The Grand Sword Ceremony had not yet begun.
Yet the atmosphere within the Heavenly Sword Sect had already become heavy enough to suffocate ordinary cultivators.
The arrival of the Crimson Flame Empire, Void Sword Pavilion, and Blood Shadow Alliance transformed the sect into the center of countless hidden currents. Powerful auras lingered above the mountains while more experts continued approaching from distant regions.
Everyone understood the same thing.
The Heavenly Ruin Sword had appeared.
And wherever a weapon tied to ancient ruin and calamity emerged…
blood would eventually follow.
But amidst the tension surrounding Jian Mo and the incoming storm—
Lin Feng quietly disappeared from the sect.
No farewell.
No announcement.
Only silence.
…
The morning mist drifted between the towering mountain peaks as Lin Feng walked alone along the outer ridge pathways of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
His pace was calm.
Steady.
The Azure Sword rested across his back while faint sword intent naturally flowed around him with every step.
Several outer disciples noticed him from afar.
Shock immediately appeared on their faces.
"Senior Brother Lin?"
"He's leaving the inner mountains?"
"Why is he alone?"
None dared approach.
Not because Lin Feng was arrogant.
But because his current presence felt increasingly distant from ordinary disciples.
Especially after the events surrounding the Heavenly Ruin Sword.
Even among the younger generation of the sect, Lin Feng already stood at a level few could comprehend.
Not invincible.
Not unbeatable.
But overwhelming among peers.
A monster acknowledged even by the elders.
Lin Feng ignored the distant gazes and continued toward the edge of the sect.
His thoughts remained calm.
The Heavenly Sword Sect was no longer enough.
The battles here…
the enemies here…
the cultivation resources here…
none of them could truly push him further.
He could feel it clearly after reaching the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm.
His cultivation had slowed.
Not because his talent diminished.
But because this realm itself had already become too small.
The Upper Sky Region.
That was where true experts gathered.
Where Saint Kings walked openly.
Where ancient inheritances slept beneath forgotten lands.
Where sword cultivators capable of splitting heavens truly existed.
And most importantly
something there was calling him.
Lin Feng could not explain it fully.
But ever since the Heavenly Ruin Sword awakened…
his Azure Core had become increasingly unstable at night.
Sometimes while cultivating, he would hear strange whispers.
Ancient.
Furious.
As though something buried deep within history was slowly awakening.
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes slightly.
He disliked uncertainty.
Which was precisely why he needed to leave.
Soon, he arrived before the outer forbidden region.
Towering stone gates stood embedded within the mountain itself while countless ancient runes glowed faintly across their surface.
This was the Sky Passage Formation.
The only stable path connecting this region to the Upper Sky Realm.
Several elders guarding the formation opened their eyes simultaneously when Lin Feng approached.
One of them sighed softly.
"So you finally decided."
Lin Feng nodded slightly.
The elder studied him quietly for several moments.
"You know what awaits above?"
"No."
"Yet you still wish to go?"
Lin Feng's expression remained calm.
"If I stay here, my sword will dull."
The elders exchanged glances.
None refuted him.
Because they understood.
Sword cultivators who feared stepping forward would never reach the peak.
The leading elder waved his sleeve.
A jade token floated toward Lin Feng.
"Present this at the Upper Sky checkpoints."
Lin Feng accepted it.
The elder's expression gradually turned serious.
"The Upper Sky Region is not peaceful anymore."
Lin Feng's eyes sharpened slightly.
"What happened?"
The elder hesitated briefly.
Then spoke slowly.
"Three months ago… the Sky Walls began breaking."
Lin Feng frowned.
"Sky Walls?"
"The barriers separating worlds."
The elder's voice became heavier.
"At first, everyone believed it was merely spatial instability."
"But then creatures began emerging from the fractures."
"Things that should not exist."
Silence followed.
Even the surrounding spiritual energy seemed colder.
Lin Feng asked quietly,
"What kind of creatures?"
The elder's gaze darkened.
"We do not know."
"But ordinary spiritual techniques barely affect them."
"And every sect that encountered them suffered enormous losses."
Lin Feng remained silent.
The elder looked directly into his eyes.
"If possible… avoid the eastern regions after arriving."
"Several upper-realm sects have already fallen there."
Lin Feng nodded slowly.
Though inwardly
his instincts told him things were far worse than the elder described.
The formation behind them suddenly activated.
BOOOOOOM!!
Blue light erupted into the sky.
Ancient spatial runes rotated throughout the mountain while the surrounding space distorted violently.
A massive crack slowly appeared above the formation.
The Sky Passage had opened.
Violent spatial currents surged from within like a roaring storm.
Even nearby elders activated spiritual barriers instinctively.
Lin Feng stared toward the tunnel silently.
Then stepped forward.
The elder spoke one final time.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect does not fear enemies."
"But if you survive above…"
His gaze sharpened.
"Do not forget where your sword began."
Lin Feng's expression softened slightly.
"I won't."
Then
he entered the passage.
BOOOOOOM!!
The world vanished instantly.
Violent pressure slammed against his body from every direction.
Spatial currents roared endlessly throughout the tunnel while silver light flashed past like collapsing stars.
Lin Feng circulated the Azure Heaven Technique immediately.
Blue spiritual energy wrapped around him, stabilizing the pressure assaulting his body.
Even so
his expression became serious.
The Sky Passage was far more unstable than expected.
Cracks spread intermittently throughout the tunnel walls while violent turbulence surged unpredictably around him.
Something was interfering with the formation.
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes.
Then suddenly
the tunnel trembled violently.
BOOOOOM!!
A deep growl echoed throughout the passage.
Lin Feng's instincts exploded with warning.
Without hesitation, he drew the Azure Sword.
SHING!!
Blue sword light illuminated the tunnel instantly.
Dark mist slowly seeped through a crack ahead.
The moment it appeared
the surrounding spiritual energy became corrupted.
Coldness spread rapidly throughout the tunnel.
Then
a claw emerged.
Gray flesh.
Rotting skin.
Countless tiny eyes blinking across its surface.
Lin Feng's pupils contracted.
The creature lunged toward him immediately.
Fast.
Far faster than ordinary Spirit Sea beasts.
Lin Feng stepped sideways instantly.
Azure Sword Steps.
His figure blurred like flowing water.
BOOOOOOM!!
The claw smashed through the space he previously occupied.
Spatial turbulence exploded violently.
Lin Feng counterattacked without hesitation.
Azure Sword Art — Flowing Heaven Slash.
A crescent wave of blue sword qi tore across the tunnel.
BOOM.
The claw split apart instantly.
Black blood scattered through space.
But Lin Feng's expression darkened instead.
Because the severed flesh continued moving.
The tiny eyes embedded within it kept blinking frantically.
An eerie screech echoed throughout the tunnel.
Then the dark mist suddenly retreated.
As if afraid.
Lin Feng tightened his grip around the Azure Sword.
"What exactly are these things…?"
Before he could think further
CRACK.
The tunnel split apart.
The entire Sky Passage destabilized violently.
Lin Feng cursed inwardly.
The earlier collision damaged the already unstable formation.
Now the entire passage was collapsing.
Violent spatial currents surged toward him like a tidal wave.
Lin Feng inhaled sharply.
Azure Heaven Technique.
Blue spiritual energy erupted around him.
His speed increased drastically.
He shot through the collapsing tunnel like a streak of lightning.
BOOOOOOM!!
Space shattered continuously behind him.
The destructive currents closed in rapidly.
Lin Feng's expression hardened.
Azure Sword Art — Heaven Breaking Stream.
He slashed repeatedly behind himself.
Sharp blue sword light exploded throughout the tunnel, temporarily forcing the spatial currents backward.
But the collapse continued.
Faster.
Closer.
Lin Feng activated Azure Sword Steps once more.
His figure transformed into flowing blue light.
Then
he saw the exit.
Silver radiance appeared ahead.
Lin Feng rushed toward it instantly.
The moment he crossed through
the pressure vanished.
His boots landed heavily against black stone.
Silence.
A strange…
unnatural silence.
Lin Feng slowly raised his head.
And froze.
The sky was silver.
Not white.
Not gray.
Silver.
Endless metallic clouds stretched across the heavens while gigantic chains hung down from somewhere beyond the sky itself.
Each chain was larger than entire mountain ranges.
Ancient runes glowed faintly across their surfaces.
A terrifying pressure descended continuously from above.
Even Lin Feng felt his breathing become unstable.
His Azure Core rotated instinctively.
Only then did the pressure lessen slightly.
"This is the Upper Sky Region…?"
Disbelief flickered within his eyes.
The massive arrival platform around him was crowded with cultivators emerging from countless spatial gates.
But something immediately felt wrong.
Many people were injured.
Several soldiers carried corpses through the plaza.
Formation masters rushed between defensive towers with exhausted expressions.
No one looked peaceful.
No one looked relieved.
This was not the glorious upper realm described in ancient stories.
It looked like a battlefield moments before collapse.
A middle-aged cultivator brushed past Lin Feng while dragging a broken spear.
"Hurry and move if you want to live."
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes.
Far beyond the city walls
smoke filled the silver sky.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The entire city trembled violently.
A giant horn echoed across heaven and earth.
OOOOOOOM
Fear spread instantly throughout the plaza.
"Another breach?!"
"The Seventh Wall just stabilized yesterday!"
"How are they attacking again already?!"
Lin Feng's expression changed slightly.
A young soldier rushed onto the platform.
"All Spirit Sea cultivators report to the Seventh Sky Wall immediately!"
His voice was hoarse from exhaustion.
"The breach is expanding!"
Panic spread among newly arrived cultivators.
"We just got here!"
"How are we supposed to fight already?!"
The soldier's face darkened.
"Fight or die."
Silence followed.
Because everyone knew he spoke the truth.
Lin Feng stepped slowly toward the edge of the platform.
Then
he saw it.
Far above the eastern section of the city
the sky itself was cracked.
A gigantic black fracture spread through the silver heavens while dark mist poured endlessly from within.
The sight alone made his blood run cold.
Then something emerged.
A giant gray hand covered in countless eyes.
The moment it appeared
the Azure Core inside Lin Feng's body reacted violently.
Pain exploded through his chest.
He staggered backward.
Fragments of unfamiliar memories flooded his mind.
Burning worlds.
Falling stars.
Golden figures descending from the heavens.
Then
a man dressed in azure robes standing alone beneath a shattered sky.
Countless golden figures surrounded him.
A furious voice echoed through Lin Feng's soul.
"They are feeding again."
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open.
At that same moment.
the giant creature emerging from the fracture suddenly froze.
Hundreds of eyes turned directly toward him.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Then
the creature spoke.
Its voice sounded like countless corpses screaming together.
"Azure… Sovereign…"