Human Race Grand Council

Lin Hao murmured softly to himself, feeling the surging new power within him. It was not merely a quantitative increase, but a qualitative leap. His understanding of sword intent, control over thunder, and perception of space had all reached an entirely new level. He even felt that if he faced those twenty Dominator Sky Demons from the Eastern Domain battle again, he could kill them all within ten moves using only his own cultivation and swordsmanship, without needing to unleash the full power of the Xuanyuan Sword.

However, before he could carefully explore the changes brought by his breakthrough, the instant the two forces within him fully merged, a sudden transformation occurred!

BOOM—!!!

A golden-and-purple pillar of light as thick as a barrel shot out of Lin Hao's crown without warning. With unstoppable force, it smashed through the top of his cave dwelling, tore through layer upon layer of sealing arrays, and pierced straight into the firmament!

Within the pillar, Sword Qi rang out like a dragon's roar, while thunder bellowed like the wrath of Heaven. Countless sword shadows appeared from nowhere, taking the form of golden little swords that circled and danced around the pillar. Purple lightning snakes rampaged through the air, bursting into dazzling, dangerous flowers of Lightning Fire.

At that moment, the skies above the entire Azure Firmament Academy changed color.

"What's going on?!"

"That's... the forbidden grounds!"

"That Sword Qi is terrifying! And that thunder... why do I feel like even my soul is trembling?"

Everywhere in the academy, the elders in the middle of lectures, the disciples in secluded cultivation, and the stewards handling affairs all looked up in alarm at the golden-and-purple pillar connecting Heaven and Earth. Some disciples with lower cultivation were so shaken by the pressure spreading through the air that their