Demons wage war, the Demon Star breaks the formation.

Outside the Ten Thousand Demon Valley, in the main command tent of the Righteous Path camp.

Lin Hao sat upright at the head, the Heavenly Dao mark on his brow glowing faintly, reflecting his cold and murderous expression.

Below him, Elder Qingyun, Void-Comforter (Grand Elder of the Wudang Sect), and that gaunt-faced, sharp-eyed Loose Cultivator Deity Transformation Cultivator "Venerable Xuanming" sat on either side.

Further down were a dozen Nascent Soul Stage Elders from various Sects, as well as several elite leaders of the Golden Core Stage.

The atmosphere in the tent was heavy, with an invisible Aura of Killing Intent permeating the space.

"Everyone," Lin Hao spoke, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears with the support of his True Yuan, "The Ten Thousand Demon Valley is filled with Devilish Qi and layered with Formations. That Devil Head Nightmare is cowering inside, surely showing a strong exterior while being weak within, hoping to delay time to recover or plot another scheme.

The Heavenly Dao has bestowed upon us the 'demon suppressing talisman seal', which is meant to help us destroy evil and slay demons!

The longer we delay, the greater the variables.

This Alliance Leader has decided to launch the first wave of the offensive immediately to test their strength. If there is an opportunity, we will strike in one go, break the Formation, and kill the enemy!"

Elder Qingyun responded first: "The Alliance Leader is absolutely right!

Nightmare has newly obtained the Legacy, his Foundation is unstable, and he has hastily integrated the Ten Thousand Demon Valley. Its interior must be a rabble, and the defenses must have flaws.

I am willing to be the vanguard and lead the Qingyun Sect Disciples to attack the front!"

Void-Comforter stroked his beard and pondered: "A frontal assault is brave, but the Demonic Path is treacherous and especially skilled in Formations and poisonous miasma.

This old man suggests we first use the 'demon suppressing light curtain' to shroud the valley entrance, suppress the Devilish Qi, and isolate the inside from the outside.

Then, Fellow Daoist Qingyun can lead the elites to break the Formation, while I and Fellow Daoist Xuanming provide support from the sides, advancing steadily."

Venerable Xuanming just nodded coldly. He was a Loose Cultivator, taciturn, but his cold, profound arts were unfathomable. He had come at the call of the Heavenly Dao with a clear goal: to slay the anomaly Nightmare and exchange it for Karma from the Heavenly Dao.

Lin Hao pondered for a moment and nodded: "Let it be as Elder Void-Comforter says!

Elder Qingyun, I must trouble you to lead the Qingyun Sect elites, some Disciples of the Qingyang Sect, and three Nascent Soul Elders, carrying ten demon suppressing talisman seals, to break the Formation head-on!

Elder Void-Comforter and Venerable Xuanming, lead the Disciples of Wudang, Tianjian Pavilion, and others to guard the left and right flanks to prevent the Demonic Cultivators from breaking through or flanking us!

The rest of you, consolidate the light curtain and be ready to provide support at any time!"

"Understood!" everyone replied in unison, filled with Killing Intent.

A moment later, ten miles outside the Ten Thousand Demon Valley, the golden 'demon suppressing light curtain' suddenly brightened, like a huge, inverted golden bowl, firmly shrouding the entrance of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley and a large area nearby.

On the light curtain, countless tiny golden runes flowed, emitting a powerful force of purification and suppression. The gray-black Devilish Qi churning at the valley entrance was forcibly pushed back and diluted, revealing the valley entrance shrouded in faint black Qi and the vaguely visible, ferocious defensive fortifications behind it.

Below the light curtain, Elder Qingyun took the lead!

He wore a Qingyun Daoist robe and held a simple, ancient three-foot green sword (not his Lifebound Treasure, but still a top-grade Spiritual Artifact), with Qingyun Sword Qi swirling around him, his Early Spirit Transformation Stage Aura undisguised.

Behind him were fifty fierce-auraed Qingyun Sect Core Disciples, at least at the Middle Golden Core, along with thirty elite Qingyang Sect Disciples eager for revenge, and three Early Nascent Soul Stage Elders from different Sects following closely.

Ten demon suppressing talisman seals hovered above the team, casting down rays of golden light that blessed everyone, greatly increasing their resistance to Devilish Qi and slightly accelerating their Spiritual Power circulation.

"Qingyun Disciples, form the 'Qingyun Demon Slaying Sword Array'! Follow me to break the Formation!"

At Elder Qingyun's order, fifty Qingyun Sect Disciples moved quickly, their Qi linked. Majestic Qingyun Sword Qi soared into the sky, condensing into a hundred-zhang-long, incredibly solid phantom of a giant green sword, its tip pointing directly at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley!

This array gathered everyone's power, its might approaching a single strike of the Soul Transformation stage!

"Qingyang Disciples, form the 'Qingyang Blazing Flame Array'!" the Elder leading the Qingyang Sect (a Middle Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator) also roared.

Thirty Qingyang Sect Disciples formed the array, and the scorching Qingyang True Fire gathered into a sea of fire, following closely behind the giant green sword.

"Attack!"

Elder Qingyun pointed with his fingers, and the hundred-zhang green giant sword emitted a sharp sound as it broke through the air, carrying sharp Sword Qi that could tear through everything, fiercely stabbing at the layer of black fog barrier that looked the thickest at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley!

The Qingyang Blazing Flame followed closely, like a maggot on a tarsal bone, burning toward the surroundings of the barrier!

At the same time, on the left and right flanks, Void-Comforter and Venerable Xuanming each led their men to press forward, their powerful Auras locking onto the sides of the valley to prevent any unusual movements.

Facing this aggressive first wave of attack, which came with the might of the Heavenly Dao, the Ten Thousand Demon Valley seemed completely motionless; only the black fog barrier fluctuated violently under the impact of the giant sword and flames, emitting a dull roar, as if it might shatter at any moment.

Inside the valley, atop the black bone tower.

Nightmare watched everything happening outside the light curtain coldly, his eyes like ten-thousand-year-old ice.

Li Xiehe and the others behind him looked nervous, sweat forming on their palms.

The might of the Righteous Path Alliance's first strike far exceeded any conflict they had seen in their daily lives.

"Lord Nightmare, they have used the demon suppressing talisman seals. That light curtain suppresses our Devilish Qi significantly, and the power of Elder Qingyun's Sword Array is already approaching the Soul Transformation stage..." Li Xiehe said with a dry voice.

"No matter." Nightmare said calmly, "Activate the first transformation of the 'Ten Thousand Demon Star Formation'—'Ghost Star World Protection'."

"Yes!" Li Xiehe immediately crushed a bone talisman in his hand.

In an instant, countless pre-embedded Formation bases, which had fused the characteristics of the Demonic Star Flame and the Power of the Stars, simultaneously lit up with dark light across the ground, mountain walls, and even the air of the entire Ten Thousand Demon Valley!

These lights connected rapidly, condensing another, deeper dark light shield inside the black fog barrier at the valley entrance, with countless tiny phantom stars appearing and disappearing within it!

This was one of the fruits of Nightmare's labor over the past three days: transforming the original defensive Formation of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley into a star-based one, incorporating the characteristics of his own Demonic Star Flame, greatly enhancing its defensive power, especially its resistance to the power of the Heavenly Dao.

Almost at the moment the dark light shield formed—

Boom!!!

The hundred-zhang green giant sword, transformed by the Qingyun Demon Slaying Sword Array, stabbed fiercely onto the dark light shield!

The expected destruction did not occur.

The green giant sword had not even penetrated one-third of the light shield before it felt like it had fallen into an incredibly viscous starry mud pit, its forward speed plummeting!

The sharp Qingyun Sword Qi attached to the sword body collided and annihilated with the dark starlight and Demonic Star Flame power circulating within the light shield, emitting a harsh "sizzling" sound, yet it could not penetrate any further!

What shocked Elder Qingyun even more was that the light shield was actually slowly absorbing and converting part of the giant sword's Sword Qi energy!

The Qingyang Blazing Flame that followed closely bombarded the light shield, but the effect was even worse.

The Demonic Star Flame naturally had a suppressive and devouring effect on Yang Fire; this light shield, which had fused with the characteristics of the Demonic Star Flame, directly "swallowed" a large area of Qingyang True Fire. The flames quickly dimmed and extinguished, feeding a trace of energy back to the light shield!

"What?!" Elder Qingyun's expression changed. The defensive Formation of this Ten Thousand Demon Valley was far stronger than expected!

And its attributes were strange; it could actually resist and absorb their attacks?

"Change the array! Qingyun Ten Thousand Swords, Encircle and Kill!" Elder Qingyun made a prompt decision. The hundred-zhang giant sword shattered with a bang, transforming back into countless condensed green Sword Qi, like a rain of pear blossoms, frantically shooting at the dark light shield from all angles!

The Qingyang Sect members also changed their strategy, condensing the flames into scorching light spears to coordinate the attack.

However, the dark light shield had amazing resilience. Under the impact of countless Sword Qi and light spears, it fluctuated violently, with constant ripples on the surface and even fine cracks appearing, but it never shattered and was repairing itself at a slow speed!

The golden light cast by the demon suppressing talisman seals had a far less obvious suppressive effect on the light shield than it did on ordinary Devilish Qi!

"This Formation... is strange!" Elder Qingyun's heart sank. He could feel that the core power level of this Formation was extremely high, faintly suppressing their Righteous Path Spiritual Power.

Just as the Righteous Path Alliance's first wave of attack was frustrated and the offensive slowed slightly, while they were attempting to find the Formation's weaknesses—

On the black bone tower, a cold light flashed in Nightmare's eyes.

"Just now."

He stepped off the top of the tower, and his figure instantly appeared inside the Ten Thousand Demon Valley Formation, behind the dark light shield.

He opened his hands, palms facing upward, and fully activated his Origin Demonic Star dao seed!

"Ten Thousand Demon Star Formation, second stage—Demon Star Eclipses Heaven!"

With a low shout, the power of the entire Ten Thousand Demon Valley Formation seemed to have found a hub, frantically converging toward him!

The dark light shield suddenly contracted and condensed inward, transforming into countless torrents of dark energy flowing with Demonic Star Flame, rushing against the direction of the Righteous Path's attack toward that huge 'demon suppressing light curtain' in the sky!

These energy torrents were not scattered attacks but, under Nightmare's precise control, converged at one point—the very spot above the demon suppressing light curtain where the ten hovering demon suppressing talisman seals converged their energy, one of the most solid core nodes of the light curtain!

"Not good! He is going to attack the core of the light curtain!" In the main command tent, Lin Hao, who had been watching the battle with his Divine Sense, changed his expression and stood up abruptly.

But it was too late to stop him.

Seeing those few thick torrents of dark energy, like man-eating demonic dragons, they slammed fiercely into the node of the demon suppressing light curtain!

Ssss—!!!

It was like a red-hot iron rod being thrust into water.

The golden barrier of the demon suppressing light curtain, which had seemed indestructible, emitted a violent corrosive sound upon contacting the dark energy containing the characteristics of the Demonic Star Flame and the Star Devouring Dao!

The golden light dimmed rapidly, and the runes twisted and disintegrated!

The light curtain in that area became thinner and transparent at a speed visible to the naked eye!

What was even more terrifying was that Nightmare had activated the "Star Devouring Dao"!

An invisible, terrifying suction force, born specifically to devour "Dao Power", followed the energy torrent and acted fiercely upon the demon suppressing talisman seal serving as the core of the node and the energy structure of the surrounding light curtain!

Crack!

A slight cracking sound, yet it was incredibly clear in everyone's Divine Sense perception.

A crack had actually appeared on the surface of the demon suppressing talisman seal serving as the node!

Although it did not shatter, its spiritual light was greatly damaged!

And the piece of the demon suppressing light curtain it supported was forcibly eroded, creating a huge gap with a diameter of over ten zhang!

Devil Head, how dare you!

Elder Qingyun's eyes were split with rage; this demon suppressing talisman seal had been bestowed by the Heavenly Dao and held extraordinary symbolic significance, yet it had been damaged!

Once the gap opened, the suppressive force shrouding Ten Thousand Demon Valley instantly diminished greatly!

The Devilish Qi within the valley, previously suppressed, erupted violently, surging out through the gap like floodwaters released from a dam!

Cultivators of Ten Thousand Demon Valley, follow me—kill!

Nightmare's cold and ruthless voice resonated through the entire valley via the Formation!

Without the slightest hesitation, he took the lead, transforming into a dark meteor burning with raging Demonic Star Flame, and charged fiercely straight out of that gap!

His target was none other than Elder Qingyun, who stood before the Formation in a mix of shock and rage!

Kill!!!

The Cultivators of Ten Thousand Demon Valley, who had been suppressed and beaten with a belly full of fire, and were now stirred to boiling blood by Nightmare's domineering display of breaking the Formation, swarmed out from the gap like Vicious Beasts released from a cage, led by Li Xiehe and several Nascent Soul Elders!

Devilish Qi, blood energy, evil light, poisonous miasma... all sorts of filthy yet powerful energies instantly flooded the battlefield!

Engage the enemy!

Elder Qingyun shouted sharply, waving his sword to meet the incoming Nightmare.

Though shocked, he was not flustered; after all, he was a Deity Transformation Cultivator with rich combat experience.

The Disciples and Elders behind him also quickly formed a Formation, colliding with the torrent of Demonic Path Cultivators rushing out!

In an instant, Magic Treasures roared, Spell lights flashed, and screams and roars merged into one chaotic sound!

The Cultivators of the Righteous Path and the Demonic Path engaged in a bloody and cruel close-quarters melee outside the narrow valley entrance!

Nightmare turned a blind eye to the surrounding melee; in his eyes, there was only Elder Qingyun.

Old dog, you were lucky to escape with your life in the Bone Burial Abyss; today, I shall use you to sacrifice to my flag!

Nightmare's voice was icy cold as he raised his hand and struck out with a palm!

There were no flashy Moves, just the purest Demonic Star Flame condensing into a pitch-black, hundred-foot-large flaming giant palm.

Within its palm, the spectacle of stars collapsing and exploding played out continuously, descending with an Aura that promised to burn everything to ash and devour all!

Elder Qingyun felt the terrifying power within the flames, far exceeding what he had seen before, and dared not take it head-on.

He retreated rapidly while his long sword carved out a sky full of Qingyun Sword Qi, like a waterfall rushing backward, attempting to block and erode the flaming giant palm.

However, wherever the Demonic Star Flame passed, the Qingyun Sword Qi seemed to meet its nemesis, quickly being eroded, devoured, and disintegrated!

The flaming giant palm lost no speed and slammed down with a boom!

Boom!

Although Elder Qingyun avoided the direct hit, he was clipped by the aftershock.

His protective Qingyun Protective Aura vibrated violently, and he let out a muffled groan, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with even deeper shock!

Nightmare's strength was more than just a notch higher than it had been at the Bone Burial Abyss?!

This fiend is fierce; we cannot face him head-on! Form the 'Qingyun Heaven Locking Array' to trap him!

Elder Qingyun roared at the three Nascent Soul Elders not far away.

Those three were also rich in combat experience; they immediately broke free from their entanglements and flew over, taking up positions on four sides with Elder Qingyun, waving their Formation Flags to set up the Formation that had once trapped Nightmare.

You want to use the same Move a second time?

Nightmare sneered, his figure disappearing from the spot like a phantom.

The next moment, he appeared behind one of the Nascent Soul Elders who was waving a Formation Flag.

The Elder turned around in terror, only to see a pair of cold, ruthless eyes burning with star flames.

Die.

Nightmare pointed his fingers like a sword, the Demonic Star Flame at his fingertips highly condensed, transforming into a dark ray as thin as a hair but as fast as lightning, directly piercing the center of this Nascent Soul Elder's brow!

Pfft!

The Nascent Soul Elder's body stiffened, the light in his eyes rapidly dimming.

With a charred little hole in his brow, he couldn't even escape with his Nascent Soul before the Demonic Star Flame instantly incinerated all his vitality!

His corpse fell straight backward.

Clean! Efficient! A one-hit kill!

Elder Li!

Elder Qingyun and the other two Elders were split with rage.

Nightmare did not stop, his figure flashing again like a soul-reaping ghost, appearing beside the second Nascent Soul Elder.

The Elder panicked and sacrificed a shield Magic Treasure; the shield flickered with spiritual light, clearly a fine piece.

Nightmare didn't even look and threw a punch!

On his fist, Demonic Star Flame coiled, and the Power of the Stars surged.

Crack!

The shield shattered like paper!

The fist's momentum did not diminish, slamming heavily into the Elder's chest!

Bang!

With a dull explosion, the Elder's chest collapsed entirely, a blood hole exploded in his back, his internal organs and bones were shattered, and his body flew sideways like a broken sack, dying in mid-air!

In the blink of an eye, two Nascent Soul Elders had fallen!

Devil Head! I'll fight you to the death!

Elder Qingyun's eyes were blood-red; he had gone completely mad, recklessly burning his essence blood, driving his Lifebound Treasure Sword Qi, which transformed into a cyan rainbow tearing through the sky, carrying grief, indignation, and determination as it stabbed toward Nightmare!

This was a desperate, life-risking strike!

The last remaining Nascent Soul Elder also roared, coordinating the attack.

Nightmare's eyes were cold; facing this desperate strike, he did not retreat but advanced instead.

The Demonic Star Flame around him roared, rising and condensing in front of him into a rapidly spinning, pitch-black vortex of stars that seemed capable of devouring light!

Star Devouring Dao, swallow!

The cyan rainbow stabbed into the vortex, like a clay ox entering the sea.

The massive, imposing Sword Qi was wildly torn, devoured, and transformed by the vortex!

Elder Qingyun felt his essence blood and Sword Qi rapidly draining away.

Terror gripped his heart, and though he wanted to withdraw, it was already too late!

Nightmare's figure passed through the residual Sword Qi like a phantom and appeared before Elder Qingyun, the distance between them mere inches.

Elder Qingyun looked into Nightmare's eyes, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, and an unprecedented chill froze his Divine Soul.

In the next life, remember not to block my path.

Nightmare's voice was like the whisper of the God of Death.

He extended his right hand, fingers curled into a claw, the tips wrapped in highly condensed Demonic Star Flame, and pressed them lightly onto Elder Qingyun's crown.

No...

Elder Qingyun only had time to utter one word.

Pfft!

The Demonic Star Flame instantly gushed from Nightmare's palm, like a venomous snake that seeped into every crevice, burrowing into Elder Qingyun's skull, following his Meridians, Dantian, and Sea of Consciousness, rampaging, burning, and devouring everything!

Elder Qingyun's body convulsed violently, his eyes bulging as he made inhuman gurgling sounds.

The Aura around him rapidly withered like a deflating balloon.

His Early Spirit Transformation Stage Nascent Soul, wrapped in Demonic Star Flame within the Dantian, let out a silent wail.

It lasted less than a single breath before it went 'pop,' shattering and dissipating like a bubble, its entire essence devoured by the Demonic Star Flame to nourish Nightmare.

In just two or three breaths, this Grand Elder of the Qingyun Sect, a renowned Deity Transformation Cultivator, had turned into a charred, withered corpse.

Nightmare tossed it aside casually; it hit the ground and shattered into a pile of fly ash, his body and soul utterly destroyed!

The last remaining Nascent Soul Elder saw this scene, his liver and gallbladder splitting with terror.

Unable to muster any more Battle Intent, he turned and fled.

Can you escape?

Nightmare didn't even look back.

With a wave of his hand, a blade light condensed from Demonic Star Flame struck first despite being launched later, sweeping across the Elder's neck.

A head filled with terror flew into the sky, and the headless corpse ran forward a few more steps before collapsing dejectedly to the ground.

From the moment Nightmare charged out of the Formation to killing three Nascent Soul Elders and slaying the Deity Transformation Elder Qingyun, the entire process took no more than ten breaths!

Clean! Ruthless! Exterminating every last one! Leaving no future trouble!

The battlefield of the Righteous-Demonic melee fell into a momentary silence at this instant.

Everyone who saw this, whether Righteous Path Cultivators or Demonic Cultivators, felt a chill shoot from the soles of their feet straight to their crowns!

Nightmare stood proudly in the center of the battlefield, with Elder Qingyun's ash and the corpses of two Nascent Soul Elders at his feet, the Demonic Star Flame burning fiercely around him, like a Demon God returned from Hell.

His cold gaze swept across the battlefield; wherever it landed, Righteous Path Cultivators retreated in terror, their morale instantly plummeting to rock bottom.

Elder Qingyun!!!

From the direction of the central army tent in the distance came Lin Hao's roar of extreme shock and rage, along with the sound of Void-Comforter and Venerable Xuanming rushing over, tearing through the air.

Nightmare didn't even look at them; his gaze fell upon the Righteous Path vanguard, which had fallen into chaos due to the fall of their commander and the breaking of the Formation, and was now being slaughtered by the Ten Thousand Demon Valley Cultivators.

A cruel arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

Leave none alive.

As the cold words fell, his figure moved again, transforming into a beam of deathly light, charging into the group of Golden Core and Foundation Establishment Disciples who had lost the protection of their Deity Transformation expert, were being besieged by Demonic Cultivators, and were in a state of extreme panic.

Wherever the Demonic Star Flame passed, it was like harvesting wheat.

Whether it was the protective spiritual light of the Golden Core Stage or the Magic Treasure barriers of the Foundation Establishment Stage, they were all fragile before the Demonic Star Flame.

Screams, wails, and pleas for mercy instantly echoed across the battlefield, but soon ceased abruptly.

Nightmare was like a walking storm of death; wherever he passed, he left behind swathes of charred corpses and scattered Divine Soul fragments, all of which were devoured by the Demonic Star Flame.

He had not the slightest pity, not half a shred of softness.

Since these people had chosen to stand on the side of the Heavenly Dao and Lin Hao to encircle and annihilate him, they were enemies.

To be kind to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself.

The bloody lessons of his past life were already etched into his bones.

When Lin Hao, Void-Comforter, and Venerable Xuanming arrived at the heart of the battlefield with towering rage, they saw the scene littered with corpses (mostly Righteous Path Cultivators), the vanguard remnants whose morale had collapsed and were fleeing in all directions, and... that black-robed figure, bathed in blood (the enemy's blood), with towering Demonic Flames, standing like a Demon God in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, looking coldly their way.

And, the sorrowful Dao rhyme of Elder Qingyun's Soul Transformation Origin dissipating in the air, not yet gone.

The first battle: the Righteous Alliance's vanguard was completely annihilated, a Deity Transformation expert had fallen, a crushing defeat!

Nightmare's gaze passed over the fleeing cannon fodder and met the gaze of Lin Hao in the distance, whose eyes were split with rage and who seemed ready to spit fire.

The air was filled with a thick scent of blood and an even more intense Killing Intent.