The heavens screamed.
Thunder rolled through the fractured sky as Lin Feng and Ye Qingxuan hovered above the ruins of the arena.
Their auras distorted reality itself — qi currents swirled uncontrollably, lightning bent toward them, and the ground far below glowed from the sheer pressure.
Half the spectators had already retreated miles away. Even those at the Legend Realm found it hard to breathe beneath the weight of their unleashed might.
Above them, the Higher Realm envoys stood silently — eyes gleaming with complex emotions.
"It's been ten thousand years since a Lower Realm genius pushed this far," murmured one in white.
"But which path will he take — submission or defiance?"
The answer came in Lin Feng's voice — raw and burning through the chaos.
"I told you, Ye Qingxuan…"
"I bow to no Heaven."
He surged forward.
His Sword of Destiny flared with boundless light, the sword qi laced with all four intents — Dragon, Sword, Slaughter, and Battle — harmonized in perfect balance. The aura around him turned from blood-red to pure azure-gold, majestic and untamed.
Ye Qingxuan's divine ring pulsed harder, responding to Lin Feng's rising defiance. He raised both hands, eyes glowing with the power of the Heavenly Dao.
"Then I, Heaven's Chosen, shall show you what it means to fight against eternity."
---
Heaven and Mortal Collide
BOOM!
They vanished.
Only flashes of light remained — streaks that split clouds and tore space apart.
Every clash thundered like a divine explosion. The battlefield disintegrated beneath them, stone turning to ash.
Each strike of Ye Qingxuan's hand carried divine order; each counter from Lin Feng's blade tore that order apart.
The crowd could barely follow. All they saw were two lights — one white, one azure — spiraling through the void, clashing again and again.
Lin Feng's voice echoed across the storm:
"Your Heaven is flawless… but lifeless!"
He struck downward.
The Azure Sword erupted, unleashing Azure Sword Art — Seventh Stance: Heaven's Annihilation.
A streak of blinding blue ripped through Ye Qingxuan's divine shield, shattering the protective halo behind him.
Ye Qingxuan staggered back, blood trailing from his mouth — the first visible wound he had suffered in a century of victories.
The entire audience gasped. Even the envoys stirred.
"Impossible… he wounded the Heaven's Chosen!"
Ye Qingxuan's serene expression cracked for the first time. His calm eyes flickered with disbelief — then turned into fury.
"You dare defile Heaven's will!"
Raising his hand, Ye Qingxuan called forth the power that even the envoys dared not wield lightly.
"Divine Law — Heavenly Mandate: Retribution!"
The sky tore apart. A colossal eye — golden and eternal — opened above the world. From its gaze descended millions of lightning bolts formed of divine energy, each imbued with the power to erase existence.
The crowd screamed. Legends, Elders, and Saints threw up barriers, shielding their disciples from the divine storm.
Lin Feng, standing amidst that falling apocalypse, stared up at the eye with wild defiance.
"So… this is Heaven's wrath?"
He clenched his sword tighter.
His eyes burned brighter, a smirk cutting through the chaos.
"Then watch as I cut Heaven's eye open."
---
He closed his eyes for a heartbeat.
The world fell silent around him.
Within his sea of consciousness, the four intents — Dragon, Battle, Slaughter, and Sword — intertwined, spiraling faster and faster.
At their convergence, a fifth light appeared — radiant and ancient.
The forgotten will of the past life of the Nine-Headed Dragon Sovereign roared awake within him.
"Do you still remember, boy? The heavens once feared our roar."
The nine-headed dragon behind Lin Feng materialized fully — colossal, divine, wings outstretched across the sky. The pressure made even the Heavenly Eye tremble.
Lin Feng's body surged with power; his aura shattered every remaining suppression in the realm.
"Sword of Destiny — seventh Stance… Destiny Severing Slash!"
The azure-gold sword light fused with dragon flame.
He swung.
The slash cleaved through the falling divine lightning, tearing apart Ye Qingxuan's storm.
The Heavenly Eye itself screamed — its golden light dimming as cracks spread across its surface.
Ye Qingxuan's divine ring shattered with a deafening crack!
He coughed blood, falling backward, the glow around him flickering like a dying star.
"Impossible… I am Heaven's chosen… I cannot lose…"
Lin Feng stepped forward through the chaos, his sword dripping divine energy, his eyes calm yet burning with human determination.
"Heaven or not… everything bleeds the same when cut."
He swung again.
---
The final slash collided with Ye Qingxuan's last defense — the fragment of the Heavenly Dao embedded in his soul.
The world seemed to freeze.
For one blinding instant, silence consumed everything.
Then, the sky broke.
The Heavenly Eye shattered into dust, scattering golden rain across the continents. Ye Qingxuan was blasted backward, his divine aura extinguished, his robes torn and bloodied.
He landed hard, coughing violently, divine blood staining the ground.
Lin Feng descended slowly, his aura fading. He stood before the fallen Heaven's Chosen, eyes steady but not cruel.
"You fought well," Lin Feng said quietly. "But Heaven's perfection… is still less than human will."
Ye Qingxuan looked up at him, eyes dimming yet peaceful for the first time.
"Perhaps… you're right. Heaven gives, but never feels. You… you live your defiance."
"Maybe… that's true divinity."
He closed his eyes, his divine ring dissolving completely into light that drifted into the air.
The crowd stood speechless — not a whisper, not a breath. Only the echo of Lin Feng's sword hum remained in the sky.
The Higher Realm envoys exchanged long looks. One — the man in white — finally smiled faintly.
"He did what no Lower Realm cultivator has done in ten millennia — sever Heaven's Mandate."
"And he did it not with divine grace, but mortal will."
He turned toward Lin Feng, his gaze both respectful and wary.
"Lin Feng of the Eastern Continent. The Higher Realm now recognizes you… as one who walks beyond destiny."
Around them, the other geniuses bowed their heads in silent awe.
Lan Yu whispered, eyes shining.
"He truly… surpassed Heaven itself."
Li Yuexin's lips parted slightly, her voice trembling.
"He didn't win by power alone… he won by will."
As the divine storm faded, Lin Feng looked toward the ruined arena.
Blood streaked his face, his sword cracked, his robes torn.
And yet, standing beneath the broken sky, he seemed to tower over all creation.
He turned his gaze upward, toward the heavens that once loomed above him.
"From today onward…" he whispered.
"Heaven no longer decides who rises."
The wind blew softly, carrying his words through the silence.
Far in the distance, the Higher Realm envoys vanished into the clouds — but not before one voice echoed faintly in Lin Feng's ears.
"We will meet again, Heaven-Slayer."
As the golden rain fell upon the scarred battlefield, Lin Feng sheathed his sword, exhaling deeply. His eyes softened, exhaustion finally setting in.
Lan Yu, Li Yuexin, and the Eastern Continent delegation rushed toward him, awe and pride mingled in their faces.
But Lin Feng only looked skyward one last time and smiled faintly.
"If Heaven wishes to strike me again…"
"…then it should come prepared to bleed."
The cracked heavens glowed once more — not in anger, but in reluctant acknowledgment.
Lin Feng — Heaven-Slayer of the Eastern Continent.
His victory would echo across the realms, marking the day when a mortal defied Heaven and won.