Remains in the Void Encounter Demon Gods, First Hearing of the Imminent Otherworld Tribulation

The pillar of chaos light swept Tongtian and his group, hurtling through a space-time tunnel filled with bizarre, unpredictable phenomena. Time and space lost all meaning here; only countless distorted colors and fragments of shattered worlds flashed by, inducing a dizzying sense of disorientation.

Tongtian fully activated the Chaos Bead, casting down streams of hazy gray energy to stabilize the chaotic light shield protecting everyone. He struggled against the tearing force of the spatial turbulence. Wudang, Sanxiao, and Kui Niu held their breath, leaning tightly against Tongtian's back, their faces pale. This complete loss of control, this teleportation with no known destination, was more unnerving than facing a powerful enemy.

After an unknown duration, perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years.

A massive repulsive force suddenly erupted ahead, and the scene of frantic retreat around them abruptly halted!

BOOM! The chaotic light shield violently vibrated, as if it had slammed into an indestructible barrier. It finally exhausted all its power and exploded!

Tongtian grunted, forcibly swallowing the surging Blood Essence. The light of his Chaos Dao Fruit flickered, instantly stabilizing his form. With a sweep of his sleeve, he firmly protected Wudang, Sanxiao, and Kui Niu as they stumbled out.

Still shaken, they looked up, utterly speechless at the sight before them. This was definitely not any part of the Great Desolation world!

They seemed to be in a boundless, dead void. There were no sun, moon, or stars; no heaven, earth, or cardinal directions. Only endless, hazy chaotic mist flowed slowly, emanating an ancient and desolate aura.

Even more unsettling, deep within this chaotic void, floated unimaginably colossal... wreckage!

Broken mountain ranges drifted in the mist, bearing terrifying claw marks and scorch marks, as if they had been crushed by some colossal being. Dry riverbeds of stars, their stars dim and lifeless like dead fish eyes, were frozen in the void. They could even see shattered, unidentifiable fragments of colossal bones and metal, the smallest of which was comparable to a mountain peak, exuding a suffocating pressure!

This place felt like the ruins of an ancient, forgotten battlefield! Its scale far surpassed the War of Investiture of the Gods, making it impossible to even imagine what kind of brutal war had once occurred here!

"Where is this place?" Qiongxiao's voice trembled as she instinctively moved closer to Yun Xiao. This dead void and the colossal wreckage exerted immense psychological pressure on them.

Tongtian's brow furrowed. He cautiously extended his divine sense outwards, but it was greatly restricted by the dense chaotic mist, allowing him to probe only a thousand miles around.

"I'm not sure. But it's definitely not within the Great Desolation," he said gravely, his sharp gaze sweeping over the colossal wreckage. "These traces... they are not the work of Saints, yet they are even more overbearing and brutal."

He sensed a faint but incredibly terrifying residual aura, an aura filled with destruction, devouring, and chaos, utterly different from any cultivation system in the Great Desolation. It caused his own Chaos Dao Fruit to spontaneously generate a sense of vigilance and rejection.

[Warning: High concentration of unknown chaotic energy residue detected. Energy attribute bias: Devouring, Destruction, Chaos. Preliminary identification: Outer Realm Demon God aura.] The System's cold voice announced.

Outer Realm Demon God? Tongtian's heart tightened. He had only heard this term occasionally when Dao Ancestor Hongjun spoke of the vastness of chaos during his sermons in Zixiao Palace, mentioning that the Great Desolation was not the only realm, but that other Chaos Demon Gods had also created worlds, and their relationships were often one of conquest and devouring. Could this place be the ruins of an ancient battlefield where a battle against an Outer Realm Demon God had taken place?

As he pondered, an anomaly occurred! Not far ahead, behind a massive, island-like piece of charred bone, a giant claw covered in dark purple scales emerged without warning!

The claw was ferocious, its talons sharp as divine weapons, entwined with a nauseating devouring power. It silently tore through the chaotic mist and lunged towards Bixiao, who appeared to be the weakest, its speed beyond imagination!

A sneak attack! And an extremely insidious and vicious one!

"Careful!" Tongtian reacted with lightning speed. He had sensed it the moment the claw appeared and unleashed a punch without hesitation!

As his fist struck, chaos was born! Boundless Primordial Unity Magic Power condensed into a gray fist imprint, striking the dark purple scaled claw from behind!

CRACK! A muffled sound, like the striking of a broken war drum. The chaotic fist imprint and the scaled claw vibrated violently!

The scaled claw recoiled in pain, pulling back behind the bone with a low, ferocious roar. It clearly hadn't expected such a tough opponent among its "food."

Tongtian's body swayed slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Although he hadn't used his full strength, his punch was enough to heavily injure an ordinary Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Yet, it had only repelled the claw, causing no obvious damage? The defensive power of those scales was truly terrifying!

"What is that?!" Wudang and Sanxiao finally reacted, breaking out in a cold sweat. They immediately summoned their magical treasures, formed a defensive formation, and warily looked towards the giant bone.

Kui Niu roared, revealing part of its true form, its body swelling as it guarded the group.

"Be on guard! Something is strange here!" Tongtian shouted coldly, Qingping Sword already in his hand, its blade glowing with chaotic light.

Behind the bone, the low growl intensified into an angry roar. Accompanied by a grating sound, a massive figure slowly emerged.

What kind of monster was it?! It resembled a human but stood a hundred zhang tall, covered entirely in thick, dark purple scales, with ferocious bone spurs at its joints. Its head was lizard-like, but it had only one enormous, vertical crimson eye, filled with greed, hunger, and pure destructive desire. It had no nose, only a slit-like mouth that opened to reveal layers upon layers of teeth dripping with corrosive saliva. It exuded a devouring aura, more vibrant and terrifying than the surrounding environment, yet originating from the same source!

"Gulp, fresh world energy, delicious!" Intermittent, distorted, hoarse mental fluctuations emanated from the One-Eyed Demon God, locking onto Tongtian and the others as if they were a long-awaited feast.

"Outer Realm Demon God!" Tongtian instantly confirmed the opponent's origin, his eyes turning completely cold. It was indeed these creatures! Predators from beyond the Great Desolation, whose instinct was to devour other worlds!

"ROAR!" The One-Eyed Demon God seemed to lose patience. A dark red beam of destruction shot from its single eye, annihilating even the chaotic mist in its path! Simultaneously, its massive body lunged forward, its claws tearing and its great maw biting. Simple and brutal, yet imbued with ultimate power and the laws of destruction!

"Form the formation! Trap it!" Tongtian commanded, while he himself, holding Qingping Sword, charged forward!

Wudang and Yun Xiao immediately cast their formations, Water Curtain Heavenly Splendor and Chaotic Cloud Light intertwining, attempting to slow the demon god's movements. Qiongxiao and Bixiao channeled their magic power, attacking the beam of light shot by the One-Eyed Demon God.

However, the demon god's strength far exceeded expectations, comparable to an early-stage Quasi-Saint! Moreover, its power was extremely peculiar, carrying strong devouring and corrosive properties. The formation set up by Wudang and Yun Xiao was forcibly torn apart and devoured by it! Qiongxiao and Bixiao's attacks only caused sparks to fly upon hitting its scales, failing to inflict significant damage!

"Master, be careful! Its power can erode the spiritual essence of magical treasures!" Yun Xiao urgently warned, noticing that her Chaotic Cloud Light was being slowly worn away by the devouring field emanating from the demon god.

Tongtian clashed with the demon god, sword meeting claw with a deafening clang. Chaotic sword energy and destructive demonic light collided fiercely, neither able to overcome the other!

"Hmph! Vile creature! Do you truly think I cannot deal with you?" A fierce glint flashed in Tongtian's eyes, and the Chaos Bead reappeared above his head!

"Chaos Forbidden! Heaven Swallowing!" He unleashed a newly comprehended Divine Ability, activating the Chaos Bead. Instead of a direct attack, it formed a massive chaotic vortex, generating a terrifying suction force that madly devoured the devouring demonic energy emanating from the One-Eyed Demon God!

The One-Eyed Demon God froze, clearly having never encountered such a tactic. Its core power was devouring, and now it encountered something that could devour even more! The demonic energy around its body flowed uncontrollably towards the chaotic vortex, causing its attacks to momentarily falter!

Now! Tongtian became one with his sword, transforming into an extremely brilliant chaotic sword light, like the first ray of light that split the heavens and earth. It instantly pierced the slight weakness exposed by the demon god's power disruption—a relatively weaker scale area three inches below its single eye!

SLICE! The chaotic sword energy passed through its body!

"ROOOOAR--!" The One-Eyed Demon God let out an incredibly piercing scream, its massive body trembling violently. Dark purple demonic blood gushed out like a waterfall, and its aura instantly weakened!

Disbelief and terror flashed in its single eye. It abruptly turned, tearing through the void, intending to flee!

"Trying to escape? Leave something behind!" How could Tongtian allow it to escape so easily? His sword light flashed again, fiercely severing one of its arms!

After being severed, the broken arm still writhed madly, attempting to attack. Tongtian snorted coldly, and with a sweep of chaotic energy, he completely suppressed and sealed it, storing it in his sleeve.

The One-Eyed Demon God seized the opportunity, transforming into a dark purple stream of light, and fled in utter disarray into the depths of the chaotic mist, disappearing from sight.

The battle ended, and the void returned to its dead silence, leaving only the scattered residual energy and spilled demonic blood.

Tongtian breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his expression grew even more solemn. This demon god was powerful and its methods were bizarre. If he hadn't happened to possess the Chaos Bead, which could counter its devouring nature, it would have taken considerable effort, and there might even have been casualties.

"Master, are you alright?" Sanxiao gathered around him, their faces still etched with shock.

"I'm fine," Tongtian shook his head, taking out the sealed demon god's severed arm and beginning to study it carefully. The hardness of the scales, the corrosiveness of the demonic energy, the laws of Chaos contained within... all were completely different from any Great Desolation cultivation system he knew.

"System, analyze the origin and energy characteristics of this item."

[Analyzing Target: Outer Realm Demon God (One-Eyed Devourer) Remnant Limb.
Energy Characteristics: High concentration of Chaos demonic energy, leaning towards devouring, destruction, and laws of Chaos.
Origin Determination: From an alien world filled with a desire for destruction, currently approaching the Great Desolation world.
Based on energy activity and residual pheromones, estimated time of contact between this alien world and the Great Desolation: Minimum three thousand years, maximum ten thousand years.
Warning: This alien world's strength is extremely powerful. Its attitude towards the Great Desolation: Extreme hostility. Objective: Devour.]

The System's analysis results made Tongtian's heart sink heavily!

A hostile, powerful alien world was approaching the Great Desolation, with contact expected within ten thousand years?! Could a world war even break out?!

This news was too shocking! Far more terrifying than the pressure brought by the Sages! This was a catastrophe concerning the survival of the entire Great Desolation!

Wudang and Sanxiao also turned pale upon hearing the System's warning (Tongtian had selectively informed them of part of it). A world war? They could hardly imagine what kind of brutal scene that would be.

Tongtian fell silent for a long time, then slowly raised his head, gazing into the gray, boundless Chaos void, as if looking towards the direction of the Great Desolation world.

His eyes became incredibly complex.

With the Sages pressing in from within, and an alien world coveting from without. Had the Great Desolation world truly reached such a state of internal and external troubles?

Did Dao Ancestor Hongjun know? Did the Sages know?

If they knew, were they still busy with internal strife and suppressing him at this moment?

For a moment, Tongtian felt a sense of absurdity and desolation.

But the next moment, this emotion was replaced by an even firmer will!

No matter what the Sages did, no matter what the Dao Ancestor did, this Great Desolation world was his home, Tongtian's root! It was the homeland of his Jie Teachings' myriad immortals! It absolutely could not be devoured and destroyed by an Outer Realm Demon God!

The original plan had to change!

He not only had to save his disciples and resist the Sages, but also prepare for the impending great tribulation from the alien world!

The Primordial Dao might not only be the path to transcendence, but also the path to facing tribulation!

He put away the demon god's severed arm, his gaze swept over his disciples who were still in shock, and his voice was steady yet carried an unprecedented solemnity:

"This place is not suitable for lingering. The commotion just now might attract more demon gods. We must find a way back to the Great Desolation as soon as possible."

"Once we return, all plans proceed as usual, but we must accelerate our pace! We may not have much time left."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the endless void, seeing the approaching shadow filled with destruction.

The great tribulation was coming, and he had to quickly gain the power to protect everything!