Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

At the top of the mountain that the Battle Maiden Sect is on stood a building. This building wasn't too large, maybe about 5,000 square feet, but the aura radiating off of the building was more than enough to force anyone from approaching if they weren't strong enough or didn't have permission.

The building seemed to be made out of several different kinds of materials, some of which one could easily tell came from the stones and trees on the mountain.

The trees and stones near the top of the mountain have all been saturated with an extremely dense amount of Qi for countless years and have long become Mystical and Divine Grade treasures.

Thus, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the building standing at the top of the mountain is a Divine Grade treasure in and of itself!

Elders Sandra and Angella approached the building with slightly nervous steps. Although they've come here quite a few times, the top of the mountain always leaves them in awe. The density of the Qi, the divine aura coming from the building, and the view are all things that they only get to see every once in a while.

That said, the mountain that the Battle Maiden Sect is on is one of the smaller mountains in the Ancient Beast Mountain Range. However, that is not by choice. If anything, they are lucky to be able to take over the mountain they are currently on!

That doesn't just go for the Battle Maiden Sect, either. Every other Sect, whether they are part of the Orthodox Faction or Unorthodox, is in similar positions as well.

The Ancient Beast Mountain Range is massive and spans almost the entire length of the Western Continent, separating the mainland from the ocean. Naturally, in such an area, terrifying creatures lurk about. It's these entities that have essentially given their permission for the human Sects to reside on the Mountain Range and take advantage of its excessive resources.

It's this view that always reminds the Elders of the Sect that they are not the kings of this mountain. While they might not be the subjects either, they are far from being the strongest force in the Mountain Range.

Of course, things aren't quite that simple. The powers from the Central Continent also have something to do with this as well, but that doesn't necessarily make things better…

Elder Sandra and Angella both had solemn expressions on their faces as they observed the Mountain Range before quickly making their way toward the building.

When they neared the building, a heavy pressure landed on them, but not only were they strong enough to resist it. They had permission to be here as well, so they weren't slowed down in the slightest.

Suddenly, they both knelt down at the same time and said, "We have come to seek an audience with the Sect Master! We bring urgent news!"

A few moments after, a calm, ethereal voice reached their ears.

"Come."

Elder Sandra and Elder Angella got up and entered the building. Immediately after entering, they entered the throne room and noticed a woman who didn't look older than 30 sitting on a golden throne with red velvety cushions.

The woman had ashy-colored hair and violet eyes. The aura around her gave others the feeling that she was much more than meets the eye, and they wouldn't be wrong. She's the Sect Master for a reason.

"Sasha, Angella, what brings you here today, and in such a hurry at that?" The Sect Master, Aelina Verlice, asked with an even voice.

Elder Sandra stepped forward, "Answering the Sect Master! We came here to inform you that someone from the Unorthodox Faction invaded the territory around the Outer Court and kidnapped one of our disciples!"

Aelina's face didn't change when she heard this, and she calmly asked back, "And? What would you like me to do about it? One of you, Elders, is more than enough to deal with this situation. Why have you come to me about this issue?"

Elder Sandra gulped nervously because although this seemingly young woman on the throne might look calm, everyone who's been in the Sect long enough knew that she, too, has a nasty personality once someone steps on her bottom line.

And one of the things she hates most is people wasting her time.

"Ahem! You're correct, but I'm afraid the disciple they kidnapped is a bit… special." Elder Sandra said bitterly, and this time, a glint of surprise flashed through Aelina's eyes.

'Hmmm… I guess if Sandra is saying this, then this situation probably isn't as simple as I initially thought.' Aelina thought to herself before signaling Elder Sandra to continue.

"I'm not talking about this disciple's background or anything like that. From what I know, she was raised in a village in the middle of nowhere and came here at the recommendation of one of our Branch Sects. However, this disciple is extremely talented. Probably the most talented person I've ever seen, and I have a feeling that's only the tip of the iceberg!"

Now, Elder Sandra had officially captured Aelina's interest.

"Hoh? If it's you saying so, then they must be quite the talent. Alright, tell me more about this disciple." Aelina responded in the same voice as before, but Elder Sandra could hear the slight amount of intrigue in her voice.

"Yes, Sect Master! From what I found out, Mira is…"

Elder Sandra then proceeded to tell Aelina everything she knew about Mira, from her past to her feats at the Branch Sect, all the way to the present. She told the Sect Master everything, including her fox tails, Intent, unique friends, subordinates/trial disciples, along with Mira's estimated strength.

It has to be said that Elder Sandra wasn't sitting around doing nothing over the last few months. With talents like Mira, Maria, and Celaine training in their Sect, she needed to know everything about their background.

Normally, they would only begin looking deeper into a disciple's history once they make it to the Inner Court, but Mira and her friends were just too unique. Well, Elder Sandra was also interested in them as well. Therefore, she was unable to hold back her curiosity.

Lo and behold, after looking into their history, they really did grow up in the middle of nowhere!

Elder Sandra even knew about how Mira dealt with the Soul Devouring Sect's invasion of Lunar Fox City!

The only thing she was curious about was how Mira got her tails because, from her information, Mira didn't have tails when she left Lunar Fox City to come to Snow Maiden City. However, she just chalked it up to a lucky encounter, something that Mira seems to have quite a lot of.

Elder Sandra was even able to learn about Mira's time in Quake City and how she joined the Mercenary Association for about a year before coming to the Sect.

Naturally, she didn't leave anything out when telling the Sect Master about Mira. Aside from things that Mira never showed to the public, it could be said that Elder Sandra managed to dig up most of Mira's history.

That, along with what she's observed during the two months Mira's been in the Sect, allowed Elder Sandra to paint a pretty good picture of how talented Mira is.

"...Lastly, I'd like to say that, based on my observations, Mira may have the strength of someone at the Peak of the Core Formation Realm or above while only being at Stage 1 of the Core Formation Realm."

Aelina went through numerous emotions listening to Elder Sandra report her findings on Mira. At first, she didn't want to believe Sandra's words since they were too unrealistic. Even now, she was a bit skeptical about all this. Perhaps if it wasn't Elder Sandra who was saying this, or if she hadn't already gathered so much information about Mira, to begin with, Aelina definitely would have thought she was being pranked right now.

However, Aelina knew all the Elders of the Sect fairly well, and Sandra wasn't someone who would lie about stuff like this. No, more accurately, she wasn't someone to spend this much time gathering information in the first place!

Just that alone showed how highly Sandra thought of Mira!

However, although she trusted her, Aelina was still a bit skeptical, but how could she not be? Being as strong as someone at the peak of the Core Formation Realm or higher while only being at Stage 1?

What kind of nonsense is that?!

It must be said that the difference between someone at the peak of the Core Formation Realm and someone who just entered it is monumental! Depending on one's foundation when entering this Realm, they might end up being dozens of times stronger or, in some cases, even more than that!

So, saying that Mira is as strong as someone at the peak of the Core Formation Realm while only being at Stage 1 means that she's a never before seen talent, and Elder Sandra's saying that it's possible she's even stronger than that?!

'If what Sandra's saying is true, this Mira girl might very well be able to lead our Battle Maiden Sect to new heights! From the sound of it, Mira's not only strong and talented, but she's intelligent, ruthless, and can keep calm in almost every scenario. If trained properly, wouldn't she make a perfect leader?'

When Aelina's thoughts reached that point, her eyes widened slightly before narrowing.

"I see. Now tell me everything you know about how Mira was captured and these Unorthodox Faction cultivators."

Although Aelina's voice didn't change, it still sent a shiver down Sandra and Angella's spines as they knew the Sect Master had gotten serious.