Tianyan Star Attack, Outer Surrounding Area Clearance

Three days passed in a flash.

When the stone door of the absolutely sealed secret chamber deep within Nidao Fortress slid open with a low rumble, an aura even more refined, profound, and dangerous than before his seclusion, like an awakened Vicious Beast, slowly permeated the air.

Nightmare walked out of the secret chamber filled with chaotic energy mist. There was no dazzling light around him; instead, his aura was restrained to the extreme. Only in the depths of his pupils did the scene of chaotic stars being born and dying become clearer, with a hint of Demonic Star Flame occasionally flowing through, carrying terrifying high temperatures that slightly twisted space.

After three days of seclusion, he had not only completely stabilized his Dao Master Realm Mid-stage cultivation and mastered the Hongmeng Chaos Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame as if it were an extension of his arm, but he had also, with the Tianyan Alliance core token and that ancient Jade Slip, combined with his unique understanding of Reverse Path power, deduced several sets of tactics for breaking through and assaulting Tianyan Star's defense system.

He took a step, and his figure already appeared on the 'Expedition Platform' on the top floor of Nidao Fortress.

The platform was extremely vast, paved with entire pieces of Star Profound Steel, capable of accommodating ten thousand people in Formation. At this moment, a dense mass of figures already stood solemnly on the platform.

At the very front was the 'Reverse Dao Alliance Vanguard Camp,' numbering about three thousand, initially screened and reorganized. Their cultivation was at least Middle-level Sovereign Realm. They wore unified dark blood-colored battle armor; although the armor style was still slightly rough, the sharp military might, having just undergone strict training and mixed with blood fiend and Reverse Path Qi, had initially taken shape. Everyone's eyes were sharp, and they were silent as mountains.

In front of the Vanguard Camp, Blood Fang, clad in a visibly more refined set of black heavy armor with Reverse Path runes inscribed at the joints, held a serrated battle saber like a door panel. His aura was already nearing the Peak of High Sovereign Realm. Seeing Nightmare appear, he dropped to one knee with a thud, his battle saber striking the ground:

"Vanguard Camp Commander Blood Fang, leading his troops, has assembled! Alliance Leader, please inspect!"

Behind him were fifty figures with the strongest auras—the current core elites of the Nidao Alliance, all at the Dao Master Realm Early Stage! Most of them were the earliest Nidao Guards who followed Nightmare. Through the accumulation of Dao Palace resources and Legacy fragments, and Nightmare's unreserved guidance, they had finally achieved a qualitative Breakthrough. Fifty Dao Master Realm Cultivators—this force would be enough to stir up huge waves anywhere in a Middle Universe Domain.

After the fifty were a hundred Peak High Sovereign Realm Cultivators, serving as the backbone.

And after them, the three thousand Vanguard Camp.

Besides the Vanguard Camp, three enormous, hastily modified Universe warships were docked at the edge of the platform. The warships were entirely black with ferocious lines, their hulls covered with newly installed Origin cannon arrays and defensive runes, like three steel leviathans, exuding a cold aura of slaughter.

Nightmare's gaze slowly swept over every face below, from Blood Fang, to the fifty Dao Masters, to the hundred High Sovereigns, and then to the three thousand Vanguard Camp. His gaze was calm and unruffled, yet it made everyone he looked at unconsciously straighten their backs and grip their weapons tighter.

There was no impassioned pre-battle speech.

Nightmare merely raised his right hand, pointing vaguely forward in a specific direction in the starry sky. In that direction, even on Nidao Fortress's simulated Sky Screen, a vast, orderly, yet hostile energy field could faintly be felt.

"Target, Tianyan Star."

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly spread across the entire platform, carrying an undeniable resolve.

"Depart."

Two words fell.

"Roar—!!!"

Blood Fang was the first to rise, letting out a beast-like roar. The three thousand Vanguard Camp responded in unison, their roars shaking the heavens, Killing Intent filling the wilderness!

The engines of the three modified warships simultaneously ignited, emitting a low rumble like the breathing of ancient behemoths. Heavy hatch doors slid open.

Nightmare's figure flickered, already appearing on the highest command platform of the leading warship. Blood Fang, the fifty Dao Masters, and the hundred High Sovereigns followed closely, rapidly entering their respective warships.

The three thousand Vanguard Camp then split into three torrents, orderly pouring into the massive holds of the warships.

Buzz—!!!

Energy shields rose, and the warships slowly detached from Nidao Fortress's berth, adjusting their direction. The next moment, the main thrusters at the stern spewed forth blazing, chaotic light flames that distorted space!

Boom!!!

The three warships transformed into three streaks of light tearing through the starry sky, boldly warping towards Tianyan Star!

...Tianyan Grand Star Cluster, core.

Tianyan Star was not a traditional life planet, but a 'War Fortress Star' that had been completely transformed and armed to the teeth. Its volume was three times that of an ordinary star, its surface covered by an eternal defensive rune network, and its atmosphere replaced by multiple energy shields. From afar, it resembled a gigantic metallic sphere emitting a faint golden glow, cold, sturdy, and grim.

At this moment, in the Void Realm a million miles outside Tianyan Star, three distorted spatial rifts suddenly tore open, and three ferocious black warships, like vicious sharks leaping from the deep sea, brazenly intruded into this Star Domain, which the Tianyan Alliance considered an absolute forbidden zone!

Almost at the instant the warships appeared—

Whoosh—!!!!

A piercing alarm, sharp enough to tear apart Divine Souls, instantly resounded throughout Tianyan Star's outer defense perimeter! Faint golden ripples, visible to the naked eye, rapidly spread out from Tianyan Star's center!

"Enemy attack! Highest level enemy attack!"

"Coordinates locked! It's... it's that Reverse Dao Practitioner fleet that annihilated the Dao Palace forces!"

"Activate all defensive nodes! All stationed troops, assume battle positions!"

On the outer perimeter of Tianyan Star, three massive, concentric faint golden halos suddenly lit up! These were the triple 'Tianyan Circumference Star Formation'—the Tianyan Alliance's core outer defenses, meticulously built over a hundred thousand years! Each halo was composed of countless suspended defensive platforms, automated turrets, and stationed Cultivators. Now, the halos rotated rapidly, drawing and condensing immense Power of the Stars, exuding a suffocating defensive Divine Might.

The stationed Cultivators flew out from various defensive platforms like locusts, quickly forming battle Formations. A rough glance revealed over five hundred High Sovereign Realm Cultivators and more than a hundred Dao Master Realm Early Stage Cultivators! Relying on the Grand Formation, their auras converged into an unbreakable barrier.

Facing this defensive power, enough to make any invader despair, Nightmare stood with his hands behind his back on the command platform of the leading black warship, his eyes indifferently gazing at the rapidly operating triple halos.

"Alliance Leader, should we, as planned, first use Origin cannons for a probing bombardment to find the Grand Formation's weak points?" Blood Fang stood beside him, asking in a deep voice. Though he was warlike, he knew this battle was of great importance and dared not be careless in the slightest.

"No need."

Nightmare only replied with two words.

The next moment, to the astonished gazes of Blood Fang and all the Nidao Alliance elites within the warship, Nightmare's figure vanished directly from the command platform.

When he reappeared, he was alone, standing directly in front of the three warships, facing the three massive faint golden halos from afar.

One person, directly confronting an army of thousands, directly confronting a hundred-thousand-year-old steel defense line.

Tianyan Star's defense forces clearly noticed him. Countless Divine Thoughts and detection Spells instantly focused on him, locking onto this audacious figure who dared to leave the fleet and venture forth alone.

"It's that Reverse Dao Practitioner leader!"

"Arrogant! How dare he come alone!"

"Activate the first 'Sky Screen' Grand Formation to maximum power! Star Annihilation, prepare!"

The outermost faint golden halo burst with light, and countless brilliant Star beams shot out from various parts of the halo, interweaving in the Void Realm to form a gigantic net of destructive energy covering tens of thousands of miles, descending directly upon Nightmare! This 'Star Annihilation Net' was capable of easily tearing apart the defenses of a Dao Master Realm Mid-stage Cultivator!

Nightmare looked up at the light net that blotted out the sky, his face devoid of any expression.

He slowly raised his right hand, splayed his five fingers, and aimed them at the crushing net of destruction, and beyond it, the three majestic faint golden halos.

Then, he gently clenched his fist.

"Break."

A single word softly uttered.

Boom—!!!

Around him, the dormant Hongmeng Chaos Reverse Dao Demonic Star Flame erupted like a volcano that had been suppressed for eons!

It was no longer a simple flame form, but transformed into a destructive torrent of pure Chaos Demonic Flame, over a thousand zhang in diameter, surging forward from his palm! Wherever the torrent passed, space silently annihilated, leaving behind dark trails that could not heal for a long time.

The seemingly invincible "Star Annihilation Net," upon contact with the Chaos Demonic Flame torrent, was like boiling water poured on snow, emitting a "hissing" wail as it dissolved and disintegrated at an astonishing speed! It couldn't even block it for a single breath!

The Chaos torrent continued unabated, like a roaring angry Dragon, fiercely crashing into the main body of the first pale golden halo!

Boom—!!!!

An earth-shattering roar! The halo vibrated violently, the Star runes flowing on its surface flickered wildly, attempting to resist. But the overbearing corrosive and destructive properties of the Chaos Demonic Flame seemed to naturally counter this strictly ordered Formation energy. The halo rapidly dimmed and cracked, centered on the point of impact!

"No! The first grand Formation is about to break!"

"All Dao Master Realm Cultivators, follow me to fill the positions! Inject your Origin!" A Tianyan Alliance Dao Master Realm Mid-stage Elder roared in horror and fury, leading dozens of Dao Master Realm Cultivators to desperately inject energy into the Formation nodes.

However, it was too late.

Crack... crackle... A cacophony of teeth-grinding shattering sounds erupted. The first pale golden halo, after holding on for less than three breaths, exploded with a bang! It turned into golden light particles fluttering across the sky, then was completely swallowed and annihilated by the subsequent surging Chaos Demonic Flame!

The first "Sky Screen" grand Formation, broken!

"Hiss—!"

Both the Tianyan Star defense forces and the Nidao Alliance members in the black warships behind them collectively drew a sharp breath. Although they knew the Alliance Leader was powerful, this was the core defense that the Tianyan Alliance had managed for a hundred thousand years! It was actually... broken by a single strike from him?!

Nightmare's figure had already entered the area originally covered by the first grand Formation, following the front of the Chaos torrent. Here floated countless shattered defense platforms and Turret wreckage, as well as hundreds of High Sovereign Realm Cultivators whose Formation was scattered and faces filled with panic due to the sudden collapse of the grand Formation.

"Nidao Alliance, clear them out."

Nightmare's cold voice resonated across both the battlefield and his own fleet simultaneously.

"Kill—!!!"

Blood Fang was the first to react, his eyes instantly blood-red, roaring as he charged out of the warship! Fifty Dao Master Realm Nidao Guards, a hundred elite High Sovereign Realm Cultivators, and three thousand vanguard troops surged out of the three warships like a breached black flood, pouncing on the outer Tianyan Star Cultivators whose Formation was in disarray!

The slaughter began instantly.

The Nidao Alliance's Battle Intent, suppressed for three days, their strength boosted by resources, and the fervent morale brought by witnessing their Alliance Leader's Divine Might, completely erupted at this moment. Especially the fifty newly promoted Dao Master Realm Nidao Guards, like fifty red-hot daggers, instantly sliced into the enemy Formation. Wherever they passed, the Tianyan Alliance's High Sovereign Realm Cultivators fell like stalks of wheat.

As for Nightmare, he didn't even glance at the one-sided battle behind him. His gaze had already locked onto the second pale golden halo, and at its core, three figures whose aura was clearly stronger, having reached the Dao Master Realm Mid-stage.

Those three were precisely the Elders guarding the second "Earth Vein" grand Formation.

"Form the Three Talents Sky Guard Formation! Stop him!" The three Elders' expressions were extremely solemn as they simultaneously formed hand seals. The Dao Origin within their bodies surged forth, connecting with the second grand Formation, condensing a gigantic earthy-yellow shield, thick as a mountain and flowing with the illusory patterns of Earth Veins, in front of the halo.

Nightmare's steps did not falter, nor did he unleash any Divine Ability.

He simply raised his right hand, his fingers together like a blade, and slashed through the air at the giant shield.

A fine, hair-thin line of Chaos Demonic Flame, condensed to its extreme, silently extended from his fingertip, transcending space, and lightly "sliced" into the center of the giant shield.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

The next second.

That earthy-yellow giant shield, which had condensed the power of three Dao Master Realm Mid-stage Elders and the second grand Formation, along with the terrified figures of the three Elders behind it, was silently... split in two by that fine line.

The cut was smooth as a mirror.

The shield shattered, the people perished.

The core of the second "Earth Vein" grand Formation was broken, its light rapidly dimmed and dispersed.

Nightmare's figure flickered, already passing through the collapsing second halo, arriving before the final and most central third "Heavenly Derivation" grand Formation.

The fewest Cultivators were stationed here, but their auras were the strongest, all being elites among the hundred Dao Master Realm Early Stage Cultivators. Relying on the last Formation base, they formed a massive offensive battle Formation. Energy converged at the eye of the Formation, and a ten-thousand-zhang golden spear, composed purely of Destruction Law, was slowly forming. Its tip pointed directly at Nightmare, emitting terrifying fluctuations that made even Dao Master Realm Late Stage Cultivators feel trepidation.

"Reverse Dao Practitioner! This is the 'Heavenly Derivation Demon Slaying Divine Spear,' a strike that integrates a hundred thousand years of accumulation from our Tianyan Star! Even if you possess heaven-reaching abilities, you..."

An old man at the Dao Master Realm Peak, presiding over the battle Formation, shouted sternly, attempting to rally morale.

Nightmare finally stopped his steps.

He glanced at the forming golden spear, then at the metal star behind the grand Formation, close at hand and emitting a pale golden glow—Tianyan Star.

Then, he made a move that made all the Tianyan Alliance Cultivators' Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

He spread his arms, as if to embrace that star.

The Chaos Demonic Flame around him no longer radiated outwards, but instead rolled back like a tide, completely retracting into his body. His aura, at this moment, became extremely quiescent.

But an even more terrifying, more despair-inducing Concept of "Nirvana" quietly spread out, centered on him.

"Return to the Ruins."

He softly uttered two words.

His arms slowly closed.

Buzz—!!!

Centered on his closing arms, a "Nirvana Light Column," only a hundred zhang in diameter but so dark it swallowed all light and perception, silently shot out.

The speed of the light column seemed slow, but in reality, it transcended the conventional Concepts of time and space.

It did not collide with the forming "Heavenly Derivation Demon Slaying Divine Spear."

Because it directly "passed through" the divine spear, passed through all the defenses of the third "Heavenly Derivation" grand Formation, passed through the hundreds of Dao Master Realm Cultivators forming the array behind it... like a hot knife cutting through butter.

No sound, no explosion.

Wherever the light column passed, the third grand Formation, the ten-thousand-zhang divine spear, the hundreds of Dao Master Realm Cultivators... all tangible and intangible things, completely "disappeared." It wasn't destruction, but rather as if they were thoroughly "erased" from Concept, leaving only a straight, absolute, void channel in their place.

The end of the channel reached the thick energy atmosphere of Tianyan Star.

The third, and final, core defensive grand Formation, along with all the Cultivators stationed within it—

Wiped out in one strike!

From the moment Nightmare left the fleet and attacked until all three layers of defense were broken, only a few dozen breaths had passed.

The outer perimeter of Tianyan Star, that impregnable hundred-thousand-year defense system boasted to withstand even a Celestial Venerable Realm Cultivator for a moment, had turned into a shattered ruin and scattered energy dust. Only a few scattered High Sovereign Realm Cultivators barely clung to life under the Nidao Alliance's purge.

Nightmare retracted his aura and slowly lowered his arms. His face was slightly pale, clearly indicating that the ultimate move, which contained a trace of the "Return to the Ruins" Concept, had consumed a vast amount of energy.

But his eyes remained cold and calm, gazing at the unobstructed Tianyan Star ahead.

Just then, the pale golden energy atmosphere of Tianyan Star suddenly boiled and churned like water.

An aura far more vast and majestic than the Dao Master Realm, as if it controlled the life, death, and Reincarnation of a Star Domain, slowly awakened like an ancient sleeping deity.

A blurry but immensely grand figure gradually became clear deep within the churning energy atmosphere.

A cold, vast voice, filled with monstrous rage, like the Heavenly Dao's decree, boomed across this star-filled sky that had just endured a bloody baptism:

"Reverse Dao evildoer..."

"This Venerable has been waiting for you for a long time."

The Tianyan Alliance Leader—Celestial Venerable Realm Early Stage—finally appeared.