From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 517

"Frostborne Halo!" the Hermit shouted.

Huge crystalline wheels of ice spun across the sky. As they turned, violent downdrafts ripped air from every direction, and a biting cold spread out to blanket the heavens.

The Hermit had sat unmoving on the Artic plains for fifty years. He had not shifted a muscle, not spoken a single word. As the revered master had put it, this was the peak of meditative discipline.

Few seasoned mystics could keep such a regimen for even a season. The Hermit endured it for five decades through sheer will and extraordinary power. Over time, his aura fused with the frozen wastes. He had become, in a way, a walking piece of the North itself.

Now the chill that had lived in him poured outward. The sky froze in a three-hundred-meter dome, and the ice crystal wheel dove straight at Leander.

Ice chips skittered under Leander's feet. He raised one hand. The instant the wheel struck, he threw a punch.

Whoosh!

A brutal, upward surge of force, so fierce it cut through everything, hit the center of the wheel.

Crack!

The wheel's core caved in under Leander's blow. Hairline fractures spidered outward, racing across the surface.

"Hmm?" The Hermit's eyes narrowed. For a heartbeat, then, boom, the giant wheel detonated.

Shards of ice exploded outward. Those watching looked up. It seemed as if frost and snow had started falling for no reason. Under the lights, the crystals caught the glow and glittered like a river of stars. The spectacle was beautiful, but nobody there seemed to care about the view. All eyes were fixed on the two figures in the sky.

No one in the crowd was willing to look away. Even as they marveled at Leander and the Hermit, curiosity rooted them to the spot.

The Hermit barely reacted when the wheel shattered. He stamped the ground, and his body shot dozens of zhang. He brought his palms together, and the cyclonic cold behind him detonated into eighteen streams of ice wind.

"Frostbound Dragon!" The eighteen streams of icy wind layered over one another and twisted together until they merged. Each one stretched for dozens of feet, and together they wove a web that sealed off every inch of space around Leander.

This was one of the Hermit's signature techniques learned on the Artic plains. Ten years earlier, while sitting over the frozen waters, a strange blue whale had slid past beneath him. With a single thought, he condensed eighteen ice currents, plunged into the water, and froze the whale solid.

A decade later, the technique had only sharpened. The Hermit was confident he could bind even a mighty azure dragon.

The air erupted with sonic booms. The eighteen currents rolled and boiled. Even before they arrived, their cold had already started to crystallize the atmosphere.

"Impressive, Jeff!" The Hermit didn't rush to strike. A faint smile tugged at his lips, his eyes glinting with a hint of approval.

A century ago, he had already ruled The Assassin's World. Even the King of Assassins, a name that had dominated for decades, had fallen to him. In the fifty years since, he had witnessed world-altering events like the First and Second World Wars. His shadow had touched countless places. He had assassinated many pillars of powerful nations and was once the highest-rated fugitive in the Agylae.

But whether he faced a whole Agylae fleet or went toe-to-toe with the world's renowned warriors, he had never encountered anyone with the sheer strength of Leander.

Even though Leander was his target, he couldn't deny it. Leander was the strongest being he had met in a hundred years.

"The Hermit, no need for games. Tricks this small won't even pique my interest, let alone settle a score." Leander's palms rested behind his back as he floated in the air with an air of arrogance. "Since you've already reached the Half-King Realm and surpassed the Blood Demon, it's time to show me your Domain. I've already seen the Blood Demon's Domain. Don't let me down with yours."

Hidden in the shadows of night, the Hermit suddenly laughed. "Hahaha! Jeff, in all these years, you're the first one who's dared speak to me like that!"

In the next moment, his gaze sharpened, and an icy chill swept over his expression. "Since you want to see my Domain, you shall have it." His words barely faded before he stomped his foot. Ripples of energy radiated outward from where he struck, naturally carving an ice crystal lotus beneath him.

At first, the lotus was just a bud. With each stomp, it unfurled a little more. Nine stomps in total, and the lotus had fully bloomed, a breathtaking ice flower suspended in the air.

"Jeff, witness the ultimate Domain I mastered in the King's Triple Turn. Frostborne Epoch!"