Racing Core, Ruins and Bloodstains

With the vague "map" provided by the array hub, Nightmare's speed increased greatly. He no longer needed to fumble like a headless fly in the Soul-Locking Mist and strange environment, but could clearly identify relatively safe paths and avoid natural dangerous traps and areas of turbulent energy.

With his Chaos Dao Foundation running at full capacity to guide his movement technique, his figure darted rapidly through broken ancient paths and twisted woodlands. The array base node stone in his hand continued to emit warmth, resonating weakly with other light points marked on the map, constantly correcting his direction.

His first target was the node light point closest to the previous three-pillar array hub. According to the map, it seemed to be an abandoned altar.

However, the closer he got to the Core Zone, the danger of the Forbidden Ground itself increased exponentially. The Soul-Locking Mist began to mix with sharp mental fragments, like invisible blades, constantly cutting at his Divine Sense; the ground would collapse without warning, revealing bottomless, dark pits emitting suction; some twisted plants seemed to come alive, waving thorny vines to entangle intruders; even the space occasionally showed subtle wrinkles and faults. If not for Nightmare's comprehension of the space Dao Rhyme, allowing him to evade in time, he would likely have been torn apart by the power of space.

Nightmare's nerves were tense, not daring to be the slightest bit careless. He would sometimes use the Dao Rhyme of Annihilation to forcefully blast open the strange vines blocking his path, sometimes use the chaos qi flow to devour incoming mental fragments, and sometimes rely on spatial perception to predict and bypass spatial traps. Throughout the journey, although his speed was fast, his consumption was also immense.

At the same time, he keenly noticed that more, newer traces of battle appeared along the way. There were giant demonized ancient trees severed by sharp Sword Qi, remains of Eclipse Moon members (judging by their clothing) burned by scorching energy, and also... some corpses wearing coarse hemp clothes, similar in style to the Shiquan villagers, but older and more tattered!

"Remnants of the Oathkeepers..." Nightmare's heart sank slightly. Judging from the state of these corpses and the intensity of the surrounding battle, these Oathkeeper remnants were not weak, possessing at least Foundation Establishment Stage strength, and their fighting style was fierce, engaging in brutal slaughter with Eclipse Moon members. But they were clearly at a disadvantage, with far more corpses than Eclipse Moon members.

"Eclipse Moon is also clearing out these Oathkeeper remnants to clear the way for them to take the core directly." Nightmare realized. The situation for him was still not optimistic.

Finally, he arrived at the area where the altar node marked on the map was located.

It was a huge circular plaza located in a mountain col. The plaza floor was paved with huge bluestone slabs, but most were shattered, and dark red moss grew in the gaps. In the center of the plaza was a black altar that had collapsed by nearly half. The altar base was also covered in cracks, and a few remaining stone pillars stood crookedly, recounting the vicissitudes of time and the tragedy of destruction.

However, right under this ruined altar, Nightmare clearly sensed the Dao Rhyme of Protection that originated from the same source as the node stone in his hand, although weak, it was tenacious.

But at this moment, the area around the altar was filled with a thick smell of blood and lingering energy fluctuations!

Three corpses of Oathkeeper remnants lay at the entrance of the altar, their deaths tragic, as if their flesh and blood had been instantly melted by some powerful corrosive energy. And beside the pile of rubble from the collapsed altar lay two corpses of Eclipse Moon members, one with its chest shattered by immense force, and the other with its throat pierced by a primitive stone spear, dying together.

Clearly, a fierce battle for this place had just taken place!

Nightmare scanned the surroundings vigilantly, his perception opened to the maximum. The battle seemed to have ended not long ago, and the ambusher might not have gone far.

He cautiously approached the altar, locking onto the source of the Dao Rhyme of Protection—an inconspicuous blue stone brick with a lotus pattern located under the altar base.

Just as he was about to take action to remove this array base node—

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three dark energy arrows carrying a strong corrosive aura shot out without warning from the shadows at the edge of the plaza, forming a 'pin' shape, instantly sealing all his retreat paths, aiming directly at his back, head, and Dantian! The speed was like lightning!

An ambush!

And it was a deadly ambush planned long ago! The other party had clearly been lurking here for a long time, using the scene of the mutual destruction of the Oathkeepers and Eclipse Moon members as cover, waiting for him, the 'Fisherman', to appear!

In the blink of an eye, Nightmare's expression turned cold as iron! He didn't even turn his head, drawing upon the Chaos Dao Foundation and the spirit of the void lotus seed, the space around him twisted slightly!

Poof! Poof! Poof!

The three energy arrows grazed his body narrowly, corroding three deep pits into the ground! It wasn't that he had completely evaded them, but at the moment the arrows reached him, he used spatial distortion to slightly deflect their trajectories!

At the same time, Nightmare turned around abruptly, locking his gaze onto the shadow where the ambusher was hiding! It was an Eclipse Moon member, whose strength had reached the Early Golden Core Stage! His face was full of astonishment, seemingly not expecting the target to be able to avoid his fatal three arrows in such a bizarre way!

"I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Killing intent surged in Nightmare's heart! He no longer held back, drawing upon the Origin of the Wind Wolf King that he had just refined, his speed instantly soared to the extreme, like a gale tearing through space, rushing straight at that Eclipse Moon member!

At the same time, he drew upon the Dao Rhyme of Annihilation, mixed with the Eclipse Moon energy aura he had collected earlier, simulating a colder, more chaotic mental impact, and struck the opponent's Sea of Consciousness first!

The Eclipse Moon member just wanted to use movement techniques to retreat and draw his bow again, but felt his Divine Soul being pierced by an ice cone, extreme pain and confusion came, and his movements slowed by half a beat!

It was this half-beat!

Nightmare had already closed in! He didn't use any flashy techniques, just drawing upon the full power of the Chaos Dao Foundation, condensed into his right fist, and threw a punch!

This punch was no longer a simple chaos qi flow, but a Fusion of the death intent of Annihilation, the vitality of the World Tree, the stability of space, and even a trace of heaviness he had just comprehended, originating from the earth veins! Where the fist edge passed, space emitted an unbearable humming sound!

The Eclipse Moon member finally showed extreme fear in his eyes, he desperately urged the dark energy to protect his body, and sacrificed a black bone shield to block in front of him!

Crack!

The black bone shield shattered like paper under the Chaos fist! The fist momentum did not diminish, slamming heavily onto his chest!

"Puff—!"

This Early Golden Core Stage Eclipse Moon member flew backward like a broken sack, his chest completely collapsed, the luster in his eyes instantly extinguished, and he died before even hitting the ground! The dark energy core within his body was also instantly shattered and devoured by the Chaos fist force!

Nightmare withdrew his fist and stood, his breathing slightly rapid. Instantly killing an Early Golden Core Stage cultivator was quite draining for him. He scanned the corpse of the Eclipse Moon member, his hand moving to take his Storage Pouch and that bow.

There was no time to investigate carefully, he immediately returned to the altar, guiding the chaos qi flow, and carefully removed the blue stone brick with the lotus pattern. Another array base node!

Just as he took out the node, the altar vibrated slightly, and a weak halo of protection spread out, faintly echoing with the direction of the three-pillar array hub in the distance. On the map, the light point representing this place also became a little brighter.

However, Nightmare's heart suddenly jumped! Through the resonance of the two nodes in his hand, he clearly perceived that from the direction of the very core of the Forbidden Ground, a violent energy shockwave came, along with a roar that was full of brutality, greed, and destruction... an inhuman roar!

Immediately following were several powerful energy auras belonging to the Eshi Yue Organization erupting, colliding fiercely with it!

"The core Seal... they have found it! And, it seems they have disturbed something incredible!" Nightmare's heart sank to the bottom instantly.

The final battle had already erupted in the Core Zone ahead of time! He had to rush over immediately!