Crimson Blood City falls, sect leader perishes

The Origin within Celestial Venerable Blood River burned to the extreme, his entire person swelling into a ball of blinding blood-red light, the violent energy fluctuations causing space itself to begin distorting.

He was going to self-destruct.

The self-destruction of a powerhouse at the Late Stage of the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm had enough power to raze a ten-mile radius to the ground. Even with the protection of Nightmare's Dao Reversal Ultimate Kill Domain, he would inevitably suffer heavy injuries.

"Die together with me!" Celestial Venerable Blood River’s face was twisted, his eyes filled with madness.

But Nightmare's reaction was faster than his.

The moment Celestial Venerable Blood River's Origin began to burn, Nightmare had already moved.

Not retreating, but advancing.

He spread his arms, and the black flames around his body surged frantically toward Celestial Venerable Blood River, instantly forming a flaming cage that completely enveloped him.

"You want to use flames to suppress my self-destruction?" Celestial Venerable Blood River laughed wildly. "It's useless! Once the Origin starts burning, it is impossible to..."

His words came to an abrupt halt.

Because he discovered that those black flames were not attempting to extinguish the burning of his Origin, but were instead absorbing it frantically.

To be precise, they were absorbing the energy released by his burning Origin.

"This... what kind of evil art is this?!" Celestial Venerable Blood River finally panicked.

He felt that the terrifying energy produced by his burning Origin was being frantically devoured by the black flames. Like a deflating ball, no matter how he channeled it, the energy was rapidly draining away.

Nightmare stood outside the flaming cage, his gaze indifferent: "My Demonic Flame can even devour the Origin. You want to self-destruct? Then go ahead and explode; it will just add some fuel to my Demonic Flame."

"No—!!!"

Celestial Venerable Blood River let out a desperate roar.

He wanted to stop, but it was already too late. The burning of the Origin was irreversible; even if he stopped now, his cultivation would be completely ruined, and he would suffer a fate worse than death.

Since that was the case...

"Then let's die together!!" He gritted his teeth and completely detonated all his remaining Origin.

Boom—!!!

An earth-shattering explosion rang out.

Blood-red light soared into the sky, dyeing half the sky red. The terrifying shockwave spread in all directions, the ground rolling like waves, and the nearest buildings instantly turned into powder.

But the blood-red light only lasted for three breaths.

Three breaths later, the black flames surged back like a tide, completely devouring the blood-red light. The flaming cage was not blown open; instead, it became even more solid, trapping all the explosion energy within it.

Nightmare stood outside the cage and made a grasping motion with his hand.

The flaming cage shrank rapidly, from a diameter of ten zhang to one zhang, then to three feet, and finally into a black fireball the size of a fist.

Within the fireball, the twisted face of Celestial Venerable Blood River could be vaguely seen.

"You..." A weak fluctuation of the Divine Soul emanated from the fireball.

"It's over." Nightmare said indifferently, and his five fingers suddenly closed tight.

Puff.

The fireball burst, turning into black sparks that filled the sky and dissipated with the wind.

Celestial Venerable Blood River, body and Divine Soul destroyed.

Nightmare opened his palm, revealing a wisp of pure Late Stage Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm Origin in his palm. He didn't even look at it and directly stored it in his storage ring.

Then, he looked up.

The sounds of slaughter on the battlefield had stopped at some point.

All the Chixue Sect Cultivators watched this scene in a daze.

The Sect Master... died?

That Celestial Venerable Blood River, who was like a god in their hearts, just died like that? Died without even leaving a trace behind?

It was unknown who shouted first: "The Sect Master has fallen! Run!"

Whoosh—

The Chixue Sect camp completely collapsed.

The remaining hundred or so Cultivators turned and fled; any Formation or Battle Intent was gone. They only wanted to survive now.

But the Nidao Vanguard Army would not let them escape.

"Pursue!" The Deputy shouted, "Leave none alive!"

Black flames crisscrossed the battlefield, and screams rose one after another. The Chixue Sect Cultivators, having lost their fighting spirit, were powerless before the Vanguard Army, like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

Nightmare did not pay attention to those miscellaneous soldiers.

He looked toward Chixue City.

The Chixue Sect Disciples on the city walls were in chaos; some tried to flee, some were still putting up a desperate resistance, but more were hesitating—the city-protecting Formation had not yet been broken, so they still had a glimmer of hope.

"Break the Formation." Nightmare ordered.

Twenty Cultivators stepped out from the Vanguard Army and formed hand seals simultaneously. Twenty streams of black flames converged into a single beam, slamming fiercely into the transparent light barrier above the city walls.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three consecutive strikes.

The light barrier of the city-protecting Formation trembled violently, countless cracks appearing on its surface, and then on the fourth strike—

Crack.

It completely shattered.

"Kill your way in!" Nightmare was the first to charge into the city.

Inside Chixue City, it was a scene of chaos.

The streets were filled with panicking Cultivators and Mortals fleeing. Shops were closed, houses were shut tight, and occasionally, a few unafraid ones would peek out from window gaps, only to quickly pull their heads back in.

Nightmare's target was very clear—the Chixue Sect headquarters.

It was a palace built on a mountain in the center of the city, constructed entirely of blood-colored rock. Outside the palace was the last layer of defensive Formation, where dozens of loyal Chixue Sect Disciples were resisting to the death.

"Stubborn and foolish." Nightmare raised his hand, and a torrent of flames swept across.

The Formation shattered, and the garrison was completely wiped out.

He stepped into the Chixue Sect main hall.

The main hall was empty, save for the Sect Master's throne in the center, which still emitted a faint blood-red light. The shelves on both sides were filled with Jade Slips and ancient texts, recording the Cultivation Technique and secret arts accumulated by the Chixue Sect over a thousand years.

"Search." Nightmare said.

The Vanguard Army quickly dispersed, beginning to clear out the remnants and loot resources.

Nightmare himself walked toward the treasury behind the main hall. The treasury door was tightly closed, covered with Restrictions. But he just pressed his hand against it, and the black flames permeated through, burning all the Restrictions away.

The door slowly opened.

Inside the treasury, it was filled with treasures.

The left side was piled high with high-grade origin crystals, at least ten thousand pieces, each containing pure Origin energy. On the right were various Medicinal Pills and Magic Treasures, among which there was no shortage of precious items at the Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm level.

Deepest inside were a few jade shelves, on which sat dozens of Jade Slips. Nightmare swept his Divine Sense over them; they contained the Chixue Sect's town-protecting Cultivation Technique "Blood River True Scripture," detailed distribution maps of various forces in the inland, and even intelligence on some high-ranking members of the Hongmeng Divine Court.

"A good harvest." He swept everything away and stored it in his storage ring.

When he walked out of the treasury, the Deputy came to report: "Master, all resistance forces in the city have been cleared out, with over five hundred Cultivators killed and three thousand captured. How should we deal with the captives?"

Nightmare thought for a moment: "For those willing to submit, plant Restrictions on them and incorporate them into the peripheral troops. For those who resist, kill them all."

"Yes."

"Additionally," Nightmare added, "select someone from the Vanguard Army to serve as the 'Ancient Road Garrison Commander' to coordinate the defense of the Crimson Blood Ancient Road and Chixue City. Leave one thousand troops to garrison the area."

The Deputy received the order and left.

Nightmare walked to the entrance of the Chixue Sect main hall and looked down at the entire city.

From today on, this city bears the surname Ye.

But just at this moment, his brows suddenly furrowed.

He took out a messaging Jade Talisman he had found in Celestial Venerable Blood River's storage ring from his bosom. The Jade Talisman was slightly hot, and blood-red text appeared on it: "The reinforcements from the Zhennan Branch have departed, led by an Elder at the Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm, and are expected to arrive in one incense stick of time."

One incense stick of time?

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Nightmare's mouth.

They have come at the right time.

"Pass the order," he turned around, "all troops, complete your rest within one incense stick of time. Then..."

He looked toward the south, in the direction of the Hongmeng Divine Court's Zhennan Branch.

"Prepare to engage the Divine Court's elite."