Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

Mira stared in the direction of the Battle Maiden Sect as the killing intent in her eyes grew.

'W-What did you say?' Mira inwardly asked.

"It seems someone is attacking your Sect, and with quite a powerful force at that." The Guardian replied, this time without any amusement. He watched the Battle Maiden Sect situation unfold and could tell that while it certainly did look like an "attack" there were no casualties.

Instead, it was as if they were looking for someone.

With Zehir fighting Mira and knowing who exactly was doing the invading, he understood what was happening and decided to warn Mira before it was too late.

"You should probably hurry back as quickly as possible." The Guardian urged, causing Mira's eyes to narrow.

The Guardian she knew was always playful and annoying; if he was so serious, it either meant he was playing a prank on her or there was a genuinely bad situation.

Mira leaned toward the former as she doubted he would interrupt such an enjoyable fight for no reason.

With her eyes growing colder by the second, Mira turned to Zehir to see if he was in on the plan of whoever was invading her Sect, but all she saw was killing intent and a will for battle.

'It doesn't seem like he knows what's going on. Did they not tell him? Is he unrelated? Or is he just good at hiding his involvement?' Mira thought.

"It seems we'll have to put our battle on hold for the moment. There's something that I must attend to right now." Mira said and turned to Rhydian, who was hoving above the Star-Horned Wolves, protecting them from the aftermath of their fight.

'Head for the Battle Maiden Sect with your subordinates. Let me deal with this guy first. Then I'll catch up to you.' She spoke to her through their connection.

Rhydian was confused for a second but nodded regardless. She could feel the seriousness in her voice and knew that this wasn't the time to be playing around. If Mira said she needed to go back, she needed to go back!

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" Rhydian gave a few commands to the Star-Horned Wolves, and they immediately moved out, heading toward the Sect.

Zehir watched this happen right before his eyes and couldn't help but find this situation weird. He stared at Mira and could tell that she wished for nothing more than to continue fighting him, but something prevented her from doing so.

Something more important than him.

Just that was enough to irk him more than he would've liked to admit.

"Hmph! Did I say you could leave?" He snorted, his aura rising as he channeled his Qi and sent a sword strike toward Rhydian and the other wolves.

However, before it could hit them, a large ice wall appeared and blocked the attack.

"Do I need your permission?" Mira asked coldly, the scythe in her hands thrumming with power. Just like he thought, she wanted to continue their fight, but who knows how long it'd take before they wore each other out.

They both had insane regeneration speed and vitality. Not only that, but their bodily strength, stamina, and Qi reserves were incredibly deep. It might take a few minutes to hours to finish their battle!

Mira could use her Death Tail to finish him off, but what if he had a way to counter it? Even if he didn't, she'd still be weakened, with 50% of her blood essence gone.

Naturally, she couldn't allow such a thing to happen. Not right now.

A pair of massive Paragon Wings formed above her back, and she used the 2nd Stage of the Blood Burst Technique. Her aura skyrocketed as her vitality-rich blood pumped through her body, filling her with endless strength.

Zehir was so surprised by the sudden power boost that he didn't even realize Mira was already in front of him!

*BOOOOM!!*

Mira's scythe slammed into his stomach, creating a wide gash, as she sent him flying across the mountain range at supersonic speeds.

Mira used this chance to fly away in the direction Rhydian and the other wolves were moving.

"DAMMmmit!! RAAAAAaaaa!"

Mira heard Zehir screaming behind her as she flew away.

It didn't take long for her and Elenei to catch up with Rhydian, to which they immediately hopped on her back. Mira then began using her Wind and Yin Lightning Qi to increase their speed.

"Get to the Battle Maiden Sect as soon as possible!" Mira ordered, and Rhydian didn't need to be told twice.

She flapped her massive wings even harder as they shot through the air at insane speeds, leaving behind Zehir.

***

As Mira approached the Battle Maiden Sect, the sect, which was situated along the length of a towering mountain, was under a brutal siege by the Unorthodox Faction. Its disciples and many ferocious beasts swarmed the sect's defenses like a relentless tide, intent on destroying everything in their path.

However, because of the recent attacks on their Sect, Aelina, and the other Elders had strengthened their defenses with even more Arrays and Formations, making it hard for them to break through.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean they couldn't break through, as all it took was a few Mortal Shedding Realm experts to rip open a hole in the defenses, allowing the disciples in.

The sky above the mountain was filled with a chaotic whirlwind of activity. Unorthodox Faction disciples rode on the backs of massive, winged beasts - some resembling scaly lizards, others like monstrous birds of prey - as they circled the mountain, launching devastating aerial attacks on the sect's buildings and fortifications. Fiery projectiles rained down upon the mountaintop, attempting to set ablaze the once-proud structures that had stood for centuries.

Of course, the disciples of the Battle Maiden Sect weren't useless and immediately moved in to prevent wanton destruction, something they were successful in doing.

The mountainside itself had become a battleground of epic proportions. Unorthodox Faction disciples, dressed in dark, sinister robes, clashed with the Battle Maiden Sect's warriors, who fought fiercely in their vibrant, battle-worn armor. The two sides clashed with swords, spears, and other weapons, their Qi-infused strikes creating shockwaves that reverberated throughout the mountain.

Fearsome beasts, accompanied by the Unorthodox Faction, tore through the sect's ranks, their roars and growls echoing through the air, only to either end up dead or tossed away like a ragdoll. Giant serpents slithered up the mountain, their fangs dripping with venom as they sought to sink them into their prey. Ferocious, bear-like creatures with razor-sharp claws rampaged through the sect's courtyard while packs of wolf-like beasts, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light, prowled the periphery, ready to pounce on any stragglers.

The Battle Maiden Sect's disciples fought valiantly, determined to protect their home and their fellow sisters. Aelina, the Sect Leader, commanded her forces from a strategic vantage point, her voice booming across the battlefield as she called out orders to her disciples, Outer, Inner, and Core. Her eyes were filled with a mysterious light as she did so.

However, if one were to look closely, one would see a slight smirk on her face. Clearly, she was enjoying this situation.

'This is such a great opportunity to train the disciples for times of war!' Aelina thought.

Her Sect trained her disciples in almost everything, but they severely lacked experience in such war-like situations.

This couldn't be helped as not only the Battle Maiden Sect but no Top Sect had entered an all-out war with another power over the last few hundred years, at the very least.

Now that such a perfect opportunity had come, how could she ruin it by killing everyone herself or even allowing the other Elders to take part in this "practice war"?

Of course, the Elders had a different job: to prevent the Mortal Shedding Realm experts from the other side from causing a ruckus and killing everyone while also protecting areas that needed protection.

Thus, Aelina decided she would only step in once she felt like her disciples had practiced enough.

"Launch your attacks from the walls, disciples! Kill everything that dares to come close to our Sect!" Aelina ordered.

Disciples lined the walls, their arrows and long-range Qi attacks finding their marks with deadly precision.

Meanwhile, close-combat warriors wielded their weapons with skill and ferocity, their eyes blazing with the fires of determination.

In the midst of the chaos, the Elders of the Battle Maiden Sect displayed their formidable prowess. They unleashed devastating attacks that sent the Mortal Shedding Realm experts of the Unorthodox Faction flying. The mountainside trembled under the sheer force of their power, but the Elders knew that they couldn't let up even for a moment.

This might just be a training session for Aelina and the rest of the disciples, but they all knew that letting these people wander around their Sect freely could bring untold consequences.

Unfortunately, amidst all the chaos and destruction, they failed to notice a few shadows sneaking into the Sect under everyone's watch, including Aelina's.