The canyon blazed with golden storms.
Winds sharp as divine blades howled between colossal bones, and the very air shimmered beneath the aura of an ancient, godlike beast.
Above the shattered cliffs floated the Nine-Eyed Drake — wings spanning hundreds of meters, its scales glinting like black obsidian laced with veins of molten gold. Nine glowing eyes burned across its serpentine head, each filled with the cold, judgmental fury of an ancient dragon lineage.
"You trespass upon the resting ground of the True One," the drake's voice boomed, echoing across the skies. "Unworthy blood must be cleansed."
Lin Feng's Azure Sword thrummed in his grasp. The sound was sharp, steady — like the heartbeat of defiance. His long black hair danced in the wind, eyes gleaming faintly gold.
His bloodline surged within him, roaring in response to the drake's divine pressure.
"If the heavens wish to test me again," Lin Feng said quietly, "then let them come."
The drake's roar split the clouds.
A hurricane of flames descended from above, each ember as heavy as a mountain. The ground erupted; molten rivers snaked across the canyon.
Lin Feng leapt upward, Azure Sword tracing a blinding arc.
"Azure Sword Art — Sixth Form: Void Annihilation!"
A crescent of azure light tore through the firestorm. It struck the drake's breast, ripping apart the flames, but when the light faded, the creature's scales were unmarred — not even a scratch.
Lin Feng landed hard, his boots sinking into molten rock. The impact made his bones groan, yet his eyes were calm.
"So this is the strength of a divine guardian…"
The drake's nine eyes flared at once, and the canyon twisted as gravity reversed. Boulders rose skyward, the earth turned upside down, and Lin Feng felt himself pulled into the air, directly into the monster's waiting maw.
He clenched his teeth and stabbed his sword into the void itself.
A crack split open — a step into nothingness.
He vanished an instant before the jaws closed.
Reappearing behind the drake's skull, Lin Feng slashed downward with both hands. Azure swordlight carved through one of its wings, spilling divine ichor that burned through the clouds like falling stars.
The drake roared, thrashing violently, its tail whipping through the canyon. The shockwave alone shattered mountains. Lin Feng was hurled backward, blood splattering from his lips. His ribs screamed, his vision blurred.
But through the haze of pain, something in him stirred — deep, primal, unstoppable.
Within his spiritual sea, nine dragon heads raised their gaze. The eighth one — which had long slumbered — opened its eyes, and golden light burst through his meridians.
The air around Lin Feng trembled. Scales began to shimmer along his arms; his pupils slit completely. His aura grew wild and ancient, the faint sound of dragon roars echoing around him.
"Still standing?" The drake's laughter rumbled. "Then let us see the depth of your defiance."
Lightning fell. The drake inhaled — and unleashed a breath of golden fire that scorched the sky itself.
Lin Feng stood beneath it, unflinching.
"If you would burn the world," he whispered, "then I'll cut the flames themselves."
His sword arm lifted — and the Azure Sword screamed.
From his back, eight spectral dragon heads burst forth, their roars shaking the heavens. They surged forward, clashing with the divine flames. The canyon exploded in a wave of azure and gold, the light swallowing everything.
Through that inferno, Lin Feng's figure blurred — and then appeared above the drake's skull.
"Azure Sword Art — Fifth Form: Heaven's Rebirth!"
He plunged downward.
The sword pierced one of the drake's eyes. The beast howled in agony, thrashing as blood like liquid sunlight rained upon the earth.
But it didn't fall.
Its eight remaining eyes glowed brighter, fusing together into a single colossal golden eye in the center of its forehead. Its voice boomed:
"Impressive, mortal. But you have yet to prove you are dragon!"
The world darkened. The drake's power swelled, and suddenly, Lin Feng was drowning in divine pressure so heavy it bent space. His knees buckled. Cracks spread along his arms as though his body might shatter.
His vision blurred red. His heart pounded — not from fear, but fury.
"You want a dragon…?" Lin Feng growled, forcing himself upright. "Then watch."
He closed his eyes. His breathing slowed. His blood — that chaotic fusion of mortal and dragon essence — ignited.
Within his spiritual sea, the nine dragon heads roared as one, fusing their voices into a single, world-shaking cry.
Their combined light burst through Lin Feng's body, tearing apart his old limits.
His aura rose — past exhaustion, past pain, into transcendence.
Golden light erupted from his skin. His back arched, and the image of nine immense dragon shadows coiled behind him, each exuding divine majesty.
The drake hesitated — for the first time.
"Nine heads…? Impossible! That bloodline was destroyed in the age of the Primordial Heavens!"
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open, golden pupils gleaming like suns. His voice was steady, thunderous:
"Then consider this your proof — that the dragons of the old age have not perished!"
He vanished.
In that instant, the world stilled.
A single azure flash cleaved through the sky — silent, unstoppable.
When sound returned, it came as a single, deafening roar. The drake's body froze in midair, a perfect line carved from skull to tail.
Then, slowly, its form dissolved into radiant motes of light, scattering into the wind.
The canyon fell silent. The divine flames dimmed.
All that remained was the True Dragon Bone, floating gently above the cracked ground, its golden light now soft, almost serene.
Lin Feng fell to one knee, gasping, his entire body torn and burned.
But the moment his gaze fell upon the bone, his blood roared again — joyously, violently.
It was calling him.
He reached out — and the bone disintegrated into countless runes that poured into his chest.
Pain like nothing before wracked his body.
His veins lit up in gold; his meridians screamed. Nine dragon heads coiled around his soul, howling as their power fused with his bloodline. His flesh cracked, bones reforged, heart and dantian blazing with celestial fire.
He screamed — not in agony, but release.
And then — silence.
Golden scales shimmered across his skin before fading.
His aura deepened, vast and regal, no longer purely human. Behind him, faint dragon shadows hovered, their roars echoing through the clouds.
The True Dragon Bone had become one with him.
"So this is the Bone of Heaven…" Lin Feng whispered, his voice hoarse but steady. "No wonder even gods coveted it."
Within him, the ninth dragon head awakened fully — eyes open, gleaming with primordial light.
A tenth shadow flickered faintly in the distance of his consciousness — embryonic, forming slowly.
He rose, blood still dripping down his hand, and gazed at the golden horizon.
"Nine awakened… one yet to be born. The heavens are not ready for what comes next."
Lightning flashed across the wilderness as his aura expanded outward, shaking the world itself.
Every beast within ten thousand miles bowed its head in submission.
And above, for a fleeting instant, the image of a colossal golden dragon coiled through the clouds, its roar echoing across realms.
Lin Feng sheathed his sword, his eyes calm once more.
"The wilderness has given me what I sought. Now… let's see what else it dares to offer."
He turned toward the endless horizon, unaware that his victory had been witnessed by eyes hidden in the void — eyes belonging to those who would soon come for the bone's power.