Chapter 70: Chapter 70
AN: This chapter kinda just wrote itself as I went, so sorry to all who were expecting the Snow Empress capture. That will definitely be tomorrow! Don't hate! :D
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A fully in control Yuhao opened his eyes. As if sensing his state, the Snow Empress stopped lying in the grass and turned to look at him curiously. Sensing her gaze, Yuhao smiled towards her, indicating that everything was over.
"Sorry about taking a long time, Snow Empress. I don't think any of us realised how strong the effects were." Yuhao casually explained.
She looked at him slightly confused still, which briefly confused Yuhao before he remembered that she didn't know what the spirit bone was, its ability or its effects. He took a moment to explain to her what happened. Just as she went to reply, both of them heard some sad chirps in the distance. These chirps made Yuhao remember that there was another party involved in the fight.
The spirit beast and human shared a brief look between each other before they rushed over to the two phoenixes. As they arrived next to them, they paid witness to the older, larger, and more injured phoenix, slowly giving its yellowish, origin energy to the younger phoenix.
While they stood only a few metres away from the injured birds, Yuhao and the Snow Empress received a mental message in their minds from the older phoenix.
"You must be wondering what I am doing, giving away my origin energy like this," The phoenix said.
It took a momentary pause before continuing, "There is a reason my species, the Igneous Phoenix, is quite rare. Like every other spirit beast species on this planet, every hundred thousand years, we must undergo a heavenly tribulation that attempts to kill us. However, before we can undergo this tribulation, in our final year before it occurs, we enter into a state of nirvanic rebirth, at the cost of all of our energy and blood essence."
The phoenix let out a pained chirp as the yellowish origin energy began to be tinged with a red aura. This aura signified the beginning of blood essence being transferred into the younger phoenix.
The bird took a moment to refocus on what it was trying to say, "This massive drain causes us to enter into a hibernation-like state. Nirvana allows us to enhance our potential and strength, however, without the energy to enter this state, we would certainly die from the tribulation. So many of my brethren have fallen during this final year while they hibernated by being killed by their enemies and other various spirit beasts."
The phoenix turned its head to lock eyes with the younger phoenix as it said the next few sentences, it's voiced tinged with even more sadness and pain, "My daughter and I are far too injured to both successfully enter nirvana in order to pass the tribulation. If I don't do anything, she wouldn't pass her first tribulation and as a parent, her life is far more valuable than mine."
"What if you became a conscious spirit beast within me?��� Yuhao asked. "Would you be able to survive then?"
Before the mother Igneous Phoenix could even reply, the energy transfer petered out. She broke eye contact with her daughter as she shook her head, "It is too late. I have already siphoned all of my origin and blood essence into my daughter. If it was earlier, I would have been more than willing to follow that path you have offered. I can sense a connection with you, somewhat resembling an ancestral connection however you are not a phoenix, so it confuses me. Nonetheless, it still makes me trust you. If my daughter in the future decides to willingly follow you, then that is her right to do so. But alas, it is her time to enter nirvana and my time to pass on…"
The mother phoenix looked into the crying eyes of her child. No words were exchanged, only sharing a longing and loving gaze. As they stared, the temperature of the surroundings was rising massively. With his bloodline and FrostFire spirit, Yuhao could just manage to handle it without too much effort, however, his clothes eventually caught on flames and turned to ash. The Snow Empress next to him easily defended off the heat with her even more powerful, snow energy.
The environment eventually became so hot, that everything was tinged red, and with a final flash of red and orange light, the younger phoenix was gone. As Yuhao was recovering from the bright flash, the temperature was similarly returning to normal.
"Where did your daughter go?" Yuhao curiously asked.
The phoenix turned her gaze up towards Mount Yanjiang in the distance, "She travelled to the most beneficial and protected environment for a heat-immune phoenix, not to mention the most suitable place to evolve our species…a volcano's magma chamber."
"Oh…" Yuhao mumbled as he followed her gaze.
The phoenix struggled to pull her eyes away from the volcano as she looked at Yuhao, "I'm sorry that I can't grant you anything for protecting my daughter. If it wasn't for you, my daughter would have undoubtedly died. All of my blood essence and origin energy is gone, including the energy stored within my wings which would have granted you a spirit bone. All I can give you is my eternal thanks."
Yuhao shook his head, "I didn't do it for a reward. Plus, I got the mutts ring and bone so that is enough for me. I wish you well in your next life, or wherever you end up."
The phoenix nodded at Yuhao and the Snow Empress, before returning her gaze to the volcano. They stood there in silence for a few moments before the remaining life force in the mother phoenix slipped away. Even though he barely knew them, a tear still trickled down his face.
The next ten minutes consisted of Yuhao and the Snow Empress creating a fifteen-metre-deep hole in the ground and burying the dead, mother phoenix. While an energy-less Igneous Phoenix could still provide Yuhao with many valuable materials, having some semblance of an emotional connection to her, it didn't feel right desecrating her corpse. Yuhao did, however, take two feathers from her crown as a reminder of her sacrifice. This action...did feel right.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
ProProcrastination
ProProcrastination And so Yuhao misses out on getting phoenix action on his FrostFire spirit. One dies and the other flashes away. is the daughter gone forever? Or will she return later? Who knows?? Well, I do...but ya know...spoilers and everything...
Anyways, Snow Empress capture is the next chapter...I promise! Hope you enjoyed this waterfall inducing, cry fest...I wish. Did feel like adding some low-key emotional filler though.
As always, hoped you enjoyed.
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