Outside Crimson Blood City, the vanguard confronts each other.

Half an hour later.

Nightmare stood three miles outside Chixue City, with the Nidao Vanguard Army already arrayed behind him.

Black flames faintly circulated around each person, linking together like a sea of black fire burning on the ground.

Opposite them, the walls of Chixue City were already prepared for battle.

Banners fluttered on the city walls, all bearing the blood-red eye symbol.

In front of the city walls, over two hundred Chixue Sect Cultivators were arranged into three formations, with a powerful Cultivator standing in front of each—these were the three Elders of the Chixue Sect at the Early Stage of the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm.

At the very front of all the formations, a middle-aged man in a dark red, gold-trimmed robe stood with his hands behind his back.

He had a majestic face, eyes like lightning, and a blood-colored aura condensed into substance around him, faintly forming the phantom of a blood river behind him.

Late Stage of the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm.

The Chixue Sect Sect Master, Celestial Venerable Blood River.

Nightmare’s gaze swept over the opposing lineup, finally landing on Celestial Venerable Blood River.

Their gazes collided in the air.

Invisible pressure clashed, and crackling sounds echoed in the air. The dust on the ground rose without wind, rolling in all directions.

"Are you that Reverse Path alien who slaughtered your way from the Black Wind Desert?" Celestial Venerable Blood River spoke, his voice like rolling thunder, spreading across the wilderness.

Nightmare did not respond, just quietly watching him.

Celestial Venerable Blood River’s expression turned gloomy: "You killed my checkpoint commander, wiped out my interception unit, and even Elders Blood Fiend and Blood Soul died at your hands... Good, very good."

He slowly raised his hand, pointing at Nightmare: "I have already sent a message to the Hongmeng Divine Court for reinforcements. In half an hour at most, the elites of the Divine Court’s Zhennan Branch will arrive. Kneel and surrender now, hand over all your Cultivation Techniques and resources, and I might consider leaving your corpse intact."

Nightmare finally smiled.

That smile was cold, as cold as ten-thousand-year ice.

"Before the Divine Court’s army arrives," he said slowly, his voice not loud, yet clearly entering everyone’s ears, "you will already be dead and your Dao will be extinguished."

The moment his voice fell, Nightmare moved.

He did not rush toward Celestial Venerable Blood River, but instead raised his hand and waved.

"Kill."

One word.

The Nidao Vanguard Army poured out like a tide, seventy elites divided into three teams, each with over twenty people, charging directly at the three formations of the Chixue Sect. The remaining Vanguard Army charged at the city walls—where there were still a large number of ordinary Chixue Sect Disciples.

As for Nightmare himself, he took a step forward, and his figure vanished from where he stood.

When he reappeared, he was ten zhang in front of Celestial Venerable Blood River.

"Arrogant!" Celestial Venerable Blood River roared, thrusting his hands forward violently.

Boom—

The blood river phantom behind him instantly solidified, turning into a blood-colored long river ten zhang wide, rolling up monstrous blood waves as it surged toward Nightmare. Countless vengeful souls roared within the blood river, and a bloody stench filled the world.

This was one of the Chixue Sect’s ultimate techniques—Blood River Annihilation.

Wherever the blood river passed, deep gullies were corroded into the ground, and even the air emitted a hissing corrosive sound. If an ordinary Cultivator at the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm were caught in it, their flesh and blood would instantly dissolve, and their Divine Soul would be annihilated.

But Nightmare did not retreat, instead advancing.

Within his body, the three keys of dao reversal resonated simultaneously.

The Hongmeng Chaos Nirvana Anti-Dao Demon Star Flame soared into the sky, condensing into a gigantic black flame shield in front of him—the Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame shield.

On the surface of the shield, countless black star patterns circulated, emitting an aura that annihilated everything.

Boom—!!!

The blood river slammed fiercely into the Demonic Star Flame shield.

The heavens shook and the earth quaked.

Blood color and black color collided, eroded, and dissolved crazily. The vengeful souls in the blood river touched the black flames, emitting shrill screams as they turned into green smoke and dissipated. And the black flames also trembled slightly under the scouring of the blood river.

But the shield did not break.

Not only did it not break, but the black flames on the shield’s surface also began to corrode the Origin of the blood river in reverse. The blood river faded and thinned at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the flames on the Demonic Star Flame shield grew increasingly intense.

"Impossible!" Celestial Venerable Blood River’s pupils shrank sharply, "My Blood River Annihilation can even heavily injure someone at the Peak of the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Nightmare had already moved.

Bearing the Demonic Star Flame shield, Nightmare stepped forward step by step.

With every step he took, the ground cracked. The impact of the blood river was forcefully held back by him, and then pushed back in reverse.

Ten zhang, nine zhang, eight zhang...

The distance between the two grew closer and closer.

"Seeking death!" Celestial Venerable Blood River gritted his teeth, his hands forming seals, "Blood River Nine Turns, suppress him for me!"

The blood river suddenly began to rotate, turning into nine blood-colored whirlpools, strangling Nightmare from all directions. Each whirlpool carried a terrifying tearing force, and the space at the edges of the whirlpools distorted.

Nightmare finally stopped his footsteps.

He raised his head, a flash of blood color in his eyes.

Then, he performed an action that no one expected—

He dismissed the Demonic Star Flame shield.

The black flame shield instantly dissipated.

The nine blood-colored whirlpools lost their obstruction and rushed toward Nightmare crazily, appearing as if they were about to swallow him.

But at that very instant, Nightmare spread his arms.

All the black flames rolled back into his body.

Then, in the next instant, with him as the center, they erupted with a boom.

Not a shield, not a wall.

But a—

Domain.

The Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain, fully deployed.

The spherical space with a diameter of three hundred zhang was instantly filled with black flames. The nine blood-colored whirlpools rushed into the Domain, just like ice falling into a furnace, dissolving and evaporating at an astonishing speed.

"Domain?! You actually cultivated a Domain!" Celestial Venerable Blood River’s expression finally changed.

A Domain was the prototype of power that only powerhouses at the Cosmic Supreme Realm could initially grasp. Although Nightmare’s Domain was still far from perfect, it already possessed some of the characteristics of a Domain—within his own Domain, he was the Dominator.

"Only realizing it now," Nightmare’s voice came from the flame Domain, "it’s too late."

His figure flashed, disappearing into the flames.

When he reappeared, he was to the left of Celestial Venerable Blood River.

He threw a punch.

It was a plain and unremarkable punch, but the black flames wrapped around his fist made Celestial Venerable Blood River’s hair stand on end.

"Blood River Body Protection!" he shouted, a thick blood-colored light shield appearing around him.

Bang!

The fist smashed into the light shield.

The light shield trembled violently, and fine cracks appeared on its surface.

Celestial Venerable Blood River used the force to retreat rapidly, while simultaneously waving his hands repeatedly, shooting dozens of blood arrows at Nightmare.

But the blood arrows shot into the flame Domain and were burned away by the black flames within the Domain before they could even get close to Nightmare.

"In my Domain," Nightmare’s voice came from all directions, "your attacks are meaningless."

He disappeared again.

This time, he appeared behind Celestial Venerable Blood River.

Celestial Venerable Blood River reacted extremely quickly, slapping out with his backhand, blood light erupting from his palm.

But Nightmare did not dodge or evade, meeting it with a palm strike of his own.

The two palms collided.

Black flames and blood-colored light eroded each other crazily.

The stalemate lasted less than three breaths.

Crack.

The blood-colored light shattered.

The black flames spread up his arm, instantly burning to Celestial Venerable Blood River’s shoulder.

"Ah—!" Celestial Venerable Blood River screamed, decisively severing his own right arm. The severed arm hit the ground and was instantly burned to ashes by the flames.

He staggered back, his face pale.

And Nightmare walked slowly out of the flames, a long blade completely condensed from black flames in his hand—the Dao Reversal Blade.

"Warm-up over," he said lightly, "time to send you on your way."

---

Meanwhile, in other areas of the battlefield.

The Nidao Vanguard Army and the main force of the Chixue Sect were locked in a chaotic battle.

Black flames and blood-colored light intertwined, and the sounds of shouting, screaming, and the collision of Magic Treasures were deafening. But the battle situation was clearly tilting toward one side.

Although the Chixue Sect had the numerical advantage, the overall combat power of the Nidao Vanguard Army was stronger. More importantly, the Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain deployed by Nightmare invisibly suppressed the combat power of all Chixue Sect Cultivators while strengthening the Vanguard Army.

As one rose, the other fell.

An Elder of the Chixue Sect was besieged by three Vanguard Army soldiers, wrapped in black flames, emitting shrill screams.

Elsewhere, over twenty Chixue Sect Celestial Venerable Realm Cultivators formed a battle array, only to be forcefully scattered by ten Vanguard Army soldiers and killed one by one.

The ordinary Disciples on the city walls fared even worse, falling like straw under the charge of the Vanguard Army.

Celestial Venerable Blood River watched this scene, his eyes splitting with rage.

"The thousand-year foundation of the Chixue Sect... actually destroyed by my hands..."

He looked up abruptly, staring at Nightmare, a crazed look flashing in his eyes.

"Even if I die, I will drag you down with me!"

As his voice fell, the Origin within his body began to burn crazily.

He was going to self-destruct!