Transformation of the Dao Seed, the Gate to the Later Stages

Deep within the meteorite cluster, inside the Immortal Cave, all was silent. Only the rule fragments hovered overhead, emitting a deep and mysterious glimmer.

Nightmare held his breath, his hands gently supporting the ink-black nirvana star core that pulsed like a heart. The star core was only the size of a fist, yet it weighed as much as a star. The ultimate Power of Annihilation contained within it caused the surrounding space to slightly distort, and even light that entered it was swallowed, as if it were a miniature end of the Universe.

He could clearly feel the intense longing from the nirvana dao seed within his Dantian—a yearning for a higher level of power of the same Origin.

Without further hesitation, Nightmare pushed his rule fragment to the limit, invoking the power of the nirvana dao seed to slowly envelop the nirvana star core.

The moment they made contact—

Hum!!!

It was as if an ancient beast that had been slumbering was awakened! The nirvana star core suddenly erupted with unimaginable suction and destructive energy! The pitch-black Power of Annihilation rushed into Nightmare's Meridians like a bursting flood, raging wildly. Wherever it passed, his Meridians withered, his flesh decayed, and even the radiance of his rule fragment dimmed!

This power was too violent, too pure, far exceeding any energy he had absorbed before!

Nightmare groaned, his face instantly turning pale, and fine cracks even appeared on the surface of his body, like porcelain about to shatter! Intense pain swept through his entire body, as if every cell was being torn apart and annihilated!

"Senior Brother!" Su Wanqing, at the cave entrance, felt the terrifying fluctuations suddenly erupting from within and Nightmare's instantly wilting aura. Her face drained of color, and she almost couldn't help but rush in.

"I'm fine... stay on guard..." Nightmare suppressed the pain with his powerful willpower and sent out a weak but firm Divine Thought.

He had long expected that the absorption process would be anything but easy. This nirvana star core was formed from the end of a star; how could its power be easily handled?

"rule fragment! Suppress! Guide!" Nightmare roared in his heart. His rule fragment burned its stored energy crazily, erupting with unprecedented radiance. Countless runes wound toward the violent flood of annihilation like chains, forcibly restraining and guiding its flow toward the nirvana dao seed!

At the same time, the many Law insights he had previously devoured and refined—Strength, Shadow, Space, Imperial Dao, Dragon Might, and even the Elementary Life Law he had just obtained—were all put to use at this moment. The rule fragment used its Supreme computing power to cleverly fuse them, turning them into buffers that constantly weakened and diverted the impact of the annihilation flood.

It was like building intricate dams and channels within a violent, destructive flood; he had to withstand the impact while simultaneously diverting the water for irrigation.

The process was extremely dangerous. Nightmare's Physical Body was in a constant tug-of-war between crumbling and the rule fragment driving the Life Law and the World Tree feeding back vitality to repair it. His Divine Soul was even more so, as if being pierced by billions of needles of annihilation, enduring extreme pain.

But how firm was his will? The mindset of a Supreme from his previous life and the tempering of his will in this life allowed him to keep his mind clear. The calculations of his rule fragment never stopped, precisely regulating every bit of power.

Gradually, amidst the crazy impact, the nirvana dao seed began to change.

It was like a greedy black hole, crazily devouring the power of the nirvana star core that had been initially tamed by the rule fragment. The patterns on the surface of the dao seed became increasingly complex and profound, and inside it, it seemed as if miniature, dying Universe phantoms were being opened up.

Destruction, termination, void, Reincarnation, devouring... various true meanings of annihilation intertwined and sublimated within it.

I don't know how much time passed, but the initial, most violent shockwave finally passed. Nightmare's Physical Body became increasingly resilient amidst destruction and Rebirth, faintly revealing an immortal and indestructible quality. After this extreme squeezing, his rule fragment also combined more closely with his Divine Soul, and its computing power went a step further.

The nirvana star core was still outputting energy continuously, but it had become much more docile, like a tamed wild horse, and began to merge into the nirvana dao seed in an orderly manner.

Nightmare entered a deep state of meditation.

His consciousness seemed to have detached from his Physical Body, following the Origin of annihilation, wandering in a strange "Sea of Annihilation."

There was no light here, no sound, no matter, only the manifestation of the purest Laws of "Stillness" and "Extinction." He saw stars aging, disintegrating, and turning into stardust; he saw worlds reaching their end, all things returning to nothingness; he saw the end of the River of Time, where everything was empty...

This was the ultimate embodiment of annihilation.

In this ultimate "Nothingness," the rule fragment was analyzing, recording, and deducing the mysteries of annihilation at an unprecedented speed. Nightmare's understanding of the Great Dao of Annihilation was improving crazily at an unprecedented rate.

Seeing the true meaning in destruction, realizing Rebirth in termination.

I don't know how much time passed, perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years.

The nirvana dao seed in his Dantian suddenly shook. Its volume did not increase; on the contrary, it became more introverted, but its color became deeper and darker. Countless extremely fine, natural Dao patterns that seemed to contain the ultimate truths of the Universe appeared on its surface! A power of the nirvana Origin, far purer, stronger, and more terrifying than before, permeated from it!

The nirvana dao seed had completed its crucial second transformation!

Boom!

The Bottleneck barrier within Nightmare's body, at the moment this transformation was completed, quietly melted and disintegrated like ice under the sun!

Late Stage Hedao!

It happened naturally!

A power far more vast and majestic than before instantly filled his entire body. The rule fragment shone brightly, its surface runes endlessly circulating, and its deduction ability skyrocketed! His Divine Sense coverage expanded exponentially, and his perception of the Void Realm Laws became clearer and more profound!

He slowly opened his eyes. In his pupils, there was no longer the scene of the birth and death of the Universe, but two deep, bottomless springs that seemed capable of swallowing all light and hope. That was the external manifestation of the nirvana Origin being raised to an extremely high level.

He had successfully broken through! He officially stepped into the Late Stage Hedao!

Moreover, with the assistance of the nirvana star core and the rule fragment, his Foundation was laid extremely firmly. As soon as he broke through, his Realm was completely stabilized, and he even took a small step toward the Peak Hedao!

Feeling the terrifying power surging and roaring within him, enough to easily crush his former self, Nightmare slowly clenched his fists.

Strength! This was the Foundation for traversing the heavens and protecting everything!

His rule fragment swept over; that nirvana star core had consumed less than one-third, and the remaining energy was still immensely vast, enough for him to Cultivate to the Peak Hedao or even assault the Mahayana Realm!

"Congratulations on your Breakthrough, Senior Brother!" Su Wanqing, at the cave entrance, felt the stable and more powerful and vast aura within and said happily via sound transmission.

Nightmare restrained his aura, the faint light in his eyes disappearing, returning to calm. He stood up and took a step, arriving at the cave entrance.

At this moment, Su Wanqing, nourished by the previous half-leaf of the World Tree and the chaotic yet pure energy of this place (part of which escaped after Nightmare absorbed and refined it), had also improved her cultivation to the Peak Late-Stage Transformation Spirit, only one step away from Perfection.

"You've worked hard." Nightmare nodded slightly.

"Wan Qing didn't do much." Su Wanqing shook her head and looked at Nightmare curiously. "Senior Brother, you seem... different again." She couldn't say exactly what, but she felt that Senior Brother was even more unfathomable, and even a single glance seemed to contain heart-stopping power.

Nightmare smiled and did not say much. His rule fragment swept across the outside world. The energy Chaos caused by the collapse of the stellar remains had gradually subsided but was still chaotic.

"This place is not suitable for a long stay. The commotion of refining the star core was not small, and I fear it has already attracted the attention of some existences." Nightmare's rule fragment sensed several not-weak Divine Thoughts sweeping across this area from a great distance. Although they hadn't locked onto them yet, they were ultimately a hidden danger.

"Where are we going next?" Su Wanqing asked.

Nightmare's rule fragment sensed the space-disturbed area to the north again. After this Breakthrough, his perception was clearer. Deep within that disturbed airspace, he seemed to have captured a trace of an extremely faint, yet exceptionally stable... fluctuation of a boundary barrier?

There, it was highly likely that a rift or passage to other worlds existed!

"Continue north." Nightmare's eyes were deep. "It is time to go and see the scenery outside the boundaries."

He invoked his rule fragment and built a space gate again. This time, the space gate was more stable, and there was even a trace of black light of annihilation in the silver-gray radiance, obviously his control over the Space Law had gone a step further.

The two stepped in and disappeared into the meteorite cluster.

Setting sail again towards the unknown boundary.