The Ice Layer of the Sea of Consciousness: Telling the Truth

After the last dish was cleared away, the cups and plates on the table had all been emptied. Only a few cups of tea remained, wisps of white steam curling upward.

Yan Hongchen took a sip of tea to rinse his mouth, set the cup down, and lightly rubbed the rim with his fingertips. His tone was calm, yet carried a gravity that could not be avoided.

"Brother, Sister." Yan Hongchen spoke. "As a member of this family, I won't hide what comes next from you." He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, while also giving the two across from him time to process them.

"On this trip to the extreme north, following the map's guidance, the woman we encountered in the end was the Extreme North King—the Snow Empress. There were many twists and turns along the way, but we made a deal with her and returned safely in the end."

This bolt from the blue instantly changed Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's expressions. Xiao Hongchen's hand froze halfway to his mouth with his teacup, and the tea inside sloshed.

For a moment, he did not know what to say. He knew about the map, but he had never imagined that his family would truly encounter that woman—the ruler of the extreme north, ranked third among the Ten Great Savage Beasts.

Meng Hongchen's face turned pale. Instinctively, she looked at Liu Yueming, then Yi Hongchen, before finally fixing her gaze on Yan Hongchen. Her lips moved slightly, but they were all sitting here safely. They had all returned. That was enough.

Yan Hongchen did not give them much time to catch their breath before continuing, "We gained quite a lot from this trip. The three of us have all settled our soul rings, and each of us gained something different. But the most serious issue is Mother's..."

His tone suddenly grew heavy, and his gaze swept across everyone present. "All of you, prepare yourselves."

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen exchanged a glance. They saw the same thing in each other's eyes: unease. Whatever could make Yan Hongchen speak in such a tone was surely no simple matter.

Yan Hongchen did not speak immediately. Instead, he first looked at Liu Yueming. "Mother, get some proper rest." He shook his head, and his voice softened somewhat. "You don't need to connect to the Spiritual Sharing. Your condition isn't suitable for linking to a shared connection again..."

Liu Yueming looked at him. She only hated that she had failed to conceal it, that she could only manage things to this extent. She also knew that her current condition would only cause trouble. She nodded lightly and quietly leaned back into her chair.

Yan Hongchen closed his eyes and slowly activated the power of his head soul bone. A gentle mental ripple spread from between his brows, expanding toward everyone present like silent rings on water.

"Link to my Spiritual Sharing. What comes next is an image of a sea of spirit. Don't be shocked. I'll explain afterward." His voice rang beside everyone's ears at once, clear and steady.

Jing Hongchen was the first to relax his mental defenses, with Yi Hongchen following close behind. Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were somewhat bewildered, but they did as instructed.

They closed their eyes, relaxed their minds, and allowed that gentle force to guide them. In that instant, five streams of consciousness silently linked together.

Then an image slowly unfolded in everyone's minds. It was Liu Yueming's sea of spirit.

The sea's surface was covered by a thick sheet of ice. The ice was not smooth as a mirror, but instead covered in fine cracks that crisscrossed one another, like scars that had barely healed after enduring a tremendous impact.

Beneath the ice lay dark seawater that was nearly frozen solid. Yet it was not utterly lifeless. In the deepest, darkest place, a faint spark of fire could vaguely be seen flickering.

That flame was tiny and weak, like a candlewick that could go out at any moment. Yet it had not gone out. It was the "fire of spirit" that remained after Liu Yueming had burned her spiritual power.

The flame was tightly suppressed at the very bottom of her sea of spirit by the ice above. It could neither spread nor be extinguished. Trapped there like a caged beast, it burned unwillingly and stubbornly.

Yan Hongchen severed the Spiritual Sharing. The image faded, and he slowly opened his eyes. He said nothing, merely picked up his teacup and took a sip, giving the other four time to absorb what they had seen.

Jing Hongchen's fingers lightly tapped the tabletop twice without making a sound. His brows furrowed slightly, and there was a pain in his eyes that could not be put into words.

At some point, Yi Hongchen had taken hold of Liu Yueming's hand. He gripped it tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He did not speak. He did not even look at Liu Yueming. He simply held her hand as though he were holding something that could shatter at any moment.

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were still immersed in the image they had just witnessed. They had not yet opened their own seas of spirit, but they had learned the basics.

An ordinary person's sea of spirit should have been peaceful and tranquil—a fertile land capable of nurturing and nourishing spiritual power.

But how could a person's sea of spirit be like that? Frozen, shattered, and with that weak flame suppressed at its deepest point...

"That was Mother's sea of spirit..." Yan Hongchen's voice sounded. "The state created by her self-freezing!"

Xiao Hongchen suddenly slapped the table. The teacup jumped, tea splashing out and soaking a small patch of the tablecloth.

"Little Brother!" His voice was urgent and heavy, filled with unconcealed worry. "What exactly is going on? Why is Mother's sea of spirit like this?"

Yan Hongchen looked at Xiao Hongchen. He did not panic because of his agitation, merely met his gaze calmly.

"Brother, don't get worked up. Sit down properly!" His voice was not loud, but it was composed. He had actually been very nervous at the time as well, but now that he had calmed down, he knew shouting would not solve anything.

"This was Mother's choice at the time. If Senior Snow Empress hadn't pointed it out and been willing to make a deal with us, even we wouldn't have known."

He turned toward Liu Yueming, his tone gaining a hint of helplessness. "Mother was still planning to keep it hidden."

Meng Hongchen immediately looked at Liu Yueming. Her eyes were already red. "Mother..." Her voice trembled slightly. "What exactly happened to your sea of spirit? What will you do... in the future?"

Liu Yueming was silent for a moment. She looked at Meng Hongchen's reddened eyes, at Xiao Hongchen's tightly clenched fists, at the hand Yi Hongchen held around hers, at Jing Hongchen's silent profile, and finally at Yan Hongchen's calm yet resolute eyes.

She sighed softly and decided to tell them the truth. "This time... I suppose it was both a blessing and a misfortune."

Her voice was soft, as though she were speaking of something unrelated to herself. "That soul beast was wounded by us, but Mother's final battlefield with it was within its spiritual world. It resisted desperately, and I had no choice but to burn my spiritual power. That was irreversible. I had already prepared myself not to live much longer."

"However..." Liu Yueming's voice rose slightly, carrying a trace of relief. "At the final moment, it acknowledged me and gave all of its remaining power to me, as well as a head soul bone. The soul bone skill was called 'Soul Freezing.'"

She paused, her gaze falling on her folded hands. "At the time, neither your grandfather nor your father noticed, and Little Yan was even less able to see through it. After absorbing the soul bone, I froze my sea of spirit at that moment. Although it saved my life and gave me the potential for an ultimate attribute, in this life... I fear it will be difficult for me to make any further progress."

She spoke calmly, as though she were stating a fact unrelated to herself. But beneath that calmness lay an unknown amount of struggle and resolve, and everyone present could feel it.

"Mom." Yan Hongchen's voice suddenly rang out, carrying an unquestionable certainty. "There's no need to worry." Everyone's eyes turned toward Yan Hongchen.

"Senior Snow Empress's condition is similar to yours." Meeting Liu Yueming's gaze, he said each word clearly, "Most of her sea of spirit has already been unfrozen. It's just that there are too many adhesions around the edges, so she needed to make a deal with me and have me treat her."

His voice was steady and powerful, carrying a determination beyond his years. "Your condition isn't serious. You still have me. I'll always be by your side. Leave your treatment to me."

Upon hearing those words, the boulder hanging over Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's hearts finally dropped halfway.

As long as there was a solution, that was enough. And this solution rested with Yan Hongchen. Even the Snow Empress trusted him so deeply, and Yan Hongchen himself was this confident. Then it would definitely work.