The elder's fall terrified the Divine Court.

Thousand Vortex Maze Burial, Core Zone.

The Thunder Giant swung its six arms frantically, the remaining three destructive thunder pillars and countless smaller electric snakes, like the whip of an enraged Thunder God, lashing against the Chaos Demonic Flame shield surrounding Nightmare.

Each collision erupted with deafening roars and blinding light, energy storms sweeping in all directions, further tearing apart the already chaotic star remnants and turbulent currents.

However, that seemingly precarious Chaos Demonic Flame shield remained resiliently intact.

The evolved Hongmeng Chaos Nirvana Anti-Dao Demon Star Flame not only possessed extreme destructive and corrosive power, but its defensive properties had also undergone a qualitative change—it did not simply negate or reflect attacks, but instead "decomposed," "assimilated," and "reduced to nirvana" the incoming energy.

Thunder pillars and electric snakes striking the shield would often have most of their power silently "erased" by the Demonic Flame after erupting with brilliant light, and the remaining portion could hardly shake Nightmare's rock-solid stance.

"Warm-up over."

Nightmare's cold voice pierced through the roar of the thunder, crystal clear.

The three heads of the Thunder Giant, transformed from Ao Huang, simultaneously revealed ferocious expressions: "Shameless boast! I want to see how much longer your evil Reverse Path arts can hold out!"

He spread all six arms, the thunder core in front of his chest shone brightly, and a more terrifying energy brewed within it.

He decided, at all costs, to use the ultimate killing move of the "Nine Heavens Thunder God True Form" to crush this troublesome opponent in one blow!

However, at the very moment when he focused all his attention on condensing the thunder, preparing to launch the fatal strike—

Nightmare's figure suddenly vanished from the spot.

It was not teleportation, but a strange method akin to "merging into the Void Realm," his aura instantly becoming ethereal and erratic, causing even the Chaos Demonic Flame shield around him to seem like part of the background of this chaotic Star Domain.

Ao Huang's Thunder Divine Thought swept frantically, but could only capture countless fleeting, indistinguishable phantoms, shuttling and flashing between the violent turbulent currents and broken star remnants!

This was the result of Nightmare integrating parts of the "Reverse Path Soul-Confusing Maze Formation" with his own movement techniques!

"Hiding your head and showing your tail! Get out here!"

Ao Huang roared, his six arms swinging wildly, countless thunderbolts bombarding the surroundings indiscriminately, blasting large swathes of star remnants into dust, yet he could never lock onto Nightmare's true body.

Just as he experienced an unavoidable moment of irritation and relaxation because his attacks missed—

"Over here."

The cold voice rang out right next to the ear of the largest head on his back.

Ao Huang's entire body erupted with thunder, and without thinking, two lightning arms smashed backward like a scorpion's tail!

At the same time, his massive Thunder True Form rushed forward rapidly, attempting to put some distance between them.

But his movements were still half a beat too slow.

Nightmare had appeared behind him, his right hand's five fingers pressed together like a blade; in his palm, a wisp of Chaos Nirvana Demonic Flame, condensed to the extreme and colored in a state of "absolute nothingness," flickered like a viper's tongue.

"Reverse Path Soul-Shattering Finger."

Pfft—!

A soft sound, almost covered by the roar of the thunder.

Nightmare's hand blade, like a red-hot iron cutting into ice and snow, easily pierced through the seemingly thick and brilliant lightning defense behind the Thunder Giant, precisely striking the vital heart on the back of Ao Huang's true body (hidden within the Thunder Giant's core)!

That point of extreme "nothingness" Demonic Flame instantly invaded!

"Argh—!!!"

Ao Huang let out a heaven-shaking, miserable scream!

He felt a cold, dead, and subversive force, like the most vicious virus, instantly invade his Hunyuan Celestial Venerable core!

This force was not merely destructive; it was frantically dismantling the energy structure of his Thunder True Form, eroding the Origin Laws he had cultivated for ten thousand years, and even stirring a trace of fear and wavering deep within his Divine Soul!

His thousand-foot-tall Thunder Giant body trembled violently, the lightning flickering on and off, his aura withering at a speed visible to the naked eye!

At the spot on his back that had been struck, a "nothingness" hole the size of a bowl appeared, its edges flowing with chaotic-colored Demonic Flame, and it was continuously eroding and expanding inward!

"You... what kind of power is this?!"

Ao Huang was shocked and furious, his three heads turning simultaneously, staring fixedly at Nightmare, who had appeared in the Void Realm in front of him at some point, his eyes filled with incredulous fear.

He had never encountered such a strange power, one that so countered the Divine Court's thunder arts and could even directly damage his Hunyuan core!

Nightmare did not answer, just flicked his fingers gently, as if shaking off some non-existent dust.

That finger just now consumed quite a bit, but the effect was significant.

Ao Huang's "Nine Heavens Thunder God True Form" had been breached, his core damaged, and his strength had fallen by at least thirty percent.

He raised his hand, the Reverse Path Hunyuan Blade condensing in his palm once again, the blade pointing from afar at the unsteady Thunder Giant.

"It's time to end this."

Feeling the undisguised killing intent in Nightmare's words, and seeing the miserable state of his own army in the battle below—gradually being suppressed and even starting to show signs of retreat—an unprecedented chill and panic instantly drowned out his pride as a Divine Court Law enforcement commander.

Flee! Must flee!

Bring the horror of this place and the strange power of this Reverse Dao Practitioner back to the Divine Court headquarters!

Only if the headquarters dispatches a stronger Grandmist Celestial Venerable will it be possible to suppress this fiend!

Staying here, there is only a dead end!

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

"Want to leave?"

Nightmare seemed to have seen through his thoughts, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc.

With a thought, he activated the last change that had been hidden deep within the "Reverse Path Soul-Confusing Maze Formation" and had not yet been fully triggered—Lockdown!

Hum—!!!

With the "Reverse Path Demon Core" at the core of the Formation as the Origin, countless previously hidden, more subtle and profound Reverse Dao runes suddenly lit up, like countless chains, instantly piercing through the Void Realm, firmly "locking" the entire "Thousand Vortex Maze Burial" area, along with the spatial structure within it!

This was not a simple spatial imprisonment, but rather, using Reverse Dao Power, it forcibly interfered with, distorted, and even "froze" the spatial connection and Law channels between this area and the outside world!

Unless one's power level far exceeded that of the Formation setter, or one had a deep understanding of Reverse Dao Power, it would be extremely difficult to tear through space and escape in a short time!

Ao Huang exerted all his strength, attempting to tear through space, only to find that the surrounding Void Realm was as hard as if it had been cast with ten-thousand-year black iron; his spatial Laws were almost ineffective here!

"No—!!!"

Ao Huang panicked completely, for the first time revealing a look of despair in his eyes.

Can't escape, can't win... is he really going to fall here today?

"Reverse Dao monster! If you dare to kill me, the Divine Court headquarters will never let you go!"

"When they come, it will be a true Grandmist Celestial Venerable, or even... a Universe Supreme! You and all your people will die without a burial place!"

He roared, putting on a brave front, making a final struggle.

"Grandmist Celestial Venerable? Universe Supreme?"

Nightmare chuckled, the smile filled with indifference and mockery, "They can come if they want, I will kill who I want. Today, you will definitely die."

As his voice fell, Nightmare no longer gave him any chance to catch his breath.

He held the Reverse Path Hunyuan Blade with both hands, the three dao reversal keys within his body resonating and vibrating with unprecedented intensity!

The Hongmeng Chaos Nirvana Anti-Dao Demon Star Flame poured into the blade like a river flowing backward!

At the same time, the Origin power he had previously absorbed and refined, belonging to Chu Li, Huo Gang, and many Divine Court Cultivators, was also forcibly extracted and infused!

The blade began to undergo a terrifying transformation.

It was no longer pure black; instead, within the blackness, greyish-white streams of Nirvana Qi flowed, as if representing the end of all things, where everything returns to "nothingness."

The space around the blade silently annihilated and disappeared, leaving behind trails of eternal nothingness.

A will of "end" and "absolute erasure," which made Ao Huang's Divine Soul freeze, permeated from the blade.

This strike condensed all the understanding and power of the true meaning of "Reverse Path" and "Nirvana" that Nightmare could currently control!

"Hongmeng Chaos Nirvana: Reverse Path Fatal Strike."

Nightmare whispered the name of this technique, his voice calm, yet it sounded like the declaration of the Grim Reaper.

He raised his hands high above his head, and then, toward the Thunder Giant in front of him, whose aura was withering and whose face was filled with terror and despair, he slowly slashed down.

There was no sound of wind, no sound of thunder, not even the fluctuation of energy agitation.

Only a single blade beam, thin as a cicada's wing, fine as a hair, and colored in an indescribable "Absolute Black," extended from the blade. It sliced silently through the Void Realm, sweeping toward Ao Huang.

Wherever the blade beam passed, space, light, energy, and even the very concept of "time" seemed to be completely "erased," leaving behind an eternal, absolute trail of "nothingness."

Ao Huang's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He exhausted his last reserves of strength, compressing his remaining Thunder True Body to the limit, condensing it before him into a "Nine Heavens Thunder God Shield" that was a hundred zhang thick and covered in ancient lightning runes! This was his final trump card for survival, with defensive power sufficient to withstand a full-force strike from a Peak Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm expert!

However, before that "Absolute Black" blade beam— *Ssh.* A soft sound, like a red-hot wire slicing through thin ice.

The hundred-zhang-thick "Nine Heavens Thunder God Shield," along with the Thunder True Body that Ao Huang had compressed to the limit behind it, were split in two by the blade beam without the slightest resistance. Shield shattered, body torn apart.

The blade beam's momentum did not diminish, and it accurately plunged into the Core Zone of Ao Huang's true body. Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The expression on Ao Huang's face solidified completely, his eyes retaining extreme terror, unwillingness, and a trace of vacant emptiness.

The next moment, his Thunder True Body, split in two, along with the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable core within, the vast Origin, and the powerful Divine Soul... like a weathered sand sculpture, began to disintegrate from the point of the blade's entry, silently dissolving, turning into the most primitive energy particles, and finally returning to... nothingness.

Completely and without leaving a trace, he was "erased" from this Universe. Late Stage Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm, Commander of the Hongmeng Divine Court Enforcement Legion, "Punishment Celestial Venerable" Ao Huang—body and soul destroyed, completely fallen!

Only a dark silver commander's token, a lusterless Thunder Prison Divine Mace, and a few defensive Magic Treasures drifted down from where he had vanished.

Nightmare reached out with a wave of his hand, collecting these spoils of war, his face slightly pale. Executing that "Reverse Path Fatal Strike" had been a tremendous burden for him, consuming over half of the Origin within his body.

But his gaze remained sharp as a blade as he turned to the battlefield below. Ao Huang's fall was the final straw that broke the camel's back. The Enforcement Legion, already suffering from low morale due to the disruption of the Formation and the unfavorable battle situation, collapsed completely the moment they sensed their commander's aura had vanished entirely!

"The commander... has fallen?!" "Run! Run quickly!" "Devils! They are devils!" Terrified shouts and desperate screams rang out in unison. The remaining Enforcement Legion Cultivators no longer had the heart to fight, scattering like headless flies, only wanting to escape this terrifying death trap as quickly as possible.

"Leave none alive." Nightmare's cold voice, like a final judgment, rang in the ears of every Nidao Alliance Cultivator. "Kill—!!!"

Blood Fang, Iron Rock, Ghost Thorn, and other leaders were invigorated, roaring as they led their subordinates like fierce tigers descending the mountain, launching the final pursuit and cleanup of the fleeing Enforcement Legion! The Formation operated at full power, blocking escape routes and guiding attacks, bringing this battle to a complete end.

Half an hour later, the Thousand Vortex Maze returned to "peace." However, beneath this peace, a thick, inseparable scent of blood and the burnt smell of annihilated energy permeated the air. On the broken star remnants lay scattered fragments of standard Divine Court armor and broken Magic Treasures, as well as... vast areas of battle scars that had just been cleared.

The two hundred and fifty elites of the Enforcement Legion, including one Late Stage Hunyuan commander and five Early Stage Hunyuan commanders, were all executed, with not a single survivor. On the Nidao Alliance side, although they had achieved a brilliant victory relying on the terrain and the Formation, they had paid a significant price; dozens of Vanguard Army and resistance coalition Cultivators were killed in action, and many more were wounded.

But at this moment, in the eyes of all the survivors, a nearly fanatical flame burned! They had won! They had defeated the arrogant Divine Court Enforcement Legion! The Alliance Master they followed had slain a Late Stage Hunyuan Celestial Venerable expert!

Nightmare hovered in the center of the battlefield, slowly adjusting his breath and recovering the consumed Origin. He held Ao Huang's commander token, his Divine Thought sinking into it, obtaining intelligence regarding the Divine Court headquarters structure, information on higher-level experts, and detailed maps of parts of the eastern Star Domain.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the excited and weary faces below, and over this Star Domain stained with blood. Then, he took a deep breath, and the Divine Soul power of the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm, mixed with the monstrous ferocity and Reverse Path will from having just slain a strong enemy and wiped out a legion, erupted with a boom. It transformed into a cold, domineering, and unquestionable Divine Soul transmission, spreading like an invisible tsunami toward the outside of the Black Wind Desert and toward the more vast Star Domains at the edge of the High Universe Domain!

"From now on, the Black Wind Desert is under the jurisdiction of my 'Nidao Alliance'!" "The Third Department of the Seventh Legion of the Hongmeng Divine Court Enforcement Legion, Commander Ao Huang and his two hundred and fifty subordinates, have all been executed at the 'Thousand Vortex Maze,' their bodies and souls destroyed!" "If the Divine Court dares to send troops to invade again, no matter who they are, no matter how many there are, if one comes, I will kill one! If a clan comes, I will wipe out the clan!" "Other factions, listen clearly: From now on, the Black Wind Desert and the three million li of surrounding Star Domain are the territory of my Nidao Alliance. We will mind our own business and live in peace. If there are any who are blind, daring to collude with the Divine Court or violate my borders—"

The transmission paused slightly here, and a more cold and bone-chilling killing intent spread out. "Ao Huang and his subordinates are your examples!" "Do not say you were not warned!"

The vast transmission, carrying the pressure of the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm and the terrifying record of annihilating the Enforcement Legion, struck the hearts of every faction leader who sensed this transmission like a hammer weighing billions of jun!

For a time, with the Black Wind Desert as the center, within a Star Domain of tens of millions of li, countless factions were silenced and shaken!

Some peripheral factions that had previously been skeptical of the Nidao Alliance's existence were now completely silent, like cicadas in winter. Some factions that were already dissatisfied with the Divine Court's rule and had been watching from the shadows became active in their thoughts. Even some exile factions that were closer and had previously had grievances with the Divine Court, after a brief moment of shock, began to cautiously attempt to send probing Divine Thought fluctuations toward the Black Wind Desert, expressing friendliness or even submission...

Nightmare paid no heed to these incoming reactions. After the transmission ended, he withdrew all his released aura and Divine Thought, his figure disappearing into the depths of the Thousand Vortex Maze.

Returning to the temporary stronghold, Nightmare immediately gave orders: "Collect the remains of our comrades and give them a proper burial. Tally the battle losses and distribute pensions and rewards. All wounded are to be treated with priority using the best resources."

"Step up repairs and strengthen the stronghold's defenses. Integrate the newly affiliated factions, conduct strict screenings, and assign them to various teams." "At the same time, send out reconnaissance squads to extend the search range, and closely monitor any further reactions the Divine Court headquarters might make, as well as the movements of other major factions in the vicinity."

Orders were issued methodically, and the entire Nidao Alliance, like a precise machine, began to digest the fruits of this brilliant yet tragic victory, licking its wounds and accumulating strength.

Nightmare walked alone into the deepest and most heavily restricted quiet room. He needed time to thoroughly digest the insights from the battle with Ao Huang and consolidate his newly broken-through Hunyuan Realm cultivation. At the same time, he also needed to carefully study the intelligence obtained from Ao Huang, Chu Li, and the others to plan the Nidao Alliance's next steps in the High Universe Domain.

The Black Wind Desert was just a starting point. The Divine Court's retaliation would never stop here. His gaze had already been cast toward the deeper, more vast, and more dangerous inland areas of the High Universe Domain. There, there were stronger opponents, richer resources, more complete clues to the Reverse Path Legacy, and... a broader world.

Sitting cross-legged, Nightmare slowly closed his eyes. Deep within his Chaos-colored pupils, it was as if stars were being born and worlds were being annihilated. The chapter of the High Universe Domain had only just been opened. And the journey belonging to the Reverse Dao Practitioner was endless.