Four layers of inheritance, the stele of reversal appears.

Passing through the spatial rift, the scene before his eyes changed abruptly.

The fourth floor of the Dao Palace did not have the structured, hall-like design of the previous three floors; it was more like an ancient starry sky that had been carved out separately.

Beneath his feet was the Void Realm, and above his head was also the Void Realm. Only in the distance did countless star fragments slowly spiral in a trajectory that defied common sense, emitting a desolate and ancient aura. And in the center of all the surrounding fragments, a massive, unimaginably large incomplete stele floated silently.

The stele body was dark gray, as if forged from some kind of star core, its surface covered with crisscrossing cracks, as if it had experienced an unimaginable catastrophe. Even so, it still exuded a terrifying will that suppressed the ages and reversed the cosmos.

Merely by glancing at it, Nightmare felt the three dao reversal keys within his body simultaneously emit a yearning vibration, and his Hongmeng Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame uncontrollably burst out from his body, burning fiercely around him.

"Ancient Reverse Path Stele..."

He whispered to himself, took a step forward, and the Void Realm beneath his feet naturally solidified, carrying him toward the giant stele.

The closer he got, the clearer and heavier that will became. It was not simple pressure, but a kind of "rejection" and "scrutiny" originating from the root of the Law. It was as if the stele possessed its own consciousness and was coldly judging whether the person approaching was qualified to bear the name of the Reverse Path.

When he was still a thousand zhang away from the incomplete stele, Nightmare stopped.

Because that will had crashed down like a tangible tide!

Hum—!

It was not an attack on the Physical Body, but acted directly upon the depths of his Divine Soul. In an instant, Nightmare seemed to see countless images: stars born in orderly succession, extinguished in reverse flow; the prosperous operation of the Dao, only to be overturned and subverted by violent power; countless figures struggling, roaring, and falling between conformity and rebellion... Finally, all the images condensed into a cold thought:

* *Against the heavens you walk, against the Dao you are born. Those who bear this power shall suffer the backlash of ten thousand Daos and eternal loneliness. Do you dare? Are you worthy?* *

The thought was like a hammer, smashing fiercely onto Nightmare's Divine Soul.

If it were an ordinary Cultivator, even one at the Dao Master Realm, under such an interrogation that pointed straight to the Origin, their Dao Heart would shake violently, and might even leave an indelible crack.

Nightmare, however, slowly closed his eyes.

Not resistance, but... acceptance.

"Against the heavens? Against the Dao?" He chuckled within his Divine Soul, "When has my path ever needed the heavens and the Dao to acknowledge it?"

Boom!

Inside his body, the three dao reversal keys shone brightly. They no longer vibrated but emitted a clear, resonant sound! The Hongmeng Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame surged out from every pore of his body, no longer violent, but instead appearing exceptionally "tame" and "joyful," actively meeting the crushing Reverse Path will.

Not confrontation.

It was resonance, it was blending, it was... assimilation!

The moment the pitch-black flames touched the ancient will emitted by the incomplete stele, the mountain-like pressure suddenly lightened. Immediately after, Nightmare clearly felt wisps of pure, ancient, and vast Dao Reversal Origin flowing from the stele body through the connection of the Demonic Flame, slowly being extracted and flowing into his own body.

This was not plunder, but rather, after the stele "acknowledged" him, it was an active gift.

Under this gift, his aura began to become more solid and profound, bit by bit. His compatibility with the Reverse Dao Power climbed at an unprecedented speed.

However, just as Nightmare's mind was immersed in this mysterious state of resonance—

"Now! Kill!!"

Five figures hiding behind a star fragment in the far distance suddenly erupted!

The leader's aura had reached the Dao Master Realm Mid-stage, a notch stronger than the Elder he had killed on the third floor! His eyes flashed with deep-seated resentment and greed. He was the final elite of the Tianyan Alliance who had infiltrated the Dao Palace this time, lurking here, waiting for the very moment someone triggered the Reverse Path Stele and was focused!

"Reverse Path heretic! Die! Heavenly Derivation Forbidden Art—Dao Falling Star Explosion!"

The Dao Master Realm Mid-stage Cultivator formed seals with his hands, and a destructive ball of light, compressed to the extreme, formed instantly, carrying an aura of annihilation as it struck straight at Nightmare's back! The other four High Sovereign Realm Peak Cultivators also simultaneously unleashed killing moves; blade light, sword shadows, poisonous miasma, and soul spikes sealed off all of Nightmare's evasion space!

The timing, angle, and coordination were perfect for a killing blow!

Sitting cross-legged in the Void Realm, seemingly completely defenseless, Nightmare did not even turn his head.

He merely raised his left index finger and tapped lightly in the direction of the sneak attack behind him.

Whoosh—!

A pitch-black Demonic Flame Clone, identical to his main body, stepped out from the flames at his fingertip.

The Clone was expressionless, its eyes hollow, only the Demonic Flame burning around its body was exactly the same as the main body. Facing the incoming Dao Falling Star Explosion and the various killing moves, it did not dodge or avoid, but directly opened its arms—

Boom!!!!

All attacks landed on the Demonic Flame Clone, erupting into a brilliant and destructive energy storm.

However, at the center of the storm, the Clone did not dissipate. The Demonic Flame on the surface of its body circulated and expanded wildly, actually acting like a bottomless black hole, swallowing and absorbing all the incoming energy!

"What?!" The Tianyan Alliance Dao Master Mid-stage Cultivator's pupils shrank, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp.

Before he could make his next reaction, the Demonic Flame Clone that had swallowed all the attacks suddenly raised its head and "looked" at him.

Then, the Clone exploded.

Not blown up by an attack, but an active, extreme release of energy!

With the location of the Clone as the Origin, a black raging tide composed purely of Nidao Demonic Flame swept out in a sphere in all directions! The speed was so fast that it surpassed thought!

"No—!"

"Alliance Leader, save..."

The terrified screams were covered by the sound of the flames swallowing them.

The black raging tide swept over, and the five figures who had launched the sneak attack couldn't even struggle before they were completely vaporized in the Demonic Flame, their Divine Souls destroyed, leaving nothing behind.

The raging tide came fast and went fast. After wiping out the enemies, it quickly retracted, re-condensing into a pure stream of Dao Reversal Origin, flowing into the Demonic Flame of Nightmare's main body in the distance, nourishing his resonance with the Reverse Path Stele.

From the eruption of the sneak attack to the five being killed in a counter-attack, throughout the entire process, Nightmare's main body did not even interrupt his resonance with the Reverse Path Stele for a single instant. He didn't even open his eyes, as if he had just casually swatted a few buzzing flies to death.

The Void Realm returned to silence.

Only that massive Reverse Path Stele seemed to have produced a subtle fluctuation due to the brief disturbance just now.

On the surface of the stele body in front of Nightmare, dark golden light began to flow from those ancient cracks. The light became increasingly intense, and finally, in the center of the stele body, it condensed into a phantom of an arcane chapter composed of pure light patterns.

At the top of the chapter, a few ancient characters slowly emerged:

* *[Grandmist Reverse Dao Scripture · Incomplete Manual · General Outline]* *

Immediately after, an even more ancient and majestic thought was transmitted directly into Nightmare's mind:

* *"Reverse Path compatibility... has reached the 'Initial Awakening' stage."* *

* *"With this mark, you may enter the 'Eye of Guixu' on the top floor of the Dao Palace to seek the complete Legacy."* *

A dark gray mark, neither gold nor jade, engraved with a simplified Reverse Path Stele pattern, detached from the light of the stele body, drifted down slowly, and floated in front of Nightmare.

At the same time, vague positional information about the top floor of the Dao Palace—the "Eye of Guixu"—also flooded into his mind.

Nightmare finally opened his eyes and reached out to hold the mark that was still warm.

The moment it touched his hand, the mark turned into a stream of light and merged into the back of his right hand, forming a faint stele-shaped pattern.

He looked up, gazing into the deeper parts of this ancient starry sky, from where even more obscure and dangerous fluctuations were coming.

"Top floor... Eye of Guixu."

Repeating the name in a low voice, Nightmare no longer lingered, turned around, and walked toward the direction in his senses.

The Nidao Guards followed like shadows.

Behind him, that massive ancient Reverse Path Stele's light gradually converged and returned to silence. Only the cracks on the stele body that had flowed with golden light seemed to be... slightly clearer than before.