The Demon God of the Ruins of Return Emerges Amidst a Cataclysm; Sparks Ignite, and the Calamity Wave Begins

At the far eastern edge of the Primordial World, where heaven and earth ended, the Ruins of Return had once been a place where all things fell into oblivion, devouring the remnants of myriad worlds. Yet they had maintained a chaotic but relatively stable balance. Misty Grey Chaos Mist revolved slowly, and vast Spatial Rifts gaped like scars on the world. Though dangerous, they were still part of the Primordial Heavenly Dao's cycle. But now, even Tongtian, who had seen much of the world, felt a soul-deep shock and chill at the sight before him!

The once relatively peaceful entrance to the Ruins of Return had become a boiling, raging sea filled with absolute darkness and destruction! Countless enormous, writhing black tentacles, like nightmares made manifest from the deepest abyss, were forcing their way out of the largest Spatial Rift. Every impact sent the entire eastern edge of the Primordial World trembling violently, while the laws of heaven and earth wailed without end!

The tentacles were made entirely of pure Exotic Demonic Qi, utterly opposite to the spiritual energy of the Primordial World. Strange runes that constantly appeared and vanished covered their surfaces, and they radiated a mad will—greedy, ravenous, bent on destroying everything! Wherever they passed, space shattered inch by inch like fragile glass, turning into the most primal Chaos Flow, only to be devoured and assimilated by the demonic qi!

At the core, surrounded by countless tentacles, a vast, indescribably twisted shadow was struggling to cross the final barrier! The pressure it radiated had reached the level of a Saint—perhaps even surpassed it! This was a power that existed solely to destroy, a despairing force!

"Realm Demon God." Tongtian's expression was grave as he recognized the origin of this terrifying being. It was the vanguard of the Otherworld Invasion—or rather, the embodiment of destruction formed from the power of the Otherworld itself! Its goal was to tear through the Primordial World's barrier and devour the entire world!

Beyond the Ruins of Return, the battlefield had already begun!

Haotian Shangdi had not come in person, but the armies of the Heavenly Court had already formed a stunning battle formation! A hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals had assembled the Myriad Stars Array (Incomplete), its brilliant starlight stretching across the sky like a river of stars before the Ruins of Return. Countless rays of starlight transformed into destructive beams, bombarding the black tentacles that reached out and blasting them apart, vaporizing them!

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, the Third Prince Nezha, the Four Heavenly Kings, and other fierce warriors of the Heavenly Court each displayed their abilities and unleashed their magic treasures. They fought the hideous, terrifying demons that spawned from the severed tentacles. The battle was savage; every moment, Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were either corrupted by demonic qi until they dissolved into blood and pus, or torn apart by demons, their divine blood raining across the sky!

Farther away, Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, Yuding Zhenren, and some of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan School had also led their disciples to form another great formation (apparently a simplified version of the Immortal Execution Sword Formation). Their sharp sword qi swept across the battlefield with tremendous force, yet they kept their distance from the Heavenly Court's formation. They even seemed wary of one another, fighting their own battles.

The Western Teachings had sent some as well, though they were not a main force. A few Bodhisattvas led Arhats and Vajras in the distance, casting Buddha Light to purify the demonic qi filling the area. They seemed to be helping, but in truth appeared more interested in collecting Devilish Qi Samples or earning merit by guiding the dead to the afterlife. They had not truly entered the heart of the battlefield.

The entire battlefield was chaotic and brutal! Though the Primordial World's side had greater numbers and fought in formation, the Realm Demon God's power was too terrifying and strange. Its demonic qi had a powerful corrosive and contaminating effect on the magic power and Nascent Souls of immortals and gods. It often took several times, even ten times, the cost to barely counter a single tentacle. And the Demon God itself had yet to fully descend, yet its pressure already left many Heavenly Soldiers' hearts trembling, making it difficult for them to fight at full strength.

Hidden within a rift in the void, Tongtian watched the beginning of this calamity with cold eyes. He did not immediately act, but carefully observed and analyzed the Otherworld Demon God's methods of attack, the nature of its power, and the strategies of the Primordial World's forces.

They really are a disorganized rabble. Tongtian sneered to himself. The Heavenly Court, the Chan School, and the Western Teachings each had their own agendas and could hardly work together. If things continued this way, the moment the Demon God itself squeezed through, their defenses would collapse!

Just then, the Realm Demon God seemed enraged by the resistance from the Primordial World. The shadow at its core churned violently, and it let out a piercing shriek that pierced the soul!

In the next instant, a main tentacle a hundred times thicker than the others, its surface covered in grotesque eyeballs, violently tore through one corner of the Myriad Stars Array and lashed toward the Chan School's formation at a speed faster than thought! Its target was none other than Guangchengzi, at the heart of the formation!

The Destructive Power in this blow left Guangchengzi deathly pale. He felt the threat to his life! Yuding Zhenren and the others hurriedly activated the sword formation to save him, but they were already a beat too late!

At this critical moment, a cold shout rang out as if from beyond the Ninth Heaven. "Beast! How dare you run rampant!" It was not Tongtian who had acted!

A phantom Taiji Diagram suddenly appeared in the void, blotting out the sky. Its yin-yang fish revolved slowly, stabilizing Earth Water Fire Wind and encompassing all things. At the very last moment, it appeared before the main tentacle!

Hiss! The terrifying main tentacle slammed into the Taiji Diagram, making a grating sound of corrosion! Black and white qi swirled, constantly eroding the demonic qi and eyeballs on the tentacle, but its power was simply too immense. It pushed the phantom Taiji Diagram inward, making it bow as its light flickered violently!

Grand Supreme Elder Laozi had acted! Though his true form had not descended, this phantom Taiji Diagram, imbued with the Dao Fruit of a Saint, still possessed earth-shaking power! Yet the Realm Demon God seemed to have set its sights on its target. The shadow at its core boiled once more, and another equally terrifying main tentacle lashed out, joining the first to batter the Taiji Diagram!

The pressure on the phantom Taiji Diagram immediately increased, and its light dimmed at a visible pace!

"Senior Brother, help me!" Guangchengzi cried out in alarm, calling for help from Daoist Randeng, who was among the Heavenly Court's forces in the distance. But several enormous secondary tentacles had wrapped around Burning Lamp, making it impossible for him to break free for the moment!

The Bodhisattvas of the Western Teachings retreated even farther, chanting sutras without pause, but none of them stepped forward to meet the attack head-on!

Just as the phantom Taiji Diagram was about to break and Guangchengzi and the others were in mortal danger, Tongtian—who had been concealed for so long—saw brilliant light flash in his eyes. "Now!"

The moment he had awaited had arrived! Laozi was occupied by the Demon God's main force, and everyone's attention had been drawn there. It was the perfect time for him to act—and to test his new power!

He stopped hiding and stepped out of the void! Rather than charging at the two main tentacles, he appeared on the flank of the battlefield, where countless demons spawned from the tentacles were surging like a tide against the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals' defenses!

"Chaos Netherworld, Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth!" Tongtian growled. The dark gray Chaos Netherworld Magic Power around him erupted without restraint! He used no magic treasure, merely throwing a simple punch!

As his fist shot out, a huge, dark gray Chaos Vortex appeared from nowhere. Its center seemed to connect to the depths of the Nine Hells, radiating a terrifying Devouring Power!

The surging tide of demons seemed to have met its natural bane as soon as it touched the Chaos Vortex! The Exotic Demonic Qi within them, potent enough to corrupt immortals and gods, was frantically drawn out, devoured, ground down, and transformed by the vortex! The demons shrieked in terror as their bodies visibly withered and vanished, turning into the purest energy and being absorbed by the vortex—while replenishing Tongtian's strength!

Tongtian stood behind the vortex, his black hair whipping wildly and his eyes cold. Like the bane of demons, he swept forward without resistance! Wherever he passed, the tide of demons melted like snow, clearing a vast swath in an instant! The Heavenly Soldiers' besieged line suddenly came under far less pressure!

This sudden turn of events shocked the entire battlefield!

"Is that Sect Master Tongtian?!" someone recognized him and cried out in disbelief!

"How can his power counter Outer Realm Demonic Qi?!" The Heavenly Court's generals gaped in astonishment.

"Chaos Aura and Netherworld Death Qi—what path has he taken?!" The Chan School's Golden Immortals were both shocked and doubtful.

The Western Teachings' followers looked even more unsettled, their eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Tongtian paid no attention to the discussion. He circulated his Chaos Dao Fruit to the utmost, frantically devouring the demons. As he felt the Exotic Demonic Qi transform into his own magic power, he gained a deeper understanding of the nature of the Otherworld's power. His aura grew stronger with every battle, and the dark gray light around him blazed ever brighter!

As if sensing the threat on its flank, the Realm Demon God let out an angry roar and sent out a third main tentacle, abandoning the Taiji Diagram to smash down at Tongtian! The eyeballs covering the tentacle opened at once, firing countless Destruction Beams that warped the soul!

"Good!" Far from being alarmed, Tongtian was delighted. He had been wanting to test the Demon God's main force!

He let out a long cry. The trace of Otherworld Destructive Power he had gained from the fragment flowed into his fist, while a phantom Chaos Bead appeared above his head, releasing countless streams of qi to shield him. He neither dodged nor evaded, meeting the Demon God's world-destroying tentacle with a hard punch!

Rumble! The terrifying explosion lit up the dim Ruins of Return! Shock waves of energy swept in every direction like a tsunami!

Tongtian's body shuddered violently as he was thrown backward. A thread of golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and the flesh on his fist split open, but his eyes shone brighter than ever! The demonic qi on the Demon God's tentacle dispersed under his punch, infused with multiple supreme powers, and most of the tentacle recoiled!

He could wound a Saint-level Realm Demon God! Though he had only driven it back, not inflicted a serious injury, that alone proved how formidable his path had become!

Just as he steadied himself and prepared to charge again, the phantom Taiji Diagram—which had been locked in a stalemate with the two main tentacles—suddenly spun its yin-yang fish faster, unleashing an unprecedented radiance. It sent the two tentacles reeling back for a brief moment!

At the same time, Laozi's calm, lofty voice rang clearly in Tongtian's ears, audible to him alone:

"The spark has appeared. Why rush to set the prairie ablaze? The waters here run deep. Beyond chaos, there is still chaos." As the words faded, the phantom Taiji Diagram swept up Guangchengzi and the other Chan School disciples and vanished in an instant. They had withdrawn from the battlefield outright!

Laozi had acted again, saving the Chan School disciples, but left behind an even more cryptic remark. Once more, he had let Tongtian go!

Tongtian stood stunned, turning Laozi's words over in his mind as waves churned in his heart. Was Laozi warning him to conceal his strength? Hinting that there were even stronger enemies beyond the Primordial World? Or did he mean something else?

With the Taiji Diagram no longer holding it back, all the Realm Demon God's fury instantly focused on Tongtian and the heavily battered Heavenly Court army below!

Countless tentacles rained down like frenzied demonic dragons, blotting out the sky!

Haotian Shangdi still failed to appear!

The situation became critical in an instant!

Tongtian looked at the Demon God's fury bearing down from above, then at the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals below, struggling desperately as the dead lay piled among them. A complex look crossed his eyes.

Among these Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, there might be former fellow disciples of Jiejiao—or even their reincarnated selves.

In the next instant, a look of resolve flashed through his eyes. The light of a spark might be faint, but it could still illuminate a place! He drew a deep breath. The Chaos Bead blazed with light, and dark gray magic power soared into the sky as he charged straight toward the Demon God's fury!

"The Calamity Wave has come. Then let it begin today!"

"I am Tongtian, and I stand here!" His voice was not loud, but it rang clearly across the entire battlefield, carrying unshakable resolve and a sense of responsibility. Like the first spark to pierce the darkness, he charged headlong into the overwhelming demonic tide!