The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Rest assured, Your Majesty."

One of the Heavenly Apostles carrying the sedan chair lowered his head.

His voice was flat and respectful, like a human megaphone, revealing no genuine emotion.

Every word was read meticulously, but without any warmth.

"This time, the Pavilion Master Fengxiao personally issued an order, allowing you to select three dragonfish that are over a hundred years old. This will surely enhance your strength to a higher level."

"That's good."

Shen Yan nodded in satisfaction.

Her lips curled up slightly, forming a confident arc.

Then, as if remembering something, he raised his chin and glanced at the Heavenly Dao Apostles.

"By the way, I am the Holy Maiden of Guixu Palace, and you must obey my orders. Although you were sent by Pavilion Master Fengxiao, I am the most powerful person here now."

Her words were spoken with a heavy emphasis, carrying a deliberate air of pride.

It's a declaration of a kind of sovereignty that she herself isn't very confident about.

As she spoke, she stretched out a hand, and with the help of an apostle, she slowly stepped down from the sedan chair.

The moment the soles of the embroidered shoes touched the ice, a bone-chilling cold shot up through the thin soles.

She shivered, her whole body trembled, and she immediately shrank back into the sedan chair.

"It's so cold!"

Her voice suddenly rose, tinged with exasperation.

"Go find me the puppet and the dragonfish. I'll wait here. Hurry back, I don't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another second."

Her gaze swept across the icy plain.

The ice was a vast expanse of white.

The snow was white and boundless.

The jagged icicles pierced the earth like the fingers of a dead man.

A greedy and excited glint flashed in her eyes.

The light was particularly dazzling in this pale world.

She was burned by the silver flames.

She suffered a humiliating defeat in that duel with Yunmian.

The wounds from the silver flames still throbbed with pain, and every breath seemed to remind her of the humiliation and disgrace of that day.

Fortunately, he received medical treatment from the Pavilion Master of Fengxiao, which saved his face.

However, to recover its body and regain the ability to protect itself, it still needs the dragonfish.

Those dragonfish that Guixu Palace specially released into the Ice Abyss Dragon Nest.

They feed on the fortune of countless chosen ones buried in the burial ground, and have swum in the underground river beneath the ice for countless years.

Each arowana possesses a vast and pure power.

That was the Guixu Palace's secret weapon.

This is also the foundation that enabled them to cultivate so many strong individuals.

"Oh, right."

Shen Yan suddenly remembered something, and her eyes lit up.

There was a hint of gritted teeth and smug satisfaction in that light, as if one had suddenly found a whip in the darkness to lash out at an enemy.

"Was Tang Xixue thrown into the Ice Abyss?"

"Yes, Your Holiness, this is indeed the case."

"Very good."

Shen Yan laughed out loud.

The laughter carried far across the vast, icy plain, sharp and piercing.

"I will choose Tang Xixue. Isn't she high and mighty? I will turn her into my puppet, make her kneel at my feet, and serve me for all eternity."

A morbid excitement flashed in her eyes, her pupils dilated slightly, as if she could already see that scene.

"And those dogs around her, they look pretty good too. Turn them all into puppets for me to use. I want everyone around her to become mine."

Her voice gradually rose, and the jealousy and resentment that had been suppressed for too long finally found an outlet.

There was an almost manic pleasure in that voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Heavenly Apostle responded, his tone remaining flat and devoid of any emotion.

"Don't forget the purpose of this trip."

"The chosen ones buried in this icy abyss are the most outstanding geniuses of all time, possessing great fortune and exceptional talent. Although their fortune has been taken away, their bodies are immortal and their spiritual roots remain, making them the best puppets for you."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Shen Yan waved her hand.

The four Heavenly Apostles then split up and began to act.

Their figures spread out across the icy plain, their black robes standing out starkly against the pristine white snow.

We passed through those jagged ice pillars and followed the direction of the underground river.

But after searching around, they couldn't find Tang Xixue.

There was no trace of her in the ice.

Inside those ice coffins were only the remains of chosen ones who had died many years ago, each in a different pose, sealed in transparent ice, like sculptures forgotten by time.

Let alone living people.

There wasn't even a slightly fresh corpse.

Shen Yan refused to give up.

She bit her lip and then ordered the apostles to expand the search area.

still none.

Snow in Tangxi.

The wind is scorching.

Dusk was falling.

These three people seemed to have evaporated from this icy plain.

No trace was left.

There was only a line of messy footprints at the entrance to the underground river, mostly covered by wind and snow, making them unrecognizable.

"How is that possible?"

Shen Yan stomped her foot in exasperation.

Her delicate face was filled with resentment and anger, and her exquisitely made-up features were slightly distorted.

"Wasn't she thrown into the icy abyss? How come we can't find her?"

"Your Holiness, there is another person here."

A voice from a Heavenly Apostle came from afar.

Shen Yan looked in the direction of the sound.

A person was found on an ice platform near the entrance to the underground river.

The man was lying on the ice platform.

His hands were folded in front of his chest, and his posture was as peaceful as if he were asleep.

His body was covered in ice scales.

Layer upon layer, they spread from fingertips to the side of the neck, gleaming with a cold, bluish light under the aurora.

Even though it was covered by layers of ice scales, the face was still clearly visible.

Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting.

He was so handsome that he looked like he had stepped out of a painting.

Her long hair cascaded across the ice, as black as a waterfall, contrasting beautifully with the deep blue scales.

Black and blue, warmth and coldness, intertwine on this pale ice field to create a scene that is impossible to look away from.

A thin layer of frost clung to her eyelashes, as if someone had drawn each one with a silver pen.

Shen Yan stepped forward and looked closely.

She bent down, the hem of her cloak trailing on the ice, making a rustling sound.

Then she laughed.

The smile was very light and slow, as if the person had discovered a fun toy.

"This ice corpse... is really handsome."

Her gaze lingered on his face, a look of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.

His voice carried a hint of unexpected surprise, as if he had suddenly found a fine piece of porcelain among a pile of junk.

"It doesn't matter if we can't find Tang Xixue. He'll do. With such a handsome face, even if we make him into a puppet, it will be a pleasure to have him by our side."

She straightened up and waved to the Heavenly Apostle behind her.

"Carry him onto the flying ship and take him back to the Ruins Palace. I want to personally refine him into my puppet."

"Yes."

Two Heavenly Apostles stepped forward, one on each side, and bent down to lift him up.

Their movements were synchronized, cold, and efficient.

Chu Qiao's body was completely frozen.

His limbs were stiff as stone, and his skin was covered with a thin layer of ice crystals.

But his consciousness had not completely dissipated.

He can still hear sounds.

The sound was very distant, as if it were muffled and traveled into his ears through a thick layer of water.

Each word was stretched out, distorted and deformed, like an echo from another world.

Then he felt someone walk up to him.

Someone bent down.

Someone is watching him.

The feeling of being scrutinized was like a cold knife slowly slicing across his body.

Then he heard that sentence.

"He's really handsome."

"Turn into a puppet."

His consciousness trembled slightly deep within the ice.

Then he felt someone tap the scales on his face with their fingers.

That was a very light touch.

You can barely feel anything through the scales.

But that humiliation was clearer than any other feeling.

He is the gravedigger.

He has guarded this burial ground for so many years, guarding those young people whose luck was stolen, and those souls who can never escape the icy abyss.

He cleared the snow off their ice coffins.

He kept a fire burning eternally for them, becoming the last person to remember them on this desolate, icy plain.

Now some people want to turn him into a puppet that is driven and manipulated by others, and that he will never be able to escape his fate.

A surge of anger welled up from the depths of his chest, like a caged beast raging wildly against his chest, tearing at the cold shackles with its claws.

But his body was already unable to move.

Ice scales covered his entire body, those scales like countless locks, firmly pinning down every inch of his flesh and bone.

His fingers are immobile.

My lips can't move.

Even my eyelids felt as heavy as if a mountain was pressing down on them.

He could only roar silently in his heart, letting the rage burn fiercely in his chest.

Then he felt someone lift his body up.

"This monster is quite heavy."

One left and one right.

The force was rough and indifferent; it didn't feel like lifting a person, but more like moving a piece of cargo.

His body was turned over.

In that instant, the copper coin slipped from his stiff fingers.

It fell onto the ice with a crisp sound.

"bite."

It's very light.

It was as light as a needle falling to the ground.

But to him, the sound was like a thunderclap.

That was the only thing on him that still had warmth.

He mustered his last bit of strength and tried to reach out and pick it up.

My fingertip twitched.

Only once.

It was as light as the slightest flutter of a butterfly's wing.

That's it.

he thought.

Let it remain in the snow and ice; that will keep it clean.

He is Chu Qiao.

Hashimoto is a place for ferrying people across.

He helped his sister through her journey, so his life can be considered complete.

The Heavenly Apostles lifted him up and carried him step by step toward the flying boat.

"Holy Maiden, the dragonfish in the underground river have all disappeared for some reason..."

"Useless trash!"

Shen Yan's voice rang out sharply.

"You guys really can't find anything. Didn't you say you'd been raising them for a long time and had a large number?"

"Go find it quickly!"

After a long time, they still hadn't found anything.

The only remaining dragonfish has long since hidden itself in the depths of an underground river where it can no longer be found.

They trembled in the dark water, sensing a threat from above.

No matter how much bait is placed on it, the frightened arowana refuses to come out.

"I really don't, please forgive me, Holy Maiden."

"Alright, let's go."

Shen Yan waved her hand impatiently and wrapped her cloak tighter around herself.

"This place is so cold."

The runes on the flying boat lit up again.

A faint glow spread out from the bottom of the boat, like ripples spreading on the water.

The ship shuddered and began to rise slowly.

They possess the Void-Breaking Talisman of the Guixu Palace, which allows them to tear through space and leave this desolate place.

Chuqiao was placed on the side of the ship.

His body leaned against the cold ship's side, his face, covered in ice scales, turned outwards.

The airship rose higher and higher.

The ice abyss gets smaller and smaller below.

Those jagged icicles, that little wooden house he repaired again and again, that ice platform he chose for himself...

They are all shrinking little by little.

It turned into blurry lines on the snow-white earth.

Just then, the airship suddenly shuddered.

It felt like I'd been hit hard from below.

The ship began to rock violently, and the runes flashed wildly.

Shen Yan screamed and fell off the sedan chair, landing on the side of the ship.

The blue cloak was scattered all over the ground, like a torn wave.