Mira stood there, rooted to the ground, not knowing what to say. She had never heard of or seen anyone who had created their own cultivation system. Even she, with her insanely high comprehension, had never thought about doing something like that!
It just didn't make sense! The Heavens might seek to control the balance, but the cultivation system that people followed was top-tier. It covered all the basics, from bodily strength to Qi, to the soul, and prepared one for the Immortal Realm!
To make it more appealing, especially for someone like Mira, who had to go against the Heavens, this was a cultivation system created by man, not the Absolutes.
They were just the judge, jury, and executioner. They had no reason to dictate every little detail of a mortal's life. At least, that's what Mira understood from the Firmament's description of the Heavens.
"Why did you do that? And why did the Heavens not like that?" Mira asked.
"Kueh-huhu!" The man chuckled, "You might not know much about my race, but I'm known as an Ashura. You see, we Ashura's were born with abnormally strong bodies and mighty souls, even without any cultivation. For example, the strength of an Ashura child could rival those in the Foundation Realm or, in some cases, weaker Core Formation cultivators."
"You might think that's amazing, and it is, but not everything was great. For one, our Qi cultivation talent was piss-poor. In a world where the entire cultivation system revolved around Qi at its core, this effectively made us useless. Still, our longer lifespans, abnormal bodily strength, and strong soul more than made up for this deficiency, and we became the major ruling power in my Realm."
"However, I, Huoyan Ashura, wasn't satisfied with that!" The man threw a fist in the air, his muscles flexing, "The nine major Mortal Realms did not bring out our full potential as it did for the other humanoid races! So, along with a few Elders, I decided to change that!"
The man, Huoyan, then looked down at Mira and smirked, "And I succeeded! After many years of research, I had finally created a perfect cultivation system for my race! With that, I became stronger than anyone else and reached the peak of power faster than anyone in my race ever had!"
"Unfortunately, when I was ascending to the Immortal Realm, the Heavens struck me down, labeling me as someone who would break the balance and sending me to this place."
Mira stared at Huoyan with her mouth wide open, astounded by his story. The standard cultivation system was already hard enough for 99% of people, so for him to deem it unworthy just showed how talented these Ashuras were!
Mira didn't think for a second that he was lying, as the pride that emanated from his body wasn't something someone could fake. Also, Huoyan was strong.
Many times stronger than the strongest person she had ever met!
'If he and Aelina were to face off, I bet this man could absolutely destroy her with just his pinky finger!' Mira thought, knowing there was no chance in hell she was beating this guy.
'Luckily, he's chained up.'
Mira shook her head, pushing these thoughts aside, "Still, that doesn't answer my question as to why the Heavens killed you and threw you in hell."
Huoyan's face crumpled up into an awkward look, "Well, you see… I don't actually know the reason. It's not like the Heavens tell you why. They just strike you down without warning!"
Just as Mira was about to frown, he chuckled, "However, I do have some guesses. After listening to the stories of those who end up here, along with my own experiences, I believe that unless you commit an egregious mistake, the Heavens won't bother dealing with you if you're in the Mortal Realm. The amount of power and influence you can wield, even at the peak of power in the Mortal Realm, isn't even worth a single Immortal's toenail! So, reigning over a world, eradicating all life, or becoming a tyrant means nothing to the Heavens as long as you're in the Mortal Realm."
"When I was alive, I was several times more powerful than even the most talented humanoids. Even my cultivation system was easy to use as I didn't need to absorb energy. I just needed to control the surrounding Qi and use that to temper my body and soul. If I and my race were to ascend, unless someone eradicated us soon after, we would undoubtedly rise to the peak. And quickly at that."
"So, my guess is that my race not absorbing energy was a huge red flag for the Heavens, along with the potential chaos we would cause… It probably decided to strike me down to set an example for the rest of the Ashuras."
Mira listened to his words carefully as this was vital information she couldn't learn anywhere else.
However, when she heard his reasoning for his death, she inwardly shook her head.
'If the Heavens are truly impartial, they wouldn't make such a thug move, like setting an example to put other mortals in their place.' Mira thought that he was wrong. The chains embedded into his body showed that the Heavens believed he was much more of a threat than the man believed. However, she didn't have enough information to ascertain whether Huoyan's assumption was correct. So, she kept quiet on the matter.
"..."
An awkward silence pervaded the area after he finished talking, as Mira just stared at him with a curious glint in her eyes.
Lightning and Fire continued to rain down on her figure, burning off chunks of flesh and disintegrating parts of her bones, only for it to heal within seconds.
That's when Huoyan finally looked past her beauty and realized that the woman was quite unique. He couldn't sense any extraordinary power from her, but from how her body healed from injuries that would not only cause death among most humanoids, and how she handled it without any change in her expression…
'This woman is not normal!'
His smile widened as the lust in his eyes faded, replaced by a child-like curiosity.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat, "Anyways, enough about me. What did you do to end up here? Did you try and make yourself immortal? Turn into an undead? Or did you try to wield the power of time?!"
Mira paused, then sighed.
'I knew this question was coming, but I still haven't decided on my answer.'
Part of her wanted to lie, but doing so without arousing his suspicion would be hard, given her lack of information. However, she wasn't sure whether he would believe the truth either, nor did she know how he would react.
'What if he tries to take over my body or something? Would I even have the necessary power to stop him?' She didn't think so.
'But then again, I have a feeling this man is the final demon that needs to die in order for me to move on to the next step.'
'Maybe he'll kill himself for me if I'm sincere enough?'
Her eyes gazed at the black chains embedded in Huoyan's body, and she steeled her resolve.
"Actually… I haven't died… Not yet, at least."
Huoyan blinked, not expecting that answer, but Mira continued.
"I was tossed into this Hell with the help of a treasure. The goal it has given me is to fight, conquer, and destroy the inhabitants of this Realm, so I understand who my enemies are and how I can break free from their grasp."
Then, she turned around and looked out into the distance, "As you can see, no more demons are left. That's because I had killed them all and absorbed their souls. They will be the fuel for my breakthrough and the catalyst for my Absolute Ice Dao to evolve alongside my soul."
Finally, she turned back to Huoyan and looked him straight in the eyes, "You're the final piece of the puzzle, the last one remaining before I fend off the Heavens, conquer Hell, and return to the Mortal Realm."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The two stared at each other for a while, Mira hoping he wouldn't smash her into meat paste and Huoyan searching her eyes for any falsehood.
The sounds of lightning crackling and fire roaring drowned out the palpable silence which pervaded the top of the volcano. Although Mira tried to be patient, waiting for him to say something, she would prefer if he hurried up as the amount of vitality she used to heal her destroyed body every time a lightning strike fell was immense.
After what seemed like minutes of waiting, Huoyan's blank stare turned into a maniacal grin, and he roared in laughter!
"Kufufufuhahahah! KAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He bent over at the waist, laughing and pointing at Mira as if he had just heard the funniest thing in the world!
"HAHAHAHA! Finally!! FINALLY! Something interesting has happened in this shitty place!" He raised all four of his arms up into the air and cried out!
