Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

After a minute of planning, the two of them were able to come up with a rather simple plan. Part of the reason for its simplicity is because they don't have much time to make a complicated plan and another reason is that there is no need to do so.

They only had to keep 4 things in mind while making this plan:

1. Steal the High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source.

2. Make sure nobody suspects Mira of stealing the High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source.

3. Don't kill the Branch Head.

4. Don't kill the Basilisk.

As long as those 4 requirements are met, then Mira will be able to get a Spirit Stone Mine Source without having to lift a finger. Of course, they both knew that things wouldn't be so simple as they are dealing with a Mythical Beast and a high-level cultivator who has been planning this expedition for years.

However, Mira wasn't too worried about anything going wrong. The only thing she was worried about was Elenei actually getting the High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source. Everything else can be dealt with accordingly.

That being said, time was of the essence. They could still feel the Basilisk and (presumably) the Branch Head fighting and they both knew that high-leveled fights like this can end in an instant. All it takes is a single mistake from either party for the fight to spiral out of control. Either that, or it's a battle of attrition, to which the Basilisk will undoubtedly win.

So without wasting any more time, Elenei polymorphed into a small bird around the size of a palm. She also had Mira's Spatial Ring around her neck so that she could place the Source in it as soon as she got her hands on it.

As for the polymorph ability, most beasts, especially higher-tiered bloodline beasts, have this ability so it wasn't so shocking. The only thing that shook Mira a bit was how small Elenei could turn herself. She wondered why Rhydian couldn't turn herself into a little puppy instead of being forced to stay in such a large body, but Elenei just told her that it was because she hadn't fully matured yet.

Then with a swoosh, Elenei sped out of Mira's Soul Sea. She was so fast that neither Rhydian, Mira, nor Robin noticed anything. All Robin felt was a cool breeze brush across her face, but she didn't think much of it. The literal world was crumbling around her, how could she possibly care about such an insignificant detail?

Mira and Rhydian also kept their expressions stoic and continued doing what they were originally trying to do: that is getting the fuck out of this chasm!

***

Meanwhile, on Elenei's side, right after she flew out of Mira's Soul Sea she directly went in the direction of the battle.

From what Elenei could sense, the treasure was still located there, but the fight between the Cursed Basilisk and the Branch Head was about to reach its climax. To make matters worse, they were fighting right next to the treasure!

Those idiots!!

Although a High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source is incredibly sturdy for what it is, it's not invincible. Far from it. A few direct hits from either one of those two will shatter it into a million pieces!

How could they be so careless?!

Not only that, but from what she could see, they completely ignored it altogether and were solely focused on each other!!

How stupid can they be?! They are clearly fighting for ownership of the treasure, why are they so fixated on one another?!

Although Elenei thought this, she wasn't actually complaining. More than anything, she just felt ashamed to be even remotely associated with such an idiotic Mythical Beast!

Still, its idiocy made her job easier. Not only that, but these two were completely wasting the potential of a High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source!

Just think about what a Spirit Stone Mine Source actually does! It converts atmospheric Qi into something purer, denser, and easier to ingest. Creating Spirit Stones is just a by-product of this! In truth, if used correctly a Spirit Stone Mine Source could speed up herb growth, create Elemental Essences, act as a natural Qi Gathering Formation, and so many other things.

Hell, if one used it correctly they could even use it to purify herbs and pills, increasing their grade, efficiency, and potential!

There's truly an unlimited number of ways one can use a Spirit Stone Mine Source and these people only wanted to use it to produce Spirit Stone Mines or to use it for cultivation?!

No, that second part couldn't even be considered true. As a Mythical Beast, its cultivation probably only sped up by at most a percentage or so because of this High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source.

While that may seem like a lot, in truth this little bit of increased cultivation speed means very little to Mythical Beasts. They are nigh immortal even before entering the Immortal Realms, what is a few extra years of cultivation?

Elenei honestly couldn't understand the thinking of this Cursed Basilisk. Sure, it cultivated slightly faster than normal, but it's not like its cultivation speed was slow, to begin with! It was using this High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine in such a useless manner that Elenei felt like she was doing the world a favor by taking it away from the Basilisk!

If before Elenei was a bit reluctant to do this, now she didn't think so. This Cursed Basilisk was clearly a shame to all Mythical Beasts for not using its brain and wasting the benefits such a treasure could bring it.

With those thoughts in her mind, Elenei sped through the ground at break-neck speed towards the Source.

She just covered herself in flames and directly charged into the walls, completely incinerating them before her body even made contact.

With such a method combined with her speed, it only took Elenei a few seconds to appear before the Cursed Basilisk and the Mercenary Association Branch Head.

The two of them immediately stopped fighting, feeling the terrifying aura coming toward them, but before they could do or say anything a small figure flashed in front of them and appeared on top of the Source.

They then saw a small bird sitting on the High-Grade Spirit Stone Mine Source, then it touched the Source with its wing causing it to disappear before rushing off in a different direction, away from Mira.

The two of them were so stunned by this series of events that they didn't even know how to react for a few seconds. In truth, Elenei moved way too fast that their brains couldn't even comprehend her existence until it was already too late.

The two of them stood there in shock and disbelief as they stared at the spot the Source had been just moments ago.

They couldn't believe that while they were fighting, a third party could make its way in without them noticing, steal the treasure then leave without them being able to do anything.

They both felt an unprecedented amount of rage building up in their chests when they realized this wasn't an illusion or some dream. No, it was real, very real.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR*

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!! GET BACK HERE!!"

Without hesitation, the two of them put aside their differences for now and immediately chased after the small bird that had just stole their precious loot!

The two of them burst their way through the walls of the chasm in hopes of catching up to the small bird, but how could their speed possibly compare to that of a Phoenix?

By the time they realized that the Source was gone, Elenei was already long gone. In truth, if Elenei were to fly at her top speed, they wouldn't have even been able to catch a glimpse at her figure!

The only reason she went so 'slowly' was because this was part of Mira's plan. To lead them away from her so nobody would suspect her of anything.

What Mira didn't know was that even if Elenei flew in her direction, nobody would suspect a thing. How could they? She's only a Foundation Realm brat! How could she possibly possess such a frighteningly fast creature?

Another reason for this is because Mira didn't want to be accidentally killed by the Basilisk and the Branch Head's chase.

Of course, Mira had other thoughts on this as well. With those two gone, wouldn't she be able to plunder this chasm without having to worry about these two high-leveled entities?

That way, not only can she take the ultimate treasure of this place with her, but everything else as well! Well, that is if there even is anything to begin with. Who knows, that Basilisk might've eaten or distributed all of the good stuff to itself and its descendants.

'Well, at least I can kill a few of its descendants and collect their corpses in hopes of doing something with them in the future.' Those were Mira's thoughts on the matter.

With those thoughts in mind, Mira turned to Robin and Rhydian and said, "Let's go see what's going on!" Then she ran off.