and opportunity coexist here!

Nightmare stared intently at the broken sword and the sword grass beneath it, slowly approaching.

However, just as he stepped into that open area, less than a hundred zhang away!

The dark blood-colored broken sword embedded in the star core suddenly let out an extremely faint, yet soul-piercing, sword hum!

Buzz!

A tiny, almost invisible dark blood-colored Sword Qi, as if traveling from primordial antiquity, ignored spatial distance and instantly appeared before Nightmare's glabella!

Its speed was so fast, and its power so condensed, that Nightmare had no time to react!

The aura of death instantly enveloped him!