Inside the Myriad Phenomena Garden.
Han Xuanji cast aside distracting thoughts, immersing his mind in Cultivation, forming a mysterious image of Yin and Yang rotating around him.
He held his hands out, his left hand, the Origin of Grand Yin, like a cool, bright moon, and his right hand, the Origin of Grand Yang, like a scorching sun. These two diametrically opposed Great Dao Origin powers, under his guidance, slowly began to integrate into his Xuantian Great Dao.
On the other side.
The Lord of Nightmares also began to act.
As an Innate being who wielded fear, he was most skilled at prying into the flaws deep within people's hearts.
All beings have things they fear. Although Immortal Dao Cultivators are extraordinary and transcendent, they cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires. The weak fear the bullying of the strong, and the strong also fear those who are even stronger. Those who seek the Dao fear the severance of their Dao path, and those who seek longevity fear the end of the era. As long as there is the emotion of fear, they will be affected by him; he is truly pervasive.
In the past, countless Immortal Dao Golden Immortals with unstable Dao Hearts, during their closed-door Cultivation or when their minds were agitated, had their Heart Demons provoked by him, leading to the silent collapse of their Dao Heart and their desolate demise.
Unless one's Cultivation was far superior to his, once one entered his dream, one would be tormented relentlessly by him.
Just a few Prodigies made him act?
Compared to playing with the weak, he preferred to play with those arrogant powerhouses.
The Lord of Nightmares snorted coldly, Devilish Qi surging around him. However, the Demon Master now held considerable sway within the Demon Race, with several Demon Race Emperors backing him, so he could only obey orders for now.
"Let me see what these people are truly capable of?"
The Lord of Nightmares sneered, activating his Innate ability.
This was an ability comparable to a Great Dao Divine Ability, making it impossible to guard against.
His form gradually etherealized, transforming into countless invisible strands of demonic thoughts, spreading along the threads of Karma towards the Lingxu Immortal Domain.
Before long, he traced them to Jiang Hao and Su Ming.
The two had accumulated a lot of Karma during their years of training outside, making it easy for their minds to be invaded.
As for Han Xuanji, his Karma was not apparent. Although the Lord of Nightmares found it a bit strange, he didn't think much of it, instead planning to deal with these two first.
Jiang Hao was meditating and Cultivating when a ripple suddenly appeared in his mind.
The next moment, the scene before his eyes drastically changed, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss.
He saw his Immortal bones being forcibly dug out, his eyes taken, his Cultivation lost, and endless pain tormenting his body and mind.
He saw himself being ridiculed by everyone, scorned by his Family, and despised by his friends... At the same time, Su Ming also fell into an illusion.
Su Ming saw the Lingxu Heavenly Palace's mountain gate shattered, his Master and fellow disciples all dead in battle, leaving him alone. He was surrounded by countless demonic figures, and no matter how he struggled, it was futile. He couldn't save anything, and a sense of powerlessness drowned him like a tide.
Just like that year, when his entire Family was killed by the Demon Race, and he could do nothing.
This was not a simple illusion, but a Heart Demon illusion, almost real, woven by the Lord of Nightmares with his eerie ability, striking directly at their deepest fears and obsessions. Or rather, if they died in the illusion, they would also die in reality.
The auras of the two instantly became chaotic, their faces pale, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, and the Dao rhythm around them flickered erratically, showing faint signs of Qi Deviation.
"Master, something has happened to Jiang Hao and Su Ming!"
Li Taiqing's urgent voice came from outside the quiet room, interrupting Han Xuanji's Cultivation.
Upon hearing this, Han Xuanji quickly walked out of the quiet room.
He saw that everyone had already placed the unconscious Jiang Hao and Su Ming under the dragon blood profound yellow tree.
Their faces were pale, their bodies trembled, and the Dao rhythm around them was extremely chaotic, clearly on the verge of Qi Deviation.
Xiaobai and Xiaojin paced anxiously, while Li Taiqing and the others were at a loss.
Even the two Golden Immortal Realm Cultivators had fallen prey, and they had no way to help, only hoping for Han Xuanji to act.
Han Xuanji's eyes narrowed, and Dao patterns flowed within his twin pupils, instantly seeing through the mystery.
"You scoundrel, how dare you!"
A Divine Thought containing supreme majesty, like a clap of thunder from the Nine Heavens, directly vibrated upon the Nightmare demonic thoughts entangled around Jiang Hao and Su Ming!
This voice was not a simple reprimand; it also contained the power of Divine Thought from the Hunyuan Realm.
"Boom!"
In the perception of Jiang Hao and Su Ming, the endless illusion of despair seemed to be torn apart by an invisible large hand.
A gentle yet incredibly powerful force, like a spring breeze turning into rain, soothed their restless minds and dispelled all unease.
The two trembled almost simultaneously, suddenly waking up, gasping for breath, with lingering fear in their eyes.
The moment they saw Han Xuanji, the two instantly understood, and an unspeakable gratitude and lingering fear surged in their hearts.
The two immediately understood what had happened and quickly bowed in salute:
"Many thanks, Senior Brother Han, for saving us!"
If not for Han Xuanji's timely arrival, they would likely have already suffered Qi Deviation, with unimaginable consequences.
Han Xuanji ignored them, his brows furrowed.
To do such a thing right under his nose?
This made Han Xuanji both surprised and angry.
If they could harm Su Ming and Jiang Hao today, wouldn't they target him tomorrow?
To be able to use such methods silently, without him even noticing, showed some skill.
Over the years, the Demon Race had indeed attempted to probe the Lingxu Heavenly Palace, and even powerful individuals had infiltrated it, but he had easily detected them and nipped the crisis in the bud.
This time, he had been negligent, or perhaps this Demon Race should not be underestimated. Even after achieving the Hunyuan Realm, one could not be careless.
Han Xuanji also grew serious, and his Eyes of Destiny appeared.
He traced back along the extremely subtle threads of Karma that remained after the Nightmare demonic thoughts dissipated.
These threads of Karma pierced through layers of spatial barriers, ignoring distance, and pointed directly to a Nightmare Realm hidden deep within the Demon Domain, attached to a certain spiritual Domain.
That was where the Lord of Nightmares' true body resided, a place almost unknown in the Immortal Realm. If anyone inadvertently stumbled in, they would almost instantly become his sustenance.
"Found you."
Han Xuanji's eyes narrowed, scoffing.
A Demon Race Golden Immortal, not even a Hunyuan.
Han Xuanji continued his deductions. Beings with lower Cultivation than him, unless they possessed some supreme treasure, could generally be easily calculated.
The Lord of Nightmares, an Innate being, was transformed into a Demon Race member by the Demon Ancestor. At his Peak, he was also a powerful Hunyuan Realm Cultivator. Due to multiple demises, he had now fallen to the Golden Immortal Realm.
But it also proved how difficult this fellow was to kill. Every time he was thought to be completely killed, he would still manage to resurface repeatedly.
Han Xuanji soon discovered that this fellow was even planning to harm him.
This villain must not be allowed to live!
Han Xuanji glanced at the still-frightened Jiang Hao and Su Ming, and said faintly:
"The Demon Tribulation is about to begin. The Demon Race has many strange and varied methods. When traveling outside, you must guard your minds even more carefully.
Remember, strength is the foundation."
Then, Han Xuanji briefly explained, telling them not to worry and that such a situation would not happen again in the future.
However, he did not reveal the specific reason.
Returning to the quiet room, Han Xuanji did not continue Cultivating.
"Since that's the case... let me see how difficult you are to kill."
Han Xuanji's mind stirred, locking onto his target.
He did not use other Divine Abilities, but directly brought out the supreme treasure he had recently acquired—the returning to truth and extinguishing dao seal!
A dark gold seal appeared from his palm.
The moment it appeared, it did not emit world-destroying energy fluctuations, but rather an extreme sense of killing and destruction permeated the air.
Around the seal, Laws were hidden, and the Great Dao was blurred.
"It's a good time to test the sharpness of this seal."
Han Xuanji's tone was cold. Locking onto the Nightmare Realm, he held the returning to truth and extinguishing dao seal in his hand and gently pressed it through the air towards the invisible thread of Karma.
"Suppress!"
A single word was uttered, and the Law followed the word.
Nightmare Realm.
The Lord of Nightmares, who was both shocked and enraged by the destruction of his demonic thoughts, suddenly felt an inexplicable fear.
As the embodiment of fear, he actually felt fear himself.