Calamity of Tomorrow

Dragon scales transformed into Zhou Bai's figure fell off, revealing flesh beneath teeming with innumerable human heads hidden within.

As each dragon scale was lifted, it seemed as though thousands of human heads were burrowing out from the wounds, breaking through the flesh, and emitting a ghastly cackle.

The scene was so horrifying and terrifying that a single glance was enough to make one's scalp tingle and fill one's heart with panic and unease.

...

Christina opened her mouth and had just lifted her head when she immediately lowered it again, "Ugh..."

Zhou Bai only felt his scalp tingle, "Don't vomit! Hold it in! If you vomit, you won't be allowed into my sea of consciousness ever again!"

Christina, covering her mouth, "I don't want to vomit either, but it's really too disgusting, Zhou Bai."

She shook her cat head continuously, "I can't learn this, I really can't learn this. I'm going to have nightmares."

...

"What kind of Daoist technique is this?" Li Zhengdao exclaimed with shock. His dragon body was able to resist the bombardment of the Heavenly Demon, but now his flesh had been effortlessly torn apart.

"Twisted... this is the power of distortion, the power of the void."

To Li Zhengdao's perception, the Void Pulses around the opponent's entire body were incredibly strong to an unbelievable extent.

"It's as if... the void has been directly pulled into the Material World, as if this place is a point of overlap between the void and the Material World."

He had barely tested the waters when his dragon claw underwent a slight distortion, clearly indicating that even the most adept demons and monsters at utilizing void power couldn't stand in such a dense void environment.

This made Li Zhengdao involuntarily think of another power that the opponent had once used, which completely mutated Gu Lan.

It was a mutation that not even the true form of a demon could withstand, and with the current power of distortion, these two powers felt to him like they originated from the same source.

"Where exactly does Zhou Bai's power come from? I'm familiar with all the Daoist techniques of every sect in the world, and not one possesses this kind of power... could it also be something left behind by Qing Yun?"

Li Zhengdao knew the founder of the Three Pure Dao Sect, Qing Yunzi, had a very mysterious origin, and his Daoist skills were profound.

Many unclear secrets within the Three Pure Dao Sect were related to him, and it was only later discovered that the origins of the five Divine Skills were greatly associated with him.

However, after Qing Yunzi betrayed the Heavenly Court and was executed by decree of the Divine Emperor, many secrets about him became completely confidential.

After the distortion of the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Court gradually understood the uniqueness of the five Divine Skills, only to find that Jiaojiao had become the sole heir to the Divine Skills.

The Divine Emperor and the Heavenly Lords had profound and inscrutable plans of their own. Some immortals who knew the inside story always pursued the Divine Skills, and though their cultivation hadn't been restored over the years, they never gave up.

Li Zhengdao, who knew more about the inside story of the Three Pure Dao Sect than other immortals, was even more determined.

He thought to himself, 'I've come to oversee the operations in Donghua City personally this time, intending to subdue Jiaojiao and take control of the five Divine Skills, to prepare for the upcoming 'Heavenly Change' and increase my chances of success.

But now it seems that Zhou Bai's secrets may be more important than Jiaojiao's. Perhaps it's related to Qing Yunzi's rebellion... or even to the Demon Saint's plan. And then there's his connection with the Heavenly Demon...'

The unique aspects of Zhou Bai kept emerging in Li Zhengdao's mind, increasingly highlighting the mystery and oddities of Zhou Bai.

Li Zhengdao, the last divine deity to ascend to the Heavenly Court and one of the two great Heavenly Lords in just four hundred years, was absolutely not lacking in temperament, aptitude, wisdom, or knowledge.

These years, not only had his cultivation made great advances, but he also stood at the forefront of the Heavenly Court. He was adept at winning hearts, seeking secrets, and collecting ancient texts. He understood countless historical mysteries, making him a divine deity with considerable knowledge, power, wisdom, and influence—unlike traditional deities focused solely on cultivation.

Watching Zhou Bai's actions, he immediately sensed that his opponent was no simple matter. Based on the intelligence he had, he speculated on some possibilities and felt that the secrets Zhou Bai possessed were perhaps more important than Jiaojiao's.

'Take Zhou Bai down and force his secrets out.'

As a Heavenly Lord of the Heavens, Li Zhengdao's resolve and courage were definitely not weak, and his mind was incredibly steadfast. Anyone else might still hesitate and weigh the pros and cons.

But once he made a decision, he would act decisively.

Then he saw his dragon claw suddenly retract, and the wounds were swept over with azure flames, turning to burnt ash. Beneath the char-like flesh, it slowly writhed, already beginning to regrow and heal.

And with the disappearance of the dragon claw, the entire sky returned to silence. Li Zhengdao's aura and the dragon form both became invisible, and there was no more movement to be perceived.

However, both Zhou Bai and Jiaojiao and Xuan Nu, who were far away, could feel a faint and persistent murderous intent from all around.

It was evident that Li Zhengdao had not left but was brewing some kind of ...

Madness Disaster's effect was that, as long as his followers thought of his name or spoke it aloud, the void would react. The reaction was weaker when merely thought but much stronger when spoken.

The more followers who called out his name, the more severe the void erosion in that area became, the distortions of reality grew increasingly serious. From mere shadows of Zhou Bai appearing, to vivid illusions of him manifesting, eventually, everything would gradually turn into Zhou Bai.

In the most severe cases, it was like the distortion phenomena brought by the original Dao treasures; entire spaces would be completely devoured by the void, vanishing from the Material World.

It was analogous to dipping one's hand into sulfuric acid; the acid doesn't actively attack the hand. Similarly, the void doesn't actively attack anyone, but by its very nature, it is nearly impossible for any life to adapt or survive within it.

That's why Li Xiuzhu's return from the void was so surprising, and when Zhou Bai frequently passed through the void while discussing the Dao in Daluo Heaven.

Now, inside the entire spaceship, the distortions were becoming so severe that if Li Zhengdao dared to extend his claws, they would be directly twisted and damaged.

At this moment, Li Zhengdao's layered voice echoed from all directions, "Impressive Dao technique, but as such eroded by the power of the void, demons can't withstand it, gods can't bear it— you too must be suffering the distortions, right?"

While the voice carried through the air, Luotian Realm faintly emerged in the distance, disappearing in a flash.

Then, greenish columns of fire shot out, turning into a vast Fire Sea and blazing directly towards Zhou Bai, standing on the spaceship— the Starry Throne.

These were the flames of the Ancient Azure Dragon, Dragon Flame, which claimed to burn flesh as fuel, not ceasing until death, consuming anything they touched until nothing remained.

The essence of Luotian Teleportation was its ability to swiftly open, close, and move passages between Luotian Realm and the Material World, a kind of existence known as a realm gate, allowing Luotian Realm to continuously launch attacks into the Material World through the gates.

Jiaojiao had previously suggested they take the opportunity during combat to rush into Luotian Realm and attack Li Zhengdao's true form based on this principle. The idea was to act against the flow and charge into Luotian Realm the moment its gate opened and the dragon claw stretched out.

Now, Li Zhengdao was deliberately pulling the Luotian Realm's gate farther away, releasing long-range Dao techniques through the gate to avoid his dragon form getting close to the spaceship and becoming distorted and destroyed.

At this moment, as Li Zhengdao exerted his full strength spraying Dragon Flame, they saw the greenish fire surge like a tide toward Zhou Bai.

The flames encompassed him in nearly a 360-degree angle without a dead zone, as if a cyan sun had appeared in the sky, ready to burn mountains and boil seas, casting everything and everyone in a greenish hue within tens of kilometers, the temperature relentlessly climbing.

But as the Dragon Flame Fire Sea entered the Madness Disaster zone, faces made of flame emerged within the vast expanse, emitting bursts of crazed laughter, already scattering and swirling around the spaceship ceaselessly.

Seeing his own Dragon Flame twisted, Li Zhengdao's expression grew even more solemn.

"Twisting me?" Zhou Bai laughed heartily, "The void to me is as natural as the air itself—have you ever seen anyone suffocated by air?"

Li Zhengdao frowned. The distortive power surrounding Zhou Bai was growing stronger.

He looked towards the sky where the accumulation of purple thunder became more and more abundant, more torrential, and within the vortex formed by the swirling dark clouds, only purple light could be seen.

Probably within a minute, divine retribution would descend completely.

'A demon body and a divine position cannot coexist... Within a minute, I must sever my connection with the dragon body, or else when the divine retribution falls, for at least the next ten years, I probably won't have the strength to fulfill my plans.'

Thinking this, Li Zhengdao no longer launched long-distance Dragon Flame attacks. The greatest strength of the Ancient Azure Dragon always lay in its terrifying physical body's power to overturn rivers and move mountains.

With a roar!

Amidst the bellowing of the dragon and the appearance of layers of mist, a dragon claw stretched out from the mist, ferociously aiming for Zhou Bai in the center of the spaceship.

Within that claw was both the immense force of the dragon body and the enhancement of the Heavenly Cloud Saint Technique, imparting an overwhelming force as it struck down.

First to meet the dragon claw's attack was the Void Crown encircling Zhou Bai, shattering the re-formed Defensive Field entirely.

Zhou Bai yelled, clad in Apocalypse Heavenly Skeleton Armor, wielding the Emperor Sword, and slashed out, clashing intensely with the dragon claw.

With a boom! The air exploded and turned into a white wave spreading out, rattling the countless mechanical minions.

The dragon claw that broke through the Void Crown was significantly weakened, and now, facing two top-tier treasures, combined with Zhou Bai's own Tang Ruhai ability, it was unfortunately blocked.

Despite the strike, the entire spaceship trembled violently, numerous mechanical minions were shattered into pieces by the shockwave and scattered downward.

Li Zhengdao coldly stated, "As the Ancient Azure Dragon, I wield the Heavenly Cloud Saint Technique with its infinite might. Even if you can adapt to the void, how many claws can you withstand?"

The next moment, the dragon claw retracted, completely disappearing from view.

Zhou Bai stood with his sword, the surrounding mechanical minions hurried up, seizing the moment to repair the Void Crown, rebooting the electromagnetic shield, the Phase Transfer Shield, and the 108-layer Defensive Field.

Hearing Li Zhengdao's words, Zhou Bai laughed haughtily, "Your dragon body is ultimately a demon body, not your human form. The last time I saw Zi Yang activate his demon bloodline, he was terrified of the divine retribution.

Now, you're using a divine position in conjunction with a demon body, as the threat of the divine retribution overhead grows even heavier. How much time do you have left to strike at me?"

Boom!

Again, a claw swept down with clouds covering the sky, scattering tens of mechanical minions and finally slamming heavily against the Void Crown.

The just-repaired and rebooted fields trembled and were breached again. The dragon claw struck Zhou Bai's Emperor Sword fiercely, sending his blood surging, bones resonating, and muscles feeling waves of soreness and weakness.

Li Zhengdao said faintly, "Indeed, a divine position cannot long control a demon body, but to break through that iron coffin you're wearing, it is more than enough."

The next moment, Li Zhengdao's voice vanished completely, leaving only the howling winds and the dragon claw that continued to strike through the rolling clouds.

Each claw carried a force as tumultuous as mountains and seas, as the mighty power of the dragon and Li Zhengdao's Heavenly Cloud Saint Technique converged, becoming more adept and increasingly ferocious.

Facing Li Zhengdao's unrestrained attacks, Zhou Bai's Void Crown repeatedly took the brunt, while the cannons on the battleship aimed at the surrounding atmosphere, firing volleys at the sight of dragon claws.

After two rounds of weakening, it was Zhou Bai, clad in armor and wielding a long sword, who clashed heads-on with the dragon claws time and again. The golden Sword Qi and dragon scales sparked furiously, creating a sky full of fireworks and emitting an incredibly sharp noise.

Simultaneously, Zhou Bai's astral throne beneath his feet kept accelerating, moving and trying to dodge Li Zhengdao's attacks.

As one chased and the other fled, the fight escalated in speed, moving from ten thousand meters in the sky to the earth's surface, shattering mountains and tearing the ground apart, sending tens of thousands of tons of debris soaring into the air.

Then, from the ground, they rose back to the stratosphere, stirring the wind and clouds, causing a blast wave that spread for tens of kilometers.

In the midst of the fierce exchange, the battleship was heavily damaged under the tearing of the dragon claws, its armor peeled away, revealing the interior of the vessel.

Meanwhile, the Void Crown surrounding Zhou Bai had already lost six of its mechanical servitors, and even if it activated the Defensive Field, it was down to just over fifty layers.

But the dragon claws bled profusely with each twist, suppressed only by the Ancient Azure Dragon's incredibly strong life force.

After all, even though the dragon body was precious, it was not Li Zhengdao's own, and he showed no mercy in his use of it, intending only to erupt with full power now and capture Zhou Bai, leaving concerns about repairing the dragon body for later.

Now that the fight was underway, Li Zhengdao had not yet utterly defeated Zhou Bai, but he felt that he was overwhelmingly in the lead, believing that victory was just a matter of time.

Jiaojiao, who was closely following behind, frowned, "This is troublesome. Li Zhengdao's Ancient Azure Dragon is just too powerful, especially its vitality. Ordinary attacks can't touch him; he's too tough. I'm afraid only by using my five Divine Skills combined might it be possible to completely kill this dragon."

Xuan Nu said confidently beside her, "Don't get worked up. Just watch. Zhou Bai won't lose."

On another part of the battlefield, Li Xiuzhu was also distracted by the battle between Zhou Bai and Li Zhengdao, and her heart sank watching the events unfold.

"The Ancient Azure Dragon, after all, is an Ancient Azure Dragon, with too much strength in its life force. Even the distortion phenomenon can hardly kill it," Li Xiuzhu looked on worriedly. "And Li Zhengdao's talent... It's also terrifyingly formidable. He's getting stronger at controlling the dragon body."

She glanced at the sky, where the heavenly tribulation was brewing to its limit, thinking, 'If Zhou Bai can hold out until the tribulation erupts, then there's a chance to win.'

After thoroughly eradicating the dragon soul, Li Zhengdao controlled the dragon body as nimbly as his limb for the first time, now activating the Heavenly Cloud Saint Technique in conjunction with the dragon body, with a tribulation imminent and pressing him to end the fight quickly.

But under this intense pressure, Li Zhengdao's manipulation of the dragon form became more familiar and more natural, as if he were truly a dragon, channeling the Azure Dragon's immense power with sheer enjoyment and unleashing unprecedented combat strength.

Roar!

Two more mechanical servitors on the Void Crown were torn to shreds.

As Zhou Bai braced himself against the oncoming dragon claw, the claw suddenly vanished into the mist, followed by the dragon's tail descending from the sky, ripping through the atmosphere with an incredibly sharp howl, and brutally lashing down on Zhou Bai's back.

This tail lash, combined with the Heavenly Cloud Saint Technique, unleashed an unparalleled force.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The battleship seemed to finally reach its limit, tilting to one side after the heavy strike and slowly falling toward the ground.

Numerous octopus-like creatures were directly shattered by the impact, and even the Madness Disaster was weakened a bit.

Zhou Bai himself appeared even weaker, barely standing on the tilted battleship with his sword propped up.

"You've lost, Zhou Bai."

Li Zhengdao smiled, satisfied, with at least twenty seconds until the tribulation erupted. He extended a dragon claw, already reaching for the heavily injured Zhou Bai.

But then he saw Zhou Bai's body shake suddenly, and the armor and Emperor's Sword turned into a glimmer of light flying away, caught by Xuan Nu.

And Zhou Bai himself let the dragon claw catch him.

"Zhou Bai was caught?!" Jiaojiao immediately reacted, ready to rush forward to rescue Zhou Bai.

On the distant part of the battlefield, Li Xiuzhu's face fell sharply at the scene, not expecting Zhou Bai to fail to hold out until the tribulation erupted. Withstanding a strike from Wan Xing True Monarch and Zhu Yan, she spat blood and was already forcefully flying towards Zhou Bai, intending to provide support.

On the other hand, Zhou Bai, held in the dragon claw, showed no panic, calmly saying, "Li Zhengdao, you were able to improve continuously in battle and ultimately caught my avatar. You… did well."

Then, Zhou Bai's body slowly began to melt while speaking until it suddenly turned into a puddle of black mud, spilling into the grasp of the dragon claw.

...

Inside Donghua City, Zhou Bai watched projections emitted by one of his mechanical servitors, observing the battlefield and directing the mechanical servitors through the Heavenly Demon's communication network.

Just before, he had been directly commanding the battle on-site by controlling the Distortion Shadow.

After all, the Distortion Shadow was like an extension of his body, responsive within a thousand miles.

Christina lay in his sea of consciousness, looking at the battlefield scene and bursting into laughter, "Dumbfounded, aren't you? Surprised or not? Unexpected, right? Li Zhengdao! You think you can compete with us? You're far from ready!"

Elsa: "Oh? Sister Tina, that's quite a boastful statement. I'll jot it down in my notes."

Christina said proudly, "Alas, I do have some insight; it's just that I lack a proper stage. With only a dog like you as my audience, it's hardly worth showing off, hardly worth showing off at all." Having said that, she looked expectantly at the Primordial Spirit within Zhou Bai's sea of consciousness.

"Stop bragging, Tina," Zhou Bai said. "Are you sure there's no problem with what comes next? Is the Luotian Realm really that important to a true god?"

Christina became serious as well, "The Luotian Realm is the foundation for cultivation after reaching 130% Dao fusion. Once it's invaded by the powers of the void, it's like someone has taken a big dump in your head. How big of an impact do you think that would have?"

Zhou Bai nodded, as he still didn't understand many of the combat abilities of celestial gods.

In this period of time, following the cultivation of the original Daoist scriptures, Christina's Dao fusion degree had improved. In addition to regaining past memories, she had also awakened more common knowledge about cultivation, just like in the past when she provided guidance on Daoist theories to Zhou Bai, educating him about many characteristics unique to celestial gods.

...

Seeing the scene before him, Li Zhengdao paused slightly, "An avatar?" A sharp surprise struck his heart, "The one who fought me for so long... was just an avatar?"

Jiaojiao and Li Xiuzhu were also shocked as they watched, finding it somewhat unbelievable: "An avatar?!"

The next moment, Li Zhengdao suddenly discovered that within the clouds and mist of the entire Luotian Realm, figures had appeared at some unknown time, drifting to and fro.

"What is that?" Li Zhengdao activated the power of his Primordial Spirit to sweep away the clouds, and he found those shadows floating on top of the clouds, disappearing along with them.

Then, one by one, figures that resembled Zhou Bai emerged from the midst of the clouds.

A bad premonition surfaced.

With a booming sound, Li Zhengdao's Primordial Spirit power swept out like a tsunami, and he found countless insect-like beings suspended in his Luotian Realm.

Seemingly aware of their discovery, these insects began to whisper all at once.

"Zhou Bai... Zhou Bai..."

They had gone from calling Zhou Bai's name in their minds to now outright shouting his name aloud.

These insect-like mechanical followers had all climbed onto the dragon claw during Zhou Bai's repeated clashes with the claw, and through the dimensional gates, they had come to the Luotian Realm.

Now gathered in the Luotian Realm, their numbers reached thousands upon thousands. They had originally called Zhou Bai's name in their minds, setting off a Madness Disaster.

But now they were all whispering Zhou Bai's name together, which resonated violently throughout the Luotian Realm.

Clumps of clouds started to take on Zhou Bai's form.

On the massive dragon's body, lumps of flesh swelled as Zhou Bais emerged from it, and even within the dragon's eyes, Zhou Bai's silhouette was reflected.

But these were not the main concern. The key issue was that with the invasion of void powers and the deepening distortion phenomenon, the entire Luotian Realm began to destabilize, and if it continued like this, the void would devour Li Zhengdao's entire Luotian Realm.

Li Zhengdao's Luotian Realm wasn't as stable as the Material World; this incursion of void powers had already shaken its foundation.

Li Zhengdao clenched his teeth and, full of hatred, said word by word, "Zhou—Bai—"

This Luotian Realm, in the age of twisted Heavenly Dao, had taken him dozens of years to recover. Through the connection with the Luotian Realm, it was convenient for celestial gods to further polish their Dao fusion degree.

Now Zhou Bai had directly shaken the foundation of the Luotian Realm, a grievance that obstructed his path.

But he didn't have the time to deal with Zhou Bai now, as celestial tribulation could descend at any moment, and the dragon's body was undergoing all sorts of strange transformations due to the distortion phenomenon, further intensifying the void's influence on his Luotian Realm.

Left with no choice, Li Zhengdao had to throw the dragon's body out and sever the connection.

Then he began to clear the countless tiny insects in the Luotian Realm.

Under the activation of the Heavenly Cloud Saint Technique, the clouds turned into real tornadoes, continuously gathering the swarming insects, and then crushing them to pieces all at once.

Although he hastened his actions, the entire Luotian Realm had become unstable due to the void invasion, and even Li Zhengdao himself was greatly affected, his Dao fusion degree falling to around 138%, causing him so much pain it felt as if his heart was bleeding.

After taking care of these matters, when Li Zhengdao reopened the dimensional gate and surveyed the battlefield with the Ying Tian Mirror, he discovered that Wan Xing True Monarch had disappeared without a trace, Zhu Yan was captured by Li Xiuzhu, and Jiaojiao was carrying the dragon's body.

The dragon's body had obviously been slashed by the defense-ignoring Blood Transformation Divine Sword, torn apart and neatly stacked together like a dish, clearly dead beyond doubt.

Seeing the enemy had kidnapped his person and slaughtered his dragon, Li Zhengdao felt a surge of murderous intent growing within.

But he also knew he had lost the best opportunity to subdue Jiaojiao and suppress Zhou Bai.

Since he was no longer able to suppress them, he might as well take a different approach, at least implanting a seed in Zhou Bai's heart. Better yet, if he could sow discord between him and the Three Pure Dao Sect.

With this thought in mind, Li Zhengdao suppressed the murderous intent in his heart. He looked casually at the few people before him and suddenly spoke up, "Zhou Bai, you cast your lot with the Heavenly Demon, yet you come to aid the City of Donghua. You practice the five Divine Skills, yet do you know the origins of those Divine Skills? How laughable."

Zhou Bai's voice came from Jiaojiao's body, "Are you howling like a beaten dog?"

Li Zhengdao sneered, "Though I haven't captured you all, and I very much intend to leave, you still can't stop me..."

Zhou Bai asked, "You're trying to escape?"

Li Zhengdao was annoyed inside but still spoke with deep meaning, "The five Divine Skills are things the Three Pure Dao Sect obtained by betraying their entire civilization. Whether you are an enemy or an ally to us, there's absolutely no way you and the Three Pure Dao Sect could become comrades."