The moment Lin Feng's blade met the Guardian's, the world ignited.
Flames roared upward like divine serpents, splitting the sky into molten rivers of azure fire. Each stroke of the Guardian's sword was not mere energy — it was law. The flame bent to its will, the sea itself becoming a weapon.
Lin Feng's body was thrown backward, slamming into the burning surface. Fire tore at his robes, devouring spiritual armor and searing flesh. The pain was beyond mortal comprehension — it wasn't his body that burned, but his essence.
"If your heart falters, you will be erased," the Guardian's voice thundered.
"The Sovereign's path admits no weakness."
Lin Feng rose slowly, his breath heavy, eyes burning with determination. Blood evaporated into steam before it touched the ground.
"Then let it burn away everything but my will."
He lunged forward again. His sword traced an azure arc through the inferno, meeting the Guardian's strike midair. The impact sent shockwaves through the realm — flames scattered into galaxies of light.
The Guardian's form did not waver.
"You fight with desperation, not conviction. The sword you carry does not yet recognize your soul."
The Guardian thrust forward — a single, elegant motion. The attack split the flame ocean in two.
Lin Feng countered, but the force struck him in the chest, shattering his defense.
He fell — sinking beneath the surface of the Azure Fire Sea.
---
The world below was silent. The flames here were not hot — they were alive. They crawled over his skin like gentle hands, whispering.
"Do you seek his power… or his freedom?"
"Do you wish to defy heaven… or replace it?"
The voices multiplied, surrounding him. He could feel his memories peeling apart — the village where he was born, the years of humiliation, the rise from mortal to cultivator, the countless lives he took.
All of it replayed, but twisted.
He saw himself wielding his sword not for justice, but for dominance — the reflection of what he could become.
"This is the heart of fire," the Guardian's voice echoed faintly. "The Sovereign's flame reveals the truth within the soul."
His vision blurred. The flame shifted — and he saw the Azure Sovereign himself.
A towering figure stood upon a burning mountain, wielding a sword that split constellations. Countless divine beings fell before him — gods, saints, and celestial beasts alike. His voice thundered across the heavens:
"Heaven is a chain — and I am the blade that breaks it!"
Lightning tore through creation. Worlds crumbled.
And then Lin Feng saw the Sovereign fall — pierced by a thousand divine spears, his blood forming the ocean that now burned around him.
"He died defying the sky," Lin Feng whispered, trembling.
"No… he lived defying it."
The flame surged in response to his realization, enveloping him completely. His dragon blood roared, scales flickering faintly beneath his skin. The Azure Sword in his grasp began to hum violently, its glow intertwining with the sea.
"Azure Sword Art… Seventh Form."
The Guardian's voice echoed above, calm but distant.
"Show me your truth, inheritor."
---
Lin Feng rose from the depths like a comet, his entire body wreathed in azure light. His aura had changed — no longer chaotic, but calm and boundless.
Every flame he passed through bent around him, no longer burning him but feeding him.
He pointed his sword forward, whispering:
"Azure Sword Art — Dragon Sovereign Ascension."
The sea trembled.
Nine azure dragons erupted from the flames, coiling around him, their roars merging into a single, thunderous cry that shook the heavens of the sword world.
The Guardian slashed downward, summoning a tidal wave of divine fire. Lin Feng's dragons collided with it head-on.
The impact shattered the space around them. The flames dispersed into motes of light, forming a brilliant aurora that stretched endlessly.
When the light faded, the Guardian stood motionless, a faint smile crossing its ancient face.
"At last, the sword acknowledges you."
It raised its blade in salute — and dissolved into motes of azure brilliance.
One fragment drifted into Lin Feng's chest, merging with his core.
"You have obtained a fragment of the Azure Law," the voice of the Sovereign murmured within him.
"Continue forward. Only through destruction can rebirth begin."
---
The sea of fire calmed, its color fading from violent blue to serene silver.
Lin Feng knelt, gripping his sword as azure energy pulsed within him. His veins glowed faintly — each beat of his heart echoing like a divine drum.
The flames no longer harmed him. They recognized him.
As he looked up, the horizon shifted. In the distance, above the quiet sea, rose a towering citadel of glass and light — the Azure Tomb Palace.
Its doors slowly opened, inviting him inside.
"The next trial awaits," he whispered.
"Azure Sovereign… I will see your end — and surpass it."
With steady steps, Lin Feng walked across the calm surface of divine fire, the sword world bending around him in silent reverence.