Spark to Prairie Fire Blocks Demon Tide, Mysterious Yellow Tower Appears, Dao Ancestor's Trace

The realm demon god's fury, like a chaotic tsunami weighing billions of tons, crashed down upon Tongtian, who stood alone to meet it!

Countless twisted, writhing, pitch-black tentacles, covered in grotesque eyeballs, spewed corrosive beams of destruction that dissolved all laws. Wherever they passed, space collapsed in swathes, and the chaotic currents of the Ruin were forcibly pushed aside, forming an absolute domain of death! Saint-level pressure was unleashed without reservation, causing the surviving Heavenly Court formations in the distance to sway, their Heavenly Soldiers and Generals turning pale, their primordial spirits on the verge of shattering!

Facing this world-destroying strike, Tongtian was like a candle flame about to be extinguished in a storm!

However, his eyes were not filled with fear; instead, they blazed with burning fighting spirit and cold reason! The Chaos Dao Fruit spun madly at an unprecedented speed, and the Chaos Bead above his head hummed, casting down ten thousand streams of dark gray energy. It was no longer for pure defense, but transformed into countless tiny, rotating Chaos Vortices, covering his entire body!

"Chaos Returns to Origin, Devouring All Laws!" He formed a hand seal and shoved forward forcefully! The countless tiny Chaos Vortices instantly converged into a single, immeasurably vast, bottomless dark entrance, as if connecting to the Primordial Chaos before its creation! This was precisely the defensive counter-attack Divine Ability he had newly comprehended by combining the Chaos Bead's properties, the Netherworld's devouring power, and that sliver of Otherworld destruction law—the Chaos Return to Origin Aperture!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!! The demon god's terrifying attack crashed into the Chaos Return to Origin Aperture! There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a bone-chilling, eerie sound like billions of worlds being simultaneously ground and devoured! The rampant demonic energy, capable of destroying stars and heavily wounding Saints, entered the Return to Origin Aperture and, like a clay ox entering the sea, was frantically decomposed, torn apart, and devoured by the countless rotating Chaos Vortices!

Tongtian's body trembled violently, his face instantly turned as pale as paper, golden blood continuously trickled from the corners of his mouth, and the freshly healed cracks on his Saint Body re-opened! The power of a Saint was beyond imagination; even with the profoundness of the Chaos Return to Origin Aperture, he could not completely neutralize it. He could only rely on his formidable cultivation and physical body to forcibly withstand the backlash!

But he did not retreat a single step!

The Return to Origin Aperture was like the most resilient dam, firmly blocking the most ferocious first wave of the demonic tide! Although it swayed precariously, it did not break!

This scene once again shocked the entire battlefield!

"He blocked it?! He actually blocked the demon god's enraged strike?!" King Li Jing of Pagoda Holding exclaimed in disbelief, almost dropping the treasure pagoda in his hand.

"What kind of Divine Ability is that? It can actually devour demonic energy?!" Nezha, the Third Prince, paused his Fire-Tipped Spear, his eyes filled with astonishment.

The surviving Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were even more dumbfounded. A faint glimmer of hope suddenly ignited in their hearts, which had been filled with despair!

"Sect Master Tongtian... is holding back the demon god for us?!" a Heavenly Soldier muttered, his feelings incredibly complex. Most of them had been affected by the War of Investiture of the Gods and harbored hostility towards Tongtian, yet now they were being saved by their enemy.

The realm demon god seemed taken aback. Its simple will of destruction could not comprehend how such a "tiny" ant could withstand its power. What followed was even more furious rage!

More tentacles lashed out wildly, and countless destruction beams focused and bombarded! It was determined to crush this bothersome ant and the strange vortex into powder!

Tongtian's pressure increased sharply, the Chaos Return to Origin Aperture vibrated violently, its light flickering unstably, clearly on the verge of collapse!

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes; he knew he could no longer rely on passive defense!

"Kui Niu! Wudang! Help me!" he roared, his voice shaking the universe!

Kui Niu and Saint Mother Wudang, who had been anxiously waiting nearby, immediately transformed into two streams of light and charged into the battlefield without hesitation!

Kui Niu revealed his massive true form, roaring at the sky. His majestic Innate Water Spirit Power, mixed with the malevolent aura of ancient battlefields, formed a thick barrier, protecting Tongtian's left flank! Saint Mother Wudang, on the other hand, activated a Chaos Sword Qi talisman bestowed by Tongtian, igniting it forcefully. Ten thousand streams of gray sword qi shot out like a torrential rain towards the tentacles on the right flank. Though unable to inflict heavy damage, they successfully disrupted the attack!

Seizing a moment of respite, Tongtian took a deep breath. The newly formed Chaos Netherworld Magic Power within him, a fusion of various powers, burned without reservation!

"Primordial Unity Strike, Heaven and Earth Creation!" He used himself as a catalyst, mixing a portion of the demon god's power absorbed by the Chaos Return to Origin Aperture, all his own magic power, and that precious sliver of Chaos Green Lotus Origin Spiritual Mechanism, compressing it all onto his fist before unleashing it towards the massive rift where the demon god's main body resided!

This punch was devoid of any flourish, containing only the most extreme power and condensation of the Dao!

As the fist light left his hand, it was initially only the size of a fist, dark gray in color, but it instantly expanded, transforming into a brilliant pillar of light that tore through the dim battlefield! Within the light pillar, terrifying phenomena seemed to flow, such as the creation of chaos, the birth of galaxies, the sinking of the nine netherworlds, and the annihilation of all things! Its power had already surpassed the Quasi-Saint realm, infinitely approaching a Saint's Strike!

The realm demon god seemed to sense the threat, emitting a shrill screech. Countless tentacles retreated to defend, violently intertwining with the light pillar!

CRASH—!!! A terrifying explosion erupted at the entrance to the Ruin! Light consumed everything! The energy storm raged like billions of mad dragons! Some demonic creatures and Heavenly Soldiers caught too close instantly vaporized and disappeared! Even the Heavenly Court formations and the followers of Chan Teachings and Western Teachings in the distance were sent tumbling by the impact!

At the center of the explosion, Tongtian's figure flew backward like a kite with a broken string, his body drenched in blood, his aura extremely weak. The Chaos Bead let out a mournful cry and retreated into his body, clearly heavily wounded. Kui Niu and Wudang were also blasted away, not lightly injured.

However, the realm demon god was no better off! Accompanied by a roar filled with extreme pain and rage, its massive shadow convulsed violently. Several of its most crucial, thickest tentacles were actually blown off and annihilated by Tongtian's self-sacrificing strike! Pitch-black demonic blood gushed out from the rift like a waterfall, corroding the void! Its movement to cross the realm clearly stagnated, and it even showed signs of being forced back into Chaos!

Tongtian, with the body of a Quasi-Saint, had actually heavily wounded the Saint-level realm demon god with a life-risking strike! Although he was on the verge of death, he had bought the Great Desolation a precious moment of respite! At this moment, the entire battlefield fell into dead silence!

All survivors, whether from the Heavenly Court, Chan Teachings, or Western Teachings, as well as the remaining demonic creatures, stared in disbelief at the blood-drenched figure flying backward, at the temporarily halted world-ending demonic tide!

An indescribable shock and complex emotion spread through the hearts of all beings in the Great Desolation. However, the crisis was not over! Although the demon god was wounded, it had not retreated; instead, it had become even more frenzied due to the intense pain! The remaining tentacles thrashed more violently, and more powerful demonic creatures poured out from the rift. And Tongtian had completely lost his combat power!

At this critical juncture, DANG!!! A magnificent, grand bell sound, as if ringing from the beginning of creation, violently resonated through the Primordial World! Immediately after, the phantom of a massive pagoda, entwined with Mysterious Yellow energy and having thirty-three layers, appeared out of thin air above the battlefield, exuding the supreme power of inviolability against all laws and the power to suppress the Primordial Chaos!

The Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda! Grand Supreme Elder Laozi's acquired treasure of merit!

The pagoda rotated slightly, casting down billions of streams of Mysterious Yellow energy, like the most solid dam, instantly and temporarily sealing the entire entrance to the Ruin! The rampaging tentacles and demonic creatures crashed against the Mysterious Yellow energy, being repelled and purified one after another!

Although it could not completely repel the demon god, it successfully blocked it outside the Great Desolation for the time being! At the same time, a gentle yet irresistible force enveloped the heavily wounded Tongtian, Kui Niu, and Wudang, instantly whisking them away from the center of the battlefield to a safe zone.

Laozi had finally made his move! He did not directly attack the demon god but chose to seal the entrance and rescue Tongtian.

In the void, Laozi's indifferent and distant voice echoed again, this time resonating in the ears of all powerful beings:

"The demonic tribulation has begun, and it will not be resolved in a single day. This fiend is a vanguard from another realm; its master will surely follow. All beings in the Great Desolation must unite their strength to resist the foreign invasion. Internal conflicts shall be set aside for now."

As these words were spoken, the Heavenly Court, Chan Teachings, and Western Teachings factions had mixed expressions, but none dared to retort. Laozi's words represented the will of the Heavenly Dao and pointed out the true crisis.

Following that, another brilliant starlit path extended from the Thirty-Three Heavens. The figure of Haotian Shangdi finally appeared at the end of the starlight, his majestic voice ringing out: "We respectfully obey the Dao Ancestor's decree! All Heavenly Court forces shall immediately and fully guard the Ruin and repair the barrier without delay!"

Although he arrived late, he quickly took control of the situation, began reorganizing his troops, and, relying on the seal of the Mysterious Yellow Pagoda, constructed a defensive line.

Guangchengzi and the other disciples of Chan Teachings had grim expressions but could only snort coldly and lead their followers back, tacitly acknowledging Haotian's command.

The followers of the Western Teachings chanted Buddhist incantations, indicating their compliance, though it was unknown what they were plotting in secret.

A sudden world-ending crisis seemed to have been temporarily contained. However, within Tongtian's mind, who was rapidly recovering his injuries while enveloped by the Mysterious Yellow energy, Laozi's private telepathic message echoed again, containing only four words:

"Spark to Prairie Fire."

Tongtian slowly opened his eyes, feeling the rapid healing of his injuries under the nourishment of the Mysterious Yellow energy. He then looked at the temporarily sealed rift of the Ruin, and the subtle attitudes of the various factions. A flicker of understanding flashed in his eyes.

Laozi's rescue of him was not purely out of goodwill. It was to keep him, a "spark" capable of starting a "prairie fire," to stir the stagnant waters of the Great Desolation, forcing all parties to make choices in the face of the demonic tribulation, and even to act as a vanguard against the ruler of the Otherworld! And he, too, needed this great tribulation to gain opportunities for growth and counterattack! This was an open scheme. He willingly entered the game.

He struggled to stand up. Although still weak, his spine was straight. He glanced at the busy Heavenly Court army, then at the factions of Chan Teachings and Western Teachings with their varied expressions. Finally, his gaze passed through the seal of the Mysterious Yellow Pagoda, looking towards the endless, hostile Chaos beyond the rift.

The tribulation waves had already surged to the heavens. And this spark of his would eventually ignite a flame that would burn the heavens! He, carrying Kui Niu and Wudang, turned and stepped into the void, disappearing. No one stopped him. All factions tacitly accepted his departure.

The pattern of the Great Desolation had quietly changed due to his actions today and this sudden demonic tribulation.