Remnants of Reincarnation

Nightmare continued diving down toward the direction of the ancient stillness and death he sensed.

The deeper he went, the more bizarre the surrounding environment became. Space was no longer continuous here; large fault lines and distorted light and shadows often appeared, like shattered mirrors. Sometimes, passing through an energy curtain would lead him suddenly into a strange area of complete stillness, where all sound and energy flow were solidified; other times, he would fall into a violent energy vortex where Spiritual Qi of various attributes wildly collided, erupting in devastating impacts.

Even Nightmare had to be fully alert, pushing his Divine Sense to the limit, carefully avoiding the most dangerous spatial fissures and energy traps. His demonic body was powerful, but if he were swept into the core spatial turbulence, he would inevitably be injured.

After diving for about half an hour, the chaotic energy around him seemed to gradually subside, replaced by a deeper, more ancient aura of deathly stillness.

Finally, his feet landed on a relatively solid "ground."

Calling it ground was inaccurate; it was more like an enormous, fragmented landmass floating in the abyssal energy ocean. The land had a scorched black color, as if it had been burned and torn by some terrifying power. Scattered upon it were many broken massive stone pillars, the ruins of collapsed palaces, and fragments of sculptures long since worn down by weathering.

The architectural style was ancient and bizarre, unlike any current faction in the Cultivation World. The carved patterns were mostly twisted symbols representing Yin and Yang Reincarnation, carrying an air of savage mystery.

"Is this... that 'Ruined Capital'?" Nightmare's gaze swept across the silent ruins.

The scale of the ruins was immense, stretching beyond sight. Most areas were shrouded in thick gray mist and chaotic energy fields, making Divine Sense difficult to penetrate. The air was filled with a disquieting sense of antiquity and sorrow, silently recounting the sudden destruction of a magnificent civilization.

According to the clues from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, the remnant stalk of reincarnation wood might exist somewhere in these ruins.

Nightmare restrained his aura and walked slowly through the ruins. The scorched earth beneath his feet was hard as iron, and occasionally, he stepped on broken tiles and the pale white bones of unknown creatures.

He carefully sensed everything around him, searching for any energy fluctuations or anomalies that might be related to "Reincarnation."

The ruins were not empty. Occasionally, he could see strange entities formed by chaotic energy and lingering obsessions—some translucent phantoms dressed in ancient clothing aimlessly wandered among the broken walls, and some distorted monsters made of negative energy writhed in the shadows.

The strength of these entities varied; the weak ones were only at the Foundation Establishment level, while the strong ones could even reach Perfected Golden Core, but none of them seemed to possess complete sentience, only instinctively attacking any intruding living beings.

Nightmare's method for dealing with these obstacles was simple and direct—the Wind-Devouring Demonic Vine silently shot out, acting like the most efficient Scavenger, instantly whipping them apart, devouring them, and converting them into nutrients for growth.

His gains along the way were sparse. Aside from finding a few pieces of decent quality Yin attribute Ore and some damaged ancient artifacts, he had not found any trace of the reincarnation wood.

Just as he passed through a severely collapsed group of palaces and was about to enter the deeper parts of the ruins, his steps abruptly halted.

His Divine Sense perceived an extremely faint, yet uniquely distinct, energy fluctuation coming from the center of a ruined plaza ahead, which was covered by massive black vines!

That fluctuation was neither Yin evil nor Death Qi, but a strange sensation... as if it could pull on the Soul, making one momentarily glimpse fragments of past and present lives!

The aura of Reincarnation!

Nightmare's spirits lifted, and he immediately quickened his pace, approaching silently.

Pushing aside the thick layer of black vines that emitted a decaying odor, the scene in the center of the plaza came into view.

In the center of the plaza was a pool that had long since dried up. The pool was constructed of some kind of white jade, but it was now covered in cracks and stained with filth. And right in the center of the pool, a peculiar plant was growing.

Rather than a tree, it was more like a scorched black, roughly man-height dead wooden stake. The stake was entirely black, covered in cracks, and devoid of any branches or leaves, as if it had completely died long ago, having endured infinite ages.

However, right at the top of this seemingly lifeless dead stake, a **tender shoot** stubbornly, miraculously grew—only finger-length, dripping with emerald green, and emitting a soft halo!

Although the tender shoot was small, it contained vast vitality, as well as that unique Dao rhythm that stirred the Reincarnation of one's Divine Soul!

Rooted in the dead stake, it tenaciously survived by drawing upon some residual power within this silent Ruined Capital.

"reincarnation wood! It truly is a remnant stalk of reincarnation wood!" A flash of joy appeared in Nightmare's eyes. Although it was only a remnant stalk that had regrown a shoot, the aura of the Law of Reincarnation contained within it was undeniable! This was one of the key Materials required for him to execute the Secret Curse of Stealing Fate and Exchanging Heaven!

He cautiously stepped forward, avoiding triggering any potential Restrictions. His Divine Sense carefully swept over the dead stake and the area around the shoot, confirming there was no danger.

Just as he reached out, preparing to collect this precious remnant stalk of reincarnation wood along with the soil at its base.

An unexpected change suddenly occurred!

The seemingly natural cracks on the dead wooden stake suddenly lit up violently! Innumerable intricate dark-gold Runes instantly appeared and circulated, forming an extremely complex and ancient Seal Formation!

Simultaneously, a cold, indifferent voice devoid of any emotion, as if crossing time and space from eternity ago, rang out directly in the depths of Nightmare's Divine Soul:

"Desecrator of Reincarnation... die..."

Boom!

The Seal Formation violently erupted with monstrous dark-gold light, transforming into countless Law Chains imbued with the meaning of judgment, suppression, and purification. Like wildly dancing golden snakes, they coiled and pierced toward Nightmare's body!

The power of every chain far surpassed the full-force strike of Pure Void Master earlier, reaching the level of the Middle Nascent Soul Stage! Moreover, the Law power contained within them was extremely peculiar, specifically countering all Yin evil and Devilish Qi!

This dead stake was actually a trap! A deadly trap set by an Ancient Mighty Figure to guard the reincarnation wood!

If any Early Nascent Soul Stage Demonic Cultivator were here, or even a Middle Nascent Soul Stage cultivator who was unprepared, they would very likely suffer heavy injuries or even be sealed and refined under this instantaneous sneak attack!

But Nightmare was already vigilant!

Although he hadn't expected the trap to be so powerful, he had never lowered his guard while in such a perilous place!

The moment the Formation lit up, his mind stirred!

"myriad soul banner, protect your master!"

Buzz!

The myriad soul soul-devouring banner instantly flew out from his body, growing against the wind, transforming into a massive three-zhang banner that flapped loudly! On the banner face, the countless fierce Souls that had been devoured and refined suddenly roared out. But this time, instead of attacking, they intertwined and condensed, instantly forming a huge, ferocious **Ghost Head Shield** that blocked Nightmare's path!

At the same time, on the banner pole, the newly integrated fragments of Materials obtained from Pure Void Master's Eight Trigrams Mirror emitted a faint light, drawing upon a trace of spatial power to make this Soul Shield even more stable!

Boom! Rumble!—

Countless dark-gold Law Chains fiercely hammered the Ghost Head Soul Shield!

The Soul Shield violently shook, and the countless fierce Souls on its surface let out mournful screams, instantly being purified and evaporated! But the myriad soul banner, now greatly increased in power and possessing a trace of spatial stability, actually managed to withstand this incomparably fierce first wave of attacks!

And in this lightning-fast moment that he had bought!

Nightmare moved!

He did not retreat, but instead stepped forward! His right hand's five fingers spread open, and in his palm, that trace of **Gray-White Annihilation Origin** power obtained from the Annihilation Eye in the Soul Burying Valley suddenly condensed!

"Nirvana!"

He let out a low shout and pushed his palm forward!

A terrifying power of annihilation, where all things return to stillness and everything turns to naught, suddenly washed over the dead stake's Seal, which was bursting with dark-gold light, like an invisible tide!

Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss—!

It was like cold water splashed into hot oil! The dark-gold Runes containing the power of judgment and purification, upon contact with this pure Annihilation power, instantly seemed to meet their nemesis. Their light rapidly dimmed, and the Rune structure began to collapse and dissipate!

Annihilation is the endpoint of all Laws! No matter what Divine Ability or Seal you possess, you cannot escape the fate of returning to nothingness!

The cold voice let out a low, startled grunt, seemingly completely unprepared for the opponent to be able to unleash such pure and terrifying Annihilation power!

Crack... crack... The Seal Formation on the dead stake emitted sounds of shattering under the strain, and its light rapidly extinguished!

A fierce look flashed in Nightmare's eyes. His left hand formed a sword with two fingers, and the **Myriad Poison Severing** erupted with full force, a supremely sharp black thread slashing horizontally across!

Swish!

The dead wooden stake, along with the Seal Formation that was about to collapse on it, was cut off at the root!

The Formation's light was completely annihilated, and the cold voice also let out a sigh of unwillingness before thoroughly disappearing without a trace.

The trap is broken!

Nightmare reached out and firmly grasped the severed dead stake and the emerald green reincarnation wood shoot above it. At the same time, his other hand rapidly cast several Seal Incantations, completely sealing and suppressing the residual marks and potential countermeasures, before finally placing it into a specialized Jade Box.

After finishing all this, he finally relaxed slightly. He glanced down at the myriad soul banner; the Soul shadows on the banner face were noticeably sparse, clearly indicating the massive consumption incurred while blocking that wave of attacks, requiring him to devour living Souls later to replenish it.

"What a formidable Seal... The strength of the person who set up this Formation was probably far beyond Soul Transformation during their lifetime..." Nightmare felt a chill in his heart. This Yin-Yang Chaotic Abyss was more mysterious and dangerous than he had imagined.

However, the harvest was enormous. With the reincarnation wood in hand, he had secured one of the core Materials for the Secret Curse of Stealing Fate and Exchanging Heaven!

He dared not linger here, unsure if he might attract other terrifying things. Just as he was preparing to leave, his gaze unintentionally swept over the root of the severed dead stake.

There, due to the Formation being broken and the stake being severed, a corner of the white jade pool bottom underneath was revealed.

The bottom of the pool seemed to be inscribed with some even more ancient patterns and characters.

Nightmare's heart stirred, and he waved his hand to sweep away the scorched earth and rubble.

What was inscribed on the pool bottom was not the Formation he expected, but rather a series of crude yet vivid Murals, accompanied by an extremely ancient form of Pictographic Writing.

The content of the Murals seemed to depict the birth and development of a magnificent civilization... and... its destruction?

The earliest Murals showed the ancestors worshiping a colossal tree that reached the sky and pierced the earth (suspected to be the complete reincarnation wood), mastering the mysteries of life and death Reincarnation, and flourishing.

The middle Murals showed that they seemed to begin prying into deeper secrets of Reincarnation, even attempting... to build something to communicate with the true Netherworld?

The final Murals depicted a terrifying scene: the sky shattered, a massive black hand descended from the heavens, ripping apart the earth and destroying the civilization... countless spectral Souls were sucked into a gigantic vortex... and the colossal tree also broke and withered... At the very end of the Murals, several large ancient characters, filled with despair and unwillingness, were carved.

Nightmare deciphered the characters, combining them with the Mural content, and slowly read them aloud:

"...Reincarnation... experiment... failed... angered... Netherworld..."

"...Forbidden... Gate... must not... be opened..."

"...Curse... descended... all life... perished..."

Nightmare's gaze sharply focused on the corner of the Mural, where an extremely obscure symbol, composed of countless twisted lines, was carved.

That symbol... he actually recognized it!

It was precisely one of the many ancient Runes inscribed on the **demon binding chain that suppressed the Ancient Demon** deep within the Soul Burying Valley!

Although the subtle details were slightly different, the core structure was identical!

A startling conjecture instantly flooded Nightmare's mind!

This Yin-Yang Chaotic Abyss, this Ruined Capital... could it be that its former civilization was destroyed because it attempted some kind of forbidden "Reincarnation" experiment, accidentally communicating with (or angering) the true Netherworld, thereby inviting a terrifying catastrophe?

And the Runes on the demon binding chain that suppressed the Ancient Demon—were they related to the power that destroyed this civilization, or rather... related to the "Netherworld"?

Was the suppression of the Ancient Demon beneath the Soul Burying Valley also connected to this ancient catastrophe?

reincarnation wood... Netherworld... Ancient Demon... demon binding chain... A faint, emerging clue seemed to link all these things together!

Nightmare felt as though he had touched upon a shocking secret buried in the long river of time!

Just as his mind was reeling and he was carefully studying the Murals, attempting to decipher more information.

Suddenly!

A rapid fluctuation came from the Demonic Seed within him! It was an urgent message from Moyuan!

"Benefactor! Something has happened in Black Water Town! People from the Sky Patrol Alliance suddenly appeared in large numbers. They seem to have confirmed the target location and are surrounding the town! We've been discovered and are being hunted! Please, Benefactor..."

The message abruptly cut off there. The connection with the Demonic Seed became extremely weak, indicating that the sender was likely in extreme danger or trapped!

A cold light suddenly burst forth from Nightmare's eyes!

The Sky Patrol Alliance moved so fast!

The Profound Yin Body is in danger! Moyuan and the others are also in danger!

He could no longer spare the time to study the Murals and turned around without hesitation!

Spatial power surged, and he violently tore open the Void Realm, his figure instantly vanishing from the silent Ruined Capital plaza.

He had to rush to Black Water Town immediately!

The mystery of the reincarnation wood could be slowly investigated later, but the Profound Yin Body and the subordinates he had finally acquired absolutely could not be lost!

The Void Realm fissure closed, leaving only the ancient ruins, which once again sank into eternal stillness. The fragmented Murals continued to silently tell the story of that forgotten forbidden history.