The night that followed Ouyang Shan's death was suffocatingly still.
Emberfall City slept uneasily under the faint glow of the moon, its walls newly repaired, its people clinging to fragile hope. But Lin Feng — standing atop the northern tower — could sense the gathering storm long before it came.
The air was too quiet. The stars were too dim. And the scent of killing intent lingered in the wind.
He closed his eyes. His spiritual sense swept outward like an invisible tide.
There you are.
From the forest beyond the city walls, dozens of faint auras flickered like shadowed embers. They weren't ordinary cultivators — their qi was cold, sharp, and perfectly synchronized.
"Assassins," Lin Feng murmured.
---
At that exact moment, far away in the Ouyang Family manor, a crimson-robed elder sat cross-legged beneath a massive jade serpent statue. The ground beneath him trembled with rage.
"So Shan is dead?" his voice thundered.
"Yes, Elder," a trembling subordinate replied. "Killed by Lin Feng himself."
The elder's eyes burned. "The boy has crossed the Ouyang Family. Send the Shadow Serpents — all of them. Bring me his head, no matter the cost."
And so they came.
---
The first scream tore through the night.
An arrow of black qi sliced through the darkness, aimed straight for the city's main gate. Before it could hit, a streak of azure light intercepted it — Lin Feng's sword. The impact detonated like thunder, shaking the ramparts.
"Wake up!" his voice roared across the walls. "The Ouyang Family has come for blood!"
Alarms blared. Fire Pavilion soldiers scrambled to position. Yang Busi appeared beside Lin Feng, her armor gleaming under the moonlight, flames flickering in her eyes.
"They didn't even wait a day," she spat.
"They never do," Lin Feng said, eyes narrowing. "They've joined hands with the Blood Sect again. Look."
From the treeline, countless figures emerged — Blood Sect warriors clad in dark crimson robes, their faces twisted with killing intent, flanked by masked assassins cloaked in black.
A combined army of two thousand cultivators surrounded Emberfall.
Yang Busi's expression hardened. "Even if it costs our lives, we hold the walls!"
Lin Feng's voice was calm, his aura steady. "No. I'll handle the assassins. You command the defense."
"Lin Feng—"
He met her gaze, his eyes glowing faintly gold. "Trust me."
And then he vanished.
---
In the blink of an eye, Lin Feng appeared in the heart of the forest, surrounded by the Shadow Serpents. They moved like ghosts, silent and lethal, their blades gleaming with venomous qi.
"Lin Feng," their leader hissed, "your head will buy our family's forgiveness."
Lin Feng drew his sword slowly, its azure glow piercing the shadows. "Forgiveness can't buy your life."
The assassins attacked as one — dozens of killing strikes from every direction, so fast the air itself screamed.
But Lin Feng didn't move.
His aura deepened. His sword vanished. And then —
BOOM!
A massive shockwave of golden and azure light erupted outward. The ground cracked, trees splintered, and the assassins were blasted back.
"What—what is that pressure?!" one of them gasped.
Lin Feng stood in the center of the devastation, his robe fluttering violently, his eyes glowing like molten gold. Behind him, an ethereal dragon coiled through the air — vast, radiant, and filled with boundless might.
"Dragon Domain," he whispered.
---
The world changed.
The air thickened with ancient power. Within the radius of Lin Feng's domain, gravity shifted, the space trembling as if bowing to his will. Azure flames crackled along the ground, forming runes of ancient draconic script.
Every assassin felt it — their movements slowed, their qi suppressed by the overwhelming pressure.
"What is this… power…" the leader choked, his legs trembling.
Lin Feng raised his sword. "This is what it means to challenge a dragon."
He stepped forward — and with that single motion, dozens of assassins coughed blood as their qi collapsed under the pressure.
"Dragon Suppression Art — First Roar!"
ROOOAAARRR!
The nine-headed phantom dragon behind him opened its mouths in unison, releasing a deafening roar that shattered the night. The sound alone reduced trees to dust and sent a shockwave of qi ripping through the enemy ranks.
Blood sprayed. Screams echoed.
Lin Feng's sword slashed in an arc of pure azure light, weaving through the darkness like lightning. Every stroke carried the fusion of his four intents — sword, battle, slaughter, and dragon — blending into a seamless flow of destructive harmony.
One by one, the assassins fell, their blades clattering uselessly to the ground.
---
Meanwhile, on the walls of Emberfall, the battle had erupted into chaos. Fire Pavilion disciples unleashed torrents of flame, forming fiery barriers as Blood Sect warriors climbed the walls with demonic speed.
Yang Busi stood atop the central rampart, her spear blazing with crimson flame. Every thrust unleashed waves of fire that swept through enemy ranks.
Still, they were being pushed back.
"Where's Lin Feng?!" shouted one of the soldiers.
"He's in the forest!"
"Alone?!"
But before despair could take hold, a thunderous roar tore through the battlefield.
The ground shook. Flames flickered in the sky. And then — from the forest — a colossal dragon of light burst forth, coiling through the heavens.
"By the heavens…" Yang Busi whispered.
The dragon's roar swept across the plains, and with it came a storm of azure sword qi that tore through the enemy's front lines. The Blood Sect warriors screamed as they were ripped apart by invisible blades.
Lin Feng descended from the sky, landing on the field like a falling star. His eyes glowed faintly gold, his aura unrestrained.
"Kill them all," he said coldly.
The words weren't shouted, yet they resounded like thunder.
---
The Ouyang assassins, now desperate, regrouped and charged. Their blades glowed with dark poison qi, forming a deadly web around him.
"Dragon Domain — Second Roar."
The air imploded.
A second roar exploded from Lin Feng's domain, this one filled with devastating intent. The very ground beneath them melted from the force. Space itself trembled — and then shattered like glass.
The assassins were crushed under the weight of his domain, their bones snapping audibly.
"Impossible…" the leader gasped.
"Nothing's impossible," Lin Feng said softly. "Only death is certain."
He vanished and reappeared before the man, sword raised.
"Azure Sword Art — Seventh Stance: Heaven's End."
The sword fell — and the world went silent.
A blinding beam of azure light cleaved the night sky in two. When it faded, only ashes remained where the assassin leader once stood.
---
The remaining enemies broke and fled in terror. Without their leaders, their formation collapsed within moments. The surviving Blood Sect cultivators scattered into the forest, leaving the battlefield littered with corpses.
Yang Busi leapt down from the walls, her armor scorched, her face streaked with soot. She landed beside Lin Feng, who stood amid the ruins, his sword still glowing faintly.
"It's over," she said softly.
Lin Feng sheathed his blade. "For now."
He looked at the carnage surrounding them — the broken ground, the charred earth, the faint glimmer of his fading Dragon Domain still twisting the air.
Yang Busi exhaled slowly. "That power… that was your domain, wasn't it?"
He nodded once. "The Dragon Domain. It's still incomplete."
"Incomplete?" she echoed, incredulous.
Lin Feng turned to face the horizon, where the faint embers of the Blood Sect's retreating army burned in the distance. "When it's complete… even a God Realm cultivator will tremble."