The icy winds of the Northern Continent continued to howl, whipping the snow into a frantic dance around the gathered cultivators, but the atmosphere near the ancient stone gates had turned into something far more chilling.
The arrival of the Conferred Pagoda's envoy had effectively silenced the bustling crowd, turning the previously arrogant masters of the North into little more than spectators in their own territory.
Shui Heng, the Sect Master of the Sky Water Sect, felt a trickle of cold sweat run down his spine despite his Nascent Soul cultivation.
He smoothed his robes, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his bioluminescent blue eyes as he took a step forward, his posture radiating a forced familiarity that made the nearby disciples of the Ice God Palace cringe.
