As Rhydian soared through the sky, Mira scanned the horizon, her sharp senses alert for any sign of pursuit. Their escape had been a close call, and she knew that their relentless pursuers wouldn't give up so easily, driven by greed and the allure of the treasures they presumed she possessed.
"Keep your guard up," Mira whispered to Rhydian, her eyes narrowing as she detected a surge of energy from below. "They're not done with us yet."
Rhydian growled in acknowledgment, her powerful wings beating faster, propelling them through the sky. But even her incredible speed wasn't enough to shake off their most persistent foes. From below, a series of powerful attacks surged upwards, aimed directly at them.
"Watch out!" Mira shouted as she deflected a barrage of ice spears, shattering them into a shower of frozen shards. Rhydian dodged and weaved through the air, but the attacks were relentless.
Among their pursuers, a figure clad in robes bearing a lightning bolt insignia rose into the air. With a thunderous chant, he unleashed a massive bolt of dark lightning, spiraling like a serpent toward Mira and Rhydian.
Mira's eyes flashed. 'The Thunderstrike Pavillion! Why are these bastards always getting in my way?!' Not to mention, this one in particular seemed quite powerful, just under that Master Lei guy–at the peak of the Mortal Shedding Realm.
She couldn't allow this attack to hit them. Channeling her Qi, she formed a barrier around them, the dark energy bolt crashing against it with a deafening explosion. The barrier held, but the force of the impact sent them spiraling.
"I presume you're Mira? Our Master has talked a lot about you. There's a kill order for your head. Apparently, you have some good stuff, so much so that even the Master is interested." The man sneered and waved his hand.
Dozens of lightning snakes suddenly appeared out of nowhere, closing in on them.
Rhydian stabilized their flight, but it was clear they were at a disadvantage in the air. They needed to land to find a terrain that could work in their favor.
"There!" Mira pointed towards a dense snowy forest in the distance below. "We can use the trees as cover!"
Rhydian dove towards the forest.
"You think you can escape?! Naive! This whole region now belongs to the Thunderstrike Pavillion!"
As they neared the canopy, Mira leaped from Rhydian's back, landing gracefully among the trees. Rhydian followed, her form shrinking as she transformed into her humanoid version, ready for combat.
The forest became their battlefield, the dense foliage their ally. Mira and Rhydian moved with practiced coordination, ambushing their pursuers who dared to follow them into the treacherous terrain.
One by one, the cultivators fell, outmatched by Mira's power and Rhydian's ferocity. But their victory was short-lived. The man in dark robes emerged from the shadows right in front of them.
Rhydian came to a halt, glaring at the man.
However, without giving them a chance to react, he snapped his fingers and created a lightning dome around them.
"There's nowhere left to run," the man in dark robes said, his voice echoing through the forest. "You're brave, or perhaps foolish."
Mira gripped her scythe tightly, killing intent slowly building up inside of her. "I've had enough of this shit. Since you want to die so badly, I'll send you on your way!"
"As if it'd be that easy!"
With a fierce battle cry, she charged towards the man, her scythe arcing through the air. Rhydian, in her beast form once more, flanked him, her jaws snapping and claws tearing.
The man in dark robes met their assault with a chilling calm, his dark lightning weaving a protective cocoon around him. He parried Mira's strikes with precise counters, his own attacks imbued with a corrupting Qi that sought to weaken their energy.
Everything came together to form the beautiful woman she called her fiancee! Also, one of the last people she wanted to meet right now!
Mira's heart skipped a beat. "Maria..." she whispered, her voice barely audible amid the chaos. "So, you came, after all."
'Maria?' Rhydian overheard Mira's whisper and glanced up, only for her eyes to widen at the familiar figure. 'It's Maria! I'm saved!'
"Should we go help her?" Rhydian asked, seeing that she was surrounded. Mira thought about it for a moment before shaking her head.
"...Th-This is a good chance to see how strong she's gotten. Also, Vulcan and Celaine are with her. She'll be fine even without us." Mira pointed at the small red fox on Maria's shoulder, who seemed particularly interested in Yanira for some reason.
On the other hand, Celaine just deflected everything indifferently.
"I-I see. Th-Then, should we get going?" Rhydian stuttered, feeling something wrong with Mira's emotions.
"It's a bit too late for that." Mira chuckled, followed by a shout from above.
"We've finally caught up to you, you bitch!"
***
A few minutes prior, when Maria and Celaine just showed up on the battlefield.
'Oh,' Kaius muttered, 'More talented kids?' He reclined back in his throne, which had already regenerated. Just because the Void Chains were ripped out of him didn't mean he was free. He still had numerous more seals all over his body, mind, and soul. If the throne chaining him to this place could be destroyed so easily, he would've already escaped from this boring place.
'First, this nasty-tempered woman, then that fox and her wolf companion. Now, two more unique kids showed up. Interesting! So interesting! Hahaha! The world has become so lively since I was sealed!'
'It makes me want to, cause a little trouble.'
Yanira was doing a fine job at holding off those other masters. Though, none of them had gotten serious yet, or else even he wouldn't be able to sit still.
However, he was starting to get bored of spectating them. There was no bloodshed, no killing intent, and thus, no fun!
The battlefield was only interesting when people died!
'That's why kids with lower cultivation are so interesting! They aren't as afraid of death as those oldies!'
Feeling a hint of Qi circulating through his body, something he hadn't felt in a long time, he came to a decision.
'Let's see some blood!'
Flicking his finger, a burst of lightning shot right past Maria, grazing her cheek and marking her with a profound lightning aura. Any lightning cultivator would immediately sense it and understand that simply glancing at the mark could enhance their Dao insights. If they could take the mark for themselves, their cultivation might even improve!
'Although creating that Tribulation Lightning Mark cost me a few decades of life, and it'll take longer for me to recover my strength, I already have more years than I know what to do with,' Kaius grinned.
'Now, fight young ones! Show me something interesting!'