Mira scooped Hana up with one of her tails and placed the girl on her back. "Well, then. Lead the way." She said, much to Hana's glee.

"Of course!"

Mira then jumped into the blizzard, disappearing behind the dense icy winds.

Linnea raised her hand, wanting to stop them, but it was already too late. She could only stare at where they just stood resentfully, wanting nothing more than to take her daughter back and leave this place. '...Why? Why is it always like this?'

Why couldn't she have control over her own life? Why must everyone around her have to make things difficult?! Why couldn't she just spend time with her daughter?! Why is the world so unfair?!

The aura around Linnea became disorderly and somewhat malevolent as the woman's face darkened.

Elenei was the first to react, knowing exactly what was going on. 'A heart demon, huh? I've never seen one form in real-time before.'

It hadn't quite set in, but it was in the process of forming, creating a mental and physical block in the crippled woman.

She waved her hand and gently surrounded Linnea in a calm, warm aura, soothing her spirit. "It's okay," Elenei said as gently as she could, rubbing her hair. "Your daughter will be fine. Although she might go through a few hardships, Mira is more than capable of protecting her. However, if you want to go find her yourself, try and use this as an opportunity to heal. Who knows? Maybe there's a treasure in there that can help you."

Elenei dropped a Spatial Ring into Linnea's lap before turning around and scooping up Dominique. "In there, you'll find everything you need to keep you alive. As long as you don't run into someone overwhelmingly powerful, you shouldn't die. Good luck."

"Bye, Miss Linnea!" Dominique exclaimed before the two disappeared into the blizzard as well, going off on their own.

Linnea looked down at the Spatial ring and back into the blizzard. Her eyes steeled as she stood up and walked out of the room.

***

Meanwhile, Mira darted after the oppressive aura she had felt earlier. She also created a mental link with the girl on her back so that she could view some of the area through her soul sense as well as communicate. However, her Soul Sense was severely limited in this environment, even with her Dao, limiting it to merely 5% of what she was normally capable of.

'Where are you going?! If we head Northwest, we should come across stronger treasures!' Hana yelled into Mira's mind, as right now, they were heading in the opposite direction.

'I want to fight whatever that thing was!' Mira replied back, darting through the ice and snow as if it were her home.

"..."As they were shooting through the blizzard, Mira had a sudden thought. 'I should be able to destroy this, right?'

Determined to put her theory to the test, she took out her scythe. Her black tail shone dimly as a chaotic yet greedy aura surged out of her weapon. The ice, snow, and wind around her were suddenly drawn in, decreasing the temperature further, but Mira paid it no mind.

After a moment of studying the blizzard before her, Mira swung her scythe in a large arc, sending a wave of pitch-black Qi through it. Whatever it passed through was instantly destroyed, clearing the way for her and Hana.

'Hmm~ Simpler than I thought.' Mira nodded and continued swinging, creating a tunnel that was untouched by the icy chaos around them.

Hana's eyes widened when she felt the temperature rise and saw part of a continental-wide blizzard literally disappear. 'That… That's possible?' Then, she shrugged. 'If it's Mira, what isn't?'

Her thoughts were stopped due to the sudden roar in the background, followed by a gaze locking onto them. She gripped Mira's tails tighter but trusted her 'mount' to fend off this beast.

Mira smirked and shot a burst of Qi out of her feet, thrusting her forward. She reeled back her fist and-

BOOM!

-smashed into whatever entity had targeted them.

A draconic-like creature was thrown into the distance. Mira followed up, appearing over its tumbling figure, and slammed her heel into its head, sending it crashing to the ground.

A crater formed under its giant body, dissipating a good portion of the blizzard from the sheer force, and Mira was finally able to get a look at the beast that had declared its presence.lights

Although it looked somewhat like an Ice Wyvern, there were a few differences. For one, it was much too large. With almost a 100-meter wingspan, the thing was huge! However, as it was a Mid-Stage Rank 9 beast, it made sense

Besides its immense size, the creature's scales shimmered with a deep, iridescent blue that seemed to pulsate with an inner light, giving the impression of a living glacier.

Hana looked over her shoulder and gasped, pointing at its head. "Look at its eyes." She whispered, not even noticing the lack of legs of the beast.

Mira glanced down, noticing the creature's eyes for the first time. They were a striking violet, unlike most beasts she had encountered.

'Strange, but oh well.' However, part of her thought that this beast might be a suitable pet for Aelina. 'Yeah. Let's capture this thing. I'm sure that old hag will appreciate my gift.' She chuckled sinisterly.

"This is a Frost Amphiptere," Mira stated. "A rare species, even among draconic creatures. They're known for their mastery over ice and snow, able to summon blizzards and freeze their prey with a mere breath. However, what really sets them apart are their lack of legs and thin serpentine bodies, giving them almost unparalleled agility amongst its reptilian family."

As if understanding Mira's words, the Frost Amphiptere let out a low growl, its violet eyes fixed on the two intruders. With a sudden burst of power, it reared up, its massive wings unfurling as it prepared to unleash its fury.

"Stay behind me, girl," Mira ordered. "I can't promise your face won't fall off if you look over my shoulder.

Hana immediately ducked down and hid in her large, fluffy tails.

The Frost Wyrm opened its mouth, and a chilling wind began to gather, forming a swirling vortex of ice and snow. With a deafening roar, it released the breath attack, a torrent of freezing energy that threatened to engulf Mira and Hana in an icy tomb.

Reacting swiftly, Mira drew upon her Dao, creating a shield of ice around them. The ice breath merely slid off both sides of the shield, leaving the two completely untouched.

Mira shook her head, a bit disappointed in its strength yet proud of her own progress. 'My Dao really is overpowered against those with ice affinities.'

She shield-bashed the breath, sending it off course, before snapping her fingers. The beast's mouth was suddenly shut as it looked up at Mira wide-eyed.

"You know, it'd be a shame to have to kill you. You have the same eyes as someone I know. Probably as old as her, too." Mira chuckled, causing the Frost Amphiptere to shiver. "If you agree to head back to my Sect, I'll spare your life."

Before it could answer, Mira dove down and smashed its face into the icy earth beneath it. The beast growled and surged with power, threatening to toss her off, but she was like an ancient mountain, unmovable.

Feeling a sense of anger and urgency, it thrashed around, whipping its long, scaly tail toward its attacker's head. But Mira just raised her hand and, with a sickening crunch, snapped it in half. The beast grunted in pain, but its healing factor kicked in, only for Mira to wrap her destruction tail around it, destroying its insides faster than they could be regenerated.

"Sorry, you don't have much of a choice." She smiled and placed a hand on its head. Although the beast had no idea what Mira was about to do, its instincts screamed that it wasn't anything good.

Roaring and thrashing around, it did everything it could to break free, but to no avail.

'Abyssal Enslavement.' She muttered, injecting Qi into its pathways, core, and all throughout its entire being. Within minutes, the beast's eyes became blank, and Mira felt complete control over its life and death.

'So, it can work on beasts, huh?' She wasn't completely sure it would, not that she planned on enslaving an army of beasts. Too tiresome.

She gave it a few mental commands, ensuring that it had really worked, before smiling lightly. "Good! Now, I want you to go to the Western Continent. Do everything you can to ensure your survival."

Then, she leaned in and whispered a few 'secret orders, ' smirking as she did so. As soon as she was done, it leaped up into the air and disappeared into the distance.

She took out a Communication Talisman, sent in a stream of Qi, and said, "I'm sending you a present." Before she crushed it.

"Why didn't you kill it?" Hana peeked up and asked, confused.

Shrugging, Mira replied, "It's not as funny."magic

"..."

Mira ignored the deadpan look she received and jumped up into the air. "So, Northwest, right?"