Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

In the middle of space, somewhere hidden in the vast universe, a planet of extremes existed, where fire and ice held equal sway over the landscape. Towering ice spires jutted up from the ground, casting a pale, blue light over the icy plains below. The air was bitterly cold, with gusts of frigid wind whipping snow and ice crystals through the air.

But amidst the icy wastes, there were also great chasms of molten lava, glowing bright red-orange in the darkness. Streams of lava flowed through the cracks in the ice, their heat melting the ice and leaving behind a trail of hissing steam. The air was thick with the scent of sulfur and smoke, and the occasional roar of an eruption echoed across the landscape.

Due to the harsh environment, life could not flourish on this planet. Occasionally, natural treasures would form, but due to the opposing nature of this planet, only a select few were strong enough in their growth stage to form.

Despite this, two beings of opposing natures coexisted, just like the planet.

One was a magnificent Ice Phoenix, and the other was a domineering Fire Dragon, and together they lived on this planet.

Right now, those two inhabitants were… in the middle of a 'sacred' ritual…

*PAH**PAH**PAH*

"Ahnn~ Mmm~m~ Yee~ss~! Right there~! That's the spot, Ignatius~~!" A woman with shimmering, pale blue hair, porcelain skin, and bright blue eyes moaned.

On top of her was a tall, imposing figure with broad shoulders and a muscular build. His hair was a fiery red, and his eyes glowed with an inner light as though flames burned within them.

He grabbed the woman's waist and pushed her light blue, feathered wings into the ground, resuming the ritual.

"Urgh!" The man, Ignatius, grunted as he thrust his hip forward, "Yeah? You like that, Eira?!"

"Mmhmm~!" She moaned out in delight, stroking the man's ego.

The two continued their 'ritual' for a while before suddenly, they froze. It was as if time had stopped for a moment. The two looked into each other's eyes and watched their shock grow with each passing moment.

Seconds that felt like hours passed until they finally snapped out of their trance.

"Elenei!"

"Elenei!"

They shouted simultaneously, their eyes widening with shock, fear, and confusion.

"What the hell happened?!"

"What the hell happened?!"

They yelled allowed simultaneously again. Ignatius quickly got off of Eira and manifested a set of black robes with his Qi. Eira sat next to her husband and did the same thing, except she wore a set of white robes.

"Why do I feel like something has happened to Elenei?" Ignatius stared at his wife, his deep voice rumbling throughout the area.

"I felt it too," Eira nodded slowly with a serious expression, "It almost feels like her bloodline changed."

"Not changed. Evolved," Ignatius corrected, to which his wife agreed, but that was what confused her.

"How is it possible for a Frostfire Phoenix to evolve? In terms of bloodline and talent, she should be slightly higher than us!"

Ignatius nodded, "That is if her bloodlines fused instead of rejecting each other."

"Then, do you think she found a way to fuse them? You know just how obsessed she was to find a 'cure' to her 'ailment'." Eira said that last part with a hint of bitterness, sadness, and a slight amount of anger, but Ignatius ignored that.

Elenei made a decision a long time ago to find a way to integrate her Ice Phoenix bloodline and Fire Dragon bloodline into one. Although Ignatius knew such an endeavor was impossible, he respected her decision.

The cultivation world was all about power, and if Elenei couldn't become an Immortal Phoenix due to her conflicting bloodlines, then she could only be reduced to a seed bed or, if she was lucky, a concubine.

Even they, her parents, were powerless if the leaders of their race made such a decision.

While the Beast Clans in the Immortal World were incredibly complex, they were also very simple.

Power ruled everything. If they weren't the most powerful, they could only submit to the ones who were.

However, Elenei refused to accept that fate and went off on her own to find a way to control her future.

Ignatius shrugged at Eira's question, "How would I know? If I had to guess, I would say that she had indeed found a way, but at the same time, I doubt it's so simple."

Eira closed her eyes for a moment and checked on the bloodline connection she had with her daughter. Only beasts and people with a sufficient level of strength could do this, where they could check the status of anyone who shared their bloodline.

She could still feel her and her husband's bloodline from Elenei through her connection, but there was something odd with it. It was as if it was mixed with something new, creating a totally unique bloodline.

That was already strange, as she didn't know what Elenei mixed into her bloodlines for that to happen, but more importantly…

'I can't even tell if my daughter is still a Phoenix or not!' Eira didn't know how such a thing was possible!

Phoenixes are akin to progenitors for their lesser races. For example, even a mortal sparrow, without any cultivation, has a sliver of Phoenix DNA in it. Although that DNA might not even make up .000000001% of its existence, it's still there.

Theoretically, if that sparrow found a way to isolate their Phoenix bloodline, remove everything else, and improve it, it could transform into a Phoenix. The chances of such a thing happening are so infinitesimally small that it could be considered impossible, but it could happen under ideal circumstances.

Thus, the theoretical limit of a sparrow would be a Phoenix. Going beyond that would be impossible.

Even for Phoenixes, going beyond what their talent allowed was impossible. They couldn't just transform into a new, higher species because they wanted to.

The same went for Dragons.

Even if a 'perfect' Dragon-Phoenix hybrid existed, they still couldn't break that limit; Elenei was proof of this.

At least, that's what Eira thought.

However, Elenei had done just that! She had broken that limit and became something that nobody had ever reached!

'What did Elenei do?' Eira frowned.

Instead of feeling proud of her daughter for achieving such a thing, she grew worried. There was only one type of existence throughout history that could constantly break its own limits as if it didn't have any, and those went extinct.

Not one or two, but all of them!

Eira didn't want what happened then to happen to her Phoenix Clan because Elenei did something she shouldn't have!

'Unfortunately, she's in the Mortal Realm right now, or else I would've dragged her back right now to discuss what's going on.'

Of course, Eira thought about going there herself or sending someone down but immediately dismissed the thought.

First, she didn't want to anger the Heavens for no reason.

Second, who would she send? Not only is everyone she knows an Immortal, but she doesn't trust anyone enough to visit her daughter. Especially not now.

"Whatever. I'll ask her about it when she ascends. It shouldn't take more than a few hundred years to do so with her talent."

"Whatever. I'll ask her about it when she ascends. It shouldn't take more than a few hundred years to do so with her talent."

Ignatius and Eira looked at each other and said at the same time. The two were so in sync that it was almost scary.

Once they made a decision, they were going to follow through with it. Since they decided to wait, then they'd wait. There was no need to waste brainpower on something that might not happen for another few hundred years.

Their 'clothes' dissipated, and they were about to resume their 'ritual', but they received a transmission from their leaders before they could.

"Everyone, come back to Headquarters now! We have something important to discuss."

Ignatius and Eira sighed before manifesting clothes again and standing up.

"It seems like the others felt the change in Elenei's bloodline too. Do you think they know it's her?" Eira asked without emotion.

Ignatius shook his head and said, "They wouldn't have called us if they did."

"Or, they would've called for us specifically," Eira added.

"What's our story?" Ignatius asked.

"We'll feign ignorance for now. No need to cause any extra trouble for our daughter."

Ignatius nodded, "Very well."

Then, he circulated Qi around his body and gave his wife a suggestive look, "I'll see you back here after we're done."

A faint blush crept up on Eira's porcelain skin, but her expression remained indifferent, "Mmhm. Let's see if we can give Elenei a little sibling."

Ignatius gave his wife a faint nod, then disappeared from his position, heading toward his Fire Dragon Clan's headquarters. As soon as he left, Eira did as well, heading toward her Phoenix Clan's headquarters.

***

Meanwhile, the daughter they were concerned about was bouncing joyfully around a 9-tailed fox woman like a little girl.