Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

Mira made her way to the Inner Court's library, clutching the token Aelina had given her. She had received plenty of looks from the other disciples, but they could all see the token in her hand and chose not to comment.

By now, Mira's infamy was growing due to all her exploits, so although many still didn't know who exactly Mira was, they immediately recognized the 9 tails and her drop-dead gorgeous face.

Upon entering the library, Mira was greeted by a disciple at the front desk.

The woman had a neutral smile on her face as Mira entered. A light of recognition flashed through her eyes, as she had heard of Mira before, but she didn't lose her professionalism.

"Are you here to pick out a technique?" She asked.

Mira nodded and showed her token to the woman, who scanned it with an array before nodding.

"Alright, I've confirmed that your token is authentic. Just insert your Qi into the token, and it'll grant you access to the library."

Mira nodded once again, doing as she said. Suddenly, the token shone, and she was teleported deeper into the building where all the books, manuals, and techniques were.

Mira was greeted by a sea of bookshelves that seemed to stretch on for miles. The library was massive and filled with ancient knowledge, but an air of solemnity permeated the entire space.

As she walked through the aisles, though she was indifferent to most things, even she couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence for the countless books surrounding her. Each one represented years of accumulated wisdom, and she was eager to uncover the secrets hidden within them.

'I'll ask Aelina if I can browse through the library later. For now, I'll just find the technique I'm looking for and leave.' Mira thought and continued looking for anything regarding the enslavement of another person.

A few minutes later, as Mira carefully scanned the shelves, her eyes eventually landed on a weathered scroll under a section called [Dangerous and Forbidden Techniques. Use at your own risk.]. The title read, "The Abyssal Enslavement Technique."

Her eyes shook for a moment, and she pulled out the scroll. Something about the word "Abyssal" drew her in, forming a faint connection between them.

Reading it, Mira learned that, at its core, the technique was about using the target's Qi, meridians, and Core to control their mind. It was extremely complex, and one wrong move could lead to the death of not only the target but the user as well.

The technique required the practitioner to insert their Qi into the target's meridians, infiltrating and weaving through their energy channels like a venomous snake. Once inside, the practitioner would carefully manipulate the target's Qi, suppressing their consciousness and bending their will to the user's desires.

Moreover, the technique was highly addictive, and overuse could lead to the user becoming consumed by the dark power it bestowed, ultimately corrupting their own mind and soul.

As Mira studied the technique, she couldn't help but nod, feeling satisfied with her pick.

She browsed through a few more enslavement techniques, but none were as full-proof as the [The Abyssal Enslavement Technique].

Taking it back to the receptionist, she had Mira sign something saying that she had borrowed the technique.

The receptionist was surprised that Mira chose a Forbidden technique but didn't say anything. There were plenty of warning signs, not just in the library but on the technique as well. If Mira still didn't know what she was getting herself into, she deserved whatever backlash she received.

Afterward, she left the Inner Court and returned to her residence, where she sat beside Dominique and began studying the technique.

***

Meanwhile, two hours later, the summit of the mountain was abuzz with activity as the top disciples gathered for Aelina's meeting. They whispered amongst themselves, excited about the thought of having a meeting with the Sect Master and many of the other Elders.

There were 20 disciples with white robes, 10 with dark blue robes, countless (somewhere in the thousands, maybe more) with black robes, and 40 with red robes.

Those with white robes were from the Outer Court, the ones with blue were from the Inner Court, the women with black robes on were all the Core Disciples, and the 40 red-robed people were all the Direct Disciples.

The numbers seemed quite skewed, as the amount of Soul Transformation Realm disciples here was immense. However, most of them had already reached their full potential and would never step into the Mortal Shedding Realm.

One must remember that those in the Soul Transformation Realm were the backbone of a Sect. The minimum goal of any of the Top Sects on the Western Continent is to, at the bare minimum, nurture a disciple to the Soul Transformation Realm.

The Mortal Shedding Realm is a massive hurdle for the vast majority of people, and expecting every disciple to become one is nothing more than wishful thinking.

The Battle Maiden Sect only has around 50 Mortal Shedding Realm Elders, and each of them is busy with something.

Whether they are helping guide the younger generation, cultivating, creating techniques, creating weapons/armor, studying auxiliary occupations, or on a mission, they are all busy with something.

Even in war, they usually don't fight unless necessary, as the amount of noise and destruction they can cause is not to be taken lightly.

Thus, the Core Disciples take on most of the missions or assignments that generally deepen a Sect's foundation, making it so they can survive countless more generations.

Not to mention, those in the Soul Transformation Realm live a very long time, and with how long the Battle Maiden Sect has existed, it's not strange there are so many of them.

Quietly, Mira used the Hidden World Technique to integrate herself into the crowd. She didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, as surprisingly, she was exhausted after studying the [Abyssal Enslavement Technique].

It was as if just thinking about using the technique drained her.

'No wonder it's considered a forbidden technique.' Mira thought. Still, she didn't regret her decision. She looked around and saw a few familiar faces, mainly Eden, Nova, Seraphina, Everly, and Rayna.

She also noticed Asami and Celaine standing beside each other, with their white robes on.

Mira nodded, satisfied, when she noticed they had reached the peak of the Core Formation Realm. She could even feel an incredibly sharp and powerful aura coming from Celaine, which excited Mira for the future when Celaine learned Saber Manifestation and broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

'I'll say hi to her later.'

A few moments later, when Aelina finally arrived, all the elders accompanied her, each wearing serious expressions. The air was heavy with anticipation as Aelina addressed the assembled disciples.

"Today, we gather to discuss the upcoming war with the Crimson Slayer Sect," she began, her voice echoing throughout the summit. "We are at a critical juncture in our history, and the outcome of this war will have a profound impact on our Sect's future as we are not just against a single Sect, but an entire Faction!"

"You might think that the Unorthodox Faction is just a group of savage brutes who terrorize the common people and don't care about anyone other than themselves, and you'd be right. However, they are a legitimate Faction and won't just stand by and watch as we uproot one of their main Sects! Thus, in the case that we face off against the entire faction, we must prepare for the worst! That's why I called you all here today!"

Seeing all sorts of emotions flash through her disciples' eyes, Aelina spoke again before they could form any misunderstandings.

"However, I must clarify that we are not helpless in this situation. I have formed an alliance with a few of the other Orthodox Sects, and they won't stand by and watch should the rest of the Unorthodox Faction intervene in our war!"

Aelina's words settled their conflicting emotion, leaving only fear and excitement for the upcoming war.

"Now, you might be wondering why I called you all here," Aelina said, eliciting a nod from everyone, "Well, that's because you all will be the leaders of this war! The Elders and I will be there to prevent any of those old folks from killing you all, but the war itself will be left on your shoulders!"

"..."

The women glanced at one another, anxiety clear in their eyes. Most of them weren't new to leadership and, thus, knew how tough it could be. However, while commanding small teams on group missions was fine, war was a completely different beast…

"However, I'm not just dropping this role onto you without giving you anything in return! For those of you who perform well and kill as many Crimson Slayer Sect disciples with as few casualties as possible, I'll put you in the running for the Sect's Prime Disciple position!"

"...."

After hearing that last bit of information, the crowd stood there in stunned silence. It took them a moment to process everything before going into an uproar!

"OOOOOH!! Did you hear that?! I could become the Sect's Prime Disciple!"

"Those nasty Crimson Slayer insects must die! Now! And by my hands!"

"Hahaha! Finally! With all the Sect's resources at my fingertips, I'll be able to break through to the Soul Transformation Realm!"

"Fuck the Soul Transformation Realm! I might be able to reach the Mortal Shedding Realm!"

Aelina smiled at their reaction, but before they could get too crazy, she waved her hand, silencing them.

"I know it's exciting, but please wait until the end to celebrate. Now, let's talk about your individual roles in this war!"

As the meeting continued, Aelina detailed the upcoming training plans, discussed their various strategies against the Crimson Slayer Sect and their roles and responsibilities. The disciples listened attentively, their spirits ignited by their Sect Master's words.

As the meeting drew to a close, Aelina looked out at her disciples, her gaze filled with pride.

"That's all for now. Everyone other than the Direct Disciples and Mira may leave and begin preparing for your upcoming inspections with the Elders, which will happen tomorrow. Thank you all for participating in this meeting, and I look forward to your results!"