Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

"Wh-What…!" Kaius coughed up a mouthful of blood. He forcefully turned around and saw a haggard, shriveled monk holding a sword in his chest.

Jinlong gave a bloody smile as all the color drained from his face. "Cough… Cough… Did you think that was my trump card? Hahaha! That was just a bait! All for this moment!"

Raising his other hand, two objects fell out of his Spatial Ring: a golden bell and an ornate vase.

A chuckle came from behind Kaius as a hand jabbed into the wound the sword made.

"Ugh! Wh-What the hell are you doing!?"

"Hehe~ Don't worry, Sir Immortal Berserker. I know you won't die from this. I never had any intention of killing you in the first place. It's just- Haap!-"

Jinlong's hand wrapped around something–a chain–inside Kaius's body. He suffused the rest of his Qi, Vitality, and even soul into his palm as his grip tightened around the chain, manifesting a part of it back into the physical world at the expense of the rest of his life.

"-you have something we're looking for."

Letting go of the sword, Jinlong shakily picked up the golden bell and flicked his wrist.

Ding!

"AAARGH!" Kaius bent over, screaming in pain as he felt his whole body vibrating from the shock of the bell's ding. His whole body twisted and cracked as all the seals placed on him came to life at full force.

Ding!

Jinlong smiled seeing this, and felt the chain in his grasp becoming more physical and less ethereal.

Ding!

"You know, this bell was originally an ancient relic left behind by Buddhas before they ascended and were wiped out. From what I know, the Abbotts used to meditate under it in search of the ultimate enlightenment–to seek harmony with the universe.

It's supposedly able to dispel heart demons, evil thoughts, and promote inner peace, but that was only the case if you practiced their cultivation techniques. However, there was some truth to it; perhaps after hanging around those virtuous Buddhist Monks all day long, it gained the ability to harmonize the universe."

"That being said, it's the perfect item for revealing the Void Chains that seal you–a Holy Relic that exists in the ethereal once it's placed inside someone."

Ding!

Ding!

Kaius continued screaming in pain as the chains jingled inside him, but his eyes widened when he heard the words 'Void Chains'.

"How… How'd you know?" He croaked out. The only ones who knew he was sealed with such a treasure were the ones who did it. And knowing those old guys, they'd never share that information with anyone.

Not only would it attract unnecessary attention, but there was simply no reason for anyone else to know. 'Did one of them betray the others? Are they hoping to release me so I seek revenge or something? Is this shitty little monk just a pawn in a much larger game, or is a third party involved?' Endless questions repeated in his mind, but there were no answers.

As the monk said, whatever was happening wouldn't kill him. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Due to his unique physique, even if his heart were destroyed, he would still live. Unless his head was chopped off and his soul destroyed, killing him was nothing but a pipe dream. And to make up for those weaknesses, his neck, spine, and soul were his strongest, most protected areas. True Ascension Realm powerhouses couldn't chop it off. Thus, this weakling certainly couldn't.

Having the Void Chains removed would return a large portion of his power–something that should be celebrated. However, he couldn't be happy at the moment.

'I smell a scheme. If it were one of those old guys, they'd know the price for entertaining such a thought against me. So, it has to be a third party.' Kaius guessed as he 'allowed' Jinlong to do his thing. Regardless of how annoyed he might be, with the Void Chains gone, he'd have set one foot on the path toward freedom. 'Once my power returns, I'll get to the bottom of this.'

His screams died down, his face donning a stoicism that wasn't there before.

"...For the Lord," Jinlong smiled slyly, not answering his question. He chuckled lightheartedly, almost as if he were mocking him. "Thanks for your cooperation."

'Heh~ Have your fun now. You'll be the first one I'll deal with once I'm free.' Kaius promised inwardly.

After another few chimes from the bell, the chain inside Kaius fully materialized. Jinlong placed it on the ground and grabbed the vase beside it. Giving it a few shakes, a vast suction force came from within as he willed it to lock onto the Void Chains.

Kaius grunted in pain as more blood burst from his mouth, but he just gritted his teeth and refused to let out another sound. A tearing sound came from within, with his organs, bones, and skin rearranging themselves before a long black chain exited his body, entering the vase.

Clinks and clanks resounded with the vase sucking in tens of meters worth of chain. It took several seconds before the end of the chain entered the little black hole that was the vase. Jinlong smiled gleefully as he rubbed the treasure before willing it into his Spatial Ring, along with the bell.

"Oh? What do we have here?" A surprised yet provocative woman's voice suddenly came from above, causing Jinlong's expression to change. A wave of heat washed over the two, and they didn't need to understand that their fiery attacker from before had come to take advantage of their weakened states.

Jinlong hurriedly took out a Divine-Grade Teleportation Talisman and crushed it, disappearing without getting a look at the attacker. He didn't even manage to take his sword back.

"Woah, shit! What a cowardly bastard! I just wanted to say hi~ Am I really that scary?" Yanira chuckled as she descended on what little remained of the castle. She gripped the sword and yanked it out of Kaius's chest, inspecting it. The blade was almost entirely white, even though it was just covered in blood.

She could feel an unparalleled sharpness coming from it, and just from touching it, vaguely felt that it could partially ignore one's defenses.

"Damn! What a find!" She exclaimed, her eyes shining. "A Divine Grade sword, just like that! Lucky! Hahaha! A shame I couldn't take the rest of that shriveled old thing's possessions."

"Cough… Cough…" Kaius coughed up some more blood before his wounds began to heal. Rather than feeling weaker after such an intense battle, even taking on severe injuries and exhausting his willpower, he felt filled with energy–something that hadn't happened in too long. "Aren't you a bit too greedy, woman?"

"Damn! You're still alive?" Yanira almost reflexively swung the sword, but something stopped her. Although the man's back looked small and weak, her intuition told her that the moment he sensed killing intent, she'd find out whether an afterlife existed or not. "...Truly an Immortal Berserker, or whatever cringy name you called yourself."

"Hehe! It is quite cringy, isn't it?" Kaius struggled to his feet, his legs wobbling as his willpower was running on empty. Yet, he still managed to straighten himself.

Dusting off what remained of his clothes, he turned around, now almost fully healed, and met this daring woman face-to-face.

"I don't know whether to call you brave, shameless, or ignorant for appearing before me after sending all those gifts."

"Ahaha… Those were meant for the monk. I'd never kill a good-looking guy like you."

"Really? Then, why did a few hit me?"

"My aim isn't all that great."

"..."

"It's true. I'm half blind in one eye, and my hand is-"

"Alright, that's enough." Kaius sighed, rubbing his temples. He'd never met a woman this brazen, who dared to spout nonsense right to his face! Still, he was a bit amused, so he didn't act. "I'm in a good mood right now, so I'll overlook this, but-"

"Damn, you're really poor, huh?" Yanira had already disappeared from her position, inspecting the ruins that their fight left behind. She clicked her tongue, looking around in disappointment. "No Spatial Ring. No Castle. Not even any clothes. Well, I got everything I wanted, so I'm out.

I'll see you later, Immortal Berserker."

"..."

Kaius speechlessly watched as Yanira tried to escape like a little rat, but how could he let her go so easily?

"Why leave so fast? I still hadn't taught you a lesson for attacking me!" He reached out and clenched his fist, catching onto Yanira and dragging her back. She could only squirm and struggle as she was forced to return.

"Since you like loot so much, why don't you deal with the flies who are about to show up?"

"Fuck!"

'Speaking of rats…' Kaius looked in a certain direction, his gaze crossing hundreds of kilometers to land on a bloodied fox woman. As if sensing his stare, all the hairs on her tails stood on end, and she looked back, meeting his eyes. Those blood-red eyes were full of hidden killing intent and her existence seemed abnormally strengthened, like she had no weaknesses.

He'd also never seen a fox with ten tails before or someone who embodied human and beast characteristics so well.

However, perhaps the weirdest part was that she was fully healed even after being caught up in such a high-level battle while hiding a mortal girl.

'...Interesting…' A slight smile crossed his face.