Ian Song took a long, steady breath, forcing himself to stay calm. His gaze locked onto Vivian Gee, but beneath that composure, his heart was pounding with dread and anxious anticipation. He had spent nearly two hours excavating through the ice and snow, his hands numb and aching, just to reach the bodies of Lily and Autumn. Now, with his voice trembling slightly, he asked, "What happened to Lily, Autumn, Princess Jade Fox, Jade Fox, and Lyra Hale?"
Vivian Gee’s expression remained unchanged as she answered, "After you suddenly disappeared, Lyra Hale spent five years searching every corner of the world for you. In the end, she returned to Mountain-Sea Divine Palace. The grief overwhelmed her—her spirit withered away, and she died from heartbreak and exhaustion." As Vivian spoke, Ian Song recalled the pain in his arms and the cold seeping into his bones from digging in the snow, and the sense of helplessness that came with every word she said.
Ian Song’s heart gave a violent shudder, guilt surging through him. He hadn’t realized Lyra Hale’s feelings for him ran so deep, and now the truth hit him harder than the freezing wind. As he looked at Lily and Autumn’s youthful faces, preserved by ice and time, his regret only grew heavier.
Vivian continued, "Twenty years after you left, Princess Jade Fox died from qi deviation during cultivation." Her tone was flat, as if recounting someone else's tragedy. Meanwhile, Ian Song was still busy chiseling away the ice around Lily, preparing to use his Storage Ring to keep her safe.
Back then, Princess Jade Fox had tried to use her charm arts to enthrall Ian Song, but the magic backfired, leaving her spirit bound to him. Outwardly, she seemed normal, but the wounds ran deep. Ian had always hoped to heal her completely before leaving this world, but fate intervened—his sudden return ruined those plans, and the regret lingered in his heart.
Though Ian Song had no real romantic feelings for Princess Jade Fox, she was still his wife in name. Hearing of her tragic death, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness. At that moment, he tried to place Lily’s body—still encased in ice—into his Storage Ring, only to find it wouldn’t accept her.
Vivian Gee went on, "Before you disappeared, Princess Jade Fox was already pregnant with your child—a boy. Your son inherited your talents and, at just twenty-five, became Grand General of Qi. But by then, the Qi Kingdom was already rotten at its roots. Even so, under his command, Qi managed to survive for a few more years. When the capital finally fell, Princess Jade Fox hanged herself in despair." Hearing this, Ian Song realized something: Storage Rings couldn’t hold living beings. Was there still a trace of life in Lily’s body?
A chill flashed through Ian Song’s eyes—he wanted nothing more than to slice Vivian Gee into pieces right then. But he forced himself to focus, activating Clairvoyant Vision to scan Lily’s body for any lingering signs of life.
"What about Lily and Autumn?" Ian Song pressed, hope flickering in his heart as he focused on the faint wisp of vitality he had just discovered in Lily’s heart. Maybe Autumn, buried deeper, was still alive too.
Vivian Gee replied, "Their cultivation was too high. To keep them from ruining my plans, twenty years after you left, I tricked them into coming to Great Snow Mountain, then triggered a massive avalanche and buried them forever beneath the mountain." Ian Song’s mind raced—if Lily still had a thread of life, Autumn might too. He had to dig faster and deeper.
"You really deserve to die!" Ian Song spat, his killing intent undisguised as he stared at Vivian Gee.
A quarter of an hour later, Ian Song finally brought Lily and Autumn up to the surface. Their bodies, encased in thick ice, were still as beautiful and youthful as the day he left this world.
Vivian Gee spoke in a flat voice, "I don’t know what method you used to control me, making it impossible for me to betray you, but I beg you—please, let me die!"
"Want to die? That would be too easy for you!" Ian Song replied coldly.
He let out a cold laugh. As long as there was a breath left, the Radiance of Life could bring someone back.
But Lily and Autumn’s bodies were badly damaged from forty years of freezing. Ian Song channeled sword essence through his blade to strip away the ice, then bathed each in the Radiance of Life. It took a full minute of continuous healing light before their vitality was completely restored.
At last, both women opened their eyes almost at the same time and saw Ian Song watching them anxiously.
"General!" they cried, bursting into tears.
Both women did the same thing—throwing themselves into Ian Song’s arms, as if no time had passed at all.
...
Now, forty years had passed, and the place where Lily and Autumn were buried had turned into a small subsidiary snow mountain. The snow had piled up so thickly, no one knew how deep it went.
"It's right here," Vivian Gee said, pointing to a small snow-covered peak not far away.
Over forty years, the spot where Lily and Autumn were buried had become its own small mountain, shaped by endless snowfall.
With a thought, Ian Song activated Clairvoyant Vision and began scanning downward through the snow and ice.
100 meters.
300 meters.
From 320 meters down, it was no longer snow, but thick glacial ice.
His gaze continued downward. At last, at a depth of 580 meters, Ian Song found Lily’s body; at 590 meters, Autumn’s.
A sharp pain stabbed Ian Song’s heart. Without hesitation, he backhanded Vivian Gee, sending her flying.
He calmed his breathing, then flew down to the base of the snow mountain. Drawing a steel longsword, he began to dig.