The continuation of fortune, a sign of impending tribulation.

Deep within Ten Thousand Demon Valley, at the bottom of the Nether Cave.

This place was colder and more deathly silent than anywhere else in the valley. It was not a cold of temperature, but a deathly silence that permeated the Soul, as if the end of all things.

The earth fire of the core was restrained here, yet it took on an eerie dark purple hue, silently licking the rock walls. Instead of bringing warmth, it burned away the last traces of vitality.

In the very center stood a cage cast entirely from an unknown black metal. Its surface was covered in distorted runes, and at this moment, it was flowing with silent, pitch-black flames—the very Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame left behind by Nightmare.

The flames were not blazing, yet they continuously emitted a terrifying Aura that reversed, devoured, and scorched the Divine Soul.

Inside the cage, Lin Hao curled up in a corner.

He had long since lost any trace of his former "son of destiny" bearing. His clothes were ragged, stained with blood and scorch marks. His exposed skin was covered in black patterns like brands left by the Demonic Flame. These patterns were like living creatures, still slightly writhing, continuously eroding his vitality and Divine Soul.

His Aura was weak to the extreme, like a candle in the wind, liable to extinguish at any moment. The layer of "destiny golden light" that had originally shrouded his body was already so dim it was almost invisible, leaving only a trace of an extremely weak, tenuous connection that was still stubbornly maintaining his last link with the Heavenly Dao in the darkness.

The pain of the Demonic Flame scorching his Soul was endless, but his consciousness remained cruelly clear because of it. He could not faint; he could only clearly feel everything about himself—his power, Luck, dignity, and hope—being burned away, stripped, and reduced to nothingness, bit by bit.

Footsteps approached from afar, becoming exceptionally clear in this dead-silent bottom layer.

Lin Hao's turbid eyes struggled to turn, looking outside the cage.

Nightmare's figure, like a silhouette merged into the darkness, walked over slowly. He had no Aura released from his body, but Lin Hao's remaining, instinctual sense derived from his destiny was screaming wildly in warning! The Nightmare before him was even more terrifying than he had been at the Chaotic Star Sea Legacy Hall! It was a feeling of suppression at the essence and life-level!

Nightmare stood still before the cage, his pitch-black eyes calmly watching Lin Hao, who was like a pile of mud inside.

"The time has come." He spoke lightly, as if stating a trivial matter unrelated to himself.

Lin Hao's body began to tremble violently, not because of the Demonic Flame, but from fear originating from the depths of his Soul. He knew what Nightmare was about to do, but he didn't even have the strength to struggle; he could only emit desperate "ho ho" sounds from the depths of his throat, like a broken bellows.

Nightmare said no more and raised his hand, pressing it into the void towards the cage.

Hum—

The Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame flowing on the surface of the cage seemed to have received a summons, instantly becoming active, transforming into more condensed, more tyrannical black threads that penetrated the gaps of the cage, like countless greedy vipers, drilling into Lin Hao's body once again!

"Ahhhhhhh—!!"

Pain ten times, a hundred times more intense than before instantly swept over Lin Hao! This plunder was no longer a probe, but a true, root-pulling extraction! Leveraging his own power, which had already touched the threshold of the Tribulation Crossing Stage, and Lin Hao's current state, where his destiny Foundation was already damaged and his Luck was tottering, Nightmare began the most efficient extraction!

[Second plunder started... Target's destiny Foundation detected to be severely damaged, plunder efficiency increased by 50%.]

[Plundering... Current plunder progress: 20%... 25%...]

[Warning: Target's destiny halo is on the verge of collapse.]

[Notification: Second plunder complete, obtained 25% of destiny Luck. Cumulative plunder progress: 40%.]

The System notification sounds flashed by rapidly.

Lin Hao felt his "existence" being completely hollowed out! That "destiny" which sustained his life, bestowed him with Opportunity, and made him unique was being brutally, mercilessly torn away! His body withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, his skin lost its last bit of luster, his gaze became completely unfocused, and the roars from his mouth became intermittent, leaving only unconscious "ho ho" sounds.

Dao Heart? It had long since completely shattered amidst the endless pain, despair, and loss of power. He didn't even have the strength to harbor resentment now, only the most primitive fear of extinction.

At the same time, a torrent of destiny Luck, more vast and pure than before, surged frantically into Nightmare's body along the black threads!

This time, Nightmare did not stop immediately as he had last time. He closed his eyes and focused, guiding this vast power of Luck to collide and fuse with his own Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame, star dao fruit, and Peak Soul Transformation cultivation, which had long reached saturation and were on the verge of a Breakthrough!

Boom—!!

It was as if the Universe had just begun, and as if the stars were dying!

Inside Nightmare, that incomparably solid Bottleneck of Peak Soul Transformation, which had blocked countless Genius Cultivators, shattered with a boom under the impact of this violent power that fused destiny Luck with all his own accumulations!

A brand new power, more vast, more profound, and closer to the Origin Laws of Heaven and Earth, surged out from his Dantian, Meridians, and the depths of his Sea of Consciousness!

Tribulation Crossing Stage!

Not a half-step, but truly, stepping into this Realm that represented the pinnacle of power in the Mortal Realm!

Nightmare suddenly opened his eyes!

Deep within his pitch-black pupils, it seemed as if endless stars were sinking and floating in the cycle of birth and destruction, and a pressure surpassing the mundane world uncontrollably spread outwards! The Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame around his body became deeper in color, nearly pure black, and the destructive starlight at the core of the flame became more brilliant and terrifying, faintly carrying a trace of destructive Dao rhyme like a Heavenly Tribulation!

Power! An unprecedented sense of power filled his whole body! Every inch of flesh and blood, every wisp of Divine Soul, had obtained an essential sublimation and tempering in this Breakthrough!

However, the moment he broke through—

Rumble!!!

Above Ten Thousand Demon Valley, the originally grey sky was suddenly torn apart by an invisible force! It was not dark clouds gathering, but the entire sky seemed to have turned into a dark blood-red! Countless silver lightning bolts, as thick as Dragons, darted and exploded crazily within the blood clouds, yet no rain fell. There was only a vast, angry, terrifying pressure filled with the will of destruction, shrouding the entire Far West Land like a tangible force, and it was continuously spreading!

This was not a Lightning Tribulation for Undergoing Tribulation!

This was... the wrath and warning of the Heavenly Dao!

The entire Ten Thousand Demon Valley, and even all living beings in the Far West Land, regardless of their cultivation level, felt their Souls tremble at this moment and involuntarily knelt down, their hearts filled with boundless fear of the might of Heaven and Earth.

Nightmare looked up, as if he could penetrate the thick rock layers and look directly at the blood-red firmament. He could clearly feel that the spearhead of that Heaven and Earth pressure was locked tightly onto him! Because he had broken through to the Tribulation Crossing Stage, and even more because he had plundered nearly half of the son of destiny's Luck, severely provoking and even destroying the "arrangements" of the Heavenly Dao!

[Warning! Warning! Host has broken through to the Tribulation Crossing Stage and plundered a large amount of destiny Luck, causing high hostility from the 'Heavenly Dao'!]

[star dao fruit emergency warning: High concentration of Heavenly Dao Laws detected condensing in the far distance! 'heavenly dao avatar' is about to descend! Strength estimation: Peak Tribulation Crossing (suppressed by the Realm), carrying partial Heavenly Dao authority. Threat level to Host: Lethal!]

[heavenly dao avatar goals: 1. Kill Host (Reverse Dao Practitioner); 2. Reclaim or completely erase the son of destiny, Lin Hao (failed product).]

[System issues emergency mission: First battle against Heaven-Defying — Kill the heavenly dao avatar!]

[Mission description: Defeat the first direct interfering force of the Heavenly Dao, completely sever Lin Hao's Heavenly Dao protection, and declare the existence and determination of the Reverse Dao Practitioner to the Heavenly Dao.]

[Mission rewards: Stabilization of Heaven-Defying destiny, significant deepening of 'Reverse Path' Law comprehension, unlocking of partial Heavenly Dao suppression, mystery reward × 1.]

[Failure penalty: Complete annihilation of body and Soul.]

A series of cold and urgent notification sounds exploded in Nightmare's mind, bringing an unprecedented crisis warning.

heavenly dao avatar... Peak Tribulation Crossing... carrying Heavenly Dao authority...

The destructive starlight in Nightmare's eyes slowly condensed, but the corner of his mouth hooked into a cold and unruly arc.

Fear? Terror?

No.

Only boiling Battle Intent, and the determination to sever all shackles!

The Heavenly Dao wants to erase him? Then let's see who erases whom!

He withdrew his hand from the cage and took one last look at Lin Hao inside, who was breathing faintly and whose destiny was almost exhausted. This person still had a final bit of value and needed to be completely squeezed dry before the heavenly dao avatar descended.

But now, the priority was to deal with the imminent, true might of Heaven.

Nightmare turned and stepped out, his figure already disappearing from the bottom of the Nether Cave.

When he appeared again, he was already standing at the summit of the highest "Demon-Slaying Peak" in Ten Thousand Demon Valley, his black robes fluttering, looking up directly at the blood-colored firmament and the dancing silver lightning.

The wild wind howled, yet it could not approach within three feet of his body.

The Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame burned silently around him, pitch-black as ink, as if it wanted to swallow this blood-colored light of Heaven along with it.

"Come."

He whispered to himself, his voice not loud, but seemingly carrying the sharpness to sever fate.

"Let me see, you so-called Heavenly Dao... what exactly are you capable of."