The avatar perished, and the Heavenly Dao was enraged.

Golden fragments of the Heavenly Dao Origin, like shattered glazed glass, burst forth from the heavenly dao avatar's gradually dimming and disintegrating body, refracting a final, melancholic yet dazzling light within this Void Realm, which was filled with the Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain and pitch-black Demonic Flame.

Its core—that dark golden rhomboid crystal containing the supreme Heavenly Dao Laws and the will of this Divided Soul—was already covered in spiderweb-like cracks, its light flickering rapidly, dim and bright, like a candle in the wind. On its blurred face, there seemed to be lingering shock, anger, and a trace of incredulous confusion.

"Ant... Reverse Path..." Intermittent and extremely weak thought fluctuations were transmitted; it attempted to mobilize its final strength to send a last message to the supreme heavenly dao core in the ethereal void, emitting a wail for help.

Nightmare stood before it. His pitch-black battle armor was stained with golden and dark red blood (some his own, some the opponent's), and his aura was somewhat unstable; continuously activating the Ultimate Kill Domain and ultimate Moves was equally exhausting for him. However, his eyes, like Annihilation Domain stars, were terrifyingly cold and sharp, locked firmly onto the heavenly dao avatar's core, which was on the verge of complete collapse.

"Calling for help?" A temperatureless arc curled at the corner of Nightmare's mouth, and his voice was hoarse yet carried iron-clad determination, "Too late."

Before the words had even faded, he moved.

There were no flashy Moves, no unnecessary actions. He simply gathered all the remaining power within his body—the vast magical power of the Tribulation Crossing Stage, the destructive Origin of the Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame, the guiding power of the star dao fruit, the massive Luck plundered, and the power of the Heavenly Dao fragments swallowed during the battle that had not yet been fully refined—all into his right fist!

At the tip of the fist, there was no radiant light; instead, it presented an extreme "black," a "black" like the Return to Ruins, as if even the pitch-black Demonic Flame in the surrounding Domain was about to be sucked in. The space around the fist silently collapsed and twisted, as if unable to bear this pure, extreme will of destruction.

"This punch is for myself, and for all the living beings whom you treat as a chessboard and manipulate at will!"

Nightmare roared low, stepped forward, his figure like lightning, his punch like a Dragon!

"Reverse Path—Return to Ruins!"

Boom!!!

The punch, which condensed all of Nightmare's current power and will, smashed solidly onto that dark golden core covered in cracks!

Time seemed to freeze for an instant at this moment.

Immediately after—

Crack! Crack-crack—!!!

A sound of disintegration, crisper and more thorough than any previous cracking sound, erupted from within the core!

That rhomboid crystal, representing the fundamental existence of the heavenly dao avatar, could no longer withstand this ultimate destructive force. Starting from the point of impact of the punch, it completely and utterly exploded! It turned into countless tiny dark golden powders that had lost all luster and Law fluctuations!

The moment the core shattered, the heavenly dao avatar's remaining hundred-zhang-tall dark golden phantom, like a popped bubble, let out a silent wail and collapsed with a roar! Countless purer and more powerful Heavenly Dao Origin forces (though having lost their activity and will), like a breached flood, gushed out from the disintegrating body, instantly filling the entire Domain!

For ordinary Cultivators and even most demonic Cultivators, these Origin forces were lethal poison, forbidden items that could not be absorbed at all and would cause one to be assimilated or backlashed by the Heavenly Dao upon contact.

But for Nightmare, this was excellent nourishment, a top-tier supplement to verify his own Reverse Path and strengthen his ability to restrain the Heavenly Dao!

"Swallow!"

Nightmare's eyes were burning (not with greed, but with a pure thirst for power), and he did not hesitate to fully activate the Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame and the star dao fruit!

Boom—!

The Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain covering the battlefield suddenly contracted and squeezed inward! It transformed into a massive, constantly rotating vortex of pitch-black flames! A terrifying suction force generated at the center of the vortex, like a prehistoric beast opening its gluttonous maw, crazily swallowing those gushing, ownerless Heavenly Dao Origin fragments without leaving a single trace!

The pitch-black Demonic Flame and the golden Heavenly Dao Origin collided, melted, and reversed fiercely within the vortex! Every collision deepened Nightmare's understanding of the "Reverse Path" and made the power within his body more solid! The star dao fruit acted like the most efficient converter, transforming those pure Law forces—which had been reversed and stripped of the Heavenly Dao will—into the most fundamental star and Reverse Path energy, merging into Nightmare's limbs, bones, Dantian, and Sea of Consciousness!

[Successfully killed 'heavenly dao avatar' (projection body)!]

[Plundering Heavenly Dao Origin fragments... Absorbing and converting...]

[Cultivation level increased... Stabilizing... Current Realm: Tribulation Crossing Stage (Middle Stage)!]

[Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame grade increased! Restraint effect against Heavenly Dao power (including Heavenly Dao Laws, Heavenly Dao Divine Ability, Heavenly Tribulation, etc.) increased to 'Peak' level!]

[System Prompt: Host has successfully severed one arm of this Realm's Heavenly Dao! heavenly dao core's direct control over the Mortal Realm has decreased by 20%! Order loophole expanded!]

[Warning: This action has triggered the highest level of hostility and attention from the 'heavenly dao core'! 'Reverse Path Origin' mark has locked onto the Host!]

A series of cold and clear prompt sounds rang in Nightmare's mind, announcing the final victory of this tragic battle, as well as the huge gains and... more severe challenges that followed.

Nightmare stood in the air, slowly withdrawing his power. The pitch-black vortex gradually calmed and dissipated, and the last bit of Heavenly Dao Origin fragments was completely swallowed and refined by him. The injuries on his body healed rapidly under the nourishment of the massive power, and his aura did not wither due to the great battle; instead, it became deeper and more vast, faintly revealing a pressure that transcended the Mortal world.

Tribulation Crossing Middle Stage! And a Middle Stage based on the Reverse Path, restraining the Heavenly Dao! His true combat power was likely enough to rival or even surpass an ordinary Late Tribulation Crossing stage!

However, before he could carefully experience this new level of power—

Rumble-rumble-rumble!!!!

The sky of the entire Mortal Realm darkened completely without warning!

It was not black clouds obscuring the sky, but as if an invisible giant hand had instantly drained away all the light! Endless darkness shrouded the earth. Only above in the high sky, within the suffocatingly thick dark clouds, did streaks of dark red lightning that froze the Soul begin to light up! These lightning bolts were not flickering, but were squirming and intertwining in the clouds like living blood vessels, emitting a pure, all-destroying "Heavenly Punishment" aura!

It was ten times, a hundred times more powerful than the pressure when the heavenly dao avatar descended! It was the anger and killing intent of the entire Heaven and Earth will!

Everywhere in the Mortal Realm, whether mountains, rivers, lakes, or seas, whether Sects, clans, Cultivators, or Mortals, at this moment, felt a boundless, great terror stemming from the instinct of life! It was as if the end of the world was about to arrive, and all things would be reduced to powder under this Heavenly Might! Countless living beings involuntarily knelt on the ground, shivering, not even daring to make a sound while weeping.

Space rifts appeared and expanded rapidly all over the Mortal Realm! In some places, small-scale space collapses even began to occur, with chaos qi flow pouring in! The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi became violent and disorderly, the earth veins began to destabilize, and signs of natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis faintly emerged all over the world.

Order was collapsing! The heavenly dao core's rage was demonstrating its "sovereignty" and "punishment" over this world in the most direct and violent way!

Nightmare looked up at the sky, which was intertwined with dark red lightning and seemed about to crush the entire world, his face solemn to the extreme. He could clearly feel that behind the endless darkness and lightning, a pair of cold, angry, supreme "eyes" were staring fixedly at him! The killing intent contained in that gaze was enough to make a True Immortal shudder!

[Warning! heavenly dao core has locked onto the Host as the 'Reverse Path Origin'!]

[Detected a destruction-level 'Heavenly Dao Judgment' is brewing! Estimated arrival time: Unknown (depending on the Realm's endurance and the heavenly dao core's investment)!]

[This judgment is not the power of an avatar, but a direct manifestation of a portion of the heavenly dao core's authority; its power is immeasurable, and the Host's current survival probability is less than 0.01%!]

[star dao fruit emergency deduction... Deduction complete!]

[Method to break the situation: Passively enduring the judgment will certainly lead to death. Only by taking the initiative to attack, charging at the 'Heavenly Dao Hub' where the heavenly dao core resides, and disrupting its operation before it completely descends the judgment, can one perhaps fight for a glimmer of survival!]

[Hint: Charging at the Heavenly Dao Hub requires traversing 'Realm Wall Turbulence' and 'Law Mist', which is fraught with danger. Moreover, the Heavenly Dao Hub must be heavily guarded (higher-order Heavenly Dao Envoy, guardian beasts, etc.).]

[Suggestion: Before the judgment descends, improve strength as soon as possible, and find special items or Legacy that can weaken the Heavenly Dao Hub's defense or enhance one's own cross-Realm survival ability.]

The information stream from the star dao fruit and the System's warning flooded into Nightmare's mind almost simultaneously, bringing a near-desperate crisis warning, but also pointing out a path of survival that was a narrow escape from death, yet ultimately held a glimmer of possibility!

Charge at the heavenly dao core? Strike directly at the heart?

In Nightmare's pitch-black pupils, the sky full of dark red lightning was reflected. The initial solemnity slowly faded, replaced by a kind of near-crazy calmness and determination.

Fear? From the moment of Rebirth, from the moment he decided to act against Heaven, fear had already been crushed by him!

The Heavenly Dao wants to judge him? Wants to erase him?

Then let's see who judges whom first!

"Since you won't stop..." Nightmare spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but it seemed to contain the sharpness to sever fate, piercing through the rolling thunder, clearly echoing in his own heart, and also as if declaring to that supreme existence:

"...then I will strike directly at the heart and overturn your heavenly dao core!"

As the words fell, he no longer looked at the apocalyptic sky. His figure turned into a streak of pitch-black light, speeding towards the Ten Thousand Demon Valley below, which was devastated yet glowing with strange vitality amidst despair.

Time was tight. He needed to clear the battlefield, consolidate his power, digest his gains, and then... embark on that unprecedented crusade of defying the Heavenly Dao!

Behind him, the dark red lightning roared crazily in the black clouds, as if the furious hiss of the heavenly dao core, foreshadowing a more terrifying storm that was about to sweep across the entire Mortal Realm.