Chapter Sixty: First Encounter with the Lord of Snow

After celebrating his birthday this year, Hua Feng was already twenty-five years old, yet he had never set foot in a place that could truly be called the Mystic Realm. The farmhouse in Shennongjia could only be considered halfway there; after all, they had merely set up a formation in that space to prevent ordinary people from entering easily. But the Northern Snow Plains were different—a small world carved out by several experts with Saint-level cultivation, a realm both dependent on yet independent from this space.

Hua Feng had been walking for more than half an hour, but he had no idea where the entrance to the realm was, and could only fret helplessly. He longed to see Yun Meng immediately, yet now they were separated by two worlds.

He stopped beneath a towering tree, took out his phone, and sent Yun Meng a message: "Little Meng, I’m here. How do I enter the Northern Snow Plains?"

On the other side, Yun Meng was anxiously awaiting Hua Feng’s news. Though she was within the Northern Snow Plains, without the will of the realm’s master—the Lord of Snow—it was impossible for anyone to leave, no matter how they tried to break through the world’s barrier.

As she hesitated, wondering whether to consult Elder Snow, her phone suddenly rang. Seeing Hua Feng’s message, she felt both joy and helplessness. She replied: "Brother Hua Feng, don’t worry. I’ll find a way to come out and meet you soon."

"Elder Snow! Could you help me go out and fetch him?" Yun Meng knew that, even though there was some distance between her and the main hall where Elder Snow and the Lord of Snow resided, they would certainly hear her mental call.

With their abilities, they must have already sensed Hua Feng’s arrival. Why, then, had they not acted? Yun Meng couldn’t figure it out.

"Miss, don’t worry. I’ll go out to bring him in right away. But before that, we may need to deal with an annoying tail—a person from the Demon Realm." Elder Snow’s mental voice reached her, and Yun Meng felt somewhat reassured.

Unable to wait any longer, she rushed out toward the main hall of the Snow Palace. She wanted to see Hua Feng at the first moment possible; she had waited more than a year for this day, and she could not bear another minute of longing.

She sped along, the snowfields perpetually shrouded in snowfall. Only a quarter of the year brought clear skies, as if the realm’s creator had set the weather to highlight the name of the Snow Plains. Yun Meng had grown used to it—from initial discomfort to acceptance. Sometimes, after finishing her cultivation, she would gaze at the falling snowflakes, reminiscing about her days among humans: her childhood with adoptive parents, her student years, her time in the military.

Though those days were hard to bear, they passed slowly. With the help of the Lord of Snow, she had quickly broken through to the Emperor stage, but Hua Feng’s rapid progress had caught her by surprise. She’d heard that a celestial fox he had saved in Australia helped him, and Yun Meng resolved that, if she ever could, she would thank the fox in person for hastening the day the two could meet.

Lost in thought, Yun Meng arrived at the grand hall of the Snow Palace. Familiar coiling dragon motifs, lofty dome, long steps—like the palace of a king. Yet this was where the Lord of Snow spent most of his time in deep contemplation, and Yun Meng rarely came here throughout the year. The Lord of Snow seldom left his throne, except when Yun Meng needed him.

Perhaps he was pondering a vast, complex future. Yun Meng often found him in silent meditation, oblivious to the outside world. She sensed the loneliness of someone in power; over the years, aside from Elder Snow who always accompanied him, he had no other connections.

Elder Snow had told her that, after sending her through time to the future, the Lord of Snow’s strength had fallen from the transcendent Heavenly Stage to the ninety-level Saint Stage, and even after thousands of years had only recovered to ninety-five. Now, he lagged a whole tier behind his former allies.

But she knew the Lord of Snow cared less about his diminished strength than his inability to protect her mother or to be with his child as she grew.

Yun Meng entered the hall and stood beside him, refraining from disturbing his near-sleeping silence.

"Dreamer, you’re here?" After a moment, the Lord of Snow stirred and, seeing Yun Meng at his side, managed a rare smile.

"Yes, Father, are you well? Elder Snow said there’s someone from the Demon Realm following Hua Feng, so you didn’t let him in immediately." Yun Meng looked at him, unable to hide his exhaustion and loneliness. She didn’t want to mention Hua Feng too deliberately, lest he feel overlooked.

"It’s fine. I’ve already sent Elder Snow to deal with that Emperor. You’ll see that boy very soon. He’s surprised me—breaking through to Emperor so quickly, even with the help of the celestial fox clan from the Demon Realm and the Mozart from the Sichuan panda family, his speed is rarely seen in thousands of years. At the very least, he has already faintly surpassed my own pace back then," the Lord of Snow said, with rare praise.

"Brother Hua Feng works very hard—you’ll see soon. Hehe…" Yun Meng’s heart was filled with optimism for the first meeting of the two most important men in her life, hearing the Lord of Snow’s praise.

Outside the Northern Snow Plains.

"So sneaky for so long—following a guest of the Northern Region isn’t very decent!" Hua Feng had just walked on, and the shadow that had been trailing him was about to slip forward when an old, sinister voice sounded in his ear.

"Who are you?"

"I’ve lived in the Snow Plains for thousands of years, never meddling in worldly affairs. Go back and tell your master, the Thousand-Faced Fox King—if he tries anything against the young man ahead, we won’t hesitate to help the celestial fox clan eliminate his nemesis from the Demon Realm!"

"An eighty-level Emperor? Are you Elder Snow, the one who once slaughtered a thousand li in blood?" The shadow suddenly realized who the old man beside him was, recalling the tales of his massacres, and felt a shiver of fear.

"To think, after all these years, someone still remembers the little things this old man did. I’ll keep this arm of yours—leave you alive to report back! Seventy-five-level Emperor, your Thousand-Faced Fox King truly invests heavily!" Elder Snow spoke calmly. Before the shadow could react, Elder Snow was already holding an arm that quickly reverted to a fox forelimb. A surge of extreme cold rose in his hand, freezing the fox paw into powder that scattered to the wind.

"Ah… The Fox King… will not spare you! You…"

The screams echoed, but Elder Snow used his aura to disperse the sound, then kicked the shadow out of the Snow Plains, dusting off his hands, unconcerned about any threats the shadow might utter.

Elder Snow quickly hurried in Hua Feng’s direction.

As Hua Feng wondered if he had come to the wrong place, a figure flashed before him. When he came to his senses, he found himself in an empty grand hall. Yun Meng stood beside a middle-aged man with white hair and sword-like brows, whose aura was solemn and whose surroundings were below freezing.

"Little Meng?" Hua Feng couldn’t help but call out.

"You must be Hua Feng?" Before Yun Meng could respond, the Lord of Snow spoke from the center.

Guessing what was happening, Hua Feng straightened up and respectfully greeted, "You must be Lord of Snow, senior? Junior Hua Feng pays his respects!"

Yun Meng seized the opportunity to run to Hua Feng’s side, standing with him.

"Rise, no need to be so formal. You’ve had a hard journey. So young, yet so accomplished—what a promising youth! You are truly remarkable." The Lord of Snow made an effort to sound gentle.

Hua Feng rose, and he and Yun Meng gazed at each other, wordless. In that moment, silence spoke louder than words, and all their longing was distilled into tears of reunion.