If just the energy released before death could freeze an area spanning hundreds of miles, then exactly what level of powerhouse was this “Highness” the little elf spoke of?
And what kind of terrifying existence was the enemy she had faced?
Yun Fei didn’t dare think any further.
The little elf continued to fly ahead, leading the way.
Yun Fei followed her in silence, her gaze focused on the Ice Coffin in the center of the palace.
‘I feel like I’ve seen this scene somewhere before? There’s a strong sense of déjà vu… Ah! It’s like when Mother took me to Father’s coffin! However, the atmosphere here isn’t as oppressive; it’s much more refreshing,’ Yun Fei thought to herself.
“The one ahead is Her Highness’s coffin. Her Highness’s body is inside… frozen.”
The little elf’s voice grew dejected as she spoke, and her flight speed slowed significantly.
Yun Fei didn’t know how to comfort people, so she remained silent.
The elf had been here for so long that she would surely be able to adjust her emotions quickly.
At this moment, Yun Fei needed to start investigating the palace for anything suspicious.
The first place to check was obviously the most prominent object: the Ice Coffin in the center.
Although it was called a coffin, as Yun Fei drew closer, she realized it was just a large, rectangular block made entirely of ice.
As the distance closed, she could clearly see the features of the person frozen inside.
The woman within the Ice Coffin wore a snow-white gown and had a graceful figure.
However, when Yun Fei shifted her gaze to the woman’s face, her expression froze.
She was very familiar with this face.
In fact, she had been wearing this exact face not long ago!
In the previous Illusion Realm, she had observed her own face in the surface of the lake.
It was almost identical to the face of the deceased woman before her, except that the woman’s ears were pointed.
‘Is this… my face?’
Yun Fei was certain that her appearance in the Illusion Realm was how she was supposed to look when she grew up, yet this woman also had the exact same face?
Yun Fei’s brain could hardly process it.
Having such a mysterious thing happen right in front of her made it feel as though she were dreaming…
No wonder the little elf mistook her for the Highness she served the first time she saw her.
The answer was right here!
“Hey! That…”
Yun Fei instinctively turned to look at the little elf behind her, only to find that she had been grabbed by the neck by someone who had appeared out of nowhere.
“What? Who are you!”
Yun Fei couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
She hadn’t sensed anyone approaching at all.
Furthermore, she couldn’t feel any energy fluctuations coming from this sudden intruder.
It was a man.
His face didn’t look like that of a living person; he was deathly pale, and there were remnants of frost on the surface of his skin.
“Heh… Princess Istana, 1,000 years have passed, and you really don’t recognize me… But it’s fine. Although my strength has dropped significantly, so has yours. In this state, killing you once more will be effortless!”
With that, the man tossed the little elf aside like a rag.
With a *bang*, she slammed into the wall and stayed there, motionless.
“Ista-whoever? What the hell are you talking about!”
Yun Fei’s eyelids twitched as she listened to his nonsensical words.
She gripped the spear in her hand tightly as purple flames flickered upon it.
“Oh? You don’t even remember your own name? That is quite surprising… Hmm? You’re not an elf? Heh… Could it be a reincarnation? Interesting. But I’m still sorry, you cannot be allowed to live!”
The man’s voice was extremely raspy, like that of a dying old man.
However, the sudden burst of speed he displayed after making his threat was not at all what one would expect from someone on the verge of death.
Sharp claws nearly 10 centimeters long suddenly sprouted from his fingertips as he lunged fiercely at Yun Fei.
In a panic, Yun Fei used the shaft of her spear to block, but the powerful force made the webbing between her thumb and forefinger go numb.
Her feet were pushed back continuously until she finally managed to stop her retreat by leaning against the Ice Coffin.
What incredible strength!
It was several times stronger than Mu Lingxi’s power.
Yun Fei felt that if those claws hit her, she would be heavily injured if not dead.
The man looked on with interest, licking his elongated claws with his pale tongue, his eyes full of aggression.
“Heh… As expected of Her Highness the Princess. Even after reincarnating, you possess such enviable combat instincts. I thought that strike would take your life… A pity — it wasn’t a fatal blow… But that’s okay — let’s try another one! Hahaha!”
The man’s crazed words accompanied a fierce offensive toward Yun Fei.
A sense of impending death loomed over her heart, refusing to dissipate.
*Clang — clang — clang!*
Yun Fei struggled to block the man’s continuous attacks with her spear.
Her nerves were strained to the limit, and her attention was entirely focused on the enemy’s movements.
Ignoring whether her body could handle the impact, she constantly twisted her frame to parry.
*Bang!*
Ultimately, she couldn’t offset the impact.
Yun Fei was sent flying by his final strike, slamming hard into the wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Blood instantly stained her collar, and waves of intense pain radiated from her internal organs.
Three of the protective magic artifacts on her person were destroyed by that single strike.
The strongest among them was a magic artifact capable of defending against someone two major realms above her own.
In other words, a casual strike from that man could exert the power of the Xinghe Realm.
Therefore, he himself was very likely a being of the Tianxuan Realm.
Yun Fei decisively spat out the thick blood clogging her throat.
She looked at the spear that had shattered across the ground — it had accompanied her for over ten years, and now it had died a glorious death.
Yun Fei raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth.
She slowly looked up, meeting the man’s nearly hysterical eyes.
Sharp claws were pressed against Yun Fei’s neck, causing a few beads of blood to seep out.
“Who… are you really?”
Every word Yun Fei spoke sent a searing pain through her throat, but she endured it to ask her question.
“Heh… You’re too weak! Fine, there’s no harm in telling you. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for opposing the Void Lord too much in your past life. As for me, I am the Executioner sent by the Void Lord to kill you!”
“Heh…”
Hearing this, Yun Fei couldn’t help but feel that the world was utterly absurd.
“Just because I look like that Istana woman, you’ve decided I’m her reincarnation?”
“Of course it’s not just that. It’s also because you appeared here. I guessed long ago that she wouldn’t die so easily. That’s why I’ve been hiding here for 1,000 years, waiting to see what tricks she wanted to play until you appeared… Is this a guide left for your reincarnated self through fate? Hehehe…”
The sinister voice entered Yun Fei’s ears, sounding harsh and echoing like a herald of death.
“…Heh, alright. I’ve said enough to you. I’m only giving you this much face because I’ve been lying in wait for you for 1,000 years. Normally, you wouldn’t even have the chance to speak! It’s time to go down, Princess… Highness!”
A triumphant and arrogant smile spread across the man’s pale face.
He thrust his claws fiercely into Yun Fei’s throat.
*Pshhh* — the sound of flesh being pierced reached his ears, sounding delightful to him, like the most beautiful music in the world.
However, what sprayed from the wound wasn’t hot blood, but a cloud of purple mist.
The mist expanded instantly, enveloping the man’s body.
Meanwhile, Yun Fei suddenly flickered and appeared beside the Ice Coffin, clutching it as she gasped for breath.
Blood smeared across the Ice Coffin, emitting an eerie glow, but Yun Fei didn’t have the luxury to worry about that.
She stared fixedly toward the mist.
That mist was the ultimate self-defense tool she had borrowed from the Demon Realm’s top poison master, Gu Zhongya.
It was the One Pot of Ten Thousand Poisons, capable of poisoning anyone below the Tianxuan Realm to death in an instant.
She hoped it would work…
In truth, Yun Fei was a bit uncertain.
Since the man didn’t look like a living person, if the things he relied on to stay alive were different from a normal person’s, the poison powder might not be effective…
At that moment, a fit of maniacal laughter erupted from within the poison mist.
It was deafening and crushed Yun Fei’s hopes of making it out alive.
“Hahaha! The reincarnated Princess… is truly foolishly adorable! You actually thought of using poison against a dead man like me? Hahaha! Die!”
Yun Fei’s eyes widened.
Spikes shot out from the dissipating poison mist, aiming straight for her face.
“Your Highness, watch out!”
Suddenly, a brilliant light surged.
Yun Fei instinctively shielded her eyes with her hand.
When she opened them again, she saw that the little elf had somehow escaped from the wall.
She was currently struggling to maintain a barrier, blocking the spikes.
Before Yun Fei could even feel relieved, the barrier cracked and shattered in an instant, creating a violent explosion that knocked the remaining spikes away.
The little elf was also blown back by the shockwave, with a spike driven straight through her body, pinning her to the Ice Coffin.
“Little elf!”
Yun Fei rushed forward.
Everything had happened so fast that she barely had time to react before seeing the little elf pinned to the Ice Coffin.
“Oh? It’s you again! Daina! You stopped me 1,000 years ago, and now you’re stopping me again! In that case, you can go to hell with your master!”
The man seemed to have lost his patience after being thwarted by unexpected interludes time and again.
His words were now mostly shouted.
“I… I won’t let you hurt Her Highness! Skanloven! You traitor!”
At the same time, Daina’s tiny alchemical body erupted into a burst of golden light so bright that Yun Fei could hardly keep her eyes open.
“I, Daina Ougina, in my name as the legitimate Imperial Guard Knight Commander, swear to the great Elf Goddess Kelibisuta that I will offer my precious life for the safety of Her Highness the Princess to atone for the mistakes I committed due to my incompetence!”
As she shouted, Daina’s alchemical body began to grow.
She gradually became an armored knight half a head taller than Yun Fei.
Only her exposed pointed ears made it possible to tell that she was the same little elf.
Currently, her entire body was bathed in golden light, and the holy aura caused Yun Fei’s spirit to tremble.