Blood Key Recognition

The dark-red energy vortex, like a grinding millstone, furiously crushed Nightmare's protective Demonic Essence. The Azure Nether Domain struggled to hold on within a three-foot radius, groaning under the immense pressure. His Divine Soul endured the impact of countless fragmented Battle Intents and resentments, as if it could collapse at any moment.

His Demonic Essence was almost depleted, and his physical strength was nearing its limit.

Ahead, that speck of blood-colored light, like a candle flickering in the wind, was tightly entangled by countless chaotic energy threads. It seemed within reach, yet separated by an insurmountable chasm.

Behind him, Elder Mo Sha's terrifying aura, characteristic of a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator, clung like a maggot to a bone, firmly locking onto the vortex entrance. He only waited for Nightmare to exhaust himself and be thrown out, or for another energy gap to appear, to deliver a fatal blow!

A true dead end!

Yet, there was no despair in Nightmare's eyes; instead, an even more frenzied flame burned! The more desperate the situation, the more it ignited the ruthlessness and defiance deep within his bones!

"You want me dead? It won't be that easy!"

He let out a low growl and made an extremely bold decision!

Instead of retreating, he actively contracted his Azure Nether Domain, pouring all his remaining Demonic Essence, along with the power gained from burning his vital blood, into the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique!

The moment the Domain contracted, terrifying chaotic energy surged onto him like a burst dam!

Pfft!

Nightmare spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his body's surface instantly became covered in fine cracks, like a piece of porcelain about to shatter!

But he also used this Impact and the extreme speed of the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique, like a fish swimming upstream, to brazenly rush towards the sealed blood key in a nearly self-destructive manner!

"Seeking death!" Elder Mo Sha, outside the vortex, noticed his Madness act and snorted coldly. A massive black palm condensed again, poised to strike!

Nightmare ignored the threat behind him; his eyes were fixed only on that speck of blood-red light!

The distance rapidly closed!

Energy threads wrapped around him like venomous snakes, tearing at his flesh and eroding his Divine Soul!

Pain! Unbearable agony!

But Nightmare's gaze grew even clearer and more resolute! The Mind-Cultivation Technique of The Azure Nether Life and Death Dao operated to its extreme at this critical juncture, grasping a faint glimmer of vitality amidst endless death and destruction!

"Now!"

Just before his body was about to completely collapse, he suddenly extended his finger. From its tip, no longer was it Nirvana Death Qi, but rather a drop of the purest **dark-golden blood**, containing the Origin of Azure Qi and Blood, that was forced out!

This drop of vital essence blood contained his comprehension of life and death, and his obsession with defying fate!

Chi!

The vital essence blood accurately dripped onto the blood key, which was wrapped in layers of energy threads!

Om—!!!

The blood key suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly brilliant blood-red light! As if a Vicious Beast that had slumbered for eons had suddenly awakened!

A tyrannical, wild, and terrifying aura, as if capable of commanding all blood under heaven, burst forth!

The chaotic energy threads Entanglement around it were instantly shattered and disintegrated, as if they had encountered their nemesis!

The blood key transformed into a streak of light, actively flying into Nightmare's palm and merging into his flesh!

【Ding! Obtained the second gate key—'blood key'! Successfully recognized its master!】

【Ding! blood key Fusion: Greatly enhances Qi and Blood, increases Physical Body recovery, and grants Divine Abilities: Blood Fiend Surge (temporarily greatly boosts combat power) and Qi and Blood Perception.】

【Ding! With dual keys collected (cloud key, blood key), perception of the 'gate' is greatly enhanced, and the power of the dual keys can be initially activated!】

Vast Qi and Blood power and a brand new, tyrannical energy instantly nourished Nightmare's almost dry body! The cracks on his body began to heal at a visible speed, and his depleted Demonic Essence also received a trace of replenishment!

Although far from returning to his peak state, it was enough to give him a moment of respite!

And just at the moment the blood key recognized its master—

The entire ruined battlefield, as if a giant stone had been thrown into it, suddenly boiled!

The broken stone frame of the second gate violently trembled. The ancient runes on the door frame, long since dimmed, lit up one by one. Though faint, they exuded an inviolable majesty! A desolate, sorrowful, yet unyielding will swept out!

"Not good! The second gate has been activated!" Elder Mo Sha on the Warship was greatly alarmed. "Quick! Stop him! Don't let him activate the gate's power!"

He could no longer afford to wait; his Soul Transformation Stage cultivation fully erupted, forcibly tearing open a brief energy gap. A massive black hand, carrying the terrifying power to crush stars, brazenly reached into the vortex, grabbing at Nightmare!

At the same time, the several Warships also opened fire, and several beams of destructive energy condensed into light pillars, blasting towards Nightmare's location!

Attacked from inside and out! A certain death situation!

Nightmare, who had just gained a moment of respite, instantly fell into an even greater crisis again!

But his eyes at this moment shone with astonishing brightness!

With the blood key in hand and the dual keys resonating, his perception of this world reached a whole new level!

He could feel the anger and unwillingness of the second gate's lingering will, the urgency and killing intent in Elder Mo Sha's attack, and even vaguely sense that, deeper within the ruins, something even more ancient and terrifying seemed to be slowly awakening due to the second gate's anomaly... An opportunity!

Nightmare had a flash of inspiration. He chose not to resist head-on but frantically activated the power of the newly merged dual keys!

The spatial power of the cloud key intertwined with the Qi and Blood power of the blood key, forming a distorted and blurry barrier in front of him!

At the same time, he activated the second gate's lingering will's natural repulsion towards The Fisherman's evil power!

Boom!!!

Elder Mo Sha's giant black palm and the Warships' light cannons simultaneously struck the dual key barrier!

The barrier twisted violently, instantly covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering!

But just a split second before the barrier shattered, Nightmare suddenly uttered a single word:

"Turn!"

The power of the dual keys, combined with the repulsive force of the second gate, cleverly guided most of the terrifying attack's power, deflecting its direction, and fiercely blasting it onto... the nearby Fisherman Warships!

All of this happened in a flash of lightning!

Elder Mo Sha had never expected Nightmare to possess such a bizarre method, and it was too late to retract his strength!

And those Warships were caught completely off guard!

Rumble rumble rumble—!!!

Deafening explosions erupted!

The protective light shields of those Warships were instantly torn apart like paper by their own Elder's and companions' attacks! The hulls were directly pierced, ripped apart, and detonated by the terrifying energy!

Countless fragments, accompanied by the screams of Cultivators and the flames of explosions, bloomed in this silent Void Realm!

With just one strike, The Fisherman organization's stronghold here was almost completely destroyed!

"You little beast! I will kill you!!!"

Elder Mo Sha was so enraged he almost spat blood, his eyes bulging! He never imagined that his sure-kill strike would be used by his opponent to backfire on himself!

Nightmare, using the huge impact force and chaotic energy generated by the explosion, spat out another mouthful of fresh blood. His body was thrown flying like a kite with a broken string, but the direction was away from the vortex and the second gate!

He dared not linger, enduring the agonizing pain of his body feeling like it was falling apart, he pushed his speed to the limit, fleeing desperately towards the outer periphery of the ruins without looking back!

"Where do you think you're going!" Elder Mo Sha went completely mad, transforming into a black streak of light, tearing through the Void Realm, and giving chase relentlessly! His Soul Transformation Stage speed fully erupted, rapidly closing the distance!

A more thrilling chase unfolded in this ancient battlefield ruin!

Nightmare pushed the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique to its limit, frantically weaving and changing direction amidst countless wreckage fragments, trying to shake off the lock.

But how could a Soul Transformation Cultivator's pursuit be so easily escaped? Elder Mo Sha's Divine Sense clung like a maggot to a bone, and attacks continuously assailed him from behind, forcing Nightmare into one perilous situation after another!

Several times, sharp finger winds almost grazed his scalp, or massive palm prints shattered the wreckage he was hiding in!

Fortunately, after the dual keys' enhancement, his Qi and Blood Perception became even more acute, allowing him to always avoid fatal attacks at the last second.

But the distance between them continued to shrink!

At this rate, he would eventually be caught!

Nightmare's eyes flickered, quickly scanning his surroundings.

Suddenly, through the blood key's Qi and Blood Perception, he detected a faint but extremely high-quality **life essence** emanating from a massive Yao Beast skull ruin to his front-left!

That aura seemed to be sealed by something, but it still couldn't escape the blood key's perception!

Something was strange!

Perhaps a glimmer of hope!

Without hesitation, he immediately changed direction and rushed towards that skull ruin!

"Dying struggle!" Elder Mo Sha sneered, his speed increasing by another third!

Nightmare rushed into the skull ruin. Following the guidance of the Qi and Blood Perception, he quickly found the source—it was an extremely well-hidden **cave entrance**, where a very sophisticated stealth Formation was set up. If not for the blood key, it would have been impossible to discover!

He didn't even think, crashing directly inside!

Just as he rushed into the entrance, Elder Mo Sha's attack arrived!

Boom!

A huge black palm print slammed heavily onto the cave entrance!

However, that seemingly ordinary cave entrance suddenly lit up with countless ancient and complex runes, forming an incredibly tough light barrier that actually blocked the Soul Transformation Cultivator's enraged strike! It only shook violently, its light dimming significantly!

"What?!" Elder Mo Sha was greatly surprised. There was such a powerful defensive Formation in these ruins?

He looked closely and saw several ancient characters, almost worn smooth by time, carved on the stone wall at the cave entrance:

**"Vanguard Army... Seventh Supply Point... Medicine Garden..."**

And at this moment, Nightmare had already fallen deep into the cave.

Elder Mo Sha's expression changed erratically. He tried attacking the Formation light barrier again but found it difficult to break through for a while.

"Hmph! Let's see how long you can hide!" A cold light flashed in his eyes. He decided to guard outside and simultaneously send a message to summon more helpers... Inside the cave, there was a world of its own.

This seemed to be a forgotten Cang Clan front-line supply point. It wasn't large but was relatively well-preserved. The air was filled with a faint scent of medicine and dust.

Nightmare fell heavily onto the cold ground, spitting out a few more mouthfuls of blood. He felt his vision darken, his body in excruciating pain, making it difficult to even move a finger.

The forced redirection of the Soul Transformation attack, combined with his desperate escape, had completely drained his last bit of strength.

The Phantom Cloud Fox on his shoulder was also listless, licking his wounds and whimpering softly.

He struggled to lift his head and survey his surroundings.

In the center of the cave was a long-dried Spirit Field. A few withered Spirit Medicine roots, still exuding an extraordinary aura, remained in the field.

Most striking, however, was a **skeleton** leaning against the stone wall next to the Spirit Field. It was clad in tattered silver armor and had long since turned to white bones.

The skeleton's chest was pierced by a broken **long spear** burning with black flames, pinning it firmly to the stone wall. The black flames seemed eternal, still emitting a chilling, evil aura.

And that faint, sealed **life essence** emanated precisely from the skeleton's tightly clenched right palm!

Nightmare struggled to crawl over, carefully prying open the skeleton's tightly clenched fingers.

A **Medicinal Pill** the size of a longan, entirely verdant, brimming with vast vitality and some profound Dao patterns, lay quietly in its palm.

On the surface of the Medicinal Pill were natural cloud patterns forming an ancient character for "life."

Just smelling a wisp of the medicinal Qi, Nightmare felt his own injuries healing slightly faster!

"This is... the **Life-Giving Creation Pill**?!" Nightmare's heart trembled! This was a legendary healing sacred medicine, said to be able to regrow flesh on bones and revive the dead as long as a single breath remained! It could also replenish Origin and elevate one's life level!

This skeleton, in its final moments, used its remaining strength to desperately protect this Medicinal Pill!

Nightmare bowed deeply to the skeleton: "Senior's great kindness, Junior will remember! If I have the chance, I will surely destroy this spear for Senior and avenge this blood feud!"

With that, he no longer hesitated and consumed the Life-Giving Creation Pill.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his mouth, transforming into a warm, vast, yet incomparably tyrannical torrent that instantly surged into his limbs, Meridians, and Dantian!

Wherever it passed, damaged Meridians were rapidly repaired, withered Qi and Blood were reignited, and even the cracks on his Nascent Soul and Divine Soul healed at a visible speed!

The vast power of vitality resonated strongly with the life and death Concept of his The Azure Nether Life and Death Dao!

He immediately sat cross-legged, fully circulating his Cultivation Technique, guiding and refining this immense medicinal power!

Not only to heal his injuries but also to use this opportunity to consolidate his cultivation and charge towards a higher Realm!

Outside the cave, Elder Mo Sha was still patiently waiting, continuously attacking the Formation light barrier.

He, however, did not know that inside the cave, a transformative change was quietly taking place.

When Nightmare emerged again, it would surely shake the heavens!

The situation between the two sides had already quietly reversed!

The situation between the two sides had already quietly reversed!