The summit quaked.
Yan Zhen roared, crimson flames surging around him like a wildfire, his blade igniting the very air. Yue Xiang lifted her sword, its silver qi flowing like a tidal wave of moonlight, graceful yet sharp enough to cut stone. Together, their auras thundered outward, shaking the killing arrays themselves.
Haotian stepped forward, spear balanced easily in his hand, his golden eyes unflinching. Lianhua's fingers brushed her hilt, her breath calm, her presence serene yet lethal.
The four stood in silence for a heartbeat—Then the summit exploded.
BOOOOM.
Yan Zhen lunged first, crimson qi erupting behind him like a volcano. His blade came down in a blazing arc, wide enough to split the mountain peak in two. Fire roared with his strike, a storm of flame that threatened to engulf the entire summit.
Haotian's spear slammed upward.
CLAAANG!
The shaft met the flaming blade, sparks showering as the ground beneath them fractured. For an instant, fire and spear clashed in a storm of shockwaves, crimson and gold colliding, each refusing to yield.
"Die, pretender!" Yan Zhen spat, his teeth bared.
But Haotian only smirked. His spear pulsed with golden light—And with a twist of his wrists, he sent Yan Zhen skidding back, the flame storm shattered.
At the same time, Yue Xiang moved.
Her silver sword swept outward, moonlight trailing behind it like a frozen river. It curved around Haotian's defense, aiming to strike his exposed flank.
But before her blade reached him—
SHHHK.
A clean click echoed through the summit.
Her strike halted. Yue Xiang's eyes widened as a thin crimson line appeared across her sleeve, her fabric split without her even noticing.
Lianhua stood in front of her, blade half-drawn, eyes calm, lips curved faintly. "Your moonlight is pretty… but fragile."
The crowd outside roared.
"They're overwhelming them!"
"Yan Zhen's flame was broken—!"
"Yue Xiang didn't even see her move!"
The Crimson Moon Sect disciples screamed in denial, their voices drowned beneath the thunder of clashing qi.
Yan Zhen bellowed, his pride boiling into fury. Crimson qi erupted around him like a second sun, his flames crackling with blood-red lightning. "You think arrays make you gods?! You think tricks make you superior?! I'll burn you both to ash!"
He thrust his blade forward, a storm of fire-laced arcs exploding across the summit. Yue Xiang followed, her sword flowing like moonlit waves, dozens of strikes weaving through the air.
Fire and Moonlight.
A storm of destruction.
But spear and sword moved as one.
Haotian's spear swept through the flames, golden qi bending space and time, freezing arcs midair before shattering them apart. Lianhua's blade whispered from its sheath, lotus-shaped sword-light blooming in silence, scattering Yue Xiang's illusions before they even touched her.
They did not just fight side by side.
They moved as if they had trained for centuries together.
Every thrust of Haotian's spear flowed into the draw of Lianhua's blade.
Every slash of Lianhua's sword left an opening that Haotian's spear struck through.
The summit blazed with fire and moonlight, but it was consumed by the inevitability of spear and sword.
The watching world screamed, some in awe, some in despair, as the Convergence's greatest clash unfolded before their eyes.
And above it all, the merit scrolls gleamed—Haotian and Lianhua's names burning brighter with every strike.
The summit trembled beneath the storm.
Yan Zhen's flames howled like a raging inferno, his blade spitting crimson arcs that scorched the sky. Yue Xiang's moonlit sword danced like flowing rivers of silver, each strike cutting the air with deadly precision. Their combined storm lit the entire summit, forcing the watching world to hold their breath.
And yet—
No matter what they unleashed, spear and sword tore it apart.
Yan Zhen's flame torrents split by Haotian's thrusts, space bending around his spear as though fire itself had been denied.
Yue Xiang's shimmering illusions erased by Lianhua's lotus draws, each stroke scattering her moonlight into harmless mist.
Again and again, the Heaven's Chosen launched their might.
Again and again, they were nullified in silence.
Outside, disbelief erupted.
"They can't land a strike—!"
"Their techniques are being erased—!"
"It's like… spear and sword were made to destroy them!"
The Crimson Moon Sect elders stood frozen, their pride bleeding away as they watched their Heaven's Son and Daughter falter under the calm inevitability of the Azure Dragon pair.
And then—Haotian stepped forward.
His golden eyes burned brighter as he raised his spear skyward. The mountain wind howled, the killing arrays thrummed beneath the earth, and from his body erupted a flame unlike any seen before.
FOOOOM.
Golden-blue fire burst forth, swallowing the summit in divine brilliance. It roared like a living sun, yet it flowed with crystalline clarity, eclipsing all crimson flames around it. Yan Zhen staggered back, his own fire shrieking as it was devoured, his eyes wide with terror.
"No… impossible…! My Crimson Moon Fire…!"
The audience outside cried out as one.
"That flame—!""It eclipsed Yan Zhen's completely—!""Golden blue… is that divine fire?!"
Yan Zhen's pride cracked like shattered glass. His title as Heaven's Son had always rested on the supremacy of his flame—and Haotian had erased it in a single breath.
At the same moment, Lianhua moved.
She drew her blade fully, her aura surging outward in a tide of ultimate yin-water. A river of obsidian-blue cascaded across the summit, waves of moonlit water crashing in endless streams. Yue Xiang's silver light drowned instantly, her illusions dissolved into ripples, her moonblade trembling in her hands.
"No… my moon water… suppressed—!"
The sphere projections magnified the scene. One side of the summit blazed with Haotian's golden-blue yang flame, devouring the heavens. The other surged with Lianhua's yin-water, washing the earth in endless moonlit waves.
Two extremes—opposites of heaven and earth.
Two forces destined never to meet.
And yet, in their hands, they converged.
Haotian thrust his spear forward, golden-blue fire erupting into a raging sun.
Lianhua swung her blade, yin-water spiraling into a tidal surge.
Fire and Water collided—And merged.
KAAA-THOOOOOM.
The mountain summit exploded in a cataclysmic burst, light swallowing everything. The formations shattered, their lines of power screaming as they overloaded and collapsed. A tidal wave of fire and water roared outward, devouring flame and moonlight, erasing Yan Zhen and Yue Xiang in its path.
Their cries were lost in the explosion. Their bodies shattered into motes of light, scattered into the sky like broken stars.
When the radiance cleared, half the summit was gone—reduced to rubble, the arrays extinguished. Only Haotian and Lianhua remained, standing side by side amid the devastation. Their robes fluttered softly, untouched, their eyes calm as though nothing extraordinary had occurred.
The merit scroll above blazed with new light. Yan Zhen's and Yue Xiang's names dimmed to nothing. Haotian's and Lianhua's surged higher, brighter, eclipsing all others.
Silence fell outside. Then—madness erupted.
"They destroyed them—!"
"Heaven's Son and Daughter… annihilated!"
"That wasn't a battle—it was domination!"
Sect masters stared wide-eyed, their faces pale, unable to form words.
But the Four Saints… leaned back, their smug grins carved into eternity. Their eyes gleamed with boundless pride, as though they had been waiting for this very moment to arrive.
The Saint Son and Saint Daughter of the Azure Dragon had shattered the heirs of Crimson Moon—And in doing so, declared to all of heaven and earth who truly held the sky.
The summit lay in ruins, its arrays shattered, its crown reduced to rubble. Smoke curled upward from the crater where Yan Zhen and Yue Xiang had vanished, their pride obliterated with their bodies.
Haotian and Lianhua stood hand in hand amid the wreckage, their eyes shining with calm delight.
Then, without a word, they stepped forward.
The hunt began again.
From every side of the mountain, disciples still surged upward, monsters howling as they clawed through broken stone. The vortex's fading aura continued to lure them, desperate moths chasing a flame that had already turned them to ash.
But Haotian and Lianhua did not simply fight.
They danced.
Haotian's spear whirled with golden arcs, each thrust punching through disciples before they could raise their blades. Monsters froze mid-charge, their cores pierced before they even realized death had come. His movements were smooth, effortless—yet every strike sent enemies bursting into motes of light.
At his side, Lianhua's blade whispered from its sheath, a gleam of moonlight scattering foes in perfect rhythm. Every half-draw cut cleanly through hearts, every resheathing echoed with the softest click of finality. Her sword strokes blossomed into lotus petals of steel, enveloping her foes in serene death.
And yet—
Between each strike, between each kill, their voices drifted softly.
"I missed you," Lianhua murmured, her blade cleaving an abyssal wolf in two.Haotian smiled, spinning his spear to bisect three disciples at once. "I missed you more."
She twirled lightly past him, her blade severing an enemy's throat as she leaned close. "No, I missed you most."He caught her waist mid-spin, thrusting his spear backward to impale a charging serpent. "I won't argue. You win."
They laughed, soft and warm, as blood and motes rained around them.
Outside, the audience lost their minds.
"They're flirting—while killing!""What is this madness—?!""They're treating slaughter like a date!"
Sect masters clutched their heads. Disciples screamed in outrage and jealousy. The broadcasting plazas boiled over with chaos, some crying, some cursing, some tearing at their hair as the sweet words and radiant smiles of Haotian and Lianhua contrasted against the carnage they wrought.
The worst part?
They looked beautiful together.
Hand in hand, they spun across the battlefield like dancers at a festival, their weapons an extension of their love. Corpses fell, monsters shattered, disciples burst into motes of light—all erased amid laughter, smiles, and tender words.
It wasn't a battle.It wasn't even a massacre.It was a love story written in blood and ash.
By the time they finished, the mountain's slopes were silent—every monster, every disciple, wiped clean. Only the two of them remained, standing close, gazing at one another with warmth while the ruined battlefield lay littered with fading motes.
Outside, the Alliance was in shambles.
Some wailed.Some cursed.Some fainted outright.
And on the Azure Dragon terrace, the Four Saints leaned back in their seats, smugness radiating from them like a divine halo.
Who could match our descendants? Who could stand against a spear and a sword that kill as easily as they love?
The summit was silent.The arrays lay shattered, the stone reduced to rubble, the vortex gone.
Only two figures remained.
Haotian and Lianhua stood hand in hand, their eyes locked on one another. The chaos around them no longer mattered—their steps, their smiles, their warmth eclipsed it all.
Without a word, they turned from the ruins. The battlefield of carnage, of slaughter, of dancing romance amid screams—left behind. Together they descended the broken mountain path, fingers intertwined, their movements unhurried, as though the trial were nothing more than a stroll through a quiet garden.
Everywhere they went, monsters fell, disciples perished. Their rhythm continued—Haotian's spear striking with calm inevitability, Lianhua's blade whispering through the air in serene half-draws. But their words never left tenderness.
"You lead, I'll follow.""No… together, always."
And so, hand in hand, they vanished into the haze of the trial grounds, their spree stretching onward.
The Saint Son and Saint Daughter of the Azure Dragon did not conquer.They simply walked forward.And the world bent around them.
Outside — The Aftermath
The Alliance plazas boiled with madness.
The broadcasting spheres still glowed with their images—Haotian and Lianhua leaving the ruined summit, smiling, hand in hand. The silence that followed their slaughter was unbearable. Finally, someone broke it.
"The ranking board—look!"
Heads snapped upward. The golden merit scroll burned in the heavens, lines of light shifting and updating.
At the very top—Zhenlong Haotian — First Place.Bai Lianhua — Second Place.
The gap between their scores and the rest was so large it seemed like mockery. No disciple, no matter how talented, could hope to close the distance.
Murmurs spread. Then gasps. Then shouts.
"This is… just the first day!""There's no way anyone can catch them now!""If this continues, they'll kill everyone—!"
An elder slammed his fist onto the table. "At this rate, the only names left will be theirs! Only they'll claim the rewards!"
The sect masters turned, faces pale, eyes blazing with desperation.
Finally, one spoke aloud, voice heavy as thunder.
"Should we… stop the trial?"
The words struck like a hammer. Gasps erupted, elders rising to their feet. One after another, sect masters stood, their robes trembling with fury and fear.
"Yes! End it now!""Preserve our disciples before they're all erased!""We surrender the trial to the Azure Dragon Sect's pair!"
Chaos erupted across the terrace. Voices shouted over one another, fear twisting into rage, rage into panic. Sect masters who had once boasted of their Heaven's Chosen now bowed to survival, demanding the trial's end.
And through it all—
The Four Saint Dragons laughed.
Yangshen's booming voice echoed across the terrace. "Stop the trial? Hah! You should have stopped your disciples from believing they could stand at all!"
Yuying's smirk cut sharper than any blade. "Tell me, Crimson Moon—was this your Heaven's Son? Your Heaven's Daughter? Where are they now?"
Jinhai leaned back, chuckling. "Gone. Reduced to motes before our grandchildren."
Meiyun hid none of her glee, her soft laughter a dagger of its own. "Perhaps next time, raise disciples worth watching."
The Crimson Moon Sect's master sat frozen, his fists trembling, his face white with humiliation.
The Azure Dragon Sky Sect's master, meanwhile, had his head in his hands. He looked from the screaming sect masters to the laughing Saints beside him, his voice breaking in flustered desperation.
"Please—ancestors, a little restraint! Help me calm them! They're blaming me—!"
But the Saints only laughed harder, their smirks burning like suns.
The Alliance had been broken.And all by two figures who walked hand in hand, smiling, while turning the battlefield into a graveyard.
The terrace boiled with madness. Sect masters and elders shouted over one another, their robes fluttering with turbulent qi, their voices echoing like thunder across the Alliance grounds.
"If this continues, there will be no trial left—!""They'll slaughter every participant!""We must stop it—now!"
The Azure Dragon Sky Sect master raised his hands, trying to contain the storm. "Please, calm yourselves—!"
But the cries only grew sharper.
"Calm ourselves?!""Your disciples are butchering ours!""The merit scroll shows it clearly—no one can catch them!"
The golden ranking board above shimmered with damning truth:Haotian — first place.Lianhua — second place.Both names shining so brightly they eclipsed all others, the gulf between their scores vast enough to crush hope itself.
One by one, sect masters stepped forward. Then, with a final wave of shouts, they all stood together.
"We demand the Convergence be ended!"
The words rolled across the terrace like a judgment. Gasps erupted among the disciples and spectators. To end the trial early—this had never happened in history.
The presiding elder of the Alliance paled, his lips trembling as he looked to the gathered masters. "You would… surrender? On the first day?"
But their faces were grim, their pride abandoned.
"Yes.""We yield this trial to the Azure Dragon Sect's Saint Son and Daughter.""End it before every other disciple is erased."
The terrace fell into silence.
Then came laughter.
The Four Saint Dragons leaned forward, their smug grins sharp as blades.
Yangshen's booming voice shook the heavens. "Surrender, is it? Then do so proudly—on your knees, if you must."
Yuying smirked, her gaze piercing the Crimson Moon Sect master like a spear. "So much for your Heaven's Son. So much for your Daughter. All that talk… now dust."
Jinhai chuckled, his tone like rolling thunder. "This is what happens when you mistake arrogance for strength."
Meiyun's soft laugh was the cruelest of all. "At least you know when to quit."
The Crimson Moon Sect's master clenched his fists so tightly blood trickled from his palms. He had no words. No defense. His sect's pride had been burned to ash by Haotian's flame and washed away by Lianhua's water.
At last, the Alliance presiding elder stood, his trembling hands raising the decree scroll.
"By order of the sect masters of the Alliance—" his voice cracked, but he forced the words out, "—the Martial Convergence… ends here!"
BOOOOM.
The trial grounds shuddered. The broadcasting spheres dimmed. The merit scroll froze in place, sealing Haotian and Lianhua's names at the very top, shining brighter than all others.
Outside, chaos erupted. Some cheered in awe, others wept in despair, still others screamed in rage.
But the truth was undeniable.
On the very first day, the Martial Convergence had been ended. Not by monsters. Not by the trials. But by the hands of two disciples who walked hand in hand through blood and ash, smiling, as the world bent around them.
The Saint Son and Saint Daughter of the Azure Dragon had forced the Alliance to kneel.
And the Four Saint Dragons laughed until the heavens shook.
The decree was spoken.
BOOOOM.
The Martial Convergence grounds shuddered, its skies splitting with golden light. The trial space, woven of arrays and ancient seals, began to unravel. The vortexes collapsed, the monsters dissolved into mist, and the battlefield's endless horizons peeled away like paper burning in flame.
At the center of it all stood Haotian and Lianhua.
Hand in hand, their weapons lowered, their eyes calm. As the world itself dissolved around them, the light wrapped around their bodies, pulling them upward. They vanished into brilliance—two silhouettes bound together.
When the glow receded, they stepped into the Alliance plaza.
Gasps erupted. Every eye turned to them.
They walked out exactly as they had entered the battlefield—unshaken, unmarked, their robes still pristine, their faces carrying the same faint smiles. In their hands, they still held spear and sword, yet their fingers remained entwined.
The Azure Dragon sect disciples erupted in wild cheers, some collapsing to their knees, others screaming with pride. Elders stood tall, their eyes alight with tears. The sect master of Azure Dragon Sky Sect pressed his trembling hands together, relief and awe warring across his face.
And behind him—
The Four Saint Dragons stood.
Yangshen's booming laughter shook the plaza.Yuying's smirk glittered like a blade.Jinhai's chuckle rolled like thunder.Meiyun's soft laugh radiated pride sharp enough to cut.
They did not rise, because they did not need to. Their presence alone bent the world.
Haotian and Lianhua approached them, bowing with grace and respect. But the Saints did not let them kneel.
Instead, Yangshen reached out, pulling Haotian to his feet. Meiyun drew Lianhua into her arms, her laughter gentle, her voice warm.
"Well done," she whispered. "The heavens themselves bend to you both."
The Saint Son and Daughter had returned.
But elsewhere, the terrace was in chaos.
Sect masters who once carried pride and arrogance now sat pale and trembling, their disciples humiliated, their "geniuses" erased from the merit scroll. The trial had ended on the first day—unheard of in all the Alliance's history.
Their voices rose again, but this time without pride. Only bitterness.
"This cannot stand—!""They humiliated our sects before all!""Azure Dragon planned this—!"
But the words rang hollow. They had surrendered. They had ended the trial themselves. And now, all rewards, all prestige, all recognition flowed inevitably to the Azure Dragon Sect.
The presiding elder tried to soothe them, his voice trembling. "It is… decided. The results are sealed. Haotian and Lianhua… are the Convergence's victors."
The Crimson Moon Sect's master slammed his fist against the table, blood dripping from his knuckles, his face white with shame. His voice was hoarse, broken.
"My son. My daughter. Erased before the world."
But the Four Saint Dragons laughed again, their mirth cutting sharper than blades.
Yangshen's voice thundered. "Perhaps next time, raise Heaven's Chosen worthy of the name!"Yuying leaned forward, her smirk dripping venom. "Do you still call them Heaven's Son and Daughter? Or simply corpses?"Jinhai added with a booming laugh, "The Alliance should thank them! Their sacrifice made the victory even sweeter!"Meiyun's soft voice delivered the cruelest blow of all. "Take pride, Crimson Moon. Your disciples were stepping stones for ours."
The sect masters paled. Their voices faltered. And one by one, they lowered their gazes, unable to meet the Saints' eyes.
The Alliance was shattered, its balance broken.
And at the center of it all, the Saint Son and Saint Daughter of the Azure Dragon stood hand in hand, untouchable, their names blazing brightest on the scroll of history.