Outside the core hall, seize the key first.

Passing through the deathly silent Star-Eroding Rock zone, that pervasive pressure of the Star Demon Flame was gradually left behind.

Nightmare's speed did not slow down in the slightest; the resonance from the star dao fruit became increasingly clear, like a lighthouse gradually brightening on a dark sea.

The surrounding chaos qi flow began to become orderly, no longer violent turbulence, but rather rotating and converging slowly toward a certain center, as if on a pilgrimage.

Scattered fragments of stars emitting a soft light began to appear in the Void Realm, moving slowly according to some profound trajectory, as if guarding something deeper within.

Pressure—an invisible pressure—began to emerge. It was not from an attack, but a pressure of status, originating from something ancient and vast, making even the Soul feel slightly heavy.

Nightmare knew that he was almost there.

Finally, after passing through a "curtain of light" composed of countless tiny starlights, the scene before him suddenly opened up.

In the center of the Chaotic Star Sea lay an indescribably "empty" area. There were almost no stray star fragments here, only the purest, most concentrated Chaos Starlight, flowing slowly like liquid.

And in the center of it all floated a massive palace that was difficult to describe in words.

It was not built of bricks and stone, but rather seemed to be constructed directly from solidified starry skies and compressed Law of the Stars.

The palace body was a deep, dark blue, with galaxy-like bands of light flowing across its surface, and countless phantoms of stars, some bright and some dim, flickering in and out of existence between the walls and pillars.

It was towering, ancient, and silent, exuding a supreme majesty of the stars, as if it had existed there since the dawn of heaven and earth, the final destination of all stars, the source of Law.

Star Core Palace!

Nightmare stopped in the Void Realm about a thousand feet away from the massive palace.

A powerful repulsive force emanated from the palace, forming a visible, water-like rippling barrier of stars.

Starlight flowed across the barrier, containing space power stable to the extreme and vast Law of the Stars; it could by no means be broken by brute force.

The star dao fruit in his Sea of Consciousness emitted an unprecedentedly strong resonance and yearning, and at the same time, it transmitted a clear message of will:

[Must collect three "Star Key" fragments and embed them into the corresponding indentations on the barrier to open the passage.]

[The Key fragments are kept by the elite of the Star-Eroding Clan guarding outside the palace.]

Nightmare's gaze swept across the bottom of the barrier. Sure enough, at the base of the barrier, there were three inconspicuous indentations arranged in a triangle, each with a different shape, appearing incomplete.

He needed to find the three fragments.

Almost at the same moment his Divine Sense expanded to search for the aura of the Key fragments—

From a relatively dense shadow of starlight to his front-side, a spatial fluctuation emerged.

Three tall, greyish-white figures stepped out from the shadows.

It was the Star-Eroding Clan again. But unlike the warriors encountered before, the star patterns on these three Star-Eroding Clan members were more complex and brighter, their auras condensed and heavy; they had shockingly all reached the Early Spirit Transformation Stage!

They wore simple armor inlaid with some kind of silver metal and Star-Eroding Rock fragments, and the weapons they held were also more refined, with the starlight flowing on their surfaces almost condensing into substance.

More importantly, Nightmare clearly sensed that from the inside of the armor of two of the Star-Eroding Clan elites, there came fluctuations that faintly resonated with the indentations on the barrier!

Two Key fragments!

The three Star-Eroding Clan elites also immediately discovered Nightmare. Their silver-grey pupils locked onto Nightmare simultaneously, their faces devoid of any expression, showing only cold vigilance and a trace of... confusion?

They naturally also felt the pure yet destruction-filled Star Demon Flame on Nightmare, which was different from any Cultivator they had encountered before. Moreover, this person was actually able to make it here alone?

"Devil Cultivator?" The Star-Eroding Clan elite in the center, whose aura was slightly stronger, emitted a dull sound. He used the Star-Eroding Clan language, but the mental fluctuation clearly conveyed the meaning, "Halt. This is a Forbidden Ground of the stars; none may enter unless guided by destiny."

They had clearly also received some kind of instruction or "destiny" recognition from Lin Hao.

Nightmare's gaze fell upon them, lingering for a moment especially on the two elites hiding the Key fragments.

He had no desire to communicate.

Confirm the target, remove the obstacles, seize what is needed—that was all.

In the instant that the three Star-Eroding Clan elites were still evaluating and being vigilant, Nightmare moved.

This time, he did not even fully manifest the Star Demon Flame.

He merely pressed his fingers together like a sword and lightly slashed through the air in the direction of the three Star-Eroding Clan elites.

Chi! Chi! Chi!

Three dark purple beams of light, so faint they were almost invisible, swept silently from his fingertips. The beams were extremely thin, yet condensed to the extreme, with what seemed like miniature stars rotating and annihilating inside them, their speed exceeding the limit of Divine Sense perception!

This was the upgraded application of the "Star Demon Pierce" that had previously instantly killed the leader of Lin Hao's subordinates—more covert, more lethal.

The three Star-Eroding Clan elites were worthy of being at the Soul Transformation Stage, possessing an astonishing intuition for danger. The moment Nightmare raised his hand, the star patterns all over their bodies suddenly exploded with light, and the weapons in their hands simultaneously blocked in front of them, the heavy Power of the Stars instantly condensing into three layers of silver light shields stacked together!

Their reaction was undeniably fast, and their defense undeniably thick.

But, it was useless.

The three dark purple threads touched the first layer of the light shield silently.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no violent energy conflict.

Only a "sizzling" sound, like a hot knife cutting into solidified grease.

The first layer of the light shield was instantly pierced through, its color dimming and collapsing.

The second layer, the same.

The third layer lasted for less than a thousandth of an instant before following the same fate.

The three threads, their momentum undiminished, accurately plunged into the center of the eyebrows of the three Star-Eroding Clan elites—that was precisely one of the cores where their internal Origin of the Stars converged.

The three elites' bodies stiffened simultaneously.

The silver-grey light in their eyes rapidly dimmed, filled with incomprehensible shock and bewilderment. They could feel an ice-cold, destructive, and domineering star alien force invading their Origin core along those thin threads, and then... detonating.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Three muffled sounds, not violent.

The tall, sturdy bodies of the three Star-Eroding Clan elites, like sand sculptures that had weathered for billions of years, began to collapse and shatter from the inside, turning into the finest, starlight-flickering dust, drifting away with a rustle.

From the moment he attacked until the three Early Spirit Transformation Stage powerful enemies were wiped out, it took a total of less than three breaths.

Nightmare's figure flashed, appearing where they had dissipated. With a wave of his hand, two fragments about the size of a palm, neither gold nor jade, with peculiar shapes and complex star Dao patterns engraved on their surfaces, fell into his hands. They were cool to the touch and transmitted a clear resonance with the Star Core Palace barrier.

They were exactly two Star Key fragments.

One more was missing.

Nightmare held the two fragments, closed his eyes, and focused. The star dao fruit sensed with full power, resonating with the fragments in his hand, sweeping the surroundings like radar.

Found it!

The aura of the last fragment was just a few hundred feet to the rear-right, inside an exceptionally large piece of Star-Eroding Rock half-embedded in the Void Realm! The aura was more obscure, but also more ancient and majestic; the strength of the guardian seemed to be stronger as well.

Nightmare did not hesitate, turning and speeding toward that massive rock.

Just as he approached within a hundred feet of the massive rock, a hole suddenly exploded open on the surface of the rock!

A figure, far taller and older than the previous three elites, shot out and blocked Nightmare's path.

This was a Star-Eroding Clan Elder. His greyish-white skin was almost silver, and the star patterns had connected into one piece, as if he were wearing a robe woven from stars. There was no crystal mark on his forehead; instead, there was a naturally formed silver rune that looked like a miniature nebula. His aura was vast, shockingly reaching the Mid-stage Dao Replenishing! In his hand, he held a scepter carved from a complete star core, and embedded at the top of the scepter was the third Star Key fragment!

The Elder's silver-grey pupils stared fixedly at Nightmare, then swept over the two fragments in his hand, his eyes erupting with a light mixed with shock and anger, as well as a trace of deep sorrow. He clearly knew through some method that the three elites outside had perished in an instant.

"Devil Head! You dare to slaughter the guardians of my clan and profane the Holy Land of the stars!" The Elder's voice rolled like muffled thunder, carrying monstrous anger and determination, "This is the Star Key, crucial to destiny! Even if I, this old man, perish and my Dao dissipates, I will never allow it to fall into the hands of a devil like you!"

Before his words had even finished, he slammed the scepter against his chest!

The Key fragment embedded at the top of the scepter suddenly exploded with blinding silver light! A violent, chaotic, and self-destructive Power of the Stars surged madly from the Elder's body toward the Key fragment, while the structure of the fragment itself began to become unstable, with teeth-grinding creaks and subtle cracking sounds emanating from within!

He was going to self-destruct! Self-destructing along with the Key fragment and all his own Mid-stage Dao Replenishing Origin! Even if he couldn't kill Nightmare, he would completely destroy this last fragment, so that no one could enter the Star Core Palace!

The desperate self-destruction of a Mid-stage Dao Replenishing powerhouse, combined with the ancient Power of the Stars contained within the Key fragment itself, was powerful enough to completely turn this area into destructive Chaos!

"Wishful thinking."

Nightmare's cold voice was faster than the Elder's actions.

Almost at the same moment the Elder pressed the scepter to his chest and the energy began to surge wildly, Nightmare's right hand had already reached out through the air, his five fingers forming a claw, gripping at the void toward the Key fragment that was about to explode!

"Seal!"

A low shout, as if his words commanded the Law itself.

In the palm of Nightmare, a point of extremely dark starlight exploded, instantly transforming into countless dark purple Demonic Flame chains as fine as hair, ignoring spatial distance, appearing out of thin air around the Key fragment like an incredibly precise cage, wrapping, entangling, and compressing the fragment along with the violent self-destruction energy surging from it layer by layer!

On the Demonic Flame chains, the Laws of reversal, devouring, and sealing took effect simultaneously!

The blinding silver light that was about to explode seemed to be forcibly pressed back by an invisible giant hand! The cracking sounds from within the Key fragment stopped abruptly, and the violent self-destructive energy was frantically devoured, disintegrated, and suppressed by the Demonic Flame chains!

"What?!" The Star-Eroding Clan Elder was terrified to the extreme; he discovered that his connection to the Key fragment and to his own Origin was being forcibly severed! The dark purple flame chains not only sealed the fragment but also eroded backward along the energy channel, intending to Seal the boiling Origin within his body as well!

"Break for me!!" The Elder's eyes were splitting, and he frantically burned his remaining life essence, attempting to break free.

Nightmare's eyes turned cold, and he pulled his clenched right fist backward violently!

"Kala—!"

It was as if some invisible link had been forcibly snapped.

The Demonic Flame cage wrapping the Key fragment suddenly shrank back into Nightmare's palm, and along with it, the last trace of the Origin connection between the Star-Eroding Clan Elder and the fragment was also pulled back.

"Pfft—!" The Elder was struck as if by a heavy blow, spraying a mouthful of silver blood. His aura instantly withered, and the luster in his eyes dimmed rapidly. The self-destruction had been forcibly interrupted, and the backlash of the Origin left him gravely wounded and on the verge of death.

Nightmare did not even glance at him, his left hand flicking a finger.

A point of condensed Star Demon Pierce light flashed by.

The Star-Eroding Clan Elder's body trembled slightly, a needle-point-sized hole appearing on his forehead. The last bit of light in his eyes was completely extinguished, and his body fell backward; before it even hit the ground, it had turned into flying ash and dissipated.

Nightmare opened his right palm.

The dark purple Demonic Flame chains dissipated, revealing the third Star Key fragment within, intact and with a warm, gentle starlight.

The three fragments were finally collected.

He looked up at the towering, silent Star Core Palace not far away, its barrier flowing with light, and then, as if sensing something, he turned his head slightly and glanced at the distant direction he had come from, where the chaos qi flow was surging.

Lin Hao... should be arriving soon too.

Nightmare did not delay any further, holding the three Key fragments in his hand, his figure turning into a stream of light, shooting straight toward the bottom of the Star Core Palace, to the location of those three indentations that were emitting a faint summoning power.

The true battle for the Legacy was about to begin behind the palace doors.