The disbelief in Hua Kui Venerable's heart surged almost uncontrollably.
No one understood Palace Crane Venerable better than him.
Over endless years, the two had crossed blades time and time again—from the Undying stage, to Universe Exalt, to their present heights. They knew each other's habits, strengths, secret techniques, even the subtle rhythm changes before a killing move was unleashed.
Yet now, facing Palace Crane Venerable once more, Hua Kui felt as though he was confronting an entirely different existence.
The opponent's movement technique was sharper, his saber strikes heavier, his control over timing ruthless and precise. Every exchange carried a suppression that left no room to breathe. The two consecutive attacks just now had already exceeded the defensive threshold of his top-grade heavy treasure armor, directly annihilating more than ten percent of his god power.
That was not a minor injury.
If he had failed to forcibly disrupt Palace Crane Venerable's rhythm during the second exchange, the result would not have been a loss of god power—it would have been the beginning of annihilation.
Fear crept into Hua Kui's heart.
----
At the same moment, the situation on the other side of the battlefield was no better.
Venerable Beihai of the Universe Mercenary Alliance stood calmly in the void, his figure towering more than twenty meters tall, already imposing among the Human Race. His body was clad in armor formed from layered, multicolored shells, translucent and radiant like glazed crystal.
In his hands was a long, colorful vine-like treasure.
With a casual swing, the vine lashed out, its shadows overlapping and interweaving, instantly filling the surrounding space with dazzling brilliance. Wherever it passed, space itself was torn open layer by layer, forming an invisible cage that trapped Ice Python Venerable firmly within.
Each strike carried not only destructive force, but binding power.
Ice Python Venerable's vast divine body twisted violently, yet no matter how he struggled, he could not break free from the collapsing layers of space. His soul attack, once feared by countless opponents, slammed into Beihai's defenses like a wave striking a reef—utterly ineffective.
In just a short exchange, both Monster Race Universe Exalts had fallen into complete disadvantage.
----
Retreat.
Almost simultaneously, the same thought arose in their minds.
Hua Kui Venerable was the first to act.
He seized the brief opening created by Beihai's suppression of Ice Python and forcefully retreated, his massive body streaking backward through the void, attempting to escape the battlefield altogether.
But before he could widen the distance—
"Trying to escape?" Palace Crane Venerable's voice rang out, cold and merciless. "Hua Kui… you won't leave today."
With a single thought, the golden sand sea surged outward.
In an instant, golden grains filled hundreds of millions of kilometers of void, each grain carrying terrifying binding power. An overwhelming restraining force slammed down on Hua Kui's body, crushing his momentum and dragging his speed down to an almost stagnant crawl.
The void itself seemed to turn viscous.
Hua Kui's heart sank.
He knew—escape was no longer possible.
----
There was no hesitation.
As a Universe Exalt who had survived countless secret realm expeditions and life-and-death battles, Hua Kui made his decision instantly.
Burn god power.
If escape was impossible, then there was only one path left—fight to the death.
His eyes turned crimson as violent fluctuations erupted from his divine body. Vast quantities of god power were incinerated in an instant, forcibly pushing his combat power to its peak.
"A trapped beast's struggle," Palace Crane Venerable snorted coldly.
The long saber in his hand glowed with an eerie brilliance as monstrous evil aura erupted around him.
"Annihilate Evil."
The saber light descended.
It was no longer merely light, but a tangible flood of destruction. Like a collapsed heavenly river, it swept across hundreds of thousands of kilometers, shredding space as easily as paper.
At this point, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
----
Elsewhere in the Nebula World, similar scenes unfolded almost simultaneously.
Universe Exalts of the Insect Race and Automaton Race, who had entered from other directions, were intercepted one after another by Human Race powerhouses who had been lying in wait.
These were not ambushes born of chance.
They were the result of decades of preparation.
The Human Race Universe Exalts, once merely equal to their opponents, now displayed crushing superiority—whether in secret techniques, treasures, or law comprehension.
Some alien Universe Exalts were annihilated outright.
Others, seeing no hope of survival, chose to self-destruct their god power in a desperate attempt to drag their enemies down with them.
In the end, it changed nothing.
Six Universe Exalts from the alien races vanished forever into the cold void of the Nebula World.
Their world rings and treasures, drifting silently, became spoils claimed by the victors.
----
News of their deaths reached the three Universe Lords outside almost instantly.
"Hunyuan! What do you mean by this?" Lord Moyuan's voice carried barely suppressed fury.
Bai Yue stood calmly at the bow of the Feiyuan Divine Boat, his expression innocent. "What does it mean? Exploring secret realms is dangerous. Death is… quite normal, isn't it?"
Silence followed.
The Universe Lords of the Three Major Groups were furious—but powerless.
In the end, Lord Meng Wan spoke coldly, his tone filled with restrained resentment. "Let's wait. Right now, only this node connects to the Primordial Universe, and the Human Race can block us. When the secret realm fully connects… our Universe Exalts will enter from all directions. Let's see how long they can stop us then."
Bai Yue merely smiled, unconcerned.
----
Decades passed.
The Three Major Groups fell into complete silence.
Then, more than fifty years later, the Nebula World finally connected fully with the Primordial Universe.
Alien Universe Exalts poured in from multiple directions, using teleportation to bypass Bai Yue's sealed region entirely.
This time, Bai Yue did not intervene.
----
Among them was a figure whose arrival drew particular attention.
Wang Qiang Demon Master.
A top-tier Universe Overlord of the Monster Race.
His towering demonic ape body moved through the void without the aid of any vessel, his arrogance undisguised. High-grade treasure armor shimmered faintly across his massive frame, granting him absolute confidence.
To him, the dangers of the Nebula World were nothing.
But what he did not know was that the Human Race's detection network had already locked onto him.
In the Virtual Universe, his name was marked in crimson.
"Extremely dangerous."
----
In the void ahead, space rippled.
Gui Yi Venerable stepped out calmly, sword in hand.
"Gui Yi?" Wang Qiang Demon Master sneered. "You want to stop me? You're not qualified."
Gui Yi Venerable's expression remained tranquil. "No. I'm here to kill you."
Laughter erupted from Wang Qiang's throat.
Then—battle exploded.
----
The clash was instantaneous.
Axes roared. Sword light descended.
Space collapsed.
And in that first exchange, Wang Qiang Demon Master was sent flying—his confidence shattered along with the void around him.
For the first time since entering the Nebula World, fear crept into his heart.