Chapter 417 Escape from the Secret Realm, the Heavenly Emperor is Enraged

At the exit of the core layer, the black vortex was still slowly rotating.

Nightmare led eleven elites (one more than before, a Cultivator who had reached the Peak Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm while in the core layer) as they flew out of the vortex, returning to the gray space of the second layer.

Outside, the two hundred and forty members of the Core War Army were on guard—not a single person left behind was missing, and every one of them possessed an aura significantly stronger than three days ago. Clearly, they hadn't been idle during Nightmare's secluded cultivation, gaining much from the escaping Origin of the core layer.

“Lord!” The Deputy stepped forward, his eyes filled with excitement. “You... you’ve had a Breakthrough?”

“Yes.” Nightmare nodded without further explanation. “Pack up; we are evacuating immediately. The Divine Court won't let us take the crystal core so easily.”

“Yes!”

The group quickly assembled, counting heads and checking equipment.

Half a stick of incense later, the team began to head back the way they came.

Passing through the second layer and entering the first—the original lake of Origin liquid had dried up, leaving only a massive crater. A few wisps of pure Origin aura remained at the bottom, but they were quickly absorbed by the Cultivators behind Nightmare.

They traveled in silence.

Until they neared the Secret Realm's exit—the rainbow vortex at Heaven-Severing Cliff—Nightmare suddenly stopped.

“There's an ambush.” He looked toward the vortex, his gaze cold.

The Deputy immediately raised his hand, and the team instantly entered a combat stance.

“Come out,” Nightmare said indifferently to the empty space ahead. “Hiding your heads and showing your tails—is this also the style of the Divine Court?”

Silence.

Three breaths later, the space ahead began to warp.

Thirty-one figures slowly emerged.

At the head was an old man wearing a purple-gold Elder's robe, his face gaunt and his eyes sinister, surrounded by the pale gold fluctuations of the Early Stage Cosmic Supreme Realm. Behind him were thirty Divine Court Cultivators clad in uniform silver armor, each with a sharp aura, the lowest being at the Middle Stage Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm.

“Divine Court Enforcement Elder, Qing Ming.” The old man spoke slowly, his voice hoarse. “Nightmare, you stole the primordial supreme crystal core and murdered Divine Court Heavenly Generals, Elders, and Heavenly Emperor Guards... you deserve ten thousand deaths.”

Nightmare ignored him, merely glancing at the thirty Cultivators.

Well-trained and already in formation, they were clearly the elite of the elite.

“Did the Heavenly Emperor send you?” Nightmare asked.

“The Heavenly Emperor has learned of the crystal core's theft and is enraged.” A flicker of fear crossed Elder Qing Ming's eyes—evidently, the “wrath” of the Heavenly Emperor was not something an ordinary person could endure. “He personally ordered me to lead the ‘Enforcement Team’ to intercept you here and... execute you on the spot.”

“Execute me on the spot?” Nightmare laughed. “With just you?”

“Arrogance!” Elder Qing Ming roared. “You have only just broken through to the Middle Stage Supreme Realm, while I have been in this Realm for three hundred years! Today, I will show you that the gap in Realm is not something that can be bridged by a few wicked tricks!”

He raised his hand, and a golden medallion appeared in his palm.

“Enforcement Decree, activate!”

The medallion erupted with light, and the thirty Enforcement Team members simultaneously formed hand seals.

Thirty golden beams of light surged from their bodies, interlacing in the air to condense into a massive golden net of light. The net slowly pressed down; wherever it passed, space solidified and the flow of time became sluggish.

This was the signature combined attack technique of the Divine Court Enforcement Team—“Heavenly Net and Earthly Mesh.” It was said it could briefly trap even a Middle Stage Cosmic Supreme Realm expert.

“Lord, let us handle this!” the Deputy growled, about to lead his men forward.

“No need.” Nightmare raised his hand to stop him. “Guard the perimeter and prevent any second wave of ambushes.”

Before his voice had even faded, he had already stepped forward to meet the golden net of light.

“Seeking death!” A look of ruthlessness flashed in Elder Qing Ming's eyes as he slammed his hands downward.

The light net accelerated its descent, looking as if it would shroud Nightmare in an instant.

But Nightmare simply raised his right hand.

Palm upward, fingers slightly curved.

The Grandmist Chaos Void Annihilation Reincarnation Dao Reversal Demonic Star Flame surged from his palm.

This time, the color of the flame was no longer blackish-gray, but... semi-transparent.

Within the transparent flame, one could faintly see countless tiny “Reincarnation Rings” circulating, annihilating, and being reborn.

The moment the flame touched the golden net of light—

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!!!

There was no explosion, no impact.

Only the sound of slight corrosion.

That seemingly indestructible golden net of light dimmed, melted, and vanished at a visible rate under the erosion of the transparent flames.

Like snow meeting a red-hot iron.

“What?!” Elder Qing Ming's pupils shrank. “This is impossible! The Heavenly Net and Earthly Mesh can isolate all Laws, how could your flames possibly...”

“Your Heavenly Net and Earthly Mesh cannot isolate ‘Reincarnation’,” Nightmare said indifferently.

The flames in his palm suddenly erupted.

Instead of spreading outward, they collapsed inward, condensing into a transparent flaming longblade—the dao reversal reincarnation blade.

The blade's body was transparent, but countless tiny Reincarnation Rings circulated at the edge.

“Slash.”

A single strike was unleashed.

No trajectory, no sound.

Elder Qing Ming didn't even see how the blade arrived; he only felt an indescribable sense of crisis instantly envelop his entire body.

He roared, manifesting a golden shield to block in front of him while retreating frantically.

But the blade had already struck the shield.

Crack.

The shield was split in two.

The momentum of the blade did not diminish as it continued forward.

“No—!!!”

Elder Qing Ming's protective Origin was easily sliced open, and a smooth cut appeared on his chest from his right shoulder to his left waist.

The cut did not bleed because the edges of the wound had been completely annihilated by the power of “Reincarnation Erosion.”

He looked down at his rapidly disappearing body, his eyes full of terror and disbelief.

“The Heavenly Emperor... will not let...” Before his voice could finish, his entire being completely vanished into nothingness.

One breath.

The Early Stage Cosmic Supreme Realm Enforcement Elder was dead.

Nightmare sheathed his blade and looked toward the thirty Enforcement Team members.

The thirty men were now pale-faced, their eyes filled with despair. If even an Elder was killed in a single blow, what were they?

“Run!” someone screamed hoarsely.

The thirty people scattered in flight.

“None of you shall leave.” Nightmare raised his hand.

Thirty streaks of transparent flame shot from his fingertips, accurately pursuing every single person.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—

Thirty soft sounds as thirty clumps of flame exploded.

Thirty Hongmeng Celestial Venerable Realm elites were wiped out.

The entire process took less than five breaths.

The Cultivators of the Core War Army watched in stunned silence.

Their Lord... had become even stronger.

So strong that they didn't even have the qualification to look up to him.

Nightmare walked to where Elder Qing Ming had disappeared and picked up the golden Enforcement Decree and a communication Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip was still faintly glowing—clearly, Elder Qing Ming had sent out a message before he died.

Nightmare’s Divine Sense entered the Jade Slip.

Inside was only a brief message, but the signature at the end made his eyes narrow slightly.

“Personal Decree of the Heavenly Emperor: Qing Ming, if you encounter Nightmare, kill him on sight. If you fail... I shall personally dispatch the ‘Divine Court Heavenly Army’ to trample the Nidao Alliance.”

The Divine Court Heavenly Army.

The strongest combat force directly under the Heavenly Emperor, said to be led by a Late Stage Cosmic Supreme Realm commander, with at least five Early Stage Cosmic Supreme Realms, a hundred Hongmeng Heavenly Venerates, and hundreds of Hunyuan Heavenly Venerates under their command.

This was the true core main force of the Divine Court.

“Lord?” The Deputy stepped forward, seeing Nightmare's solemn expression, and asked cautiously, “What happened?”

“The Heavenly Emperor has sent the Heavenly Army.” Nightmare put away the Jade Slip. “Evacuate immediately; return to the Barren Star Domain stronghold.”

“Yes!”

The group dared not delay, quickly passing through the rainbow vortex to leave the Secret Realm.

Outside Heaven-Severing Cliff, the sky was gloomy.

Faint thunder could be heard in the distance—that was not natural thunder, but a phenomenon triggered by the movement of a massive army.

“The Heavenly Army is almost here.” Nightmare glanced into the distance and gave a decisive order. “Scatter and evacuate; regroup at the Barren Star Domain stronghold. Remember, conceal your tracks and do not expose yourselves.”

“As you command!”

The two hundred and fifty people split into dozens of small teams, quietly leaving in different directions.

Nightmare took ten elites and chose a remote route, merging into the Void Realm and disappearing.

Half a day later.

The Barren Star Domain, hidden stronghold.

All teams returned one after another; no one had fallen behind.

Nightmare stood at the core of the stronghold, looking out at the deep, dark starry sky.

He could feel a terrifying aura rapidly approaching from the direction of the Divine Court headquarters.

That was... the aura of the Divine Court Heavenly Army.

“Time to prepare for battle,” he whispered.