Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

While Mira was cultivating inside the heart of the Forbidden Forest alongside the Basilisk, Nova, Rhydian, and the other girls quickly left the area.

They tried to be just as careful and sneaky as they were when they first entered the forest. However, now, they were on a bit of a time limit.

Their faces were pale and green veins began to show on the outside of her skin, proof that the poison was slowly invading their bodies. Even Rayna, who had an affinity for poison, was struggling. Albeit, she faired much better than the others.

The group moved in silence, their footsteps barely making a sound on the forest floor. Each of them remained on high alert, their eyes darting from one shadow to the next, ears straining to catch any signs of the Toxic Blade Sect disciples.

Nova and Rhydian led the way, their eyes sharp and their movements deliberate.

Rhydian's senses were much stronger than the rest, so it only made sense for her to lead. Although she was a giant wolf, that didn't mean she couldn't be stealthy. The Forbidden Forest was filled with dense amounts of foliage, and the foggy atmosphere also helped to cover her.

With Rhydian at the front, she could avoid most traps or surveillance systems that the Toxic Blade Sect had put up. Though most of those were to prevent unwanted beasts from entering the Sect, so they weren't all that hard to spot or avoid.

Nova also helped to spot the various arrays spread around the Sect.

While they were creeping along on the outskirts of what they assumed was the Inner Court, she spotted a series of tiny, glinting crystals embedded in the tree bark, part of a surveillance array. Nova pointed that out to the rest of them, and they worked to avoid it so as not to bring unwanted attention to themselves.

The other girls followed closely behind, their hearts pounding in their chests. They knew that a single misstep could spell disaster, that one moment of carelessness could lead to a deadly confrontation.

One that they didn't intend to have. At least not before they arrived back at the Battle Maiden Sect.

However, just as they were about to leave what they believed to be the Inner Court of the Toxic Blade Sect, Rhydian stopped and gave Nova a look that said, "There are people ahead."

'People incoming!' Nova sent a voice transmission to the other girls.

They all stopped and held their breaths, not wanting to make a sound, as they soon heard the crunching of leaves beside them.

"Have you heard the news lately, Junior Brother? Apparently, the Sect Master visited the Crimson Slayer Sect earlier," one of the disciples said, their voice tinged with a hint of disdain.

"Really? I thought that was just a rumor," A second disciple said in surprise.

"Nope! It actually happened! I heard one of the Core Disciples talking about it when I passed by."

"Damn!" The second disciple clicked his tongue, "Do you think Sect Master Cyrus is trying to drag us into his war with the Battle Maiden Sect?"

The first disciple shrugged his shoulders, but the disdain in his eyes increased, "Most likely. Why else would they talk? Those mindless blood-hungry apes probably lost the first battle against the Battle Maiden Sect and are beginning to understand that you don't poke a sleeping dragon."

"...You must have a high opinion about the Battle Maiden Sect, Senior Brother."

"Of course I do! It would be foolish not to! Regardless of their beliefs, any Sect that has lasted as long as ours deserves to be respected. And the Battle Maiden Sect has withstood the test of time, perhaps longer than our Sect. You should remember that well, Junior Brother, should we ever have a conflict with them."

The second disciple nodded with a thoughtful expression before he suddenly asked a question.

"Then, Senior Brother... Do you believe we'll join the war with Crimson Slayer Sect?"

"..."

The Senior Brother paused for a moment, frowning as he fell into thought. A few seconds later, his frown deepened, and he nodded, "I think there's a high possibility that such a scenario may happen."

The Junior Brother's expression fell, as he had no interest in joining a war! He just wanted to stay in the forest, study poisons, improve his cultivation, build up more immunity, and learn more about alchemy!

Why should he join some ridiculous war that the Crimson Slayer Sect started?!

"Why? Why do you think that we'll join the war?" The Junior Brother said after taking a few deep breaths.

"Well, besides being part of the same faction, we sell and distribute our poisons to all the Unorthodox Faction Sects. We even sell them to people outside the Faction! With how difficult poison is to deal with, the outcome can be devastating if used in large-scale settings like this war. I think that, eventually, after the Crimson Slayer Sect uses enough of our poisons, we'll end up being drawn into the fight whether we like it or not. Perhaps, the Sect Master was visiting Cyrus for this very reason."

The Junior Brother was awed by his Senior Brother's foresight and stared at him as if he had stars in his eyes.

The Senior Brother coughed, feeling a little embarrassed by that look, and increased his pace.

"Anyways, don't take my words to heart. Who knows what the Sect Master may be planning? Hell, maybe we'll join forces with the Battle Maiden Sect should things turn south!"

As the footsteps receded, the Nova and the others exhaled in relief, silently thanking their luck for remaining undiscovered.

However, just as the two disciples were about to disappear, the Senior Brother paused, turning to the bushes where Nova and the girls were hiding. The Senior Brother's eyes suddenly narrowed, as he could've sworn he felt multiple pairs of eyes on him.

Eyes that shouldn't be there in the first place.

"Who's there?!" He shouted, his voice booming through the forest. He spread out his Soul Sense and immediately found six presences hiding in the forest!

"Intruders!" He shouted and shot toward them with the intent to kill. He couldn't believe that people were hiding in their Sect and nobody even knew!

The girls exchanged panicked looks before making a split-second decision. They all rushed towards Rhydian, who had transformed back into her full, giant wolf form.

Climbing onto her back, they held on tight as Rhydian took off at full speed, bursting through the underbrush.

The Toxic Blade Sect disciples quickly realized that intruders were in their territory and gave chase, shouting for reinforcements.

"Fuck! How did those people get here?! No, before that! How are they even alive!?" The Senior Brother shouted as he chased after them.

He couldn't determine who they were, their genders, or their affiliations, as he could only see them for a split second before they ran off. However, he knew that they were strong, as the speed at which they shot through the forest was faster than him!

Rhydian's powerful limbs propelled her forward at an incredible speed, leaving the pursuing disciples far behind. With her heightened senses, she navigated the treacherous terrain with ease, avoiding any traps or pitfalls that might slow them down.

As they raced through the forest, Nova and the others clung to Rhydian's fur, their hearts pounding in their chests.

"Head for the sky, Rhydian! With your speed, we should be able to escape before they can even realize we're gone!" Nova shouted, to which Rhydian nodded.

The giant wolf looked up into the canopy of trees and channeled a dense amount of Fire Qi into its mouth! A moment later, she spat out a beam of molten fire, which melted everything in its path, creating an opening for Rhydian to fly through!

Using her hind legs, she pushed herself off the ground!

*BOOOOM!!*

The immense force behind her kick generated a miniature crater beneath her feet. This incredible display of strength propelled her skyward at a velocity surpassing the speed of sound, and her acceleration continued to increase with each passing moment.

Nova could sense multiple strong presences following behind them and urged Rhydian to speed up.

"Faster, Rhydian! Faster! We can't let their Mortal Shedding Realm elders catch up!"

Rhydian nodded and surrounded herself with Wind and Lightning, increasing her speed by several folds.

Meanwhile, Eden worked on creating them more aerodynamic with her Wind affinity while also giving Rhydian a boost in speed. The others each did their part to ensure that they didn't get captured by the elders of the Toxic Blade Sect as well.

In just a second, they had traveled a thousand kilometers but weren't out of the woods yet. Those in the Mortal Shedding Realm weren't to be underestimated and didn't feel like battling one to the death right now.

So, using even more of their Qi, they continuously provided Rhydian with enough assistance until the Battle Maiden Sect appeared within their sight.

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