The spirit realm arrived first, followed by the mortal realm's cleansing.

Within Ten Thousand Demon Valley, the atmosphere was as tense as a taut bowstring. Although the Dao Reversing Heaven Extinguishing Array was not fully activated, faint light flowed at the Formation base, ready to erupt with destructive power at any moment. The Valley Master sat in the command center, his Divine Sense covering the borders of the Far West Land; not the slightest abnormal spatial fluctuation could escape his perception.

However, Nightmare did not wait passively.

He sat cross-legged deep within the Reverse Path Palace, having just initially fused with the guixu dao reversal key and mastered the ability of Reverse Path spatial travel. Although the cold, murderous peering from the Spirit Realm had become blurred due to the destruction of the passage, he knew the other side would never let it rest. Especially the first "vanguard force"—they would likely descend at maximum speed by using other backup passages or forcibly tearing through weak points in the boundary wall.

Instead of waiting for them to knock on his door, it was better to take the initiative and annihilate them with thunderous force while they were still unsteady!

Just after he made his plan, the star dao fruit in his Sea of Consciousness trembled slightly, sending a warning—above "Burial Wind Valley," about thirty thousand miles northeast of the Far West Land, an unusually strong spatial fluctuation connected to the aura of the Spirit Realm had appeared! The fluctuation was intense and stable; it was clearly an organized and prepared cross-realm transmission!

"They're here." A cold light flashed in Nightmare's eyes, and his figure instantly vanished from the quiet room.

Burial Wind Valley was plagued by howling gales year-round, and space there was already fragile. At this moment, above the valley, a stable spatial passage with shimmering golden edges and faint scenes of celestial spirits visible inside had already formed. Eleven figures were filing out of the passage, descending into the Mortal Realm.

The leader was a middle-aged man wearing a pale golden cloud-patterned Dao robe, with a stern expression and vast aura. He was none other than the Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao Protector "Jin Ting," at the Early Tribulation Crossing Stage. Behind him followed ten Spirit Realm Cultivators wearing standard silver armor, with condensed auras and eyes as sharp as falcons, all at the Peak Spirit Transformation stage! They radiated pure Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao power, which was completely incompatible with the turbid Spiritual Qi of the Mortal Realm, carrying a natural sense of superiority and scrutiny.

"So this is the filthy land of the Lower Realm? The Spiritual Qi is thin and impure, and the order of the Heavenly Dao is in utter chaos." A Deity Transformation Cultivator frowned, his tone disdainful.

"The source of the Reverse Path fluctuation is to the southwest, about fifty thousand miles from here. That is where the target, 'Ten Thousand Demon Valley,' is located." Protector Jin Ting's gaze was like lightning as he scanned the surroundings, his Divine Sense instantly covering a radius of a thousand miles. "Quick battle, quick decision. Capture or execute the Reverse Dao Practitioner, destroy his nest, and collect everything related to the Reverse Path. Move fast to avoid attracting the attention of this realm's residual Heavenly Dao (though it has already been weakened) or alerting that Reverse Dao Practitioner."

"Yes!" The ten Spirit Realm Cultivators replied in unison, filled with Killing Intent.

However, before their voices had even faded—

A cold voice, as if coming from beneath the Nine Netherworlds, sounded out of thin air not far behind them:

"Alert? You've reminded me."

"Who?!" Protector Jin Ting was shocked and turned around abruptly! He hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all!

In the void just a hundred feet away, a figure in black had appeared out of nowhere, standing with hands behind his back, his pitch-black eyes calmly watching them as if looking at a group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

It was Nightmare! He had used Reverse Path spatial travel to teleport directly from Ten Thousand Demon Valley, silent and soundless, even avoiding the spatial oscillation monitoring during the other party's arrival!

"Reverse Dao Practitioner!" Protector Jin Ting's pupils shrank, instantly recognizing the unique Reverse Path aura on Nightmare that made the Heavenly Dao power within them instinctively repel it—it was the same source as the guixu dao reversal key fluctuation he had sensed earlier! He was horrified; not only had the opponent arrived so quickly, but his concealment methods were so brilliant!

But he was, after all, a Tribulation Crossing Stage Protector, and his reaction was extremely fast. His shock instantly turned into Killing Intent: "Form the array! Take him down!"

The three Spirit Realm Cultivators at the back, responsible for guarding the rear, were the first to react. Their silver spears vibrated, turning into three sharp silver streams of light, thrusting toward Nightmare in a triangular Formation! On the spear tips, the Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao runes lit up, carrying the power to purify and suppress demons!

Facing this rapid joint attack, Nightmare didn't even lift an eyelid.

He merely moved his mind slightly.

Whoosh—!

With him as the center, a deep, nearly absolute "pitch-blackness" silently spread out, instantly shrouding the three charging Spirit Realm Cultivators!

Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame, silently erupting!

There was no intense firelight, no sound of explosion. The three Peak Spirit Transformation Spirit Realm Cultivators, along with the silver spears in their hands and the armor on their bodies, froze completely the moment they touched that "pitch-blackness"! They discovered in horror that the Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao power within them was like encountering a nemesis, rapidly dissolving and disintegrating; they couldn't even manage to raise their protective spiritual light!

The next moment, their bodies, like sand sculptures dried by the wind, silently turned into the finest dust within that absolutely dead, pitch-black flame. They didn't even manage to let out a scream, their Divine Souls scattered!

From Nightmare's appearance to the three rear-guard Cultivators being reduced to dust, the whole process happened in a flash!

"What?!" The remaining seven Spirit Realm Cultivators gasped, terror appearing on their faces for the first time. What kind of flame was this? It could so easily annihilate the Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao power they had painstakingly cultivated?

"Presumptuous!" Protector Jin Ting was both shocked and angry, feeling his dignity severely challenged. He shouted sharply, his hands grasping the void, and a "Spirit Realm Dao Sword" formed entirely of pure Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao power, with golden light flowing and runes covering it, instantly took shape in his hands! The sword hummed, radiating magnificent Heavenly Might, as if it could judge all evil!

"Reverse Path demon, die! Spirit Realm Judgment—Slash!"

Protector Jin Ting swung his sword, and the brilliant golden sword light tore through the sky, carrying the will to purify all things, slashing down toward Nightmare! Wherever the sword light passed, even the violent gales within Burial Wind Valley were temporarily pushed aside and purified!

This sword strike was far more powerful than the joint attack of the three Deity Transformation Cultivators earlier, enough to heavily injure or even kill an ordinary Early Tribulation Crossing Stage Cultivator!

However, Nightmare only slightly raised his eyes, looking at the descending golden sword light, a faint disdain flashing in his eyes.

He raised his right hand, palm upward, and spread his fingers slightly.

A pitch-black shield made entirely of condensed Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame instantly formed in front of him. The shield was not large, but it seemed to contain a profound depth that devoured all light and energy.

The golden sword light slashed down!

Chi—!

There was no earth-shattering collision, only a soft sound like a hot knife cutting into cold oil.

That seemingly peerless Spirit Realm Judgment sword light, when it slashed onto the pitch-black shield, was like snow meeting the scorching sun, rapidly melting and dimming! The Dao Reversal Demonic Flame flowing on the shield's surface madly reversed and devoured the Heavenly Dao Laws and energy contained within the sword light!

Within a single breath, the golden sword light was completely annihilated, and that pitch-black shield didn't even ripple.

"How is this possible?!" The anger on Protector Jin Ting's face was instantly replaced by boundless horror! His full-powered sword strike had been resolved by the opponent so casually? Had this Reverse Path power's suppression of Heavenly Dao power reached such a terrifying degree?

Alarm bells rang in his heart, and a deadly sense of crisis suddenly rose! Without any hesitation, he retreated violently while roaring, "Form the array to cover! Retreat..."

The word "retreat" hadn't even been spoken.

Nightmare's figure, like a ghost, vanished into thin air and reappeared directly in front of his retreat path, less than three feet away!

So fast! What kind of speed is this?! Teleportation? No, it's more bizarre than teleportation, as if ignoring spatial distance!

Protector Jin Ting was scared out of his wits. In his haste, he condensed all his Heavenly Dao power in front of him, forming a thick golden light shield, while at the same time stabbing his Dao Sword at Nightmare's heart, attempting to save himself by attacking the enemy.

But Nightmare's speed was faster!

His left hand reached out like lightning, fingers forming a claw, the point of deep pitch-black starlight in his palm flashing and vanishing, precisely pressing onto the center of the golden light shield!

"Break."

He spoke softly.

Crack!

The golden light shield shattered at the sound! Nightmare's palm didn't lose momentum, piercing through the shattered light shield, and under Protector Jin Ting's horrified gaze, it lightly pressed onto his chest.

It wasn't a heavy blow, just a light press.

But Protector Jin Ting felt a cold, dead, and extremely domineering destructive power instantly invade his body, ignoring all his protective Dao resonance and meridian defenses, directly bombarding the core Origin of his Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivation!

"Ugh... Pfft—!"

Protector Jin Ting was struck hard, suddenly spitting out a large mouthful of pale golden blood, mixed with bits of shattered Origin radiance. He felt his cultivation Foundation shaking violently under this palm, and his aura instantly withered by more than half!

Nightmare's eyes were cold; without the slightest pause, his right index and middle fingers joined together, a thread of pitch-black fire condensed to the extreme at his fingertips flickering—"Demonic Star Pierce" was already poised, aiming directly at Protector Jin Ting's glabella, intending to exterminate his Divine Soul along with him!

However, just as the fingertip was about to strike, Nightmare's heart stirred. He changed his mind.

The direction of his fingertip shifted slightly, and the pitch-black thread of fire, like the most agile poisonous snake, instantly drilled into Protector Jin Ting's glabella. But it wasn't for destruction; it forcibly invaded the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, and in an incomparably domineering way, began to plunder and extract the pure Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao Origin within his body!

"Ah—!!!" Protector Jin Ting let out a shrill scream, feeling his "existence" being forcibly stripped away and devoured! This pain was far more terrifying than physical damage!

Nightmare was expressionless, fully driving the Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame and the Star Devouring Dao method. In just two breaths, nearly half of the Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao Origin within Protector Jin Ting was forcibly extracted, turning into a ball of pure golden energy, which was enveloped, devoured, and refined by the Demonic Flame in Nightmare's palm! As for Protector Jin Ting himself, he was like someone whose essence had been drained, his eyes dim, his breath faint, and he had no power to resist.

Nightmare flicked his hand, tossing aside the Protector Jin Ting who was like a broken sack, and with a flash of Demonic Flame at his fingertip, completely ended his life and remnant soul.

From the first strike to killing Protector Jin Ting and plundering his Origin, it took a total of less than five breaths.

The remaining seven Spirit Realm Cultivators were already scared out of their wits! Their strongest Protector, an existence at the Early Tribulation Crossing Stage, had been so easily killed in seconds and plundered? Who on earth was this Reverse Dao Practitioner?

Run! Must run! Return to the Spirit Realm to report!

The seven of them no longer had any Battle Intent, fleeing wildly in different directions, even willing to burn their essence blood to increase their speed!

"Domain, open."

Nightmare's cold voice sounded again.

With him as the center, a Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain with a diameter of a thousand feet suddenly unfolded! Pitch-black light instantly shrouded the entire sky above Burial Wind Valley! Within the Domain, all Laws were reversed, space was stagnant, and the Heavenly Dao did not exist!

The seven fleeing Spirit Realm Cultivators were like crashing into an invisible quagmire; their speed plummeted, and the operation of the Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao power within their bodies was nearly stagnant! They discovered in horror that they were like flying insects trapped in amber, unable to move, not even able to self-destruct!

Immediately following, within the Domain, countless fine pitch-black flames were born from thin air, like tentacles with life, wrapping around their bodies, drilling into the gaps of their armor, invading their Dantian and Sea of Consciousness...

Silent annihilation unfolded everywhere in the Domain.

No screams, no explosions. Only seven silver light spots that rapidly dimmed, shrank, and finally completely disappeared, proving that seven Peak Spirit Transformation Spirit Realm Cultivators had once existed there.

Nightmare slowly retracted the Domain, and the sky above Burial Wind Valley returned to dead silence, with only the residual, gradually calming spatial fluctuations and a trace of the aura of the collision between the Reverse Path and the Heavenly Dao about to dissipate.

He grabbed objects from the air, collecting all the storage Magic Treasures and broken weapons and armor left behind by Protector Jin Ting and the ten Spirit Realm Cultivators. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he found a special Jade Slip in one of the highest-quality Storage Rings. The Jade Slip not only recorded the target and personnel information of this operation, but more importantly, it clearly recorded the "passage coordinates" and maintenance methods they used to descend, connecting to a stable spatial node somewhere in the Spirit Realm!

"Passage coordinates..." A bright light flashed in Nightmare's eyes. With this, it would be even more convenient for him to go to the Spirit Realm, and he could even use this to infer the distribution of some strongholds of the Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao forces.

He did not delay any longer, his figure flashed, and he flew toward the hidden spatial passage node recorded in the Jade Slip, located somewhere deep underground in Burial Wind Valley.

Soon, he found the node protected by heavy concealment Formations. The spatial power at the node was still slightly rippling, and the connection with the Spirit Realm had not been completely severed.

Nightmare didn't hesitate at all. With a wave of his hand, the massive Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame turned into a condensed pillar of fire, fiercely bombarding into the core of the spatial node!

Boom—!!!

The node erupted with dazzling Spatial Turbulence, but the stable connection with the Spirit Realm was completely destroyed and disrupted! The node structure collapsed, the spatial coordinates were chaotic, and even if the Spirit Realm side wanted to repair or relocate it, it would require significant cost and time.

After doing all this, Nightmare nodded with satisfaction.

Wiped out the incoming enemies, looted resources and key intelligence, and destroyed the descent passage.

Clean and neat, leaving no future troubles.

He took one last look at this Burial Wind Valley, which had returned to calm (at least on the surface), his figure merged into the void, and he used Reverse Path spatial travel to return to Ten Thousand Demon Valley.

This short and bloody skirmish in the Far West Land was like a small stone thrown into a deep pool, not causing much waves in the Mortal Realm. But for some existences on the Spirit Realm side, an important "chess piece" had suddenly gone out, and the "thread" connecting to the Lower Realm had been brutally severed, which was enough to arouse deeper vigilance and... more intense Killing Intent.

Nightmare knew that this was just the beginning.

The Spirit Realm's counterattack would never stop here.

And he, too, was already prepared to head to that broader, more dangerous battlefield.