Emeraldsong Rain Crane Spiritual Sharing

The most terrifying thing about the Extreme North Icefield had never been merely the soul beasts lurking in its depths, but the environment itself.

Had Snow Empress not personally led the way, it would have taken Jing Hongchen and the other three at least several times longer to reach the Frost Forest.

The wind and snow here seemed to possess a will of their own, constantly driving away every outsider.

At last, they arrived at the border between the Frost Forest and the Extreme North Icefield.

This place was shrouded year-round in a layer of mist that never dispersed. A faint blue, icy glow seeped through it, casting the surrounding snow and ice in a dreamlike light.

Snow Empress stopped and raised her eyes toward the mist. Her voice carried patience and gentleness as she softly called out, "Rain Crane, I have come to visit. Please show yourself." Her voice was not loud, yet it pierced through layers of mist and drifted into the depths of the forest.

A moment later, a massive soul beast flew out of the fog. It was a bird resembling a red-crowned crane, with a wingspan of a full ten meters.

It circled once in the air, its wings stirring the mist. Then it slowly folded its wings and landed lightly before Snow Empress.

Its feathers were like the finest jade, gleaming with translucent emerald light amid the mist. The edge of every flight feather was inlaid with natural platinum patterns, so exquisite that it scarcely seemed like a creation of nature.

A piece of blue jade covered its chest and belly, its edges traced with silvery lines like moonlight. When the twelve tail feathers behind it spread open, they resembled an embroidered landscape scroll, layered peaks rising one after another amid vast, misty waters.

Its eyes were blue-green, clear and gentle. Its legs were covered in dark teal scales, also threaded with winding golden patterns.

Rain Crane lowered its head in a respectful posture.

Snow Empress extended her hand and gently stroked the top of its head, her movement as delicate as though she were touching a fragile treasure.

"Rain Crane, it has been a long time." Her voice lowered, carrying a warmth shared only between old friends. "How have you and your clan been?"

Rain Crane tilted its head slightly and rubbed against Snow Empress's palm, but a trace of dimness flashed through its eyes. "We have been well enough."

Its voice was low and hoarse, carrying the wear of time. "It is only that... my heavenly tribulation is coming. I may... have to leave this world."

It paused, its voice turning pleading. "I ask that Your Majesty Snow Empress protect my clan."

Snow Empress's hand stilled atop Rain Crane's head. After a moment, she said softly, her tone firm beyond doubt, "Rest assured. You will be fine."

She bent slightly, meeting Rain Crane's gaze. "I now possess Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow. I will help you pass this heavenly tribulation."

Her voice was gentle but resolute. "You will successfully break through."

Rain Crane froze. A sheen of tears suddenly welled up in its eyes. Slowly, it lowered its head, its long neck curving into a graceful arc as it offered Snow Empress its most solemn salute.

"Thank you, Your Majesty Snow Empress!" Its voice trembled slightly with irrepressible excitement.

Snow Empress lightly patted its head and got to the point. "However, I have come here to ask something of you."

Her tone became solemn. "I need an Emeraldsong Rain Crane between ten thousand and fifty thousand years old. One exceptionally skilled in healing; its other abilities are secondary. The soul beast may be gravely injured, or it may be healthy..."

She paused, her gaze calm. "I need it to sacrifice itself for a human. This matter concerns me personally."

Rain Crane raised its head and looked at Snow Empress. It did not ask for a reason, merely nodded solemnly. "I am willing to share Your Majesty Snow Empress's burdens."

Rain Crane's voice was steady and firm. "I will go find one for Your Majesty at once." It did not ask, nor did it need to ask. When Snow Empress spoke, it was an order of the Extreme North.

Rain Crane turned around, spreading its wings as it shot into the depths of the mist like a streak of emerald light.

Snow Empress remained where she was, watching its figure vanish before quietly waiting.

Meanwhile, Yan Hongchen was examining Liu Yueming. He activated his soul bone skill, Spiritual Sharing, cautiously extending his consciousness into Liu Yueming's sea of spirit.

Jing Hongchen and Yi Hongchen stood guard on either side of Liu Yueming, their expressions grave. Neither even dared to breathe too loudly.

After a while, Yan Hongchen slowly withdrew his spiritual power, his brows knitting faintly.

The surface of Liu Yueming's sea of spirit was covered by a thick layer of ice, like a frozen lake. Yet he could sense that beneath that ice, her original sea of spirit was still there.

Yan Hongchen said nothing more. He rose to his feet and said quietly to Yi Hongchen and Jing Hongchen, "Take good care of Mom. Her condition is not serious."

The two nodded without asking further.

Yan Hongchen turned and walked toward Snow Empress. His footsteps crunched softly over the snow, exceptionally distinct upon the silent icefield.

"Senior Snow Empress." Yan Hongchen approached her and asked, "What kind of soul beast is it? I need to understand its characteristics before deciding whether to accept it."

Snow Empress glanced at him from the side. Knowing he had concerns, she patiently explained, "The Emeraldsong Rain Crane is a dual water-and-wood attribute soul beast. It excels in healing and control. Though it is not as renowned as the Emerald Swan, it is still highly famous in the Extreme North."

She paused, then added, "That Rain Crane is already close to two hundred thousand years old and is about to become a ferocious beast. It might not have been able to survive its second heavenly tribulation before, but now it can."

Yan Hongchen listened attentively before saluting again. "Thank you, Senior Snow Empress." A soul beast race capable of breaking through to the ferocious beast level was more than worthy.

After hesitating briefly, he said, "Senior Snow Empress, may we conduct a Spiritual Sharing? I have already examined my mother... this junior needs to inspect your sea of spirit."

Snow Empress paused slightly, then understood his concern. She nodded gently, her tone indifferent. "You may."

Yan Hongchen took a deep breath and activated Spiritual Sharing once more. This time, his consciousness entered a sea of spirit far more vast and profound than Liu Yueming's.

Snow Empress's sea of spirit was boundless, like the true Extreme North Icefield. He could sense that the flow within it remained smooth, with soul power and spiritual power surging endlessly through it.

Following his perception, he touched the boundary of her sea of spirit. That was the portion Snow Empress had frozen herself, a part that had yet to be completely thawed.

It was not that she could not thaw it, but that she did not dare.

No matter how powerful Snow Empress's control over ice was, once it involved the edge of her sea of spirit, any mishap during the thawing process could shatter her spiritual barrier and cause her spiritual power to leak out. The consequences would be unthinkable.

Yan Hongchen understood now, but he did not withdraw his consciousness. Instead, he continued sending more information to Snow Empress.

Information surged toward her like a tide: the crisis the Extreme North might face, the changes that could occur in the future, the beings she needed to beware of, and new paths she had never considered before—all that the youth knew.

After a long while, Yan Hongchen finally withdrew his spiritual power. He swayed slightly, his temples throbbing and his vision repeatedly going dark.

Continuously probing two people's seas of consciousness and transmitting such a massive amount of information had still been far too taxing for him.

"Master—"

Phantom Water Spirit Toad's worried voice rang out in his mind. It gently exhaled a cluster of pale blue luminous mist—what remained of its spiritual origin—which hovered over Yan Hongchen's sea of consciousness and soothed his exhausted awareness.

Yan Hongchen took a deep breath, and the blur before his eyes gradually faded. Sorry, I pushed myself too hard, he silently said in his heart. Thank you, Little Spirit Toad.

Gentle ripples spread across Phantom Water Spirit Toad's body, as though it were softly shaking its head. "It's alright, Master. Once we return, you can examine my inherited memories. There may be a solution within them."

Yan Hongchen had nearly forgotten that he still had Phantom Water Spirit Toad's inherited memories to review. Perhaps they truly held the key to solving the problem.

Snow Empress remained where she stood, her face still bearing that cold, indifferent expression. Yet within her heart, towering waves had already been stirred.

Every piece of information Yan Hongchen had conveyed was like a massive boulder cast into the still lake of her heart, raising countless ripples.

Those visions of the future, the crisis in the Extreme North, the possibilities she had never once considered—

She needed time to process this information, determine whether it was true, and decide how to respond.

Just then, a clear cry rang out from within the mist.