Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

With the Heavenly Verdant Windwood Tree now gone, the birds and beasts that lived on and around it went crazy. Their home, nests, and the very thing that propagated their species' growth just vanished into thin air!

How could they not be agitated by that?!

One second, their life was great; the next, everything was gone as if it had never existed! However, what made them even angrier was that a human did this! It was all the humans' fault that their home was gone!

Thus, in their eyes, Jess, Luke, and the others were no different than Mira, the one who was actually at fault and began attacking them!

"Ack! Fuck! These damn beasts don't even recognize their owners anymore now that their home is gone!" Luke cursed as he punched a hole through a bird's chest.

Since everything had gone downhill, and these beasts had gone crazy, there was no point in keeping them alive anymore. The trust and agreement that the two sides built over the years collapsed because of a single person.

Thinking of Mira again, Luke gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. He couldn't believe that he was toyed around with like some child by someone who was more than a major Realm below him!

'The next time I see you, I'll make you pay!' He clenched his fists as he swore, but he didn't intend to chase Mira down to the ends of the Earth. She just humiliated him a bit. There was no need to hunt her down like a dog.

Rather than Mira, he was more concerned about what his superiors would do to him when they learned that someone had stolen the Heavenly Verdant Windwood Tree.

'Fuck! They aren't going to be happy when they learn that one of our main sources of transportation is now ruined! I just hope this isn't enough to affect our plans on the Western Continent…' Luke shivered as all the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

'Hopefully, they won't kill me….'

On the other hand, Jess didn't share the same sentiment as Luke. Watching Mira disappear with the tree, her body trembled in rage, and her eyes went bloodshot.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU BITCH, AND GIVE ME BACK WHAT'S MINE!" She yelled and then shot off in the direction she last sensed Mira.

While Luke might not understand why the Heavenly Verdant Windwood Tree was so important, as it was only a Heaven-Grade resource, she did. In fact, in terms of impact on a faction and overall relevance, it was more valuable than some Mystical-Grade items!

Not only does its aura attract aviary beasts or beasts with a wind affinity due to its effect in increasing fertility and cultivation speed, but everything about the tree is a treasure in and of itself.

The bark can be turned into weapons and buildings. The leaves can be used for alchemy, and the roots can turn a barren wasteland into a region teeming with life.

That's not even the end of the benefits it can bring.

However, what really makes this tree special are the fruits that it produces. The fruit is called a Heavenly Jade Pear, and its effects are extraordinary.

First, if eaten raw, the Qi inside it is more than enough to increase the cultivation for anyone in the Nascent Soul Realm or below. Then, there's also a minimal chance that one will either awaken the Wind affinity, the Grade of their affinity will increase, or they'll enter enlightenment.

But that's only if one eats the fruits raw.

If it's in the hands of an alchemist, the effects are much more diverse and amplified. Essentially, they can ensure that the benefits of the fruit are maximized. Plus, there are a few pill recipes that are incredibly useful to high-level cultivators, even if they are in the Mortal Shedding Realm or the Divine Sea Realm.

One of the pills they can make is a pill that increases egg count in a woman and makes it easier for sperm to fertilize their eggs. This isn't that useful for cultivators in lower Realms, as having children is only a bit more difficult, but for those with a higher cultivation who want to have children and don't want to spend decades or centuries having sex, this is a life changer!

In the cultivation world, it's common knowledge that the stronger someone is, the less likely it is for them to have children. For women, this is because the time they ovulate might only happen once every few years or up to centuries, depending on one's strength. Also, their eggs are tougher, making it harder for sperm to fertilize them. Thus, getting pregnant is nearly impossible unless they find someone with the same cultivation as them or higher.

Still, even then, that doesn't guarantee one will get pregnant.

On the other hand, men with higher cultivation have more potent sperm, which can be both a blessing and a curse. The advantages to this are obvious, but the disadvantage is that sometimes the sperm is so strong that they destroy the eggs they are trying to fertilize.

The time when pregnancy starts becoming significantly harder is around the Core Formation Realm. Before that, people are still within the realm of human understanding, but afterward, things become more mystical.

That's not the only pill that can be made from the Heavenly Jade Pears, but it is one of the most popular, as finding ingredients that can increase fertility in high-level cultivators is quite challenging.

Jess also happened to be someone who was looking forward to this pill! She has a husband, and for decades, they've been trying to have a kid but have had no luck.

After trying for so long, she began to feel helpless and almost gave up on the idea of having a kid.

However, that's when someone offered her this job. All she had to do was guard the Heavenly Verdant Windwood Tree, take care of the beasts around it, and hand over a certain number of beast eggs every month.

If she could do that, they'd reward her with Middle and Late-Grade Spirit Stones, weapons, armor, and finally, a Late-Stage Heaven Grade Fertile Yin Essence Pill!

She just had a few more years on her contract before they'd reward her with the pill, but… but…

"YOU-! YOU-! YOU DARE TO RUIN MY CHANCES OF BECOMING A MOTHER?! QUIT HIDING, COWARD, AND LET ME TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" Jess roared in rage, with bloody tears rolling down her cheeks, and began sending out palm strikes to the area around her, flattening the rocky mountains into a pancake.

*BOOOOOOOM!**BOOOOOOOM!**BOOOOOOOM!**BOOOOOOOM!*

However, no matter how much she destroyed or where she looked, there was no sign of Mira anywhere!

"AAAARRRRGHHH!!! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM ME!!"

***

Meanwhile, the person was a hundred kilometers away, sitting in a cave with a relaxed expression. However, something was odd about her. She had blended into her surroundings perfectly. Even while sitting there doing nothing, she almost looked, smelled, and seemed as if she were part of the cave.

Unless someone were right in front of her, staring at her, nobody would ever know she was there.

*BOOOOOOOM!**BOOOOOOOM!**BOOOOOOOM!**BOOOOOOOM!*

She could still hear the sounds of explosions, even from a hundred kilometers away, along with Jess' screams, but Mira didn't care. She was just glad that she got the tree while expending minimal effort.

"I'll have to say something the Hana the next time I see her. The Hidden World technique she taught me is incredible." Mira muttered with a smile.

While she couldn't escape the Formation's detection, she could fool those people with her strength, illusions, and diversion tactics.

'Though, I did have to buy a Teleportation Talisman from the F.LD.I.L to escape that place without a fight.' Mira frowned, feeling irritated that she ran away from a fight.

_{𝑓r𝘦𝘦𝘄eb𝒏𝙤vel.c𝙤𝙢}

If she weren't short on time, she would have gladly entered a life-and-death battle with them, but with only five days left until the end of this trial, she didn't have that luxury.

After a moment of silence, Mira could only shrug, 'Whatever. It's probably better this way as there's a storm on the horizon, and I need to be ready for it.'

Settling her thoughts and shaking away any useless ideas, she sent her mind into her Infinity Garden and plucked one of the Heavenly Jade Pears from the Heavenly Verdant Windwood Tree and grasped it in her hand.

"So, what do I do now? Do I just eat it?" Mira asked aloud to the Guardian.

"If you were an alchemist, you could concoct a few pills to maximize the effects, shortening the time you'd need to increase the Grade of your affinity, but since you're too stupid to be one, you can only eat it raw." The Guardian's teasing voice entered her mind.

Mira's lips twitched, but she ignored his words and nodded, stuffing the whole fruit in her mouth.

As soon as the fruit touched her lips, it dissolved into her body. The Qi went straight to her Core, wanting to advance her cultivation, but since she couldn't break through, she sent it to Elenei, who was in her Soul Sea.

However, another stream of energy encapsulated her body and soul, targeting her wind affinity. Instantly, she felt lighter and closer to nature. Wind gathered around outside her body, causing her robes to flutter, but Mira paid no attention to this.

Instead, she was focused on the feeling of her Wind affinity, attempting to increase in grade. Not wanting to increase the effects of the fruit, Mira took out a few more and stuffed them into her mouth.

'It's time to finish all of my affinities!'