Connection

As Hana selflessly pumped in as much Soul Energy as she possibly could through the void, a colorless ornate bridge-like structure was rapidly forming from the cracks at the edge of the shaking Soul Hall Domain.

In the beginning, Hana couldn't make out what it was. Only a few inches of translucent blocks appeared. However, within minutes, the blocks turned into a large structure like an arrangement of beams.

After five minutes, Hana exclaimed in shock! In her astral form, she rubbed her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

[Ku-chan, did you see what Mommy sees?]

Kuro was still wrapped around her protectively, afraid she would suddenly jump into the breach that appeared on the Soul Hall Domain protective layer. In the eyes of the others, a red star was engulfing a brightly lit sun with great difficulties as the multicolored rays leaked through many gaps of the red star.

[See what, Mommy? I can see a widening crack in the walls of the Soul Hall Domain. Is that what you're talking about?]

[No, no. The translucent structure. It strangely looked something like a bridge from Mommy's world. It has no color, but Mommy can still see it. Can you? Mommy can feel Papa from it.] Hana urgently explained what she was seeing. To her, Kuro was her go-to encyclopedia when it came to the cultivation method she's using. After all, it was his unique cultivation method. He must've encountered a similar situation or at least heard about it from his elders.

Kuro stared hard but couldn't make out anything. However, he could feel how much Soul Energy was being siphoned through the breach. It was astronomical! The amount could make the Soul Hall Domain collapse at any moment.

He too was helpless! He truly couldn't see or sense the bridge structure Hana was talking about. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation since this cultivation method was so unpopular. No Lightning Serpents cultivated until the end except for their ancestor, the Lightning Emperor himself.

Hana could finally see the embryonic shape of a bridge forming. It was truly unlike the others. While other connections resembled ropes of differing thickness, like a flimsy spider web centering around the multicolored Soul Core, this structure was akin to a solid, manmade bridge in the shape of an arch.

The bridge had a stone-like structure with a wide walkway-like deck. Many beams were forming below the deck, from short to long, forming a half-arch structure. It even had flower motifs decorating the fringes of the arch structure.

The half-bridge forming from the void suspiciously looked familiar!

It seriously looked like a small bridge in a park that Arash and Hana loved to frequent when they were dating years ago!

[This...] Hana couldn't say a word as she was feeling very emotional. She choked back her tears and breathed roughly, trying hard to control her emotions lest her chants could be affected. Her eyes shone brightly as she considered future possibilities.

She moved towards the bridge again.

Mommy...

Relax, Mommy is just going to touch it. Nothing else. Don't worry too much.

Hana smiled and patted her beloved pet snake.

She reached out her translucent hand to gently caress the rapidly forming bridge...

...

The pain agonizing his heart didn't subside, but this time, a new accompanying feeling made Arash feel astonished. Arash reveled in the sensation of his muscles strumming rapidly. It was like using the abs massage slimming belt on his whole limbs!

He wasn't sure why, but the amount of energy pulses increased more than ten-fold all of a sudden! While before, it was a trickle, now, it was akin to a gigantic torrent!

A few minutes of appreciating the new sensation got him thinking about the origin of the new energy pulses. They were not the same as the ones directly generated from his own 'node' but still of the same type. After scrutinizing their nature, he concluded that they had similar morphology and 'feeling' like the foreign energy particles hanging around his body previously. The lingering unknown energy had been absorbed by his node as its nourishment and had proved to make him feel better as a whole.

The energy originated from Hana's peculiar song; he had sensed them being generated after observing closely. Once he understood the origin of the energy pulses and their relationship with his wife's strange melodious song, many clues were finally connected. He had been ignoring the fact that the song Hana sang was actually a 'cultivation chant' known as Lightning Emperor's Divinity Soul Cultivation Technique!

It was negligence on his part since he automatically disassociated a song as a cultivation technique.

Arash immediately deduced the type of energy he was dealing with and what the mysterious node was. As the name of the technique implied, the little pulses must be Soul Energy in its quantifiable form. Of course, if the node served the same function as a dantian to Spiritual Energy, it must be his own Soul!

He came to a sudden realization.

Since the external Soul Energy shrouding over him had been from Hana's recorded chant, the sudden boost in Soul Energy he had must've come from his wife directly in some mysterious way! There was no way he could produce Soul Energy by himself. He couldn't even sing normal songs!

Hana was actively pouring Soul Energy into him in real time! Which means she noticed his existence and was able to establish a connection with him through energy sharing!

They were truly connected!

WHERE?! WHERE?! Where was the source of the Soul Energy?!

Arash frantically looked around.

He could feel that he was running out of time. Before long, the pain will be too hard to bear for him to hide it, and finally, Tok Silihan will notice.

He knew this might be the last time for him to find out all the details. He acknowledged that the burden of being buried alive had taken a toll on his health. There won't be a next time if he fails.

Arash immediately dived deeper. The only place he had yet to go was inside the mysterious node.

Arash took a deep breath and steeled his heart.

...

Three heartbeats later, Arash opened his eyes.

He looked around him and noticed how dark the surroundings were. However, when he looked at himself, he was just a ball of pale, slightly translucent white light with no form. A tinge of light rainbow tinted his whole being.

Although confused at first, he finally realized he had dived successfully within the node for the very first time. In other words, he was within his own Soul. Tiny pulses surrounded him like he was a magnet attracting them, submerging him deeply, verifying his hypothesis. After a short analysis, ninety percent of the tiny pulses didn't belong to him. In short, it was Hana's! These pulses willingly entered his 'body' like a waterfall rush from all sides.

Arash felt like he drank hot green tea during a cold night, endearingly comfortable. His whole being warmed up in a pleasant way, giving him a moment of zen. Nonetheless, the delightful warm sensation rapidly increased in temperature towards scalding pain. In response, his 'body' released its own energy in the form of a wave outside, reducing the pain slightly. The absorb-and-release sequence formed a check and balance cycle. However, he could feel the balance gradually tipping, which led to his increasing pain.

After understanding how his 'body' works, Arash pushed aside all additional thoughts and focused on his objective; to find the source of Hana's Soul Energy. However, there was nothing else besides the overwhelming number of Soul Energy crowding over him. The rest was only total darkness, where his being brightened up the dark space.

Arash tried to move around, and he could, although somewhat sluggishly. He needed to investigate the space thoroughly. He swam around with difficulty aimlessly, bearing the pressure from the increasing pain he was facing.

Until he reached a point where he saw something out of the ordinary.

It was an illusory bridge-like structure.

To be exact, half a bridge that was still in progress.

The half-bridge wasn't floating aimlessly in midair. Instead, it lay frozen on one spot, as if it was forcefully rammed through an invisible wall of darkness. A large crack was visible at the point of the bridge's entry. From there, a rush of Soul Energy poured in like a full-blast tap.

[This is it!]

This crack was the source of Hana's Soul Energy!

As Arash scrutinized the crack, he noticed that the bridge-like structure was expanding rapidly. One after another, beams of increasing length were constructed from the Soul Energy gushing over the crack on the illusory 'wall', supporting the deck forming on top.

He now understood that the primary function of Hana's Soul Energy was to become the building block of the rapidly generating bridge structure. Only a quarter of the Soul Energy flew towards him and assimilated within him, making him experience the feeling of bloatedness. If all of them were to channel directly to him, his Soul would've burst!

Arash didn't hesitate as he approached the 'bridge'. He held out his palm to touch it as gently as he could.

...

"!!!"

Both Arash and Hana touched the bridge at the same time. Instantly, a new connection formed between the two. They could feel each other's presence from the other side. He knew she noticed. She knew he was there, looking directly at her. No words could explain what they were feeling at that moment.

Their souls synched.

Their instincts told them something amazing would happen once the bridge achieved completion.

Both Arash and Hana had a look of determination.

They knew what they must do.

...