The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

At that moment, another person leaped onto the stage, his body radiating ruthlessness, his eyes brimming with undisguised malice.

As soon as he stepped onto the stage, before he could even speak, a cloud of pale green powder suddenly shot out from his sleeve, heading straight for Tang Xixue's face.

Seeing that the boy hadn't killed him before, they assumed he was soft-hearted and easily bullied, and suddenly attacked him with deadly force!

"Snap—"

The ink plum blossom folding fan in Tang Xixue's hand unfolded in response.

The jade-like bone felt cool to the touch, and the subtly engraved cloud patterns flowed under the dim light.

In the lower right corner of the fan, which is as clear as fresh snow, is a small vermilion seal.

With a flick of her black sleeves, her folding fan traced an elegant arc.

"call--"

A gentle breeze carrying internal energy rose from the ground, precisely repelling the oncoming cloud of poison powder and sending it crashing back onto the sinister man's face.

"ah--!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream suddenly erupted.

The man covered his face with his hands, staggered a few steps, and his skin quickly turned a horrifying bluish-black. In just a few breaths, he fell straight to the ground, twitched twice, and then died.

The young man in black on the arena remained as calm as a deep pool of ancient snow, not even the hem of his clothes moved an inch.

That cold-blooded decisiveness sent a chill down the spines of everyone who witnessed it.

Number nine wins.

The arbitrator's voice trembled almost imperceptibly, clearly stunned by the ruthless and unpredictable young man.

"That fan in his hand..." Hua Rongshi narrowed her peach blossom eyes slightly, "I seem to have seen it somewhere before."

"Your Highness, he doesn't seem like a novice; he's quick, accurate, and ruthless," Qian Su whispered.

"It's acceptable," Bei Chenji commented calmly.

At this moment, Tang Xixue was already on the stage, having won nine consecutive matches.

"Next match—Pinky Line, against number nine!"

Those who have earned a reputation on the Asura Platform are all ruthless individuals who have fought countless battles and are known for their fierceness.

"please!"

The opponent, codenamed "Thread of the Puppet," was a master of manipulation. Before he finished speaking, several puppet threads, barely visible to the naked eye, silently coiled around Tang Xixue's vital points like venomous snakes emerging from their holes.

She twirled the folding fan in her hand.

The seemingly soft and white silk fan surface had edges that were sharper than a knife.

"Snap—"

With a barely audible sound, several incredibly strong puppet threads snapped.

At the same time, Tang Xixue seemed to be treading on invisible clouds, her figure ethereal and fleeting, instantly covering several meters and appearing behind Qiansi.

The folding fan in his hand was like a knife, silently slashing down towards the back of the other person's neck.

The keen sense of danger honed through countless trials sent shivers down Qian Si's spine, and he desperately dodged to the side.

However, the only place to hide is below the arena.

"Thump!"

He tumbled off the stage in a disheveled state, barely managing to regain his footing. Looking up at the still calm and collected young man on the stage, he felt so frustrated that he almost burst into tears on the spot.

Having dominated the Shura Platform for many years, he had never lost so decisively and inexplicably.

"Cloud Steps..."

"It seems this kid is one of Yun Jue's men."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Hua Rong, and her smile deepened.

Upon hearing this, Bei Chenji frowned, a clear hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

He rarely takes a liking to a promising talent.

It turned out to be Yun Jue's man.

"unlucky."

He uttered two words coldly, his tone unusually tinged with bitterness.

"Tsk, what a promising talent! His temperament and strength are both top-notch."

When Hua Rongshi appeared, her dark pink wide sleeves flowed like water over the window frame, resembling a still shower of peach blossoms.

"But isn't Qian Si also one of Yun Jue's people? It seems they don't know each other? Why would they be so ruthless to their own people?"

"In that case, he may not be one of Yun Jue's men," Bei Chenji said in a deep voice.

"Send a few men down to test his strength."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Qian Su accepted the order and was about to turn around when his gaze fell on the arena, and he paused.

"Your Highness, someone from the Mountain and Sea region has made a move. It's Xiao Lin! The champion of the Hundred Arena, Xiao Lin, has actually been sent out! Isn't this... a bit too much of a bullying?"

"Since someone else is doing it," Bei Chenji's eyes flickered slightly, "we'll just wait and see."

"Yes, sir!"

On the arena, a large gray wolf with fierce eyes growled and approached Tang Xixue step by step, bringing a suffocating sense of oppression.

However, the young man in black robes flashed away.

In an instant, several afterimages appeared, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, dazzling the eye and making it impossible to distinguish which was real and which was an illusion.

"Wow!"

"That's... Dream Butterfly Shadow!"

Inside the elegant room, Hua Rongshi couldn't help but exclaim softly. Her usually languid posture straightened up a bit, and a look of amazement flashed in her eyes.

He turned to Bei Chenji, his tone certain:

"This is definitely one of Yun Jue's people, no doubt about it! He's mastered the second level of the 'Immortal Cloud Steps' movement technique, including the Dream Butterfly Shadow technique!"

Bei Chenji naturally recognized the signature movement technique, and his expression darkened further.

The previous footwork could be attributed to coincidence or a misreading, but this "Dream Butterfly Shadow" is indeed a closely guarded secret of the "Immortal Cloud Steps".

On the stage, Tang Xixue held a folding fan and moved with her shadow, finally unleashing her killing move.

"Clouds rise from the green cliffs."

"What the hell? How could he be so fast!"

Xiao Lin felt that before the countless afterimages in front of him had dissipated, the deadly black figure had already appeared like a cloud emerging from a green cliff, without a trace, and suddenly attacked him!

It's faster than the limits of vision!

The members of the Mountain and Sea Organization are skilled at controlling beasts, but their own strength is quite ordinary.

With his opponent now close in, he is almost certainly doomed.

"One step and you're on a cloud of fortune; three steps and you're like a butterfly in flight; seven steps and you're in the void."

Hua Rongshi murmured softly, her handsome face beaming with a smile, yet also revealing a sharp insight.

"He appears ethereal and otherworldly, but in reality, every step he takes is a matter of life and death—when you see the clouds beneath his feet, your life is no longer in your own hands."

"Brilliant... Absolutely brilliant."

Inside the elegant pavilion, Hua Rong gently clapped her hands, her peach blossom eyes sparkling with light.

It was as if what we were appreciating was not a life-or-death battle, but a beautifully performed excerpt from a traditional opera.

"The Dream Butterfly Shadow Movement Technique is so profound that only those with exceptional comprehension and near-demonic talent can even begin to grasp its essence."

He twirled a petal that had drifted in from who-knows-where between his fingers, his voice tinged with a playful admiration.

"Even among the Cloud Lords, those who can master this technique are extremely rare. This time... they really have a formidable trump card hidden away."

Bei Chenji watched coldly as the black-clad youth on the stage attacked Xiao Lin without hesitation, his killing intent palpable, showing no intention of testing or holding back.

"ah--!"

A scream suddenly rang out.

Xiaolin dodged desperately, but was ultimately a beat too slow.

The edge of that seemingly elegant ink plum blossom folding fan, like the cold moon cutting ice, slashed a deep, bone-revealing gash across his shoulder blade.

Blood gushed out instantly, staining his clothes red.

He rolled on the ground in a disheveled state, his temples soaked with cold sweat and blood.

Looking up, he saw the figure in black walking slowly towards him—the steps were unhurried, yet each step seemed to tread on the heartstrings of his heart, which was on the verge of collapse.

Those were the footsteps of death approaching.

"Move!...Move now, you dead legs!"

As the god of death drew closer, Xiao Lin's heart trembled with fear.

Before the loyal gray wolf could pounce, he no longer cared about saving face or testing the waters. He tumbled and crawled, actually rolling off the edge of the several-meter-high arena!

"Bang!"

The heavy thud was accompanied by the dull thud of bones dislocating.

Xiaolin winced in pain, but he couldn't bother to groan and quickly looked up.

On the stage, the young man in black robes turned his gaze slightly, which fell upon the gray wolf that had hesitated and stopped because its master had fallen.

Holding the folding fan, she slowly walked towards the giant wolf.

"Little Grey! Run—run for your life!"

Xiao Lin was so terrified that he forgot to cover his wounds and blew his bone whistle as a warning.

"That's a killing machine! Come back!"

Upon hearing the sound, the gray wolf, though puzzled, instinctively obeyed.

It leaped, clumsily yet swiftly jumping off the ring and landing beside its master. It tilted its big, furry head, its clear, foolish eyes filled with confusion.

Unaware that he had just narrowly escaped death, he had tumbled around on the brink of death.

Xiao Lin slumped onto the cold ground, panting heavily, staring at the figure towering over him on the stage. A mixture of fear and humiliation welled up in his heart.

He mustered his remaining courage and asked in a hoarse voice:

"Why...why did you only kill me? You spared the lives of everyone else, except the one who poisoned me!"

On the stage, Tang Xixue slightly tilted her head.

The silver-threaded mask gleamed coldly in the dim light, revealing only the beautifully shaped chin and a touch of pale lips.

"Blood," she said, her voice clear and cold through the mask, "dirty."

He paused, then added casually:

"You see... it's especially damnable. So I reluctantly tried to overcome it a bit."

After speaking, she lightly turned her wrist, opening and closing the folding fan in her hand.

Strangely, the few drops of scarlet blood that had just stained the fan surface slid off the smooth silk like dew rolling over a lotus leaf, leaving no trace of staining.

The fan surface remains as white as the first snow, and the ink plum blossom remains as solitary and elegant as ever.

Xiao Lin stared blankly, a chill running through his body.

Only then did he belatedly realize that he had no idea when or where he had offended such a vengeful and murderous god.

In the past, people would treat those from Shanhai with great courtesy, but she was different; she would kill them without saying a word.

She's bullying me!