Zhennan raid wipes out the branch.

Zhennan City, the location of the Hongmeng Divine Court's Zhennan Branch.

The city was more than three times the size of Chixue City. Its walls were a hundred zhang high, built entirely from white jade-like "Zhennan Divine Stone," with surfaces covered in dense defensive runes. At each of the four corners of the wall stood a watchtower, with a ten-zhang diameter crystal ball floating above it, scanning every movement within a hundred-mile radius.

The branch was located in the center of the city, a palace complex covering a thousand acres. The main hall towered into the clouds, and a huge "Zhennan Divine Pearl" was embedded in the roof, emitting a pale golden radiance that enveloped the entire branch in an invisible shield.

At this moment, the branch leader—the Zhennan Venerable, a Late Stage Grandmist Heavenly Venerable Realm expert—was sitting in the main hall's council chamber, listening to his subordinate's report.

"...After Elder Jinming fell, all three reconnaissance teams we sent towards Chixue City have lost contact. Additionally, violent energy fluctuations have been reported from the direction of the Blood Pool, suspected to be the triggering of the Hongmeng Blood Pool's Restriction."

The Zhennan Venerable frowned.

He was a middle-aged man with a dignified face, wearing gold-trimmed purple robes and a seven-star crown, exuding the authority of one who has long held a high position.

"The Chixue Sect has been destroyed, Jinming has fallen, and now even the Blood Pool is having problems..." He spoke slowly, his voice deep. "It seems that whoever has come this time is no ordinary character."

"Commander, should we request reinforcements from headquarters?" A Deputy asked cautiously.

"Not for now." The Zhennan Venerable waved his hand. "I have already activated the Zhennan Divine Court Array. Even if a Peak Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm expert came, they wouldn't gain any advantage. Besides..."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "I have already sent the 'Shadow Guards' to investigate. We will decide the next step after we figure out the opponent's background."

No sooner had he finished speaking.

Boom—!!!

The entire branch shook violently.

Dust fell from the beams of the council chamber, and the teacups on the table jumped half an inch high.

"What's going on?!" The Zhennan Venerable stood up abruptly.

"Report—!" A Cultivator stumbled into the council chamber, his face pale. "All early warning devices have failed! The array eye of the core command System has been destroyed!"

"What?!" The Zhennan Venerable's expression changed drastically. "What about the grand array? What about the shield?"

"The shield... the shield is still there, but the core array eye has been destroyed, leaving the grand array with only thirty percent of its power!"

The Zhennan Venerable flashed out of the council chamber.

He stood on the square in front of the hall and looked up.

Above the branch, the pale golden shield still existed, but its light was significantly dimmer. What shocked him even more was—

Inside the shield, the core array tower behind the main hall, responsible for early warning and command, was burning with eerie black-gray flames.

The flames burned silently, and the array tower was melting and collapsing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame..." The Zhennan Venerable stared fixedly at the flames, saying each word clearly, "The Jade Slip Jinming sent back before he died mentioned this flame. So it was you..."

He turned abruptly and looked towards the ruins of the array tower.

There, a figure slowly walked out of the flames.

Black robes, black hair, with black-gray flames burning all over his body.

Nightmare.

Their gazes collided in the air.

"You've got guts." The Zhennan Venerable said coldly, "Daring to break into the core of the Zhennan Branch alone."

"One person is enough." Nightmare said indifferently.

The Zhennan Venerable laughed in extreme anger: "Good! What an arrogant fool! Do you think you can run wild in the Zhennan Branch just by destroying the array tower?"

He raised his hand and made a gesture.

In an instant, eight figures appeared from all directions, surrounding Nightmare in the center. These eight were all Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm Cultivators, the core Elders of the Zhennan Branch.

At the same time, three hundred Celestial Venerable Realm Cultivators poured out from various halls, forming a battle formation on the periphery, blocking all escape routes.

"The Zhennan Branch has been established for a thousand years, and no one has ever dared to be so presumptuous." The Zhennan Venerable slowly ascended into the air, golden radiance erupting from his body. "Today, I will let you know what it means for the Divine Court's majesty to be inviolable!"

He formed seals with both hands, and a huge golden square seal condensed above his head.

Zhennan Grandmist Seal.

But it was ten times larger than the one Elder Jinming had unleashed. The square seal was engraved with dense ancient Divine Court characters, emitting a terrifying pressure that suppressed the heavens and earth.

"Suppress!"

The Zhennan Venerable shouted, and the golden square seal crashed down with a boom.

Nightmare looked up at the sky-covering seal, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes.

He did not dodge or evade, but simply raised his right hand.

Palm facing up, five fingers spread.

Black-gray flames surged from his palm, condensing into a flame shield only three feet in size.

Compared to that hundred-zhang seal, this shield was pitifully small.

"A mantis trying to block a chariot!" The Zhennan Venerable sneered.

The next second.

The golden square seal smashed fiercely onto the flame shield.

There was no earth-shattering roar.

Only a soft "chi" sound.

Then, everyone saw a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives—

That hundred-zhang seal began to dissolve the moment it touched the flame shield.

Just like ice meeting a red-hot iron, the golden square seal began to melt and evaporate from the bottom at a speed visible to the naked eye. The black-gray flames spread upward along the seal, and everything in their path turned into nothingness.

Three breaths.

In just three breaths.

That Zhennan Grandmist Seal, which could suppress a Peak Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm expert, vanished.

Not even a trace of energy fluctuation remained, as if it had never existed.

"This... this is impossible!" The Zhennan Venerable's pupils shrank to needle points.

Eight Elders, three hundred Cultivators, all stunned.

"My turn." Nightmare's voice sounded.

His figure flashed and disappeared from where he was.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of the Zhennan Venerable.

The distance between the two was less than a foot.

The Zhennan Venerable could even see the black-gray flames burning in Nightmare's eyes.

"Die."

Nightmare raised his hand and pointed a finger.

At his fingertip, the black-gray flames condensed to the extreme, turning into a flame needle as thin as a hair, stabbing towards the Zhennan Venerable's glabella.

"Zhennan Divine Armor!" The Zhennan Venerable roared, and a set of golden battle armor appeared around him. The armor was covered with ancient divine scripts, exuding an indestructible aura.

This was his life-bound defensive Magic Treasure, which had once blocked a casual strike from a Cosmic Supreme Realm expert.

But the flame needle pierced through the armor.

Just like a needle passing through thin paper.

Pfft.

A soft sound.

The flame needle pierced into the Zhennan Venerable's glabella and came out the back of his head.

The Zhennan Venerable's body stiffened, a look of disbelief still remaining in his eyes. He wanted to say something, but the black-gray flames had already erupted from the wound on his glabella, instantly spreading over his entire body.

One breath later.

The Late Stage Grandmist Heavenly Venerable Realm Zhennan Venerable turned into fly ash.

A wisp of extremely pure Late Stage Grandmist Heavenly Venerable Realm Origin was collected by Nightmare into his storage ring.

The whole scene was dead silent.

Eight Elders, three hundred Cultivators, all frozen in place.

The commander... died?

One move?

"Run—!"

I don't know who shouted first.

Panic spread like a plague. Three hundred Cultivators fled in all directions, and the eight Elders also wanted to escape, but Nightmare had already locked onto them.

"None of you are getting away."

Black-gray flames surged out like a tide, instantly enveloping the entire branch's main hall area. Wherever the flames passed, buildings melted, and Cultivators turned to ashes.

The eight Elders resisted desperately, but their attacks fell on the flames like water droplets into the sea, not even stirring up a ripple.

A massacre.

A one-sided massacre.

Half an incense stick later.

The flames receded.

The main hall area of the branch had turned into scorched earth. All buildings had disappeared, and the ground had been burned into glass. Three hundred Cultivators, eight Elders, none survived.

Nightmare walked to the location of the original main hall, where there was a deep pit burned out by the flames. At the bottom of the pit, an entrance to a hidden underground secret room was revealed.

He jumped down.

The secret room was filled with resources.

On the left was a mountain of high-grade origin crystals, at least one hundred thousand of them. On the right were various rare Materials, Medicinal Pills, and Magic Treasures. On the shelf at the very back were dozens of Jade Slips.

Nightmare picked up a Jade Slip and scanned it with his Divine Sense.

"Distribution Map of Hongmeng Divine Court's Inland Core Forces (Latest Edition)"

"Evaluation of Divine Court's Top Combat Power (Confidential)"

"Detailed Record of Zhennan Branch's Jurisdiction"

"Summary of Divine Court Secret Realm Resource Points"

...

All of them were invaluable intelligence.

He swept everything away and returned to the surface.

On the outskirts of the branch, there was still some sporadic resistance. That was the Nidao Vanguard Army fighting with the branch's patrol troops. However, judging from the aura, the battle was already one-sided.

Nightmare raised his hand and waved it at the remaining buildings of the branch.

The black-gray flames turned into a fire dragon and swept through.

Wherever it passed, everything turned to ashes.

When the last building collapsed, the entire Zhennan City no longer had a Zhennan Branch.

Nightmare stood in the center of the ruins and looked north.

That was the direction of the Hongmeng Divine Court's inland core area.

"Time to go back."

He turned around, turned into a black-gray stream of light, and flew towards Chixue City.

Behind him were the burning ruins of the branch.