The demon's power was overwhelming, standing before the Nine Nether Gates.

Nightmare's appearance in Black Obsidian City, where he leveled an altar with a single finger and left a three-day ultimatum, was like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up monstrous waves across the entire Tianxuan Continent!

The Imperial Dynasty was enraged! For countless years, no one had ever dared to provoke the imperial majesty so brazenly! Especially not at this critical moment when they were plotting great things with the Shadow Clan!

The various powers were horrified! Hadn't that Nightmare fled after being heavily injured in the Imperial Capital? How long had it been? Not only were his injuries fully healed, but he had actually broken through to the Hedao Stage? What kind of terrifying cultivation speed was this? What kind of Heaven-Defying Opportunity had he obtained?

More importantly, his attitude! Forceful, overbearing, and making unmasked threats! He completely disregarded the Imperial Dynasty as if it were nothing!

“Madman! Utterly arrogant to the extreme!” In the deep palace of the Imperial Capital, the Zhao Family Old Ancestor, Zhao Wuji, was so angry he shattered a ten-thousand-year-old cold jade table with a single palm strike. Dragon Qi boiled around him, and the Void Realm trembled. “Investigate! Investigate for me! Where exactly is he hiding! Mobilize all forces and activate the ‘Heavenly Net’ Formation! I want to tear him into ten thousand pieces!”

“Old Ancestor, please calm your anger.” A figure shrouded in shadows below spoke slowly; it was the Shadow Clan Hedao Stage expert who had fled earlier. “This youth is strange; his strength grows too quickly, and the Nirvana law he wields greatly counters our power. A forced encirclement might lead to heavy losses and delay the Master's grand plan. It would be better to... temporarily avoid his edge, first reinforce and hide the various altars, and wait for the Master to descend...”

“Avoid?” Zhao Wuji's eyes were sinister. “He gave a three-day deadline! Now the whole world knows! If the Imperial Dynasty retreats, where will our majesty be? What will the forces attached to us think? We must strike back with thunderous force! Not only must we kill him, but we must also find that Su Wanqing and perform Soul Refining on her right before his eyes, letting him know the consequences of provoking the Imperial Dynasty!”

“But the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Prison is one of the Imperial Dynasty's fundamental strongholds. If by any chance...”

“There is no ‘if’!” Zhao Wuji interrupted. “The Nine Nether Soul Devouring Prison is guarded by a Formation left from ancient times, and one of my Dragon Soul Clones is stationed there. Combined with the thousands of resentful souls and evil spirits in the prison, even a Mahayana Cultivator would find it hard to escape easily! If he dares to come, he will be walking into a trap! Pass down the order: the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Prison is to enter the highest state of alert! At the same time, dispatch all ‘Blood Dragon Guards’ to search for Nightmare's tracks. Kill him on sight!”

“Yes!” The existence in the shadows said no more and slowly retreated.

The massive war machine of the entire Imperial Dynasty began to operate frantically. Orders were issued, experts emerged, and Formations were fully activated. The atmosphere grew tense to the extreme.

However, Nightmare seemed to have completely vanished, with no further movement. One day passed, then two... the Imperial Dynasty was on high alert, yet they couldn't even catch a glimpse of his shadow.

Just when everyone thought he might just be bluffing or planning something elsewhere—

The third day, early morning.

In the core heartland of the Imperial Dynasty, at the entrance of the most dangerous place where Yin Qi was strongest and resentment gathered—the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Prison.

The space was broken like the surface of calm water, and Nightmare's figure stepped out without any warning.

He was still in that black robe, his aura deep as the sea, his gaze coldly looking down at that terrifying prison entrance that looked like a giant beast's open mouth, having swallowed countless living beings. Evil Qi surged there, the light of Formations flickered, and the security was tight to the extreme, far exceeding Black Obsidian City by a hundredfold!

“As expected, they've guarded this place like an iron barrel.” Nightmare's divine sense swept slightly, and he clearly investigated all the sentries, Formation nodes, and even the few obscure auras hidden in the Void Realm at the entrance.

One Dao Integration Initial Stage, three Peak Spirit Transformation, dozens of Nascent Soul Cultivators, and an ancient malevolent Formation that drew upon the Evil Qi of the underground Yin veins!

Such a lineup was enough to make any Hedao Stage Cultivator hesitate!

“Halt, visitor! This is an Imperial Dynasty Forbidden Ground, those who trespass...” A Soul Transformation Stage prison general flew up and shouted sternly, but before he could finish his words—

Nightmare simply glanced at him.

Poof!

That Soul Transformation general, along with the dozens of elite prison guards behind him, suddenly froze. Then, like dust scattered by the wind, they were instantly annihilated, unable to even let out a scream. The power of a single word—so terrifying!

“Enemy attack! Activate the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Devouring Formation!” Shrill alarms echoed through the heavens and earth!

Buzz—!

The entire entrance of the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Prison shook violently. Endless black-gray Evil Qi erupted from the ground, turning into a massive, hideous light shield covered in agonizing ghostly faces! Upon the shield, countless resentful souls hissed and roared, emitting sonic attacks capable of tearing the Divine Soul! At the same time, the hidden Dao Integration Initial Stage expert—a withered old man shrouded in a black robe—and three Peak Spirit Transformation deputy prison lords appeared together, urging their magical power to merge into the Formation, increasing its power even further!

“Nightmare! His Majesty already expected you would come to seek death! This Formation is passed down from ancient times, formed by drawing from the underground Nine Nether Malevolent Veins; even a Peak Hedao can be trapped and killed! Today, this place shall be your burial ground!” The withered old man of the Dao Integration Initial Stage laughed sinisterly, his voice like a night owl.

Facing this world-shaking malevolent Formation and powerful enemies, a trace of a contemptuous cold smile appeared on Nightmare's face.

“A mere remnant Formation thinks it's worthy of stopping me?”

He didn't even use his divine sense to carefully analyze the Formation's flaws, nor did he perform any subtle Spells.

He simply raised his hand, fingers spread wide, and pressed down gently toward the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Devouring Formation that covered the sky.

“Nirvana... Heavenly Tilt.”

His words became Law!

Rumble!

The sky and earth suddenly darkened! An indescribable will of Nirvana, as if coming from the end of the Universe, descended! Above the sky, a gray-black giant palm covering a hundred-mile radius, formed entirely from the purest Nirvana Law, appeared out of thin air!

On the giant palm, the lines were clear, seemingly containing the terrifying scenes of stars collapsing and all things returning to the void! Wherever it passed, space silently collapsed and was annihilated, turning into the most primitive void!

That seemingly indestructible Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Devouring Formation and those countless hideous, roaring resentful souls and Evil Qi, before this giant palm of Nirvana, were like snow under the sun—instantly melting, collapsing, and disintegrating! They couldn't even block it for a single breath!

“No! This is impossible?!” The withered old man's eyes almost popped out; he was terrified to the extreme, frantically burning his essence blood in an attempt to resist!

Crack!

The giant palm of Nirvana crushed down. The Dao Integration Initial Stage old man, the three Peak Spirit Transformation deputy prison lords, and all the prison guards below who were putting up a last-ditch resistance, along with the sturdy prison gate and the mountain... everything was turned into powder under this single palm strike!

The power of one palm shook the heavens and moved the earth!

Smoke and dust filled the air, and the ground shook!

Once the dust settled slightly, the originally heavily guarded and Formation-filled entrance of the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Prison had vanished, leaving only a bottomless, mirror-smooth giant palm-print abyss! All the Imperial Dynasty's prison guard forces were completely wiped out!

Nightmare's black robe fluttered as he floated above the abyss. His divine sense swept over the mountain split open by the palm, revealing the true prison gate hidden deep within, covered in runes.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his voice cold yet like Nine Heavens thunder, booming in all directions:

“Zhao Wuji, is this your reliance? It can't even take a single hit.”

“Half a day remains. Hand over Su Wanqing, otherwise, the next palm will fall upon your imperial palace roof!”

Arrogant! Incredibly arrogant! Overbearing! Incredibly overbearing!

He didn't care at all about any schemes or calculations, nor did he care about any dragon's den or tiger's lair!

He would simply use absolute strength to crush everything! Telling the whole world: I have come, I am taking someone away, and you cannot stop me! Imperial Dynasty? Background? Before my absolute power, they are all illusions!

At this moment, the powerful figures of various forces peeping at this place through various means all lost their voices, a chill rising from the bottom of their hearts!

This Nightmare was more terrifying than the rumors! More forceful! More... lawless!

The Imperial Dynasty had truly provoked a malevolent star who didn't play by the rules this time!

And at this moment, Zhao Wuji, in the deep palace of the Imperial Capital, seeing the tragic state at the entrance of the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Prison through a water mirror and hearing Nightmare's incredibly arrogant declaration, turned pale with rage, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood!

“Night! Mare!” He gritted his teeth, the killing intent in his eyes almost turning substantial. “I will kill you! I will kill you!”

But in his heart, for the first time, an unnoticeable trace of chill and... fear arose.

The opponent's strength had grown too fast! And that crushing destructive power made even him feel palpitations!

“Activate the final plan! Awaken the ‘Dragon Soul’! Request the ‘Shadow Emperor’ to take action! At all costs, we must not let him rescue Su Wanqing, and even more so, we cannot let him destroy the core altar deep within Nine Nether!” Zhao Wuji almost roared as he issued the command.

The deepest foundations of the Imperial Dynasty began to be utilized.

A true storm had already descended!