The final battle of the domain lords, demonic flames scorching the heavens.

Walking through the deep, secluded corridor, the view suddenly opened up before him.

The core hall of the Domain Lords Mansion was less of a palace and more of a hollowed-out mountain dome.

The dome, standing a hundred zhang high, was embedded with countless Origin crystals emitting a faint blue light, resembling an inverted starry sky.

The floor was made of polished black rock crystals that were as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the starlight from above and making the space appear even more vast and desolate.

At the end of the grand hall, atop a nine-tiered obsidian staircase, sat a massive stone throne that seemed to be one with the entire mountain range. At this moment, the throne was empty.

A tall figure stood with his back to the entrance, hands clasped behind his back, before the throne.

He wore heavy dark gold armor, the rock patterns on it pulsing like breathing. Just by standing there, he seemed to connect with the entire hall and even the mountain veins of the whole Black Stone Main City, emitting a heavy, ancient, and overbearing Aura.

Middle Sovereign of the Hongmeng Lord Realm—Blackrock Domain Lord, Yan Kui.

The sound of Nightmare's footsteps as he entered the hall echoed clearly in the vast space.

Yan Kui turned around slowly.

His face was as resolute as if carved by an axe or chisel, and his skin was a dark shade characteristic of long-term immersion in the rock-type Origin. His eyes were currently burning with dark red flames, the manifestation of extreme anger and killing intent.

He stared fixedly at Nightmare, who was approaching step by step, his gaze pressing down like two mountains.

"Outsider." Yan Kui's voice was low and hoarse, each word sounding like a boulder rolling down. "I can feel... the resentment of Black Wind, the unwillingness of Iron Rock, the destruction of Firm Rock... and the dissipating Aura of my hundreds of Blackrock Guards."

He slowly raised one hand and clenched it into a fist, his knuckles popping like exploding beans. The thick Black Rock Origin around him began to boil, making the air in the entire hall become viscous and heavy.

"The foreign Origin on you is disgusting. Your existence is a blasphemy against the order of the Grandmist." The red light in Yan Kui's eyes intensified. "Who gave you the nerve to come to my Black Rock Domain and act wild? To covet my, Yan Kui's, authority?!"

Facing this questioning and Aura that felt like a landslide and tsunami, Nightmare's steps did not falter in the slightest, nor did his expression change. He couldn't even be bothered to let his gaze linger on Yan Kui, instead casually scanning the magnificent hall.

"Authority?" Nightmare finally spoke, his voice flat and without a ripple. "Do you think stolen goods deserve to be called authority?"

He stopped walking, standing thirty zhang away from Yan Kui. The vast floor between them was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the faint light from the dome.

"You are nothing more than a bandit leader occupying this Elementary Universe Domain." Nightmare raised his eyes, meeting Yan Kui's burning gaze, and a faint, bone-chilling mockery tugged at the corner of his mouth. "And I have come today to do just one very simple thing—"

He raised his right hand and slowly curled his fingers, as if crushing something.

"Crush you, along with this self-righteous 'authority' of yours, into dust."

"Arrogant!!!"

Yan Kui was thoroughly enraged. As a Middle Sovereign who had ruled the Black Rock Domain for countless years, when had he ever been so contemptuously insulted? Moreover, the opponent was merely an "Elementary Dominator" with a strange Aura whose Realm clearly had not reached the middle level!

Rage crushed his last shred of reason, forcing down the sliver of wariness he felt due to his subordinates falling one after another.

"Blackrock Meteorite Fist—Suppress!"

Yan Kui stopped talking, and with a roar, he took a step forward!

The entire hall seemed to shake violently with his step! He threw out his right fist, and upon his fist, a dense dark yellow Origin gathered frantically, instantly condensing into a terrifying phantom of a meteorite over ten zhang in diameter, covered in jagged rock spikes and burning with dark red flames!

The meteorite, carrying the terrifying Aura of crushing stars and suppressing all things, locked onto Nightmare and smashed down! Before the fist arrived, the heavy fist pressure had already caused the mirror-like floor beneath Nightmare's feet to crack into spiderweb-like fissures with a crunching sound!

This was Yan Kui's famous ultimate skill, containing his comprehension of the "heaviness" and "suppression" of the Black Rock Origin. One punch was enough to blast an ordinary Peak Elementary Dominator and their defensive Magic Treasure into powder!

Facing this terrifying blow, Nightmare's eyes narrowed slightly, but there was no trace of fear.

"three keys of dao reversal—Resonance!"

He whispered in his heart, and the three distinct yet homologous Reverse Dao Powers (Devour, Reverse Chaos, Destruction) within him resonated slightly for the first time since entering the Hongmeng Universe! This was not an ultimate move, just an initial coordination of power.

But the effect was immediate!

The deep black Demonic Flame around him suddenly became deeper and darker, with a trace of eerie dark gold luster appearing at the heart of the flames. The form of the leaping flames also became more agile and aggressive!

"Hongmeng Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame—Condense!"

Nightmare raised his left hand, and surging Demonic Flame poured out. Instead of spreading, it highly condensed, instantly forming a huge, diamond-shaped Demonic Flame giant shield in front of him, with dark gold patterns flowing on its surface!

The moment the shield formed, the meteorite fist shadow arrived!

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening, terrifying explosion resounded throughout the hall, even spreading across the entire Black Stone Main City! At the center of the collision, the blinding dark yellow and deep dark light frantically intertwined and annihilated!

The terrifying shockwave exploded in a ring, shaking the crystals embedded around the hall until they fell, and the thick layer of rock crystals on the floor was lifted and shattered layer by layer!

The Demonic Flame giant shield trembled violently, the dark gold patterns on its surface flickering. The shield body was pressed backward by the meteorite fist shadow, and fine cracks even appeared on the edges. The full-force strike of a Middle Sovereign was indeed extraordinary!

However, the shield did not break!

Not only did it not break, but the Demonic Flame seemed to possess life and extremely strong corrosiveness, spreading and burning along the meteorite phantom, constantly disintegrating its condensed Origin structure!

"What?!" Yan Kui's pupils constricted. This punch of his was enough to split mountains and crack Domains; how was it blocked by the opponent's flame shield? And the flames were even counter-eroding his fist power?

Just at the moment when his old power had just faded, his new power had not yet been born, and his mind had a gap due to astonishment—

Nightmare's figure disappeared from behind the Demonic Flame giant shield like a ghost.

No, not disappeared!

It was too fast! Under the blessing of the slight resonance of the Reverse Dao Power, his speed instantly soared to a level that made even Yan Kui feel alarmed!

The next instant, Nightmare had appeared on the right side of Yan Kui's body, less than five feet apart!

His right fist was tightly clenched, and on the fist, it was no longer pure black Demonic Flame, but a terrifying energy ball compressed to the extreme, presenting a chaotic pitch-black color that seemed to be able to swallow even light—Demonic Star Shattering Heaven Fist!

The punch came out silently, yet carried the will of destruction that could pierce through everything, striking directly at Yan Kui's temple! If this hit solidly, even with Yan Kui's Middle Sovereign protective Origin and formidable Physical Body, it would definitely be painful!

"Rock Armor Protection!"

Yan Kui was, after all, a battle-hardened Middle Sovereign. At the critical moment, he roared, and the dark gold heavy armor on his body emitted a brilliant light. A layer of extremely solid protective Origin armor, like real obsidian, instantly covered his whole body, especially his head, which was even thicker.

"Bang!!!"

Nightmare's fist smashed hard onto the layer of suddenly thickened rock armor!

A dull impact sound rang out. The rock armor vibrated violently, and with the point of impact as the center, countless fine cracks spread like lightning! A sharp, overbearing Reverse Chaos and Destruction force penetrated the rock armor defense and stabbed fiercely into Yan Kui's body!

"Hmph!" Yan Kui groaned, his body staggering two steps to the side, his head buzzing, and his protective Origin in Chaos. In his eyes, he finally revealed incredible horror—the opponent's power could actually penetrate his Middle Sovereign protective Origin armor? What kind of weird attribute was that?!

"You..." Yan Kui was both shocked and angry.

Nightmare did not give him any chance to breathe or think. The punch landed, and although it did not completely break the defense, it had achieved the purpose of interference. His figure followed like a shadow, sticking close, and his fists bombarded like a storm! Every punch was condensed with highly compressed Demonic Flame, and every punch accurately struck the weak points or cracks in Yan Kui's protective rock armor!

Bang bang bang bang bang—!!!

The dense, drum-like sounds of bombardment exploded throughout the great hall.

Yan Kui was beaten back repeatedly, forced to constantly urge his Origin to repair and reinforce his armor while simultaneously swinging his fists to block.

However, he discovered with horror that not only was the opponent's fist strength immense and blindingly fast, but it also contained a strange, chaotic Reverse Dao Power that made his own Origin sluggish, as if it were about to "rebel" at any moment!

Moreover, the speed at which that black Demonic Flame eroded his Black Rock Origin was unimaginably fast!

"Impossible! How can a mere Elementary Dominator contend with me?!"

Yan Kui roared internally, filled with a mix of shame and rage.

He stomped his foot violently, and the power of the earth veins flooded into his body crazily.

"Black Rock Dominator Domain—Open!"

Boom!

With Yan Kui at the center, a thick, earthy-yellow Domain suddenly unfurled, instantly covering more than half of the hall!

Inside the Domain, gravity surged a hundred to a thousand times, the air solidified like iron, and countless massive rock spikes generated out of thin air from the ground and the sky, carrying the dual Law powers of suppression and piercing, crazily squeezing and stabbing at Nightmare in the center of the Domain!

This was a complete Domain belonging to a Middle Sovereign, containing his profound understanding of the Law of "Rock," its power far exceeding that of an Elementary Dominator's Domain.

Situated in the center of the Domain, Nightmare immediately felt his body sink, as if he were carrying a mountain of immense weight, and his movements were inevitably affected.

The omnipresent rock spikes all around attacked with terrifying piercing power.

"A Domain?"

Nightmare was pressed down by the gravity, causing him to hunch slightly, but a near-cruel, excited smile appeared on his face, "Now this is interesting."

"Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain—Fusion!"

He let out a low shout, and the Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain that had been circling his body stopped compressing and instead expanded violently!

It collided and merged with Yan Kui's earthy-yellow "Black Rock Dominator Domain" with a boom!

It did not shatter immediately, nor was it completely suppressed.

The two Domains, with vastly different attributes and levels, began the most primal and intense collision and erosion of Laws the moment they made contact!

The earthy-yellow Domain was thick and suppressing, attempting to crush and solidify everything.

The dark Domain was chaotic and destructive, attempting to disintegrate and incinerate everything.

Sss, sss, sss—!

At the boundary where the two Domain powers met, a scalp-numbing sound of energy annihilation erupted, and the space itself became distorted and blurred.

Yan Kui discovered with horror that his Domain was actually "melting away"!

Those rock spikes near the dark Domain crumbled one after another, and the gravity effect of his Domain was also being interfered with and weakened by an invisible Reverse Dao Power!

"Break for me!"

A fierce glint flashed in Nightmare's eyes as the Demonic Flame around his body and the power of the Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain completely fused!

He no longer resisted passively, but instead injected all the power of his Domain into his right fist, his entire being transforming into a black meteor of chaotic destruction, ignoring the piercing of the surrounding rock spikes and the terrifying gravity, forcefully breaking through the chaotic zone where the two layers of Domains intertwined, and once again closed in on Yan Kui!

On the tip of his fist, the Demonic Flame and the power of the Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain combined perfectly, forming a dark spike condensed to the extreme, as if it could pierce the firmament!

Yan Kui's old Domain was under assault, his mind was shaken, and seeing that terrifying dark spike rapidly enlarge before his eyes, a fatal sense of crisis made his Divine Soul tremble!

He roared, sparing no cost to burn a portion of his essential blood and Origin, concentrating all his remaining Domain power and protective rock armor on his chest, forming an incredibly thick dark-gold rock shield!

"Black Rock Immortality..."

The moment the shield condensed, the dark spike had arrived!

"Crack—shluck!"

There was no earth-shattering loud noise, only a strange sound like glass shattering, or perhaps a sharp object entering flesh.

That dark-gold rock shield, which had condensed Yan Kui's last hope and burned a portion of his Origin, only held for less than an instant before the dark spike pierced through it like dry wood.

The spike's momentum did not diminish, and it stabbed fiercely into Yan Kui's chest, piercing through that heavy dark-gold armor, sinking into his flesh and bones, and finally, with extreme precision, struck the core rotating endlessly inside him—the Black Rock Dominator Core, which contained all his cultivation and life Origin!

"Argh—!!!"

Yan Kui's body stiffened violently, his eyes bulged, and he let out a scream of extreme misery.

He could clearly feel a cold, dead, and destructive power filled with Chaos spreading, eroding, and detonating crazily within his most crucial core!

His power was flowing away rapidly, his life force was withering quickly, and his Divine Soul felt as if it were being ignited by that dark Demonic Flame!

"No... no... I am the Blackrock Domain Lord... I am a Middle Sovereign... How could I possibly..."

Yan Kui's eyes were filled with endless fear, unwillingness, and despair; he reached out his hand in vain, wanting to grasp something, but only grasped emptiness.

Nightmare's palm was currently pressed against the end of the dark spike that had stabbed into Yan Kui's chest.

"Star Devouring Dao—Full activation!"

A terrifying suction force, like a cosmic black hole, erupted suddenly!

Yan Kui's Black Rock Origin, as a Middle Sovereign, which was more than ten times thicker and purer than that of an Elementary Dominator, flowed crazily and uncontrollably toward Nightmare's palm like a bursting galaxy!

"Ah—!!!" Yan Kui's scream turned into a whimper, and his body shriveled and withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, his skin losing its luster and turning as ashen as rock powder.

His final Divine Soul fluctuation was filled with resentment and curses, but there was ultimately no way to turn the tide.

A few breaths later, Nightmare withdrew his palm, and the dark spike at his fingertips dissipated along with it.

Thump.

A dried corpse that had completely lost all vitality and energy, like a rock that had weathered for ten thousand years, fell straight backward, smashed onto the cold obsidian floor, shattered into pieces, and then turned into powder, blown away by the residual energy turbulence in the hall.

The Blackrock Domain Lord, a powerhouse of the Middle Hongmeng Lord Realm—Yan Kui, had fallen! His Divine Soul was annihilated!

Nightmare stood quietly in place, closing his eyes to feel the terrifying power surging and roaring like a tsunami within his body.

Devouring the entire Origin of a Middle Sovereign brought about an unprecedented improvement.

The thin layer of paper in his body that had hindered his advancement was, at this moment, punched through by the torrent of surging power!

A brand-new, more powerful, and more profound Aura slowly rose from his body.

Between his eyebrows, an extremely subtle dark-gold demonic mark flashed and disappeared.

Middle Hongmeng Lord Realm—Achieved!

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the spot where the dried corpse had turned into powder.

A point of dark-gold light was slowly floating up from the powder; it was a palm-sized token, neither gold nor stone, engraved with complex mountain patterns, and it was emitting fluctuations that resonated faintly with the entire Black Rock Domain.

Black Rock Domain Core Token!

Nightmare reached out his hand, and the token fell into his palm.

It was slightly warm to the touch and as heavy as a mountain.

He did not hesitate to inject a stream of pure Reverse Dao Dominator Power into it.

Hum—!

The token vibrated gently, dark-gold light flowing on its surface, and those mountain patterns seemed to come alive.

An incredibly clear "sense of control" flowed through the token into Nightmare's mind—he "saw" the territorial outline of the Black Rock Domain, sensed the status of important nodes (ore veins, Secret Realms) throughout the Domain, and could even faintly perceive the vague locations and emotional fluctuations of a large number of Cultivators within the Domain.

At the same time, a cold, mechanical, emotionless System prompt sounded deep in his mind:

[Ding! Detected that the Host has seized the core authority of the 'Black Rock Elementary Universe Domain'.]

[Judgment: The Host has obtained the actual ruling power of this Elementary Universe Domain.]

[Permission unlocked: Can mobilize a portion of the Origin energy within the Domain; can sense general dynamics within the Domain; can modify the basic rules within the Domain to a certain extent (requires consuming a large amount of Origin).]

[System prompt: Hongmeng Universe chapter main storyline advanced. Next stage suggested goal: stabilize rule, and seek a path to ascend to a higher-level Universe Domain.]

Nightmare held the token, feeling the power of authority contained within it, his eyes calm and waveless.

Seizing an Elementary Universe Domain was just the beginning, the first step he had taken in this vast and cruel Hongmeng Universe.

He turned around and walked toward the entrance of the great hall.

His steps were steady, and his Aura was as deep as the sea.

Outside the hall, sunlight (perhaps some kind of Origin light within the Domain similar to sunlight) shone in through the gap in the destroyed city wall, casting his long shadow before the throne.

That throne, symbolizing the highest power of the Black Rock Domain, appeared cold and lonely in the light and shadow at this moment.

Nightmare did not even glance at it again, walking straight out of the core hall.

A new era had arrived.

And everything from the old days, including that throne, would be thoroughly reshaped under his Demonic Flame, or... completely incinerated.