Shadows of the Imperial City, Dens of Dragons and Tigers

Deep within the Central Province Imperial Dynasty, the atmosphere was magnificent.

Above the vast plains, a colossal city, whose magnificence defied description, lay prone like a slumbering ancient beast.

The city walls towered into the clouds, gleaming with a cold metallic luster, inscribed with countless powerful defensive runes. The patrolling Imperial Dynasty Forbidden Guards wore bright armor and exuded fierce auras.

Above the giant city, invisible Imperial Dragon Qi gathered, forming faint golden clouds that emitted an awe-inspiring aura capable of suppressing all directions and compelling submission.

This was the heart of the Central Province Imperial Dynasty—the Imperial Capital, Dragon Abyss City!

Even Nightmare, feeling the majestic Imperial Dragon Qi from afar and the few faint, abyss-like terrifying auras within the city, felt his expression grow slightly serious.

[rule fragment] feedback: The defensive system of Dragon Abyss City far surpassed that of Tian'shu City. The gathered Imperial Dragon Qi exerted immense suppression on non-Imperial Dynasty Cultivators. Furthermore, more than one old monster at the Hedao Stage was hidden within the city, and there might even be a Mahayana Stage entity slumbering!

Charging in directly was by no means a wise move.

But he had not come this time to charge in directly.

[rule fragment] operated slightly, quickly reviewing the information obtained from searching Zhao Zheng's soul regarding the internal personnel of the Imperial Dynasty Consecrated Hall, the vulnerabilities of the Formation, and several secret passages.

His figure flickered, and the aura and Law fluctuations around his body instantly became obscure and hazy, as if he had merged with the surrounding environment; even the keenest spiritual sense would find it difficult to detect.

At the same time, his appearance adjusted slightly, becoming plain and unremarkable as he blended into the endless stream of people outside the city, heading towards Dragon Abyss City.

After paying the entry fee and passing through the city gate Formation capable of detecting malice and cultivation levels, [rule fragment] quietly simulated the fluctuations of an ordinary Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, easily passing through.

Upon entering the Imperial Capital, a wave of bustling prosperity and flourishing Dragon Qi rushed toward him.

The streets were wide and tidy, filled with endless traffic and lined with shops. Cultivators and Mortals rubbed shoulders, among whom were many with powerful auras.

The prosperity and strength of the Imperial Dynasty could be seen here.

Nightmare was like a drop of water in the ocean, completely inconspicuous.

He did not look around, but [rule fragment] acted like an invisible net, quietly covering a radius of several dozen miles, collecting all useful information.

Street gossip, restaurant chatter, official carriages, the flow of Formation energy... countless pieces of information poured into [rule fragment], which, after high-speed processing and analysis, constantly revised his action plan.

According to Zhao Zheng's memory, the headquarters of the Hall of Consecrated Elders was located in the "Hidden Dragon Palace" in the southwest corner of the Imperial City. The guards were extremely strict, and there was a special Formation isolating the space, making it impossible to infiltrate by ordinary means.

However, there was a secret passage, a tunnel that Zhao Zheng had secretly operated for many years to handle some shady business. The entrance was located in the underground wine cellar of a royal villa outside the city, and the exit led directly to an abandoned storeroom inside the Hidden Dragon Palace.

Nightmare in the city circled a few times, and after confirming no one was following, quietly arrived at the seemingly ordinary royal villa.

[rule fragment] easily avoided several visible and hidden sentries, sneaked into the underground wine cellar, and found the cleverly hidden Formation entrance.

[rule fragment] cracked the entrance Restriction, and his figure slipped inside.

The passage was dark and damp, filled with a musty smell, but there were no guards.

Nightmare moved extremely fast, passing through like a ghost.

About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense later, a faint light appeared ahead.

[rule fragment] sensed the scene outside the exit—it was indeed an abandoned room piled with miscellaneous items, and there were rhythmic patrolling footsteps in the corridor outside.

He patiently waited for the patrol to pass, then [rule fragment] silently pried open the exit panel, slipped out, and immediately restored the panel to its original state.

Inside the Hidden Dragon Palace, the Spiritual Qi was so dense it could not be dissolved, yet it carried an oppressive majesty of imperial power.

Night-luminescent pearls were embedded in the corridor walls, and the floor was covered with luxurious carpets, but the air was filled with a faint, lingering smell of blood and a subtle evil aura, which was completely out of place with the external splendor.

[rule fragment], following his memory, avoided the main corridors and patrol routes, creeping towards the depths of the Hidden Dragon Palace, to the Forbidden Ground known as "Qianyuan Pavilion."

Zhao Zheng's memory indicated that it housed the most core confidential dossiers of the Hall of Consecrated Elders, and might even contain more information about the "Blight of Nothingness" and the royal family's plans.

Along the way, he encountered several waves of patrolling guards and occasional Cultivators from the Hall of Consecrated Elders, all of whom were detected in advance by [rule fragment] and easily avoided using movement techniques and concealment arts.

His movements were like a shadow in the dark night, silent and traceless.

Finally, a side hall shrouded in powerful Restrictions and emitting an ancient aura appeared before him.

Above the hall door hung a plaque with gold characters on a black background—"Qianyuan Pavilion."

The Restriction at the entrance was extremely complex, integrating various protective measures such as Imperial Dragon Qi, spatial locks, and Divine Soul sensing, which an ordinary Void Refining Cultivator could not silently crack.

But this could not stump Nightmare.

[rule fragment] flickered slightly, beginning to analyze the structure and energy nodes of the Restriction at high speed.

At the same time, the Power of Annihilation condensed at his fingertips, transforming into countless runes smaller than dust, which, like a scalpel, precisely cut into several key nodes of the Restriction!

Sss, sss, sss...

The Restriction light curtain rippled slightly like water, emitting an extremely faint, almost inaudible sound, and then quietly split open a gap just large enough for one person to pass through.

[rule fragment] interfered with the Divine Soul sensing part, without triggering any alarm.

Nightmare flashed and entered the pavilion.

The light inside the pavilion was dim, filled with the smell of books and old things.

Rows of tall Jade Slip shelves were arranged neatly, holding countless Jade Slips, scrolls, and even some ancient beast-skin books, all categorized.

[rule fragment] instantly locked onto several locations with the strongest energy fluctuations and the tightest Restrictions.

He first came to a jade shelf marked "Jia-Qi," where [rule fragment] easily broke the Restriction on it and took out a dark golden Jade Slip.

His Divine Sense sank in—

"Imperial Dynasty Secret: Void Altar Project"!

What was recorded in the Jade Slip was precisely a part of the terrifying plan that the Imperial Dynasty was secretly carrying out!

They seemed to be secretly building structures called "Void Altars" in major regions, requiring a large number of Cultivators with special Bloodlines and Divine Souls as sacrifices, with the goal of ushering the will of someone known as the "Lord of Nothingness" to descend into this world!

And ancient treasures like Ice Soul beads, which contained special Origins, were the keys used to stabilize and strengthen the passage!

The plan was crazy and vicious, treating billions of living beings as mere grass!

[rule fragment] quickly recorded all the information, including several possible locations for the altar construction.

Subsequently, he cracked several nearby Restrictions and found scattered records about "old ones," "Abyss fissures," and the royal family's cooperation with a mysterious "Shadow Clan."

The information was still incomplete, but it was enough to piece together what a dangerous gamble the Imperial Dynasty was undertaking!

Just as he was preparing to continue exploring the black metal box in the deepest part, which was sealed by multiple Restrictions, [rule fragment] suddenly sent a top-level warning!

An icy, powerful Divine Sense filled with an indifferent will swept across Qianyuan Pavilion like an invisible searchlight!

The intensity of this Divine Sense far exceeded Void Refining; it was at least Late Stage Hedao, and might even have touched the threshold of Mahayana!

He had been discovered!

Almost the moment the Divine Sense swept over, a shrill and piercing alarm sounded throughout the Hidden Dragon Palace!

"Wooo—!!!"

"There is an intruder! In Qianyuan Pavilion!"

"Activate the Dragon-Trapping Formation! Seal all exits!"

"Kill without mercy!"

Countless powerful auras instantly erupted from every corner of the Hidden Dragon Palace, like awakened beasts, swarming towards Qianyuan Pavilion!

Nightmare's eyes turned cold, knowing he could not delay any longer.

He operated [rule fragment] at full power, disregarding the possible backlash, and forcibly grabbed at the black metal box!

Crack! Boom!

The Restriction outside the box flickered violently, erupting with blinding light, actually blocking his grab!

Instead, a backlash force carrying Imperial Dragon Qi and some kind of evil curse slammed along his arm towards his Divine Soul!

Nightmare groaned, his nirvana dao seed vibrating, instantly annihilating the backlash force, but his arm felt slightly numb.

Such a strong Restriction! The thing inside this box was definitely not simple!

But there was no time to try again now.

[rule fragment] sensed that at least three Hedao Stage auras had locked onto this place, one of which was the owner of that terrifying Divine Sense just now!

Without hesitation, he abandoned the box, and [rule fragment] invoked the Law of space, preparing to forcibly tear through space and leave!

However, the surrounding space seemed to have turned into walls of bronze and iron, completely locked and solidified by a stronger Imperial Dragon Qi and spatial Law!

The Dragon-Trapping Formation had been activated!

"Evil spawn! Stay!"

An aged but thunderous roar like a great bell came from outside the hall, and a giant golden palm, formed entirely of Imperial Dragon Qi, shattered the Void Realm, carrying a terrifying might that suppressed everything, and slammed towards Qianyuan Pavilion!

The person who attacked was definitely the pillar of the Imperial Dynasty's Hall of Consecrated Elders, a terrifying entity at the Late Stage Hedao!

With a Hedao Cultivator blocking the way ahead, space locked behind, and countless experts surrounding him!

The situation instantly became critical!

A trace of crazy Battle Intent flashed in Nightmare's eyes!

"Just by relying on you, you want to keep This Sovereign?"

[rule fragment] and the nirvana dao seed roared with unprecedented intensity!

"True Meaning of Nirvana! All Things Return to Nothingness!"

He no longer held back, his cultivation at the peak of Late Stage Void Refining exploding with full force. The Annihilation Domain, which had been strengthened many times, expanded violently, no longer just a thousand zhang, but instantly enveloping the entire Qianyuan Pavilion and its surrounding area!

Within the Domain, all things withered, Laws collapsed, Imperial Dragon Qi wailed and dissipated, the spatial lock vibrated violently, and the incoming giant golden palm became illusory and dim at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"What?! What kind of Domain is this?!"

The voice of the Hedao old monster came from outside the hall, filled with shock and uncertainty.

Taking this opportunity, Nightmare condensed [rule fragment] to the extreme and struck at the spatial lock weakened by the Domain!

"Break!"

Crack—!

Like glass shattering, the solid spatial lock was forcibly torn open!

Nightmare's figure flashed, turning into a streak of Nirvana light, instantly rushing out of Qianyuan Pavilion and towards that rift!

"Where are you going!"

The Hedao old monster was furious and slapped with another palm, while other arriving experts also launched attacks one after another!

Nightmare did not look back and waved his hand behind him!

"Returning this to you!"

The power of the Annihilation Domain was guided by him, colliding fiercely with the incoming attacks!

Rumble—!!!

A terrifying energy explosion erupted above the Hidden Dragon Palace, with brilliant light and chaotic Laws; the entire Imperial Capital could feel that terrible tremor!

Countless buildings shook violently, and Cultivators with low cultivation were directly knocked unconscious by the shock!

Taking advantage of this chaos, Nightmare's figure had already merged into the spatial rift and disappeared!

Leaving behind only the devastated Qianyuan Pavilion, and a group of flustered, shocked, and angry Imperial Dynasty experts.

The Late Stage Hedao old monster revealed his figure; he was an old man wearing royal attire, with a withered face but eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

He looked in the direction Nightmare had disappeared, his face terrifyingly gloomy.

"Nirvana... to actually have cultivated to such a Realm... this child must never be allowed to live!"

He glanced at the damaged Qianyuan Pavilion and the black box that was still intact, a trace of lingering fear and determination flashing in his eyes.

"Pass the order! Activate the 'Heaven Hunting Project'! At all costs, hunt down and kill Nightmare!"

"Yes!"

The Imperial Dynasty's war machine, because of Nightmare's infiltration this time, went completely crazy!

At this moment, Nightmare had already appeared in the Void Realm tens of thousands of miles away. [rule fragment] recorded the precious intelligence obtained this time, but a trace of golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Forcibly confronting a Late Stage Hedao, and then driving his Domain to tear through the Imperial Capital's grand Formation lock, consumed him greatly and also caused him a slight injury from the backlash.

But, it was worth it.

The Imperial Dynasty's crazy plan had already been exposed before his eyes.

"Void Altar... Lord of Nothingness..."

Cold light flickered in Nightmare's eyes, and [rule fragment] locked onto the closest possible location for an altar construction.

"The hunt has begun."

He took a few Medicinal Pills, suppressed his injuries, and his figure merged into the Void Realm again.

This time, he would shift from the identity of prey to... a hunter!

The Imperial Dynasty's altars should be destroyed.