Battle of Space

Candle Dragon began to entrust various matters to the others.

Watching this scene, Donghua thought to himself, It seems that in this battle against Taotie, Candle Dragon is destined to perish; otherwise, the Dragon Clan of later generations would not be so weak that any faction could bully them.

He was currently weighing whether to intervene, what his odds of victory were, and whether he would be in danger.

Before Donghua could ponder further, Candle Dragon and the others had already torn an opening in the grand formation.

Instantly, a sky-piercing surge of Fierce Demonic Qi erupted outward.

Donghua was shocked, thinking, How can this Taotie be so ferocious? How is this possible?

One must know that before these four Fierce Beasts were sealed, they only possessed the cultivation of an early Quasi-Saint, or at most, a Mid Quasi-Saint.

With the formation opened, Candle Dragon readied himself and leaped into the space within.

The rest of the Dragon Clan immediately resealed the formation. Watching it close, Donghua had no time to hesitate.

His body transformed into a streak of light, charging into the space.

I possess multiple pieces of Innate Spiritual Treasure, so I will naturally be fine. If the situation truly becomes impossible, I can simply shatter the spatial seal to escape. I do not have the same concerns as Candle Dragon; even if Taotie escapes, so what?

Before the formation fully closed, Donghua entered the space, and then the barrier sealed shut.

Upon entering, Donghua saw Candle Dragon ahead and the massive Taotie in the distance.

Seeing Donghua follow him in, Candle Dragon asked in shock, "Fellow Daoist Donghua, why have you come in as well?"

Donghua glanced at Candle Dragon, then fixed his gaze on the distant Taotie.

He spoke with righteous indignation, "Spare me the nonsense. I, Donghua, am also an Innate Deity of the Primordial World. If I had not seen it, that would be one thing, but having seen it today, it is my bounden duty to exterminate these Fierce Beasts."

Hearing this, Candle Dragon felt as if he were meeting this person for the first time; at this moment, he felt Donghua was filled with radiance.

Before the two could exchange further words, the distant Taotie charged toward them.

Its form was gargantuan, with eyes growing beneath its armpits, tiger-like teeth, human claws, and a massive head. Its gaping maw was like an entire world, and its body radiated infinite fierce and demonic energy.

Candle Dragon rose from the ground, his spear manifesting in his hand, positioning himself to face Taotie.

Donghua also rose, gripping his Pure Yang Sword.

Taotie's voice boomed like thunder, "Candle Dragon, you clawless worm! You sealed the Ancestor together with Taotie. You never expected this, did you? Not only was I not devoured by this creature, but it actually fulfilled me, allowing me to merge with Taotie and achieve an immortal body. Now, I am Taotie, and Taotie is I."

"Heh, heh, heh."

Hearing Taotie's words, Candle Dragon flew into a rage. As a dignified ancestor of the Dragon Clan and an Innate Deity born from the flow of time, he had actually been called a "worm" by this creature.

He shook his spear, and lightning danced along the shaft as purple bolts erupted from it.

Transforming into streaks of purple lightning dragons, they swept away the Fierce Demonic Qi surrounding Candle Dragon.

The lightning dragons slammed into Taotie, creating ripples of energy.

Taotie felt the pain and let out a roar, opening its maw wide to swallow the lightning dragons whole.

Its round belly churned, and then, opening its mouth again, it spat the lightning dragons back out.

Candle Dragon twisted his spear, a cold glint appearing at the tip. With an unstoppable momentum, he shattered the incoming lightning dragons.

Countless spear shadows seemed to emerge from the weapon in his hand as he pressed the attack.

Taotie raised its two claws, carving arcs of claw-shadows into the air, swirling with Fierce Demonic Qi as it clashed with Candle Dragon.

Its very body was a weapon.

Though Taotie appeared massive, it was incredibly agile, and its Physical Body was incomparably sturdy—stronger even than the Innate Spiritual Treasure in Candle Dragon's hand. Coupled with the intelligence of Ri Yan, it was even more difficult to deal with. Donghua remained in the sky, observing the battle without intervening; he was waiting for an opportunity and searching for Taotie's weakness.

At this point, their close-quarters combat had reached a white-hot stage.

Traces of the battle were left all over the space, with the Fierce Demonic Qi entangling with the spear light emitted by Candle Dragon's Purple Lightning Roaming Dragon Spear.

Suddenly, Taotie turned, its massive body seemingly turning the world upside down.

A long tail, like a giant whip, swept across Candle Dragon's position and struck the spear in his hand.

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

Taotie did not stop there.

It opened its maw, intending to swallow Candle Dragon whole.

After tumbling in the air a few times, Candle Dragon finally managed to dissipate the force transmitted from the Purple Lightning Roaming Dragon Spear.

"This beast has immense strength!"

He had no time to think further, as a massive suction force emanated from Taotie's maw, pulling Candle Dragon toward it against his will.

This power of devouring was a true manifestation of the Great Dao Law.

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

Suddenly, a dragon roar resounded across the sky.

Candle Dragon had manifested his true form, turning into a dragon.

In the distance, Donghua still did not intervene, for he knew that neither of them had yet used their full strength.

"This is the true peak state of the Candle Dragon."

Dragon of Time: when his eyes open, it is day; when they close, it is night.

The original form of the Candle Dragon possesses vertical pupils, and as his eyes open and close, an indescribable ripple permeates the heavens and the earth.

Wherever this ripple passes, the Swallowing Great Dao of the Taotie comes to a halt.

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

Is this the power of time?

Pure Yang Power surges around Donghua, allowing him to break free from the shackles of time.

The Candle Dragon opens his maw wide and exhales a breath.

This breath instantly transforms into sharp arrows of ice.

This ice is none other than Nine Yin Cold Ice.

The arrows formed by the Nine Yin Cold Ice strike the Taotie, sounding like blades clashing against steel.

Sparks fly from the impact, yet they fail to break his defense.

Seeing this, Donghua is stunned.

"What kind of Physical Body does this damn Taotie have? It's even more formidable than the Physical Body of the Twelve Demon Gods."

Seeing that the ice arrows failed to breach the Taotie's defense, the Candle Dragon exhales once more.

This time, it is a pure breath of freezing cold, and wherever it passes, even space itself is frozen solid.

The Taotie struggles against the freezing breath, but it seems to be of no use; unable to protect his front and back simultaneously, he is eventually encased in ice.

"Donghua, do you have any way to break this fellow's defense?" Seeing his own attacks proving ineffective, the Candle Dragon asks Donghua.

Donghua ponders for a moment and shakes his head.

To be honest, he truly has no solution for such a powerful Physical Body cultivation. He possesses several spiritual treasures, but none are peerless in terms of offensive power.

The Pure Yang Sword was birthed and transformed from the Great Dao of Pure Yang, yet even after comparison, it remains difficult to crack the Taotie's defense.

This fellow is truly worthy of being one of the four great Fierce Beasts of heaven and earth.

Born from the Turbid Qi of heaven and earth manifesting the Swallowing Great Dao, his Physical Body is as formidable as a Demon God's. Crucially, he is born with mastery over the laws of swallowing; though his brain is lacking, his strength remains incomparably fierce.

Now that he possesses the intellect of Ri Yan, he is truly difficult to deal with. It is no surprise that the Candle Dragon died at the hands of this Taotie.

Seeing Donghua shake his head, the Candle Dragon does not delay, knowing he cannot keep the Taotie frozen for long.

He spits out twenty-four pearls from his mouth.

Carrying the power of the heavens, the twenty-four pearls rain down directly upon the Taotie.

Seeing these pearls, Donghua exclaims, "Sea Calming Divine Beads."

How are these in the hands of the Candle Dragon? Shouldn't they be with Tongtian, to be bestowed upon his disciple Zhao Gongming?

Eventually, they were taken by that fellow Randeng, becoming his path-enlightenment treasure and transforming into the Twenty-Four Heavens.

In an instant, Donghua understands: it seems that after the Candle Dragon died, the Dragon Clan sought out the Three Pure Ones at Kunlun Mountain. After the Three Pure Ones stepped in to eliminate the Taotie, these Sea Calming Divine Beads naturally became theirs.

The Sea Calming Divine Beads strike the Taotie, and this time, they are truly effective.

Carrying infinite power, the Sea Calming Divine Beads strike until the Taotie howls in agony; his Physical Body begins to rupture, and a hole is smashed directly into his spine.

"Roar!"

The roar of the Taotie echoes through the heavens.

Suddenly, the aura of the fierce demons around him churns, and he breaks free from his restraints.

"Ah, you damn long worm, you've caused this Old Ancestor such pain!"

The Taotie lets out a roar and inhales deeply with his massive maw, as if everything within the space is about to be sucked into his body.

The Sea Calming Divine Beads are entangled by the swallowing force, wobbling unsteadily in the air.

Seeing this, the Candle Dragon increases his output of Great Magical Power.

His vertical pupils open and close once more, and the ripples of time assault the Taotie again.

This time, the Taotie disregards everything; his body bulges, and his maw opens wide, transforming directly into a black hole.

Wherever the black hole passes, fierce energy and demonic energy ravage the surroundings. Even the power of time is swallowed, and the Sea Calming Divine Beads can no longer hold on, being sucked directly into the Taotie's belly.

"What terrifying swallowing power!"