Forbidden Land, Bone Spirit Guardian

The vast will was not an attack, but a 'questioning' that reached directly to the Origin of the Divine Soul.

Nightmare felt the scene before his eyes change drastically, as if he had been instantly pulled under an ancient starry sky.

The starry sky was boundless yet covered in cracks, like a mirror about to shatter.

The phantom of a heaven-supporting Star Giant stood with its back to the starry sky, facing a void filled with invisible pressure (that was the symbol of the 'Heavenly Dao'), letting out an unyielding roar.

Stars fell, the myriad worlds wailed, and countless figures exuding powerful auras charged after the giant, only to fall like meteors, staining the starry sky with blood...

Tragic, desolate, unwilling, angry... these various emotions felt substantive, impacting Nightmare's mind.

At the same time, a grand, weary voice, seemingly coming from the starry sky itself, resounded directly in the depths of his Soul, echoing constantly:

'Why... Heaven-Defying?'

'The Heavenly Dao has order, all things follow reason... those who are Heaven-Defying are the source of chaotic order and shall be suppressed... Why are you obsessed?'

'Heavenly Fate is the destination, those who comply will prosper... by seizing Heavenly Fate, you are the enemy of the order of the myriad worlds... do you know your crime?'

This voice was not a simple questioning; it carried the temptation and pressure of the 'order' Law of the Heavenly Dao, as if persuading one to let go of their Heaven-Defying heart, return to the 'Righteous Path,' and acknowledge the supremacy of the Heavenly Dao to receive forgiveness or even rewards.

If someone with an unsteady will or doubts about their own path were subjected to this dual questioning—containing both the residual will of the ancient Lord of the Stars and the lingering echoes of the Heavenly Dao Law—they would likely lose their composure instantly, their Dao Heart would collapse, and they would either become a cripple or suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

But who was Nightmare?

He was the Demon Lord returned through Rebirth, an avenger who had been forced into a desperate situation by the so-called 'Heavenly Fate' and 'Righteous Path' in his previous life, dying by self-detonation!

His questioning and rebellion against the Heavenly Dao were already deeply rooted, ingrained in his very marrow!

Facing that vast questioning of will and the temptation of order, Nightmare's Divine Soul phantom stood tall in this illusory starry sky, blood-red light and starlight flashing in his eyes.

Instead of retreating, he took a step forward and let out a shout that resounded through his Soul:

'Why Heaven-Defying?!'

'Because the Heavenly Dao is unfair!'

'What is order? What is reason? The strong remain strong, the weak remain weak; is that the reason of your Heavenly Dao?!'

'Heavenly Fate? It is nothing more than selecting Puppets for yourself, manipulating all living beings, and maintaining your cold and ruthless order!'

'In my previous life, I followed the rules, but did I ever receive a shred of your favor? In the end, I met my demise, and my Sect was completely destroyed!'

'Lin Hao is nothing but a plaything in your palm, yet he enjoys endless Opportunity and acts with impunity!'

'What is there to comply with in such Heavenly Fate? What is there to respect in such a Heavenly Dao?!'

His voice was full of indignation and determination, pouring out all the unwillingness and resentment of his past and present lives:

'My Dao is not within your Heavenly Dao order! My life is not bound by your Heavenly Fate shackles!'

'The Lord of the Stars fell because he was unwilling to be suppressed, and I, Nightmare, am also unwilling to be an ant under your Heavenly Dao!'

'Heaven-Defying is not for the sake of chaos, but for us living beings to fight for a path of autonomy!'

'Seizing Heavenly Fate is not for selfish desire, but to break your unfair shackles!'

'Even if the road ahead is filled with thorns, even if ten thousand calamities befall me, I have no regrets!'

'This ambition, the stars can bear witness, it shall not be worn away by ten thousand calamities!'

Boom—!

As his Soul-shaking shout fell, the Star mark on his palm shone brightly, resonating strongly with this illusory starry sky!

The phantom of the Star Giant seemed to turn its head slightly, 'looking' in his direction.

In that gaze, there seemed to be a trace of imperceptible... approval and recognition?

Immediately after, the illusory starry sky receded like a tide.

Nightmare's mind returned, and he found himself still standing at the edge of the Bone Burial Abyss, the light of the Star mark on his palm slowly fading.

The Bone Spirit Guardian opposite him had its deep blue Soul fire calm down; there was no longer any killing intent, but instead, a trace of... gentleness?

'Your ambition... my master once had it too...'

The Bone Spirit Guardian's will fluctuated, carrying a trace of distant emotion, 'The path of Heaven-Defying is difficult through the ages... however, only those with ambition are qualified... to touch the things my master left behind...'

It slowly lowered the huge bone blade in its hand, shifted its massive body aside, and revealed a narrow passage behind it leading to the depths of the Bone Burial Abyss, formed by the intersection of huge bones.

'Verification... passed. You may enter the Bone Burial Abyss.'

Nightmare felt a slight relief, knowing that the most critical hurdle had been passed.

He put away the Star mark, nodded slightly to the Bone Spirit Guardian, and then stepped forward, walking towards the bone passage.

The passage extended downwards, deep into the endless darkness and Death Qi.

On both sides were endless walls of bones, dead silent, with only the slight cracking sound of his steps on the bones.

The further down he went, the stronger that cold, forbidden power became, but the dao seed's sense of rejection towards this place was weakening, while that subtle sense of attraction was gradually strengthening.

He did not know how long he had walked, perhaps only a few hundred zhang, perhaps a few thousand zhang, but suddenly the space ahead opened up.

At the end of the passage was a huge natural cavern located in the depths of the Bone Burial Abyss.

In the center of the cavern was not the Star core he had imagined, nor was there any pale flame.

Instead, it was a simple altar built from star fragments.

Floating above the altar were two things.

On the left was a silver fruit the size of a fist, inside which countless galactic vortices seemed to be slowly rotating, emitting pure and vast Power of the Stars—the star dao fruit!

On the right was a floating, flickering gray orb of light.

Inside the orb, it seemed to Seal countless flowing images and information fragments—the memory of the truth of the ancient war!

Below the altar, on the floor of the cavern, was a thick layer of wriggling, grayish-white 'maggots' that emitted a nauseating, filthy, and erosive aura.

These maggots had translucent bodies, and faint Law patterns could be seen flickering inside them.

They seemed to feed on the 'Dao power' (including Power of the Stars, Death Qi, and even that forbidden power) remaining in the cavern, and were slowly and persistently gnawing at the base of the altar, as well as the precious ancient bones surrounding it.

Some bones had already been hollowed out, losing all their spiritual essence.

'Dao-Eroding Maggots...'

The Bone Spirit Guardian's will fluctuated behind Nightmare (it did not follow him down, but its will could be transmitted), 'Ancient evil creatures that feed on the power of the myriad Daos... they have bred here since the great war... eroding everything... I must guard the abyss entrance and cannot spare the focus to completely clear them... they are also slowly eroding the power sealing 'that one'...'

'That one?'

Nightmare keenly caught this term.

The Bone Spirit Guardian's Soul fire seemed to fluctuate, and after a moment of silence, it said: 'At the very bottom of the Bone Burial Abyss... is sealed another... an ancient existence who fought side by side with my master and was ultimately suppressed by the Heavenly Dao... Its power involves the ultimate of life, death, and annihilation... The forbidden power that your dao seed warned you about originates from this.'

'The star dao fruit is one of my master's core Legacies. Consuming it can fully Awakening the Star Physique, allow you to control part of the star authority, and greatly improve your cultivation and potential.'

'The memory orb records part of the truth of that year's great war, as well as... the means and weaknesses of the Heavenly Dao when suppressing Heaven-Defying beings.'

'To obtain these two items, you must first help me clear the Dao-Eroding Maggots here.'

'Otherwise, the altar will be destroyed, the star dao fruit and memory will dissipate, and the Seal at the bottom of the abyss may be further weakened, leading to unpredictable changes.'

The Bone Spirit Guardian's will was serious and solemn: 'Clearing the Dao-Eroding Maggots is also another test of your Heart-Nature and strength. Although these creatures are not strong individually, they are numerous and can erode spiritual power, Divine Soul, and even Laws, making them extremely difficult to deal with. Are you willing?'

Nightmare's gaze swept over the scalp-numbing, grayish-white swarm of insects, then fell on the star dao fruit and memory orb that were emitting alluring fluctuations.

Finally, he looked into the deeper darkness of the cavern that seemed to be able to swallow even light—from there, faint, deeper, and more terrifying forbidden fluctuations that made his dao seed palpitate were coming.

Clear the swarm, obtain the Legacy before him.

The forbidden existence deeper inside... perhaps, only after possessing the power of the star dao fruit, would he be qualified to make contact, or even... utilize it?

He did not hesitate for too long.

'Fine, I will clear these Dao-Eroding Maggots.'

As the words fell, the Starfall Demonic Flame rose from his body, igniting the first glimmer of dark yet intense radiance in the depths of this dead-silent Bone Burial Abyss.