The shattered shrine was collapsing.
Chunks of divine stone fell from the sky, burning with golden light as they dissolved into motes of dust. The air itself trembled, saturated with residual divine energy — enough to obliterate any Celestial expert who dared approach.
And at the center of it all stood Lin Feng, his robes fluttering in the blazing winds, his Azure Sword radiating faint blue light that seemed to cut through the chaos of existence itself.
He could feel it — the fragment had fully fused with his weapon. The Heaven-Cleaving Sword's energy pulsed within his palm, harmonizing with the power of the Azure Sword World sealed inside him.
The sensation was terrifying… and liberating.
"This feeling… as if the entire world is breathing through me."
He exhaled slowly, suppressing the surging divinity within his veins.
But the others had already noticed.
---
Far above, hovering on broken clouds, dozens of cultivators watched in shock and disbelief.
The air was filled with whispers, trembling voices, and greed barely masked by fear.
"He merged the fragment?"
"No mortal should be capable of that! Not even the Divine Patriarchs could…"
"That sword… it's alive!"
Among them stood the Saintess Mu Qingge, her silver eyes wide in awe. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, but it carried across the ruin.
"He isn't just wielding the Azure Sword… he is the Azure Sword."
Her words spread like wildfire. Even the most arrogant prodigies flinched, realizing the truth.
Lin Feng was no longer a genius among mortals.
He was walking the thin line between man and god.
But for some, fear only bred violence.
Lu Cangxuan's fury ignited once more. His body was covered in golden wounds from the previous clash, but his eyes burned with hatred.
"You think you can stand above us? You're still only in the Celestial Realm!"
He lifted his spear. Behind him, dozens of Celestial Realm experts from allied sects followed his lead. They knew they couldn't let Lin Feng leave with that power.
"Kill him!"
The command shattered the silence.
---
Divine light filled the skies as cultivators unleashed their ultimate techniques.
Swords, spears, seals, and talismans of divine origin flew toward Lin Feng from every direction — a storm of celestial destruction.
For an instant, the entire ruin glowed with golden brilliance.
The pressure alone cracked mountains and vaporized the sea below.
And yet… Lin Feng didn't move.
He simply lowered his gaze — and the world around him changed.
"Azure Sword World — manifest."
The air split open.
---
A sound like the cracking of heaven itself rang out.
Azure light burst from Lin Feng's body, spiraling upward into the darkened sky. Within moments, a vast world unfolded around him — an independent realm of blinding blue radiance and roaring power.
Mountains of crystal flame rose from the ground, rivers of sword qi flowed through the air, and in the distance, nine colossal dragon silhouettes coiled in the heavens, their roars shaking the very fabric of space.
Every blade of grass, every gust of wind within this domain carried sword intent — pure, supreme, and absolute.
The attacking cultivators were the first to realize the horror of what had happened.
"W–Where are we!?"
"The environment… it's changing our qi flow!"
"No — it's suppressing us!"
Indeed, within Lin Feng's domain, every foreign cultivator's power was halved, their techniques unraveling before they could strike.
Lu Cangxuan's face twisted in disbelief.
"A… a complete domain!? You've already created a realm of your own!?"
Lin Feng looked at him coldly.
"I warned you. You shouldn't have come."
---
He lifted his sword.
At that moment, the nine dragon shadows above descended — merging with the flames, their roars forming a symphony of destruction. The very laws of the world seemed to bend, as if acknowledging a higher command.
"Nine-Dragon Annihilation — Azure Sovereign's Edict."
A tidal wave of azure energy erupted outward, swallowing everything.
Lu Cangxuan screamed, thrusting his spear forward, its divine light piercing the sky.
But the moment it touched Lin Feng's aura, it shattered — the weapon screaming as cracks spread through it like spiderwebs.
Then came the second sound — the cry of the dragons.
They tore through the enemy ranks, devouring energy, breaking seals, and burning the air itself. Each roar carried the authority of a god.
Dozens of Celestial Realm cultivators vanished in blue fire.
Those who survived fell to their knees, coughing blood, their spirit seas fractured.
Within minutes, the battlefield fell silent.
Only Lin Feng stood amidst the storm, his eyes calm, his sword steady.
--
From the outside, those watching through divine mirrors could barely comprehend what they saw.
A single man had unleashed an entire world within a ruin — and in that world, even Celestial experts were ants.
The elders of the Heavenly Sword Palace trembled.
"He… he truly carries the Azure Sovereign's inheritance."
"A living sword domain… This is beyond our comprehension."
One elder fell to his knees, muttering prayers, while another whispered:
"If this child continues to grow… even Heaven will tremble."
---
When the azure flames finally faded, Lu Cangxuan lay on the ground, bloodied, his spear broken. His eyes were hollow, disbelief etched into every line of his face.
"You… monster…" he croaked. "You can't be human…"
Lin Feng looked down at him, his expression unreadable.
"No," he said softly. "I'm not."
He turned his gaze to the surviving cultivators.
"Leave. Tell your sects what you've seen — and remember this."
His voice deepened, resonating through the collapsing world:
"The Azure Sovereign's will has returned."
The air rippled, and his sword flickered once — a ripple that sent everyone flying back, beyond the boundary of his world.
When they regained their senses, the ruin's skies had returned to normal.
The Azure Domain had vanished.
Only Lin Feng remained, standing quietly amid the ruins — his sword humming with divine energy, his aura calm and transcendent.
He had reached a new realm — not in cultivation, but in existence itself.
---
Far away, in the deepest chambers of the Heavenly Sword Palace, ancient bells began to toll.
Hidden elders awoke from centuries of slumber.
Across the realms, divine beasts and long-forgotten relics trembled.
Because the world had felt it — the revival of an ancient sovereignty long thought lost.
And in that moment, above the silent ruin, a phantom appeared — a colossal azure figure standing amid the clouds, its eyes burning like twin stars.
The image of the Azure Sovereign.
It looked down at Lin Feng for a brief instant before fading away, leaving only a whisper carried by the wind:
"Five seals remain… my heir."
Lin Feng looked up at the empty sky, his hand tightening on his sword.
"Then I'll break them all."