Spatial Battle

Candle Dragon began explaining a few things to everyone.

Watching this scene, Donghua thought, It seems Candle Dragon will surely perish in this battle with Taotie. Otherwise, the Dragon Clan in later generations wouldn't be so weak that any faction could bully them.

He was now wondering whether he should help, what their chances of winning would be, and whether he might get hurt.

Before Donghua could think any further, Candle Dragon and the others had already opened a gap in the formation.

In an instant, a towering surge of Fierce Demonic Qi poured out.

Donghua was shocked. How can Taotie be this ferocious?

After all, before the Four Fierce Beasts were sealed, they had only been at the early Quasi-Saint stage, or at most the middle stage.

Once the formation had opened, Candle Dragon prepared himself and leaped into the space.

The other members of the Dragon Clan immediately closed the formation again. Seeing it about to shut, Donghua had no time to think.

His body turned into a streak of light, and he rushed into the space.

I have several Innate Spiritual Treasures on me, so I'll naturally be fine. If things really prove impossible, I can simply break the spatial seal and escape. I don't have as many concerns as Candle Dragon. So what if Taotie gets out?

Donghua entered the space just before the formation closed. Then it shut behind him.

Inside the space, Donghua saw Candle Dragon up ahead and the enormous Taotie in the distance.

Seeing Donghua follow him inside, Candle Dragon asked in shock, "Fellow Daoist Donghua, why did you come in too?"

Donghua glanced at Candle Dragon, then turned his gaze toward Taotie in the distance.

He declared righteously, "Enough talk. I, Donghua, am also an Innate Deity of the Primordial Wilderness. I might have looked the other way if I hadn't seen this, but now that I have, slaying the Fierce Beast is my responsibility."

Hearing this, Candle Dragon felt as though he were seeing the man before him for the first time. At that moment, Donghua seemed to radiate light.

Before the two could say anything more, Taotie charged over from afar.

His body was enormous, his eyes grew beneath his armpits, and he had tiger's teeth and human claws. His huge head bore a gaping mouth like a world unto itself, while boundless ferocity and demonic energy radiated from him.

Candle Dragon rose into the air, a long spear appearing in his hand as he took up a position opposite Taotie.

Donghua rose into the air as well, gripping the Pure Yang Sword.

Taotie's voice boomed like thunder. "Candle Dragon, you long worm without claws! You sealed the Patriarch and Taotie together. You never expected that I wouldn't be devoured by that creature, did you? Instead, I benefited from it. I merged with Taotie and gained an undying body. Now I am Taotie, and Taotie is me."

"Ke ke ke!"

Hearing Taotie's words, Candle Dragon flew into a rage. He was the venerable ancestor of the Dragon Clan, an Innate Deity who had taken form from time itself, yet this creature had called him a long worm.

The spear in his hand trembled, lightning flickering along its shaft as purple bolts surged forth.

They transformed into streaks of purple lightning shaped like dragons, sweeping away all the Fierce Demonic Qi around Candle Dragon.

The lightning dragons crashed into Taotie, sending ripples across his body.

Taotie roared in pain and opened his mouth, sucking the lightning dragons straight into his belly.

His round belly churned. Then he opened his mouth and spat the lightning dragons back out.

Candle Dragon spun his spear. A flash of cold light appeared, and he pressed forward without hesitation, scattering the returning lightning dragons.

His spear seemed to multiply into countless shadows as he launched a direct assault.

Taotie raised both claws, carving claw-shaped shadows through the air. Wrapped in Fierce Demonic Qi, they clashed with Candle Dragon.

His body itself was a weapon.

Though Taotie looked enormous, he was remarkably agile. His physical body was incredibly powerful, even stronger than the Innate Spiritual Treasure in Candle Dragon's hand. And with Ri Yan's intelligence added to the mix—

he was even harder to deal with. Donghua watched from the sky without intervening, waiting for an opportunity and searching for Taotie's weakness.

By now, the two were locked in a close-quarters battle that had reached a fever pitch.

Marks scarred every part of the space. Fierce Demonic Qi intertwined with the spear-light from the Purple Lightning Roaming Dragon Spear in Candle Dragon's hand.

Suddenly, Taotie spun around. His immense body seemed to turn heaven and earth upside down.

His long tail lashed out like a whip, sweeping toward Candle Dragon and striking his spear.

The blow sent Candle Dragon flying, tumbling through the air.

Taotie didn't stop there.

He opened his mouth, intending to swallow Candle Dragon whole.

After tumbling several times through the air, Candle Dragon finally dissipated the force transmitted through the Purple Lightning Roaming Dragon Spear.

"That beast is incredibly strong!"

But he had no time to think further. An immense force of devouring surged from Taotie's mouth, drawing Candle Dragon forward against his will.

This devouring power came from the Great Dao Law itself.

Candle Dragon was on the verge of being sucked into Taotie's mouth.

Suddenly, a dragon's roar rang through the sky.

Candle Dragon had revealed his true form, transforming into a dragon.

Donghua still didn't intervene from afar, because he knew neither of them had used their full strength.

This is Candle Dragon at his strongest.

The Dragon of Time opened his eyes to make it day and closed them to make it night.

In his true form, Candle Dragon's pupils were vertical. As his eyes opened and closed, an indescribable fluctuation filled the heavens and earth.

Wherever the fluctuation passed, Taotie's devouring power came to a halt.

Even Donghua in the distance seemed frozen in place, unable to move.

"Is this the power of time?"

Pure Yang Power surged around Donghua, and he broke free of time's restraint.

Candle Dragon opened his mouth and breathed out.

The breath instantly turned into icy arrows.

This was Nine Yin Cold Ice.

The arrows formed from Nine Yin Cold Ice struck Taotie like blades and swords hitting steel.

A series of clanging impacts rang out, yet they failed to break through his defenses.

Donghua was stunned by the sight.

"What the hell is Taotie's body made of? It's even tougher than the Twelve Demon Gods' bodies!"

Seeing that his ice arrows hadn't pierced Taotie's defenses, Candle Dragon breathed out again.

This time, it was simply a breath of icy cold air. Everywhere it passed, even space itself froze.

Taotie was caught in the freezing air, but it seemed to have no effect. He protected his head but not his backside, and was ultimately frozen solid.

"Donghua, do you have a way to break through this creature's defenses?" Seeing that his attacks weren't working, Candle Dragon turned to ask him.

Donghua thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Honestly, he had no way to deal with such a powerful physical body. He had several spiritual treasures, but none of them excelled at offense.

The Pure Yang Sword had been nurtured from the Great Dao's Pure Yang, but even after comparing the two, it still seemed incapable of breaking through Taotie's defenses.

This creature truly was one of the Four Innate Fierce Beasts.

He had taken form from the Turbid Qi of Heaven and Earth and the Swallowing Great Dao. His body was as powerful as a Demon God's, and on top of that, he naturally controlled the Law of Devouring. Though he wasn't very bright, his strength was still fearsome.

Now that he also had Ri Yan's intelligence, he was truly difficult to deal with. It was no wonder Candle Dragon had died at Taotie's hands.

Seeing Donghua shake his head, Candle Dragon didn't waste any more time. He knew he couldn't keep Taotie frozen for long.

He spat out twenty-four shining pearls.

The twenty-four pearls carried the power of the heavens and immediately smashed into Taotie.

Seeing them, Donghua exclaimed, "The Sea Calming Divine Beads!"

How had these ended up in Candle Dragon's hands? Weren't they supposed to be with Tongtian, who would then bestow them upon his disciple, Zhao Gongming?

In the end, that fellow Randeng had taken them, and they had become Randeng's Dao-Proving treasure, transforming into the Twenty-Four Heavens.

In the blink of an eye, Donghua understood. It seemed that after Candle Dragon's death, the Dragon Clan had gone to Kunlun Mountain to find the Three Pure Ones. Once the Three Pure Ones had intervened and slain Taotie, the Sea Calming Divine Beads had naturally become theirs.

The Sea Calming Divine Beads struck Taotie, and this time they truly had an effect.

Carrying boundless power, the beads battered Taotie until he howled. His body began to crack, and they smashed a hole straight through his back.

"Roar!"

Taotie's furious roar resounded through the clouds.

Suddenly, the Fierce Demonic Qi around him churned, and he broke free of his restraints.

"Ah! You damn long worm! You really hurt the Patriarch!"

Taotie roared and sucked in a breath. It seemed that everything in the space was about to be pulled into his body.

The Sea Calming Divine Beads were caught in the devouring force and swayed unsteadily in midair.

Seeing this, Candle Dragon increased the power he was channeling.

His vertical pupils opened and closed once more, and the fluctuations of time swept toward Taotie again.

This time, Taotie ignored everything else. His body swelled, and his mouth opened, turning directly into a black hole.

Wherever the black hole passed, ferocious energy and demonic energy rampaged. Even the power of time was devoured, and the Sea Calming Divine Beads could hold out no longer. They were sucked straight into Taotie's belly.

"What terrifying devouring power!"