The ancient hall shattered into azure motes the moment Lin Feng opened his eyes.
A deafening silence swallowed the tomb. The towering statues that had watched over countless eras now crumbled into dust, as if they could no longer bear the presence of what had been born inside them.
Lin Feng stood at the center, his black robes torn and stained with dried blood—his own and that of the countless trials he had endured.
But his aura… it was no longer that of a mere peak Nirvana cultivator who had entered this place.
Jian Mo staggered beside him, clutching the heavy black blade that pulsed with destructive intent—the Heavenly Ruin Sword. Even now, the weapon seemed to resist its new master, releasing waves of ruinous qi that cracked the already collapsing floor.
"Brother Feng…" Jian Mo's voice was hoarse. "Did we… succeed?"
Lin Feng didn't answer immediately. His right hand rested on the hilt of his own sword—the Azure Sovereign Sword. The blade no longer looked ancient and rusted. It shimmered with a flowing, river-like azure light that seemed to contain an entire world within its edge.
A faint smile touched Lin Feng's lips.
"Yes," he said softly. "We succeeded."
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire tomb began to collapse violently. Massive stone pillars fell like dominoes. Spatial cracks spread across the ceiling like spiderwebs.
Yet Lin Feng remained completely still, as if the destruction had nothing to do with him.
He raised his hand.
Azure Dragon Void Step.
Space itself bent. In one flicker, both he and Jian Mo vanished from the collapsing hall and reappeared outside the ancient tomb, standing on a desolate mountain peak bathed in moonlight.
The teleportation left afterimages that lingered for several breaths—each one carrying a trace of draconic pressure.
Jian Mo's eyes widened.
"That movement technique… it evolved?"
Lin Feng looked down at his own palm. A faint azure scale had briefly appeared on the back of his hand before vanishing. The first head of the Nine-Headed Dragon Bloodline—Battle—had begun to awaken.
Inside his dantian, the Azure Sovereign Sword floated proudly above a churning sea of sword qi. A majestic voice, ancient and indifferent, echoed in his soul.
"You are not merely its wielder. You are its continuation. The Azure Sovereign's will has chosen you, Lin Feng. Not as a successor… but as its new vessel."
Lin Feng's eyes flashed with sharp light. He kept these words locked deep within his heart. Jian Mo didn't need to know the full truth yet.
He could feel it clearly now. His cultivation base had undergone a complete transformation during the final trial. Officially, he stood at Early Saint Realm.
But the power surging through his meridians was far beyond that.
Peak Great Saint.
Perhaps even touching the threshold of Saint King.
A single strand of his sword intent leaked outward. The mountain beneath his feet trembled. Cracks spread for thousands of meters as if the earth itself feared his presence.
Jian Mo gripped his Ruin Sword tighter, a complicated look in his eyes.
"Your aura… it's completely different from mine. The sword chose me, but it feels like it respects you more."
Lin Feng glanced at his brother but offered no explanation.
"We both gained what we needed. That's enough for now."
He took a step forward.
The night sky above the Heavenly Sword Domain suddenly rippled. Dark clouds gathered unnaturally fast. Thunder rumbled without lightning.
A faint, oppressive will descended from the heavens, pressing down on Lin Feng like an invisible mountain.
Heavenly pressure.
It was weak now—just a warning. But Lin Feng could feel the Heavenly Dao's gaze locked onto him. A mere Early Saint Realm cultivator should not possess such warped power. The natural order was being challenged.
Lin Feng looked up at the sky, his lips curling into a cold smile.
He clenched his fist.
Nine Heavens Dragon Tyrant Fist – First Form: Tyrant Dragon Emergence.
An azure dragon phantom roared into existence behind him, massive and majestic. Even though it was only the beginning stage, the dragon's roar shattered the gathering tribulation clouds and dispersed the heavenly pressure in an instant.
The mountain peak beneath them cracked deeply.
Jian Mo took an involuntary step back. Even he, who now wielded the Heavenly Ruin Sword, felt his heart shake at the sheer dominance radiating from Lin Feng.
"Brother Feng… what exactly happened in that final hall?" he asked quietly.
Lin Feng turned to look at his brother. For a moment, his cold sovereign aura softened slightly.
"I gained strength," he replied simply. "The same as you."
He did not elaborate further. Some truths were too heavy to share, even with Jian Mo. The full weight of the Azure Sovereign's legacy and the Dragon Sovereign Path he was beginning to forge would remain hidden for now.
At that moment, several powerful auras rushed toward their location from the direction of the sect. The Grand Elder and several peak elders had sensed the disturbance.
Grand Elder Xuan stood at the forefront, his face filled with shock as he arrived. His eyes locked onto Lin Feng, and his pupils contracted violently.
"Saint Realm… how is this possible?!" he muttered. "You were only at peak God realm when you entered the tomb!"
The other elders were equally stunned. One late-stage Saint Realm protector trembled as he felt Lin Feng's Sovereign Suppression aura. Even though it was passive and weak, it still made his breathing feel slightly labored.
Lin Feng cupped his fists respectfully, but his posture was no longer that of a mere disciple.
"Grand Elder. We have returned. The tomb's inheritance has been claimed."
He did not hide his aura. There was no need anymore.
Grand Elder Xuan stared at the two young men—especially at Lin Feng—for a long time before letting out a deep sigh.
"The sect will hold a grand celebration tomorrow. But tonight…" His eyes turned serious. "The two of you must come with me. There are things we need to discuss in private. The ripples caused by these two supreme swords… have already spread far beyond our Heavenly Sword Domain."
Lin Feng nodded calmly.
As they flew toward the sect, he glanced back once at the collapsing tomb mountain. The Azure Sword within him pulsed warmly, almost possessively.
The path ahead is paved with the bones of those who dared judge the Sovereign. Walk it without hesitation.
Lin Feng's eyes turned sharp as blades.
He had spent years being looked down upon. Years of enduring mockery from his so-called genius family. Years of crawling through blood and desperation.
That era was over.
Now, the world would learn what it meant to stand before true power.
Back at the sect's forbidden inner peak, inside a grand protective formation, Grand Elder Xuan waved his hand. Multiple layers of isolation arrays activated.
Only he, Lin Feng, Jian Mo, and two trusted Saint Realm elders remained.
"Speak truthfully," the Grand Elder said gravely. "What exactly did you obtain?"
Lin Feng didn't hide much. He explained the two swords, the remnant will, and the ancient history they had witnessed. He deliberately omitted the deepest parts of his bloodline awakening and the Dragon Sovereign Path he was beginning to forge.
Even so, the elders' faces grew increasingly pale.
"A true supreme inheritance… and a matching Ruin Blade," one elder whispered. "This is no longer a blessing. This is a catastrophe waiting to happen."
Grand Elder Xuan looked directly at Lin Feng.
"Your aura is too strong. Even I feel suppressed. If the Upper Realm learns of this…"
"They already have," Lin Feng said calmly.
He raised his hand. A wisp of his sword intent rose into the air, carrying a trace of draconic sovereignty. The intent pierced through the protective formation and shot toward the sky.
Far in the distance, across the vast oceans of the Heavenly Sword Domain, several terrifying divine senses suddenly locked onto that wisp.
In the Upper Realm, inside a majestic sword pavilion floating among the clouds, a white-haired old man opened his eyes.
"Such pure sovereign sword intent… after so many epochs?"
In another location, a peerless beauty in crimson robes smiled coldly while holding a blood-stained divination compass.
"Interesting. A new monster has appeared in the lower worlds."
Lin Feng lowered his hand, his expression indifferent.
"Let them come."
He turned and walked toward the exit of the hall. His voice echoed behind him, carrying the weight of a future ruler.
"From tonight onward, I, Lin Feng, will no longer hide."
"If the heavens wish to judge me…"
He paused at the entrance, azure light swirling around his body.
"…then I will cut the heavens apart."