Tonight, Winterfell City was colder than ever.
The bitter wind and snow carried shards of ice through the streets, howling as though it meant to freeze the entire city solid.
Facing the blockade of Sword Clan warriors, Zhang Daowen—carrying the ice coffin on his back—erupted in full force.
Even the weather seemed to bow to his will, swept up in the power surging from his body, echoing his rage throughout the city.
With a wave of his hand, a dense wave of frost spread forward, enveloping the bodies of over one hundred Sword Clan warriors. In the next moment, a massive ice coffin manifested in the air.
Clenching his fist, the coffin exploded, and the over one hundred warriors sealed within it were instantly annihilated.
The sight stunned the high-level officers of the Winterfell Military Department, who had been watching the battlefield through high-altitude drones.
When they first saw Zhang Daowen's figure, he had looked somewhat familiar, but the snowstorm blurred their view, making it hard to tell exactly who he was.
But the moment he unleashed his power, they instantly remembered who he was.
The strongest warrior in Star City's western supply zone—Zhang Daowen.
At the same time, he was one of the newly recognized Top Ten Human War Gods, selected jointly by the five major cities.
His battle record could only be described with one word—dominant.
From the moment he stepped onto the battlefield, Zhang Daowen displayed unparalleled control and destructive power. His rise didn't follow the usual path of gradual adaptation and growth—he started at his peak.
Media outlets across all the major cities had a unified evaluation of him: he wasn't just a genius of war, but a master of all aspects of warfare.
During his time at the frontlines, Zhang Daowen made significant contributions to areas like base development, pharmaceutics, and weapons technology. Nearly all of his suggestions were tested and ultimately adopted.
If Mu Qing was the God of War, then Zhang Daowen was the all-round warrior.
Dominating Star City's western supply zone was just one of many titles associated with him. The vast pool of knowledge he commanded was another one of his deadliest weapons.
The most iconic example was the battle against the Black Sludge Domain Field.
Because of the domain's unique environmental rules, warriors from Star City's west found it extremely difficult to adapt. Progress in clearing it had been slow.
However, the Black Sludge Domain Field was a crucial route for Star City's expansion westward. If it wasn't cleared, development would stall.
To solve this, major supply zones sent warriors to assist. But every joint operation ended in failure.
Each time, the problem was the same—no one could adapt to the domain's toxicity. Even with full-body protective gear, warriors would feel dizzy, nauseated, and eventually collapse.
It was Zhang Daowen who finally developed a mass-producible special reagent, allowing frontliners to adapt to the Black Sludge environment. With this, the domain was successfully cleared.
There were many other similar cases.
Like Mu Qing, the young Zhang Daowen held immense prestige among the new generation. He was the kind of warband leader those countless young cultivators dreamed of following after graduation.
No one in the Winterfell Military Department had expected him to appear now—of all times.
What confused them even more was why Zhang Daowen had shown up here in the first place.
What exactly had happened?
Just as the high-level officers were puzzling over it, the power released by Zhang Daowen surged again.
The Ice Palace that loomed behind him was now nearly fully materialized. The temperature in the area plummeted to levels intolerable to any normal lifeform.
Even the physically robust Sword Clan warriors were trembling, forced to circulate sword qi constantly just to resist the bitter cold.
Each step Zhang Daowen took felt like it was landing on the edge of their lives.
Then, without warning, Zhang Daowen waved his hand.
The swirling snow and floating ice crystals gathered around one of the lead Sword Clan warriors, dragging him straight to Zhang Daowen.
A frost hand formed midair, clamping around the warrior's neck and lifting him up. His face turned pale instantly from the freezing cold.
"Who else helped kill Uncle Qi?!"
Staring into Zhang Daowen's ice-blue eyes, the Sword Clan warrior felt a chill rise from the depths of his soul. He didn't know if it was cold or pure terror, but his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Glancing at the ice coffin behind Zhang Daowen, he immediately understood who "Uncle Qi" referred to.
Even so, the man didn't say a word. Whether out of resolve or because his body had gone numb from the cold, he couldn't respond. His consciousness was fading, and he looked like he could pass out at any moment.
Seeing that the man refused to answer, Zhang Daowen didn't press the question.
A flicker of killing intent flashed in his eyes. The icy hand clenched hard.
With a crack, the warrior froze into a solid corpse. When his body hit the ground, it shattered into countless chunks of frost-covered flesh.
After killing him, Zhang Daowen slowly turned his icy gaze to the rest of the Sword Clan warriors.
Even though they had the advantage in numbers, with more and more reinforcements pouring in, under Zhang Daowen's chilling stare, they couldn't help but feel like they were the ones being surrounded.
The frigid wind howled around him, making Zhang Daowen look like a demon crawling out of some ancient ice-bound abyss.
The blizzard raged at his side, but not a single snowflake dared harm him.
Snowflakes circled around him like stars surrounding the moon. Frost gathered above his head, condensing into a faintly glowing crown of suspended ice crystals.
At this moment, Zhang Daowen was like a deity ruling over the domain of frost, his very presence pressing down on the hearts of the Sword Clan warriors.
Some couldn't take the spiritual pressure any longer. One of them formed a sword seal with his fingers and unleashed his life-bound sword straight at Zhang Daowen.
In the next instant, dozens of life-bound swords turned into streaks of light, shooting straight toward the center of Zhang Daowen's brows.
But before they could even get close, the swords halted ten meters in front of him. Their blades trembled and were swiftly covered in frost, cracking and shattering into multiple pieces.
All at once, the dozens of attacking Sword Clan warriors coughed up blood, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Over the years they had spent hiding in Winterfell City, they had come to understand humans quite well.
Once upon a time, humans might have been the center of the world, but ever since Domain forces emerged, the so-called natural talents humans were proud of had become utterly laughable.
Sure, there were humans like Mu Qing—super-powered warriors.
But even Mu Qing was an extreme outlier. And most of her strength came from that mysterious crimson rune crystal. The average human, even with a hundred years of bitter cultivation, couldn't match what Domain beings achieved with ease.
Inferior talent—that was their ingrained impression of the human race.
And that impression wasn't entirely wrong.
Which is why they couldn't wrap their heads around how someone like Zhang Daowen could even exist.
The frost energy he commanded at this moment went far beyond the boundaries of conventional spell theory. He didn't need to trace any formation runes at all—as if every one of his thoughts was a divine decree, and the wind and snow naturally obeyed.
Even their minds began to freeze, overtaken by an ever-growing sense of dread.
"Sword Lotus Formation—kill!"
Finally, one Sword Clan warrior shouted the command.
Thousands of long swords soared into the sky, converging midair into a rotating lotus of blades. As it spun, the sword lotus shredded the storm and surged toward Zhang Daowen with deadly force.
Zhang Daowen's gaze remained cold and emotionless.
He took a step forward.
Behind him, the illusory Ice Crystal Palace suddenly shifted, phasing through his body to collide directly with the spinning Sword Lotus.
Blue and white lights clashed.
A burst of chilling white mist erupted from the Ice Crystal Palace, engulfing the Sword Lotus. Its spinning slowed visibly until it came to a full stop, suppressed entirely by the overwhelming cold.
The extreme frost traveled down the thousands of life-bound swords, surging into the Sword Clan warriors' bodies.
Thousands of Sword Clan warriors trembled. Frost formed on their skin, even covering their eyebrows.
Feeling the bitter cold eating into their bones, they tried to summon back their life-bound swords.
Right then, the icy crown floating above Zhang Daowen's head shimmered with blue light. The Ice Crystal Palace expanded massively and crashed downward with a roar.
As the palace pressed the thousands of swords into the ground, the warriors coughed up blood in unison. Their expressions turned hollow and lifeless.
Just then, a streak of blue light shot across the sky.
A female figure appeared, holding a blue longsword. As she neared the battlefield, she hurled the blade forward.
The sword traced a strange arc in the air, moving so fast it was practically invisible. In an instant, it reached Zhang Daowen.
But at that exact moment, a blue transparent barrier emerged from Zhang Daowen's body, expanding outward to envelop him completely.
The blue longsword struck the shield with a loud hum. Its sharp edge pierced only a few inches before it stopped.
Zhang Daowen stepped forward and pointed at the sword's tip.
In the blink of an eye, frost engulfed the blade.
He pointed again, and cracks spread across the sword's surface.
The floating female cultivator lost control of her flight. Her figure wavered midair, but gritting her teeth, she still launched herself at Zhang Daowen.
This time, Zhang Daowen didn't give her the chance.
With a casual sweep of his hand, the wind and snow wrapped around her and dragged her toward him.
"I know you. Fifth Commander of the Dawn Domain Battle Squad."
His icy blue eyes stared into hers. The girl, overwhelmed by the freezing cold, couldn't stop trembling.
"So, it seems the Dawn Domain Battle Squad was involved in Uncle Qi's death, too. Now tell me—who else was there?"
Zhang Daowen's voice was calm but sharp. The cold wasn't just freezing her body, it was freezing her soul.
Frost spread through her mental sea, overtaking her will. At the same time, she felt a terrifying sense of suppression in her bloodline, as though she was standing before an ancient god of ice and snow.
The fear struck deep, and she was momentarily paralyzed.
Zhang Daowen didn't give her another second.
With a wave of his hand, the snowstorm devoured her. When he passed by her, the blizzard dissipated, revealing a frozen statue wearing a mask of pain.
Crack!
The ice statue shattered, leaving no trace of her behind.
Zhang Daowen turned toward the thousands of Sword Clan warriors ahead.
This time, he didn't hold back.
With a single thought, the raging snowstorm surrounded them. When it cleared, all the frozen statues shattered at once.
Zhang Daowen slowly raised his head and looked toward the battle where Mu Qing, Mu Yan, and Jian Ji were still locked in fierce combat.
He waved his hand.
The wind and snow lifted his body into the air, carrying him toward the battlefield.
As he neared the clash, the icy crown above his head flickered.
Immediately, the biting cold wind transformed into countless icy spikes, sweeping across the battlefield like a hailstorm of frozen death.
Faced with Zhang Daowen's sudden arrival, Jian Ji reacted instantly, raising the Burning Heaven Sword to defend.
In that moment, a million sword spirits slashed in unison, forming a defensive sword formation.
The ice spikes struck the barrier but couldn't penetrate even a bit.
Mu Yan turned as well, spinning his Silver Dragon Spear at high speed. Blinding silver light burst forth, resisting the oncoming wind and snow.
Only the berserk Mu Qing turned with clenched fists and launched a punch straight at Zhang Daowen.
In an instant, crimson energy and frost collided, tearing open several spatial rifts.
"We're on the same side!" Mu Yan shouted at the top of his lungs, thrusting his spear toward the center where snow and crimson energy met, trying to stop the clash between allies.
But Mu Yan alone couldn't split the battlefield.
It was Zhang Daowen who slowly began to withdraw his power.
Because he had just clearly seen Mu Qing's face.
He wasn't exactly close to Mu Qing, but he wasn't unfamiliar either.
He knew Aunt Mu Qing was Uncle Qi's closest companion. He'd heard many stories from Uncle Qi about her growth and battles.
Even though he was furious knowing that Uncle Qi's death was tied to the Dawn Domain Battle Squad...
He was certain Aunt Mu Qing had nothing to do with it. Something must've gone wrong within the group.
So, he decisively began pulling back.
But the rampaging Mu Qing didn't respond. The crimson light in her eyes surged again, and a tide of blood-colored energy began to rise.
Seeing the situation spiraling into internal conflict, Mu Yan grew more anxious.
Uncle Qi had told him about his own past—and included stories of how he raised Zhang Daowen.
So when Mu Yan saw Zhang Daowen, and recognized the techniques he used, he immediately understood who he was—Uncle Qi's adopted son.
What he didn't expect was for Zhang Daowen to clash with Mu Qing first.
Now, calming Mu Qing down has become the key.
Right then, Mu Yan's gaze landed on the ice coffin behind Zhang Daowen.
Without hesitation, he shouted:
"Mu Qing! Calm down—Feng Qi is lying inside that ice coffin. If you don't stop now, he'll die for sure!"
Mu Qing, who had been feral and furious just moments ago, instantly regained a sliver of clarity upon hearing Mu Yan's shout.
She withdrew the crimson power without a second thought.
The sea of blood-colored energy instantly receded like a falling tide.
"Xiao Wen…" With her emotions stabilized, Mu Qing looked at Zhang Daowen, a trace of confusion appearing in her eyes.
But before Zhang Daowen could respond, her pupils suddenly contracted.
"Where's Feng Qi?!"
"Uncle Qi... is dead." Zhang Daowen forced the words out, every syllable sharp with pain.
Hearing that, the clarity that had returned to Mu Qing's eyes shattered.
Her gaze fell on the ice coffin behind him.
Once again, her pupils were swallowed by crimson light.
Holding on to the last threads of her rationality, she turned and charged at Jian Ji.
Crimson energy surged and wrapped around her body. She activated her Berserk Crimson Mode again.
As her arms swung, they twisted and extended into streams of crimson energy, like whips of blood, smashing directly toward Jian Ji.
Her frenzied screams echoed. Mu Qing had lost it completely.
The crimson power continued pouring into her body, warping her form. Every random attack could easily tear space apart.
Faced with her madness, even Jian Ji, backed by a million sword spirits, could only choose to dodge.
The earth trembled violently. The sky looked like a torn canvas, filled with cracks and tears.
"He's the one who killed Uncle Qi, right?" Zhang Daowen asked coldly.
"Yes..." Mu Yan barely started to answer when wind and snow swept over Zhang Daowen's body.
To him, knowing the answer was enough. Everything else was meaningless.
Kill Feng Qi, and he must pay with his life.
Zhang Daowen erupted with all his power.
The snow and frost surged toward him. The Ice Temple behind him expanded and enveloped his entire body.
When the blizzard cleared, a towering figure more than a hundred meters tall stood where Zhang Daowen had been.
The Ice Crown hovering above the frost giant's head blazed with brilliant blue light. Snow from across the entire city gathered in his hand.
"Kill!"
With a furious roar, Zhang Daowen raised his right arm.
Instantly, all the snow in Winterfell City's eastern district condensed in his palm, forming a solid blade of ice.
"Xiao Wen, your stance is wrong when holding the blade."
"Xiao Wen, when you swing the blade, you need a spirit of pressing forward without hesitation... Ah, forget it. You probably won't get it now."
"Xiao Wen, how's Uncle Qi's blade technique? Cool, huh?"
…
This move—was inspired by his childhood days training in blade techniques under Uncle Qi.
But now, Uncle Qi would never witness it.
He would never get to smile at him proudly and say, "I'm proud of you."
Hate surged endlessly from the depths of Zhang Daowen's heart.
He slowly raised the ice blade.
A violent snowstorm swept across the entire eastern district of Winterfell City.
The city quaked under the onslaught of the blizzard.
Even Jian Ji, still fighting Mu Qing, furrowed his brows and cast a glance at Zhang Daowen, who was still gathering his power.
In that moment, in his frost giant form, Zhang Daowen looked like the ruler of an icebound world.
The terrifying power of extreme cold made all the hidden Domain factions, hoping to fish in troubled waters, back off one after another.
They realized—this battle was way beyond their league.
Any trace of greed now might lead to their own destruction.
The high-tier bloodline pressure leaking from the battlefield alone made their legs tremble.