The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Aren't the Seven Elders of Zonglan Terrace the most loyal defenders of the Moon Clan?"

As soon as Tang Xixue finished speaking, a cool breeze suddenly swept past her ear.

The little white cat, Yin Kong, who had been quietly lying on top of the imperial carriage, leaped lightly, like a streak of silver light, and gracefully jumped in through the window, landing steadily in her warm embrace.

It rubbed softly against her palm, making a soft purring sound, incredibly docile.

Xingyu glanced down at the snow-white creature, recognizing it as her sister's spirit pet. The coldness in her eyes, which usually kept strangers at bay, lessened slightly, and she did not drive it away.

He spoke slowly.

His voice was deep and resonant, like the undercurrents of the deep sea, and every word carried a chill that had lingered for years.

"Zonglan Terrace was originally a protective barrier guarded by the Moon Clan for generations."

He paused.

"But now, because of the greed and ambition of those old fogies, they have become the sharpest and most deadly blade piercing the heart of the Moon Clan."

Zonglan Terrace.

The term "宗" refers to the root of the Yuezhi clan.

Lan refers to the vein of the Zhiyue Sea Kingdom.

The platform is a place for overseeing the world and for maintaining national dignity.

The high platform was built on the deep sea, and seven figures sat on it, overlooking the entire sea kingdom.

The world only saw his majestic presence, his upholding of orthodoxy, and his exercise of supervisory power in the name of Yuezhi.

But it is nowhere to be seen—

What kind of greed lies hidden beneath that majesty?

Beneath that orthodoxy lies a veneer of depravity.

This should have been the Moon Clan's strongest shield, but now it has become a knife hanging over the heads of the royal family.

"During the palace coup that year, the people from Zonglantai never openly participated."

Xingyu's knuckles turned slightly white, and his tone was filled with biting sarcasm.

"But they secretly sabotaged things, effectively delaying the loyal Yuelan Guards from reaching the palace to protect the emperor."

"Only when the situation could no longer be controlled and the Yuelan Guards broke through the blockade did they pretend to follow closely behind and rush to protect the emperor."

His smile was cold.

The smile didn't reach his eyes, it only hovered on the corner of his lips, like a piece of floating ice with a bottomless abyss below.

"The performance of a loyal minister was flawless and impeccable."

"Really? That's different from what I knew."

Tang Xixue gently stroked the fur of Yin Kong in her arms, her heart trembling slightly.

She looked up and gazed at Xingyu.

She discovered that this older brother had a long beak.

Instead of letting her enter the Moonlit Sea Kingdom in complete ignorance, they directly made the enemy-friend relationship clear.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, he's certainly willing to talk about his secrets.

"Since they didn't show up and attack directly at the time, could it have just been a misunderstanding?"

She tentatively began to speak.

Xingyu felt like she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"ha--"

He suddenly chuckled softly.

That laughter was filled with a chilling coldness.

"Misunderstand?"

He repeated those two words as if he were savoring something extremely bitter.

"I once naively believed that they were loyal to the Moon Clan and devoted to protecting the country. I thought it was just an accident, and that they were indeed late in protecting the emperor."

His voice suddenly turned somber.

It was as heavy as a stone falling into an abyss.

"until--"

"That day, I discovered they were worshipping an evil god."

That night, Xingyu will never forget it.

The palace coup has just passed.

The chaos had not yet subsided, the corpses had not yet been cleared away, and a faint smell of blood still lingered in the air.

His sister's fate is unknown, and his mother has gone mad.

But he still wouldn't give up.

He kept it a secret from everyone, quietly leaving the palace alone and diving into the vast deep sea to search inch by inch.

I long for that little boat carrying my sister to have never drifted far away.

He swam in the sea for a very long time.

It lasted so long that I lost all feeling in my hands and feet, so long that I couldn't tell where the sea ended and the sky began, so long that I thought I would sink and never rise again.

Then he saw the light.

That was not moonlight, not starlight, not any light belonging to the human world.

That was a dim light emanating from the depths of the Sea Kingdom's Holy Temple.

He swam towards the light.

The closer you get, the colder it gets.

It wasn't the cold of seawater, but a different kind of cold—the kind that seeps into your bones.

He climbed onto a rock outside the temple and cautiously peered through a crack.

Then he saw it.

Seven figures knelt before the two statues of gods.

The statue stood majestically, its entire body radiating a brilliant light, shining as brightly as the sun and moon, so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it.

The sunlight fell, gilding the seven hunched figures with a solemn golden edge.

Those were the seven elders of Zonglantai.

The elder knelt at the front, his white hair as white as snow, as devout as the most faithful believer.

But his voice was old and hoarse, carrying a chilling fervor:

"Just one last step... just one more step..."

"Clearly, her destiny has already been sacrificed to the gods by us, and everything is ready..."

Seven-year-old Xingyu clung to the rocks, his body icy cold.

Her luck?

Which "she"?

The Second Elder's voice rang out, trembling, not with fear—but with longing.

It was a starving wolf, finally craving the scent of blood.

"By offering her flesh and blood on the altar, we can transcend the mortal realm and attain immortality!"

"This woman... is a once-in-a-millennium sacrifice for our Zonglan Terrace, our only hope for ascension."

The Third Elder raised his head and looked at the two statues, his cloudy old eyes filled with greed.

The light was so bright that it seemed to burn him to ashes.

"She is...our last hope...we are getting old, and we don't have many years left to wait."

His voice was hoarse, as if it were being squeezed out of a dry throat.

The Fourth Elder spoke, his voice sounding as if squeezed out from between his teeth, each word carrying a nauseating kind of piety.

"We'll dig three feet into the ground to find her."

The Fifth Elder slowly stood up, his hunched back casting a distorted shadow in the dim light, like something crawling out of an abyss.

"She was born... to stand on this altar."

The Sixth Elder stretched out his hand, his withered and emaciated hand casting a long shadow in the dim light, like a claw reaching out from hell.

He seemed to have already grasped the legendary immortality, his voice trembling:

"It'll be soon...it'll be soon..."

The Seventh Elder's voice was the softest.

As light as a sigh.

But within that lightness lies the deepest evil.

"Our esteemed young emperor—"

He paused.

"It is right that we should offer the supreme sacrifice to the God."

Every word and phrase was like a poisoned blade, piercing deeply into the young Xingyu's heart.

He clung to the rocks, his body stiff.

He dared not move.

I dared not utter a sound.

They didn't even dare to breathe.

He was afraid that if he made a move, those people would notice.

He could only lie there, listening to those voices drill into his ears, into his bones, into the darkness he could not yet bear.

That night, the moonlight was cold.

It was as cold as a knife blade.

Cold as the hearts of those people.

It was as cold as a corner of his heart that would never warm up again.