Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

The explosion shook the battlefield, the shockwaves rippling through the air as the toxic substances spread out in all directions.

"Mira!!"

The screams of Mira's name echoed across the battlefield as Nova and the others used their Soul Sense to try and locate her, their hearts heavy with dread. Even now, the toxic substances burned through their bodies as if they were made of paper; they couldn't imagine what Mira experienced, taking the brunt of it head-on.

The four of them struggled to get up and move toward the explosion site, desperately wanting to help their friend. However, they were unable to get close as the poisonous fog lingered in the air.

"Cough... Cough Cough! I-I'm... I'm alright! Just hurry up and deal with those bastards! I... I-I'll try and... Cough... make my way out as quickly as possible." Suddenly, they heard Mira's hoarse voice come from within the fog, and they all breathed a sigh of relief that she was still alive.

Even though her voice was weak, the determination in her tone reassured them. They knew they couldn't let Mira's efforts go to waste, so they gathered their strength and focused on their enemies.

Nova glanced at her companions before turning her attention back to General Zhang and his subordinates, who were looking at them in surprise, not expecting to see them out of the poison fog.

In a low voice, she said, "I'm going to use my Heavenly Sunfire Descension and end this-"

"No!" Everly interrupted and stepped up. Nova and the others looked at her curiously as she ascended into the sky, "You don't need to use such a powerful ability to get rid of these cowards. We still need to use the recording, preferably without any editing. Plus, we don't know who might be watching in the distance. So, just sit back and let me handle this."

Nova opened her mouth to speak up, but whatever she was about to say got stuck in her throat, as she knew Everly was right.

While Heavenly Sunfire Descension wasn't her strongest technique, it was her best as it was incredibly efficient for how much damage and destruction she could cause with how little Qi it cost.

Not to mention, in terms of overall power, Nova was stronger than Everly. It would be a waste to show off one of her main techniques to the world so early on in the war.

"...Do whatever you want." Nova waved her hand dismissively, but her eyes never left General Zhang and the others, ready to make a move at any time.

Everly separated herself from Nova and the rest as she knew just how deadly her technique was. If she lost control for even a second, she could cause substantial damage to her teammates.

General Zhang and the others narrowed their eyes upon watching Everly close in on them, but a sneer spread upon his face when he noticed that her companions had no intention of interfering.

"Have you come to surrender?" General Zhang asked with a smile, then he shrugged, "Unfortunately, we were told to kill everyone on sight, even if the person in question is as beautiful as you."

Everly didn't say anything, causing General Zhang to frown.

"Soldiers!" General Zhang yelled, "Kill that woman!"

"Yes, sir!"

Everly remained calm and focused as the Soul Transformation Realm disciples from the Crimson Slayer Sect closed in on her. Their expressions were twisted with bloodlust, and their weapons gleamed menacingly in the light.

The first wave of attacks came as a coordinated barrage. Swords, spears, and staffs slashed, thrust and swung in her direction, aiming to tear her apart.

Yet, with a grace and fluidity that showed off her power, Everly evaded each attack, her body moving like a dancing flame. It seemed as if every attack was a mere hair's breadth from hitting her, but she remained unscathed.

As the battle intensified, Everly's eyes started to glow with a fierce, golden glare, with lightning shooting through her pupils. The air around her shimmered with heat, and despite being so high up, the ground beneath her feet began to crack and melt, leaving behind molten trails. Her Qi surged, and her power began to radiate outward, pushing back against the relentless onslaught.

The disciples' attacks grew more desperate and frantic with each passing moment, as they could feel the incredible heat permeating through the air. But Everly only grew stronger, her movements becoming more precise and her power continuing to build.

Flames danced around her hands, and sparks of electricity crackled between her fingers.

The air around her seemed to quiver with anticipation as the heat and energy intensified.

With a final surge of power, the swirling mass of fire and lightning merged into a brilliant, pulsating sphere that illuminated the dark battlefield.

However, that was merely the beginning. Dark clouds formed around her as intense streaks of lightning shot through them, continuously building up power.

Her enemies' expressions turned from smug confidence to fear and disbelief as they beheld the spectacle before them. Everly's eyes snapped, blazing with fury, as she assessed the situation and decided to add in more power.

The sphere in her hands grew and grew until it was about half the size of her body, by which point, she split the sphere into several smaller orbs. With a flick of her wrists, she sent the orbs hurtling all over the battlefield, not aiming for anything in particular.

As the orbs found their positions, Everly finished her technique!

'Thunderfire Annhilation!'

As soon as she thought that, the ball of destruction in her hand shot into the middle of the formation she had created with those mini spheres.

The orbs swelled with unrestrained power, their surfaces quivering as if straining to contain the very Qi within them.

In a breathtaking display, torrential torrents of fire intertwined with electric serpents surged forth, scorching the air and carving their deadly destruction upon the world.

The once tranquil atmosphere was now a maelstrom of incendiary fury, as every breath was seared, every molecule crackled, and every particle in between was obliterated.

In that surreal, fleeting moment, the orbs' limits were breached, and they erupted into a cataclysmic crescendo of lightning and inferno. The world was consumed by a symphony of electric flames and blinding brilliance, as if a celestial body had just gone supernova in their very presence.

The Crimson Slayer Sect disciples caught in the path of Everly's attack had no chance of survival. Their bodies were instantly incinerated, not even leaving ash behind. The very ground beneath them was scorched and shattered for kilometers, a testament to the destructive power of her [Thunderfire Annihilation] technique.

As the remnants of the attack dissipated, Everly stood at the epicenter of the devastation, her breathing heavy and her forehead covered in sweat but her expression calm.

Around her, the battlefield was eerily silent, as she had managed to take out over 90% of the Soul Transformation Realm forces, with the remaining 10% severely wounded and/or unable to fight.

Nova and the others could only stare in awe at the display of power they had just witnessed. They knew Everly was strong, but to see her unleash the full force of her Thunderfire Annihilation technique was truly a sight to behold.

"Wow! I didn't think Everly was that strong!!" Seraphina was the first to break the silence.

"No kidding... I mean, I always knew she was powerful, as anyone who's in the running to be the next Prime Disciple has to be, but to think she's improved this much..." Nova muttered.

From this, she realized that even without Mira, becoming the Sect's Prime Disciple this century would not be easy.

Rayna just stared at the scene, her thoughts unreadable, but if one were to look closely, one would see the shock in her eyes as well. Clearly, she didn't think Everly would be that strong, either.

However, while everyone was shocked by Everly's prowess, Rayna was the first to snap out of her reverie and make a move. Disappearing like the wind, she shot toward the severely injured, fallen enemies, intending to finish the job.

Without giving them any time to react, Rayna snuck up behind them like a snake hunting its prey and quickly stabbed them in the heart, killing them instantly. She showed no mercy and no emotion while doing so.

In fact, they didn't even know what happened before a knife was suddenly thrust into their chest, followed by everything going black.

The only person left standing was General Zhang and possibly the enemies Eden was fighting, but nobody had the time to spare her any attention.

"You...! You...! What the hell are you?! How did you kill so many of them in one move?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE!?" General Zhang felt like he was going crazy, as he had just witnessed his entire army be destroyed by six women.

SIX!

How does that make any sense?! How could just six women kill everyone he had brought?!

"ARGH!!" General Zhang pulled on his air, trying to vent his emotions, but it didn't help. The more time passed, the more dread he felt as he instinctively knew he wasn't getting out of this alive.

However, soon, his expression warped into a maniacal grin, "Fine! If I'm going to die, I might as well take you all down with me!"

Shooting toward them, his body lit up like a meteor that was about to hit the earth's surface and explode!

Nova and the other's expressions changed as they knew that the man was forcing his Core and Qi into overdrive to commit suicide in a bombastic fashion!

"Dammit! Run!! This place is about to turn into a wasteland!! You don't want to be caught up in the explosion of someone in the Soul Transformation Realm!" Nova yelled, grabbed Everly, and dashed away. Seraphina and Rayna followed soon after.

"HAHAHAHA! Do you seriously think you can run from me?! NAIVE!!" General Zhang roared and sped up, quickly approaching Nova and the others.

"Sigh..." Suddenly, an exasperated sigh rang through the battlefield, "Can you shut the hell up for a moment?"

General Zhang's expression changed as she sensed danger coming from behind, but unfortunately for him, it was too late.

Tied to a thin thread of Qi, Mira's scythe was sent flying out of the poison fog, making a wide arc before slicing halfway through his abdomen. That wasn't enough to kill him, but as soon as the scythe touched his skin, he felt something draining his Qi drained as poison made its way into his system!

"NOOOOOO!" He yelled and tried to fight it off, but Mira reacted faster, tugging him into the poison like how a fisherman would reel in a fish.

It only took a moment before his entire body was engulfed in poison, and he was left screaming in pain as his organs disintegrated and his Qi and vitality were sapped away.

A second later, the ground shook for a moment as they heard a loud thump before the screams stopped, and everything turned silent.

"..."

"Finally... Some peace and quiet..." Mira muttered.

Suddenly, Nova and the others heard footsteps coming toward them from within the poison fog.

Step... Step... Step...

It took about half a minute, but those steps eventually reached the edge of the fog and out came a tall, 9-tailed fox woman with taut shoulders and steady strides.

"Haaa... It's about damn time I made it out of there..." Mira muttered, her eyelids growing heavy. She almost slumped to the ground in exhaustion, but a thin layer of Water Qi kept her upright.