The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"You have some nerve."

The voice of the Palace Master of Guixu Palace was as cold as ice that had been tempered for ten thousand years.

The long, dark gold robe fluttered even without wind.

"Have you forgotten...?"

His unfathomable eyes slowly swept across the face of the Xuan Tian Pavilion Master, as if he were examining a vessel he had personally crafted, but which had now developed cracks.

"Who gave you this position as the master of Xuantian Pavilion?"

The silence that moment was like a thread stretched to its limit, making it hard to breathe.

"Have you forgotten what this Guixu Palace is?"

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master remained silent.

He stood quietly, like an ancient sword whose sharpness had been worn away by time, making it all the more resilient.

"This is the Heavenly Palace on Earth."

The Palace Master of Guixu Palace took a step forward.

The invisible pressure suddenly surged, like an unseen, towering mountain crashing down.

"I am the one who governs the Way of Heaven."

His voice carried an unquestionable and absolute authority.

"And you..."

"You defy fate for a woman."

"Destiny".

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master repeated those two words.

Like a sword that has been hidden for too long, it has finally found its time to be drawn.

He looked up.

"Palace Master, you say you are acting in accordance with the will of Heaven."

"But is this destiny really...right?"

The Palace Master of Guixu understood; what he was really asking was, "Aren't you right?"

The Palace Master of Guixu Palace suddenly turned cold and sharp.

The ancient chill shattered at this moment, revealing the surging fury beneath.

His anger was fiery, but his voice was even colder, so cold it was like red-hot iron.

"presumptuous."

"Heaven is the will of this world, the law governing the birth and death of all things."

"You've been a member of my Guixu Palace for so many years, and you still don't understand this simple principle?"

He stared at the Xuan Tian Pavilion Master, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Today, you are determined to betray Guixu Palace."

This sentence is a judgment.

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master did not answer, but was thinking.

It was a person re-weighing their lifelong beliefs and obsessions, watching the scales tip.

Everyone thought he would deny it.

After all, he was the master of Xuantian Pavilion, the most talented array master in Guixu Palace in the past hundred years, and the right-hand man cultivated and promoted by the master of Guixu Palace.

He had no reason to betray.

But he spoke up.

"If the Palace Master insists on harming her..."

"Then this Xuan Tian Pavilion Master..."

"I'd rather not do it."

The moment he finished speaking, he raised his hand.

With a slender finger, he made a light stroke in the air, the movement calm and elegant, as if he were writing a letter in his study.

But as he moved his fingertips, the entire passageway lit up simultaneously.

An overwhelming burst of light, like a burning, dark blue galaxy, suddenly rose into the sky.

That is the oldest formation in Guixu Palace, the foundation that existed from the very beginning of the palace's construction.

Those array patterns were so intricate and exquisite that they were breathtaking.

They flow and intertwine on the stone wall.

"This is……"

The Palace Master of Guixu Palace suddenly contracted his pupils.

He recognized him.

He knew every single rune of this great formation like the back of his hand, because he had personally taught half of them to that child.

He watched him grow from a boy who couldn't even draw a solid array base into a master array master capable of standing on his own.

He watched as he drew the first array pattern, completed the first array, and participated in the design and engraving of this ancient forbidden array.

At that time, looking at the boy's serious profile, he thought that this would be his most proud successor.

Now, that successor stands opposite him, aiming at him with the great formation that he helped build.

"You dare... use the great formation you set up yourself to deal with me."

"I'm sorry, teacher."

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master slowly raised his hand, and the array patterns in his palm lit up with a dazzling silver light.

The silver light was pure and intense, as if it held the entire Milky Way in the palm of one's hand, or as if it had condensed a lifetime of cultivation and belief into this one moment.

Silver light condensed and surged in the void, then suddenly erupted.

A massive wall of light rose from the ground, stretching between Wuchi and the Palace Master of Guixu.

The wall of light was transparent and dazzling, woven from countless fine patterns, like a curtain woven from starlight, creating a natural barrier.

"How long will this wall keep him out?"

Tang Xixue's voice came from behind.

"soon."

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master focused all his attention on the rapidly rotating and constantly reinforcing array patterns in front of him.

His fingertips trembled slightly because his spiritual energy was being depleted, but his hand seals did not slow down at all.

"The formation can stop him, but not for long."

His voice was strained, as if he was using all his strength to keep his tone steady.

"He is the master of Guixu Palace. He personally taught me half of this great formation."

He paused, a very faint, bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"But this should buy him some time."

Why did he help us? Does he know Ah Xue?

Feng Zhuo's gaze darted back and forth between the Xuan Tian Pavilion Master and Tang Xixue, his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with confusion.

As he looked at the somewhat aloof figure of the Xuan Tian Pavilion Master, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

In those bright eyes, confusion slowly transformed into a complex expression.

"Now is not the time to ask questions."

In the pool, most of the ice scales on Chu Qiao's body had shattered.

But the rate at which the scales shattered was slowing down, as if some force was stopping the process of rebirth.

"What happened?"

Feng Zhuo's expression changed.

His gaze was fixed on the ice scales in the pool that had shattered halfway and stopped moving, his pupils contracted slightly, and his voice carried a hint of panic and urgency.

Wu Chi hesitated.

The Xuan Tian Pavilion Master's gaze swept across the surface of the pool, and his expression suddenly became solemn.

He understood Wuchi far better than anyone else present.

"His soul is too weak."

His voice was low and urgent.

"Having been corrupted by the curse of the Heavenly Contract for too long, his soul shattered into hundreds of pieces. Each piece was too light, too thin, like weathered paper, crumbling at the slightest touch. Wu Chi... Wu Chi didn't know how to catch it."

"What do you mean by 'not knowing how to respond'?"

Mu Liang's voice suddenly rang out.

He was usually taciturn and would never speak unless absolutely necessary, but he spoke up at this moment.

"They simply cannot be brought back to life."

The Master of Xuantian Pavilion replied.

"His soul was shattered too badly."

"In this situation, even if it were to be resurrected, it would probably just be an empty shell."