The sky above the Upper Sky Region no longer resembled a sky.
It had become a wound.
Golden light and azure radiance collided again and again, tearing open layer after layer of the silver heavens. Each clash between the residual Azure Sovereign and the First Heavenly Regent sent shockwaves that flattened mountains hundreds of miles away. Ancient ruins from the First Battlefield continued to rain down like the bones of a dead era, crashing into the land and creating new scars across the earth.
Lin Feng floated in the center of this chaos, body trembling under the weight of the residual will pouring into him.
It was not simple power.
It was history.
Memories that did not belong to him flooded his mind in endless waves. He saw the original Azure Sovereign standing alone against an entire generation of Heavenly Regents. He saw the forging of the Primordial Azure from the core of a dying star and the blood of nine ancient dragon kings. He saw the moment the first seal was created not as a restriction, but as a cage meant to hide the truth from Heaven's eyes.
Blood continued to drip from the corner of Lin Feng's mouth. His meridians burned. His soul felt as though it was being rewritten line by line. Yet he did not resist.
The incomplete tenth dragon head behind him opened its second eye.
Pitch-black void stared out at the world.
A low growl rolled across the battlefield, deeper and more ancient than any of the other nine.
Far below, the Gate Lord raised its massive head and laughed until the ground split open beneath its claws.
"Yes… that is the scent. The true scent of rebellion!"
Xu Tian stood beside Commander Yue, both of them forced to continuously circulate their energy just to remain standing under the pressure raining down from above. The sword in Xu Tian's hand hummed restlessly, as if it too recognized the residual Sovereign's presence.
Commander Yue's voice was barely a whisper.
"If that will fully awakens… the current order of Heaven will never recover."
Xu Tian did not answer. His eyes remained fixed on Lin Feng.
Above, the residual Azure Sovereign moved like a phantom.
The Primordial Azure in his hand did not shine with overwhelming light. Instead, it seemed to drink the light around it. Every time the First Heavenly Regent's golden spear struck, the ancient sword simply accepted the blow and returned a counter that cut through law itself.
The Regent's golden robes were already torn in several places. Thin lines of golden blood floated in the air around him, refusing to fall.
"You are only a remnant," the Regent said coldly, voice still steady despite the injuries. "A shadow of a dead traitor. How long can you maintain this form?"
The residual Sovereign smiled faintly.
"Long enough."
He raised the Primordial Azure.
This time, he did not swing it.
He simply pointed.
A single line of azure light stretched across the heavens.
The First Heavenly Regent's pupils contracted.
He crossed his arms and poured every fragment of his authority into defense. Layers of heavenly law stacked upon one another until they formed a golden fortress around his body. The Heavenly Eye above poured endless power into him, trying to reinforce the barrier.
It was not enough.
The azure line passed through the fortress as though it were made of mist.
A thin cut appeared across the Regent's chest.
Golden blood sprayed into the sky.
For the first time since his arrival, the First Heavenly Regent staggered backward.
The residual Sovereign did not pursue.
He simply stood there, sword lowered, gaze calm.
"Heaven has grown soft," he said quietly. "In my era, a single Regent would never have been this weak."
The insult struck deeper than any sword.
The Heavenly Eye above them trembled with rage. Countless golden runes across the silver heavens lit up simultaneously. The entire Upper Sky Region began to shake as Heaven prepared to pour more power into this battlefield.
The residual Sovereign finally glanced downward toward Lin Feng.
"You have absorbed enough for now."
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open.
The ocean of residual will inside him had stabilized. The Fourth Seal spun steadily, no longer in danger of tearing his soul apart. New azure runes covered both of his arms, glowing with a soft, dangerous light. Behind him, the tenth dragon head had fully opened both eyes. Though it still remained incomplete, its presence alone made the other nine dragons grow quieter, as if acknowledging a higher authority.
Lin Feng wiped the blood from his lips and looked up.
"I'm ready."
The residual Sovereign nodded once.
"Then prove it."
He flicked his finger.
A fragment of the Primordial Azure's intent shot downward and fused directly into Lin Feng's Azure Sword.
The blade trembled violently.
Its color deepened.
The ordinary azure light it had always carried was slowly replaced by something older, denser, and far more absolute.
Lin Feng felt the change immediately.
The sword no longer felt like a weapon.
It felt like an extension of an ancient will that had once forced Heaven to bleed.
The First Heavenly Regent had recovered.
His expression was no longer calm. Killing intent rolled off him in waves thick enough to make the air itself heavy.
"I will not allow another Azure Sovereign to rise."
He raised both hands.
The Heavenly Eye fully opened its pupil.
A second Heavenly Eradication Formation began to form larger, denser, and far more complete than the previous one. This time, it was not meant to erase a city or a battlefield.
It was meant to erase an entire region of the Upper Sky.
Commander Yue's face went white.
"He's going to sacrifice everything here… just to kill them!"
Xu Tian's grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles turned pale.
"We cannot stay."
The Gate Lord, however, only grinned wider.
"Let it come. I want to see whether this new generation can survive the same tribulation that once buried an entire era."
Lin Feng rose higher into the sky, Azure Sword in hand.
The residual Sovereign floated beside him, still holding the Primordial Azure.
For a moment, the two of them looked almost identical same golden hair, same calm eyes, same quiet defiance.
The residual Sovereign spoke without looking at him.
"The Fifth Seal lies beyond this battle. If you wish to reach it, you must first survive Heaven's true judgment."
Lin Feng's answer was simple.
"Then I will survive."
The new Heavenly Eradication Formation completed itself.
Millions of golden runes rotated in perfect harmony. The pressure they released was so absolute that even the residual Sovereign's expression grew slightly more serious.
The First Heavenly Regent's voice echoed across the heavens.
"By the authority of the First Heavenly Court… erase."
The formation descended.
Lin Feng and the residual Sovereign moved at the same time.
The Primordial Azure and the newly transformed Azure Sword rose together.
Two different eras of the same rebellion prepared to meet Heaven's judgment head-on.
And far beyond the silver heavens, in places even the residual Sovereign could not yet see, something else began to stir.
Something that had been sleeping since the end of the First War.
The true masters of Heaven had finally turned their eyes toward the battlefield.