Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

The words echoed like an ominous prophecy around the silent mountaintop. Aelina's voice was soft, almost gentle, as she delivered the humiliating beating. Blood dripped out of Sue Ming's nose and mouth, but overall, those were only minor injuries.

She was also a Divine Sea Realm master, it would take much more than a few hits to the head to kill her.

Glowering at Aelina, Sue Ming's eyes blazed with an inferno of hatred, the silent promise of bloody retribution engraved in her gaze.

"...I'll kill you for that!" She growled.

Her power surged forward, a threatening surge that signaled her cultivation in the 5th Stage of the Divine Sea Realm.

Without a word, she directed a barrage of Qi toward Aelina, a force as devastating as a rampaging river. The assault spurred Aelina into motion, prompting her to release Sue Ming and retreat. The onslaught was too fierce to meet head-on; Aelina was not one to confront such raw power recklessly.

Aelina leaped back, a whirlwind of movement against the moonlit backdrop. The very earth beneath her feet trembled as Sue Ming's Qi threatened to explode in an all-encompassing fury.

She studied her opponent from a distance, her icy gaze raking over Sue Ming's body, acknowledging the fiery determination reigniting in the woman's eyes.

"Interesting," she murmured under her breath, a predatory grin curling her lips. "So, this is the strength of someone from the Immortal Realm? How disappointing."

'Tch! That little shit, Mira, must've warned this woman of my origin.' Sue Ming grumbled, her eyes narrowing into slits.

Aelina's words only served to enrage Sue Ming further as she unleashed the full might of her cultivation!

'However, if she thinks this is all I'm capable of… all Master is capable of, then she's sorely mistaken.' A grim smile widened on Sue Ming's face as her power rampaged about, threatening to destroy everything in sight.

Fortunately, Aelina snapped her fingers, turning on a formation to protect the mountain and the disciples on it from the shockwave. Another Formation also activated, giving Aelina an extra boost of strength and defense.

Her Qi coalesced into a radiant pink sword, its edge gleaming ominously. With a fearsome cry, she swept her Qi-infused blade toward Aelina, the air humming with the sheer force of her attack. The night sky above was split open, a testament to her formidable power.

Undeterred, Aelina channeled her own Qi, finally revealing her cultivation also at the 5th Stage of the Divine Sea Realm. A crackling sphere of violet lightning formed in her hands, its glow pulsing in tandem with her heartbeat.

As Sue Ming's blade descended, Aelina thrust her sphere of lightning forward, a gleaming shield of pure energy against the impending onslaught.

The clash echoed across the mountaintop, a cataclysmic clash of titanic forces. Energy ripples pulsed through the air, the shockwave bending trees and shattering nearby rocks. Their battleground turned into a cratered ruin under the impact.

Aelina, standing firm amidst the chaotic battlefield, flicked a stray lock of hair over her shoulder. Her eyes sparkled with delight. "Is that all you've got? Considering Victor is licking your boots, I thought you'd be stronger, but it seems Mira was right. You really are nothing more than a measly slave," she taunted, her voice ringing clear across the scarred landscape.

Sue Ming gritted her teeth, rising to her feet again, her glare hot enough to melt steel.

Sue Ming's power crackled around her like a tempest, her expression ferocious beneath the moon's pallid light. "You... will... pay!" she spat through gritted teeth, her voice grating out into the silence.

With a savage cry, she hurled herself at Aelina once more, the air screeching in protest as her Qi-infused blade cut through it. Her silhouette was but a blur against the dimly lit mountaintop, her power fanning out around her in a deadly aura. The scornful words from Aelina had ignited a new fire within her, intensifying her fury.

But Aelina was ready. With a nimble twist, she evaded Sue Ming's lethal strike, her movements fluid and agile. The grin on her face widened, her eyes dancing with amusement. "It seems the saying is true: the louder the dog, the weaker its bite," she retorted, her voice echoing across the barren landscape.

Sue Ming deflected it with her Qi blade, the impact sending a cascade of sparks flying in every direction. But she was undeterred. The mention of her being a slave was more than enough for her to lose all reason.

That was the most shameful period in her life, one that she never wanted to remember, as it brought up some of her most painful memories, but Aelina seemed to enjoy pissing her off.

She retaliated, her attacks growing more forceful, the fury in her eyes illuminating the dark night. Each strike was aimed with precision, forcing Aelina to use all her wits to deflect and dodge.

They danced around each other, their forms intertwined in a deadly dance of power and defiance. The ground beneath them trembled, echoing the fury of their battle.

At the heart of it, all was Sue Ming. She stood like a pillar of rage amidst the whirlwind of violence, a beacon of power.

Sue Ming and Aelina's battle seemed to shake the very heavens, their Qi clashing with such ferocity that the protective Formation around the mountain began to flicker, its energy waning. Sweat beaded on Aelina's forehead as she registered the imminent danger of the Sect.

'If this goes on any longer, we might destroy the entire mountain and everything along with it! It's time to end this.' Aelina thought dejectedly. As much as she wanted to continue this fight, she knew it was a bad idea.

'Well, at least I'll get to test out a few new techniques I developed.' A light smile blossomed on her face as she extended her hand out in front of her.

The battle paused for an eerie moment as Aelina summoned golden-purple chains from deep within the mountain. They sprang up like venomous serpents, latching onto Sue Ming with unyielding grips. Sue Ming, caught by surprise, roared in defiance, her blade slashing at the chains, but it was in vain.

Mustering all her strength, Aelina launched forward, her fist glowing with a dense concentration of Qi. It made contact with Sue Ming, her punch so powerful it propelled the Divine Sea Realm master thousands of kilometers through the air.

She wasn't done. In a blur of purple lightning, Aelina dashed after the flying Sue Ming, and with an open palm, she conjured a gigantic Qi hand—Titan's Vengeful Grasp. The spectral hand descended, slamming Sue Ming into the ground with earth-shattering force. The impact reverberated through her body, causing grievous internal and external injuries while also injuring her soul.

While Sue Ming lay in the rubble, a mangled figure, Aelina summoned her final weapon—a gargantuan Qi sword composed of steel, purple thunder, and water—known as Poseidon's Wrath. It hung in the air for a moment, then descended rapidly, aiming straight for Sue Ming.

Sue Ming's survival instinct took over; she rolled away as the sword dropped on her head, but the speed of the blade left no room for complete evasion. Blood sprayed through the air as her hand separated from her wrist.

"AHHHHHH!!"

Sue Ming gasped in agony; her vision blurred as she quickly took out an Ascendant-Grade Teleportation Talisman from her storage ring. Her remaining hand crushed it, and she vanished in a flash of light.

But not before her voice echoed through the stillness of the battleground, "This isn't over, Aelina... You and everyone you know will die... I will make sure of that!" Her words lingered, an ominous threat hanging in the desolate air, even as her presence faded away, marking the end of the brutal showdown.

Now that the battle was over, Aelina let out a sigh as she dropped to the ground, blood leaking out of the corners of her mouth. Her internal organs were still shaking, and her bones reverberated through her body as the aftereffects of her fight with Sue Ming had disappeared.

'...Fights in the Divine Sea Realm really are different.' Ever since she had entered this Realm, the number of opponents she had faced could be counted on one hand, much to her disappointment.

It hadn't even been a minute since they drew their blades, but they had unleashed thousands of attacks within that span of time. Each and every attack of theirs was enough to destroy mountains and cause cataclysmic damage to the world around them. The human body couldn't take that kind of power without consequences.

While Sue Ming definitely wasn't the most skilled fighter she had ever faced, the raw power she held was more than enough to make up for it.

Plopping on the ground, Aelina took out a few pills and stuffed them into her mouth, entering a meditative stance.

'I wonder if she could be considered talented or not.'

Looking up into the sky, she raised her hand and muttered, "Whether she is or not, I look forward to ascending to the Immortal Realm and finding out for myself."