Healing and Undercurrents

Ten Thousand Demon Valley, deep within Demon Fall Peak, inside the newly built "Dao Reversal Palace."

Nightmare sat cross-legged on a prayer mat carved from a single piece of "Soul-Suppressing Black Jade," his eyes tightly shut, his body enveloped in a thin but extremely solid pitch-black halo. The halo flowed slowly, and with every pulse, it drew the Spiritual Qi from the leylines of the entire Dao Reversal Palace and even the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley, merging it into his body in a domineering yet orderly fashion.

The injuries from the battle with the heavenly dao avatar were far heavier than they appeared. Forcing the activation of the "Eye of the Void" prototype had nearly drained all his power and part of his Origin at the time. The lingering erosion of the Heavenly Dao's power was like a maggot on a bone, entrenched deep within his Meridians and Divine Soul, constantly attempting to counterattack and dismantle his Dao Reversal Foundation.

At this moment, a silent and fierce war was taking place within his body. The Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame transformed into countless tiny flame runes, like the most loyal guards, roaming through his Meridians to hunt down, devour, and reverse those golden forces of Heavenly Dao erosion. The star dao fruit emitted a gentle starlight, nourishing and repairing his damaged Dantian and Sea of Consciousness. The massive Heavenly Fate Luck plundered from Lin Hao also played an unexpected role at this time; it seemed able to neutralize some of the negative effects of the Heavenly Dao's power, accelerating the healing of his injuries.

[Deep healing in progress... Heavenly Dao erosion clearance progress: 47%...]

[Origin depletion repair in progress... Estimated time for full recovery: Seven days (accelerated state).]

[Warning: Faint Cross-Realm Mark residue detected within the body (source: the interrupted reception channel). This mark is extremely well-hidden and cannot be eradicated; it may be tracked or sensed from a distance by specific means.]

[Recommendation: Increase strength as soon as possible, or find a special method to shield/transfer this mark.]

The System's notification sounded calmly in his mind, bringing news that was not optimistic.

It would take seven days to fully recover, and that was with the resources of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley, the special nature of his Dao Reversal Legacy, and the assistance of plundered Luck. As for that Cross-Realm Mark... it was a potential and massive hidden danger. The Heavens Patrol Envoys, or rather the "Monitoring Divine Temple" behind them, would likely not easily give up their attention on the world where this "Reverse Dao Practitioner" resided.

Nightmare slowly opened his eyes, fatigue and sharpness intertwined deep within his pitch-black pupils. He looked at a dark golden fragment floating before him—it was a core Law fragment that had broken off from the heavenly dao avatar before it was annihilated by the "Eye of the Void," which he had intercepted in time.

The fragment was only the size of a fingernail, yet it was as heavy as a mountain. Its surface flowed with mysterious and unfathomable Heavenly Dao patterns, emitting a pure (though repulsive to his power) and supreme Law aura.

"The core fragment of a heavenly dao avatar..." Nightmare reached out and took it into his palm, wrapping it in Dao Reversal demonic flames, carefully probing and analyzing it. "It contains a trace of the true Origin of 'Heavenly Punishment' and 'Order'... Although the attributes are opposite, if I can reverse-engineer and devour it, the benefits for my understanding of Dao Reversal Laws, and even for confronting higher-level Heavenly Dao powers in the future, will be immeasurable."

He put the fragment away; now was not the time for in-depth research. The immediate priority was to recover his strength, consolidate his Foundation, and deal with new crises that could arrive at any moment.

With a thought, his Divine Sense spread out like spilled mercury, instantly covering the entire Ten Thousand Demon Valley and even the edges of the Far West Land further away.

Within the valley, there was a scene of bustling reconstruction and Cultivation. Although the Dao Reversing Heaven Extinguishing Array had suffered significant damage in the confrontation with the heavenly dao avatar, the core Formation base remained. Under the direction of the Valley Master and others, it was being repaired and strengthened by combining insights from the great battle with captured resources, and its power was expected to be even greater than before.

The integrated Demonic Path forces of the Mortal Realm had experienced the baptism of the Heavenly Dao's pressure and the shock of Nightmare's Heaven-Defying success, and their cohesion was now unprecedented. Resources were efficiently allocated, and scriptures were shared (though core secrets remained under Nightmare's control). Under the stimulation of the dense Devilish Qi and the survival after the disaster, many Cultivators had actually achieved various degrees of Breakthroughs in their cultivation. The entire Ten Thousand Demon Valley was like a war machine that had just been tempered by the flames of battle and was now operating at full capacity, filled with vibrant vitality and a solemn air.

Nightmare nodded slightly. The Valley Master's ability was indeed good; during his healing period, the internal and external affairs had been handled in an orderly manner.

However, when his Divine Sense swept toward the edges of the Far West Land, especially several important passes and spatial nodes leading to other regions, his brows furrowed slightly.

He "saw" some unusual signs.

The connections with the outside of the Far West Land, which had been severed due to the Heavenly Dao's pressure, were rapidly recovering. But the incoming information flow was mixed with too many complex signals.

There were official visit requests from top Sects in other major regions of the Mortal Realm, such as the Central State, Eastern Region, and Northern Wilderness. Their tone was cautious and probing, clearly alarmed by the great battle and Heavenly Dao phenomena that had erupted in the Far West Land.

There were secret messages from certain hidden Legacies or ancient clans, with obscure content that seemed to contain intentions for cooperation or trade.

Even more so, there were some extremely subtle and clearly malicious prying intentions, like poisonous snakes hidden in the darkness, roaming the outskirts of the Far West Land, trying to infiltrate and probe the reality. The source of these intentions was difficult to trace, but Nightmare felt they were completely different from the Loose Cultivators or the Star-Eroding Clan who had previously coveted Lin Hao; they were more insidious and more... organized.

"The tree wants to be still, but the wind keeps blowing..." Nightmare whispered. Defeating the heavenly dao avatar had not only failed to bring peace but instead seemed to have poked a giant hornet's nest, drawing the attention of the hidden corners of the Mortal Realm and even those beyond the Mortal Realm.

The great Righteous Path Sects in places like the Central State had ambiguous attitudes; they were wary of the Heaven-Defying strength he displayed, and likely also coveted the secrets of the "Dao Reversal Legacy" that might exist.

Those hidden forces and ancient clans were more like opportunists, observing the wind direction and looking for a chance to place a bet.

And those malicious prying eyes... a cold light flashed in Nightmare's eyes. Were they forces attracted by Lin Hao's former halo, or those originally connected to "Heavenly Fate"? Or... "agents" of the Mortal Realm connected to that "Heavens Patrol Envoy"?

No matter who they were, if they dared to reach their claws in, they had to be prepared to have them chopped off.

"It seems that during these seven days of quiet recuperation, the outside world will not be peaceful either." Nightmare closed his eyes again, accelerating the circulation of his Cultivation Technique. He needed to recover faster to deal with the upcoming and potentially more complex situation.

The waters of the Mortal Realm were far deeper than imagined. And he had already become the greatest variable stirring this deep pool.

While Nightmare was focused on healing and the Ten Thousand Demon Valley was fully preparing for war—

At the edge of the Far West Land, in a desolate valley shrouded by an illusion Formation.

Three Cultivators dressed in gray robes, their auras completely restrained as if they were one with the surrounding rocks, were surrounding a floating, shimmering ancient copper mirror.

What was displayed in the copper mirror was not their own reflections, but a blurred and distorted scene. The outline of the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Demon Valley could be faintly seen, but the details were difficult to distinguish, as if interfered with and obscured by an invisible force.

"The investigation is obstructed. The field formed by the Dao Reversal power has an extremely strong interference on the 'Heaven-Peering Mirror'." The withered old man in the center spoke hoarsely, a trace of solemnity flashing in his grayish-white eyes.

"The Formations in the valley are being repaired and strengthened; the security is tight, making it difficult to infiltrate," added a short Cultivator on the left, his voice high-pitched.

"The target's (Nightmare's) aura is hidden deep within the core of the valley, and his status is unknown. However, the overall morale in the valley is high, and Devilish Qi is surging. Clearly, the great battle did not damage his Foundation," summarized a Cultivator on the right wearing a strange bronze mask, their voice neutral, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female.

The withered old man silent for a moment before slowly saying, "The heavenly dao avatar descended, yet it was defeated... The power this child possesses far exceeds estimates. The Order from 'above' is to monitor closely, assess the threat level, and if there is a suitable opportunity... we can try to make contact or guide other forces to conduct tests."

"Contact? Guide?" the short Cultivator asked in confusion.

"Correct," the bronze-masked Cultivator interjected, their voice still flat. "A Reverse Dao Practitioner is an enemy of the Order of the heavens. But the enemy of an enemy may not be unusable. The waters of the Mortal Realm should also become muddier. Those hypocrites in the Central State who call themselves the Righteous Path, and those old monsters hiding in the shadows, should also start moving."

The withered old man nodded. "Execute the second plan. Spread news and guide the focus. Additionally, continue trying to crack the Dao Reversal Force Field; I need a clearer image, especially... feedback regarding that 'Cross-Realm Mark'."

"Yes!" the short Cultivator and the bronze-masked Cultivator bowed simultaneously.

The light of the copper mirror faded, and the three figures merged into the shadows like ghosts and disappeared. The valley returned to a deathly silence, as if no one had ever been there.

In the Far West Land, the wind has risen.

And this wind is quietly spreading toward the entire Mortal Realm, and even toward more unknown directions.

Nightmare's Heaven-Defying act is like a giant stone thrown into the long river of fate; the ripples it stirred have only just begun to undulate.