With some new knowledge at hand, Mira's group was reinvigorated with the desire to hunt, but their hopes were shortly destroyed after Elenei's next words.
"If you three are thinking about finding beasts to hunt on this world, then forget about it. That tiger you came across was a mere lucky encounter and I don't feel like escorting you girls on my back for a few fights. We'd have to travel all over the place and honestly if you just sat here and cultivated it'd be much more efficient than battling those beasts." The Frost-Fire Phoenix explained cooly.
"Then how are we supposed to get used to our newfound strength after we three just rose in cultivation not too long ago? I'd rather fight against some beast than against Mira!" Maria asked half curious and half complaining.
She received a deadly glare from Mira and a somewhat amused look from Elenei.
"Well, you'll probably learn more from fighting against her than these beasts." Elenei could only say these words but received betrayed looks from both Maria and Celaine.
"Noooooo! Sister Elenei, how could you do that to us?! I was trying to hint at you to send Mira away so she can battle! At least we might only end up with a few bruises, maybe some fractures, and the occasional broken bone! But NOOO! We'll be half-dead when Mira's done with us! Tell me, Sister, have you ever had your bones hit with such force and precision that they will not only break, but the break is so clean that repairing them is relatively easy? How about that happening over and over again until you start bleeding from your pores? What about-No, Mira I'm sorry! Don't do this, please don't do this! Sister Elenei, no, Ancestor Elenei save meeee!!"
Soon Elenei could only hear the wails of both Celaine and Maria as they were dragged away by Mira.
She was about to speak up but caught a glimpse at Mira looking back at her with a vicious glint in her eyes.
That glare actually sent a shiver down her spine. The feeling she got from Mira just then was of someone who has gone to hell and back more times than she can count. She could sense the seething rage, not directed towards herself or her companions but just in general, cruelty worse than any demon, a coldness that could put any Ice Phoenix to shame (at least in terms of personality… for now), and the mountain of bodies that she's left in her wake.
Yet, the most terrifying thing about all of this was that it was all hidden and controlled under a sharp and intelligent exterior.
Once Mira gains enough power, she might very well be one of the most terrifying beings in the known universe.
What made Elenei more astonished was that although she was probably much older than Mira was, at least according to her current body's age, her worldly experience pales in comparison.
She's mostly spent her time cultivating and/or looking for ways to fix her bloodline problem. She tends to try and keep a low profile due to how valuable a weak Phoenix like her is, not to mention her unique bloodline. There's absolutely no way she can just run around wherever she wants to cause trouble or go exploring in some random place.
Elenei placed a lot of hope on this world that she's in right now, but so far everything has turned out useless. At least until Mira entered the picture. Now, she's glad that she stayed in this place as she was actually able to find exactly what she needed!
She shook these thoughts out of her head, but nevertheless, she still felt that she made the right decision to make a deal with Mira and follow her. Having someone exceedingly ruthless can be a good thing, as long as they're on your side hehehe.
…
After Mira spent some time 're-educating' Maria and Celaine, the three of them came back to where Elenei was staying.
Elenei looked at Maria and Celaine only to be shocked speechless by the sight in front of her. They were covered in blood, scratches, gashes, some limbs were in the wrong direction, and they only had a sliver of Qi in their bodies currently which was being used to its maximum to heal their messed up bodies.
She turned towards Mira but didn't see any trace of emotion as she walked towards her majestic self.
She silently gulped and decided to ignore the gazes of Maria and Celaine as they were looking at her like she was their biggest enemy.
"I suggest you look for the items I mentioned before in this Realm. I'm sure there's some fiery world connected to this one, I just don't know what direction it's in but that shouldn't be too difficult for you. Just look for anything that produces heat and can be used for tempering the body. Ores, minerals, herbs, plants, lava, basically anything hot is good. I'll be spending my time consolidating my foundation as well as analyzing a new ability of mine. I'll try to make as much progress in using the power of fire, separate from my magma, but I doubt I'll make a breakthrough in it by the time you get back. And since you said that nearly everything in this world is gathered here on this mountain, there is no reason for me, or rather us to leave this mountain until we've gotten as much out of this world as possible." Mira ordered, already securing the leader position between the two of them.
Luckily, Elenei wasn't that offended and even found it somewhat suitable. She thought about Mira's words and found them agreeable. She didn't have anything to do in the near future other than escorting Mira's group and seeing that they aren't going anywhere there is nothing for her to do other than wait.
Since there is no need to continue searching for her long-awaited solution, she can finally do something else!
"Very well, I'll get going immediately. With my senses, strength, and speed the trip shouldn't take me much longer than a month. Maybe two if something unexpected happens or there is more loot than I expected." Elenei was oddly enthusiastic and optimistic about this journey which put a frown on Mira's face.
Oh well. It didn't really matter to her if things went well or not. Even if this Phoenix were to die in the midst of her journey, Mira wouldn't care as it would save her the hassle of dealing with any future trouble. The only thing she'd be annoyed about is how she would've wasted her time waiting.
"I'll give you three months. If you aren't back in three months then we are leaving this world for the next one. Our time in this realm is limited and considering everything is already right here, three months is already pushing it." Mira said.
"Sure, I'll be sure to be back within three months. I can't lose my only hope of fixing my bloodline so easily now can I? Hehe. See you in a few months!" Elenei chuckled and unfurled her wings.
A huge force came out from under her wings as she launched into the air and shot off into the distance faster than Mira could even see.
"Two to three months should be just enough time to solidify my foundation, analyze how efficient absorbing blood to boost my cultivation is, examine and test to see if I can find a way to control a strand of Yin Fire and get used to my current abilities. Maria and Celaine should also be able to make a breakthrough in their cultivation during this time as well. *Sigh* Looks like things are finally starting to look up." Mira couldn't help but mutter somewhat expectant to what the future has to offer.
