Tianyan pursues accountability, Vanguard annihilates.

Ten days passed in the eternal gray tone of the Desolate Star Sector. The Void Realm near the God-Felling Node had undergone a drastic transformation.

Three massive, broken celestial bodies, distributed in a triangular pattern and hollowed out long ago, were forcibly pulled and reshaped by immense power. Connected by thick alloy frames and energy conduits, they formed a stable triangular base. Atop this base, utilizing the original planetary wreckage and Materials plundered from the Tianyan Alliance outposts and the Blood Fang Pirate Group, a grim and cold dark-gold fortress was rising from the ground.

The fortress's appearance was not ornate; it even looked somewhat coarse with sharp angles. Its surface was inscribed with dark-gold flowing Dao Reversal patterns and defensive runes. Turrets, energy shield generators, and reconnaissance arrays were all present. There was even a Spirit Gathering Grand Formation faintly connected to the planetary ley lines below (though weak), constantly breathing in the mixed but abundant Grandmist Spiritual Qi of the Desolate Star Sector, purifying it and converting it into the energy needed for the fortress's operation and cultivation.

This was "Nidao Fortress," the first true base Nightmare had established in the Middle Universe Domain, and a flag he had planted in this fringe Star Domain.

Inside the fortress, within the core command room, Nightmare stood with his hands behind his back in front of a massive star chart. The chart clearly marked the situation of the Desolate Star Sector and several surrounding Star Domains. The dark-gold light representing Nidao Fortress stood steadily in the center, while the red dots that originally represented the Tianyan Alliance's influence had all been extinguished. In their place were small light dots of various colors, symbolizing small forces that had been subdued or cleared by the Blood Fang Pirate Group (now to be called the Nidao Alliance's outer reconnaissance unit).

Blood Fang (now as obedient as a true old dog) bowed and reported to Nightmare: "My Lord, according to your instructions, of the seven forces in the Star Zone, four have expressed submission and handed over 'letters of allegiance' (usually intelligence or resources). The three that tried to resist or collude with the outside (suspected to be Tianyan Alliance moles) have all been wiped out, their Divine Souls extinguished. This is the list of Materials seized during the cleanup, and... some fragments of intelligence regarding the Tianyan Alliance's fringe 'Seventh Division' pried from the mouths of several captives."

Nightmare took the Jade Slip handed over by Blood Fang and swept it with his Divine Sense. There were many Materials, but they weren't worth his notice. However, the intelligence on the Tianyan Alliance's Seventh Division, though scattered, confirmed and supplemented the information previously obtained from the intelligence station. The Seventh Division was responsible for governing a large fringe Star Domain, including the Desolate Star Sector. Its headquarters, "Tianyan Star," was quite far from here, but inspectors and material transport fleets would travel back and forth periodically.

"Well done," Nightmare commented indifferently, tossing the Jade Slip back to Blood Fang. "Continue integrating those surrendered forces and strengthen reconnaissance. The Tianyan Alliance won't remain unaware of us uprooting their outposts and subduing the Star Zone. What comes next won't be scattered outposts."

Blood Fang quickly complied and was about to say something else.

Suddenly, the fortress's internal alarm System emitted a low and urgent hum! On the main control screen, several remote sensors representing the fortress's outer warning perimeter lit up with piercing red lights simultaneously!

"Report! Large-scale, high-energy reactions detected, approaching at high speed from the 'Broken Star Channel'! Quantity... over eighty units! Energy level... extremely high! Determined to be... a high-level combat fleet!" The voice of the Reverse Dao Guard in charge of monitoring carried a hint of tension but remained clear.

It was here! Slightly faster than expected, but also within anticipation.

A cold light flashed in Nightmare's eyes, but a frigid arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

Almost simultaneously, a crude communication talisman at Blood Fang's waist burst open, and a frantic, terrified voice came through: "Boss! It's bad! Our third outpost in the 'Ash Asteroid Belt'... was, was flattened by a group of silver-armored Cultivators who appeared out of nowhere! The brothers didn't even manage to send out a full signal before they were gone! Looking at their insignias and ships... they're, they're the regular army of the Tianyan Alliance! So many Middle Stage Dominators! The leader... his Aura is even more terrifying than yours in your prime, Boss!"

Blood Fang's expression changed, and he looked at Nightmare.

Nightmare's expression remained unchanged as he ordered the monitoring Reverse Dao Guard: "Bring up the real-time images and analyze the fleet composition."

The screen switched, and a blurry but discernible image came through. In the distant gray Void Realm, a silver fleet, neatly arranged and with a stern Aura, was tearing through the space! At the core of the fleet were five streamlined silver capital ships, each several kilometers long, flanked by over thirty smaller assault and reconnaissance ships. On the hulls of all the ships, the prominent 'Yan' insignia was branded.

Flying in front of the fleet were over thirty powerful silver figures! All were at the Early Stage of the Middle Stage Dominator realm, wearing standardized silver battle armor, expressionless with cold eyes, like killing machines. In front of these thirty people were five Cultivators with clearly stronger Auras, wearing silver robes with gold trim. Four of them were at the Middle Stage of the Middle Stage Dominator realm, while the leader was tall with a cold face and eyes as sharp as a hawk's, his Aura reaching the Late Stage of the Middle Stage Dominator realm! The 'Yan' character on his robe was embroidered with gold thread, shimmering with light.

"It's the 'Silver Halberd Guards' of the Tianyan Alliance's Seventh Division! That one in the gold-trimmed robe... is the division's 'Golden Yan Protector'!" Blood Fang gasped, his voice trembling slightly. He had once seen the Silver Halberd Guards from a distance as they wiped out a disobedient fringe force, and that scene of total destruction still left him with lingering fear. As for the Golden Yan Protector, that was an existence he had to look up to!

"Thirty Silver Halberd Guards, five Protectors, with one Golden Yan Protector leading the team... and eighty warships..." Blood Fang's throat felt dry. "My Lord, this... this is nearly thirty percent of the elite forces the Seventh Division can deploy! It seems our removal of their outposts and the subduing of the Star Zone has truly enraged them!"

Nightmare quietly watched the aggressive fleet charging towards Nidao Fortress on the screen. There was no fear on his face, only an icy calm.

"Pass down the order," he spoke slowly, his voice clearly reaching everyone in the command room. "Activate the basic framework of the 'Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Formation' and fill it with energy to seventy percent. All Nidao Guards, enter your preset battle stations according to Plan A-3. Blood Fang, take your men into the 'Lost Shadow Bewildering Formation' area and act according to the plan—harass and delay, no head-on fighting."

"Yes!" Everyone took the order in unison and moved quickly. Runes inside the fortress lit up one by one, and the low humming sound converged into a solemn pre-battle rhythm.

Nightmare took a step out, and his figure appeared at the top of the highest observation tower of Nidao Fortress, looking out at the approaching silver torrent in the distance.

He could clearly perceive the cold and murderous Divine Thought of that Golden Yan Protector, which was already like an invisible spider web spreading towards Nidao Fortress with an undisguised intent of destruction.

"Ants gathering together, yet you dare to provoke the heavenly might?" The Golden Yan Protector's voice, as cold as clashing metal, rolled through his Divine Thought, echoing in the Void Realm around Nidao Fortress. "Destroying my nodes, slaughtering my outposts, and recruiting the filth of the Star Zone... you deserve ten thousand deaths! I have received the division's main order to trample this fort, extract the Divine Souls of you rebels, and place them into the 'Derivation Soul Lamp' to be burned for ten thousand years!"

The powerful mental pressure contained in the voice made the faces of some lower-cultivation Cultivators in the fortress turn pale.

"Today is the day of your annihilation! Silver Halberd Guards, form the 'Heavenly Derivation Demon-Slaying Formation'! Warship clusters, saturated bombardment! To the Protector—crush them!"

At the Golden Yan Protector's command, the thirty Silver Halberd Guards moved instantly, each occupying a profound position. Silver Origin power surged out, quickly outlining a massive, complex, and solemn silver Formation diagram in the air! The Formation burst with light, locking onto Nidao Fortress, and a terrifying pressure with the intent of judgment and extermination descended!

Simultaneously, all the cannons of the eighty Tianyan Alliance warships finished charging, and piercing silver light lit up. In the next moment, countless thick energy beams poured down like a rainstorm toward the triangular base area where Nidao Fortress was located! A saturated strike, showing no mercy!

Facing this overwhelming destructive attack, the defensive runes on the surface of Nidao Fortress instantly lit up to their limit, and a thick layer of dark-gold energy shield suddenly rose!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!

Explosions as dense as drumbeats erupted on the shield, the piercing light illuminating the entire Void Realm like daylight! The shield vibrated violently, ripples continuous, but... it steadily blocked this first round of fleet cannon fire! The fortress itself did not budge an inch!

"Hmm? This turtle shell actually has some hardness." A flash of surprise appeared in the Golden Yan Protector's eyes, but his killing intent grew even stronger. "Silver Halberd Guards, activate the Formation—Demon-Slaying Silver Spear!"

The thirty Silver Halberd Guards shouted in unison. At the center of the Formation, a massive war spear, entirely composed of condensed silver light, a thousand feet long, with its tip flickering with destructive runes, slowly took shape! The Aura emitted by the war spear was even more terrifying than the previous fleet bombardment, already reaching a level that threatened the Late Stage of the Middle Stage Dominator realm!

"Slay!"

The giant silver spear tore through the Void Realm, carrying a terrifying power to pierce stars and slay ten thousand demons, fiercely stabbing at the energy shield of Nidao Fortress!

This strike was clearly intended to break the shield in one go!

However, at the very moment the giant silver spear was about to strike the shield—

Around Nidao Fortress, the three broken celestial bodies serving as the base, as well as several seemingly random asteroid drifting points in the nearby Void Realm, simultaneously erupted with intense dark-gold light!

Countless dark-gold energy lines burst from these nodes, instantly intertwining and connecting in the air to form an incredibly complex three-dimensional Formation network that enveloped the entire Nidao Fortress and a large area of the space in front of it—the Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Formation (Basic Version)!

The moment the grand Formation took shape, that imposing giant silver spear seemed to have crashed into an extremely viscous swamp filled with chaotic and devouring power! Its speed dropped sharply, and the silver light on the spear was rapidly eroded and dissolved by the dark-gold power flowing within the Formation! Its power was reduced to less than ten percent!

Finally, the giant spear "poked" limply against the Nidao Fortress shield, only causing a few larger ripples before completely collapsing into a sky full of silver light specks, which were absorbed by the grand Formation.

"What Formation is this?!" The Golden Yan Protector's expression finally changed. He could feel that the dark-gold grand Formation was not only amazingly defensive but also contained a bizarre attribute that made even his Origin feel slightly uncomfortable!

"Now is the time." Nightmare stood atop the tower, and with a thought.

The Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Formation suddenly changed!

The Formation, which had been primarily defensive, suddenly shifted to the offensive! Countless condensed dark-gold energy tentacles shot out from the grand Formation like living metallic vines, swiftly coiling toward the Tianyan Alliance warships that were either preparing for a second volley or hesitating due to the Formation's change!

"Watch out! Evade!" the fleet commander shouted in horror.

But it was already too late.

The dark-gold tentacles were incredibly fast, ignoring the warships' conventional energy shields and wrapping directly around their hulls! The power of Dao Reversal contained within the tentacles frantically corroded the ships' armor and internal structures, and Chaos Demonic Flame spread along the tentacles, burning everything in its path!

"Ah! The hull has been penetrated!"

"The energy circuits are collapsing!"

"Help..."

Boom! Boom! Boom—!!

A series of explosive fires lit up within the silver fleet! In just a few breaths, over twenty assault ships and scout ships were turned into brilliant, fleeting fireworks in the Void Realm under the entanglement of the dark-gold tentacles and the burning of the demonic flames! The Cultivators inside the ships also fell along with them!

"Bastard!" Golden Yan Protector's eyes nearly split with rage and shock. The elite fleet he had brought had lost nearly thirty percent of its strength in the very first encounter?!

"Protector! This Formation is bizarre; it specifically breaks our Origin! We must destroy the Formation core as soon as possible!" a Protector Yin Yan (Middle Stage Middle Dominator) urgently sent a Divine Thought transmission.

Golden Yan Protector's gaze sharpened, knowing he could no longer delay. "Silver Halberd Guards, change Formation and hold your ground! Protectors, follow me! We will strike the core of that fortress directly and destroy the Formation hub!"

He no longer cared about the Formation as his body transformed into a streak of brilliant golden light, charging straight toward Nidao Fortress! Four Protectors Yin Yan followed closely behind! Five overbearing Auras, like five sharp swords, pierced straight toward the heart of the fortress! They intended to rely on their absolute individual strength to forcibly break the deadlock!

Seeing Golden Yan Protector personally leading the charge, a sliver of cold killing intent finally flickered in Nightmare's eyes.

"Finally... you're willing to come over."

His figure flickered and disappeared from the top of the tower.

In the next moment, he appeared outside the energy shield of Nidao Fortress, blocking the way of Golden Yan Protector and the other four.

A lone man facing five Middle Stage Middle to Late Stage Dominator experts.

"The head of the ants finally dares to show his face?" Seeing that Nightmare actually dared to leave the fort alone to intercept them, Golden Yan Protector laughed out of extreme anger. "Fine, it saves me the trouble! Now, die for me!"

He wasted no more words. With a flash of golden light, an ancient-looking golden longsword engraved with the character for 'Derivation' appeared in his hand. With a shake of the blade, a magnificent sword-gang that tore through the Void Realm and carried the terrifying power of a Late Stage Middle Dominator slashed directly at Nightmare's head! Wherever the sword-gang passed, clear black spatial cracks were left behind!

Simultaneously, the four Protectors Yin Yan also attacked, striking at Nightmare from four directions. Their silver Origin transformed into chains, giant palms, Flying Swords, and light spikes, sealing off all of Nightmare's space to dodge!

Facing this near-hopeless encirclement, Nightmare remained expressionless, merely raising his right hand slowly.

His palm faced upward, fingers slightly curled.

"Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain—Full Release!"

"Chaos Returning to Void!"

This time, the Domain expansion was different from any previous instance!

It was no longer an expansion, but an extreme internal restraint and compression! Centered on Nightmare's palm, a tiny dark-gold singularity, so deep it seemed capable of swallowing all light and matter, suddenly emerged!

The moment the singularity appeared, Golden Yan Protector's peerless golden sword-gang and the silver attacks of the four Protectors Yin Yan—all the energy rushing toward Nightmare—seemed to be subjected to an irresistible attraction. Their trajectories twisted, and they surged uncontrollably toward that dark-gold singularity!

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle—!!!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a tooth-aching sound of annihilation.

The moment all the attacks touched the dark-gold singularity, they were like clay oxen entering the sea—silently swallowed, decomposed, and turned into the most primitive energy particles to be absorbed by the singularity! They failed to stir even a single ripple!

"Impossible!!" Golden Yan Protector's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared on his face. His full-strength strike had been neutralized in such a bizarre fashion? What kind of Divine Ability was this?!

In the instant his mind was reeling—

Nightmare moved.

Maintaining the dark-gold singularity in his palm, his figure disappeared from his original position like a ghost.

It wasn't just speed; it was as if he had merged with the singularity, achieving a kind of 'shifting' that transcended conventional space.

In the next instant, he appeared behind one of the Protectors Yin Yan, who was still dazed because his attack had been swallowed.

Nightmare's left hand joined its fingers like a sword, with a point of dark-gold cold light condensed to the extreme at the fingertip.

"The first one."

Pfft!

In a soft sound, the dark-gold cold light easily pierced through the protective silver light this Protector Yin Yan had hastily condensed, sinking into his back.

The Protector Yin Yan's body suddenly stiffened, the life in his eyes rapidly fading. The silver Origin around him collapsed like a receding tide and was sucked into Nightmare's left palm, completely absorbed into his body. His physical body then turned into flying ash.

An instant kill!

"Fourth Brother!" the other three Protectors Yin Yan let out shocked and angry roars.

Golden Yan Protector was even more shocked and furious. With a mad roar, his golden longsword erupted with light like the sun, and he transformed into a golden meteor, slashing at Nightmare once again! This time, he held nothing back, integrating a secret technique of the Tianyan Alliance into his sword stance, increasing its power by another thirty percent!

However, Nightmare's figure 'flickered' along with the singularity again, easily avoiding this strike of wrath and appearing at the side of another Protector Yin Yan.

The same finger.

The same flash.

The second Protector Yin Yan fell.

Fast! Incomprehensibly fast! Bizarre! Unfathomably bizarre!

Golden Yan Protector felt as if he were fighting an omnipresent yet untouchable ghost! The singularity in the opponent's palm seemed capable of swallowing all energy attacks, and the opponent's movement technique was completely impossible to lock onto!

"Form a Formation! Three as one!" Golden Yan Protector shouted urgently, standing back-to-back with the remaining two Protectors Yin Yan. Their Origins connected, forming a stable triangular defensive Formation as they warily sensed their surroundings.

"It's useless."

Nightmare's cold voice, sounding as if it came from the Nine Netherworlds, rang in the ears of all three simultaneously.

Hum!

The dark-gold singularity that had been hovering in Nightmare's palm suddenly expanded several times! An indescribable, terrifying suction force erupted. Not just energy, but even space, light, and even the three men's Divine Souls seemed about to be forcibly dragged into that singularity!

The three were horrified, frantically pushing their Origin to resist this suction.

In the instant they were focused on countering the suction and a slight gap appeared in their defense—

Nightmare's figure seemed to appear in three directions simultaneously. Three condensed dark-gold finger energies pointed toward the foreheads of the three men respectively!

"Dao Reversal - Triple Kill."

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Three soft sounds rang out, almost at the same time.

Relying on his profound cultivation and a protective Magic Treasure, Golden Yan Protector barely managed to tilt his head. The finger energy grazed his cheek, leaving a bone-deep, charred scar burning with dark-gold demonic flame—the pain was excruciating! The other two Protectors Yin Yan were not so lucky; their foreheads were pierced, the light in their eyes instantly dimmed, and they followed in their companion's footsteps.

"Ah—!" Golden Yan Protector let out a roar of agony, half his face a bloody mess, and even his Divine Soul throbbed with pain from the burning demonic flame. Fear, like a cold venomous snake, completely seized his heart. He knew he had lost—lost so thoroughly and so bizarrely!

Escape! He had to escape! He had to report this man's strangeness to the Alliance!

He no longer had any Battle Intent. Burning his essence blood, he turned into a streak of blood-gold light, intending to flee at all costs.

"Thinking of leaving now?" Nightmare's figure, like a maggot on a bone, already blocked his path. The dark-gold singularity in his palm had disappeared at some point, replaced by a right fist burning with Chaos Demonic Flame.

"It's over."

He threw a punch—unadorned, yet containing a terrifying power capable of shattering stars and reversing Laws, as well as a brief burst of power from having swallowed the Origins of two Protectors Yin Yan!

Golden Yan Protector's eyes nearly split as he hastily held his golden longsword horizontally across his chest to block.

Crack!

The golden longsword snapped upon contact!

The punch's momentum didn't decrease as it slammed heavily into Golden Yan Protector's chest!

Bang—!!!

Golden Yan Protector felt as if he had been struck by a star. The robes on his chest shredded, his protective golden light shattered, his sternum collapsed, and he sprayed blood wildly. He was sent flying backward like a broken ragdoll, his Aura instantly withering to the extreme.

Nightmare followed like a shadow, his palm already pressed against the crown of the man's head.

"Devour."

Chaos Demonic Flame surged in from his palm. Golden Yan Protector let out a final whimper of despair as his massive Origin, along with his not-yet-dissipated Divine Soul, was frantically plundered and swallowed.

After a few breaths, Nightmare withdrew his hand.

Golden Yan Protector had fallen. He turned into flying ash and dissipated into the grey Void Realm.

From the moment Nightmare struck to the complete annihilation of the five Protectors, only a short ten-odd seconds had passed!

In the distance, the thirty Silver Halberd Guards who were in Formation—deadlocked with the Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Formation and the Blood Fang Pirate Group (who were harassing them as planned)—now saw the terrifying sight of their Protectors falling one after another. Their morale instantly collapsed! The Formation broke without even being attacked!

"The Protectors... are all dead?!"

"Run! Hurry!"

The remaining Silver Halberd Guards and warships completely lost their will to fight and began to flee frantically.

"Nidao Guards, Blood Fang unit, clear them out! Leave none alive!" Nightmare's cold voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Kill—!"

The Nidao Guards and pirates, who had been holding back for a long time, were like tigers released from their cages. Led by Stone Firm, Blood Fang, and others, they charged fiercely at the fleeing enemies!

The subsequent battle was without suspense. Having lost their command and will to fight, the Silver Halberd Guards and the fleet—though individually strong—were now like startled birds. Under the assistance of the Nidao Fortress's grand Formation and the encirclement of the Nidao Guards and the pirate group, they quickly collapsed and fell.

When the last Silver Halberd Guard was pinned to the Void Realm by a demonic flame spear and the last Tianyan Alliance warship turned into a ball of fire, silence returned to the battlefield.

Nidao Fortress still stood tall, its dark-gold luster flowing in the Void Realm like a Vicious Beast that had just finished a feast of blood.

Nightmare stood in the air. Having swallowed the Origins of Golden Yan Protector and two Protectors Yin Yan, the power within his body was surging. He looked toward the direction from which the Tianyan Alliance fleet had come, his gaze deep.

Thirty percent of the elites from the Seventh Branch of the Tian Yan Alliance had been wiped out here.

The grudge between them had deepened even further.

But he didn't care in the least.

Instead, he was somewhat looking forward to it.

Looking forward to the Tianyan Alliance sending even more abundant... 'nourishment'.

He turned and returned to Nidao Fortress. Next, he would digest the spoils of war, reinforce the fortress, integrate the newly incorporated pirate forces, and at the same time... perhaps he should consider taking the initiative to pay a visit to that 'Seventh Branch's' headquarters—Tianyan Star.

From this day forward, the Desolate Star Sector had truly changed hands. And Nightmare's fierce reputation would begin to spread quietly through the peripheral regions of the Tianyan Alliance with the annihilation of this vanguard force.