The moment Lin Feng and his group passed through the Gate of Lost Time, the world changed completely.
Gone was the fractured plain of broken stone and collapsing mountains.
What stretched before them now was a vast twilight realm — skies of liquid gold, rivers that flowed upward, and continents suspended like drifting islands over an endless abyss.
Ancient divine inscriptions burned faintly on every surface, as if the ruins themselves were alive and remembering.
Elder Bai's voice was hushed with reverence.
"This… this is the Eternal Ruin's true core. The air alone contains divine law fragments. We must proceed with caution."
The disciples nodded, but Lin Feng was silent. His Azure Sword hummed softly at his side — resonating faintly, as though recognizing the realm's energy.
He could feel it:
The world was watching him.
---
Not long after, streaks of light cut across the golden horizon — cultivators from other sects arriving through spatial tears and divine portals.
Nine separate groups gathered in the sky above the floating islands. Each bore their sect's distinct aura — thunder, ice, moonlight, flame, shadow, light.
At their forefront stood the strongest prodigies of the Nine Realms:
Lu Cangxuan, heir of the Heavenly Spear Sect — sharp, cold, and dangerous, his presence like an unending spear tip that could pierce heaven itself.
Mu Qingge, saintess of the Illusory Moon Palace — veiled in silver mist, her beauty ethereal, eyes reflecting a thousand illusions.
Yan Shuang, the Scarlet Flame Temple's youngest Divine Son — his aura a burning sun that distorted space.
And others — heirs of the Divine Beast Pavilion, the Myriad Sword Hall, and the Hidden Sun Valley.
When the Heavenly Sword Palace contingent appeared, murmurs spread immediately.
"That youth at the front… that's Lin Feng, isn't it?"
"The one who defeated the Crimson Monarch at the Celestial Summit?"
"Rumor says he carries a sword that devours divine qi."
"No… rumor says he carries Heaven's wrath in his blade."
Lu Cangxuan's eyes locked on Lin Feng's. For a brief moment, silence fell — the kind of silence that precedes lightning.
"Lin Feng," he said, his tone calm but edged with arrogance, "so you came after all. I was hoping you would. It wouldn't be a true contest otherwise."
Lin Feng's gaze was steady.
"If the path leads to strength, I will walk it. Whether others follow or fall… doesn't matter."
The air rippled. The tension between the two was almost tangible, and even the elders felt compelled to interfere.
"Not here," Elder Bai warned sharply. "This place suppresses the laws of life and death. A single clash could awaken the ruin's defense systems."
Lu Cangxuan smirked and stepped back.
"Then I'll wait. But when the inheritance reveals itself, your sword and my spear will decide who is worthy of the heavens."
---
As the other groups began exploring, Mu Qingge approached quietly, her movements graceful as moonlight.
Her silver eyes studied Lin Feng for a long moment before she spoke softly.
"Your sword… it doesn't belong to this era, does it?"
Lin Feng's expression didn't change.
"And what makes you say that?"
She smiled faintly. "Because its aura disturbs time itself. Even now, this realm bends slightly around you. It's as though reality fears your existence."
For a moment, their gazes met — his eyes, azure and sharp, hers, silver and deep.
Then she whispered, almost too quietly for the others to hear,
"Be careful, Lin Feng. Someone among us carries Heaven's mark — sent not to inherit the ruin, but to watch you."
She turned and vanished into mist before he could respond.
Lin Feng's grip tightened slightly on his sword.
"Heaven's mark…?"
The words echoed in his mind, stirring the Azure Sovereign's lingering consciousness within him.
"Fate converges again. The Heavens fear what they cannot control."
---
The expedition divided into groups, exploring separate floating islands.
Lin Feng's team landed on one shaped like a colossal hand, its five fingers forming cliffs. At its center stood a temple half-sunken into the ground, engraved with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with power.
Elder Shen examined them closely.
"These are not mortal runes. They contain fragments of Law. Each one corresponds to a moment in time — life, death, birth, and decay."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. His Azure Sword vibrated lightly in response to the runes.
"They're connected to the Gate of Lost Time," he said. "But someone's already been here."
He pointed at the ground. The soil was disturbed, footprints half-erased by wind — recent, but powerful. The qi traces matched none of their group.
"Others entered before us," Elder Bai murmured. "Possibly from the Heavenly Spear Sect or the Scarlet Flame Temple."
Suddenly, a low hum filled the air.
The temple walls began to shift, runes rearranging into a new formation.
The temperature plummeted.
A voice echoed from within — calm, ancient, and cold:
"Only those who transcend fate may enter the Hall of Origin."
Then, the runes flared, forming a barrier of silver light that blocked the entrance.
---
The elders attempted to break through, but their celestial power was absorbed instantly.
"Impossible!" Elder Shen gasped. "The formation feeds on lifespan — the longer you resist, the faster you age!"
Lin Feng stepped forward.
"Let me try."
He unsheathed the Azure Sword, its blade gleaming with faint reflections of past and future. The moment it appeared, the runes flared violently, as if recognizing an enemy.
He swung.
Clang!
Azure fire collided with divine symbols. The clash of will and law shook the island. For a heartbeat, time fractured — countless versions of Lin Feng flashed across existence, each swinging at a different moment.
Then, all collapsed into one.
The barrier shattered like glass.
The others stared, wide-eyed. Elder Bai whispered,
"He forced the formation to yield… by aligning his intent with time itself."
Lin Feng lowered his sword. His voice was calm but faintly cold.
"Let's move."
Inside the temple, darkness pulsed with strange light. At the far end, murals depicted the fall of divine beings — among them, the Azure Sovereign, locked in battle with a figure wielding a spear of pure starlight.
Lu Cangxuan's lineage.
---
As Lin Feng studied the mural, the air around him shimmered. For an instant, he was pulled into the memory carved in stone.
He saw the Azure Sovereign standing upon a ruined world, facing a man cloaked in light — wielding the Heaven-Piercing Spear. Their clash tore galaxies apart.
When the vision ended, Lin Feng was left breathless.
"That spear…" he muttered. "It's the same aura as Lu Cangxuan's weapon."
The Azure Sovereign's faint voice echoed again within him.
"The spear and the sword have always been opposites — creation and destruction. One must fall for the other to ascend."
Lin Feng's eyes hardened.
"Then it seems our paths were destined to cross."
---
As they left the temple, thunder rumbled across the ruin's sky. Spatial currents twisted violently, and a voice shouted in the distance — Lu Cangxuan's.
"Lin Feng! You've broken the Hall of Origin's seal, haven't you?"
The rival sects began converging toward their island, divine light flaring across the heavens.
Elder Bai cursed under his breath.
"Prepare yourselves! The other realms are coming!"
Lin Feng turned toward the approaching armies, his Azure aura igniting like a storm.
"Let them come," he said quietly. "The ruin will decide who's worthy."
High above, the golden skies cracked — as if the ruin itself was answering his challenge.