### Chapter 372: 147. Soaring High
Valentina’s consciousness continued to sink, as if her body were being bound and dragged down by countless giant stones. In her dazed and unclear vision, she could only see the surrounding ethereal purple light. Beyond those flickering, unidentifiable purples, there lay an extremely terrifying dark red.
Wait, Fisher!
Just as Valentina felt increasingly tired and colder, she suddenly remembered Fisher’s face. So, she opened her eyes wide and desperately twisted her body, trying to swim upwards. But the dragging force grew stronger, making it impossible for her to break free; she could only allow that force to drag her deeper down.
However, in the process of sinking, a spectacular sight adorned her vision.
Before her, layers of bizarre deep red energy enveloped magic formed a perplexing landscape in an expansive space, indistinguishable between up and down. Each layer flickered with scenes strikingly similar to the 【Dream】 magic Valentina’s mother had left her, yet she was not within that dream, but continuously dragged towards the Spirit Realm, opposite to the real world.
Behind her, the doors sealed by invisible rules should have gone unnoticed by living beings, but at this moment, a dark red hue terrifyingly revealed itself, as if something existed behind that door, on the other side of the Spirit Realm, wishing to enter. Though its body had not entered the crevice, several streams of energy seeped out, locked by the shadow of a giant tree before Valentina.
“Child, come this way.”
Just as Valentina hesitated, a gentle female voice suddenly came from the shadow of the giant tree, which was marked by crimson energy. She had heard that voice not long ago and immediately recognized its owner,
“Moon Princess? Is that you?”
“It is I, child. Just come towards the base; we are waiting for you here.”
Upon hearing this, Valentina did not move immediately but cautiously watched the giant tree that the Moon Princess referred to as “the base,” fearing it was a trap designed to lure her into completing it. The suspicious scrutiny made the Moon Princess laugh, prompting her to speak again.
“Rest assured, the polluted energy of the Spirit Realm has been partially dispersed. The endless dreams before you are constructed from Its powers, which has weakened Its ability to lock onto the base. Moreover, the time in the real world is fixed; your physical body has not merged with us, so the base cannot be complete.”
After hearing the Moon Princess say this, Valentina hesitantly drifted towards the shadow of the giant tree. In this special space of the Spirit Realm’s crevice, as she got closer to the giant tree’s shadow, its figure became clearer.
It was a giant tree entirely cloaked in a certain cold moonlight. Below the giant tree, on a platform, stood a two-meter-tall woman with azure wings, dressed in an elegant white gown made of satin. Her long azure hair was tied back neatly with a thin, exquisite ice hairpin. Only upon seeing her in person did Valentina suddenly realize she had never seen the Moon Princess’s attire in reality.
“Come here, child.”
“Moon Princess.”
Valentina flew to the towering figure’s side, gazing with some surprise at the beautiful woman with a smile radiating light. Behind her, a long white robe was held up by a pale, colorful cloth, enhancing the elegance of the phoenix woman before her.
“Weren’t you outside just now? Why are you here?”
“This is the 【Base】, the place that spirit realm existence wants to use as a springboard to enter the real world. However, due to the base’s incompleteness and the intervention of another spirit realm deity, this originally intended base for Its springboard has temporarily turned into a prison from which It cannot escape. That is why for thousands of years, the stars have not left the Spirit Realm to invade in force. What you saw outside was the consciousness I infused into the holy object, but my true soul was placed here by the spirit realm deity that helped us to reunite with family.”
“Another deity of the Spirit Realm?”
Valentina looked surprised at the incomplete shadow of the giant tree. The extremely cold moonlight, in stark contrast to the crimson light, prompted her to ask.
The Moon Princess smiled slightly without saying more, reaching out to touch Valentina’s temple, then rolling up a sleeve, pointing to the giant tree beside them, saying,
“Everyone, please look at this child. She is the last bloodline I have left in the world.”
Upon hearing the Moon Princess’s words, Valentina looked up at the giant tree and suddenly saw numerous figures standing atop it, all adorned with giant wings, wearing armor, long robes, and with tied back azure hair. They all stood on the branches of the giant tree, eyeing Valentina, the small figure next to the Moon Princess.
“How can a flawed being continue the lineage?”
“A faceless phoenix is nothing but a human.”
Faced with the whispers from the shadows on the branches, the Moon Princess smiled slightly, looking up towards the top of the giant tree, where a male phoenix dressed in white with squinted eyes silently smiled, while another male phoenix, clad in heavy armor, merely snorted coldly without a word.
Above them, sat a regal and graceful woman, whose wings cascaded behind her, forming a beautiful skirt, quietly gazing at Valentina.
They were, respectively, the Frost Prince and the Ice Prince, who were legendary figures alongside the Moon Princess, and their mother, the Phoenix King, Nefiramui.
Under the gazes of the phoenixes from the branches, Valentina felt somewhat uneasy. Only the presence of the Moon Princess gave her a glimmer of safety. She subtly moved closer to the Moon Princess but kept glancing around, searching for Fisher; she wanted to find him.
After a long while, the Phoenix King sitting at the top of the tree gently nodded to the Moon Princess, saying,
“Okay.”
All the surrounding phoenixes fell silent, except for Valentina, who panicked and asked the Moon Princess,
“Wait, Moon Princess, what exactly are you all doing? I don’t quite understand.”
After receiving the Phoenix King’s nod, the Moon Princess bowed her head to all the phoenixes, then elegantly placed her hands before her abdomen and turned to look at Valentina, saying,
“Valentina, do not be afraid or panic. Those standing here will be your elders. The risk I took to send you back to the parasol tree is not without purpose, for even we wish to leave a spark of hope. This was the condition under which my mother agreed to sacrifice our entire clan, for we see you in the future. You will be the last complete phoenix in this world, but you will not be the last phoenix.”
“I… I lived as a human before, and even as a disabled person. I’m not sure if I can truly take on the responsibilities and roles of a phoenix. I returned to the parasol tree only for Fisher and for myself to survive, nothing more.”
Although it might have been more suitable to say some formalities at this moment, looking at the gentle Moon Princess, for some reason, Valentina felt uncertain and could not believe these extremely powerful phoenixes were truly waiting for her. This sudden mission left her feeling lost and led to sincere confusion.
Yet, after she spoke, none of the phoenixes on the tree showed any reaction; they just continued to watch her. Instead, the Moon Princess patted her head, and in her eyes, which sparkled with the same icy brilliance as Valentina’s, there seemed to be a thought of her own lifeless stillborn. She softly said,
“We, a long time ago, moved here from a giant tree far south of the Eastern Continent, and the beings living there believed in the guidance of bloodlines just as we do. You carry my most concentrated bloodline, and even if it temporarily resides in a human body, the Spirit Realm does not grant you a soul based on a human body.”
“Your bloodline harbors the kindness of my mother who saved the world, the bravery and fearlessness of my elder brother, the shrewdness of my second brother, and of course, my optimistic and contented heart in the face of flaws. Our qualities and thoughts are entrusted to you through bloodlines, not through the splendid garments and palaces we inhabit.”
Following the Moon Princess’s gentle words, Valentina’s heartbeat, quickened by her confusion, gradually calmed. The Moon Princess lifted Valentina’s lowered head and looked into her eyes, saying each word clearly,
“When facing tyrants’ oppression, our ancestors actively resisted, leading our kin to migrate here; when confronting the war of star oppression, we also stood tall and ultimately gained victory; when facing the impending deadlock, we could also take risks and sacrifice lives to pave the way for the world.”
“It is not that we have no fear or disregard outcomes, but because we always believe that every phoenix mired in despair will ultimately soar high.”
Valentina’s pupils slightly contracted, and the icy brilliance in her gaze reflected the figure of every phoenix standing on the tree before her, until she crossed over the Frost Prince and Ice Prince’s silhouettes and locked eyes with the regal Phoenix King.
The silent Phoenix King gently extended a hand towards her, and as her robe swayed slightly, a long shimmering feather emanating cold light fell from her hand, swaying and descending towards Valentina.
“Valentina, the Fisher you are looking for is in that dream. Our fates will part here, yet we will still reunite in memory. As for now…”
Valentina gently reached out to receive the feather that emitted a faint cold glow. The gentle Moon Princess simultaneously pointed toward the distant, dark red energy-enveloped dreams. The space seemed to quiet down, leaving only the Moon Princess’s voice.
“Run with all your might, Valentina.”
Gripping the cold feather, Valentina’s body temperature gradually rose. Though her palm felt freezing, the Moon Princess’s words seemed to ignite her, for before her, the clear moonlight was gradually being shattered by the force from outside the Spirit Realm, forming a straight path leading to the distant dream.
Whether it was the urgency born from wanting to help Fisher or the trust that the phoenixes had in her, that sense of responsibility, that anxiety, and that excitement all mixed together, leaving her unable to discern, yet driving her madly toward Fisher’s side, wishing to break free from her past, where she was confined to a wheelchair, powerless.
That feeling of being taken care of, that feeling of being restricted, all transformed into Valentina’s motivation to run with all her might at that very moment.
She clenched her teeth, tightly holding the feather in her hand, and under the gentle gazes of the Moon Princess and all the phoenixes behind her, she dashed along the path formed by the breaking moonlight without looking back, racing toward the distant dream.
Not enough, not enough.
She ran frantically, white hair mixed with sweat rising and falling at her temples. The breath from running could no longer contain her wild spirit. The shackles of reality could not hold her soul, which yearned for freedom.
At some point, that cold feather she held tightly had completely disappeared, and behind her, the shadow standing before the tree also vanished completely. As the moonlight completely faded, the base was becoming increasingly complete, yet Valentina felt it still wasn’t enough.
She needed to run faster, go farther, and get to Fisher’s side!
As she closed her eyes and continued to run, a pair of massive azure wings suddenly unfolded behind her, seemingly having endured within thick cocoons for a long, long time. The icy glow in her eyes gradually spread, painting her back with a layer of downy fluff resembling frost. Her vulnerable form grew taller once more, becoming both elegant and powerful.
The black patterns on her back gradually turned white, forming cloud-like patterns along the wings. Her ears elongated slightly, with several feather roots closely adhering to her skin growing behind them. She still wore the black gown she had during her time in the Northern Region, but she was no longer the fragile Valentina of that time.
As she ran freely, the newly born giant wings suddenly shrank and then expanded again, as if roaring at a world it had missed for so many years. At the moment of the wings flapping, with a resounding sound echoing through the crevice, she truly transformed into a phoenix, possessing the soul of the phoenix and flying into the layers of the dream.
“Fisher!”
Ahead, she saw the humble Nali Church, noticed the golden-haired nun sitting at the church entrance, and, of course, saw Fisher lying on the ground, injured, and Erwind behind him, about to strike.
Her pupils slightly narrowed. With a sudden flap of her wings, she created a deafening sonic explosion and dove towards Erwind like lightning.
Just as Erwind was about to attack Fisher, he saw the rapidly expanding shadow beneath him. Before he could turn around, his entire upper body was shattered by the chilling wind of the coming force.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
The sound of ice forming spread far and wide; Erwind’s body shattered and instantly reassembled. He tilted his head, surprised as he looked ahead and said,
“A complete phoenix, how interesting. They have perished for so long; I’ve never seen their true form, yet I have the fortune of seeing it here. Moreover, it’s a familiar face.”
Before Erwind stood Valentina, her cold giant wings spread wide as she held the similarly astonished Fisher in her embrace. As Erwind’s voice rang out, the massive wings emitting cold air began to enclose Fisher tighter.
“I don’t care who you are, but you’d better stay away from my husband!”
Valentina’s gaze turned icy, her wings trembling like a fierce bird, seemingly ready to strike. Meanwhile, Fisher, nestled in her arms, sensed the soft, cool down that had grown on her new form.
This is the true phoenix.
Even here, within the clear divide of the Spirit Realm, at the moment he saw Valentina, familiar, ethereal golden subtitles appeared before his eyes. Within those golden, elusive subtitles, the previously garbled text twisted and eventually became clear and recognizable.
【%￥#@！.】
【Phoenix Race】
【Detected your true marital relationship with the bindable object. You have automatically bound to this object without consuming the limit of research attempts, while gaining the following bonuses: 50% increased research speed of the experimental object and exemption from binding pain.】
【Binding object: Valentina, adult female phoenix.】
Lying in Valentina’s embrace, Fisher blinked, looking at the incredibly beautiful girl before him, at a loss for words for a moment.
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(End of this chapter)
