The Sword Sovereign Sect was quiet that morning. A cold mist coiled through the peaks, wrapping around the stone steps and ancient statues of long-gone sword saints. The air was heavy, as though the mountains themselves sensed that something inevitable was about to begin.
Lin Feng stood before the main hall, dressed in dark azure robes that shimmered faintly with divine light. His aura was calmer than before—no longer explosive, but condensed, restrained, and terrifyingly stable. The might of a God Realm cultivator radiated from him like a slumbering dragon beneath still waters.
Inside the hall, his master, Elder Jian Wuyi, sat cross-legged, his silver hair flowing freely behind him. His eyes opened slowly as Lin Feng entered, and for a moment, neither spoke. The air trembled faintly between master and disciple.
"Master," Lin Feng said at last, bowing slightly. "The Devil Sect's remnants still infest the Central Warzone. I plan to head there immediately."
Jian Wuyi's expression didn't change. He had known this would come. "You've only just entered the God Realm, and your foundation is still solidifying. Why the rush, Lin Feng?"
Lin Feng's gaze hardened. "Because the longer they remain, the more innocents will die. The Devil Sect's corruption spreads faster than wildfire. And…"—his voice lowered—"I still owe them blood."
The hall went silent again. The faint ringing of sword intent echoed from the surrounding walls, resonating with Lin Feng's unspoken fury. Jian Wuyi finally sighed and rose to his feet.
"You are my proudest disciple," he said quietly. "But the central warzone is different from the battlefield you've known. There, even saints fall to poison and treachery. The Ouyang Family still lurks in the shadows. And I sense something darker… something watching from the void."
"I understand," Lin Feng replied. "But I must go. I'll only need six months. After that, I'll return for my ascension."
Jian Wuyi regarded him for a long time, then stepped forward and placed a jade talisman into Lin Feng's palm. "This holds one strike of my sword intent. If you face death, break it. It will reach you anywhere under heaven."
Lin Feng accepted it and bowed deeply. "I won't waste it, Master."
"Go then," Jian Wuyi said softly. "But remember mercy is not weakness. Even a sword must rest before the next war."
A faint smile curved Lin Feng's lips. "Then I'll return once this blade has cut the shadows from the world."
And with that, he turned and left.
---
The Warzone lay thousands of miles beyond the sect's borders—a ravaged wasteland where the laws of heaven seemed distorted. Black clouds churned endlessly overhead, and the ground was scarred by countless battles. Ruins of ancient sects jutted from the earth like broken bones.
As Lin Feng stepped into that cursed land, his divine sense spread across several miles instantly. He could feel it—thousands of killing intents, some faint, others waiting patiently in the dark.
"So, they already know I'm here," he murmured.
He took another step forward, and the world blurred. The moment his foot touched the blood-stained soil, the temperature dropped sharply. A dozen flickers of light shimmered across the barren plain.
Then silence..
"Assassination Hall," Lin Feng said quietly, eyes narrowing. "You're fast."
Twelve figures emerged from the shadows, faces hidden under black veils, each emanating the aura of Half-step God Realm. Their leader's voice was like a whispering blade.
"Lin Feng of the Sword Sovereign Sect," he said, "the Ouyang Family has placed a saint-grade treasure for your head. Twelve of us were sent to collect it."
Lin Feng's eyes glinted like cold stars. "Twelve Half-step Gods for one man? That's flattering."
The air rippled—then they vanished.
In the next instant, blades erupted from the void itself. The assassins struck simultaneously, their movements overlapping like dancing shadows.
But Lin Feng didn't move.
His eyes closed. His divine energy surged quietly—and then his domain expanded.
A roar echoed from within his body, low and ancient. A golden dragon coiled around him, its scales glinting with divine might. Space cracked. The shadows shuddered.
"You can't hide from a dragon," Lin Feng whispered.
With a flick of his wrist, the Azure Sword materialized in his hand.
Boom!
A brilliant arc of sword light split the ground open. One assassin screamed as his body was torn apart by invisible pressure. The others darted away, merging again into the darkness.
They reappeared behind Lin Feng, blades coated with poison, slicing toward his neck.
Lin Feng's sword spun once in his hand.
Azure Sword Art—Fifth Stance: Heavenly Severance!
The sword light spread outward like a tidal wave. The ground erupted, hurling dust and rock into the air. Two more assassins were bisected before they could even scream.
The remaining ones hesitated—but their leader didn't. He clasped his hands together, whispering an incantation. The shadows themselves rose up, forming a colossal phantom behind him—a faceless god of darkness.
"Night God Art—Eternal Eclipse!"
The world dimmed instantly. The sky turned pitch black. All light vanished.
Lin Feng was engulfed in pure darkness. No sound. No air. Just killing intent.
A dozen blades pierced through the void, all aimed at his heart.
But within that pitch-black void—his eyes opened. Golden pupils gleamed like suns.
Dragon Domain—Second Manifestation!
The darkness shattered.
Roars shook the heavens as nine spectral dragons burst from his body, tearing through the void. The assassins screamed as their shadows were ripped apart, their stealth broken. Lin Feng vanished—and reappeared behind the leader.
"Too slow."
The sword descended like divine judgment.
Azure Sword Art—Sixth Stance: Heaven's End!
The explosion was deafening. The ground split open for miles. When the light faded, eleven assassins were dead—bodies disintegrated into dust. Only their leader remained, kneeling, half his mask shattered.
Blood dripped from his mouth as he whispered, "You… can't kill shadows, Lin Feng. The Hall remembers."
Lin Feng's blade stopped just short of his throat. "Then tell your Hall this if shadows come for me, I'll burn the night itself."
The assassin's eyes widened. Then his body collapsed, dissolving into mist.
Lin Feng looked toward the horizon where thunder rumbled faintly beyond the black clouds. His robes fluttered in the dying wind.
"So, the Assassination Hall joins the Ouyang Family now," he murmured. "Good. Let them all come."
He turned toward the north, his expression unreadable. Behind him, the Warzone stretched endlessly—silent, but seething with death.
"Six months," he said quietly. "That's all I need."
"Let me head to Sword sovereign encampment, Fatty and Sun Mei are there"
Then, without another word, Lin Feng stepped forward—his figure vanishing into the storm of shadows ahead.