The arena trembled as the final match of the Trial of Supremacy was announced.
Thunder rolled across the sky, as if the heavens themselves sensed the storm about to unfold.
"Final bout!" the envoy's voice thundered.
"Lin Feng of the Eastern Continent—versus—Long Aotian, number one genius of the Western Continent!"
The air fell silent for a heartbeat. Then a wave of cheers and qi pressure erupted through the stands.
"Long Aotian! The Celestial Tyrant himself!"
"He shattered a Saint's spiritual artifact with his bare hands!"
"He's called the War God of the West — no one under the Saint realm has ever defeated him!"
Even the Higher Realm envoys leaned forward on their thrones, their divine eyes glimmering with curiosity.
Lin Feng stood at the center, calm and silent, azure robes fluttering in the wind. His expression was indifferent — but his battle spirit blazed within his eyes like twin stars ready to ignite the sky.
Then the wind changed.
A streak of golden lightning tore through the horizon and slammed into the arena with a thunderous boom.
From it emerged a towering young man with golden hair cascading down his shoulders, his body wrapped in radiant qi that pulsed like a beating heart.
Every step he took left ripples of pressure through the void. His presence alone was like standing before a golden war god.
"So you're the dragon child everyone's talking about," Long Aotian said, his deep voice shaking the air. "You look small to me."
Lin Feng smirked faintly.
"And you talk too much."
For a brief instant, silence reigned — then the two vanished.
Boom!
The first clash sent shockwaves that shattered the protective formation around the arena.
Sword and fist met — azure light versus golden flame — and the explosion of qi split the ground beneath them.
Spectators shielded their faces as air rippled like water, throwing weaker geniuses off their feet.
"Too strong! Their spiritual pressure alone could crush a mountain!"
Long Aotian grinned through the clash, his eyes burning with excitement.
"Good! It's been a while since someone didn't die from my first punch!"
He roared, and his entire body ignited in golden divine flame — Tyrant Qi — a legendary energy said to crush even laws themselves.
"Celestial Tyrant Body — Third Stage: Heaven's Wrath!"
He slammed his fist down, forming a massive golden dragon of pure force that tore through the void toward Lin Feng.
Lin Feng's gaze sharpened. His sword flashed —
"Azure Sword Art — Sixth Stance: Heaven Severing Light!"
The sword aura howled like a heavenly river, colliding with the golden dragon. The blast that followed turned the sky white.
For an instant, it seemed the two were evenly matched — but Lin Feng skidded backward a few steps, leaving deep cracks under his feet.
"His raw strength… monstrous," Lin Feng murmured.
Long Aotian laughed heartily, voice echoing like thunder.
"That's right! I don't cultivate finesse — I crush everything before me! Come, dragon boy — show me your killing edge!"
---
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed as his aura surged.
Four different intents—Sword, Dragon, Battle, and Slaughter—exploded from his body, intertwining into a spiraling storm.
"Let's see if your Tyrant Physique can stand against my will."
He vanished in an instant. The next moment, his sword was already descending from above, glowing like the judgment of gods.
Long Aotian raised his fist to block—
Clang!
Sparks flew as steel met steel. The impact rippled through the air, distorting light itself.
Blood trickled from Long Aotian's forearm, but his grin only widened.
"Not bad! But it'll take more than that to break a Tyrant!"
He stomped his foot, and the ground erupted. Golden pillars of qi shot upward, forming a Tyrant Domain—a sphere of condensed pressure that warped gravity itself.
Inside it, Lin Feng felt his body weigh hundreds of tons. His limbs slowed. His breathing thickened.
"In my domain," Long Aotian said, "every strike carries the weight of mountains."
He threw a punch. Lin Feng barely deflected it, but the sheer force sent him flying across the arena, smashing into the barrier wall.
The crowd gasped.
"Lin Feng's bleeding!"
"No one has ever withstood Long Aotian's Tyrant Domain and lived!"
Lin Feng wiped blood from his lip, eyes gleaming with sharp light.
"Not bad. But it's still not enough."
---
A roar shook the heavens.
Behind Lin Feng, nine enormous dragon shadows appeared, each head crowned with divine flames. The ground trembled under their fury.
"Nine-Headed Dragon Domain — Second Form: Sovereign Awakening!"
The azure sword in his hand began to hum, resonating with the dragons. His aura skyrocketed, shattering the golden pillars around him.
Long Aotian's grin faltered slightly.
"This pressure…"
"You're not the only one with a domain," Lin Feng said, his voice echoing like divine thunder.
He charged, his sword light tearing through reality. Each swing carried the might of his four intents fused into one—
Sword of Destiny — Seventh Stance: Heaven's Annihilation!
Long Aotian roared in answer, both arms flaring with divine light.
"Celestial Tyrant Body — Final Form!"
Their strikes collided in the center of the arena, the explosion so bright it blinded even the envoys for a heartbeat.
The sky split open. The earth quaked. A ring of destruction spread for miles.
---
Both figures were forced backward, panting, blood dripping from their bodies.
But neither looked ready to yield.
"You're insane," Long Aotian said, grinning through blood-streaked teeth.
"You too," Lin Feng replied calmly.
Then, without warning, both vanished again — faster than the eye could follow.
Only thunderous impacts echoed across the battlefield as sword and fist collided hundreds of times in a single breath.
Finally, Lin Feng spun, channeling his slaughter intent into his sword, his aura blazing red and azure at once.
"Azure Sword Art — seventh stance: Destiny Breaker!"
The slash carved through the void itself, meeting Long Aotian's final punch.
For a moment, silence. Then—
Boom!
A shockwave like the birth of a star erupted outward. The barrier protecting the spectators shattered; envoys raised their hands to reinforce it instantly.
When the light faded, the two combatants stood facing each other.
Long Aotian's golden aura flickered, then dispersed like dying embers. A faint sword line glowed across his chest — blood seeping slowly.
He looked down, then laughed softly.
"I see now… why they call you the Heaven-Slaying Dragon."
He staggered backward, then dropped to one knee, panting.
"You win, Lin Feng."
Lin Feng exhaled deeply, sheathing his sword.
"You're the strongest I've faced."
Long Aotian grinned.
"Heh… next time, I'll return the favor."
---
The envoy raised his hand, voice echoing like divine thunder.
"Victory — Lin Feng of the Eastern Continent!
By defeating the champions of the Southern, Northern, and Western Continents, Lin Feng stands as the unrivaled Sovereign of the Lower Realm Trials!"
The arena erupted into roars.
Lan Yu's eyes glistened with pride. Li Yuexin's lips curved in quiet awe. Even the Higher Realm envoys exchanged glances — intrigued, calculating.
One of them, cloaked in silver light, whispered:
"His soul… it resonates with the Heavenly Laws. He is not meant to remain in the Lower Realm."
Above, golden runes descended from the heavens, imprinting themselves into Lin Feng's body — the mark of the Trial Champion.
Lin Feng looked toward the sky, breathing in the fading storm.
"The Eastern Continent has been silent for a thousand years," he murmured. "Today, we roar again."
The nine-headed dragon shadow behind him lifted its heads and roared, shaking heaven and earth.