'Rumble!'
The whole mountain started to violently tremble, the black miasma mist frantically surged, shooting higher into the skies.
Before the seven disciples or Elder Tian could react, the black miasma mist shot over them too, covering them in an ominous black dome.
Instantly, the Moon Ocean Palace's cultivators were isolated from the outside world.
Within the black mist dome, Elder Tian tried to move, tried to do anything at all.
But even with his Divine Star cultivation, he was far too slow.
"Ahhh!!!"
The seven disciples' horrid, frantic shrieks tore into the space. The pain they were experiencing was utter hell, surpassing anything, even the Heavenly Tribulations they brutally experienced!
The black miasma mist easily penetrated into their bodies, causing tortuous experiences within them.
"Noo!!"
Elder Lian painfully shirked, experiencing both hellish physical pain and mental trauma that threatened to collapse his Divine Spiritual Sea!
Just like the disciples, Elder Tian was utterly immobilized when the black miasma mist penetrated his body. All of his Martial cultivation was utterly suppressed. He was utterly helpless, like a useless child.
And after only a mere a few moments, the disciples' blood-curdling shrieks suddenly stopped.
If Elder Tian could see them right now, he would be fraught with pure terror.
Seven Divine Origin geniuses, all with powerful Inner World foundation, had instantly died.
There weren't even corpses or remanent Soul wisps left behind. They all were absorbed into the terrifying black miasma mist.
When Elder Tian couldn't hear the disciples anymore, he was on the verge of death. His lifeforce was nearly sucked away, only hanging by a thread because of his powerful Divine vitality.
But at this rate, he could no longer hold on.
All in a moment, everything had crumbled to dust right in front of him.
As hopelessness washed over him, Elder Tian had the thought of outright combusting his entire being, down to his very soul.
However, before he could even attempt so, a piercing pain suddenly erupted from his heart.
Tearing his eyes down, Elder Tian saw what appeared to be a hand made up entirely of the black miasma mist thrusting into this chest, crushing his heart.
And this would be the last thing Elder Tian would ever see.
'Puff~!'
Without any resistance, Elder Tian's entire body combusted, his blood, organs, flesh, bones, and soul wisps instantly absorbing into the black miasma mist.
A mighty Divine Star expert instantly died, just like Divine Origin juniors.
It was a mix of terrifyingness and pitifulness.
The cause for this sudden attack came in the form of a vaguely humanoid figure made up of the black miasma mist.
This figure seemingly smiled as a very hoarse and low voice leaked into the air.
"So close…this will be the finale…and my return…"
....
Thousands of miles away from the barren wasteland.
In this region, there were numerous grand sites that stretched on the boundless breadth of lands.
These areas would be primary world uninhabited lands. Meaning there was no leading overload Holy Land or Holy Martial Family dominating the territory.
This would be where the more minor scale Holy Lands, Holy cities, and Holy Martial family resides.
These smaller territories can range from Divine Star Holy level to an Early ordinary Divine Ruler Holy level.
And though these territories may not have their own massive hidden worlds, the population here was far more than hidden worlds Holy Lands.
Civilization was very prosperous for the average folks. Because of the long lifespan of Martial cultivators and the strong ability to reproduce, such high volume numbers were quite common.
But even with millions upon millions of residents, nothing was ever cramped thanks to spacious designs carved out by powerful Space Laws and Spirit energy.
At one specific area was a standard metropolis city.
Here, most of the buildings' structures were in a profound black glow, exuding a more mysterious vibe.
This place was Darkwich City, a famous area because it was close to the Nightmare Realm.
At one random inn, inside one of the separate room spaces, a middle-aged man sat alone, peacefully cultivating. He wore the same luxurious purple color Moon Ocean Palace robes as the previous cultivators.
Suddenly, in the midst of his cultivation, the man's eyes burst open, immense distraught instantly twisting his once peaceful expression.
Cold sweat dripped down his face as he was greatly troubled by this startling news.
His heart soared straight to the pits of his guts!
Slowly, with a trembling hand, the man pulled out a spatial ring, igniting it to release numerous shattered crystal shards.
As the man saw this, his pupils rapidly shrunken to pine-needle sizes. These shattered crystal shards would be very important to any Holy Lands or Holy-level Martial Families.
These were life crystals!
If one has a life crystal attached to their Souls, then the ones with the same life crystal would be able to promptly tell their situation.
And naturally, shattered life crystals could only mean horrifying news.
The man sunk his Divine Sense into the shattered life crystals, trying to perceive the last moments of their lives.
However, the man didn't even receive a normal vague memory perception. It was all completely dark!
'What?? This shouldn't be…' The man was only becoming more panicked as time went on.
Without any hesitation, the man took out a spatial ring, igniting it, contacting someone very critical.
Through his Spiritual Sea, he said, 'Sect Master! Something terribly grave happened! Elder Tian, Lian, and all the other disciples are now dead! Moreover, I can't even vaguely see the last moments of their lives!'
On the other end of the ring, it was silent for a few moments.
A somber atmosphere engulfed the room as then an aged voice slithered into the man's mind.
'This…this is bad but also complex. The Nightmare Realm has already far surpassed any of our expectations. Elder Tie, come back to the Sect.'
As Elder Tie listened, he slowly stood up, his mind still reeling over this whiplash of news. He was slowly muttering, 'No wonder you made such arrangements like this. Sect Master, should we continue to investigate and maybe spread the information out?'
Though he was shell-shocked over Elder Tian's group's sudden death, it barely affected Elder Tie's feelings. He could quickly judge the situation, weighing the benefits and planning according to his Sect's demands.
'No…even if we can profit off this information, I'd rather not see the Phoenixes or Huang Dragons benefit from this. We'll keep this to ourselves, plan around it, and perhaps even make a plan against those Holy Lands.' The Sect Master calmly explained.
Elder Tian slowly nodded and shrouded his body into a light blue light before disappearing into a space distortion.
…
Huang Dragon's hidden world.
All throughout the hidden territory that occupied a space of at least hundreds of thousands of miles, celestial mountains, immortal islands, metropolis cities, and immortal places were plain to see in the skies.
Even at the seemingly highest area of the hidden world, all can see the gloriously majestic Huang Dragon's main Imperial Palace.
However, unknown to the regular citizens, unbeknownst to nearly all in the main Imperial Palace, there was a celestial mountain completely hidden from view.
This celestial mountain stood at a far greater height than the Huang Dragon's main Imperial Palace.
At this distance, the celestial mountain had a far more concentrated Divine Essence environment.
Cultivating here would be highly beneficial to any Divine-level talent. The celestial mountain was approximately 1,000 miles long and also had a peculiar appearance compared to the other areas.
Mainly filling the place was rainbow color spring nectars streams, providing a uniquely rich scenery. There were barely any trees, bushes, or mountain ranges inhabiting, almost appearing as a trail to a hot spring.
On the main path of the celestial mountain, four people were slowly traversing.
At the front of the pack was the ever graceful Shi Wei.
As she walked through this special, celestial mountain, her movements seemed even more profound than usual.
None of her footsteps made any noise, as if she was physically walking on air itself. Her eyes closed, completely absorbed in her surroundings.
But though her mind blended into the environment, she still took perfectly ordered steps without a hint of hesitation.
Formless Divine Essence of Heaven and Earth slowly swirled around her, causing her sleek hair and luxurious Dragon robes to slightly flap.
This state just how her profound attainments towards Martial cultivator and the celestial mountain in general. A true master at Limit Divine Ruler.
Behind Shi Wei were Cain, Kali, and Amber. The trio was in a similar state of admiration.
As they spread out their Divine Sense, they detected the Divine Essence here was the absolute purest!
But not just pure intensity, it also exudes a soothing sensation. One that slithered into Cain, Amber, and Kali's mental psyche, causing them to unknowingly saunter in order to take in the environment.
The trio visited several relaxing nature environments before. But obviously, none could compare to this celestial mountain.
The period of silence was entirely calming in a way.
That is until Kali suddenly spoke up, asking, "Grandmother, are you going to tell us what this pool is? We've been searching all around for information but returned empty-handed."
Shi Wei didn't stop walking as she heard Kali's question. Nor did she open her eyes or even directly answer her thoughts.
She calmly asked, "Tell me, how do you all feel in this area?"
Cain, Kali, and Amber promptly wracked their minds, not minding the unanswered questions.
Soon enough, Cain was the first to say, "It's…almost like a second home? I strangely feel a vague sense of calling here. As if I would always come here."
"Mn. If I were to cultivate here, my speed should be enhanced by several degrees. I can even resolve improving my current foundation far quicker. Truly some great stuff." Kali honestly praised.
"To me, it feels like a peaceful garden. The streams here are so incomparably beautiful like I could get lost in its radiance." Amber thoughtfully answered.
Even now, the trio sensed that their dantian was passively absorbing very slight strands of Divine Essence, just barely improving their foundation. At full cultivation state, the effects would be incredible.
Shi Wei didn't show any visible reaction to their answers, but her lips did slowly curl. "This is a decent starting track. But it is a bit lacking.. You three are allowing your dantians to passively absorb the Essence, right? As in, your mental psyche is still just slightly unfocused."