Channel control, joint domain

The chaos in Purple Lightning Main City did not last long. When the core token, symbolizing the Domain Lord’s authority, changed hands, and news of Thunder Command’s demise and the death or surrender of key Protectors spread like a storm throughout the city, the will to resist melted away like snow under the sun.

Under the command of Stone Firm and the other two, the Nidao Guards swiftly purged the few stubborn resistors with lightning-fast methods (a fitting term here), quickly taking over crucial hubs like the main city’s defense system, warehouses, and teleportation arrays. The surrendering Cultivators of Purple Lightning Domain chose to obey in the face of absolute military deterrence and the new Domain Lord’s terrifying strength, which was clearly superior to Thunder Command’s. Purple Lightning Domain had always honored the strong, and Thunder Command’s rule was not gentle; for lower-level Cultivators, changing to a stronger, more ruthless master might not be as different as imagined.

Nightmare did not linger in the main city. After entrusting the subsequent integration and stabilization to Stone Firm, Iron Edge, and Sand Shadow, who were in their initial stages of cooperation, he took the newly acquired core token of Purple Lightning Domain and, guided by its clear instructions, went alone to the Forbidden Ground that gave Purple Lightning Domain its name and also concealed the promotion channel—Thunderstorm Sea.

The closer he got to Thunderstorm Sea, the more violent the Grandmist Spiritual Qi became in the Void Realm, and the concentration of Violet Lightning energy increased exponentially. Finally, a sight whose grandeur and terror were beyond words appeared before Nightmare’s eyes.

It wasn’t a sea, but an boundless region spanning the Void Realm, composed entirely of liquid lightning and destructive storms! Violent purple plasma rolled and roared like an ocean, countless thunderstorm vortices, each over a hundred miles in diameter, endlessly formed and dissipated within it. Thick purple lightning, like the spines of giant Dragons, occasionally tore through the “sea surface,” illuminating hundreds of millions of miles of the Void Realm. The deafening thunder never ceased; even the Spatial Turbulence and electromagnetic radiation at its edges were enough to annihilate ordinary Elementary Dominators.

This was Thunderstorm Sea, the energy source of Purple Lightning Domain, and also a natural barrier and a place of Jedi.

And the entrance to the promotion channel leading to the Middle Universe Domain was hidden deep within this sea of death.

Nightmare held the Violet Lightning token, which emitted a soft yet resilient purple glow, enveloping him within a hundred zhang. Wherever the glow reached, the violent lightning plasma seemed to encounter a monarch, automatically parting to both sides, forming a relatively stable channel. Even the destructive lightning bolts capable of annihilating stars significantly weakened upon touching the glow, guided and deflected by the token’s power.

This was one of the privileges of controlling the core token, and also Thunder Command’s reliance for controlling the channel back then. The token contained the Origin imprint of Purple Lightning Domain, granting it certain control and appeasement authority over Thunderstorm Sea.

Nightmare flew along the channel opened by the token towards the core of Thunderstorm Sea. What he saw along the way was a marvel, where destruction and creation coexisted in an extreme manner. After flying for about half an hour, the violent lightning plasma ahead suddenly parted, revealing a relatively calm, spherical space about a thousand li in diameter.

At the center of the space, a massive ring-shaped platform, entirely made of some silver-purple metal, floated. Upon the platform, extremely complex spatial runes were inscribed; these runes were not static, but constantly flowing and changing, emitting strong spatial fluctuations. In the center of the ring-shaped platform was a slowly rotating, deep vortex about a hundred zhang in diameter. Within the vortex, it was not pure darkness, but constantly flickering with strange light spots, vaguely sensing a more vast, purer, and also more dangerously unpredictable Grandmist Origin Aura coming from the other end—that was the Aura belonging to the Middle Universe Domain!

Around the vortex, on the ring-shaped platform, dozens of Purple Lightning Guards, with formidable Auras and wearing special lightning-resistant armor, were originally stationed. But at this moment, they had already received news of the drastic changes in the main city and the Domain Lord’s demise, and when they saw the new Domain Lord holding the token and traversing the lightning sea as if walking on flat ground, how could they have any Battle Intent left?

When Nightmare landed on the ring-shaped platform, these guards had already put away their weapons and were trembling as they knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

“Greetings… greetings to the new Domain Lord!” The guard captain’s voice trembled.

Nightmare’s gaze swept over them, then fell on the slowly rotating channel vortex in the center. He could clearly feel that the stability and opening of this vortex required immense energy and was under the absolute control of the token.

“From today onwards, all transit taxes for this channel are abolished,” Nightmare’s voice was flat, yet like a decree, it was clearly imprinted through the authority of the token into every guard present and the Restriction of the channel itself, “All Grandmist Cultivators, regardless of their domain of Origin, may apply to pass through to the Middle Universe Domain, provided they adhere to basic order.”

The guards looked up in astonishment, almost disbelieving their ears. Abolish the hated high transit tax? Allow all Cultivators free passage (with adherence to order)? This… this was completely different from Domain Lord Thunder Command’s ruthless monopolization and draining the pond to catch all the fish!

“However,” Nightmare’s tone suddenly shifted, becoming cold and murderous, “if anyone dares to cause trouble within the channel’s range, plunder fellow travelers, or disrupt the channel’s stability…”

With a slight thought, a wisp of condensed Nidao Demonic Flame shot from his fingertip, landing on a test Firm Rock next to the channel vortex.

Sizzle—!

There was no loud bang, no explosion. The Firm Rock, capable of withstanding a full-force blow from an Elementary Dominator, silently melted and vaporized like ice under a scorching sun, leaving no trace behind.

“...this will be their fate. Their Divine Soul will be extinguished, with no room for leniency.”

The guards shivered, quickly burying their heads even lower: “We humbly obey the Domain Lord’s decree!”

Nightmare ignored them, flying to directly above the channel vortex and sitting cross-legged. He needed to personally sense and initially refine the control Restriction of this channel, combining it with his Nidao Origin to ensure absolute control. At the same time, he was waiting—waiting for those three “news-seeking” hyenas.

The news of abolishing the high transit tax and opening the channel spread like cold water dropped into boiling oil, rapidly disseminating through the still-connected inter-domain communication and by word of mouth from traveling merchants and Cultivators, quickly reaching Black Rock Domain, Purple Lightning Domain, and spreading towards the surrounding Golden Wind Domain, Azure Frost Domain, Green Water Domain, and even more distant Elementary Universe Domains!

Countless Cultivators whose paths were blocked by high taxes, or who dared not voice their anger at Purple Lightning Domain’s tyrannical actions, were first incredulous upon hearing the news, then ecstatic! This meant that their dream of ascending to the Middle Universe Domain was no longer out of reach, no longer requiring them to lose everything or even risk their lives to bribe and beg!

In just two days, dozens of Cultivators from Black Rock Domain, Purple Lightning Domain itself, and several more distant small Universe Domains arrived at the periphery of Thunderstorm Sea, both apprehensive and hopeful. After confirming the news was true and personally seeing the channel guards replaced by Cultivators bearing the reverse-pattern insignia, strictly enforcing the new rules, the joyous cheers almost drowned out the roar of Thunderstorm Sea.

The first batch of “lucky ones,” after simple registration and being informed of the rules, stepped into the vortex leading to a wider world with excitement and trepidation. Nightmare’s “good reputation” (or rather, in contrast to Thunder Command’s “infamy”) and invincible fierce might began to spread in a peculiar way throughout the surrounding regions. Many Domain Lords of small Universe Domains even proactively sent messages of goodwill, expressing willingness to submit or form alliances.

However, not everyone was pleased.

Just at noon on the third day after Nightmare began refining the channel Restriction and opened the channel.

The Void Realm at the edge of Thunderstorm Sea violently shook without warning!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three spatial portals, each of a different color, yet equally vast, magnificent, and full of hostility, burst open simultaneously in three directions outside Thunderstorm Sea!

From the left portal, an endless expanse of cyan-white cold wind surged forth, sharp as blades, freezing the Void Realm wherever it passed. A hundred-man army of Cultivators, all clad in cyan-white ice armor and exuding a chilling Aura, emerged from the cold. Leading them was a tall, slender man with a face like cold jade, holding an ice crystal scepter; he was the Azure Frost Domain Lord—Domain Lord Han Che.

From the right portal, azure water light surged, as if an entire ocean had been moved directly into the Void Realm. Within the water light, a hundred Cultivators, also clad in azure water armor and possessing long, profound Auras, formed a battle array. The leader was a beautiful woman in palace attire, with a lovely face but sharp eyes, water ripples flowing around her body, with faint sounds of tides; she was the Green Water Domain Lord—Domain Lord Lan Xi.

And the portal directly ahead was the most massive, with deafening sounds of clashing metal! A brilliant golden gale swept out, with countless illusory images of weapons faintly appearing within the wind, Killing Intent soaring to the heavens! A hundred Cultivators, clad in golden armor, wielding various sharp weapons, and exuding the sharpest, most Severe Aura, strode forth. The leader, in golden armor and a golden crown, with a dignified and solemn face, held a golden halberd, radiating an Aura of cutting through everything; he was the Golden Wind Domain Lord—Domain Lord Jin Ge!

The three Domain Lords of Elementary Universe Domains, all at the Middle Hongmeng Lord Realm cultivation level (Domain Lord Jin Ge’s Aura was the strongest, close to Thunder Command’s, while Domain Lord Han Che and Domain Lord Lan Xi were slightly weaker), each led a hundred elite Cultivators at the Peak Elementary Dominator Realm, forming a combined army of three hundred, vast and mighty, arriving at the Thunderstorm Sea! The terrifying pressure converged, temporarily suppressing the violent energy at the edge of Thunderstorm Sea, creating a murderous and desolate battlefield!

They had clearly already learned of Thunder Command’s plea for help through secret channels (perhaps even secretly contacted before Thunder Command sent out the plea), and might have even prearranged a plan to send troops to intervene and divide the spoils. However, they never expected Thunder Command to be defeated so quickly and thoroughly! Even more unexpectedly, this new Blackrock Domain Lord, Nightmare, dared to be so “rebellious” as to directly abolish the transit tax system they had coveted and relied upon to exploit surrounding regions, and to open the channel!

This not only cut off a crucial source of wealth for them (they also had to pay Thunder Command a considerable toll or exploit other domains through Thunder Command), but also severely slapped their faces and shook their hegemonic position in this region!

“Nightmare! Get out here for this Dominator!” Domain Lord Jin Ge’s voice boomed like a bell, his golden halberd pointing towards the channel deep within Thunderstorm Sea, his eyes blazing with visible rage and Killing Intent. “Killing the Purple Lightning Domain Lord, disrupting the Grandmist order, and privately opening the promotion channel are heinous crimes! Immediately surrender control of the channel, hand over all resource veins in Black Rock Domain and Purple Lightning Domain, bind your Divine Soul, and come to receive your punishment! Otherwise, today, our three-domain allied army will flatten this place and crush you and your minions into dust!”

Domain Lord Han Che’s cold voice echoed like a biting wind: “Ignorant madman, how dare you covet the channel? Thunder Command was a waste, his death is not to be regretted. But the channel is a common treasure of our surrounding domains; how can you monopolize it alone? Quickly hand over the token, and perhaps you can keep your whole corpse.”

Domain Lord Lan Xi’s beautiful face was filled with murderous intent, her voice resonating like waves: “Open the channel? Ridiculous! Such a crucial place, without strict rules and strong guardians, wouldn’t it fall into chaos? Your actions, where do they place the safety of the surrounding domains? Immediately restore the old system, and cede seventy percent of Purple Lightning Domain’s resources as an apology, and we might consider a lighter sentence.”

The three Domain Lords were imperious and condescending, as if Nightmare was a turtle in a jar, and they were the judges of life and death. The three hundred elite soldiers were brimming with Killing Intent, their energy fluctuations shaking the Void Realm, their Aura astonishing.

On the Thunderstorm Sea channel platform, the remaining Nidao Guards and original Purple Lightning Guards turned pale, their minds trembling as they felt the terrifying pressure that far exceeded the previous strength of Purple Lightning Domain.

Nightmare slowly stood up from above the channel vortex, his gaze piercing through layers of thunderstorms, calmly falling upon the three swaggering figures in the distant Void Realm, and the three hundred Cultivator army behind them.

There was no surprise on his face, nor the slightest fear, only an ancient, frozen indifference.

“Finally… they’re all here,” Nightmare muttered to himself, a cold, almost cruel arc curving at the corner of his mouth. “Saves me the trouble of finding them one by one.”

He turned and transmitted a message to Stone Firm, Sand Shadow (Iron Edge remained in the main city), and the twenty Nidao Guard elites who were standing by on the platform:

“Guard the channel, guard the platform. Until I return, no one is allowed to step out of this place.”

“Sir, you…” Stone Firm hesitated, his eyes full of worry. The opponents were three Middle Sovereigns and three hundred elites!

Nightmare did not explain, merely gave them a calm look. The confidence and Killing Intent contained within that gaze instantly calmed Stone Firm and the others.

The next moment, Nightmare took a step, his figure already passing through the Thunderstorm Sea channel, appearing before the allied army of the three domains, facing off against Domain Lord Jin Ge, Domain Lord Han Che, and Domain Lord Lan Xi from a distance.

Alone, facing three Domain Lords and three hundred elites.

In the Void Realm, energy surged, and Killing Intent lurked everywhere.

At the center of the storm, there was always only one person.

And Nightmare had long been accustomed to being the one who tears apart all storms.