"What is he trying to do!"
The Ju family steward's face turned pale. Inner strength surged through his body, and in an instant he thickened the protective qi barrier around them by several layers.
At that moment, everyone—including Selina Wu—felt a chill run through their hearts, as if the temperature of the whole world was plummeting. Wind and snow pierced through the Winter Gate’s barrier, and the freezing air hit their faces like knives.
Martin Wu pulled Selina Wu a few steps back, while Allen Ju frowned tightly, staring at the scene with a sense of dread in his heart.
Gloria Rong and the others turned pale as well, staring at the Winter Gate’s barrier that looked ready to shatter at any moment, filled with unspeakable worry.
"Is this guy crazy or what?"
Blake Lin frowned, and for the first time, he activated his inner strength—qi surged and took shape, rolling up a thick protective barrier in front of himself and Logan Lu.
Though it was a barrier, visible streams of fierce qi wind swirled across its surface, giving it an unbreakable feeling.
Logan Lu was stunned—this was the first time Blake Lin had used his inner strength in front of him, and judging by Blake’s expression, he seemed unusually alert to everything happening.
In everyone’s eyes...
Standing inside the Winter Gate, Master Lin from Seacrest had a deep-blue 'galaxy' swirling beside him, already taking on the shape of a dragon.
Within the blue galaxy, qi flowed like a raging river, and inside the qi, countless terrifying winds howled, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
Far ahead, at the formation eye of the Winter Gate, the storm vortex had already absorbed half the shattered ice and qi within the gate, growing to eight meters tall with a three-meter diameter.
The massive ice-and-snow tornado, thick as a giant serpent, kept gathering wild, powerful qi as it condensed there.
"This guy has absorbed half the Winter Gate’s qi energy into his galaxy, and the other half has gone straight into the ice-and-snow tornado."
Night Winter gritted his teeth, staring at the scene ahead: "Is he planning to pit his galaxy against the tornado?"
"If they really collide, the whole Winter Gate will shatter. How could he possibly withstand the aftermath of a clash between the ice-and-snow tornado and his galaxy?"
"That's just impossible!"
As the formation core of the Winter Gate, Night Winter felt it most intensely at that moment.
He sensed the Winter Gate growing stronger and stronger, and at the same time, he could feel the power of Master Lin from Seacrest’s galaxy surging rapidly.
But both forces were consuming the power of the Winter Gate formation.
Each side had half the energy and qi, locked in a standoff.
"This should be enough, then."
Master Lin from Seacrest tilted his head back slightly, his long black hair looking even more ancient and solitary under the silent, blue ice shards around him.
Beside the young man, the galaxy kept floating and flowing. Reflected in his eyes was the massive force wrapped in dust and qi.
Not far away, the ice-and-snow tornado kept condensing, the ground trembling as the earth beneath it shattered completely.
Cracks spread out like a spiderweb, and the frozen layer of hard ice on the ground was nowhere to be seen.
The barrier power of the Winter Gate formation grew weaker and weaker. Both the galaxy and the tornado fought to seize the last bit of energy and qi.
Until the barrier around the Winter Gate reached its absolute limit, just about to shatter...
Everyone’s heart leapt straight into their throat.
They stared at the scene before them, knowing the final collision was about to happen.
Master Lin from Seacrest glanced at the ever-condensing galaxy beside him. He extended a finger, letting its tip brush through the swirling shards of ice within the galaxy.
The shattered ice and snow particles felt razor-sharp, and the cold biting sensation at his fingertip made Master Lin from Seacrest quietly reflect for a moment.
"It's time."
"Let me see just how strong your Winter Gate really is."
Master Lin from Seacrest murmured to himself, then pointed forward with a single finger.
With that single gesture, the deep-blue galaxy swirling beside him seemed to receive some command. Following Master Lin from Seacrest’s guidance, it slowly moved toward the ice-and-snow tornado not far away.
The deep-blue galaxy of shattered ice floated in midair, like a blue ribbon advancing forward.
The galaxy, formed from countless streams of qi and energy, moved steadily toward the ice-and-snow tornado under everyone’s gaze.
The first collision.