Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

The girls stared at the gargantuan, serpent-like creature coiled around the ancient tree. Its scales were a deep shade of black, darker than the night, and glistened with an ominous green gleam. A malevolent and poisonous aura radiated from the creature, alerting everyone that it was the source of all the negative energy in the Forest.

Mira stared at it with intense eyes as she felt like she'd seen something similar before in the past.

On the other hand, the tree was used as a vessel to help control and corrupt the forest to the beast's liking.

Its massive roots dug deep into the earth, anchoring it to the forest floor while also sprouting endless flora from them all over the forest. Its trunk was twisted and knotted, covered in thick, thorny vines that writhed and contorted like serpents. The leaves were a deep, poisonous green, and its sap was thick and black, oozing from the wounds inflicted upon it by those who would try to destroy it.

'...A Heartwood Corruptor.' Eden silently muttered in shock through voice transmissions.

The others looked at her inquisitively, waiting for her to explain.

'A Heartwood Corruptor is, as the name suggests, a parasite in the shape of a tree. It sucks up all the Qi and vitality in an area, converts it into its own dark, poisonous Qi, and redistributes it to all the living plants and animals in the area. It then takes control of everything, poisoning their minds and natural instincts so that it may leech off of them and further expand its territory. It turns everything into a toxic wasteland, including the beasts,' Eden explained, trying to reel in her disgust.

'They normally don't get this big and strong as with its ever-expanding territory and increasing cultivation, the amount of Qi it needs to survive is monumental. Not to mention, most cultivators hate these trees as they literally destroy the surrounding area. However, it seems to have entered a mutually beneficial relationship with that massive serpent and the Toxic-Blade Sect, which has resulted in it covering an entire section of the mountain range.'

Mira and the others could now partially understand why the Toxic Blade Sect chose to reside here. With a near-endless amount of unique poisons coming from not just the tree but all the mutated creatures and plants within the area, they can further their research and strength without having to do any sort of trading or farming.

The tree takes care of everything for them.

Also, due to its size and strength, weaker cultivators can't even make it near their Sect, and stronger cultivators wouldn't dare unless they had a death wish.

One of the hardest things to expel, for most cultivators, is poison. Without the right pill, antidote, cultivation technique, or knowledge, walking into an area like that is no different than committing suicide.

There were exceptions, such as building up a tolerance for poison or having a unique physique, but those were incredibly rare.

Now knowing what the tree was, they turned their attention to the giant serpent.

'W-What is that thing?' Seraphina whispered through a voice transmission, her voice trembling as she tried to hide her fear. Something deep in her bones told her not to approach that creature.

The others stared at it, their bodies unconsciously trembling. They hadn't even met its gaze, only sensing the aura radiating from it, but that was more than enough to cause them to freeze up.

Only Mira was okay, but even she felt a rumbling in her bloodline. It was telling her that his creature wasn't ordinary.

'Where have I seen that thing before?' Something about the creature's appearance nagged at Mira, as she was certain she had encountered something similar before.

Searching through her mind for a moment, it didn't take her long to find what she was looking for, and her eyes widened in realization.

'Fuck! That thing's a Basilisk!' She spat, as it seemed her luck was actual dogshit, not to her surprise.

She remembered seeing the Cursed Basilisk outside of Quake City right before she broke through to the Core Formation Realm!

The two beasts had slightly different auras, this one was clearly not a Cursed Basilisk, but she'd never forget the sensation the one she'd met several years ago had given her.

She remembered only being able to run away with her tail between her legs.

'Even now, the situation's not much different.' Mira thought bitterly.

Unlike the other Basilisk she had met, this one was much, much stronger. It was hard to tell, as it was concealing its aura, but it was at least a Rank 9 beast, most likely Rank 10. Forget about killing it, she doubted that she could even approach the thing without alerting it.

In fact, it likely knew she was there. It just chose not to do anything.

'Well, even if I had the ability to kill it, I wouldn't do something so foolish.' Mira thought.

Elenei had warned her of the Cursed Basilisk's ability to not only alert all of its brethren that it died but it could also curse the target, almost ensuring they'd die a painful death.

This one didn't seem like a Cursed Basilisk based on its aura, but it was still a Basilisk. Who knows what sort of sick tricks it had up its sleeve?

Mira turned to Nova and the others, her voice urgent as she transmitted a message to them, 'Girls, don't even think about getting close to that beast unless you have a death wish. It's a Basilisk!'

'What?!'

'A Basilisk?! You're kidding!'

'That's impossible!'

Their eyes bulged with shock and terror, as if they had been suddenly plunged into a freezing abyss. Their bodies shook involuntarily, and they hastily looked away from the monstrous creature, fearing to meet its gaze.

How could they even consider facing something that could kill them with a mere glance?

As they instinctively backed away, desperate to put as much distance between them and the beast as possible, they felt a deep rumble emanating from the tree's vicinity.

An overwhelming sense of dread washed over them as they struggled to keep their eyes averted from the source of the disturbance.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

A pair of luminescent green, slit-like eyes locked onto them, gleaming with a strange and menacing light. In an instant, the girls' bodies stiffened, immobilized as though they had been turned into stone statues.

Mira alone managed to resist the paralyzing effect, but even she could feel her mind and body struggling to withstand the immense pressure.

Mira gritted her teeth, her heart pounding furiously in her chest as she fought against the overwhelming pressure. She glanced at her companions, breathing a mental sigh of relief, seeing that they were still alive, but wondered just how long that would last.

"Why have you trespassed upon my territory, Young Fox?" A deep, ancient voice reverberated within her mind, speaking in a strange tongue she inexplicably understood.

However, Mira didn't have time to dwell on that mystery, as she needed to come up with an answer.

"I-I was unaware this was your domain," she managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Depart now that you know, Young Fox," the primordial voice declared, leaving no room for argument.

However, how could Mira leave just like that?!

The Celestial Nectar was so close! If she failed to obtain it now, her only options would be to either apprehend a Toxic Blade Sect disciple and force them to concoct an antidote for Dominique, if they were even capable, or to brave the trials of the Firmament!

Truth be told, she would rather confront this beast than go through something as bothersome as those alternatives.

"I... can't..." Mira said, fighting off the pressure the Basilisk weighed on her body and soul.

"Regrettable," the Basilisk vocalized. In an instant, it enveloped Mira and her companions in its oppressive Qi, preparing to hurl them from the depths of the forest.

Mira tried to defend herself with her own Qi but soon found she couldn't budge the Basilisk's overwhelming force.

'Dammit! To think that I wouldn't even be able to put up a fight against this thing!' Mira cursed her bad luck.

She thought that even if she couldn't kill it, at the very least, she should be able to escape. However, she had been too naive. Much too naive.

The Ancient Beast Mountain Range was feared for a reason, and today she began to truly understand why.

Her mind raced, desperately searching for a response--something that might intrigue the beast.

Suddenly, an idea came to her. It was a very risky idea and might get her, along with everyone else, killed. But, at the same time, if she managed to pull it off, the gains would be unimaginable.

"Wait!" Mira yelled, but the Basilisk didn't pause.

Leaving her no choice, she shouted, "I'm here for the Celestial Nectar!"

"Die!" The deep voice rumbled, and the pressure on her became greater, crushing her bones and smashing her organs!