Exhaling a breath of turbid Qi, Mira's eyes narrowed into slits as she stared at the side of a massive serpent before her, "With how fast this guy's progressed, it shouldn't be much longer before I can leave this place."
During this period of time that she was stuck here, the Basilisk had consumed copious amounts of Celestial Nectar. In fact, he inhaled so much of it that part of Mira thought that the beast would turn into a giant drop of golden liquid himself.
The Basilisk was currently wrapped up in a giant ball, a cocoon of white and black forming around it with a golden stripe down the middle separating the two colors. From Mira's perspective, it almost looked like a caterpillar in the midst of evolving into a butterfly, just that this 'caterpillar' was capable of squeezing mountains and overturning oceans.
'A Taotie, huh…' Mira stared at the beast curiously. She didn't know much about the species, only that it existed. From the aura that the Basilisk gave off and the fact that it had ingested so much Celestial Nectar, she figured it'd be something akin to a Holy Basilisk, but it was impossible for her to know, and he didn't seem keen on sharing.
'Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll be powerful.' Mira shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside before sweeping her consciousness past her body and soul.
The Basilisk wasn't the only one who had made tremendous strides over the last three months. She had also made significant progress in her cultivation.
Instead of a 3-4-year-old child, her Nascent Soul now looked to be about 6 years of age. The ice hill it stood on was larger and denser, the earth and magma were stronger, and the water droplets heavier. Darkness now only encompassed 70% of her soul, except this time, there was something new: Wind.
A mini cyclone had formed inside her Soul, making the whole thing seem as if it was rotating!
All this meant one thing: She had broken through to the 3rd Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm!
In addition to that, she also worked on modifying the Soul Forge Technique and made a few strides in that area. She found during her experiments that the shell of her soul was already so robust that the technique itself was of little use to her. However, she could take the fundamental core of the technique and use it to create her own.
Huoyan, the Ashura, had created this technique alongside two others so that all three Realms of power (Body, Qi, and Soul) would have their own cultivation systems, but Mira didn't believe that this suited her.
She was all about efficiency, and training her Body, Soul, Qi, and Affinities separately was a massive waste of time. Eventually, she'll hit an almost insurmountable wall that can't be overcome without putting in centuries or several millennia of training just to break through a single stage. Even then, every subsequent stage will be exponentially more difficult.
She might be a training maniac, but that seemed like pure hell.
Therefore, she took the core of all the cultivation techniques she knew, including the Soul Forge Technique, and used them to help create a universal cultivation system that fused everything together.
Although the current humanoid cultivation system was close to what she was looking for, it heavily leaned toward the Qi factor. The other two aspects (Body and Soul) were just support for the main system. A means to an end.
She didn't want that. She needed everything to stand on equal footing. All elements of cultivation should be synchronized into one System, so she didn't need to use different techniques for each aspect.
With her talent, she felt that following any other path would just leave inconsistencies in her foundation. Inconsistencies that, while not detrimental, might inhibit her from reaching the peak of her Absolute Dao.
As such, she spent most of her time dedicated to researching ways to do this rather than cultivating.
'Too bad I didn't make much progress. However, I believe what's happening in my soul is a clue that will help me achieve this.' Mira thought as she finished examining her body, which was currently itching to release its newfound power.
Suddenly, while she was lost in thought, the Basilisk's body shone like a beacon, drowning out their cave in its dark, light, and golden radiance. The Basilisk quickly released its Qi, using that to cover up this phenomenon from the outside world.
"It seems I am about to go through my evolution, Young Fox," A deep voice, tinged with excitement, reverberated through Mira's mind.
"That so?" Mira cocked her head but wasn't too surprised. He had ingested enough Celestial Nectar to supply a major Sect for thousands of years, after all. It would be weirder if he weren't evolving soon. "I'm assuming you're kicking me out."
"That is correct. I do not wish for anyone to spectate me during this sensitive time."
"What about the Sect not far from here? The Sect Master is quite powerful. If you up and disappear, I'm sure he'll know."
"Hmph!" The Basilisk snorted, "Child. Whether I want to hide, kill, sneak, steal, or evolve, nobody in this world can stop me."
Mira's eyes widened, a bit taken aback by its statement, but she was also a bit skeptical. After all, there was still the Central Continent. For how much it was 'praised', she could only imagine what sort of terrifying old monsters and beasts lived there.
The Basilisk noticed her doubt but didn't feel the need to comment on it. Instead, it said, "That's enough talking. Our contract is over. You're free to leave."
"...Just like that? I'm suddenly allowed to leave?" Mira stared at it, wondering if it was truly letting her go.
"Yes."
'Beasts truly are more simple than humans. Even mythical beasts like this guy.' Mira thought before an idea struck her.
"Then… Can I keep the Harmony Blossoms since you have no more need for them?"
The Basilisk was silent for a while, "...You may have one. I still have uses for them."
"Tch." Mira clicked her tongue in disappointment but didn't reject his offer. She didn't need more than one, anyways.
She quickly removed all the Harmony Blossoms from her Infinity Garden, leaving just a single one before packing up the rest of her stuff. Once she gathered all her belongings, she stood before the Basilisk, which was almost entirely covered in a dense cocoon.
"Goodbye, Young Fox. May we meet again in the Immortal Realm." It said, then wrapped itself in Qi before disappearing completely alongside his Harmony Blossoms.
Mira had no idea where it went but assumed he was now in a place much more secluded than here.
"Heh. How abrupt." She chuckled, "But I guess it suits him. I don't think we ever spoke more than a few words to each other over the last few months."
"Now…" Mira's expression turned serious as she stared in the direction that led out of the Forbidden Forest, "I've spent so long here. It's finally time for me to check out the progress of the war."
"Hopefully, nothing happened to Dominique while I was away."
She put away the Infinity Garden, and with a thought, she also left the hideout, not leaving a single trace behind.
***
It took her some time, just like it did for Nova and the others, but Mira was eventually able to make it out of the Forbidden Forest without any issues. Rather, it seemed as if the Heartwood Corruptor sensed her intentions and supported her in escaping.
Her lungs greedily sucked in a breath of fresh air. A gentle breeze played with her fiery tresses as the sun bathed her in a warm, welcoming light. Her heart hummed with anticipation, her gaze already fixed upon her destination – the Battle Maiden Sect.
"I didn't realize this until now, but the air in that forest is incredibly stuffy," Mira murmured, a faint smile playing on her lips. In her eyes, the sky was a richer shade of azure, the trees a more vibrant green. The world outside was the same as before, yet, she felt an unfamiliar sense of liberation.
"All right. Time to get moving," Mira muttered, her voice firm. She had been away for too long, trapped in a cave with a massive serpent. Now, she was free to move as she pleased.
Taking a moment to stretch her limbs and crack her joints, she prepared herself for the journey. Then, with one last lingering look at the Forbidden Forest that had been her home for so long, she turned on her heel and began her journey toward the Battle Maiden Sect.
'I hope Aelina hasn't ended the war without me. I need to release a little excess energy after sitting in a cave for so long!' Mira's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile. She was ready to let loose and go on an unbridled rampage.
