After departing from the Thorned Ridge, Rhydian took to the skies with Mira and Hana on her back. Her increased size and strength from the absorption of the Celestial Nectar-imbued Blood Essence allowed her to glide through the air with greater speed and less effort than before. Her body moved with such grace and power that it seemed as though she was born to command the skies.
Mira, on the other hand, was diligently going through her mental notes.
'There should be more uses to Celestial Nectar than just improving the purity of a bloodline.' She remembered how the Basilisk said that it wanted to use the accumulation of pure energy from the Celestial Nectar to essentially change races.
She didn't know if there was a difference in bloodline grade between a Taotie and a Basilisk, but the way the beast made it sound was like there wasn't much of a difference at all.
That being the case, Mira felt that there should be some unique, unexplored uses of the Celestial Nectar.
'Maybe it can even go so far as merging several bloodlines together!' Mira's eyes shined, but they quickly dimmed as she understood that such a thing was most likely impossible, considering that Celestial Nectar wasn't about combining but purifying.
'I guess I can only test my theories.' Mira thought as she sat down and began meditating.
It wasn't long before they reached their destination.
As they neared the Sky-Torn Hawks' territory, Mira shook herself out of her contemplations. It was time to focus on the present. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, patting Rhydian.
"Stay alert, Rhydian," she instructed, her gaze scanning the surrounding area. "The Sky-Torn Hawks are known for their aerial attacks."
Rhydian responded with a low rumble of agreement. Her eyes were alight with anticipation, the thrill of battle igniting a fiery determination within her. She'd never backed down from a challenge, and she certainly wasn't about to start now.
The moment they crossed the boundary into the Sky-Torn Hawks' territory, a loud, piercing cry echoed through the sky. Rhydian's ears perked up at the sound, and Mira's eyes narrowed as she watched a group of majestic hawks appear on the horizon, their wings spread wide, blocking out the sun.
The leader, a massive hawk, its feathers glinting like molten silver under the sun, let out another powerful cry that resonated through the sky. It was an unmistakable challenge to any who dared to invade their territory.
Mira's eyes narrowed as she channeled her Qi, her body emanating an icy aura. "Alright, Rhydian. Show them who the real Queen of the Sky is. But try not to be too messy. I'd like their Blood Essences to still be intact."
With that, Rhydian swooped down towards the flock of Sky-Torn Hawks, her mighty form casting a large shadow over the land beneath her.
Rhydian wasted no time in charging forward, her golden eyes fixated on the silver-feathered leader of the Sky-Torn Hawks. Her powerful wings stirred up violent gusts, ruffling the hawks' feathers and throwing them into disarray. Her aura was one of pure dominance, one that announced her status as the Queen of the Sky.
Below her, Mira was weaving through intricate patterns of Qi, creating a protective bubble around herself and Hana. The defense was solid, impenetrable to the incoming barrage of attacks from the frantic hawks.
Suddenly, a pair of hawks broke from the flock, heading straight for Mira and Hana. Their claws were sharp and menacing, ready to tear into the two of them.
But Mira, with an icy smile on her face, flicked her wrist. A wave of Qi swept forth from her, solidifying into a crystalline wall of ice. The hawks crashed into it headfirst, and their momentum instantly halted. In seconds, the chill of the ice seeped into their bodies, freezing them solid.
Their frozen forms fell to the earth below, encased in thick layers of ice. Mira's cold chuckle echoed through the air, scaring all the other hawks away as she turned her attention back to the battle between Rhydian and the leader of the Sky-Torn Hawks.
In the sky, Rhydian was tearing through the ranks of the hawks with ease. Her powerful claws and teeth were lethal weapons, ripping through feathers and flesh alike. But the hawks were fast and nimble in the sky. They twisted and turned, their sharp talons aiming for Rhydian's eyes and throat.
Yet, Rhydian was no ordinary beast. Her enhanced senses allowed her to predict their movements, her body nimbly dodging the worst of their attacks. With every clash, she proved her superiority, and the Hawks began to falter.
But the leader, the silver-feathered hawk, was different. It was stronger, faster, and its piercing gaze held a spark of intelligence that set it apart from the others. It observed Rhydian's movements, adapting its tactics and launching relentless attacks.
Rhydian met each attack with equal vigor. Her teeth sank into the silver-feathered hawk's wing, drawing first blood. The hawk screeched in pain and anger, retaliating with a powerful gust of wind that sent Rhydian back a few meters.
But Rhydian was not deterred. With a powerful flap of her wings, she regained her balance and launched herself back into the fray.
Their battle raged on, the sky filled with the echoes of their roars and cries. However, Rhydian was quickly gaining the upper hand as she adjusted to fighting in the air, her strength and size overpowering the silver-feathered hawk.
Finally, with a powerful swipe of her claw, Rhydian managed to land a critical hit on the leader hawk. The silver-feathered creature plummeted from the sky, hitting the ground with a loud thud.
With the leader defeated, the remaining hawks scattered, their cries echoing through the sky as they fled in terror.
However, this was the moment Rhydian and Mira were waiting for.
"Don't let a single one escape," Mira commanded as a pair of Paragon Wings appeared behind her, and she hopped off Rhydian's back with Hana in tow, much to the child's dismay.
Rhydian barked in understanding and shot after the ones in the opposite direction.
***
A few minutes later, the three of them returned to where the Sky-Torn Hawk leader lay. They tossed the weaker ones into a pile to make it easier for Rhydian to consume. But before the wolf could dig into her prey, Mira began extracting Blood Essences.
Mira gently extracted the Blood Essences, handling them with practiced ease. One by one, the luminous orbs of life force were carefully removed from the deceased hawks and placed in a bottle.
After she felt like she'd added enough of them into the bottle, Mira poured a few drops of Celestial Nectar onto the extracted Blood Essences. The Blood Essences began to glow more brilliantly as they absorbed the pure energy of the Celestial Nectar.
From then, Mira used her [Harmonic Trinity] technique to enhance the process and see if she really could increase the quantity of purified Blood Essences.
It wasn't easy. More than once, the Blood Essences threatened to disintegrate, their structures unstable under the influence of the Celestial Nectar. But Mira was determined. She carefully controlled the process, preventing any of the Blood Essences from collapsing.
One by one, the Blood Essences started to merge under the effect of the Celestial Nectar. They twisted and combined, forming a larger and more potent Blood Essence that thrummed with much more power, which wasn't too far behind the Feral Thorned Snake Patriarchs!
The sight of it caused Mira's eyes to shine. The Blood Essence of a Sky-Torn Hawk was an impressive Heaven-Grade bloodline, but combined and purified, they possessed strength and purity that easily reached Sovereign-Grade.
Handing it over to Rhydian, Mira said, "It's yours. Tell me if you think it's reached the Sovereign Grade."
The wolf, eager to consume the potent Blood Essence, didn't hesitate. She took it in her mouth, swallowing it whole. A profound aura spread out from Rhydian as the Blood Essence started to take effect. Her body radiated an intense light that forced Mira and Hana to shield their eyes.
When the light finally subsided, Rhydian stood there, her body larger and more powerful. The energy radiating from her was a clear indication that she was stronger than before, but it wasn't quite enough to break through to the Peak of Rank 7.
She turned to Mira and gave her a nod, her eyes gleaming with excitement. 'It did! It gave off a similar aura as those snakes!'
"Good! I'll have to inform Aelina about this when we get back!" Mira's eyes narrowed, and a cold smile crept up on her face. With this information, she knew the old woman would be much more willing to slaughter droves of beasts.
'With that, I'll be able to improve my cultivation faster.' Mira chuckled, sending shivers down Rhydian and Hana's spines.
Feeling satisfied with the result, Mira turned her gaze to the pile of Sky-Torn Hawk corpses. She went ahead and extracted the rest of their Blood Essences and turned them into several more globs, all at the Sovereign-Grade. "Alright, Rhydian. It's time to finish your meal."
The wolf needed no further encouragement. She began to devour the remaining flesh and blood, turning their energy into her own.
Mira couldn't help but smile at the sight. Her eyes were full of pride and satisfaction as she watched her partner grow stronger. She couldn't wait for the day when the two of them could fly across this world uninterrupted.
It didn't take Rhydian long for her to digest this energy and for her to body to grow before-
*BOOOOM!*
A mini explosion resounded from within Rhydian's body as she broke through to the Peak-Stage of Rank 7.
"Let's go find a quiet place, Rhydian. It's about time you evolve to Rank 8."
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