The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Ah Xue, I'll fight them to the death!"

Feng Zhuo, with a fiery temper, had already placed his hand on the hilt of his sword upon hearing the words of the Xuan Tian Pavilion Master.

He didn't trust a single person in the Guixu Palace.

What good intentions can someone who hides their true nature have?

"Light it, but do not act rashly."

Tang Xixue called out to him.

"Ah Xue, listen to what he said...? What kind of good place is this? Go with him? Where can we go? It might be some dangerous den of dragons and tigers!"

Feng Zhuo said anxiously, "This Xuan Tian Pavilion Master doesn't look like a good person. He's even more dangerous than Shen Yan."

"Could it be that we're heading towards the underworld?"

"Burn it, then be quiet."

She called out again, softer than before.

Feng Zhuo stopped talking.

Like a wild horse reined in, its fiery temper had not yet dissipated, but it was forcibly reined in.

Tang Xixue reached out and gently patted his shoulder.

"Let's go. Since the Pavilion Master has invited us, let's keep our appointment."

In that instant, the raging flames around Feng Zhuo subsided.

He looked up at her, his lips moved as if in disagreement, but in the end he simply removed his hand from the hilt of the sword and let it hang at his side.

"Okay... I'll listen to Xue."

Mu Liang remained silent behind him.

He remained quiet, like a shadow.

He didn't speak, didn't look up, just stood there.

Like air, it seems not to exist, yet it is everywhere.

He walked at the back of the three, his eyes never leaving Tang Xixue's back.

"Ah Liang".

Tang Xixue did not turn around, but called out as she walked.

"exist."

"You're not going to ask me why I went with him."

"Your Highness, you have a point."

"What if I go to the wrong place?"

Mu Liang remained silent for a moment.

"Then I will go astray with Your Highness."

Tang Xixue was slightly taken aback upon hearing this; she knew he was telling the truth.

She is the cloud above the nine heavens, and he is the silent earth that supports her.

He will always be there for her, no matter how far she turns back.

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Feng Zhuo and Mu Liang didn't ask any more questions.

They just followed her.

This trust doesn't need to be spoken; the sound of footsteps is enough.

"Sect Master."

A voice came from behind.

A middle-aged man stepped out from among the crowd of Xuantian Pavilion.

He wore a long, dark robe, had a sinister face, and deep-set eyes like two stagnant pools of water.

His given name consists of the single character "夺".

Shen Duo, the Fortune-Taking Envoy of Xuantian Pavilion.

This person seemed to be born for this path. Those chosen ones who had been targeted by him in the past all lost their luck, like autumn leaves falling from the branches, losing their luster.

"You are not usually in the Guixu Palace, so you may not know... She is a usurper. The gods have issued a decree, stating that this calamity must be eliminated."

Feng Zhuo slightly turned his body, blocking Tang Xixue half a step behind him.

Mu Liang silently moved forward an inch, his fingers resting on the hilt of the sword.

Say it again.

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head slightly, and the edge of the mask gleamed coldly in the dark blue light.

"My lord, I was merely offering a reminder..."

Shen Duo bowed slightly, his tone respectful but unyielding.

"The calamity of usurping destiny cannot be tolerated. This is a divine decree, and also a rule of the Guixu Palace."

"rule?"

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master slowly turned around.

Two cold, deep gazes fell upon Shen Duo.

"Tell me then, what are the rules of the Xuantian Pavilion?"

Shen Duo's Adam's apple twitched slightly.

"By the mandate of Heaven, I have been ordered to carry out the righteous path."

"Seizing the Mandate of Heaven".

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master repeated these four words.

"Then do you know what the word 'heaven' refers to?"

Shen Duo's lips moved slightly.

"With the Palace Master absent, I am the master of the palace."

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master's voice was not loud, but it was like a bucket of ice water being poured over someone's head.

"My word is law. If you don't understand, then someone else will take your place as the Transport Commissioner."

Shen Duo's expression changed, he lowered his eyes, and remained silent.

"Is there anyone else who wants to remind this master?"

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master's gaze swept over everyone present.

No one answered; they even deliberately kept their breathing quiet.

Everyone knows that although this Pavilion Master is not in Guixu Palace for many years, he is a cold-blooded and ruthless iron-blooded person.

No one knows where the last person who spoke out of turn was thrown.

"Nothing? Then let's call it a day. Nothing to do, huh?"

The crowd lowered their heads and retreated in silence.

Shen Duo was the last to leave, glancing at Tang Xixue before turning around.

That glance held only unspeakable bewilderment.

Why would the Xuan Tian Pavilion Master protect a calamity that has been named by the gods?

He didn't understand.

As Shen Duo left the main hall, he brushed past someone in the shadows outside the hall door.

Shen Yan.

Her eyes burned with a resentful flame, like the last few crimson embers beneath the ashes.

She watched Tang Xixue's retreating figure as she followed the Xuantian Pavilion Master deeper into the passageway.

"The usurper..."

She repeated the word Shen Duo had said in a low voice, her lips curving into a smile.

"So you're the usurper. Even the gods want you dead."

She knew she couldn't defeat her head-on.

She found out after that sword strike in the Valley of Divine Medicine.

But what if she's not the only one who wants her dead?

What if even the heavens are on her side?

"Only when Tang Xixue dies can I be seen."

She turned around and silently retreated into another side path.

His footsteps were extremely light, like a predator stepping on its prey, with a chilling patience.

She needs an opportunity.

It pulls the bright moon down from the clouds into the abyss.

Xuantian Pavilion holds a significant position within Guixu Palace.

Each of the five pavilions has its own responsibilities: the Hall of Calamity Determination determines calamity, the Hall of Heavenly Punishment carries out punishment, the Xuantian Pavilion seizes heaven, the Fengxiao Pavilion upholds the Dao, and the Yushi Pavilion cleanses the world.

The Xuantian Pavilion is in charge of the word "seizure".

Stealing away someone's luck and cutting off their opportunities.

At this moment, the Xuan Tian Pavilion Master, accompanied by someone designated as the usurper, walked deeper into the Gui Xu Palace.

This matter has probably already reached the ears of the Palace Master of Guixu.

Once outside the main hall, the passageway stretched out into the distance.

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master walked at the front, with Tang Xixue two steps behind him, followed closely by Feng Zhuo and Mu Liang.

"What are you doing here?"

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master asked.

Feng Zhuo glanced at him warily, his lips pressed tightly together. Just as he was about to defend her, Tang Xixue spoke up.

"I came seeking Wuchi. I wish to bring someone back to life."

She answered calmly.

Without the slightest hesitation, without the slightest attempt to conceal anything.

It was as if the masked man in front of her was not an enemy she needed to guard against.

Feng Zhuo was stunned for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Ah Xue, how could you tell him?"

"Because he asked."

Tangxi Xue responded softly.

"Answer him when he asks..."

"Little General Feng"

Mu Liang spoke softly from behind him.

"Your Highness knows what you're doing."

Feng Zhuo stopped talking.

Upon hearing her words, the Xuan Tian Pavilion Master paused slightly.

This pause lasted even longer than before, long enough for Feng Zhuo to realize something was wrong.

"The pool without water can wash away all attachments."

His voice came from ahead.

"The more profound something is, the more likely it is to be forgotten."

Are you sure you want to go?

"Do you know what Wuchi is?"

He suddenly asked another question.

The words carried an almost urgent chill, as if they were a final warning to stop her.

"After soaking in the pond, what you pull out might not be the person you want."

"Perhaps it's just an empty shell, or perhaps just a sword without emotion. The person who pulls you up might not even know your name, or even have a complete memory of you."

Have you ever met someone like this?

Tangxi Xue asked in return.

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master nodded.

"I've met you. Pavilion Master Fengxiao."

No one talks about what she used to look like; all they know is that she is now colder than the wind and snow of the Ice Abyss. Wuchi has transformed her into a sword.

"But I'm not here to wash a sword. I'm here to take someone home."

Tangxi Xue replied.