Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

Chapter 786  Prime Disciple Competition: Radiant Crystal Essence

The intense light penetrated every corner of the abyss, dispelling the overwhelming darkness that had enveloped Mira. The once-chilling void was now awash with a gentle warmth, cradling Mira's battered soul.

The oppressive atmosphere that had weighed her down was gradually replaced with a sensation of buoyancy. Mira could feel the burdens on her shoulders lightening, though her heart still carried the imprints of the pain and despair she had experienced.

The light was so intense that Mira had to shield her eyes. However, that didn't prevent her from moving forward.

As soon as her foot touched the 1500th step, it was as if an explosion went off. She blanked out for a moment from the sheer force before she felt something surround her body and teleport her.

When her feet landed wherever she was teleported to, the light was just as bright, if not more so than before.

As the brilliance began to dim, a scene began to unfold before Mira's eyes. She found herself standing atop a vast plateau, stretching out to the horizon, bathed in a golden hue. The sky above was painted with shades of purple, pink, and gold, resembling a magnificent sunset.

Below her, the tangible darkness began to shift and shuffle, along with the light pillar that she seemed to be at the top of.

However, her attention wasn't on any of those.

Looking to the side, she noticed her Nascent Soul standing next to her with an impassive expression on her face.

Mira walked over to it, curious, as she had never seen a Nascent Soul in the flesh before.

The Nascent Soul stood still, allowing Mira to touch it. It was a translucent figure, roughly Mira's height but a little smaller, and looked strikingly similar to her.

'Soft.' Mira thought as she squeezed the Nascent Soul's arms. It was like she was squeezing a large piece of foam or something similar to warm rubber. It didn't feel real, yet at the same time, it did. 'How peculiar.'

"What can you do?" Mira asked, but the Nascent Soul just shrugged.

"Tch." She clicked her tongue in annoyance. She hadn't heard of anyone else being able to manifest their Nascent Soul like this and was hoping for some sort of special ability, but it seemed she may have been asking for too much.

'I'll have to look into this more later.' She thought but soon asked a few more questions.

"What are you doing outside my soul? Can you no longer go inside?"

The Nascent Soul didn't answer her question and instead turned to the side and pointed up.

Mira looked over and saw a massive golden crystal, at least 2 meters tall, if not more. It glowed so brightly that she couldn't quite make out its shape, though it seemed almost tangible.

"Is that my reward? Is that what you're waiting for?" Mira asked without turning away from it, but she could feel the Nascent Soul's confirmation.

The Nascent Soul remained silent, its ethereal presence emanating an aura of understanding. Even without words, it was able to communicate a sense of anticipation towards the glowing crystal.

As Mira approached the golden crystal, the warmth it exuded intensified. She could feel it attempting to heal her body, mind, and soul, but her expression never changed.

All those memories and emotions that were taken away from her coming back. The closer she got, the more memories began to flood her mind.

However, she just shoved them into her Mind Palance, not even bothering to look through them.

She didn't want to have to go through something like what happened earlier again. It was better if she just locked them up and continued her pursuit of power.

Reaching out to touch the crystal, a wave of energy enveloped Mira, a sensation both overwhelming and familiar. The light was so dense it was like she had put her hand in a cloud.

The energy was pure and invigorating, revitalizing the deepest corners of her soul and mending the scars that the Abyssal Torment Steps may have left.

Still, Mira showed no visible reaction to it.

'That's it? That's all I get?' She questioned inwardly, her crimson eyes narrowing with suppressed rage.

Suddenly, her Nascent Soul put its hands on the crystal, too, and she felt a change.

A dense amount of energy flowed through her Nascent Soul into her body, and a name appeared in her mind.

Origin-Grade Radiant Crystal Essence.

Although she didn't know what that was, it was clear that was the name of the treasure before her.

'Origin-Grade, huh… Must be something good.' Mira gave a slight nod, as so far, anything of that grade was top-tier.

Suddenly, the Radiant Crystal Essence started to shake, and before anyone could react, it shot straight into her Nascent Soul, which immediately returned to her soul as soon as this happened.

As the Radiant Crystal Essence emerged into her soul, the tangible darkness around Mira began to condense, taking on a viscous form reminiscent of molten tar. It surged towards her, wrapping around her limbs and torso before seeping into her very core.

Mira felt the chilling cold of the darkness as it invaded her system. It was as if two opposing forces – the radiant warmth of the crystal essence and the cold darkness – were fighting for dominance within her. The sensation was both excruciating and exhilarating as if she were being torn apart and remade in the same moment.

The plateau on which she stood began to tremble, reacting to the immense power that was coursing through her. Cracks began to form, radiating outwards from her feet, as the sky overhead stoic. She focused on controlling the energies, harnessing the conflicting forces to her advantage. Her crimson eyes blazed with darkened, filled with swirling storm clouds that echoed the turmoil within her.

Despite the overwhelming sensations, Mira's expression remained stoic. She focused on controlling the energies, harnessing the conflicting forces to her advantage. Her crimson eyes blazed with determination, their glow visible even amidst the chaos that surrounded her.

That's when she felt something click inside of her.

'Oh?' Mira raised an eyebrow in surprise. 'Is that what I think it is?'

Closing her eyes and sitting in a lotus position, Mira circulated her Qi.

Sure enough, she felt the wall to the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm crumble, no longer halting her progress.

However, there was a problem. The darkness that was flowing through her body was filling up her soul as well, masking all of her hard work!

Mira's brows furrowed, but she quickly jumped into action.

She sent orders to her Nascent Soul to direct all the new energy into the top part of her soul, which was still covered in a layer of black.

'Begin the breakthrough as well!' Mira ordered, to which it nodded and slashed at the rock-like darkness.

*Clink!*

Her scythe rebounded off of it, which would normally be extremely painful, but Mira just sat there as blood dripped out of her orifices, her expression unchanging.

Every clink of Mira's scythe against the rock-hard darkness reverberated throughout her body. With each attempt, she visualized the energy's flow, directing it with an unwavering determination. The viscous darkness was proving to be resilient, but Mira was relentless.

Each swing was calculated. This wasn't just a physical act but also one of will. Her internal world was an ever-shifting landscape of elements, dominated by the glow of the Origin-Grade Radiant Crystal Essence and the persistent encroaching gloom.

Over time, Mira could feel the wall of darkness giving way. It wasn't a quick process; it was grueling and painstaking. The darkness condensed, becoming a dense, obsidian-like orb. With a decisive swing, she chipped one tiny piece off of it, only for it to be reabsorbed back into it, creating a perfect sphere.

Now, her soul was no longer covered in a veil, it was fully exposed for her to view.

Her Nascent Soul sent another attack at it, but this time, she did no damage. There was no scratch, nick, or blemish on it. She slashed the same place a few more times, but the result was the same.

Suddenly, the spherical black object began rotating, pulling in the energy that her body was absorbing.

The moment the orb was contained, a transformation began.

The Radiant Crystal Essence, which had been absorbed by her Nascent Soul, was redirected and positioned right behind the encased dark orb.

As the radiant light from the essence met with the imprisoned darkness, a stunning spectacle formed within her soul realm – a perfect solar eclipse. The orb of darkness acted as the moon, with the Radiant Crystal Essence shining brilliantly behind it, mimicking the sun.

However, there was one more thing the Nascent Soul had to do. Raising its hand, it shot out a continuous burst of frost onto the ice mountain below here and the 'artificial moon'.

It didn't take long before the ice mountain had increased in size, putting Mira's Nascent Soul at the peak of her soul, looking down upon everything and for the moon to be fully encased in ice.

Ice crystals began to form out of thin air around it, dropping down to join the rest of her affinities.

This internal eclipse was not just a visual marvel. It signaled the beginning of Mira's breakthrough to the 9th Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.