The mist parted.
Lin Feng walked out of the Whispering Tombs with calm steps, his aura concealed yet vast as if the world itself bent slightly around his presence. His robes fluttered gently, untouched by the swirling spiritual winds. Behind him, the valley of death lay silent for the first time in eternity.
To those watching from afar, it was as if he had walked out of history itself.
"Lin Feng!"
A shout pierced the air — sharp, filled with shock and fear.
The elders of the Heavenly Sword Palace hurried forward. Their divine senses swept over him, only to recoil almost immediately.
The faint azure energy surrounding Lin Feng carried a pressure not of mortals, not even of ordinary Celestials — but of something higher.
"This… is no longer just sword intent…" one elder whispered. "This is divinity."
Before Lin Feng could speak, the skies rumbled.
The center of the ruin — a massive floating island surrounded by swirling fragments of divine runes — began to pulse with golden light.
A deep, ancient sound echoed across the world, as though the heartbeat of a god had reawakened.
The ruins themselves were responding — to him.
---
All across the shattered skies, figures streaked through the air — peerless geniuses, elders, and ancient beasts in human form. Each represented a power among the Nine Realms: the Heavenly Spear Sect, the Star Pavilion, the Blood Flame Temple, and more.
At the forefront stood Lu Cangxuan, heir of the Heavenly Spear Sect, his long white hair glowing under divine light. Beside him hovered Mu Qingge, saintess of the Illusory Moon Palace, serene and distant, her gaze unreadable.
Behind them came the voices of dozens of sect masters and prodigies, their tones filled with tension.
"The Whispering Tombs have opened?"
"Someone has entered… and returned alive?"
"Impossible!"
When their eyes fell on Lin Feng, silence spread like wildfire.
"He… he came out?"
"No one has survived that place since the Primordial Age…"
"Wait, look at the energy around him — is that… a divine aura?"
The realization spread quickly — and so did greed.
---
Lu Cangxuan's lips curved into a faint smile.
He had long suspected that Lin Feng was no ordinary disciple, but now the evidence stood undeniable.
"Lin Feng," he said, voice dripping with feigned courtesy, "you certainly bring surprises wherever you go. To survive the Tombs, to carry divine aura… Tell us, what did you find in there?"
Lin Feng's gaze lifted to meet his, calm as still water.
"Nothing you could comprehend."
The crowd stirred. Murmurs rippled through the gathered cultivators.
"He mocks the heir of the Heavenly Spear Sect?"
"Does he think himself invincible?"
Lu Cangxuan chuckled.
"Bold. But arrogance without power is suicide."
He raised his hand. Behind him, the void split open, revealing a vast ethereal spear — formed entirely of divine light. The pressure it exuded distorted the sky itself.
"You see," he continued, "our Heavenly Spear Sect has long sought the inheritance buried in this ruin. We can't allow anyone else — especially you — to claim it."
The spear's tip lowered slightly, pointing at Lin Feng.
"Hand over what you found in the Tombs, and I'll let you live."
---
Lin Feng said nothing.
Instead, he slowly unsheathed his sword. The faint ring of azure metal was like the first breath of a storm — quiet, yet infinitely sharp.
A single ripple spread through the air, and the world seemed to hold its breath.
Even the light dimmed.
"You talk too much," Lin Feng finally said. "If you want it, come take it."
That single sentence broke the tension like a blade through silk.
Lu Cangxuan's spear flared. Divine light erupted from his body as he shot forward, the ground beneath him shattering under the force.
"You'll regret those words!"
Their weapons met.
The clash was deafening.
Spear and sword collided, creating shockwaves that tore apart the floating land beneath their feet. Energy pillars rose into the heavens, painting the sky in azure and gold.
Around them, the other sects retreated hurriedly, setting up barriers. Even from afar, the energy of their duel was enough to obliterate lesser cultivators instantly.
---
Lu Cangxuan moved like lightning, each thrust of his spear bending space and time. Every strike carried the will of Heaven itself — judgmental, absolute.
Lin Feng, however, met each attack with serene precision.
His Azure Sword flowed like water, intercepting, redirecting, dissolving.
To the observers, it looked less like a battle and more like the dance of two worlds colliding — spear of heaven versus sword of azure flame.
"His sword… it's devouring the spear light!"
"No, it's absorbing it!"
Indeed, each time Lu Cangxuan's divine energy struck, the Azure Sword shimmered, drinking in a fraction of that golden essence — growing brighter, more alive.
Lu Cangxuan realized it too late.
"You—what are you doing!?"
Lin Feng's voice was calm, cold.
"Your spear carries divine intent. My sword devours divinity."
He stepped forward, and his aura erupted.
The Azure Sword World stirred within him — faint outlines of dragons, phoenixes, and celestial flames flickered behind his back.
The world bent to his will.
---
The duel's energy reached the nearby Shrine of Returning Stars, the core of the ruin where divine fragments floated.
The shockwaves caused the fragments to resonate violently — golden light burst forth, runes activating after countless eons.
"The inheritance!" someone screamed.
"It's awakening!"
Greed consumed the gathered cultivators.
Dozens of Celestial experts rushed toward the shrine, abandoning all caution.
But as they entered, the fragments flared, unleashing devastating beams of divine light that disintegrated half of them instantly.
Still, a few survived — enough to trigger chaos.
The ruin began to quake, ancient seals breaking one after another.
Lin Feng glanced toward the shrine, his expression hardening.
"If that seal breaks completely…"
He didn't finish the thought. Instead, he struck once — a single, blinding azure slash that forced Lu Cangxuan back.
The spear heir spat blood, glaring furiously.
"This isn't over, Lin Feng!"
He retreated toward the shrine, greed twisting his face.
"If I can't defeat you, I'll claim the inheritance before you can!"
---
As Lu Cangxuan approached the floating fragments, one of them — a jagged piece of a divine sword — began to vibrate violently.
The Azure Sword in Lin Feng's hand answered with a thunderous resonance.
The two fragments called to each other.
"It's reacting to him!" cried a cultivator.
"He's the chosen one!"
The shrine's divine light focused on Lin Feng, bathing him in radiance. For a moment, the image of a colossal azure dragon coiled around his body — its roar shaking the heavens.
Lu Cangxuan screamed in fury and threw his spear at the light.
"Then die with your destiny!"
The attack struck the shrine, detonating the surrounding runes.
An explosion of divine energy erupted — tearing through the ruin, annihilating everything nearby.
When the light faded, only one figure remained standing amid the wreckage, sword blazing with celestial fire.
Lin Feng.
The Azure fragment floated into his grasp, merging seamlessly with his sword.
The world fell silent.
---
He looked around at the fallen ruins and broken bodies of those who sought greed over truth.
"The inheritance doesn't belong to the strongest," he said quietly, "but to the one who carries its will."
He sheathed his sword. The ruin trembled again — not in rejection, but in acknowledgment.
Above, the golden sky darkened, and a faint azure halo spread outward, as if the realm itself bowed to its new master.