Another crack rang out.Leander's punch split the air open and carved a massive hole across the surface of the lake. The shockwave slammed straight into the Cryofrost Shield.That shield had been forged from pure cold vapor. It was backed by a solid King Phase foundation and reinforced with unformed Primordial Energy.But Earthshaker tore through it like it was nothing. A single crack split the surface of the shield. Then more. Thin lines spread out like a spiderweb."You really think you can block me?"Leander's lips curved into a wicked smile. His arm flared blue again as Nirvana Energy surged.The frozen shield couldn't hold. It crumbled under the pressure and exploded. The woman behind it stumbled back immediately. She barely touched the lake with her toes before launching herself ten yards backward like a water-skimming dragonfly. She narrowly escaped the blast zone of Leander's punch."What the hell is this kid?! He's young, but how is he so powerful? Is he from 'that place', just like this girl is?"The spirit's expression stayed neutral, but his heart was racing.That one punch from Leander had enough force to split mountains. Even at his peak, the spirit could count on one hand how many people he'd seen with that kind of power. And Leander wasn't even in the King Phase yet. His strength was already matching it. It made no sense."This kid already reached god-level being, and he's got power to match a real King Phase?" The spirit kept staring at him. "There's no way. He must be from that place too..."He narrowed his eyes as his thoughts spun fast. "Everyone from that place is insane. They can flatten ninety percent of the top martial artists out there. If he really is one of them, and I take his body, I'll have to completely reinvent myself. I can't let them find out. If they do, I'll be hunted to the ends of the earth."To him, "that place" was more terrifying than any global superpower on Earth.Modern countries might be able to go toe-to-toe with top-tier martial artists, but only by using high-grade military-grade weapons. Weapons with massive destructive power. Weapons that could wipe out cities in the blink of an eye. But the problem with using those was always collateral damage. Too wide. Too deadly. Too many civilian casualties.Sure, they couldn't take a direct hit from micro-nukes or laser weapons. But they didn't have to. All they had to do was vanish into a busy city or urban sprawl. Once they were in the crowd, even the strongest nation on Earth couldn't touch them.But "that place"? That was different. That place didn't rely on tech or weapons. They relied on power. They would crush you with sheer force. Back then, dozens of Eastern immortals and Westerian divinities had died at their hands. The memories were burned into his brain. Brutal. Bloody. Unforgettable.As scared as he was of them, he hadn't backed off from trying to take Leander'sbody. He just wanted it over fast. Clean. Quiet. No witnesses."What's wrong? Didn't you want my body? Then come and get it!"Leander rolled his neck and cracked a smile, mocking him."Hmph. Cocky little punk."The woman's stunning face twisted into a cold sneer. She lifted one hand, and a swirl of icy air spun in her palm. The lake beneath her began to freeze over in seconds, spreading straight toward Leander.Leander stared at the frozen water around him. In the blink of an eye, the entire 1000-feet lake turned into solid ice. Frozen World."Frostborne Epoch!"noveldramaHer eyes gleamed with blue light. The ground under her feet exploded into frozen shards and launched into the sky.Tens of thousands of ice shards locked the entire area down. A sealed zone formed around Leander. There was nowhere to run.Each shard was sharp as a razor and shimmered with killing intent. They spun and slashed and howled as they danced in midair.They whirled into a giant vortex. Leander stood at the eye of the storm."A domain?"Leander narrowed his eyes and watched the shards spin around him. He muttered softly.This was her King's Domain. It might not have looked as overwhelming as Blood Demon's or the Hermit's, but this one was something else. This wasn't about territory. This was pure, lethal intent.It was a death trap.Every shard had enough force to kill someone like Nicholas or Toru in seconds. And there were thousands of them. Enough to tear a fleet of tanks into scrap metal."This is the Frostborne Epoch," the spirit bragged. "It's the ultimate kill move this girl created after stepping into the King Phase. I figured I'd use her little gift on you."He laughed wildly. His eyes burned with murderous heat. He planned to finish Leander in one strike.The King Phase wasn't called the King Phase for nothing. It came with a domain. And that was something no Transcendent could ever access."Frostborne Epoch?"Leander lifted his gaze, his expression calm again.The storm of ice shards started to solidify. The swirling fragments transformed into massive ice spikes. They aimed straight at him and shot forward from all directions. Leander threw the first punch.Hundreds of incoming spikes shattered into snowy dust under the force of his fist.But the fragments didn't stay down. They pulled together again, turning right back into sharp spears and flew at him once more.Ice spikes rained from everyangle-above, below, behind, ahead. Every punch and every kick Leander threw destroyed, hundreds of them but no matter how manyhesmashed, they just kept multiplying. Denser. Tighter. Closer.Within minutes, the swirling cagearound him shrank from 150 feetwide to less than 30. His puncheswe strangled by a giant python. Thestill strong, but it was like beingmore he fought, the more trapped hebecame. He was running out of room. The ice spikes locked around him. He was boxed in. Itlooked like the end."Hah! Break as many as you want. They'll always reform!"No matter how strong you are, if the frost keeps flowing, nothing you do will matter!"Once I break your body, I'll rip your spiritual strength apart too!"The spirit let out another crazed laugh. His eyes burned with greed. He could already picture it-taking over this god level being, returning to the surface, and standing at the top of the world again.But just as the words left his mouth, a wave of heat rushed through the air."What?"He snapped back to attention. A massive flaming hand burst out of the storm of ice.