Prologue

Tens of thousands of years ago, the Three Realms and Six Paths were newly established. Yin and yang, the five elements, moved in harmony; those presiding over the Three Realms were called gods, those ruling the waters, immortals. With heaven, earth, and the mortal realm in harmony and peace, the five elements flowed freely. Heaven reigned above, possessing the highest sacred glory; the human realm lay between, vibrant with the most intricate colors and desires; the earth below, governed by the harshest cycles of karma and death.

As time turned and all things evolved, many new entities arose, each with their own domain. The Lords of the Five Elements presided over gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, their seat lying between heaven and the human world.

One day, the Lord of Water was practicing the creation of water-born wonders, and joyfully brought forth ice, frost, and snow. The eldest disciple cherished the snow most of all, watching over her day and night, marveling at her fleeting beauty—how she formed in an instant, ascended with a breath, then vanished just as quickly. The lord arrived to find the snowflake had drifted beyond the domain of water, sighing over the workings of fate.

Young Master of Clouds and Mists, ever changing the sky with splendid hues and shifting lights, found even the most beautiful clouds dull and tasteless, longing for the breathtaking beauty of a snowy sky. Descending from the clouds to the space above the water realm, he saw a single snowflake, delighted as he reached for it—only for it to melt in his palm. Undeterred, he took it with him, turning it into a snowflake of the heart.

"I will surely see a snowy sky again!"

He watched over the snowflake day and night, choosing a single petal to transform into human form, teaching her magic, the ways of the world, and memory...

Six petals in the heart’s snow, a thousand years to gain a single person, yet he never found the original snow, nor anyone who could command snow or summon cold. Sorrowful and heartsick, he was transformed by grief and hardship, becoming as cold and unyielding as an iceberg.

"Snowfall, when will I see you again? Is this obsession now my fate?"

Unbeknownst to him, each time he discarded a snow petal, snow would fall above the waters.

"Master, will there ever be snow again in the water realm? Will Little Snow return?"

"What you care about is Little Snow, isn’t it? Rest assured, when all the petals return, she will stand before you once more. But tell me, is it only atonement you seek? You have seen her many times—do you not bear feelings for her?"

Sixteen thousand years ago, the clouds blushed crimson, painting the sky as he and she sat beneath the ancient pear tree.

"Snow, can you give me a snowfall?"

The girl paused, tried to summon snow, but the world was silent—no chill, no wind, not a single flake, only pear blossoms drifting softly onto their shoulders. The stillness was heavy, tinged with sorrow.

He rose, disappointment etched on his face, and shot her a cold glance. "You are the last snowflake. So this is my fate! I will not cast you from the heavens, return to the water realm as you will!"

"Young master!" She clung to his sleeve, pleading desperately to his icy countenance, "I only wish to stay by your side, even as a mere servant—I beg you, do not send me away!"

He stepped forward indifferently, leaving distance between them, gazing at the pear tree with a sigh. "The snow is gone, and I will not keep you. All I wanted was a snowfall, but it became my obsession. It should not have been so!"

"But am I not your snowfall?"

He shook his head, expressionless. "You are but a petal shaped from her, incapable of commanding snow. Go!"

"I have stayed by your side for a thousand years, and now you cast me aside like worn shoes!" Her voice, wounded and furious, seemed to move even the air itself. The swirling pear blossoms resembled a snowstorm, captivating his gaze, while her heart turned to ash. "So all you ever wanted was a snowfall!"

At length, the blossoms stilled; no wind, no falling petals. He turned, but she was gone, leaving him once again in the solitude of six thousand years past.

"Snowfall!" Grief stabbed his heart like countless silver needles, and his eyes reddened with tears.

A tear fell onto a petal, instantly dissolving into a swirl of white mist. The pear blossoms on the ground shimmered with new life, gathering swiftly together. The petals spun and whirled, forming the figure of Snowfall, who looked upon him with cold eyes.

"You... are you Snowfall?"

"Each petal you cast away is me—all of them are me!"

Overcome, he stepped forward, shocked and bitter. "No, they only resemble you, but none are truly you! Each one is different in word and deed, and none can summon snow!"

"You destroyed me, leaving only a single heart’s snow. Six petals, all cast away, and after this one, I will cease to exist. I should never have been entranced by the beauty of clouds and mists, nor should you have become obsessed with a snowy sky. There is no need to persist in this obsession. I wish only to sever all ties between us!"

With that, her form scattered, leaving only the drifting pear blossoms.

Lost, agitated, and helpless, he was driven solely by the will to pursue her at all costs. He left the heavens, broke through the human realm, and plunged into the underworld, shattering all the boundaries of the Three Realms—yet still could not find her.

Only after hearing from the Lord of the Underworld did he learn that every time, she had to endure a cruel trial in the spirit realm before she could return to the waters.

He descended to the clouds, sank into the spirit realm, and bore the punishment of execution and spiritual destruction in her stead. Yet even so, she remained cold and unfeeling, her form without anchor.

"Snow, come back with me!"

"Six thousand years have passed. No matter how I change, you never liked me. Why should I return? I cannot summon snow, my powers are weak, but I have never forgotten how to love you! If there is another life, I want to switch places with you—to become the heartless one, so you might taste the agony of unrequited love!"

An hour later, the Heavenly Emperor brought him back to the clouds and, before the Lord of Clouds, rebuked him harshly: "Is a spirit worth all this obsession? You have lingered for thousands of years, but to break through boundaries and defy the laws of heaven for her—you know not the gravity of your crime?"

The Lord of Clouds sighed, addressing his son. "Baishan, do you understand the chaos you’ve wrought? Just now, you interfered with the underworld, possibly changing the course of a mortal catastrophe! If she will not bear this burden, you must!"

He smiled, calm and resolute. "So long as she lives, all is well. Whatever Mother Goddess decrees, I shall accept."

"And what if you are to marry the Princess of Rivers and Seas?"

It snowed again over the water realm—the sixth time. The lord had ascended from immortal to water god, and his eldest disciple had achieved the true path.

They looked upon the woman, wounded in body and spirit, and each sighed. The eldest disciple carried her gently, caring for her every day, always placing a pot of ghost orchids by her side, though upon waking, she still preferred pear blossoms.

This time, however, she had gained a permanent body and soul, as if reborn like the original Snowfall, and she seemed to remember fragments from her six previous lives.

"Senior brother?"

"Yes, it’s me!"

Twenty years ago, on the wedding day of the Lord of Clouds’ son, chaos erupted in the heavens. He and several from the water realm fell into the spirit realm, then the underworld, while the Princess of Rivers and Seas was left at home, her betrothal annulled.

"This is the realm of reincarnation, senior brother. Go back!" She looked softly at her senior brother, then angrily at the man before her. "Do you still wish to marry her? For six thousand years, in every life, you abandoned me. I want to see if it will be the same in the next life! You say you wish to make amends? Then let us bear the consequences together—return to me everything you owe!"

He said nothing, only watched as she seized his hand and leapt into the abyss.

A multicolored bottomless pit, filled with shifting scenes and emotions, surrounded them. Every sight was a glimpse into the past and present of mortals, flowing, changing with time, never fading or repeating.

"Is this necessary? If I married her, I would have repaid my debt to you!"

"No, what you owe is a debt of love!" Her tears fell, landing on their joined right hands. "If only we could switch places! This time, let me be the one above, cold and unfeeling, and let you suffer the pain of loving in vain!"

"But with power comes responsibility and pressure—do you truly desire that? With so many restrictions, how could one love freely or live as they wish? The you I know, across six lifetimes, always longs for freedom!"

Before she could reply, she was suddenly pulled away. Her senior brother sheltered her in his arms.

"Senior brother, why are you here? This trial is no simple crossing—it is a true ordeal. Go back, I don’t want you to suffer!"

"Sister, I don’t fear hardship—only that you’ll be hurt again. In this life, whatever comes, I will protect you!" The senior brother glanced coldly at the other man. "I will trade all my warmth and joy for your endless tribulations. Now you will know the suffering of the mortal world!"

"A trial, a debt—what of endless humiliation?" He smiled faintly, a hint of sorrow in his heart, burying many emotions.

"Sister, if in the next life I am first by your side, I will never let go! I will protect you, and never let him hurt you so deeply again! All things are bound by karma, and in the next life, you will be the happiest person!"

She gave a bitter smile. "I am not seeking happiness—only that I no longer love in vain. Even if I cannot love, I would rather feel nothing for him than ever fall for him again!"

He, too, smiled helplessly. "Do you think I’m any better? Do you think I have never... Enough. If in the next life things are as we wish, I will learn your heart, and you will come to know mine."

The three of them sank into the path of reincarnation, unaware that they were rewriting their own destinies. This was both a trial and an adventure. The seeds they’d sown were already quietly sprouting in the mortal world, and the consequences they must bear still waited to be unveiled.

There is order in the cycle of rebirth, cause and effect are intertwined, but nothing is fated; all is held in the heart’s hand.

In the first year of Emperor Beihua, 1045, in the mortal world, Beihua reigned supreme among the states, with Pingliang and Xibang of lesser importance. In the martial world, many sects flourished, the Kunlun Sect for men and the Western Sea Court for women holding the greatest renown. The sacred lands of cultivation—Heavenly Mountain, Kunlun Divine Mountain—took turns safeguarding the human world, with Heavenly Mountain as the founding protector, charged with maintaining peace across the four seas and the world.

Though the world seemed tranquil, beneath the surface was chaos and intrigue. The Beihua court was unstable; Lady Xue of the Dai Kingdom ascended as empress, while Emperor Liu Li of Bei’an was emperor in name only. Lady Xue repeatedly plotted against Heavenly Mountain, forcing its disciples to descend and resolve the unrest.

Upon meeting again, he fell for her at first sight, yet she remained unwilling and afraid to love him.

The sacred artifact of Heavenly Mountain was stolen, heralding a great calamity. In the mortal world, both the court and the martial realm faced their own tribulations—how could these be overcome?

The celestial maiden descended to the mortal world in search of the ice crystal, but was ever bound by the white jade crystal of Beihua. How could they assist her?

The Flame Lance escaped its seal, becoming a demon of fire, seeking to open the Realm of Dawn. Was he truly the nemesis of the celestial maiden? With the Mirror of Dawn returned to the world, could peace only be restored by the maiden’s sacrifice?

Each person, though seemingly ordinary, was in truth complicated and enigmatic—engaging in battles of wit and strength, contending for power and artifacts, vying for hearts. Who would manage to live in peace, and who could realize their deepest wishes? If one could not survive court intrigue, if one could not surpass mortals, if one could not resolve the grievances of the martial world, would it not invite ridicule? How could one do justice to their experiences?

This life was not a descent to endure tribulation, but a complete rebirth, as if all memories and origins were erased and transformed. Every moment was an experience, every cause and effect recorded, and time marched ever forward. All choices lay within a single thought; all karma, within one’s own hands.

Everything was only just beginning.