The vice-leader has fallen, and the inheritance has been passed on.

The stele-shaped mark on the back of his hand grew slightly hot, acting like a living compass, pointing a subtle yet clear force of attraction toward the deepest part of this ancient starry sky.

Nightmare walked through the void. With every step he took, ripples of Nidao Demonic Flame radiated beneath his feet, making him exceptionally conspicuous in the deathly silent starry sky. The star fragments floating around became increasingly sparse, replaced by a thick, stagnant "void," as if the very concepts of time and space had become blurred here.

Eye of Guixu.

The top layer of the Dao Palace, which was also the true core of this ancient ruin, was the place where the final secret of the Reverse Path Legacy was buried.

As the distance closed, the traction on the back of his hand grew stronger. Nightmare could feel that something was "breathing" in the extreme void ahead, and with every inhalation and exhalation, it caused the rules of the entire Dao Palace Secret Realm to tremble slightly.

Just a moment before he was about to completely submerge into that area—

Hum!

The viscous void ahead, like a lake surface into which a giant rock had been thrown, suddenly exploded with ripples of violent spatial folds!

Over twenty figures, like vicious sharks emerging from the bottom of the water, suddenly appeared with undisguised killing intent and majestic pressure, completely blocking the path forward.

The leader was dressed in purple-gold Dao robes, with the appearance of a middle-aged man. His eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, and the aura around him was as heavy as an abyss, causing even the distorted void around him to faintly retreat. Just by standing there, he possessed a natural majesty that commanded authority and held the power of life and death.

Dao Master Realm Late Stage.

Behind him, eight Dao Master Realm Early Stage Cultivators and twenty High Sovereign Realm Peak Cultivators stood like the most elite killing machines, their auras linked together, locking onto Nightmare. The uniform insignia of the Tianyan Alliance on their bodies gleamed coldly against the dark background.

"Vice Alliance Leader of the Tianyan Alliance." Nightmare stopped and calmly called out the other's identity. The mark on his hand resonated and repelled with a certain subtle "Dao Palace authority" fluctuation within the other party.

"Reverse Dao Practitioner, Nightmare." The Vice Alliance Leader spoke, his voice not high, yet possessing a texture like grinding metal, echoing in this deathly silent space. "Destroying our alliance's branch, slaughtering our alliance's Elder, seizing the Legacy our alliance must obtain... Your crimes are too numerous to record."

He took a step forward, and the terrifying pressure of the Dao Master Realm Late Stage was released without reservation, like an invisible tsunami, crushing over! This pressure far exceeded any previous enemy, having faintly touched the edge of the "Heavenly God" Domain, carrying a rudimentary will of "speaking the Law."

"Today, at the end of this Dao Palace, I will personally send you to your grave. Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, never to be reincarnated."

As soon as the words fell, the Vice Alliance Leader stopped talking nonsense, obviously knowing the principle that villains die from talking too much. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and purple-gold Dao Origin surged out from his body, condensing, compressing, and undergoing qualitative changes above his head!

"Heavenly Derivation Dao Master · Annihilation!"

A purple-gold "sun," seemingly composed of pure Laws of destruction, took shape above his head. In the center of the sun, one could vaguely see terrifying phantoms of countless stars collapsing and worlds sinking. The next instant, this sun of destruction erupted, turning into a purple-gold torrent of pure destruction energy over a hundred feet in diameter, tearing through all obstacles and surging toward Nightmare!

Wherever the torrent passed, even this strange void space was scorched with charred traces that could not heal for a long time. The power contained within was enough to easily vaporize several Dao Master Realm Middle Stage Cultivators!

Facing this world-destroying blow, a trace of solemnity finally flashed in Nightmare's eyes, but it was by no means fear.

"three keys of dao reversal, open!"

He gave a low shout, and the three dao reversal keys within his body resonated with unprecedented intensity. The Hongmeng Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame surged violently, like fire poured into boiling oil! The flames no longer just circled his body but rapidly condensed and deformed, forming a huge, thick, pitch-black giant shield in front of him, with countless Reverse Path runes flowing on its surface—

"Reverse Dao Demonic Star Shield!"

The moment the shield was formed, the torrent of destruction arrived!

Boom—!!!!!!

An indescribable loud noise. The purple-gold destruction energy and the pitch-black Nidao Demonic Flame collided, eroded, and annihilated each other crazily! The terrifying energy storm swept in all directions, forcing the following Tianyan Alliance Cultivators to retreat repeatedly, their faces filled with horror.

The pitch-black giant shield trembled violently under the impact of the torrent, the runes on the surface flickering, and even some Demonic Flame was scattered at the edges. But in the end, it held!

Behind the shield, Nightmare stood as steady as a rock, only the corners of his eyes twitching slightly, showing that resisting this blow was not easy.

"You can block the Annihilation strike? You have some ability." A cold light flashed in the Vice Alliance Leader's eyes. "But, that is all!"

His figure suddenly blurred, and he actually took the initiative to pass through the energy turbulence that had not yet completely dissipated, appearing at Nightmare's side! His right hand formed a claw, his fingertips wrapped in highly condensed purple-gold Dao Origin, stabbing directly at Nightmare's temple! The speed was as fast as teleportation!

Nightmare reacted even faster. Almost the moment the opponent disappeared, he had already turned sideways and twisted his wrist. Demonic Flame surged from his right hand, condensing into a ferocious pitch-black long blade with a twisted edge like a poisonous fang—

"Reverse Dao Sky-Shattering Blade!"

The blade and claw clashed!

Clang—!!!

Amidst the harsh sound of metal clashing, purple and black sparks burst out. The Dao Origin at the Vice Alliance Leader's fingertips and Nightmare's Demonic Flame blade crazily eroded each other, making a tooth-aching "hissing" sound.

The two stared at each other at close range. In the Vice Alliance Leader's eyes was cold killing intent and absolute confidence, while in Nightmare's eyes was bottomless indifference and... a trace of the desire to devour.

"Nidao Guards, clear the field." Nightmare's lips did not move, but his Divine Thought was transmitted.

The Nidao Guards, who had been hiding on the side, appeared simultaneously like silent black lightning, pouncing on the eight Dao Master Realm Early Stage and twenty High Sovereign Realm Peak Cultivators! A chaotic battle broke out instantly!

Nightmare no longer divided his attention, locking all his spirit on the Vice Alliance Leader in front of him. His wrist exerted force suddenly, and the power on the Demonic Flame blade surged, actually forcing the Vice Alliance Leader back half a step!

"What?!" The Vice Alliance Leader was shocked. The opponent's strength far exceeded the level that the Dominator Realm should have!

"Your Origin... is very nourishing." Nightmare suddenly grinned, a cold and bloodthirsty smile.

Before the words were finished, his left hand had reached out like a ghost, and a palm was printed on the left arm that the Vice Alliance Leader was blocking in a hurry.

It was not a hard clash, but—devouring!

The Demonic Flame in his palm was like a living creature, instantly drilling into the Vice Alliance Leader's body, crazily plundering and absorbing his pure and majestic Dao Master Realm Late Stage Origin!

"Urgh!" The Vice Alliance Leader let out a muffled groan, feeling that the Origin of his left arm and even half of his body was rapidly draining! He was shocked and angry, his right leg swept horizontally like a whip, forcing Nightmare back, while frantically driving his Dao Origin to try to extinguish the strange Demonic Flame in his body.

However, once the Hongmeng Chaos Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame invaded, it was like a maggot on the tarsal bone, extremely difficult to expel. What was even more terrifying was that the Origin it absorbed could directly feed back to Nightmare, making his aura rise instead of fall during the battle!

As one rose, the other fell!

The subsequent battle became a pure consumption and devouring. The Vice Alliance Leader's various earth-shattering Divine Abilities emerged one after another, and destructive energy continued to explode. Nightmare, however, used the "Reverse Dao Demonic Star Shield" and "Reverse Dao Sky-Shattering Blade" to perfection, sometimes clashing hard, sometimes fighting on the move, and every time they made contact, he tore off a part of the opponent's Origin.

The time of half an incense stick seemed exceptionally long in such a high-intensity duel.

The more the Vice Alliance Leader fought, the more frightened he became, the more desperate he felt. He could clearly feel his Origin continuously draining, while the opponent was like a bottomless pit, his aura becoming increasingly deep and terrifying. That pitch-black Demonic Flame seemed to naturally restrain his Heavenly Derivation Dao Origin, giving him a feeling of being stuck in a quagmire with nowhere to exert his strength.

Finally, after a fierce clash, the purple-gold Dao Origin shield around the Vice Alliance Leader appeared with a barely noticeable crack due to excessive consumption of Origin.

This crack, in Nightmare's eyes, was like a lighthouse in the dark night.

"Caught you."

A cold voice sounded right next to his ear.

The Vice Alliance Leader's hair stood on end. He wanted to retreat violently, but he felt the space around him stagnate—I don't know when, strands of Demonic Flame had entangled his retreat path like a spider web!

The Reverse Dao Sky-Shattering Blade in Nightmare's hand had unprecedentedly condensed Demonic Flame, and the tip of the blade was a point of pitch black, as if it could swallow all light.

"Die."

A word spat out.

The magic blade was like a poisonous dragon coming out of a hole, accurately piercing into the crack of the shield!

Puchi—!

There was no earth-shattering explosion. The shield shattered instantly like a balloon pricked by a needle. The magic blade drove straight in, fiercely piercing into the Vice Alliance Leader's heart, penetrating his Origin core!

"Ah—!!!" The Vice Alliance Leader let out a miserable scream, his handsome face twisted by severe pain. He could feel that his Origin core, which he had cultivated for ten thousand years, was being crazily crushed and devoured by the magic blade!

"No... I cannot die! I am the Tianyan Vice Alliance Leader! I still have to... Ah!!!" The final madness surged into his heart. His eyes were blood-red, and he desperately drove all his remaining Origin, even burning his Divine Soul, wanting to detonate the core and drag Nightmare to die together!

"Self-detonation?" Nightmare's eyes had no fluctuation, his left hand had long been pressed on the opponent's Dantian, "Did you ask me?"

More surging Demonic Flame gushed out from his left hand, instantly filling every meridian and every acupoint in the Vice Alliance Leader's body! That violent power of self-detonation was suppressed by this more powerful and domineering Nidao Demonic Flame, like a spark that had been pinched out, quickly dimming and extinguishing.

In the Vice Alliance Leader's eyes, the last trace of spirit completely solidified, turning into endless despair and dead gray.

Nightmare's right hand twisted the magic blade, completely shattering his core. His left hand grabbed, and a purple-gold token (Tianyan Alliance Core Token) and a ball of extremely pure Dao Master Late Stage Origin light were forcibly stripped out and fell into his hands.

The Tianyan Alliance Vice Alliance Leader fell.

At the same time, the battle on the other side was coming to an end. Under the fearless and tacitly cooperative slaughter of the Nidao Guards, six of the eight Dao Master Realm Early Stage Cultivators had fallen, and the twenty High Sovereign Realm Cultivators were almost dead, with only two Dao Master Realm Early Stage Cultivators left struggling to support, and their defeat was only a matter of time.

Nightmare didn't even look over there; his gaze had already been cast toward the "Eye of Guixu" that had been blocked by the Vice Alliance Leader and others.

The stele-shaped mark on the back of his hand was now as hot as a soldering iron.

He put away the token and the Origin light ball, took a step, and passed through the final void barrier.

The scene before him changed drastically again.

There was no starry sky, no fragments, not even the concept of "space." There was only a pitch-black "vortex" that was constantly rotating and devouring everything. At the center of the vortex was an absolutely static "point," as if it were the beginning and end of all things.

And above that "point," a simple, plain Jade Slip, like ordinary jade, floated quietly.

* *Grandmist Reverse Dao Scripture · Complete Legacy* *.

Nightmare reached out, and the Jade Slip automatically floated into his palm.

It was cold to the touch, and immediately, a tsunami-like torrent of ancient information rushed into his Sea of Consciousness without any obstruction! That was the complete Reverse Path Law, the ultimate Profound Truth that overturned everything, and another path that had existed since the beginning of the Grandmist!

"Urgh..." Even with Nightmare's willpower, he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, the veins on his forehead jumping. He immediately sat cross-legged in this strange void, his mind completely immersed in absorbing the Legacy.

At the same time, he took out the Dao Reversal Origin crystal core he had obtained on the second floor, as well as the Dao Master Late Stage Origin light ball he had just plundered, and began to refine and absorb them without hesitation.

Time lost its meaning here.

I don't know how long it had been, perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years.

The aura around Nightmare began to undergo earth-shaking changes. The shackles that originally belonged to the High Sovereign Realm, under the impact of the complete Legacy and the majestic Origin, shattered like melting ice!

Dao Master Realm... Early Stage... Stable... Continuing to climb...

Finally, it stopped at the Dao Master Realm Middle Stage!

He opened his eyes suddenly, and deep in his pupils, there was no longer simple pitch-black Demonic Flame, but a terrifying scene of the beginning of Chaos and the reversal of stars had evolved! The Hongmeng Chaos Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame burning around his body became deeper and more restrained, and even strands of Chaos-colored Qi flowed at the edges of the flames, emitting a destructive aura that would make Dao Master Realm Late Stage Cultivators palpitate—

Hongmeng Chaos Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame, success!

[Ding! The core Legacy of the Primordial Dao Palace has been acquired. The core energy of the Secret Realm is unbalanced, and the Dao Palace will begin to collapse in thirty breaths. Please, Host, evacuate immediately!]

The System prompt sounded urgently.

Almost at the same time, the pitch-black vortex devouring everything under his feet began to vibrate violently, the void around it made unbearable groans, and huge spatial cracks appeared out of thin air, spreading crazily!

The Dao Palace was about to collapse.

Nightmare stood up, feeling the power in his body that was more than several times greater, and a cold and satisfied arc curled up at the corner of his mouth.

He took one last look at the still-rotating Eye of Guixu, no longer lingering, and turned around.

"Nidao Guards, retreat."

His figure turned into a Chaos-colored streamer, shooting toward the direction he came from, facing the constantly shattering space.

Behind him, the ancient Dao Palace, which had buried countless secrets, began its final, destructive wail.