The moment Lin Feng spoke
the battlefield fell strangely silent.
Azure sword qi gathered around the blade continuously, condensing layer after layer until even the surrounding space began distorting faintly.
Commander Yue's expression changed immediately.
Not because of the amount of spiritual energy.
But because of the sword intent.
Ancient.
Desolate.
As though the sword technique itself had existed long before the current era.
The Crimson Bone Saint stopped advancing.
Its crimson eyes locked onto the Azure Sword with visible fear.
"Impossible…"
Dark mist surged violently around its body.
The creature attacked first.
BOOOOOOOM!!
Its massive spear descended like a collapsing mountain, tearing through the air with overwhelming force.
Lin Feng moved.
Not quickly.
Not explosively.
Just
calmly.
Azure Sword Steps.
His figure shifted sideways like flowing water.
The giant spear smashed into the ground beside him.
The ruined wall exploded apart instantly.
At the same moment
Lin Feng slashed.
Azure Sword Art — Heaven's End.
SHIIIIING!!
The world seemed to dim briefly.
A single line of blue sword light cut across the battlefield.
Silent.
Clean.
Absolute.
The Crimson Bone Saint froze completely.
Its spear stopped mid-motion.
The dark mist surrounding its body suddenly split apart.
Then
a thin blue line appeared across its chest.
Silence.
The next second
BOOOOOOOM!!
Azure energy erupted violently from within the creature's body.
The Crimson Bone Saint screamed.
Its armored flesh cracked apart while blue sword intent spread through every part of its body like uncontrollable flames.
"No…!"
Its voice trembled with genuine fear.
"Azure should have.."
The sentence never finished.
The creature exploded into ash.
Dark mist scattered violently before dissolving completely beneath the lingering Azure sword qi.
Nothing remained.
Complete destruction.
Silence spread across the ruined wall.
Every cultivator nearby stared blankly at Lin Feng.
Even Commander Yue remained still for several moments.
Because that attack…
had completely erased the creature's existence.
Not suppression.
Not injury.
Erasure.
Lin Feng slowly lowered the Azure Sword.
His breathing became slightly heavier.
That technique consumed far more spiritual energy than expected.
Especially at his current cultivation.
The Azure Core within him gradually stabilized.
But the furious voice lingering within his soul remained active.
Watching.
Waiting.
Commander Yue landed nearby.
Her sharp gaze studied Lin Feng carefully.
"What exactly are you?"
Lin Feng looked toward her calmly.
"A sword cultivator."
Commander Yue almost laughed.
Almost.
But after witnessing the earlier attack
she could not dismiss his answer entirely.
The surrounding battlefield trembled once more.
More Bone Saints continued descending from the fracture above.
The giant Voidborn still remained partially beyond the crack, its countless eyes fixed entirely upon Lin Feng.
Hatred filled them.
"Azure heir…"
Its voice echoed across the battlefield.
"You cannot stop the opening."
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes.
Opening?
Before he could ask further
the silver heavens trembled violently.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The fracture in the sky widened again.
This time
everyone's expressions changed.
Because something enormous was moving behind the crack.
Even the Voidborn lowered its head slightly.
Commander Yue's face turned pale.
"Impossible…"
A gigantic silhouette slowly became visible within the darkness beyond the fracture.
Not humanoid.
Not beast.
Something else entirely.
Only part of its body could be seen
yet that alone dwarfed mountains.
The surrounding spiritual energy became chaotic instantly.
Several weaker cultivators collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Lin Feng felt pressure descend upon him once more.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Wrong.
The giant Voidborn laughed darkly.
"The Gate Lord awakens."
Commander Yue reacted immediately.
"All upper-realm commanders retreat!"
Her voice spread throughout the battlefield through spiritual transmission.
"We cannot hold this breach anymore!"
Panic erupted instantly.
Even experienced cultivators turned pale.
Retreat?
That single command revealed everything.
The city was losing.
Lin Feng frowned slightly.
If the wall collapsed completely
those creatures would flood the region.
Countless deaths would follow.
But before he could think further
a deep horn echoed across heaven and earth.
OOOOOOOM!!
The sound came from far beyond the city
Ancient.
Heavy.
Then—
sword intent descended from the heavens.
BOOOOOOOM—
The silver clouds split apart instantly.
Countless cultivators raised their heads in shock.
A giant sword shadow appeared above the battlefield.
Massive.
Ancient.
Its pressure alone suppressed the dark mist spreading from the fracture.
Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly.
Such terrifying sword intent…
far surpassed anything he had ever encountered.
Even Commander Yue looked upward with disbelief.
"They actually came…"
Several old cultivators revealed excited expressions instantly.
"The Sky Sword Palace!"
A figure slowly descended beneath the giant sword shadow.
An old man wearing simple white robes.
No overwhelming aura erupted from his body.
No terrifying pressure spread outward.
Yet
the moment he appeared
the entire battlefield stabilized.
Even the spatial fracture stopped expanding temporarily.
The old man glanced calmly toward the giant Voidborn.
Then toward the enormous silhouette hidden beyond the crack.
Finally
his gaze landed briefly on Lin Feng.
A strange light flickered within his eyes.
The Voidborn roared furiously.
"Another servant of the False Heaven!"
The old man sighed softly.
"You creatures repeat the same words every time."
Then
he raised one finger.
Sword qi gathered instantly.
A single white sword light shot toward the fracture.
Simple.
Ordinary.
Yet the moment it appeared
space itself split apart.
The giant Voidborn screamed.
BOOOOOOOM!!
Its enormous body exploded backward into the fracture.
Dark mist scattered violently.
The surrounding Bone Saints collapsed instantly beneath the pressure of the sword qi.
Lin Feng's expression became serious immediately.
This…
was true upper-realm power.
One attack had changed the entire battlefield.
The old man remained expressionless.
"Seal the breach."
Several formation masters reacted immediately.
Ancient arrays throughout the city activated once more.
Countless runes illuminated the heavens.
Chains of light wrapped around the fracture rapidly.
The giant silhouette hidden beyond the crack roared furiously.
The sound alone caused mountains in the distance to tremble.
But slowly
the fracture began closing.
The Voidborn's hateful scream echoed one final time.
"Azure lives…"
"You will all drown beneath the False Heaven…"
Then
the crack sealed.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
Only ruined walls and scattered corpses remained.
Smoke drifted through the silver air.
The surviving cultivators looked exhausted.
Some collapsed where they stood.
Others silently searched for surviving companions among the ruins.
Lin Feng exhaled slowly.
The pressure weighing upon the city had finally lessened.
But inwardly
his unease only deepened.
Because the Voidborn's final words still echoed within his mind.
Azure lives.
The old man from the Sky Sword Palace slowly descended toward the ruined wall.
His calm gaze landed directly on Lin Feng.
For several moments
he said nothing.
Then finally
"You're from the lower realms."
Lin Feng nodded cautiously.
"Yes."
The old man's eyes lingered briefly on the Azure Sword.
Then
on Lin Feng's chest.
As if sensing the Azure Core hidden within.
A strange silence followed.
Commander Yue spoke respectfully.
"Senior Xu, this young man permanently destroyed multiple Void creatures."
The old man did not look surprised.
Instead
he asked quietly,
"What did the creature call you?"
Lin Feng hesitated briefly.
Then answered honestly.
"…Azure Sovereign."
The surrounding atmosphere instantly changed.
Several nearby experts revealed shocked expressions.
Commander Yue's eyes sharpened slightly.
But the old man merely closed his eyes briefly.
As though confirming something internally.
Then
he opened them again.
And for the first time—
Lin Feng sensed seriousness within the old man's calm gaze.
"You should not say those words carelessly in the Upper Sky Region."
Lin Feng frowned.
"Why?"
The old man looked upward toward the silver heavens.
His voice became quieter.
"Because some things…"
"…are listening."