Destruction before construction

The heavy footsteps of the black fiend puppet echoed in the narrow stone chamber, like a death knell, each step striking Nightmare's heart.

The rusty yet Evil Qi-filled giant axe was already raised, its eerie blue Soul Fire locked onto Nightmare, who lay sprawled on the ground, a chilling killing intent permeating the air.

No escape! No retreat!

In Nightmare's current state, even moving a finger was incredibly difficult; it was utterly impossible to withstand an attack from this Puppet, which was comparable to the Early Golden Core Stage Realm!

The aura of death was more intense than ever before!

However, in this absolute despair, Nightmare's bottomless eyes, instead of despair, ignited with an extremely mad and obsessive flame!

If he couldn't face it head-on, then... he would borrow its power!

An extremely bold, almost self-destructive thought instantly flashed through his mind!

He abruptly abandoned all thoughts of defense and evasion, instead using his last shred of strength to painstakingly adjust his posture, slightly puffing out his chest, directly facing the black giant axe that was about to cleave down!

At the same time, he frantically circulated the most perilous secret art from the Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture—the Soul-Devouring Body Refining Art! This was originally a method for tempering the Physical Body using the earth fiend yin meridian, extremely painful, and requiring gradual progress. A slight mistake could lead to one's Divine Soul being corroded by Evil Qi, resulting in one's body exploding and dying!

But at this moment, what Nightmare wanted to do was to actively guide the immense Evil Qi and physical impact contained in the black fiend puppet's attack into his body!

He wanted to use the power of this Puppet to refine the rampant Power of Wind Evil Qi belonging to the Green-Winged Bat King within his body and stimulate his Physical Body's potential to forcefully repair his injuries!

This was akin to dancing on a knife's edge, snatching chestnuts from the fire! The success rate was less than one in ten thousand!

But he had no choice!

Boom!

The black fiend puppet's giant axe did not pause at all, carrying a savage force that could tear everything apart, and fiercely cleaved onto Nightmare's chest!

Crack!

An ear-splitting sound of bones cracking instantly exploded! Nightmare's chest visibly caved in, several ribs instantly fractured! A mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spurted out!

But at the same time, the immense Yin Evil Force contained in the giant axe, like a breached flood, surged madly into Nightmare's body through the wound!

"Ugh ah ah ah—!"

Nightmare let out a painful roar that was far from human, his entire face instantly twisted! His body convulsed violently!

Two types of Evil Qi, different in nature but equally violent, clashed and fought wildly within his body! The sharp Power of Wind Evil Qi tore, and the heavy Yin Evil Force corroded; wherever they passed, Meridians snapped, and flesh festered!

This pain was hundreds of times worse than refining the black stone energy before! It felt as if his entire body was being crushed and corroded from the inside, bit by bit!

Black blood seeped from Nightmare's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth; his consciousness struggled repeatedly on the verge of collapse, relying solely on an indestructible Demonic Venerable will to hold on!

The Soul-Devouring Body Refining Art was operated to its extreme, painstakingly guiding these two deadly Evil Qi, circulating them along an arcane path, grinding, wearing down, and fusing with each other... This was an incredibly perilous process, like a war being waged within his body! Every impact teetered on the brink of his body exploding and dying!

Time seemed to stretch endlessly.

Just as Nightmare felt his will was about to be completely submerged by pain and his body was about to completely collapse—

A sudden change occurred!

The demonic gold core, which had been dormant deep within his Dantian, covered in cracks and dim in light, under the frantic impact of these two external Evil Qi and the desperate refinement of the Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture, actually let out a "crack" sound, unable to bear the strain!

The next moment, the demonic gold core... shattered!

But the anticipated complete loss of cultivation did not occur!

Those Golden Core fragments did not dissipate; instead, under the frantic compression of the two Evil Qi and the Traction of the Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture, they surged like a hundred rivers returning to the sea towards the wound on his chest cleaved by the giant axe, intertwining, compressing, and condensing madly with the surging Yin Evil Force, the residual Power of Wind Evil Qi, his own Demonic Essence, blood Qi, and even that trace of Xiangliu Poison!

Breaking Through to Establish Anew!

A profound and mysterious transformation occurred at that fatal wound!

The intense pain remained, but a new, more refined and powerful sensation surged out from there like a volcanic eruption, instantly flowing through his entire body!

His Physical Body, which had been on the verge of collapse, began to repair itself at a visible speed under the nourishment of this new power! Broken bones reassembled, torn Meridians reconnected, and festering flesh regenerated!

The terrifying axe wound on his chest, the flesh furiously wriggling, healed by more than half in just a few breaths, leaving only a hideous scar that shimmered with metallic black light!

And outside his body, the black fiend puppet, which seemed to have run out of energy after one strike and stood rigidly in place, its surrounding Yin Evil Qi was actually pulled, strand by strand, and devoured and absorbed by the suction generated by the new power in Nightmare's chest!

"Ding! Detected Host has broken through the limit in a desperate situation, Myriad Poison Demonic Body has absorbed multiple Evil Qi Origins, completed initial tempering, and advanced to the Minor Achievement Realm!"

"Physical Body strength significantly increased, Evil Qi resistance greatly enhanced, recovery ability remarkably improved!"

"Cultivation stabilized at the Late Golden Core Stage, Demonic Essence purity increased!"

The System's prompt sound, though still faint, carried a hint of ripple.

Nightmare slowly sat up from the ground.

He looked down at the hideous scar on his chest, feeling the Demonic Essence within his body—though its total amount had not recovered, it had become more refined and pure, carrying a tenacious evil intent—and his refreshed, power-filled Physical Body. A trace of disbelief and ecstasy flashed in his eyes!

A narrow escape from death! Breaking Through to Establish Anew!

Not only did he survive, but he also turned misfortune into a blessing, tempering his Myriad Poison Demonic Body to the Minor Achievement Realm! His strength had actually improved!

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on the black fiend puppet, which was still rigid, its Soul Fire flickering erratically, seemingly in disarray because its energy had been absorbed.

At this moment, this Puppet, which had almost taken his life just now, was no longer a deadly weapon in his eyes, but a... huge tonic!

Nightmare's lips curved into a cold and greedy arc.

He extended his palm and slowly pressed it onto the black fiend puppet's cold chest.

The Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture and the Myriad Poison Demonic Body operated simultaneously!

A powerful devouring force erupted!

The pure Yin Evil Force within the Puppet's body, as if encountering its nemesis, was continuously drawn out, surging into Nightmare's body, rapidly refined and absorbed, transforming into nourishment for healing injuries and consolidating cultivation!

The Puppet trembled violently, the eerie blue Soul Fire in its eyes flickering wildly, attempting to resist, but it could not stop the domineering devouring force at all!

Its surface visibly turned gray and lost its luster, and finally... *clatter*... it completely fell apart, turning into a pile of lifeless scrap metal and broken stones.

Meanwhile, Nightmare slowly closed his eyes, sitting cross-legged before this pile of scrap metal, Demonic Qi and Evil Qi intertwining around him, his aura visibly growing stronger and more stable.

His injuries were rapidly recovering, and his strength was returning.

After an unknown period, when Nightmare opened his eyes again, they shone with brilliant light. Although his face was still somewhat pale, his aura had stabilized at the Late Golden Core Stage, even more refined than before he was injured!

He stood up and stretched his limbs, a series of crackling sounds emanating from within his body, full of a sense of power.

His gaze swept over the pile of Puppet scrap metal. He casually collected a few core pieces of metal that had not completely lost their energy; perhaps they could be used for Artifact Refining in the future.

Subsequently, his gaze once again turned to the System space.

The wind soul demon fruit floated quietly, emitting an alluring luster.

After the near-death experience just now, Nightmare's state of mind seemed to have undergone a slight transformation. He no longer hesitated, took out the Demonic Fruit, and swallowed it directly.

The fruit melted upon entry, transforming into a cool, sweet liquid that instantly surged through his limbs and bones, ultimately rushing straight into his Sea of Consciousness!

Nightmare only felt an unprecedented clarity and comfort in his Divine Soul, as if it had been cleansed and purified. The stinging sensation in his Divine Soul caused by severe injuries and overexertion instantly dissipated, his Divine Sense became more refined and acute, his perception range also expanded considerably, and his perception of the flow of energy in the surrounding environment, especially wind-attributed energy, became exceptionally clear!

Good stuff! It really has a miraculous effect on repairing the Divine Soul!

After thoroughly digesting the Demonic Fruit's medicinal power, Nightmare's condition recovered to about seventy percent, finally giving him some self-preservation ability.

He walked to the entrance of the stone crevice and cautiously extended his Divine Sense.

It was already late night outside; the night in the Demonic Domain was exceptionally dangerous, with various nocturnal Yao Beasts beginning to stir. But similarly, the night also provided the best cover.

"It's time to leave." Nightmare's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Green-Winged Bat King had not been eliminated, and the Wind-Rending Condor had made a fleeting appearance; this was definitely not a place to stay for long.

He needed to find a safer place to fully recover his strength and thoroughly research that mysterious black stone and the Myriad Poison Demonic Body, which had just reached Minor Achievement.

His figure flickered, and Nightmare, like a ghost merging into the night, silently left this stone chamber that had almost claimed his life but also granted him new life, stealthily heading deeper into the more unknown parts of the Demonic Domain.

His target was the... suspected ancient Cultivator ruins that the System had previously mentioned scanning, located further in the southeast direction.

Risk often coexists with opportunity.