ambushing them on their way back, the demonic flames turned the tables and slaughtered them.

The Shadow Shuttle moved like a phantom tearing through the Void Realm, returning at full speed along the secret route it had taken to arrive.

Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was heavy; although there was the excitement of a successful surprise attack, it was overshadowed by the exhaustion following high alert and a lingering sense of tension.

Everyone knew that the destruction of the Tianyan Star Seventh Branch was by no means the end, but the beginning of a greater storm.

Nightmare sat cross-legged in the quiet room of the bridge, closing his eyes to focus his mind.

Within his body, the torrent of Origin brought about by devouring the Middle Sovereign Peak powerhouse, Elder Silver Star, was being rapidly refined and fused by his Reverse Dao Power.

That pure star Origin was completely different from the gold, wind, thunder, ice, and fire attributes he had previously devoured; it was more vast and profound, carrying a hint of the Heavenly Dao's evolution, making his Chaos Demonic Flame seem as if it had been tainted with a trace of 'starlight' characteristics, appearing increasingly mysterious and unfathomable.

His cultivation had taken another solid step forward on the threshold of the Middle-level Sovereign Realm and High Sovereign Realm.

But it seemed there was still a tough membrane separating him from truly breaking through to the High Sovereign Realm.

"How much longer until we reach the outer perimeter alert zone of Nidao Fortress?" Nightmare's voice was transmitted into the control room via Divine Thought.

"Reporting to Lord, we have passed the last preset jump point. Ahead lies the 'Shattered Star Turbulence Zone.' After passing through that area, with one more day of travel, we will reach the control range of our department," the Nidao Guard responsible for navigation quickly responded.

The Shattered Star Turbulence Zone was a dangerous airspace filled with violent energy currents and irregular gravitational fields left over from the explosion of ancient stars. It was also the only way back, with a complex environment that was easy to hide in, and likewise... easy to set an ambush in.

"After entering the turbulence zone, raise the alert level to the maximum. Open all detection Formation, and adjust the power to passive reconnaissance mode to avoid energy leakage," Nightmare ordered in a deep voice.

The closer they got to the 'safe zone,' the less they could relax.

"Yes!"

The Shadow Shuttle slightly adjusted its posture, the matte coating on the hull surface seeming to become deeper, sliding silently into the fragmented Star Domain ahead, where light and shadow were distorted and fine electric sparks and spatial ripples occasionally swept past.

Within the turbulence zone, both sight and Divine Sense were severely interfered with.

Huge star remains floated like the silent corpses of giant beasts, and twisted energy bands resembled colorful ribbons, yet they contained the danger of tearing the hull apart.

The Shadow Shuttle moved like a highly skilled dancer, nimbly weaving through the gaps in the chaotic energy.

The journey was about halfway through.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded in the bridge without warning!

It was not that a physical target had been detected, but the passive receiving array had captured an extremely obscure yet terrifyingly vast energy fluctuation, rising simultaneously from several directions in the turbulence zone and rapidly closing in on the Shadow Shuttle!

"Lord! High-intensity spatial Seal fluctuations detected! We are surrounded!" The Nidao Guard's voice carried a hint of horror, "The energy level... cannot be accurately determined! It far exceeds the Middle-level Sovereign Realm!"

Almost at the same instant the alarm sounded!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

In front, behind, and on both the left and right sides of the Shadow Shuttle, in four directions, four huge spatial portals suddenly split open in the originally calm (or rather, chaotic) Void Realm!

From within the portals, it was not warships, but figures with incomparably tyrannical Auras, as if calculated in advance, exactly blocking all possible escape routes of the Shadow Shuttle!

Directly in front, from the spatial portal stepped an old man wearing a purple-gold star robe, with an ancient face and eyes as indifferent as if looking down at ants.

There was no intentionally emitted pressure around him, but just by standing there, he seemed to merge with the surrounding turbulence and star remains, becoming the center of this Void Realm.

His Aura was so deep and majestic, like a bottomless starry sky, clearly being—the Early Stage of the High Hongmeng Lord Realm!

Behind him, ten Cultivators wearing silver-based purple-patterned battle armor, their Auras condensed as one, and clearly all at the Peak of the Middle-level Sovereign Realm, stood solemnly, their eyes cold and their Killing Intent restrained.

These ten people were clearly more elite than the previous Silver Halberd Guards.

Stepping out from the portals on the left, right, and rear were fifty silver-armored Cultivators each, with Auras at the Late Stage of the Middle-level Sovereign Realm. They quickly dispersed, forming a tight encirclement, sealing off all gaps.

A full one High Sovereign, ten Middle Sovereign Peak, and one hundred and fifty Middle Sovereign Late Stage!

This was a terrifying force capable of sweeping across the edge star sectors of several Middle Universe Domains!

It was definitely not something the Seventh Branch could mobilize; it was clearly from a higher level of the Tianyan Alliance, perhaps even an interception force sent directly by the headquarters!

"Hmph, you certainly have some tricks, actually being able to sneak into Tianyan Star silently and destroy that good-for-nothing branch of Silver Star."

The old man in the purple-gold robe spoke, his voice calm yet carrying a cold majesty that pierced straight into the Divine Soul, as if it were a Heavenly Dao decree, "I am the Seventh Elder of the 'Heaven Patrol Hall' of the Tianyan Alliance, Zichen. By the order of the Alliance Master, I have come to capture you, a daring rebel from the Lower Realm."

His gaze, like a physical scan, landed on the Shadow Shuttle, as if wanting to penetrate the hull and see Nightmare inside clearly.

"To be able to kill Silver Star, you must have some ability. Hand over the secret of that strange flame on you, Seal your cultivation, and follow me back to the Alliance to await judgment. Perhaps, if the Alliance Master is merciful, he may leave you a wisp of your Divine Soul to be suppressed under the 'Demon Suppression Tower.' If you dare to resist..."

He slowly raised his right hand. Above his palm, a speck of purple-gold starlight condensed. Although it was only the size of a grain of rice, it emitted a terrifying fluctuation that made the surrounding space tremble, as if it could annihilate stars.

"...this place shall be the burial ground for you and your pack of ant lackeys, where your Divine Souls will be destroyed, and you shall never be reincarnated for eternity."

The pressure of the High Sovereign Realm, along with his words, pressed down slowly like an invisible firmament!

The Shadow Shuttle's energy shield let out an unbearable groan, and the sound of piercing metal distortion rang out inside the hull!

The thirty elite Nidao Guards instantly turned pale, their breathing difficult, and even the circulation of their Origin became sluggish!

This was an absolute suppression in terms of life level and Law comprehension!

In the quiet room of the bridge, Nightmare slowly opened his eyes.

Deep in his eyes, dark gold reverse patterns flowed slightly. Not only was there no fear, but instead, a blazing Battle Intent ignited.

High Sovereign Realm! It has finally arrived!

He stepped out of the quiet room and arrived at the bridge, his gaze piercing through the porthole, confronting Elder Zichen in the distant Void Realm from afar.

"The Tianyan Alliance actually thinks highly of me," Nightmare's voice transmitted calmly through the amplification Formation, echoing in the turbulence, "Sending an old immortal, bringing a group of good-for-nothing rabble to die."

"Arrogant!" A Middle Sovereign Peak Cultivator behind Elder Zichen shouted angrily, "How dare you be so presumptuous in front of the Elder!"

Elder Zichen's eyes, however, narrowed slightly.

The other party could actually remain so calm under his pressure? And even... there was Battle Intent in his eyes? This boy was indeed strange.

"It seems you are determined to seek death." Elder Zichen stopped talking nonsense, his eyes suddenly turning sharp, "Then I will grant your wish! Heavenly Derivation God Palm—Suppress!"

The speck of purple-gold starlight the size of a grain of rice in his palm suddenly expanded, transforming into a huge palm covering a radius of a thousand miles, the lines on the palm seeming to contain the Laws of the movement of all stars in the Universe!

The palm was not a physical entity, but it condensed terrifying High Origin and star Law power, carrying a terrifying will that could suppress eternity and obliterate everything, slapping down towards the Shadow Shuttle and Nightmare!

Before the palm arrived, the heavy palm pressure had already completely solidified the Void Realm around the Shadow Shuttle, and the hull let out a creaking moan, as if it would be crushed into an iron pancake in the next moment!

Facing this 'Heavenly Derivation God Palm' that far exceeded any previous attack, a fierce look flashed in Nightmare's eyes!

"High Sovereign? Today, I will use you to test my newly realized power!"

"Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain—Chaos Return to Void!"

"Hongmeng Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame—Star Core Explosion!"

Nightmare let out a long shout, his figure rushing out of the Shadow Shuttle violently!

At the same time, he fully activated his Dao Reversal Domain and Chaos Demonic Flame!

This time, the Chaos Demonic Flame was no longer just for devouring and burning; it was infused with the true intent of the star Origin from Elder Silver Star that he had just refined!

In the center of the dark gold flame, a point of dark light, condensed to the extreme and resembling a miniature star, suddenly lit up, and was then thrown fiercely by him with great magic power towards the 'Heavenly Derivation God Palm' suppressing down from above!

That dark light point was exactly the 'Dao Reversal Demonic Star Core' that he had simulated, compressed, and endowed with a will of destruction using his Reverse Dao Power!

Elder Zichen saw the dark light point flying towards him, his pupils shrinking imperceptibly.

Although the light point was small, it gave him an extremely uncomfortable, and even vaguely heart-palpitating, feeling.

"Petty tri..."

His words were not yet finished.

The Dao Reversal Demonic Star Core and the palm of the Heavenly Derivation God Palm collided with a boom!

There was no earth-shattering loud noise.

Only a strange, muffled sound, muffled to the extreme, as if the fetal membrane of the Universe had been torn!

Immediately after, an indescribable, terrifying energy shockwave, in a perfect spherical shape, spread wildly from the center of the collision!

Wherever the shockwave passed, those huge star remains disintegrated and annihilated as if they were piled up from sand!

The violent energy turbulence was directly smoothed out and cleared away!

Even the space appeared in large patches of black cracks, like a broken mirror!

The Shadow Shuttle was protected by the aftermath of the Domain that Nightmare had laid out in advance, but it was still knocked rolling by the impact, and cracks appeared on the surface of the hull.

And those Tianyan Alliance Cultivators who had formed the encirclement, the dozens of Middle Sovereign Late Stage Cultivators with slightly weaker cultivation, were directly swept by this destructive shockwave, their protective Origin shattering like paper, and without even being able to let out a scream, they turned into fly ash!

Elder Zichen let out a muffled groan; the "Tianyan Divine Palm" he had unleashed was forcefully blocked by those eerie, gloomy light spots. Tiny cracks even appeared on his palm, and energy was leaking out frantically! The backlash force caused his blood and Qi to churn slightly.

"What an eerie flame! It actually contains the true meaning of Star Annihilation, and it can even disrupt my Tianyan Origin?!" Elder Zichen was horrified, no longer daring to underestimate his opponent in the slightest.

In the instant when the shockwaves were raging, the offensives of both sides were temporarily deadlocked, and everyone's vision and Divine Sense were disrupted—

Nightmare's figure passed through the chaotic energy turbulence and spatial rifts like a ghost. Utilizing the cover of the shockwaves, he instantly crossed the long distance and appeared behind Elder Zichen, who was slightly shaken by the setback of his divine palm!

The Chaos Demonic Flame condensed into a long, narrow blade in his right hand, with dark gold and starlight flowing along its edges. It struck silently, aiming straight for the vital point of Elder Zichen's heart! This strike pushed speed, concealment, and the corrosive properties of the Chaos Demonic Flame against High Origins to the extreme!

"Elder, watch out!" A Middle Sovereign Peak guard shouted in alarm, his eyes splitting with rage and fear.

Elder Zichen was, after all, a High Sovereign; though startled, he was not flustered. His protective purple-gold star Aura instantly surged, and he flashed forward rapidly!

Puchi! The Demonic Flame blade still pierced through the star Aura he had hastily gathered. Although it did not fully strike his heart, it carved a wound deep enough to see bone under his left rib, with dark gold Demonic Flames burning within! A sharp, domineering force of Reverse Dao destruction poured frantically into his body through the wound, eroding his High Origin and disrupting the operation of his Law!

"Ugh!" Elder Zichen groaned in pain, his expression turning incredibly ugly in an instant. He had actually been injured by a Middle Sovereign (in his perception, Nightmare's Aura had not yet reached the High Sovereign level)?! And he was injured by the opponent's flame; how could that flame so easily break through his protective star Aura?!

A great humiliation! It was an even more fatal threat!

"You're courting death!" Elder Zichen was completely enraged. No longer caring about his status, he backhanded a palm strike toward Nightmare. The palm power was unleashed in anger, the purple-gold star radiance as brilliant as the sun, with power three times greater than the previous Tianyan Divine Palm!

Having succeeded with one strike, Nightmare did not linger. His figure merged once again into the energy turbulence that had not yet fully subsided, narrowly dodging the angry blow.

"Everyone, listen to my command! Form the 'Tianyan Heavenly Cycle Star Array'! Trap him! I will refine him into star dregs with my own hands!" Elder Zichen covered the wound under his ribs; the excruciating pain of the Demonic Flame burning made his face somewhat ferocious as he roared sternly.

The remaining hundred-plus elites of the Tianyan Alliance (ten at Peak, nearly a hundred at Late Stage) immediately obeyed, moving rapidly to attempt to form the array.

However, would Nightmare give them that Opportunity?

"Nidao Guards! Move out! Kill those who are forming the array!" Nightmare's command was simultaneously transmitted to the Shadow Shuttle, which had just stabilized its hull.

The thirty Nidao Guard elites, who had long been prepared, charged out fiercely! Although their individual strength was inferior to their opponents, they had tacit coordination, were proficient in battle Formations, and carried interference magic artifacts brought from Nidao Fortress that targeted the Tianyan Alliance's Origin. Like sharp knives, they plunged fiercely into the Ranks of the Tianyan Alliance Cultivators attempting to form the array, immediately causing Chaos!

Nightmare himself locked his target onto Elder Zichen once more. He formed Seals with both hands, the Chaos Demonic Flame surging violently around his body, and the dark gold Reverse Mark on his forehead seemed to come alive.

"Three Kills of the Reverse Path — God Slaughter, Star Shatter, Return to Void!"

Three extremely condensed dark gold rays of light, in a triangular Formation, ignored spatial distance and instantly appeared before Elder Zichen! They targeted his Divine Soul, Origin core, and physical existence respectively!

Elder Zichen was both shocked and angry. He could feel the eerie and dangerous nature of these three attacks. Ignoring his injuries, he fully activated his High Sovereign Origin. The purple-gold starlight around his body transformed into layers of brilliant star rings, firmly protecting him. At the same time, he pointed a finger, and a condensed purple-gold star ray shot toward Nightmare's true body, attempting to force him to retreat and defend.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The three dark gold rays slammed fiercely against the star rings, erupting with blinding energy annihilation brilliance! The star rings vibrated violently, their light rapidly dimming. Elder Zichen's face turned paler, and the Demonic Flame erosion at the wound under his ribs worsened.

Yet, his counterattacking star ray was easily blocked by Nightmare with a shield condensed from Chaos Demonic Flame.

Strike while he is down!

Nightmare's eyes flashed with cold light. The Star Origin and Reverse Dao Power he had refined from Elder Yinxing resonated and burned at an unprecedented speed within his body! At this moment, his Aura briefly broke through a certain boundary, touching the threshold of the High Sovereign Realm!

"Now is the time!"

His figure merged completely with the Demonic Flame, transforming into a dark gold meteor traversing the void. With an indomitable momentum that could destroy all Laws, he slammed fiercely into Elder Zichen's already unstable protective star rings!

"No—!" Elder Zichen felt a fatal crisis. He frantically burned his essence blood, attempting to reinforce his defense, and simultaneously crushed a life-saving Jade Talisman; an obscure distress fluctuation was about to escape.

"Sever!" Nightmare shouted coldly. A thin thread of Demonic Flame arrived first despite being launched later, precisely striking the distress fluctuation and annihilating it completely.

The next moment. The dark gold meteor and the purple-gold star rings collided with a roar!

Crack—!!! It sounded like a crystal Universe shattering.

Elder Zichen's protective star rings, under this desperate collision where Nightmare had gathered all his power, briefly touched the High Realm, and contained attribute suppression, finally... completely collapsed!

The dark gold meteor did not lose momentum, slamming fiercely into Elder Zichen's chest!

Puh! The Demonic Flame passed through his body!

Elder Zichen's body went rigid abruptly, his eyes bulging, filled with endless shock, fear, and unwillingness. He could feel that his High Sovereign core had been instantly pierced, eroded, and ignited by that terrifying flame containing the power of Reverse Dao and Star Annihilation!

"You... exactly..." He struggled to spit out a few words, his vitality fading rapidly.

Nightmare's palm was already pressed against his shattered chest.

"Star Devouring Dao — Ultimate Plunder!"

A devouring force, more violent and greedy than any time before, erupted with a roar! Elder Zichen's High Sovereign Origin, achieved after countless years of bitter cultivation and passing through ten thousand tribulations, poured frantically into Nightmare's body like a collapsed galaxy!

"Ah—!!!" Elder Zichen let out a final, miserable howl that surpassed the limits of his Divine Soul's endurance. His body rapidly withered and weathered, finally turning into a patch of dust shimmering with purple starlight, drifting away with the wind.

The Seventh Elder of the Tianyan Alliance's Patrol Hall, an Early Stage High Hongmeng Lord Realm powerhouse—Zichen, had fallen! His Divine Soul was destroyed, and his Origin was completely lost!

With the fall of their commander, the remaining Tianyan Alliance Cultivators collapsed like a mountain. Under the frenzied slaughter of the Nidao Guards and the occasional Demonic Flame strikes from Nightmare, the ten Middle Sovereign Peak and nearly a hundred Late Stage Cultivators fell one after another, with only a few lucky individuals managing to escape into the depths of the turbulence by relying on secret treasures or burning their Origin.

The battle gradually subsided. The Star Shatter Turbulence Zone was in a mess; the energy turbulence was even more violent than before, and countless fragments of battle armor and energy embers that had not yet fully dissipated floated in the void.

The Shadow Shuttle was not lightly damaged, but its core remained intact. Almost all thirty Nidao Guards were injured, and several were severely wounded, but no one had fallen; this was already a miracle.

Nightmare stood in the air. Having devoured the entire Origin of a High Sovereign, his body felt as if a primordial Universe was being created within; power was surging and roaring. The membrane hindering his promotion was being violently shaken by the surging torrent of power, and clear cracks had already appeared!

He suppressed the urge to immediately go into seclusion to break through, raised his hand, and beckoned, collecting the Storage Ring and several undamaged Magic Treasures left behind by Elder Zichen. His Divine Sense probed into the ring, bypassing the mountains of top-grade origin crystals and various rare Materials, quickly locking onto a few Jade Slips with the deepest colors and strongest Seals.

One purple Jade Slip recorded some core secrets of the Tianyan Alliance, including vague records and warnings about the "Reverse Dao Power," as well as clues about an ancient ruin the Tianyan Alliance Leader was suspected to be searching for—the "Primordial Dao Palace." Another star chart Jade Slip depicted in more detail the distribution of forces in the core area of the Middle Universe Domain, as well as the coordinates of a dangerous area known as the "Dao Origin Star Sea" where the "Primordial Dao Palace" might be located.

"Primordial Dao Palace..." Nightmare noted the name. An ancient ruin that could be valued even by the Tianyan Alliance Leader must contain heaven-defying Opportunities or secrets.

"Clean up the battlefield and recover valuable items. Send the severely wounded back to the ship for treatment immediately. In one incense stick of time, withdraw from this place and return to Nidao Fortress at full speed!" Nightmare issued the order quickly.

"Yes!" The Nidao Guards rallied their spirits and began to act.

Nightmare returned to the Shadow Shuttle and entered the quiet room. He needed some time to initially stabilize the violent Origin within his body and digest the information he had just obtained.

A High Sovereign, he could already slay.

Then, next, it was time to truly push open that door and step into the High Realm.

And the Primordial Dao Palace might just be the key for him to stabilize his Realm and seek further Breakthroughs.

The Shadow Shuttle dragged a faint trail of energy, sailing away from this place of bloody battle that had just witnessed a cross-level counter-kill, accelerating back toward the Desolate Star Sector, in the direction of Nidao Fortress.

Behind it, only shattered stars and lingering blood remained, telling the tale of the fall of a High Sovereign, and the... rise of an even more terrifying existence.