Water Mage in the Flame Realm

Chapter 458 431: History Repeats Itself

The sun slowly sank toward the western horizon. Today, the daylight seemed exceptionally long. When people describe approaching difficulties, they always say "the long night is coming," but the Flame Realm proves that overly lengthy, hot, and dry days are also a disaster. So, whether it's a long night or a long day, perhaps the real issue isn't day and night, but "longness."

Whoosh—! A small object, after a long fall, finally landed with a heavy "thud" on the ruins of the Scholar's Fortress.

It was a gemstone.

The whole gem exuded a biting cold aura.

Perhaps because the impact from the fall was too great, or perhaps because it had already been damaged by some stronger force before falling.

A tiny crack appeared on the surface of the gemstone.

An immense amount of extreme cold energy immediately gushed out from that tiny crack, freezing the entire Scholar's Fortress in an instant.

A figure silently emerged from the cold aura.

It was a beautiful woman who, despite her disheveled clothes, gave an impression of extreme nobility and elegance.

The woman appeared in the cold aura and didn't move, instead half-squatting on the ground, exuding a hint of cautious wildness amidst her elegance.

The woman was Catherine.

The gemstone that cracked after falling from a great height was the Ice Prison Gemstone Andrew had always carried with him, integrated with the Gate of Enlightenment at his dantian.

After the Royal Court negotiations, Catherine kidnapped Andrew, and Andrew used the instability of the Double Strange Fire within Catherine to counter and capture her.

Since Andrew's journey to the Water God Realm, Catherine had been imprisoned in the Ice Prison Gemstone.

She had not been idle during her captivity. Someone like her would never succumb to any adversity.

Not only did she find a way to retune the two Strange Fires within her during her imprisonment in the Ice Prison Gemstone,

but she also advanced another step in tier, now firmly standing at the pinnacle of the Magic Guide Realm.

"I originally planned to attempt escaping the binds of this Ice Prison Gemstone after a while,"

Catherine was both surprised and wary at this moment, "Why have I been released now? Gus... no, it should be Holigar, came to rescue me? Unlikely, he only wanted to devour me, but surely wouldn't take risks for me. This means, did Andrew, that bastard, and my father, release me themselves?"

Thinking of this, Catherine became even more cautious yet also slightly excited: "Since they've released me, they must be confident in dealing with me. Is this the beginning of my trial? But now I'm no longer who I used to be. I no longer need to hide my identity. Instead, in the Ice Prison Gemstone, I've fully realized my potential!"

She quickly made a decision: assess the situation and give it a try! If she couldn't win, she would find a way to break through. In any case, she wouldn't be caught and imprisoned in an ice prison again!

All these thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

While her mind raced, Catherine swiftly scanned her surroundings to understand her current situation. Was she released in Warm Fire City? Or was this the Shield of Flowing Fire, Crimson Battle Lance, or the Royal Court?

However, when she finally saw the surrounding scene clearly, she was stunned.

In front of her lay the Scholar's Fortress, ruined and frozen.

Around the fortress, there was no sign of the characteristic Thebes Volcano, but instead... a desert?

"Is this... the Inner Sea Desert?" Catherine finally recognized it as she saw a Water Tower Tree unique to the Inner Sea Desert.

The question was, why was the Scholar's Fortress in the Inner Sea Desert?!

Catherine had quickly conjectured everything in her mind, feeling everything was under control, just waiting to see the situation clearly for a great battle.

Yet, just this "Scholar's Fortress with Inner Sea Desert" combination left her utterly bewildered, completely disrupting her plans.

The expected presence of Andrew, Elder Beiru, Lady Yi Lian, and even the entire Warm Fire Commerce Association's judgment was nowhere to be seen, not even a shadow!

"What's going on? What happened during my captivity?"

Catherine finally realized that during her imprisonment, it seemed the world had undergone some profound changes.

She cautiously stood up, slowly extending her perception ability outward.

Beyond the collapsed Scholar's Fortress, the remnants of the Dragon Stone Tower lay to one side, and in the distance, an oasis—Catherine figured this must be Andrew's Wildfire Territory—was completely destroyed.

In the crimson twilight, a scene of desert wind and sand unfolded before her.

The air was filled with a nauseating sulfur stench.

Further away, thick smoke rose straight into the sky everywhere, as if all the world's volcanoes had erupted on this day.

An apocalyptic and hopeless scene!

Catherine stared blankly at the scene before her, hearing only the wind whistling in her ears, yet no human voice anywhere.

She had imagined that, upon emerging from the Ice Prison, she would immediately face overwhelming attacks, but now she couldn't see a single living soul within her view!

Catherine was stunned for a moment longer, then suddenly laughed.

She tilted her head to gaze at the sky, speaking aloud, "I see, I understand! This is... an Illusion Technique, right? Heart Fire Series? Sister, is this your magic trick? Are you trying to show me what the world will become if the Magic Guild continues to rule, trying to win me over? Haha, it's utterly ridiculous!"

She did not believe for a moment that what she was seeing was real.