The golden light of the early morning sun washed over the high, jagged ridges of the Eternal-Frost Mountains, casting a warm, amber glow across the vast expanse of white snow.
Behind them lay the pulverized ruins of Gold-Sovereign City, the silent volcanic ash of the Blood-Shadow Sect, and the erased lineage of the Golden-Eagle Sect. The Western Continent—a land that had been ruled for three thousand years by arrogant Stage-6 Sovereigns, ruthless assassin leagues, and corrupt imperial courts—was now entirely silent. The storm of absolute zero had swept clean the entire province, leaving behind a blank, undisturbed slate of ice and quiet stone.
Ahead of them, down the long, winding eastern slope of the ridge, lay the broad, ancient highways leading toward the Central Plains and the distant, uncharted borders of the Eastern Sea Realm.
Li-Wen walked with slow, unhurried, rhythmically steady strides down the frozen stone road.
CRUNCH... CRUNCH... CRUNCH...
His heavy leather boots pressed into the thin layer of mountain snow. His dark traveler's coat, unbuttoned at the neck, fluttered gently in the crisp morning draft. Across his broad back, the Pitch-Black Heavy Blade rested in absolute silence inside its unadorned iron scabbard, its terrifying kinetic weight sealed deep beneath its dark iron skin. His short hair, heavily streaked with pure white roots, caught the golden rays of the morning sun.
In his left arm, he held little Xiao-Yue securely against his broad chest.
The small girl was wrapped snugly in her clean, white sheepskin coat. Her small leather boots kicked rhythmically against Li-Wen's side, and her face was full of life, her cheeks flushed with a healthy, natural rose-pink hue. In her small, gloved hands, she held her pink lotus lantern. Though its silver frame bore a faint, hairline crack down the side—a quiet scar of the ordeal—its central lotus flower burned with a steady, comforting, warm ruby light that created a three-foot sphere of cozy warmth around them both.
"Brother Li-Wen! Look down there!" Xiao-Yue squeaked softly, her sweet, clear voice ringing out like a silver bell in the quiet mountain air. She pointed her small index finger toward the base of the ridge, where a wide, shimmering river snaked through a green, pine-filled valley. "There's a big river! Is that the river that goes all the way to the ocean?"
Li-Wen looked down toward the valley, his dark, void-like pupils reflecting the shimmering silver reflection of the flowing water.
The absolute-zero rage that had threatened to freeze the entire sky days ago had completely receded, settling deep within his primordial bone marrow as a silent, unyielding anchor. His face was flat, calm, and undisturbed—like a deep, ancient mountain lake after a heavy snowstorm.
"That is the Silver-Stream River," Li-Wen murmured, his deep, raspy voice carrying a quiet, steady weight. "It flows east. Beyond the valley lies the Central Trade Highway."
"Does the highway have warm oat cakes?" She asked eagerly, her dark eyes sparkling with innocent expectation. "And those sweet plum candies on wooden sticks?"
"If there are markets, we will find them," Li-Wen replied softly, his broad, calloused hand gently adjusting her sheepskin coat to keep the cold wind from her neck.
"Yay!" She giggled, hugging her lotus lantern close to her small chest. "I want two sticks of plum candy! One for me, and one for Brother Li-Wen!"
"I will eat half," Li-Wen said flatly, a microscopic trace of warmth softening the corner of his stern, iron-carved lips.
As they descended from the high mountain ridge and stepped onto the paved stone highway of the Silver-Stream Valley, the harsh, bone-chilling cold of the high peaks slowly gave way to the earthy, rich aroma of damp soil, pine needles, and blooming wild lilies.
This valley was the border territory between the desolate Western Province and the prosperous, wide-open territories of the Central Plain Guilds. Because the news of the Western Continent's fall had only begun to spread through high-level spiritual channels, the ordinary merchants, travelers, and local villagers in the valley knew nothing of the apocalyptic catastrophe that had wiped out the four great ruler sects forty miles away.
To them, the world was still normal.
Along the wide, stone-paved highway, dozens of heavy wooden merchant caravans drawn by long-horned earth-bulls were traveling east. The merchants wore thick woolen coats, chatting loudly, their iron-rimmed wheels making heavy, rumbling clack-clack sounds against the cobblestones.
When the solitary, broad-shouldered man in the dark traveler's coat stepped onto the highway carrying a small girl with a glowing pink lantern, several merchants turned to look.
They did not see the terror of the Northern Sovereign. They saw only a tall, quiet traveler with white-streaked hair, carrying a heavy iron bar on his back, walking with a little girl in his arms.
"Hey there, brother!" An old, sun-browned caravan driver called out from the front of a heavy wooden wagon loaded with sacks of grain. He pulled his earth-bulls to a slow walk alongside Li-Wen's steady pace. "You coming down from the high mountain pass? You look like you've been through a rough winter up there!"
Li-Wen did not turn his head, but his dark eyes shifted slightly toward the old driver. "The path was clear."
"Hah! You're lucky then!" The old merchant chuckled, taking a sip from a wooden canteen. "Word came down through the guild communications this morning that something crazy happened up in Gold-Sovereign City! The communication arrays went completely dead, and the high-altitude spiritual clouds turned dark blue! People are saying a giant cold wave hit the capital! Glad you and your little girl made it down before the roads got blocked!"
Xiao-Yue raised her head from Li-Wen's shoulder, looking at the old merchant with wide, curious eyes. "Mister! Do you have sweet oat cakes on your big wagon?"
The old merchant laughed heartily, his wrinkled face crinkling with warm humor. "Oat cakes? Bless your heart, little miss! I'm carrying raw barley and wheat flour today! But if you're looking for oat cakes and sweet plum candy, the Silver-River Market Town is just three miles down this road! It's the biggest trade hub on the border!"
"Three miles!" Xiao-Yue squeaked, looking up at Li-Wen with bright, pleading eyes. "Brother Li-Wen! Three miles is very short! Can we walk fast?"
Li-Wen looked down at her small, eager face, his broad chest expanding with a quiet, rhythmic breath.
"We walk at our own pace, Xiao-Yue," Li-Wen murmured flatly, though his leather boots lengthened their stride by a fraction of an inch.
"Thank you, old master," Li-Wen added, offering a brief, polite nod toward the merchant.
"Safe travels, brother!" The old merchant waved, flicking his reins as his heavy wagon rumbled ahead.
Three miles down the Silver-Stream Highway, the dense pine forest opened into a wide, bustling trade hub built along the banks of the roaring Silver-Stream River—Silver-River Market Town.
The town was enclosed by low, red-brick walls and filled with hundreds of wooden shops, vibrant cloth banners, bustling outdoor tea houses, and long docks where dozens of river barges were being loaded with silk, medicinal herbs, and polished iron ore. Thousands of local townsfolk, traveling merchants, and low-level wandering cultivators crowded the stone streets, creating a lively, noisy atmosphere full of steam, shouting vendors, and the sweet smell of fried pastries.
Li-Wen stepped through the arched wooden town gate, his heavy leather boots clicking quietly against the smooth, wet river stones of the main avenue.
Xiao-Yue's eyes widened in sheer delight!
"Brother Li-Wen! Look! Look!" She pointed excitedly at a long wooden stall near the town square, where an old vendor was twirling long, golden threads of melted maltose sugar onto thin bamboo sticks, shaping them into delicate dragons, birds, and blooming lotus flowers! "Sugar lotus! It looks like my lamp!"
"We will buy two," Li-Wen said.
They walked up to the sugar stall. The old vendor, seeing the quiet, broad-shouldered man and the sweet little girl with her pink lantern, smiled warmly.
"Welcome, sir! What shape would the little lady like today?" The vendor asked cheerfully, dipping his copper ladle into the warm, golden sugar pot.
"A lotus for her," Li-Wen said, his raspy voice flat and calm. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a single, small silver coin—one of the few standard currency pieces he carried—and placed it on the wooden counter.
"And a simple bar," Li-Wen added.
"Coming right up!" The vendor's hands moved with practiced skill, drawing a shimmering, golden sugar lotus on a clean marble slab, then scooping up a thick, solid bar of candy for Li-Wen.
Xiao-Yue held her golden sugar lotus with both hands, her small mouth opening wide to take a tiny, careful lick. "Mmm! It's so sweet, Brother Li-Wen! Taste yours!"
Li-Wen took a small bite of his dark sugar bar. The sweetness was sharp and simple, a stark contrast to the metallic taste of blood and frozen void energy that had filled his mouth for the past three weeks.
"It is acceptable," Li-Wen murmured, though his dark eyes remained calm and undisturbed as Xiao-Yue giggled at his serious expression.
While Xiao-Yue happily munched on her sugar lotus, walking beside Li-Wen down the central market street, the peaceful atmosphere of Silver-River Market Town was suddenly broken by the sound of heavy iron armor and loud, arrogant shouts!
"CLEAR THE WAY! THE INNER-GUILD PATROL IS PASSING THROUGH! MOVE YOUR CARTS!"
A group of fifteen heavily armored guards wearing silver-and-blue plate mail, carrying heavy steel halberds, marched arrogantly down the street, roughly pushing aside local vendors and knocking over wooden display crates.
Leading the patrol was a arrogant, middle-aged man with a thin mustache, dressed in the luxurious silk robes of a Stage-4 Sovereign Commander—Commander Feng of the Central Plain Alliance Patrol Guild.
In his right hand, Commander Feng held a high-grade spiritual jade slip that was glowing with an urgent, crimson distress pulse. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, his face pale as he barked orders at his men.
"Form a perimeter around the river docks! No barges leave the wharf without a full identity check!" Commander Feng shouted nervously, his voice carrying through the street. "An emergency directive just came from the Central Realm Capital! The entire Western Province has been locked down! A terrifying fugitive... a man named the Northern Sovereign... has erased Gold-Sovereign City and is heading east!"
Hearing the words "Northern Sovereign," the surrounding crowd of merchants and low-level cultivators gasped in sudden shock!
"Gold-Sovereign City was erased?!"
"Impossible! Overlord Jin-Sheng and the three great sects were there! How could a single man erase an imperial capital?!"
"The directive says he is a terrifying demon with white-streaked hair, wearing a dark coat, carrying a massive pitch-black heavy blade on his back, and traveling with a little girl!" Commander Feng yelled, his eyes scanning the crowd with hysterical, nervous paranoia! "Anyone who provides information on his whereabouts will receive ten thousand high-grade spirit stones from the Central Alliance!"
The crowd immediately erupted into frantic, hushed chatter, people looking around at one another in sudden unease.
Standing right outside a bakery stall thirty paces away, Li-Wen stood perfectly still.
His dark traveler's coat fluttered gently in the river breeze. His short hair, heavily streaked with pure white roots, rested against his shoulders. Across his broad back, the massive, pitch-black heavy blade sat in its iron scabbard.
In his left arm, he held little Xiao-Yue, who was holding her golden sugar lotus in one hand and her pink lotus lantern in the other, taking small, content licks of her candy.
Commander Feng's scanning eyes swept past the bakery stall... then suddenly froze!
His gaze locked onto the tall, broad-shouldered man standing by the wooden counter.
He looked at the dark traveler's coat.
He looked at the white-rooted hair.
He looked at the massive, pitch-black heavy blade resting across his broad back.
And finally... he looked at the small girl holding the pink lotus lantern.
DROP.
The glowing crimson jade slip in Commander Feng's trembling hand slipped from his fingers, crashing onto the stone floor and shattering into useless pieces.
Every single drop of blood flushed out of Commander Feng's face in a fraction of a second, leaving him as pale as a frozen corpse! His mouth opened wide, his breath catching in his throat, his knees knocking against each other so violently that his heavy silver armor rattled like dry bones in a storm!
The fifteen armored guards behind him also turned to look. The moment their eyes registered the broad frame, the dark blade, and the white-rooted hair, their hands froze on their halberds. The sheer, terrifying weight of the rumors—that this solitary man had casually erased three Stage-6 Sovereigns and a five-million-resident metropolis in three days—paralyzed their minds with pure, unspeakable terror!
The bustling market street fell into a sudden, dead silence.
The surrounding merchants, sensing the terrifying drop in atmospheric pressure, slowly backed away, leaving a wide, fifty-foot empty circle around Li-Wen and the fifteen patrol guards.
Li-Wen did not draw his heavy blade. He did not release his Stage-5 Peak Sovereign energy.
He simply turned his body slowly toward Commander Feng, his pitch-black, abyssal eyes looking at the trembling commander with absolute, unreadable indifference.
"You are blocking the road," Li-Wen said softly, his deep, raspy voice flat and calm, carrying an unyielding physical weight that made the stone cobblestones beneath Commander Feng's boots crack into microscopic web-like fractures.
Commander Feng fell to both knees on the wet river stones, slamming his forehead violently onto the floor!
"P-PLEASE SPARE US! SENIOR! WE WERE ONLY FOLLOWING ORDERS! WE KNOW NOTHING! WE HAVE SEEN NOTHING!" Commander Feng shrieked in sheer, hysterical panic, his voice cracking as he banged his head against the stone! "THE ROAD IS YOURS! THE ENTIRE CONTINENT IS YOURS! PLEASE SPARE OUR LIVES!"
The fifteen armored guards behind him instantly threw down their halberds, dropping onto their knees and bowing their heads to the stone floor, trembling like autumn leaves in a hurricane!
Li-Wen looked at the bowing guards for a brief, silent second.
He did not strike. He did not lift his hand.
He gently turned his body back toward the bakery stall, where the frightened baker was trembling behind the counter.
"Give me two boxes of warm honey oat cakes," Li-Wen said flatly, placing three silver coins onto the wooden table.
"Y-YES, MY LORD! IMMEDIATELY!" The baker stammered, frantically packing two large, steam-filled wooden boxes with freshly baked, golden honey oat cakes and tying them neatly with hemp twine.
Li-Wen took the two warm boxes in his right hand, resting them comfortably against his hip.
"Xiao-Yue," Li-Wen murmured, his raspy voice dropping into a quiet, gentle tone. "Hold your lamp."
"Okay, Brother Li-Wen!" Xiao-Yue squeaked happily, hugging her pink lotus lantern and taking another small lick of her sugar lotus.
Side by side, the solitary Northern Sovereign and the small girl walked past the fifteen kneeling, trembling guards, stepping out of the market square and heading toward the river docks where the large passenger barges were bound for the Eastern Realm.
The guards did not dare to raise their heads until the sound of his heavy leather boots had completely faded into the distance.
See you in next chapter....