Volume 13, Chapter 850 – The Princess Arrives

“That… Your Highness the Princess… you’re not joking with us maids, are you? Shouldn’t your Heavenly Soul look exactly like you? We’ve even seen it before.”

A petite, adorable zombie maid asked nervously, her tone filled with disbelief.

“Xue Ling, you always talk too much. If this palace says she is me, then she is me. You dare question this palace?”

Ye Xiuyun’s tone turned cold, displeasure flashing across her pale face.

“Y-yes… this maid wouldn’t dare!”

The maid named Xue Ling trembled in fright, immediately dropping to her knees and kowtowing repeatedly to admit fault.

Qi Huang nearly burst out laughing. ‘Isn’t this girl practically asking for death?’ she thought amusedly.

“Your Highness, what exactly do you plan to do?”

The leading maid, Jian Yiren, asked cautiously.

“This palace intends to go to the meeting with you.”

Ye Xiuyun replied calmly.

“No, absolutely not. You are far too weak right now. Even we can see through your condition, let alone those old monsters.”

Jian Yiren immediately objected. Ever since she first met the princess, she had feared this very situation would come to pass, and now it had.

“She’s right, Your Highness. If you don’t go, perhaps they’ll still hesitate a little. But if your condition is exposed, they will surely turn their fangs toward Princess Tomb.”

Another maid in her late twenties also spoke up to dissuade her.

“I only said I will go; I never said I’ll appear before them. When the time comes, I’ll hide inside the spatial ring and command from within. She will impersonate my Heavenly Soul to face them. That way, my weakened spirit will remain perfectly concealed. Those fiends have never met me anyway. They won’t possibly tell the difference.”

Ye Xiuyun laid out her plan with composure.

“Your Highness is wise. It’s indeed a clever plan.”

Jian Yiren’s eyes lit up, but her concern didn’t fade completely. “Still, first, she doesn’t look like a member of the ghost race. Second, you are a powerful cultivator at the early stage of the Demonic Realm. Can she really pass as your Heavenly Soul? Third, if any danger arises along the way, we won’t have the strength to protect you.”

“Are you questioning me?”

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Qi Huang frowned slightly, her patience thinning; she even considered showing them a bit of her true power right there.

“Worry not. This palace never misjudges people. If I’ve chosen her, she will not be a problem, as long as you all don’t slip up.”

Ye Xiuyun assured them confidently.

The female officials and maids exchanged uneasy looks but could only nod. Thus, the matter was settled.

Qi Huang first taught Ye Xiuyun how to use Divine Sense Transmission, then placed her into the spatial ring. After that, she departed together with several zombie maids.

Jian Yiren, evidently a meticulous and cautious person, spent the journey chattering at Qi Huang nonstop, afraid she would do something reckless.

Qi Huang, however, let the words go in one ear and out the other. Frankly speaking, on Kaiyuan Planet, there wasn’t a thing she couldn’t do.

Because Ye Xiuyun’s strength had greatly diminished, and the maids lacked any flight techniques, they could only rely on flight talismans to travel.

Qi Huang didn’t offer to help. Arriving early would just mean waiting around pointlessly; she might as well enjoy the scenery along the way.

That night, the group of five “people” rested briefly in the forest. Qi Huang also released Ye Xiuyun from the ring to “get some fresh air”.

“Your Highness, may I have a private word with you?”

Jian Yiren suddenly requested, glancing at Qi Huang with obvious caution.

Ye Xiuyun felt a flicker of irritation but still followed her aside.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Jian Yiren took out a Sound-Blocking Talisman and a Protective Talisman, layering two barriers carefully. She looked extremely cautious.

Qi Huang, meanwhile, pulled out the Shadow-Retaining Mirror and began observing them openly. The zombie maids nearby thought she was merely admiring her reflection, so none went closer.

“What is it you want to say?”

Ye Xiuyun asked, her patience thinning.

“Your Highness, if that woman has forced you into this, please blink twice.”

Jian Yiren whispered nervously.

“Pfft…!”

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Qi Huang almost choked on her own saliva upon hearing that.

“Why would you think that?”

Ye Xiuyun asked helplessly.

“Because that woman doesn’t look like a ghost at all. I suspect she’s a cultivator infiltrating us from outside. You must be under duress… that’s why you’re taking this desperate measure.”

Jian Yiren whispered conspiratorially.

“Heh…”

Ye Xiuyun let out a faint, incredulous laugh and suppressed her irritation with effort. “She’s not human. She only appears more lifelike because her strength is high, her Yin energy is simply refined.”

“Truly? You’re certain you’re not being coerced?”

Jian Yiren’s doubt lingered.

“Jian Yiren, she is someone this palace has chosen personally. To doubt her is to doubt me. Are you questioning this princess?”

Ye Xiuyun invoked the strict rule of ‘trust those you use, and never use those you distrust,’ her tone growing severe.

“This maid wouldn’t dare. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Jian Yiren quickly knelt to apologize.

“Also, we’ve already left the Princess Tomb. Who knows what unseen eyes might be watching from the shadows? To be safe, you’d best show her proper respect. Don’t address her wrongly again. If any slip occurs, don’t blame this palace for being harsh.”

Ye Xiuyun warned sternly.

“Yes, yes, this maid understands.”

Jian Yiren agreed repeatedly.

Qi Huang felt thoroughly pleased, even developing a touch of admiration for this calm, commanding princess. ‘I could never be this strict with my subordinates,’ she mused.

After Ye Xiuyun’s admonition, the four maids’ attitude toward Qi Huang changed. They began addressing her directly as “Your Highness the Princess”. Though the suspicion in their eyes didn’t vanish entirely, their tone grew markedly more respectful.

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Qi Huang didn’t mind. As always, trust wasn’t earned by words alone.

Two days later, the group finally reached their destination: the Sea of Bones, the third-ranked perilous zone on Kaiyuan Planet.

The Sea of Bones wasn’t a real ocean. The term merely described how countless bones filled the land like waves.

Indeed, this place had once been the battlefield of a famous war in Kaiyuan Planet’s history. Millions had died here, and under the influence of Yin energy, the area had turned into a massive cursed ground. The ruler of this cursed domain was none other than the general from that ancient war.

Upon entering the Sea of Bones’ territory, the maids treated Qi Huang with even greater deference, to maintain their disguise, of course.

Jian Yiren revealed her credentials, and the group entered. But because Qi Huang exuded no Yin aura, they were soon stopped by skeletal soldiers.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

The leading Golden-Boned General leveled his gleaming silver spear at them.

“We are from Princess Tomb’s ghost clan. We’ve come at the appointed time for the meeting.”

Jian Yiren replied evenly. After all, she herself was a Golden Corpse, no weaker than this skeletal guard.

“Princess Tomb’s ghost clan?”

The general eyed them up and down, then pointed his spear at Qi Huang. “And who is she? Why have you brought a living human here?”

“Uh… she isn’t alive. She’s Her Highness’s Heavenly Soul.”

Jian Yiren replied awkwardly, feeling as though she were lying through her teeth.

“Do you take me for a child? She’s clearly breathing. Not a trace of Yin energy on her!”

The general barked, spear rising menacingly.

“I’m not alive.”

Qi Huang said flatly, too lazy to argue. She unleashed her Boundless Demonic Hair, strands of it floating eerily, emanating wisps of Yin energy, enough to perfectly pass for a ghost.

At that sight, Jian Yiren and the other maids gaped in disbelief. They had never imagined Qi Huang was truly “one of the ghost clan”.

The general froze for a moment, then his entire demeanor flipped, and he bowed respectfully. “Forgive this subordinate’s blindness, Your Highness. Please, come inside at once. Our Marshal has been awaiting your arrival.”

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“Hmph…”

Qi Huang arched an eyebrow and strode forward gracefully, exuding authority.

The maids exchanged glances, the wariness in their eyes melting away. They hurried after her, calling, “Your Highness, please wait for us!”

Passing several more layers of inspection, Qi Huang and the group finally reached the heart of the Sea of Bones. There, tens of thousands of powerful fiendish specters had gathered, each from a different perilous zone across Kaiyuan Planet.

Sweeping her Divine Sense across the area, Qi Huang noticed a large open space at the center, with a round table surrounded by eight chairs. Seated in those chairs were eight powerful entities, each one radiating an aura at least at the peak of Golden Corpse or Golden Bone level.

“Eight chairs… clearly for the eight perilous zones’ rulers. Then where’s mine supposed to be?”

Qi Huang wondered aloud.

“Are all ten perilous zones’ ghost clans here?” someone asked.

“There’s no ‘ten’ anymore, only eight remain.”

“Right, I almost forgot. That Zheng demon was ruthless. Barely a month after descending, she wiped out two of Kaiyuan Planet’s most powerful perilous zones.”

“Well, she’s an immortal, after all. If she were fragile, the rest of us wouldn’t be gathered here today.”

“Forget the eight perilous zones, Princess Tomb’s clan hasn’t even shown a shadow. I heard their princess was struck by heavenly tribulation. Likely dead or close to it.”

“What? Is that true?”

“Of course. Otherwise, why would the fiend from Dragon Clan’s Funeral Estate dare sit in that seat? That chair was meant for the Qinxin Princess herself.”

Whispers rippled among the gathered fiends.

“So, that’s it. My chair’s been taken by some grave-born specter from that burial ground?”

Qi Huang realized, irritation flickering across her face.

“Her Highness the Qinxin Princess has arrived! Make way for the princess ahead!”

Jian Yiren raised her voice loudly, unwilling to lose face before the crowd.