Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

The Forbidden Forest, notorious for its dangerous landscape and deadly flora and fauna, had a chilling reputation that would send shivers down the spines of even the most experienced cultivators.

However, despite its reputation, hardly anything was known about the Forest, at least to the outside world. For those who were weak and had no interest in such a dangerous place, this meant nothing.

But for the truly strong, a place without tales was either one of two things: Uncharted territory or a place so dangerous that anyone who wandered in never made it back alive.

In this case, Aelina, Mira, and the others believed it to be the latter.

Despite the vastness and seemingly endless expanse of the Ancient Beast Mountain Range, thousands upon thousands of people traversed these lands on a daily basis. It was impossible for people not to come into contact with the Forbidden Forest.

However, nobody talked about it. Hell, nobody walked anywhere near it.

Hence its name.

It truly was a Forbidden place.

Rhydian flapped her wings and slowly descended a few dozen kilometers from where the rumored Forbidden Forest was.

As Rhydian drew closer to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Even from this distance, the girls could feel an oppressive aura emanating from the dark and mysterious woodland. The closer they got, the more they understood the reason behind its ominous reputation.

The surrounding area was eerily silent, devoid of any signs of life or activity. It was as if the very earth itself was warning them against stepping foot within the forest's boundaries.

Hopping off of Rhydian, they slowly crept toward the Forest, doing their best not to make themselves known.

Mira was the only one who was a bit more casual about it. She walked alongside Rhydian, shoveling fistfuls of Rank 7 and Rank 8 beast meat into her mouth.

Yesterday, she had used up nearly all of her vitality, her regenerative powers, in one go. Now, she needed to consume vast amounts of food to restore it.

She had spent most of the night eating food, but she wanted to make sure she was topped off before entering such a dangerous area.

As they stood at the edge of the forest, its shadow looming over them like a dark shroud, they couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. The towering trees, with their twisted limbs and gnarled bark, seemed to defy the natural order of the world, creating an otherworldly landscape that left them feeling disoriented and uneasy.

Taking a deep breath, Mira looked around at her companions, her eyes filled with resolve. "This is it, everyone. Stay vigilant and alert at all times. Remember, our number one priority is the Celestial Nectar. Everything else comes second."

The girls nodded solemnly, understanding the severity of the situation.

"Leave any poison to me. I have some immunity, and while it isn't full-proof, I won't die immediately upon contact."

With a final glance back at the bright and beautiful world they were leaving behind, the group stepped into the Forbidden Forest, their hearts pounding with a mix of trepidation and anticipation.

The darkness swallowed them whole, enveloping them in its chilling embrace as they delved deeper into the heart of the unknown.

As they ventured into the forest, the girls were met with an ever-thickening, inky fog that seemed to absorb all light, leaving them nearly blind. The air was heavy with the scent of decay, mingled with the sweet aroma of poisonous plants, urging them to tread cautiously and maintain their guard at all times.

They used their Soul Sense to scan the area, but even that was severely limited in this area.

The Forbidden Forest was a living, breathing entity that seemed to thrive on death, decay, and malic. Every inch of the forest was teeming with life, and a sense of malevolence hung thick in the air.

Despite the dangers of the place, the forest was teeming with life, both seen and unseen. Strange creatures with eyes that glowed in the darkness scuttled through the undergrowth, watching the group's every move.

The air was alive with the fluttering of leathery wings as bat-like creatures with razor-sharp fangs swooped and darted through the darkness. They emitted a high-pitched keening that was barely perceptible to the human ear yet filled the night with an unsettling dissonance.

Sinister beings lurked in the shadows within the undergrowth, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Among them were nocturnal creatures with eyes that glowed an unearthly shade of green, reflecting the scarce light that penetrated the forest's dense canopy.

These beings moved with unnerving agility, their limbs clicking and clattering as they scuttled through the forest floor, their gazes fixated on the group, tracking their every movement.

One such creature hung from a leaf, waiting for Mira's group to pass by before it dropped on their heads!

*Swoosh!*

A dozen ice needles punctured the creature's body, which was shown to be a large, oddly-shaped beetle, and it dropped to the ground.

Mira stepped on the bug, causing it to explode in a mess of green blood, before moving on.

"Ewwww. The creatures here are really nasty," Eden held her nose in disgust, tiptoeing around the dead bugs and beasts that Mira and the others slayed every few seconds.

As an elf, she was more sensitive to nature and the beings contained within. Therefore, to her, walking into this place was akin to diving into a large tub of manure, covering herself in shit.

The creatures here repulsed her, the aura was murky and disgusting, and even the plants seemed evil.

"Are you going to help kill these things or just stand there and watch?" Nova grumbled as she thrust her spear forward, piercing through a dark green snake that had just launched itself at them.

"...I think I'll just watch. Thank you very much," Eden said shamelessly. She had no intention of infecting her weapons with the vile blood of these... monsters.

Yes, in her mind, these were no longer beasts but monsters. Monsters that wanted to "corrupt" her pure self!

"...Why'd you even come if you're going to be this useless?" Seraphina commented, but even she was thoroughly washing off her sword and shield with her Qi every time something touched them.

"Hey! It's not my fault that this place is so disgusting! Who would even want to live here, anyway? Those people from the Toxic Blade Sect must be insane!" Eden exclaimed, but nobody could disagree with her words.

Strategically and defensively, it had the perfect natural barrier, but that was just in theory. Living in such a depressing place... they didn't even want to imagine what it must do to one's psyche.

The group fell silent as they focused on making a path through the Forest, hopefully toward a place with a bit more visibility.

The foliage of the Forbidden Forest was no less menacing than its fauna and wildlife. The trees with knotted branches and twisted trunks seemed to reach out, attempting to ensnare the unwary. Their bark was coated with a layer of slime that emitted a sickly sweet odor, attempting to lure unsuspecting creatures closer only to trap them in a deadly embrace.

Venomous plants were abundant, their vibrant colors hiding a lethal secret. Some blossomed with beautiful but deadly flowers that exuded a sweet intoxicating scent that was just a prelude to the toxic poison it would puff out, killing whatever bug or small beast stepped near it.

Others were adorned with slender tendrils that moved with a mind of their own, silently snaking through the air in search of prey. Once they found their target, these tendrils would wrap around the victim, injecting a paralyzing toxin that rendered them helpless.

The deeper the group ventured into the forest, the more they realized that they were not only facing the dangers of the flora and fauna but also battling against the very essence of the forest itself. The trees seemed to whisper malevolent secrets, the wind carrying the tortured cries of those who had fallen victim to the forest's sinister allure.

With each step, the group felt the oppressive weight of the forest's malevolent presence bearing down on them, but they pushed forward, determined to go into the heart of the forest, where the treasure they were searching for was.

The girls ventured deeper into the Forbidden Forest, each step taking them further from the familiar world they knew and closer to the secrets that lay hidden within.

Suddenly, without warning, Mira's expression changed as she sensed danger ahead!

"Watch out! Something's coming!" She yelled, hoping to alert her companions before it appeared.

Unfortunately, the entity was already before them as she spoke.

A massive plant burst forth from the underbrush, its enormous maw snapping open hungrily. In a flash, it knocked Eden to the side, sending her sprawling across the damp forest floor. Simultaneously, its thick, thorny vines shot out, ensnaring Everly in their constricting embrace.