Healing in the Starry Sea, System Upgrade

Deep within the Void Realm, inside a massive, desolate, and long-extinguished Star.

Nightmare opened up a temporary Immortal Cave and laid down layers of Annihilation Runes to isolate the interior. He gently placed Su Wanqing onto a jade couch condensed from soft energy.

Su Wanqing was still unconscious, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, as if enduring some pain. Her pure Nine Aperture Exquisite Body appeared somewhat dim due to the depletion of Soul Power, and the temporarily frozen Tracking Mark deep within her Soul was like a bone-sticking ulcer.

Nightmare's rule fragment carefully scanned her condition, his eyes cold. The methods of the Imperial Dynasty and the Shadow Clan were indeed sinister; this Tracking Mark was deeply entangled with her Soul Origin, making forced removal extremely risky.

"System, analyze the optimal Treatment Plan." Nightmare silently requested in his mind.

[Beep! Target scanned: Su Wanqing. Status: Soul Origin damaged by 15%, Soul Power exhausted, afflicted with the 'Void Shadow Curse Mark' (High-grade).]

[Plan generating...]

[Optimal Plan: Requires 'star tear' (to nourish the Soul), 'Nine Revolution Soul Return Grass' (to replenish Origin), 'void lotus seed' (to neutralize the Shadow Curse). This must be combined with the Host's Annihilation Origin for precise stripping operation. Success Rate: 98.7%.]

[Suboptimal Plan: Use the power of the Host's rule fragment, supplemented by the residual energy of the 'Indestructible Source Blood', to forcibly wash away the mark and slowly nourish the Soul. Success Rate: 85%. Risk: May leave minor hidden dangers, and recovery time will be long.]

[Database Match: star tear is located in the 'North Pole Star Palace' Secret Realm. Nine Revolution Soul Return Grass grows in the 'Southern Departure Medicine God Mountain' Forbidden Ground. void lotus seed must be collected deep within the 'Chaos Star Sea'. Acquisition Difficulty: Extremely High. Estimated Time: Unknown.]

Looking at the plans listed by the System and the required items, Nightmare frowned slightly. Every one of these Heaven And Earth Treasure was a rare treasure hard to find in the world. Acquiring them would inevitably consume a lot of time and energy, and likely stir up trouble again. Although Wan Qing's condition was temporarily stable, it should not be delayed.

Just as he was weighing his options, the rule fragment trembled slightly, transmitting a stream of information. It contained fragmented Law insights regarding the Soul and curses, derived from the Shadow Emperor's Origin and the Dragon Soul energy that had been previously devoured and refined.

Simultaneously, the System prompt sounded again:

[Detection: Host's rule fragment contains related Law Fragments. Should energy be consumed for deep analysis and deduction, attempting to optimize the Treatment Plan?]

"Analyze and deduce immediately!" Nightmare did not hesitate. The rule fragment's Deduction Ability far exceeded imagination; perhaps there would be a breakthrough.

[Command confirmed. Consuming part of the Shadow Emperor Origin energy, initiating rule fragment deep deduction... Deducing...]

The rule fragment flickered with light, and the runes on its surface flowed and combined at an unprecedented speed, as if constructing countless possible models. Nightmare also closed his eyes and focused, integrating his own understanding of Nirvana and Life Origin into the process.

Time passed slowly. The Immortal Cave was silent, with only the faint light emitted by the rule fragment and the hum of energy flow.

After an unknown period, the rule fragment burst into light!

[Deduction complete! Optimized Plan obtained: Use the method of 'Annihilation Birth Thought' to reverse the True Meaning of Annihilation, transforming destruction into nourishment, gradually eroding and assimilating the 'Void Shadow Curse', and feeding its energy back to the Soul Origin. The process must be stabilized with 'Star Origin Essence' (which can be refined from the nirvana star core). Success Rate: 99.9%. Advantages: No hidden dangers, complete recovery, and potential chance to strengthen her Soul Essence.]

A sharp light flashed in Nightmare's eyes!

Annihilation Birth Thought! Reversing the True Meaning! This had already touched upon the higher-level mysteries of Nirvana—the birth of new life from destruction! The rule fragment's Deduction Ability, combined with the Shadow Emperor's Origin information, had truly found a superior solution!

"Good! Execute this plan!"

He no longer delayed. The rule fragment was activated, communicating once again with the distant nirvana star core. This time, instead of roughly drawing energy, he used the rule fragment's precise control to refine wisps of the purest and gentlest Star Origin Essence from it. Like silver Stardust, it slowly flowed into Su Wanqing's glabella.

At the same time, he condensed the Power of Annihilation—highly concentrated yet containing a trace of strange Vitality—onto his fingertip, and carefully touched Su Wanqing's forehead. This power was no longer pure destruction; under the precise control of the rule fragment, it took on the characteristics of "purification" and "assimilation," like the finest scalpel, accurately probing toward the Void Shadow Curse Mark.

The process was extremely slow and taxing on the mind. Nightmare was fully concentrated, operating the rule fragment to its limit, constantly monitoring the slightest changes in Su Wanqing's Soul.

The sinister Shadow Curse Mark sensed the threat and instinctively resisted, emitting cold fluctuations. However, it was instantly enveloped, disintegrated, and absorbed by the Power of Annihilation containing Vitality, and its pure energy was fed back to Su Wanqing's damaged Soul Origin.

The Star Essence stabilized her Soul state, while the power of Annihilation Birth Thought continued the purification and assimilation.

Time slowly flowed by.

Su Wanqing's pale complexion gradually regained its color, her slightly furrowed brows slowly smoothed out, and the Nine Aperture Exquisite Body's Aura, which had been somewhat dim, brightened again, becoming purer and more condensed. Her Aura began to steadily recover, becoming even longer and deeper than before the Seal.

After an unknown amount of time, the Shadow Curse Mark deep within her Soul was completely eroded and vanished into nothingness.

Nightmare slowly withdrew his finger, letting out a sigh of relief. The treatment was a perfect success.

Just then, the System prompt sounded again:

[Beep! Successfully treated important target: Su Wanqing. Unlocked hidden achievement: 'Fate Reversal Tracking'.]

[Reward obtained: rule fragment Fusion Degree increased by 5%, unlocked new module: 'Void Beacon' (can record, lock, and teleport to known coordinates).]

[System energy absorbing rule fragment feedback, initiating upgrade... Upgrading...]

The rule fragment shone brightly, the rune structure on its surface becoming more complex and profound, and its connection with Nightmare's Divine Soul grew tighter, as if it had become a part of his body. Simultaneously, he felt his perception and control over the Void Law had taken a huge step up. With a thought, he could clearly perceive the Void Coordinates of several places he had previously visited, and could even vaguely sense Spatial Fluctuations in more distant areas.

This "Void Beacon" ability was extremely practical, whether used for tracking, escaping, or exploring!

The benefits brought by the System upgrade were far more than this; the rule fragment's Deduction, analysis, and optimization capabilities were also significantly enhanced.

Nightmare felt satisfied with the changes in himself and the rule fragment. Although this rescue operation was risky, the rewards were immense. Not only did he save Wan Qing, but his own strength and the rule fragment (System) were further improved.

He looked at Su Wanqing on the jade couch, whose breathing was steady and who seemed to be in tranquil sleep, knowing she would soon wake up.

It was time to consider the next step.

Although the Imperial Dynasty had submitted, the hidden dangers remained. The power behind the Shadow Clan, and the so-called "Master," would certainly not let the matter rest. Perhaps it was also time to collect the Heaven And Earth Treasure mentioned by the System, just in case.

More importantly, the Laws of this realm were incomplete, capping cultivation at Mahayana, making it definitely not a place for long residence. Finding a way to leave, or completing the Laws, needed to be put on the agenda.

However, all of this could wait until Wan Qing woke up.

Nightmare sat cross-legged. The rule fragment continued to absorb and refine the remaining energy, consolidating his Fusion Dao Middle Stage Peak cultivation, while he silently guarded the person on the couch.

Outside the Immortal Cave, the desolate Star silently rotated. The vast Void Star Sea seemed to be waiting for this newly advanced powerhouse to explore and conquer.