The Great Protector has fallen; the first exploration of the forbidden area.

The roar of "tear into ten thousand pieces" from the Golden Light Great Protector still echoed between heaven and earth, but Nightmare's figure had already appeared before the seventh Demon Suppression Stele Tower like a ghost.

The Peak Spirit Transformation Cultivator guarding this array base in the northeast had long been terrified by the continuous, terrifying fluctuations of battle and the sight of the array bases being destroyed one after another. At this moment, he was frantically trying to reinforce the connection between the stele tower and the Formation above, while looking in terror toward the core battlefield.

When he saw the black-clad figure appear outside the tower without warning, he didn't even have time to scream. He only saw the opponent raise his right hand and make a grasping motion toward the stele tower in the air.

"Shatter."

A low word was uttered.

Boom—!

The entire hundred-zhang-tall dark blue crystal stele tower, along with the terrified guarding Cultivator inside, seemed to be gripped and crushed by an invisible giant hand from within! The sturdy tower body was instantly covered in countless cracks, and then, with a short, muffled sound, it completely collapsed and disintegrated, turning into sky-filling crystal powder! The light blue beam of light connected to the Formation's light curtain let out a mournful cry, suddenly snapping and dissipating.

The seventh array base, broken!

The light curtain of the Spirit Realm Demon Suppression Formation dimmed and shrank violently again, its coverage now less than one-third of the original, its light flickering and unstable, swaying as if it were about to collapse.

"Evildoer! Die!"

Just as Nightmare destroyed the seventh array base, the Golden Light Great Protector had already arrived with monstrous rage and ten core subordinates! Although his arms were injured, the majestic power of a Late Tribulation Crossing stage was still terrifying. Golden light burned around him like a flame, and in his hand, a larger, more solid giant war halberd entwined with golden thunder had already condensed—the Spirit Realm Heavenly Punishment Halberd!

The ten Cultivators behind him also formed a tight battle Formation, their energy connected and spiritual power gathered, transforming into a huge, faint golden tiger phantom. With a tiger roar that shook the heavens, it pounced toward Nightmare! This was their combined attack technique, "Sacred Tiger Suppresses Demons," with power comparable to a full-force strike from a Middle Stage Tribulation Crossing expert!

Facing this pincer attack with astonishing power, Nightmare's eyes turned cold. Continuous high-intensity battles and using ultimate moves had consumed a lot of his energy, but there was not a trace of retreat in his eyes.

"Reverse Path Ultimate Kill—Domain, Constrict!"

He gave a low shout, and the pitch-black Domain that had been expanding to block the sky-filling attacks suddenly contracted rapidly inward, compressing from covering hundreds of zhang to just ten zhang around his body in an instant! The range of the Domain shrank, but the will of reverse Chaos, devouring, and destruction within it condensed more than tenfold! The Domain barrier became like solid black crystal, emitting a heart-palpitating, absolute deathly silence!

The golden tiger phantom was the first to collide with this extremely compressed Domain barrier!

Sizzle—!!!

It was like a red-hot iron pressed onto solid ice! The giant tiger phantom let out a silent wail, and its body began to dissolve and disintegrate the moment it touched the Domain barrier! The ten Cultivators forming the battle Formation groaned in unison, their faces turning pale. Their combined attack technique was forcibly broken, and their blood and Qi surged!

And the Golden Light Great Protector's incomparably powerful Heavenly Punishment Halberd light also felt unprecedented resistance and erosion the moment it pierced into this ten-zhang Domain! The golden thunder on the halberd light rapidly dimmed, and the Heavenly Dao Law was crazily reversed and stripped away!

"A flaw!" A brilliant light burst from Nightmare's eyes!

Just as the Golden Light Great Protector's halberd light was delayed by the Domain and its power was spent, Nightmare moved!

He did not attack the Golden Light Great Protector himself. Instead, his figure moved like lightning, instantly disappearing from his original spot under the cover of the ten-zhang Domain. The next moment, he appeared on the flank of the battle Formation of the ten core Cultivators whose breathing was unstable because their combined attack had been broken!

"Demonic Star Shatters Heaven—Instant Kill in Ten Directions!"

Nightmare spread his arms and opened his ten fingers. At the tip of each finger, a pitch-black star the size of a grain of rice, yet condensed with terrifying destructive power, materialized! As his arms suddenly swung forward!

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish...!

Ten pitch-black stars, like the gaze of ten grim reapers, shot with extreme precision toward the glabella of the ten core Cultivators!

Fast! Too fast! It was faster than Divine Sense perception!

Those ten Cultivators had just recovered from the backlash of their broken combined attack and hadn't even had time to reorganize their Formation or disperse their defense when they felt a chill at their glabella, and a cold, deathly power had already invaded!

Pfft pfft pfft pfft...!

A series of slight piercing sounds rang out almost simultaneously!

The ten core Cultivators, with cultivation at least at the Late-Stage Transformation Spirit and including three at the Early Tribulation Crossing Stage, remained in their posture from the previous second, frozen in mid-air. The terror, confusion, and disbelief in their eyes quickly solidified and dimmed.

The next moment, ten black sparks lit up simultaneously from inside their glabella and instantly spread over their entire bodies!

Whoosh—!

Ten pitch-black flames ignited silently, and in less than half a breath, they burned the ten bodies, along with the Divine Souls within, completely clean, not even leaving a trace of ash!

Ten core subordinates, all wiped out!

From Nightmare contracting his Domain and breaking the combined attack, to teleporting, attacking, and killing ten people in an instant, the whole process was smooth as flowing water, fast enough to be suffocating, taking no more than two or three breaths in total!

"No—!!!" The Golden Light Great Protector watched as his ten most capable subordinates turned into flying ash in an instant, and he let out a heart-rending roar! This was not only a major blow to his power but also an extreme trampling on his dignity!

His eyes were crimson gold, almost bleeding. No longer caring about the injuries on his arms, he crazily burned the Heavenly Dao Origin within his body. The Heavenly Punishment Halberd in his hand erupted with unprecedented, brilliant golden light, and the halberd body swelled to dozens of zhang, like a burning golden pillar of heaven, bringing all his power, anger, and killing intent as it smashed down fiercely toward Nightmare, whose Domain had just dissipated and whose aura was clearly weakened a bit!

"Heavenly Punishment—Annihilation!!!"

This strike had already surpassed the scope of an ordinary Late Tribulation Crossing stage and faintly touched a higher level of power! Wherever the halberd blade passed, space completely shattered, revealing the chaotic emptiness behind it. Even the surging Evil Qi of the Lingyuan below was temporarily suppressed and forced to retreat by this terrifying aura of Heavenly Punishment!

Facing this truly desperate strike, Nightmare took a deep breath, suppressing the feeling of weakness in his body. He knew the time to decide the outcome had arrived!

He did not dodge again, nor did he use Domain defense again.

Instead, he urged and fused all the remaining power in his body—Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame, star dao fruit, guixu dao reversal key, and all the Origin he had plundered—without reservation! A terrifying will, unprecedented and seemingly about to end everything and make all things return to the guixu, awakened within him!

He raised his right fist. On the fist edge, there was no longer any pitch-black flame jumping. Instead, it presented an extreme color of "nothingness," as if even "existence" itself was about to be erased by this punch!

"Reverse Path... Guixu... Fist of the End!"

The low voice seemed to come from the end of the annihilation of the Universe.

Facing the smashing golden Heavenly Punishment Halberd, he simply threw a punch!

The punch was thrown silently.

There was no light, no energy fluctuation, and not even a ripple in space was stirred.

There was only an absolute sense of "nothingness," as if even time were about to stagnate, spreading along the fist edge to meet the dazzling, incomparably powerful golden halberd light.

The two made contact.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no roar of energy colliding.

There was only a strange, hair-raising "silence."

That huge, golden halberd light, which seemed capable of destroying everything, the moment it touched the "nothingness" fist edge, was like a flame thrown into absolute zero, instantly solidifying, dimming, and then... starting from the point of contact, it disintegrated inch by inch, turning into the most primitive light spots that had lost all activity, silently drifting away!

The trend of disintegration spread like a plague, along the halberd light, instantly transmitting to the halberd body, and then to the arms of the Golden Light Great Protector who was tightly gripping the halberd shaft, and even to his entire, brilliant, golden, massive body!

"This... what is this power..." The anger and killing intent in the eyes of the Golden Light Great Protector were replaced by boundless horror and fear. He felt his Heavenly Dao Origin, which he had painstakingly cultivated for ten thousand years and was proud of, was like ice and snow under the scorching sun in front of this "nothingness" power, rapidly dissolving and disintegrating! Along with his life mark and his Divine Soul will, they were all irreversibly heading toward total "guixu"!

He wanted to break free, he wanted to escape, but he found that his existence seemed to be locked by that "nothingness" Fist Intent, unable to move!

"No... Heavenly Dao... will not..."

The final hoarse whisper had not yet been finished.

Crack... snap...

A sound as slight as could be, as if glass had completely shattered.

The Golden Light Great Protector's three-zhang-tall, dazzling golden body, along with the Heavenly Punishment Halberd in his hand, was like an exquisite piece of porcelain that had been smashed, covered with countless uniform cracks. From within the cracks, endless pitch-black and nothingness leaked out.

The next moment.

Crash—!

The entire body completely collapsed, turning into sky-filling golden light dust that had lost all luster and energy, drifting away with the wind, leaving no trace behind.

Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao Protector, Late Tribulation Crossing stage Great Protector, Golden Light—fallen! Divine Soul completely destroyed, Origin returned to guixu!

Nightmare slowly withdrew his right fist. The heart-palpitating "nothingness" color on his fist edge slowly faded, revealing a slightly trembling palm with cracked skin oozing pitch-black blood. His face was as pale as paper, his aura was at its lowest point, and his body swayed, almost falling from the air.

Performing this prototype of the "Fist of the End," which exceeded his current Realm load, had almost drained his last strength, and the backlash was extremely severe.

But he forced himself not to fall and swept his gaze below.

With the fall of the Golden Light Great Protector, the last Demon Suppression Stele Tower (the eighth one) also had its light completely extinguished and its tower body collapsed with a bang due to the loss of its core host and energy supply.

The light curtain of the Spirit Realm Demon Suppression Formation covering the entrance to the Lingyuan Forbidden Land let out an unwilling cry, completely shattered, and turned into sky-filling light blue light spots, rapidly dissipating into the air.

The barrier was gone.

Ahead, only that huge chasm remained, bottomless and filled with dark blue Lingyuan Evil Qi, like a primordial Vicious Beast with its giant mouth open, quietly waiting for intruders.

Nightmare panted a few times, forcibly suppressing the severe pain and weakness in his body, and took out a few high-grade Medicinal Pills for healing and recovering spiritual power from his Storage Ring and swallowed them. The medicinal power dissolved, slightly alleviating his condition, but he was still far from recovering his combat power.

He did not enter the Forbidden Ground immediately but sat cross-legged in the air and began to adjust his breath. At the same time, he did not forget to clean the battlefield—although the Golden Light Great Protector and those ten core Cultivators were turned into flying ash, their Magic Treasure storage items and some broken, not completely annihilated spiritual Materials were still scattered all over the battlefield. Nightmare forced his Divine Thought to gather and collect them one by one. Especially the golden ring left by the Golden Light Great Protector, the Heavenly Dao Origin aura contained within it was the purest and thickest, which was a good supplement for him.

After adjusting his breath for about half an hour and barely recovering about 30% of his power, Nightmare stopped waiting. He knew that such a big commotion here might attract other forces of the Spirit Realm Heavenly Dao at any time, so he had to enter the Forbidden Ground as soon as possible and find the lingyuan reverse key.

He stood up, looked at the deep chasm entrance, and his eyes became firm and sharp again.

Taking a step forward, his figure turned into a stream of light and plunged into the surging dark blue Lingyuan Evil Qi without hesitation.

As soon as he entered, a sense of erosion ten times or a hundred times stronger than outside rushed toward him! The Lingyuan Evil Qi here was not only so thick that it almost turned into liquid, but it also contained a terrifying will of Chaos, violence, and devouring Divine Souls! If an ordinary Tribulation Crossing Cultivator did not have special protective means, they would not be able to persist here for long.

Nightmare immediately urged the Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame to protect his body, and the pitch-black flame formed a flowing armor on his body surface, burning and reversing the invading Evil Qi. But even so, he could still feel wisps of cold evil intent trying to drill into his body, eroding his Meridians and Divine Soul, only the speed was greatly slowed down by the Demonic Flame.

He flew toward the depths of the Forbidden Ground where the Evil Qi was thickest and the space was most unstable, following the increasingly clear sensation coming from the star dao fruit.

The terrain inside the Forbidden Ground was extremely complex, like a shattered world that had been violently torn apart and then pieced together randomly. Everywhere there were floating giant rocks, broken mountain ranges, backflowing dark rivers (composed of liquid Evil Qi), and twisted space rifts. Light was severely distorted and absorbed here, his vision was extremely poor, and his Divine Sense was suppressed to the limit.

Nightmare carefully avoided those obvious space rifts and Evil Qi whirlpools and moved forward in the direction of the strongest sensation.

After flying for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a relatively open platform made of dark blue crystal appeared ahead. At the edge of the platform was the bottomless, dark abyss, and from deeper within came a heart-palpitating devouring fluctuation.

And right in the center of the platform, a behemoth was coiled!

That was a giant python! Its whole body was covered with dark blue scales that shimmered with metallic luster, its body was as thick as a palace pillar, and its length exceeded a hundred zhang! It had a ferocious head with a single horn, and a pair of vertical pupils that presented a deathly dark blue, coldly watching Nightmare who had intruded onto the platform. Its whole body exuded powerful Evil Qi fluctuations, and its strength had surprisingly reached the Early Tribulation Crossing Stage, and in this home field of Lingyuan Evil Qi, it was probably even more difficult to deal with!

Lingyuan Giant Python! An ancient guardian Vicious Beast that fed on Lingyuan Evil Qi and was a common blocker on the outskirts of the Forbidden Ground.

It clearly regarded Nightmare as an intruder and... food.

Without any warning, the giant tail of the Lingyuan Giant Python swung violently, sweeping across like a mountain range, bringing up terrifying gale and thick Evil Qi! At the same time, it opened its giant mouth and spewed out a beam of dark blue Evil Qi condensed to the extreme, shooting straight at Nightmare!

Nightmare's eyes were cold. If he were in his prime, he could kill such a Vicious Beast with one punch. But now he was in a poor state and should not fight for a long time.

"Court death."

He snorted coldly, not dodging or avoiding, and rushed straight toward the sweeping giant tail and the Evil Qi beam! The moment he was about to be hit, the Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame on his body surface suddenly shrank inward and then exploded with a bang!

The pitch-black flame was no longer protecting his body but turned into countless dense and sharp flame blades, centered on him, like a blooming death lotus, shooting wildly in all directions!

Ssh ssh ssh ssh—!!!

The flame blades easily cut open the incoming Evil Qi beam and slashed onto the scales of the giant python that was sweeping over!

Those dark blue scales, which could withstand the bombardment of ordinary Magic Treasures, were like a hot knife cutting butter in front of the Nidao Demonic Flame blades, easily torn and pierced! The flame blades drilled into the giant python's body, crazily destroying its flesh, bones, and even the Origin connected to the Evil Qi!

"Hiss—!!!"

The Lingyuan Giant Python let out a painful and angry hiss, its huge body twisted crazily, but it could not get rid of the Demonic Flame raging in its body! In its deathly dark blue vertical pupils, for the first time, a look of terror appeared!

Nightmare's figure moved like lightning, instantly appearing in front of the giant python's head, which was raised high due to pain. His right hand joined fingers like a sword, and a condensed pitch-black starlight condensed at his fingertips—"Demonic Star Pierce"!

Pfft!

His fingertips tapped lightly, sinking into the glabella of the giant python.

The giant python's huge body suddenly stiffened, and the luster in its eyes quickly dimmed. The next moment, pitch-black flames erupted from its body from the inside out, quickly engulfing and burning its entire body. In just a few breaths, it turned into a large pile of dark blue ash, drifting in the thick Evil Qi, leaving only a fist-sized, crystal-clear dark blue crystal core containing pure Lingyuan Evil Qi.

Nightmare waved his hand to put away the crystal core, without even looking at the drifting ash, and continued to fly toward the back of the platform, toward the deeper place where the sensation came from.

His cultivation had subtly improved during the battle and breath adjustment, and it seemed that he was one step closer to the threshold of the Late Tribulation Crossing stage.

Lingyuan Forbidden Land, full of crises.

But the footsteps of the Master of the Reverse Path cannot be blocked by anyone.

The aura of the second dao reversal key is already close at hand.