Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

Thousands of kilometers away, Jinlong reappeared on his Heavenly Creation Order's mountain, where the eight trigrams formation resided. His body was haggard and shriveled as if he was running out of blood.

He collapsed to his knees, coughing as a bald monk in a white robe exclaimed behind him, "Second Elder!"

"Second Elder! What happened?!" The monk rushed over, holding his body, but his expression changed upon sensing his dire condition.

Jinlong continued coughing, his complexion getting worse and worse as time passed. However, he still had the strength to take out the vase and bell from his Spatial Ring.

"I… cough… cough… I did it. I got the Void Chains."

The monk looked at the vase and became solemn. His focus immediately shifted. He slowly picked up the vase and carried it over to its designated spot on the formation. Rubbing it a few times, a long black chain spewed out from the top, then seemingly tried to escape as it shot in the opposite direction.

However, the Eight Trigrams Formation had already locked into it, forcing the chains into submission and trapping them. The formation lit up as it began extracting its essence and concentrating it on the lotus in the center.

Jinlong saw that and smiled. His life's work, his purpose, his reason for living… all of it was for this moment. From the day he was born, he was raised to be the man who would rip open Kaius's body and take back the Holy Relic.

With this, all those who had died to Kaius before, whose purpose was to serve as a catalyst for his success, could finally be put to rest. The plan that had lasted thousands of years and cost countless lives had ended.

'I'm… glad…' Jinlong thought, his only regret being that he couldn't witness the Lord's resurrection first-hand. 'Soon… Soon… Our rise is coming…'

"Cough… Cough… Praise… Praise the Lord." He muttered before his eyes went blank, and his head slammed into the ground with a thud.

"Indeed, Second Elder. Praise the Lord."

The monk repeated, bowing toward Jinlong's corpse before picking it up and taking it toward a Sacred Yin Fire, where his body will be used as fuel for the Lord.

***

Smack!

"Ack! You bastard! Let me go!" Yanira squirmed, her face turning red with rage as she was smacked in the butt.

Smack!

"Ugh! I'll kill you!"

"Tsk~ Tsk~ Such a fiesty woman. Since your father clearly didn't discipline you, I shall do it in his stead."

Smack!

Flames started spewing out of Yanira's body as she trembled in rage. Kaius was forced to let her go, but he continued to watch her with a sly smile.

"DIE!"

A wave of fire engulfed Kaius, but he just allowed it to singe his skin, his expression remaining unchanged.

Suddenly, a vast, dense pressure descended on them. Yanira's expression changed as she looked up, seeing all the Divine Sea Realm masters on the Continent surrounding them–some of whom she'd never seen or heard of before.

"Well~ don't mind me," Kaius whispered in her ear, his smile widening. "Go, accept your punishment."

"...I'll kill you." Yanira's teeth creaked, but she was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"You lot came at just the right time! This woman's already taken all the treasures for herself!" Kaius suddenly shouted, causing Yanira to look back, her expression worsening. "Don't believe me, just look at that sword in her hands!"

'Motherfucker! First, it was that stupidly beautiful fox, and now you! Why can't I catch a break?!' Yanira screamed internally, feeling numerous pairs of eyes lock onto her, trying to see through her.

She grunted in disdain and, with a burst of fire, dispelled all those annoying eyes.

"Have fun~"

As soon as Kaius's words fell, a streak of lightning fell from the sky, with Master Lei hovering above them.

"So, we meet again, Yanira."

"Bastard Lei… It's really unfortunate I have to see your ugly mug again so soon."

BOOOM!

The two shot toward each other and attacked without hesitation. There was no need for words between them, the fact that Yanira was holding a Divine-Grade sword he'd never seen spoke more than any words could.

***

Mira shivered, feeling an unsightly gaze roaming across her body. She looked at the man who had caused all this commotion and frowned deeply. Although she was quite far away, she found it odd that she couldn't sense the man's strength. Even with people like Aelina and Yanira, she could vaguely sense their cultivation and, to a certain extent, how much stronger they were compared to her.

But the man seemed like a bottomless pit. She couldn't see his depths, whether they were shallow or monstrous.

'...To think I was about to walk in on such a figure.' She chuckled at the mere absurdity of it all.

Afraid? No, never. But she understood her limits.

However, from what she saw, the man actually seemed relatively neutral. With how he let her go, how he dealt with Yanira, and his general disposition, he seemed to be the type of person who wouldn't act unless it was in his own personal interest.

'That battle was also quite the show. He reminds me of Celaine, with how sharp his will was. Maybe I should introduce the two? Who knows, they might get along.'

Shaking her head, she moved her gaze away from the man and started running. A bunch of powerhouses just showed up, and she had no intention of getting involved in their little squabble.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of Soul Senses locked onto her position. Not even a second later, a man appeared above her, spear at the ready.

'...They must've come to see what all the racket was about.' She sighed and took out her scythe.

"Looks like I'll be here for a while."

"More like forever!" A shout came from the man as a barrage of light beams bombarded her.

Suddenly, through it all, a black line cut through the air and amputated his arms. Before he could scream, icicles formed around his body, stabbing into him.

Mira clenched her fist, and the man exploded into icy particles, slowly fluttering in the wind.

"What a pain."

Among those Divine Sea Realm masters were a few people she didn't want to see. Staying here any longer could alert them of her position if they haven't already found her.

If it were any other day, she'd gladly slaughter the thousands of idiots running to their deaths, but right now, she didn't have the luxury.

She took off in another direction, not wanting to bother with these idiots, but how could they let her go so easily? From where she stood to the center of all the destruction, she was the only person who wasn't in the Divine Sea Realm.

If they thought she had no treasures on her, they'd have to be completely brainless. Even a beast could smell the scent of a greedy fox from Mira!

"Stop right there, woman!"

Mira ignored them and sprinted across the devastated landscape. Behind her, a swarm of cultivators pursued relentlessly. Their intentions were clear: to capture her and claim whatever spoils they believed she possessed.

"Give up, girl! You can't escape us all!" shouted one of the pursuers, a man with a scar across his face, as he launched a barrage of sharp, wind-infused blades toward her.

Mira weaved through the incoming assault without looking. She sent back a few attacks of her own, which killed multiple people, but the relentless attacks kept coming, one after the other, from all directions. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever; she needed to make a stand.

'I at least need to get rid of the more powerful ones.

With a cold glare, Mira spun on her heels, her scythe glowing with Qi. "Enough of this," she hissed, her voice carrying a deadly calm. As the next wave of attackers approached, she swung her scythe, slicing through their techniques and bodies alike, causing blood to rain on the dry land.

Yet, as one fell, two more took their place, their numbers seemingly endless. Some of them weren't weak or stupid, either, with more than one unavoidable attack landing on her. Although the damage healed quickly, she was still injured from getting caught up in the previous fight and had to focus on protecting Hana.

Just as the situation seemed to spiral out of control into something that would catch the attention of those powerhouses, a massive, golden-winged wolf, Rhydian, descended from the skies, her talons and beak ripping apart everything in her path.

With a ferocious roar, she plowed through the attackers, her powerful wings sending shockwaves that reduced their organs into mush.

Rhydian's timely intervention created a momentary pause, allowing Mira to hop on her back. "Took you long enough," Mira called out. "Now, let's get out of here."

'Fine by me.' Rhydian let out a low growl before turning her attention back to the assailants.

The attackers were wary of this newcomer. Mira had already killed tens, if not hundreds, of them without even trying. With this beast, who didn't seem any less powerful than the fox, the situation looked quite dire.

They hesitated, their confidence shaken. But their greed and desire for the treasures they believed Mira held drove them forward, their attacks becoming more desperate and erratic.

'Fools.' Mira and Rhydian thought.

With a powerful flap of her wings, Rhydian created a gust of wind so strong that it momentarily pushed their attackers back, creating a gap in their encirclement. Seizing the opportunity, Rhydian charged through the opening and soared high in the sky, moving further and further away from their pursuers.

Behind them, the frustrated shouts and curses of their pursuers echoed, but Mira and Rhydian didn't look back.

.

.

.

If only things were so easy.