Chapter 55: The Return of Falling Snow

The great greenwood gate was shattered by a shadowy black light, and the spiritual connection Aye Yu shared with the artifact was instantly torn apart. Her mind suffered a grave blow, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

High atop the snowy mountain, the furious roar of the black serpent echoed. The sound itself seemed to carry a spiritual assault, and even Lin Huang and the others, dozens of kilometers away, felt as though their heads would split open from the agony.

In the blink of an eye, another streak of black light shot forth. Before anyone had time to react, it pierced through Aye Yu’s back, passing cleanly through her waist and abdomen.

A fist-sized hole appeared in her stomach without warning, yawning straight through from front to back.

Aye Yu coughed up blood once more, her body immediately collapsing. Lin Huang saw her falter and stepped forward to catch her. Yi Zheng, who had been watching, was struck dumb with disbelief. It was only when Lin Huang moved that he came to his senses, rushing to support Aye Yu’s other arm.

“Aye Yu!” Seeing his little sister’s life force fading rapidly, Yi Zheng’s hands trembled.

“I’m sorry… It’s my fault for dragging you all into this…” Aye Yu’s strength was almost gone, but she still forced the words out, one by one. “If not for me… none of you would have ended up here…”

“Silly girl, you’re my little sister. Until you’re married, wherever you go, your brother follows. That’s my duty! If anyone should apologize, it’s me—I failed to protect you…” Tears streamed down Yi Zheng’s face.

Lin Huang’s eyes, too, grew moist.

“Ever since you were five… I haven’t seen you cry…” Aye Yu lifted her hand with effort, her fingers gently wiping the tear tracks from her brother’s cheek. “Do you remember… back when I was bullied by older kids, you shielded me with your body, taking all their blows without making a sound… Later, I asked you why you didn’t cry, why you didn’t shout in pain. You said, ‘I’m a man. Even if I die, I won’t cry in front of my little sister…’ You were only seven then…”

“I’m sorry, I broke my promise…” Yi Zheng’s tear-stained face twisted into a faint smile.

Aye Yu slowly turned to Lin Huang. “Earlier, when I said I’d confess my feelings, I was only pretending. Don’t take it to heart… You’re the most outstanding young man I’ve ever met—I couldn’t bear to see you die here… If one day you grow strong, I believe you’ll become an even greater man than my brother…”

Lin Huang only nodded softly, saying nothing.

“You want to see him grow stronger?” A cold, mocking voice suddenly sounded. The black serpent’s eyes flashed with cruel amusement. “Then I’ll make sure, before you die, you lose all hope of ever seeing it happen!”

As the voice faded, a writhing black thread appeared out of nowhere, snaking around Lin Huang’s waist and yanking him with terrifying speed toward the gaping maw of the black serpent, dozens of kilometers away.

Lin Huang felt an immense force dragging him, the wind howling past, and in an instant found himself suspended before the serpent’s blood-red jaws.

“It’s over. I’m dead. Traversers really do have a high mortality rate…” The thought flashed through Lin Huang’s mind—when his body was suddenly released.

He looked around in bewilderment, realizing he was hovering in midair before the serpent’s mouth, the black thread at his waist vanished entirely.

Yi Zheng and the others stared in astonishment at the bizarre sight—Lin Huang motionless in the air, the black serpent’s eyes now filled with panic and dread. But its body was utterly frozen, as if time itself had bound it.

“Die!”

From the void, a thunderous voice erupted.

A colossal hand of crystalline ice descended from the sky, striking at the serpent from afar.

Faced with this giant hand, the enormous serpent was like an ant before a mountain. Even before the icy hand fully fell, its entire body was crushed down, its eyes brimming with despair.

The great ice mountains shook under the might of that blow, as if heaven’s wrath had descended in divine judgment.

Lin Huang stood frozen, watching as the hand—like that of a Buddha—fell with a deafening crash less than a meter before him.

The sacred peaks crumbled, reduced to level ground by a single palm.

The black serpent was buried completely beneath the shattered mountains. Lin Huang glimpsed only its flattened skull—dead beyond any doubt.

“What terrifying power…”

Lin Huang’s awe was not at witnessing the serpent’s destruction, but at the fact that, though he had been less than a meter from the beast, he was untouched. The collapse of the entire ice mountain range had left Snow Mountain Town unscathed. It was clear the one who acted possessed a power immeasurably greater than that of the black serpent.

“Are you well, sir?” A cool, gentle voice sounded from nearby.

Lin Huang looked up; Snowfall approached, bare feet treading upon the void, a white-bearded elder following behind her.

“Miss Snowfall?!” Lin Huang exclaimed in delight. He had not expected her to remain, but then glanced with surprise at her companion. “And this is…?”

“Mr. Lin, I am the Ice King. Changed my appearance, and you don’t recognize me?” The old man stroked his beard with a smile.

“So it’s you, esteemed Ice King…” Lin Huang had not thought to connect this old man with the giant ice giant he’d seen before.

“Was it Miss Snowfall who saved me just now?” Lin Huang finally grasped what had happened.

“Of course not.” Snowfall shook her head with a faint smile.

“Mr. Lin, my lord has not acted in over seven centuries. The one who intervened was myself,” the Ice King explained quickly.

“Oh, then my sincere thanks to you, Ice King, and to Miss Snowfall as well.” Lin Huang had assumed only someone of divine blood like Snowfall could unleash such power. He had not expected the Ice King to be so mighty—able to suppress a monstrous beast with a single hand.

“I’ll extract its beast soul for you. Once you reach the extraordinary realm, you can refine it into your own war spirit,” Snowfall said, descending gracefully.

Only Lin Huang and the Ice King remained in the void.

“That little serpent truly lacked sense. After seeing your earlier display, it mistook your methods for divine arts, believing you to be a descendent of the gods. If not for its rash attack, Miss Snowfall would never have let me intervene,” the Ice King said with a shake of his head.

Lin Huang was in no mood for small talk; his eyes turned anxiously toward Aye Yu. He hesitated, then implored, “Ice King, can you help save my friend?”

The Ice King glanced in her direction. The girl was barely clinging to life. He shook his head. “Her fate wheel has shattered, her life’s light nearly extinguished. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.”

Lin Huang’s heart sank, but then the Ice King added, “However, if my lord is willing to try, perhaps there’s still hope.”

“Miss Snowfall!” Lin Huang’s eyes lit up. He remembered Snowfall’s mysterious and godlike abilities—perhaps she truly could save Aye Yu.

Hearing his call, Snowfall turned back, approaching with a small black serpent in her hand—half-translucent, as insubstantial as a dream.

She handed the serpent to Lin Huang. “I’ve wiped away every trace of the Immortal Dark Serpent’s consciousness. You can keep it in your fate wheel and cultivate it. Once you reach the extraordinary realm, refine it as your war spirit. Though it has only mutated once, it bears a trace of dragon blood. Given time, it may mutate again, and when it does, its power will transform.”

But Lin Huang’s mind was not on the beast soul. As soon as Snowfall finished, he pleaded, “Miss Snowfall, I have a request. I know you have not involved yourself in worldly affairs for over seven centuries, but this time, I must beg your help. Please, save my friend.”

“You wish me to save that young woman?” Snowfall glanced at Aye Yu, then at the serpent in her palm. “To reconstruct her fate wheel requires at least an extraordinary spirit. You’re willing to give up this dragon-blooded beast soul to save her?!”

“Of course! Saving her is far more important!” Lin Huang replied without hesitation.

“Very well…” Snowfall handed him the serpent again. “Take it.”

“I thought it was needed to save her?” Lin Huang didn’t move to accept it.

“I was teasing you. I have other beast souls that can repair her fate wheel.” Snowfall smiled mischievously. Seeing Lin Huang still hesitant, she added, “If you don’t take it, I won’t save her.”

At that, Lin Huang hurriedly accepted the little serpent.

Snowfall led the two down from the sky to where the others had gathered. Despite witnessing the earlier miracle, the crowd still moved to shield Aye Yu.

“Lin Huang, who are these two?” someone demanded.

“There’s no time to explain. This is Miss Snowfall—she can save Aye Yu. Please let her through,” Lin Huang said, and the group parted.

Snowfall walked straight to Aye Yu, Yi Zheng cradling his sister, who was barely breathing.

Yi Zheng, having overheard Lin Huang, looked at Snowfall with desperate hope.

“Lay her flat on the ground, and all of you step back,” Snowfall said icily, clearly disliking close contact with humans.

Yi Zheng carefully laid Aye Yu down and retreated.

Snowfall placed her palm on Aye Yu’s chest; a faint frost seeped into her body. After a moment, Snowfall smiled slightly, murmuring, “An interesting constitution—just right for this beast soul.”

In her other hand, a translucent red bird appeared. With a touch, the bird circled her finger, then dove into Aye Yu’s brow.

A thin layer of frost crept over Aye Yu’s skin, quickly covering her whole body.

Within moments, the wound in her abdomen began to knit together at a terrifying speed. Hidden from view, a brand new golden fate wheel was forming inside her. Unlike an ordinary fate wheel, this one bore a strange red pattern at its center, shaped like a red bird with outstretched wings…

…

“So this is death?” Aye Yu felt herself adrift in a black void. She suddenly recalled a favorite author’s words about death: “Death is the soul’s consciousness forever adrift in darkness—nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to touch; everything is void. This is the final destination for all…”

“Now that I think about it, that description really does fit my situation…” Aye Yu laughed at herself.

Who knew how much time had passed—perhaps centuries, perhaps only a moment. In the endless dark, Aye Yu lost all sense of time.

A light appeared before her, startling her.

It was as if the black curtain was torn apart, and from the void, a hand sculpted of icy crystal reached toward her.

“What a beautiful hand…” Unable to resist, Aye Yu extended her own, their fingers interlacing with a cool touch.

Before she could react, a powerful force gripped her, pulling her out of the darkness.

Her vision blurred, and when she opened her eyes again, a crowd was gathered around her. Still dazed, she heard shouts of excitement.

“She’s alive!”