Clues from the secret location, Hao's traces reappear

In the dilapidated main hall of Ten Thousand Demon Valley (barely able to shield against wind and rain), the atmosphere was deathly still.

Li Xiehe had a broken arm, suspended in a sling, his complexion sallow as he sat on the main seat, panting heavily.

Below him stood a sparse group of about a dozen people—the remaining heads and brains of the valley who were still breathing—all of them wounded, their expressions as gloomy as if their parents had died.

The withered old man leaned on his cane and coughed twice, his voice hoarse, "Valley Revered Master Li, what... what should we do next? Lord Nightmare, he..."

He didn't dare to continue, but the meaning was clear. When the Heavenly Dao Envoy struck with one palm, it smashed a huge crater into the ground; Nightmare was likely reduced to nothing but ash.

Over ninety percent of the valley's members were dead or injured. Although the Righteous Path had retreated, who knew if they would return? The morale of the people had completely collapsed.

Li Xiehe's eyes were hollow as he looked at the charred ruins outside the hall. Yes, what should they do? He himself didn't know.

When Nightmare was here, although his methods were ruthless, at least there was a backbone, a direction to fight for. Now... were they really to flee individually and hide in deep mountains and old forests, clinging to life?

Just in this despairing, deathly silence—

"How about that? I have only been 'dead' for a few days, and this is all the backbone you have?"

A cold, familiar voice, carrying a hint of mockery, suddenly rang out at the entrance of the main hall.

Swish! Everyone turned their heads violently, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets!

At the entrance, a black-robed figure stood there silently, appearing from nowhere. Who else could it be but Nightmare?!

He looked completely unharmed, and his aura was even more unfathomable than before. Standing there, he was like a bottomless, dark starry sky, pressing down until people couldn't breathe.

"Ni... Lord Nightmare?!" Li Xiehe stood up abruptly, aggravating his wounds and wincing in pain, but his face exploded with wild joy. "You... you didn't die?! That's great! That's great!" He was almost crying.

The withered old man and others were shocked and happy, but more than that, they felt disbelief and a reverence that stemmed from their very Souls. To survive such an attack? What kind of monster was he!

Nightmare walked slowly into the hall, his gaze sweeping over these broken remnants, his eyes devoid of warmth. He didn't explain how he survived, nor was he interested in hearing their grievances.

"I don't have time to listen to your wailing." Nightmare walked straight to the main seat, and Li Xiehe quickly stepped aside.

He sat down, fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, his voice brook no argument. "Ten Thousand Demon Valley is destroyed, but it is not yet completely dead. I have important matters and need to leave for a period of time."

Everyone's heart tightened. He just returned and is leaving already?

"Li Xiehe." Nightmare looked at him.

"This subordinate is here!" Li Xiehe bowed quickly.

"While I am away, you will temporarily act as the leader of the Alliance. Your primary task is not to rebuild, but to hide. Take the remaining people, break up into smaller groups, and scatter to various secret Demonic Path strongholds, or simply hide in Mortal cities. Collect intelligence, develop low-key, and accumulate strength. Without my orders, you are not allowed to have large-scale conflicts with the Righteous Path, and you are strictly forbidden from exposing your tracks."

Nightmare tossed him a pitch-black bone tablet, engraved with a distorted star mark. "With this tablet, you can contact me, but do not use it unless it is a matter of life and death."

Li Xiehe received the bone tablet with both hands, feeling the cold and vast aura emanating from it. His heart settled, and he quickly replied, "This subordinate obeys! I will certainly not fail your commission, My Lord!"

Nightmare looked at the withered old man and the other Elders who were still relatively calm. "You will assist Li Xiehe. If anyone feigns compliance or leaks our tracks... kill them."

The single word "kill" made everyone's back go cold, and they quickly bowed their heads in agreement.

After arranging these matters, Nightmare stopped wasting words and stood up to walk out.

"My Lord!" Li Xiehe couldn't help but take a step after him. "Where... are you going? When will you return? And the Heavenly Dao and the Righteous Path..."

Nightmare did not stop, his voice drifting back with the wind. "To a place where the Heavenly Dao cannot find me for the time being, to retrieve something that can truly tear this sky apart. As for when I will return... when I return, it will be time for the Heavenly Dao and those Righteous Path Sects to pay their debts."

As his words fell, he had already disappeared outside the hall, as if he had never appeared at all.

Inside the hall, everyone looked at each other, but the ashen despair in their eyes seemed to be reignited by a faint spark of hope, thanks to Nightmare's hurried yet resolute words.

Leaving Ten Thousand Demon Valley, Nightmare found a secluded hilltop, changed into an inconspicuous gray cloth garment, and concealed the terrifying Peak Spirit Transformation aura around his body, disguising himself as an ordinary-looking Golden Core Stage Loose Cultivator.

The nature of the Star Demon Flame was extremely high-level; when deliberately hidden, it was extremely difficult to detect any abnormalities unless one's cultivation was far superior to his or possessed special detection Divine Abilities.

He opened his palm, and a simple route map outlined by starlight appeared in his hand. This was the guidance on how to reach the "Chaotic Star Sea" from the information transmitted by the star dao fruit.

"The Chaotic Star Sea drifts at the edge of the world and cannot be reached by conventional methods... One must first reach the 'Meteorite Platform', borrow its ancient star guidance power, and combine it with one's own star dao fruit aura to open a temporary passage..."

The route map pointed to the Far West Land, deep within a forbidden area called the "Starfall Wasteland". That was where the "Meteorite Platform" was located.

"Meteorite Platform..." Nightmare noted the location, his figure flickered, and he turned into an inconspicuous gray streak of light, speeding towards the western horizon. With his current cultivation, even if he deliberately slowed down, his travel speed was extremely fast.

Several days later, he had penetrated deep into the western frontier. The further west he went, the sparser the population became, and the Spiritual Qi became increasingly thin and violent. Huge Gobi deserts, wastelands, and unstable spatial rifts could often be seen.

On this day, he passed by a small town built on the edge of the wasteland, constructed from black boulders—Black Stone Town. The town was the only supply point within a thousand miles and the last stop before heading to the Starfall Wasteland. It was a mix of dragons and snakes, with both adventurous Loose Cultivators and desperadoes hiding from enemies.

Nightmare had not intended to stay, wanting only to pass through quickly. But when he passed the largest, and only, inn and tavern at the town entrance, the Source Demon Star dao seed deep within his brow suddenly throbbed without warning!

It was not the violent throbbing of a warning of danger, but a subtle repulsion and locking onto a "Heavenly Mandate" aura of the same level!

He paused, then walked expressionlessly into the noisy and chaotic tavern. The interior was filled with the smell of cheap alcohol, sweat, and coarse shouting. He found a shadowy corner to sit, ordered a pot of the most ordinary strong liquor, while his Divine Sense spread out silently like an invisible spider web.

Soon, he "saw" a few people in a relatively quiet private room (if this dump could even be called a private room) on the second floor of the tavern.

The leader was a young Cultivator with a somewhat pale complexion and an aura that seemed to be only at the Early Nascent Soul Stage (but his Foundation was floating, obviously from unhealed severe injuries or forced advancement), wearing a green robe made of exquisite material that had been deliberately aged. His brows were tightly locked, a trace of lingering fear and viciousness deep in his eyes, as he sipped the Spirit Tea in his cup.

Beside him sat two women. One was dressed in a moon-white long dress, her temperament cold and aloof, but between her brows was an indelible weariness and worry; it was Fairy Qing Xuan. The other young girl in a goose-yellow dress still had no color in her face, snuggled beside Fairy Qing Xuan with hollow eyes; it was Su Wan! However, both women's auras were far worse than before; Fairy Qing Xuan was barely maintaining the Early Nascent Soul Stage, and Su Wan was only at the Golden Core Stage level, and her Divine Soul fluctuations were unstable, clearly suffering from severe sequelae from their previous injuries.

Outside the private room, four or five Cultivators dressed in different Sect attire, but with fierce auras and at least at the Late Golden Core Stage, stood guard vigilantly.

It was Lin Hao! And his two female confidantes!

A cold light flashed and vanished in Nightmare's eyes. This guy really didn't die completely! It seems the Heavenly Dao Envoy still has some tricks; I don't know what method he used to save a part of his remnant Soul and even reshape his Physical Body? However, it looks like his cultivation has plummeted, his Foundation is severely damaged, and he is far from the might of his original Late-Stage Transformation Spirit.

What are they doing here? Are they also going to the Starfall Wasteland? The Meteorite Platform?

Nightmare immediately concentrated his Divine Sense, capturing fragments of their hushed conversation.

"...Revered Master (referring to the Heavenly Dao Envoy) used my remaining Heavenly Mandate Origin and jade pendant fragments, combined with the power of the Heavenly Dao to reshape my dao body; this is already a great grace... The drop in cultivation is only temporary. Once I obtain that Heavenly Dao secret treasure in the 'Chaotic Star Sea', I will not only fully recover, but also gain the authority to suppress all Reverse Dao Practitioners..." This was Lin Hao's voice, and although weak, when he mentioned the "Heavenly Dao secret treasure," it carried an irrepressible fanaticism.

Fairy Qing Xuan said softly, "Senior Brother Lin Hao, that Chaotic Star Sea is fraught with danger, and even the Heavenly Dao Envoy cannot accurately locate it, only saying there are clues in the Far West... Searching like this is no different from looking for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, your injuries..."

"It's fine!" Lin Hao interrupted her, his eyes vicious. "Revered Master has connected my last bit of Heavenly Mandate Luck with the secret treasure's sensing; the closer we get, the stronger the sensing. This Black Stone Town is the last supply point; past here is the Starfall Wasteland. I have a premonition that the entrance we are looking for is deep in the wasteland! As soon as I get that secret treasure, Nightmare... and those Demonic Path remnants, none of them will escape! I will personally tear them to pieces!"

The resentment in his tone was almost overflowing.

Su Wan also raised her pale face, her voice weak but filled with deep-seated hatred. "Yes... Brother Lin Hao... must kill that Devil Head... to... to avenge me..." Her body trembled slightly, clearly terrified of Nightmare to the extreme, and hating him to the extreme as well.

Nightmare listened from the corner, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc.

Chaotic Star Sea... Heavenly Dao secret treasure... suppress Reverse Dao Practitioners? Heh, sure enough, the Heavenly Dao side also received the news; it's even possible this "secret treasure" is a restraining object against the Lord of the Stars Legacy. This dog Lin Hao, his life is tough indeed; reduced to this state, he's still selling his life for his Revered Master, running here to snatch an Opportunity.

Want to intercept me? Or want to use that what-you-call-it secret treasure to deal with me?

Nightmare slowly finished the cheap liquor in his cup, put down a few Spirit Stones, stood up, and silently left the noisy tavern.

Walking out of the town, looking at the dusky wasteland to the west that seemed to connect to the horizon, the Star Demon Flame in Nightmare's eyes flickered slightly.

The plan has to change a bit.

Originally, he intended to go directly to the Meteorite Platform to open the passage. But now that Lin Hao's group has also found their way here, although they have become Trash, they are still carrying the Heavenly Dao's guidance, which is a trouble. Moreover, there are many of them, and if he is discovered while opening the passage, it will add unnecessary variables.

"Since we've run into each other..." Nightmare whispered to himself, his voice devoid of emotion. "Then let's clear the trouble in advance. It's just right to test the power of the Peak Spirit Transformation; slaughtering a few sick cats shouldn't take much effort."

His figure turned into a streak of light again, but not flying directly into the depths of the wasteland; instead, he circled around Black Stone Town, moving at an even faster speed, shooting ahead towards the general direction of the Meteorite Platform in his memory.

He wanted to arrive at the Meteorite Platform before Lin Hao's group.

Not to open the passage.

But to... set up a "surprise" to welcome them.

Killing intent quietly permeated the wild winds of this western frontier.