Wind-Snow City sat atop a vast snowy plain.
Its walls were built from enormous black stones, tall and sturdy, and covered in thick snow that reflected a cold gleam beneath the sun.
Beyond the city stretched a boundless expanse of white. Howling winds swept snowflakes past, leaving the world bleak and desolate.
Yet as Dawn Squad approached the city, they sensed an oppressive atmosphere utterly at odds with the frozen landscape.
The city gate, which should have been bustling, stood eerily quiet. Only a few soldiers in heavy armor paced back and forth, their expressions tense.
The walls were bristling with flags covered in talismans, flapping fiercely in the biting wind.
The entire city was shrouded in a tense, murderous atmosphere.
Li Xiaoyu led the group down outside the city.
When the soldiers on the wall saw the extraordinary bearing of the cultivators in their party, they were taken aback. Then delight spread across their faces.
"Immortals from the Green Cloud Sect! Immortals from the Green Cloud Sect have arrived!" one soldier cried excitedly toward the city.
Before long, the heavy city gates creaked slowly open.
A middle-aged man in official robes, around fifty years old, hurried out from the city, surrounded by a squad of soldiers.
His face was full of anxiety and expectation.
"Your subordinate is Wang Hao, the City Lord of Wind-Snow City. I pay my respects to the immortals!"
The man approached Li Xiaoyu and was about to kneel.
"City Lord, there's no need for such formalities." Li Xiaoyu quickly stepped forward and helped him up.
"We came to assist at the command of the Green Cloud Sect's Sect Leader. Please speak freely."
His words sent a warm current through Wang Hao's heart.
"Immortal, you've finally come!" Wang Hao looked at Li Xiaoyu, his voice choked