Hidden passage, secret crossing of the Heavenly Gate

Inside the passage, it was completely different from what they had imagined.

There were no roads, no light, and not even a concept of space. There were only countless distorted patches of color and light rays spinning, interweaving, and shattering frantically. A sharp screeching rang in their ears, sounding like metal grinding or the wailing of some ancient creature.

This was a Spatial Interlayer.

"Everyone, keep close," Nightmare's voice rang out in everyone's minds. "Time and space are chaotic here; if you fall behind, you might never return."

The two hundred and fifty Cultivators huddled close together, their auras merging into one, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Nightmare walked at the very front, holding the Divine Court Core Troop Deployment Token in his hand. The token emitted a faint layer of golden light, forming a spherical shield ten zhang in diameter that enveloped everyone.

Outside the shield, spatial turbulence continuously lashed against them.

That turbulence seemed harmless, but Nightmare knew that any single current was enough to tear a Hunyuan Celestial Venerable Realm Cultivator to shreds. Only Cosmic Supreme Realm experts could barely survive within a Spatial Interlayer for a short period.

"My Lord, there's something ahead!" a Cultivator skilled in perception suddenly whispered.

Nightmare looked up.

Several hundred zhang ahead, dozens of fist-sized golden crystals floated. Their surfaces were covered in complex patterns, emitting eerie fluctuations.

"Divine Court Monitoring Devices," Nightmare recognized them at a glance. "They will automatically send a signal if any non-Divine Court aura approaches."

He raised his hand, and black-gray flames transformed into dozens of fine threads, silently drifting toward the crystals.

The moment the threads touched the crystals, the golden light on their surfaces flickered violently as if about to explode. But the black-gray flames were faster—they burrowed into the crystals like living things, frantically devouring the Divine Court Origin within.

Three breaths later, all the crystals dimmed, shattered, and turned to ash.

"Keep moving."

The group continued forward.

Over the next three days, they encountered seven Restrictions, thirteen monitoring devices, and even two spatial traps—these were lethal measures set by the Divine Court within the passage. If triggered, the space in the entire area would collapse, burying intruders forever within the Void Realm turbulence.

But Nightmare's Nidao Demonic Flame was practically the nemesis of all Divine Court creations.

Restrictions? Erased.

Monitoring devices? Devoured.

Spatial traps? Burned right through.

Their path remained unobstructed all the way.

"No wonder the Divine Court dared to leave a secret passage here," a Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm Cultivator remarked with emotion. "Anyone else would have died ten times over facing these setups."

"That is why we are the Nidao Alliance," Nightmare said calmly. "Whatever the Divine Court fears, we specialize in destroying."

Everyone's spirits were lifted.

Indeed, the Lord they followed was someone who specifically opposed the Divine Court.

---

On the evening of the third day, an exit finally appeared ahead.

It was a halo only about a zhang in size, flickering amidst the chaotic patches of color. Through the halo, they could faintly see the scenery outside—a lush, green valley.

"We've arrived," Nightmare stopped.

He was in no hurry to exit.

The token's resonance told him there was something outside the exit.

"Wait here," he instructed. Then, concealing all his aura, he stepped out of the halo.

---

Inside the valley, the sunlight was bright.

Birds sang, flowers were fragrant, and streams gurgled. The air was filled with pure Spiritual Qi—the concentration here was at least three times that of the inland's edge.

But Nightmare had no interest in admiring the scenery.

He hid behind a massive rock, and his Divine Sense spread out like flowing water.

Ten zhang, a hundred zhang, a thousand zhang... Found them.

Deep in the valley, hidden within the thickets, were ten auras.

Ten Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm auras.

"Sentries..." A cold glint flashed in Nightmare's eyes.

None of these ten were weak; the lowest was at the Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm Middle Stage, while the strongest was close to the Late Stage. They were divided into three groups, positioned in a triangular Formation to monitor the entire valley—especially the passage exit.

Nightmare did not act immediately.

He continued to observe.

After half an incense stick's time, he discovered some details.

Every thirty breaths, these ten would perform a "Divine Thought Resonance"—a special communication method where their Divine Thoughts merged into one. If anything happened to one person, the other nine would know instantly and simultaneously send word to the Divine Court Heavenly Gate.

"Wiping them all out at once is a bit tricky," Nightmare calculated.

If he charged in, he was confident he could kill all ten within three breaths. But three breaths were enough for them to send out a message.

He had to be faster.

So fast that they wouldn't even have time to think about sending a message.

Nightmare retreated back into the passage.

"Prepare for battle," he said to the Core War Army. "There are ten Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm sentries outside. I will deal with them within three breaths. The moment I act, rush out of the passage immediately and block all valley exits. Don't let a single one escape."

"Yes!"

The two hundred and fifty people condensed their auras, their Killing Intent suppressed but ready.

Nightmare stepped out of the passage once more.

This time, he did not hide.

He appeared directly in the center of the valley, exposed to the sight of the ten sentries.

"Who's there?!"

The ten sentries became alert almost simultaneously, their Divine Thoughts instantly locking onto Nightmare.

But Nightmare's speed was faster than their Divine Thoughts.

"Dao Reversal Cage."

As the four words were uttered, the space within a thousand zhang instantly solidified. It wasn't frozen; it was completely sealed by an invisible "Power of Nothingness," rendering all communication methods useless.

Simultaneously, Nightmare raised his hand.

Ten streaks of black-gray flame shot from his fingertips, each accurately targeting a sentry.

Those ten reacted extremely quickly, responding almost the moment the flames appeared—some summoned defensive Magic Treasures, some used escape techniques, and some even tried to detonate their Origins to go down in a blaze of glory.

But it was useless.

The flames ignored all defenses, all escape techniques, and even self-destruction.

Puff! Puff! Puff!... Ten soft sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

The ten Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm sentries were turned to ash by the flames before they could even scream. Their Divine Souls, Magic Treasures, Storage Pouches... everything was burned into nothingness, leaving only ten wisps of pure Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm Origin.

Nightmare raised his hand and absorbed the ten wisps of Origin into his body.

The entire process took less than two breaths.

"Come out."

From within the passage, the Core War Army swarmed out, quickly dispersing to block all exits of the valley.

"Clear the traces," Nightmare ordered.

Everyone acted immediately, erasing all traces of battle. Even the ash on the ground was swept into spatial rifts, vanishing completely.

The valley returned to tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened.

Nightmare walked to the edge of the valley and looked into the distance.

Ten li away, a giant gate ten thousand zhang high stood between heaven and earth.

The gate was made entirely of white jade, with countless patterns of gods and demons carved on the frame. At the top of the gate hung a golden plaque with three large characters inscribed on it:

**Divine Court Heavenly Gate.**

In front of the gate, two elderly men in purple-gold Daoist robes sat cross-legged, their auras as deep and vast as the abyss and the sea.

Cosmic Supreme Realm Early Stage.

Behind them were a hundred silver-armored Cultivators, each with a powerful aura, the weakest being at the Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm Middle Stage.

Further away, nine sky-piercing pillars surrounded the Heavenly Gate, with a blood-colored crystal floating atop each—these were the Formation eyes of the Nine Heavens God-Slaying Evil Formation. Once activated, the entire area would be shrouded in Evil Qi, making it difficult even for a Cosmic Supreme Realm Late Stage expert to escape.

"The defenses are indeed tight," Nightmare narrowed his eyes.

But their current position was clever—behind the Heavenly Gate and shielded by the valley's terrain. As long as they weren't exposed, they wouldn't be discovered for a short while.

"My Lord, what do we do next?" the Deputy asked in a low voice.

Nightmare thought for a moment. "First, establish a temporary base here and observe for a few days. Once we've figured out their rotation patterns, we'll decide on our next move."

"Yes."

The Core War Army acted swiftly, carving out a hidden camp deep in the valley and setting up an isolation Formation.

Nightmare stood at the edge of the camp, looking at the distant Divine Court Heavenly Gate, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

The infiltration was a success.

Next, he had to find a way to sneak into the core area.

And the first step... He looked toward the direction of the Supreme Mountain Range.

It was the Grandmist Supreme Hall.