The remnants were eliminated, and power was consolidated.

Outside the core palace, Stone Firm and the four others stood as straight as javelins; despite their injuries and blood-stained armor, their eyes burned with unprecedented fervor and awe.

When they saw Nightmare holding that dark-gold token, his aura becoming increasingly unfathomable—like a monstrous wave lurking beneath a calm sea—they knew it: it was done!

The Black Rock Domain had changed masters!

Nightmare weighed the token in his hand and looked at Stone Firm: "How many usable people are left in this Black Stone Main City? I mean, those who know how to read the situation."

Stone Firm immediately bowed and reported quickly: "Reporting to you, Lord! There were originally over two thousand Cultivators in the main city, mostly from various Families, Loose Cultivators, servants of the Domain Lords Mansion, and low-level stewards who relied on the Domain Lord."

After the news spread that the suppression army had been wiped out, the city walls breached, and the two Elders had fallen, nearly half fled or went into hiding during the chaos.

The remaining ones are mostly hiding in their homes or shops, watching. The die-hards who are truly loyal to Yan Kui should not be many, mostly concentrated in..."

He paused, recalling information from prisoners and previously gathered intelligence: "They are mainly concentrated in three places."

"The first is 'Black Wind Valley', located three thousand li northwest of the main city, controlled by a Guest Elder of the former Domain Lords Mansion, 'Valley Master Li'. This person is a Peak Elementary Dominator, with over a hundred Cultivators under his command. Most are desperate villains recruited by Yan Kui in his early years; they are unruly and only listen to Yan Kui's orders."

"The second is the elite guard team of the 'Black Stone Mine', led by Yan Kui's clansman 'Yan Lie', a Peak Elementary Dominator. He is responsible for guarding the largest origin crystal mines in the domain and has over eighty well-equipped mine guards."

"The third is the garrison of the 'Dark Sand Star Domain', a chaotic area on the edge of the Black Rock Domain, managed by Yan Kui's confidant 'Sha Mo', a Peak Elementary Dominator. He has nearly a hundred Cultivators under his command, has been stationed there for a long time, and their influence is deeply entrenched."

Nightmare listened quietly, his eyes showing no fluctuation, as if he were listening to a few insignificant place names.

"They certainly know how to hide." He commented indifferently, then looked at Stone Firm: "You, temporarily take charge of managing this city. With this token, you can invoke a portion of the Origin power within the domain to suppress instability, take inventory of the treasury, and pacify the remaining Cultivators. Tell them—"

Nightmare's voice was clear and cold as it reached Stone Firm's ears, as well as the ears of the other four subordinates: "Those who submit to me can enjoy resources and receive rewards based on merit. Those who oppose me, no matter where they hide, I will personally take their lives."

"As for those who fled... no need to chase them. Although the Hongmeng Universe is vast, it is a realm without a master; where can they run to? They will always return, or die elsewhere."

Stone Firm took the heavy core token with slightly trembling hands. Feeling the power of authority contained within it, he was so excited he almost knelt down: "Subordinate... will definitely not fail your trust, My Lord!"

"You four," Nightmare looked at the other four, "come with me. Let's go meet those three... 'loyal subjects'."

"Yes!" The four answered in unison, their Battle Intent high. Following the new Domain Lord to suppress dissent was the best opportunity to earn merit and demonstrate their value!

Nightmare did not delay any longer. His figure turned into a dark-gold stream of light and shot into the sky; the four hurriedly followed. He did not use any flying Magic Treasure. Having just achieved a Breakthrough to Middle Sovereign, the power within his body was surging, and he needed to stretch his muscles and bones to digest and consolidate it.

First stop, Black Wind Valley.

Black Wind Valley was not a natural valley, but a huge rift formed by years of erosion from strong winds. Violent winds howled within the valley, never ceasing throughout the year, and the environment was harsh. Valley Master Li had chosen this place precisely because it was easy to defend and hard to attack, and the wind-attribute Spiritual Qi was beneficial to certain Cultivation Techniques, so he established his stronghold here.

When Nightmare and the five arrived above Black Wind Valley, a defensive Formation had already risen at the valley entrance, with a gray-black wind wall rotating and howling. Figures moved within the valley, and the atmosphere was tense; they had clearly learned of the drastic changes in the main city.

"Stop right there! Black Wind Valley is a Forbidden Ground; trespassers die!" A sharp voice came from behind the wind wall, carrying a tone of bluster.

Nightmare stood in the air, looking down at the rift below, which resembled the mouth of a giant beast. He had no interest in replying.

He raised his right hand, aimed his five fingers at the seemingly sturdy wind wall defensive Formation below, and gently clenched his fist.

"Disperse."

As if his words were law, an invisible, higher-level force of rules descended with his will.

Hum—!

The wind wall Formation, personally set up by Valley Master Li and capable of withstanding the combined attacks of several Peak Elementary Dominators, along with its underlying Formation bases and Formation Flags, collapsed completely under that clench like a soap bubble squeezed by an invisible giant hand, without even a struggle, with a "pop" sound! Even the violent wind at the valley entrance stalled for a moment!

"What?!" Several screams of horror came from inside the valley.

Nightmare's figure flashed, and he landed in the valley. The four subordinates followed closely behind.

The buildings in the valley were rough. At this moment, over a hundred Cultivators were gathered in a square. Leading them was an old man wearing a black cloak, with a sinister face and a goatee; this was indeed Valley Master Li.

He sensed that the Formation had been broken and saw Nightmare landing as if walking into an empty space. His heart turned cold, but he still pretended to be calm and shouted: "Are you the new Domain Lord? Our Black Wind Valley has always been neutral and does not participate in domain disputes. The position of Valley Master was personally conferred by Domain Lord Yan Kui. What is the reason for Your Excellency to break the Formation rashly? Do you really want to kill us all?"

While speaking, he signaled his subordinates, secretly accumulating power and assuming a defensive posture.

Nightmare glanced at him, then swept his gaze over the Cultivators who were fearful but still held weapons and followed Valley Master Li's lead, and said slowly: "I give you two choices. One, kneel and offer your Divine Soul imprint to serve me from now on. Two..."

He paused, his tone calm and waveless: "I will send you down now to continue serving Yan Kui."

"Arrogant!" A confidant leader beside Valley Master Li couldn't help but shout angrily, "Valley Master, let's fight him! We have more people..."

Before the words fell, Nightmare flicked his finger. Swish!

A dark-gold spark shot out like lightning, its speed exceeding the limit of Divine Sense perception, instantly piercing the center of the confidant leader's brow.

The leader's expression froze on his face, his eyes quickly unfocused, his body swayed, and he fell straight backward, turning into a pile of fly ash when he hit the ground.

The whole scene was deathly silent. In the flick of a finger, he killed a Middle Stage Elementary Dominator leader, as if crushing an ant.

The muscles on Valley Master Li's face twitched violently, the last glimmer of luck in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving only boundless fear. The opponent's power level completely crushed them!

"I... I am willing..." Valley Master Li's voice was dry, his knees softened, and he was about to kneel.

"Too late." Nightmare's cold voice interrupted him, "I gave you a chance, but you hesitated. Hesitation means death."

He stopped talking nonsense and moved his mind. "Hongmeng Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame—Burn!"

Boom! Without the need for hand seals or charging, with his thought, deep black Demonic Flame erupted on the square in the valley like magma gushing from the ground, instantly engulfing Valley Master Li and the dozens of core die-hards around him, as well as those Cultivators who still held weapons and showed fierce expressions!

"No—!! My Lord, spare me! I am willing to submit... Ah!" "Run!"

Screams and pleas for mercy were instantly drowned out by the crackling sound of the Demonic Flame burning. The black flames ruthlessly licked everything, whether flesh, bone, Magic Treasure, or Divine Soul. In just two or three breaths, the flames dissipated.

In place, only dozens of charred marks remained, along with a faint burnt smell lingering in the air. Valley Master Li and his most loyal subordinates were all wiped out, their Divine Souls destroyed.

The remaining Cultivators, who had long been scared out of their wits, had dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground—about fifty or sixty of them—shaking like chaff, not even daring to lift their heads.

Nightmare didn't even look at those who surrendered and said to the four subordinates behind him: "Take inventory of the resources in the valley and confiscate all storage Magic Treasures. Keep these people under guard for now; if there are any unusual movements, kill them."

"Yes!" Leaving two subordinates to handle the affairs of Black Wind Valley, Nightmare took the other two and, without stopping, headed straight for the Black Stone Mine.

The guard commander of the Black Stone Mine, Yan Lie, was "smarter" than Valley Master Li. After receiving news of the drastic changes in the main city, he did not choose to defend the mine, but attempted to escape with dozens of his most elite confidants and some of the high-purity origin crystal in stock in the mine, taking a small flying ship from the mine.

Unfortunately, he had flown less than a thousand li from the mine when he was intercepted by Nightmare.

A chase without suspense unfolded over the desolate rocky mountains. Nightmare did not even make a move himself, only letting the two accompanying subordinates intercept, while he watched from the side. Yan Lie's strength as a Peak Elementary Dominator was not weak, but under the siege of two subordinates who were also Elementary Dominators, had high Battle Intent, and held captured elite Magic Treasures, he was soon stretched thin.

When Nightmare used a Demonic Flame to imprison his figure and let his subordinates stab their long spears into his chest, Yan Lie's eyes were filled with resentment and regret.

"Yan Kui misled me... The Violet Lightning Domain Lord... will not let you go..." He left his last words hoarsely before being swallowed by the Demonic Flame.

Nightmare's eyes flickered slightly. Violet Lightning Domain Lord? So Yan Kui really did have a supporter behind him. He noted this information but did not pay it much mind. Right now, it was time to purge the internal elements.

Seeing that their commander was dead, most of the remaining guards at the mine chose to surrender. Nightmare also left some men to take over the mine and take inventory of the resources.

The last stop, Dark Sand Star Domain.

The environment here was even harsher, a broken sandbar area floating in the Void Realm, where quicksand raged and energy was chaotic. The garrison commander, Sha Mo, was a short, sturdy man with skin as rough as gravel. He chose the most intense form of resistance—relying on the complex environment within the Star Domain and traps and Formations laid out long ago to attempt to ambush Nightmare.

The result was predictable. In the face of absolute power and Nightmare's near-bug-like Reverse Path perception (extremely sensitive to energy flow), all traps and ambushes became jokes. Nightmare directly used Demonic Flame to burn down the core of the sand fortress where Sha Mo was hiding, forcing him to appear.

Sha Mo roared and launched a suicide attack, burning his Origin, turning into a giant sandstorm titan, and pounced.

Nightmare simply threw a punch. The dark-gold fist energy, like a meteor, pierced through the sandstorm and struck Sha Mo's true body precisely.

Bang! The sandstorm titan collapsed, and Sha Mo's true body flew backward like a broken sack, his chest collapsed, and the vitality in his eyes rapidly faded. Until his death, he couldn't understand why, both being Peak Elementary Dominators, the gap was so large.

After purging the die-hards in the Dark Sand Star Domain, Nightmare returned to the Black Stone Main City with his last two subordinates. This trip took only half a day, but the three largest remaining forces in the Black Rock Domain loyal to the old master had been completely eradicated, their leaders all dead, and resources confiscated.

Back in the main city, Stone Firm's preliminary organization had results. The treasury inventory, the roster of remaining Cultivators, and brief reports on each region were all presented. The efficiency was astonishing; clearly, Stone Firm had put in serious effort and had initially mastered the auxiliary functions of the core token.

Nightmare stood on the city tower, where some defenses (mainly early warning functions) had been rebuilt. His Divine Sense connected with the core token, and in an instant, his will, like an invisible network, covered most of the Black Rock Domain.

Every Cultivator in the domain, no matter where they were or what they were doing, simultaneously heard a cold, indifferent, yet supremely majestic voice in their minds, directly branded onto the level of their Divine Soul:

"Black Rock Domain Lord Yan Kui is dead, and the rebels within the domain have been purged." "I, Nightmare, am the new master of the Black Rock Domain." "Those who submit to me can enjoy resources and receive rewards based on merit. Those who oppose me, no matter how far they flee, will be executed, and their Divine Souls destroyed." "Within three days, the leaders of all cities and towns must bring their rosters to the Black Stone Main City to report. Those who do not arrive on time will be considered rebels."

The voice dissipated, leaving behind surging waves and complex thoughts in the hearts of countless Cultivators. Fear, confusion, luck, anticipation... various emotions intertwined. But regardless, the sky of the Black Rock Domain had completely changed.

Subsequently, from the roster organized by Stone Firm and the surrendering Cultivators who performed reasonably well during this purge, Nightmare personally selected ten Cultivators at the Elementary Dominator Realm who seemed to have reasonable potential and still had ambition or unwillingness in their eyes. He took them under his command, and together with Stone Firm and the other four, they initially formed his core team that reported directly to him.

He did not give a long-winded lecture, but gathered the fifteen people in front of him and swept his gaze over every face.

"My rules are simple: do the job, get rewarded; make mistakes, get punished; betray, die."

"Now, go familiarize yourselves with your new territory, consolidate the defenses, take inventory of resources, and collect all intelligence regarding the 'Violet Lightning Elementary Universe Domain' and the 'passage to the Middle Universe Domain'."

"I give you ten days." "After ten days, I want to see results, and... a plan of action for the next step."

Nightmare's voice was calm but carried unquestionable power. He turned and walked into the depths of the Domain Lords Mansion, where the Cultivation secret chamber and database left by Yan Kui were located. He needed to digest the gains from this Breakthrough as soon as possible and deeply understand this neighbor named "Violet Lightning", as well as that crucial... promotion passage.

The iron-blooded integration of the Black Rock Domain proceeded efficiently and silently. Nightmare's gaze had already turned toward the broader battlefield outside the domain. The path of conquest in the Hongmeng Universe had just begun.