Mira walked up to the man and knocked him unconscious, then slung him on Rhydian's back to take him to a secluded area, away from prying eyes. She needed more information about the Unorthodox Faction, as she knew the people the 'god' sent down were using them as a proxy to harass her and those close to her.
However, she was still skeptical of her ability to take down someone in the Mortal Shedding Realm without killing them, so she could only settle with having someone in the Soul Transformation Realm for now.
Inside a cave hidden in the mountains, Mira tied the man up with ice chains and wrapped his body in the earth so he couldn't move. Due to all the commotion, the man gained consciousness and immediately tried to move around but noticed he was restrained.
Just as he was about to channel his Qi, a cold but teasing voice echoed in his ears.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why are you in such a rush? I just want to have a little chat."
The man felt a blade press against his neck, knicking it and drawing blood. Not wanting to have his head chopped off, he stopped channeling his Qi and looked at the culprit.
Mira approached the restrained guy and leaned down to look him in the eye with a bloodthirsty smile on her face. She could feel his fear and desperation emanating from him as he trembled in his bindings.
"Why'd you bring me here?" He feigned ignorance, trying not to show that he knew who Mira was–or at least, her as a person.
Among the upper echelons of the Unorthodox Faction Sects, there was a rumor going around that they were looking for a 9-tailed fox who traveled with a golden winged wolf. He'd have to be utterly braindead if he couldn't see the coincidences as soon as he spotted Mira.
However, from the beginning, Mira knew that he had recognized her. She could see it in his eyes, and the slight changes in his expression here further proved this.
"Hmm? Don't you recognize me?" Mira smirked, "You should know full well why I brought you here."
The man tightly shut his lips and avoided eye contact.
"Not willing to talk, huh? Well, that's fine by me." Mira formed an ice needle thinner than a strand of hair in her hand and played with it, "You see, you lot have caused great distress to someone I hold near and dear to my heart; just that is enough to send you all to the depths of hell. However, to add to your list of crimes, you're even dealing with people who want nothing more than to see me rot and crumble into despair."
Mira's crimson eyes glowed slightly before calming down and looking at the man with a faint smile. The emotions and malice hidden deep within that smile caused all the blood in the man's face to leave and cold sweat to drip down his back.
"That being the case, I naturally have to prepare to teach you and your entire faction a very valuable lesson. I'm sure you understand what I mean by that, right?" Mira winked at the man with a playful smile that dripped with bloodlust.
The man naturally understood. Mira wanted information, but how could he give in so easily??
Ever since he was young, he's grown up inside a Sect that was part of the Unorthodox Faction. Pain, despair, and misery were his only companions on his lonely road to the top. Even his cultivation technique hurt like hell, but he still used it!
Over time, he's grown to take pride in being a member of the Unorthodox Faction! He wasn't burdened by the morals of the Orthodox Sects, where they tried to hide their greed while preaching love to the masses.
Instead, he saw the Unorthodox Sects as places where people can be true to themselves without worrying about what society says is right or wrong.
The man pushed away his fear and anger and stared back at Mira with a large grin on his face.
"You can try and torture the information out of me, but you should know you won't get anything from me. You might as well kill me now to save yourself the effort." He said confidently.
Mira's grin widened, and she grabbed him by the chin.
"That's what they all say, but soon, you'll fall just like the rest of them." She pried his mouth open, her free hand still playing with the ice needle.
"However, I'll allow you this one opportunity to tell me everything you know about the Unorthodox Faction, its various sects, the power structure, their goals, and anything else that might interest me. If you do that, I'll give you a swift and painless death."
The man kept quiet, with a defiant look in his eyes as he refused to say anything. Almost as if he was asking to be tortured.
Mira just shrugged, knowing that she'd need to break him physically and mentally to get the information she desired.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
Mira pried his mouth wide open and jammed the thin ice needle through one of his teeth and into his gums, all the way up until she pierced a bone.
"...Ack!"
The man's eyes rolled back into his head, and his voice got caught in his throat as he wasn't even sure how to process the pain that he felt! He struggled to breathe for a moment, but the air still entered his lungs, thanks to his cultivation.
However, that slight gust of wind caused by his inhaling sent searing pain from his tooth to his mouth, all the way up to his brain! It was as if Mira sent an electric shock right to his mind!
Foam formed at the corners of his mouth as his body entered a state of shock, but Mira wasn't nearly done yet.
"I'll use you to freshen up on some old techniques, so try not to break too quickly."
The man couldn't even register Mira's words as all his mind could focus on was a series of ice needles that now hovered above his eyes.
"For every minute you refuse to answer, one of these will enter your body. Ah! But don't worry. I know how to stick a needle in an eye without causing any blindness, so even if you survive today, you'll still be able to see perfectly fine. Hehehehe~"
The man's body shivered uncontrollably, and he almost instantly regretted not saying anything at the beginning. However, this still wasn't enough to break him, and he stayed adamant in his decision not to reveal any secrets!
Over the next few hours, Mira tortured the man, using every method at her disposal to extract information.
Most people think torture is a savage and brutish art that's all about doing as much damage to the other party as possible while not killing them. And while part of that is true, Mira thought differently.
To her, torture was more like art; very fine, precise, and sharp. It was a mixture of physical damage and psychological torture.
However, what Mira found to be the most brutal form of torture was giving the subject hope, followed by sending them to the brink of despair.
That's why Mira hadn't crippled his cultivation yet, and it's also why she allowed him to speak his mind before she started. He needed that sliver of hope that as long as he said what she wanted to hear, the pain would stop, and he might be able to go back to his normal life.
Breaking bones might hurt, but he could withstand such a thing with ease at his cultivation. Thus, she had to take a more… precise approach.
The man screamed and cried through it all, silently begging for mercy, but Mira was relentless. Unless he came out directly and said what she wanted, she would continue with the session. She was going to get this information one way or another, whether he liked it or not!
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the man broke. He told Mira everything she wanted to know, including the Sects' identities and locations, their leaders' identities, their inner workings, their cultivation techniques, and more.
By the end of it all, she was highly satisfied with everything she'd come to know, and the man was nothing more than a pittling pile of blood and bones.
Mira stood up, looking down at the broken and battered man at her feet. By now, he could hardly form complete sentences.
She knew that he was of no use to her anymore, and she raised her scythe to finish him off.
*Shing!*
His head flew through the air, and Mira tossed a small black hole surrounded by Yin Fire to get rid of the corpse.
Afterward, she walked over to Rhydian and hopped on her back with Elenei in tow.
"It's finally time for us to wreak a little havoc, Rhydian. In fact, why don't we go get your little pack to join us?"
