The years after Spirit Hall's fall were not peaceful. Heaven Dou and Star Luo held fragile alliance, but minor sects, ambitious clans, and long‑hidden evil masters all began moving. Without Spirit Hall's iron fist, new powers sprouted like weeds.
The Leng Clan became one of those stronger voices. Since Tang San's generation was gone, cultivators across continent remembered the frost that once preserved Shrek's victory, the frost fortress that resisted Spirit Hall raids. Now, with Leng Zhi's birth and the awakening of his Everfrost Core, whispers spread: The Leng blood carries miracle once more.
This fame brought trouble quickly. Envoys from empires came demanding loyalty. Rival northern tribes muttered envy. But worst of all were evil soul masters creeping from shadows, kidnapping children to fuel their dark arts. One such raid struck a neighboring town. Leng Clan scouts found crimson snow and terrified survivors.
Leng Zhi led a patrol himself. At only rank 34, still not even Soul King, he built three barriers circling town, calming terrified people. His Frost Pulse rang outward, slowing corrupted beasts until elders destroyed them. When survivors realized it was the young Leng Patriarch himself who saved them, they knelt in gratitude.
Standing beneath aurora again, Leng Zhi whispered to himself: "So it begins. Frost must grow not only to preserve clan, but to preserve world itself."
He carved new inscription on Frost Wall that night: Frost guards roots, not just our own, but all.