The ruined battlefield fell into uneasy silence.
Smoke drifted slowly through the shattered eastern district while formation masters moved across the damaged walls repairing defensive arrays one by one.
The surviving cultivators no longer celebrated.
There was nothing to celebrate.
Too many had died.
Lin Feng stood quietly atop the broken wall, his gaze fixed on the silver heavens above.
The old man's final words lingered heavily within his mind.
Some things… are listening.
Commander Yue dismissed the remaining soldiers quickly while upper-realm experts began clearing the battlefield below.
Yet no one approached Lin Feng carelessly anymore.
Not after what they witnessed earlier.
Not after hearing the title spoken by the Voidborn.
Azure Sovereign.
The old man from Sky Sword Palace remained standing nearby with his hands behind his back.
His white robes fluttered gently in the cold wind.
At first glance
he looked ordinary.
But Lin Feng understood clearly now.
This was the strongest sword cultivator he had encountered in his life.
The difference between them was immeasurable.
Not merely cultivation.
Understanding.
Sword intent.
Presence.
Everything about the old man felt naturally aligned with heaven and earth itself.
As though he had already become part of the sword.
The old man suddenly spoke.
"What is your name?"
"Lin Feng."
"And your sect?"
"Heavenly Sword Sect."
A faint flicker crossed the old man's eyes.
"The lower-realm Heavenly Sword Sect still exists…"
His tone carried faint surprise.
Lin Feng noticed it immediately.
"You know my sect?"
The old man nodded once.
"A long time ago, the Heavenly Sword Sect was not a lower-realm sect."
Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly.
Before he could ask further
Commander Yue approached.
"Senior Xu."
She glanced briefly toward Lin Feng before continuing.
"The higher command wishes to investigate him."
Lin Feng's expression remained calm.
The old man narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Investigate?"
Commander Yue exhaled quietly.
"The Voidborn reacted specifically to him."
"And he possesses power capable of permanently erasing Void entities."
"That alone will attract attention."
Lin Feng remained silent.
He already expected this much.
Strength always attracted trouble.
Especially unfamiliar strength.
The old man looked toward Lin Feng calmly.
"Do you wish to go with them willingly?"
Lin Feng thought briefly before answering.
"If I refuse?"
Commander Yue answered honestly.
"You would still be taken."
Several nearby experts subtly released spiritual pressure.
Not enough to threaten.
But enough to make their position clear.
Lin Feng noticed it immediately.
Yet his expression did not change.
The old man suddenly laughed softly.
"You upper-realm people truly never change."
Commander Yue frowned slightly.
"Senior Xu, the matter involves Void corruption and forbidden titles."
"We cannot ignore it."
The old man waved his hand casually.
"And I never said you should."
Then
he looked toward Lin Feng again.
"Come with me instead."
The surrounding experts immediately changed expressions.
Commander Yue's eyes sharpened.
"Senior Xu…"
The old man interrupted calmly.
"I'll personally take responsibility for him."
Silence followed.
No one refuted him immediately.
Because everyone present understood one thing.
The Sky Sword Palace was terrifying.
And the old man standing before them…
even more so.
Finally, Commander Yue lowered her head slightly.
"If Senior Xu guarantees him…"
The old man nodded once.
"That will be enough."
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
Lin Feng studied the old man silently.
He did not fully trust him.
But compared to being dragged into interrogation chambers immediately after arriving
this option was clearly better.
The old man turned around calmly.
"Follow me."
Then he walked away.
Lin Feng followed shortly behind.
…
The city remained chaotic.
Destroyed buildings filled the eastern districts while wounded cultivators crowded temporary medical halls established throughout the streets.
Yet despite the destruction
the city itself still felt overwhelmingly powerful.
Ancient formations covered every structure.
Sword intent lingered naturally throughout the air.
And most importantly
the cultivators here were strong.
Even random guards possessed cultivation levels far above ordinary lower-realm experts.
Lin Feng quietly observed everything while following behind the old man.
Eventually
they arrived at a quiet courtyard near the northern section of the city.
Formation barriers covered the surrounding walls.
The moment they entered
the outside noise vanished completely.
The old man finally stopped walking.
"My name is Xu Tian."
Lin Feng nodded respectfully.
"Senior Xu."
Xu Tian sat beneath a stone pavilion calmly before gesturing toward the opposite seat.
"Sit."
Lin Feng obeyed quietly.
For several moments
silence lingered between them.
Then Xu Tian spoke directly.
"The title spoken earlier…"
"…where did you hear it before?"
Lin Feng hesitated briefly.
Then answered truthfully.
"I never heard it before today."
Xu Tian observed him silently.
His gaze seemed capable of piercing through lies themselves.
Finally
he nodded slightly.
"You're telling the truth."
Lin Feng frowned.
"You know what the title means?"
Xu Tian slowly closed his eyes.
"The Azure Sovereign was once considered a myth."
"A forbidden legend erased from most records."
Lin Feng's expression became serious immediately.
Xu Tian continued calmly.
"Very few people still remember the name."
"But the ancient sects do."
"And the creatures beyond the fractures…"
His eyes opened again.
"They remember even more clearly."
Silence followed.
Lin Feng asked quietly,
"Who was he?"
Xu Tian remained silent for several moments.
Then
he looked upward toward the silver heavens.
"A man who fought the sky itself."
The courtyard became still.
Even the surrounding spiritual energy seemed heavier.
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The sky?"
Xu Tian nodded once.
"In ancient times, the Upper Sky Region was different."
"There were no fractures."
"No Void invasions."
"No silver heavens."
Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly.
Silver heavens?
Xu Tian's voice lowered further.
"The sky above us now…"
"…is not the original heaven."
Coldness spread through Lin Feng's chest instantly.
The furious voice within his soul stirred violently again.
Xu Tian noticed the subtle reaction immediately.
His eyes sharpened.
"You feel it too."
Lin Feng did not answer directly.
Instead
he asked another question.
"What are the Void creatures?"
Xu Tian's expression darkened slightly.
"We call them Voidborn."
"But that is merely a name."
"No one truly understands what they are."
"Only that they emerge whenever fractures appear."
"And that ordinary spiritual energy cannot fully erase them."
Lin Feng thought briefly.
"Except Azure energy."
Xu Tian looked directly into his eyes.
"Yes."
Silence followed once more.
Lin Feng could already feel the direction of this conversation.
Dangerous.
Far too dangerous for someone who had just entered the Upper Sky Region.
Yet
he needed answers.
Xu Tian suddenly changed the topic.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect…"
"Who taught you your sword arts?"
Lin Feng answered honestly.
"I inherited most of them myself."
Xu Tian's gaze flickered slightly.
"Inherited…"
He slowly nodded.
"That explains it."
Lin Feng frowned.
"Explains what?"
Xu Tian did not answer immediately.
Instead
he raised one finger.
Sword qi gathered instantly above it.
Then
he slashed casually through the air.
SHING!!
A thin white line appeared before Lin Feng.
Simple.
Ordinary.
Yet Lin Feng's expression changed instantly.
Because hidden within that attack
he sensed familiarity.
Not identical.
But similar.
Very similar to his Azure Sword Arts.
Xu Tian spoke calmly.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect…"
"…was once a branch of the Azure lineage."
Lin Feng froze completely.
The courtyard became silent.
Even the wind stopped briefly.
Xu Tian lowered his hand slowly.
"Long ago, after the Azure Sovereign disappeared, his followers fractured into different factions."
"Some were destroyed."
"Some hid themselves."
"And some…"
"…descended into the lower realms."
Lin Feng's thoughts shook violently.
His sect…
was connected to the Azure Sovereign?
Suddenly
many things began making sense.
The Azure Sword.
The inheritance.
The strange resonance within his bloodline.
The voice.
Xu Tian looked toward him quietly.
"You inherited more than a sword art, Lin Feng."
"You inherited a dangerous fate."
Before Lin Feng could respond
BOOOOOOOM!!
The silver heavens trembled violently.
Both their expressions changed instantly.
Xu Tian rose immediately.
His calm expression vanished for the first time.
"That pressure…"
Lin Feng also felt it.
Heavy.
Cold.
Ancient.
The same feeling as earlier
yet stronger.
Much stronger.
Xu Tian's gaze turned toward the distant eastern sky.
Then
his expression darkened.
"The fracture reopened."
Far beyond the city
the silver heavens began cracking once more.