Ye Yunxi took the heavy purse, closed her fingers around it, and turned to leave the platform. She couldn't be bothered to look at the crowd's stunned faces any longer.
But just then, a fierce gust swept across the stone platform. The wind struck her face, snatching the Moon-White Glazed Veil into the air and sending it fluttering lightly to the ground.
The instant the veil touched the ground.
It was as if nothing else existed between heaven and earth but the slender figure atop the stone platform.
A face that could topple all mortal beauty was fully revealed beneath the daylight.
Her peach-blossom eyes were moist and luminous, their outer corners tilting up ever so slightly, a trace of lingering coolness in their depths. Her lashes were long, and as her gaze shifted, the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox's innate bewitchment spread wantonly, like a rising tide.
Her nose was delicate and high, her lips a rosy red. Her skin was whiter than snow, so smooth and flawless that even the skin at her neck seemed to glow with a soft light.
She wore not a trace of makeup. Her beauty was utterly natural, breathtaking, and untouched by the mortal world. It was the ultimate fusion of coolness and coquettish charm. One look was enough to make a person lose their soul and willingly sink into its spell.
Dead silence.
A silence more complete than the one that had fallen when they saw the thousand-jin boulder.
Everyone below the platform—burly men and old folks, street vendors and passersby alike—stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide and mouths slightly agape. They had even forgotten to breathe. It was as though an invisible hand had seized their hearts, making them pound wildly as blood rushed to their heads.
It was a beauty that struck straight at the soul, a stirring carved into their very bones.
The strongman stood motionless, his burly frame frozen like a statue. His eyes held only that peerlessly beautiful figure; his mind had gone blank.
Beneath the stone platform, the Shrek Seven Devils were even more thoroughly undone.
Dai Mubai's blond hair was disheveled, his whole body tense. His Adam's apple bobbed wildly, and his golden eyes held only Ye Yunxi's face. His heart pounded like a war drum, and even the aura of his Martial Soul nearly fell into disorder. He murmured, "Th-this is what true, peerless beauty looks like..."
Tang San's Purple Demon Eye suddenly lost focus. His fingers clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, and the heart in his chest began pounding uncontrollably. Even the Soul Power of his Mysterious Heaven Skill nearly went into reverse.
He had seen countless beauties, but never one like her: coolness laced with seductive charm, peerless beauty shot through with liveliness. The moment her gaze fell upon him, it sent towering waves crashing across the still lake of his heart.
"She's even prettier than Xiao Wu!"
Ma Hongjun's rolls of fat trembled as he stared, completely entranced. He nearly drooled, managing only to repeat two words: "Fairy... What a fairy..."
Oscar slumped to the ground, having completely forgotten about his sausages. His gaze was besotted, his heart beat as though it would burst, and he could only feel that everything he'd ever seen in his life was mundane by comparison.
Ning Rongrong covered her cherry-red lips, shock and envy filling her eyes. As a woman herself, she was so stunned by Ye Yunxi's beauty that she couldn't speak. How could anyone in this world be so perfect?
The coldness in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes melted away completely. Her fingers loosened, then tightened again. Her usually icy cheeks even took on a faint blush, and her heart raced. Even she couldn't resist such extreme beauty.
Zhao Wuji stood in the distance, his gaze frozen and his old face flushed red. After a long moment, he finally managed to blurt out, "A monster! That face, that strength—she's practically heaven's darling!"
Every gaze landed nakedly on Ye Yunxi. There was infatuation, awe, fervor, and intoxication in those eyes. They were a hundred times more heated than when they'd watched her lift the boulder.
Ye Yunxi felt her cheeks suddenly flare with scorching heat. The warmth spread from her ears all the way down her neck, and even her fingertips turned faintly red.
The embarrassment of being socially awkward, the mortification of having her face scrutinized by a crowd—all of it swallowed her whole.
Her peach-blossom eyes blinked in a fluster, a sheen of tears rising in them. She instinctively lifted a hand to cover her face and curled in on herself. That helpless, bashful, timid look did nothing to diminish her beauty; it only added a tender, heart-wrenching softness.
Nine pink fox tails nearly manifested outside her body before she forcibly suppressed them.
This was bad!
They'd all seen her!
Ye Yunxi's heart sank. She was so mortified she wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground.
At the sight of her like this, everyone felt their hearts nearly stop. The woman before them wasn't some battle goddess capable of lifting a giant cauldron; she was clearly a moon palace immortal who'd strayed into the mortal world—shy and bashful, so beautiful that no one could bear to touch her.
"Th-this is a celestial maiden come down to earth, isn't it?"
"I've never seen such a beautiful woman in my entire life!"
"She can lift a thousand jin with one hand and topple a city with her looks. What kind of immortal being is she?!"
Low murmurs rippled through the crowd, but no one dared speak loudly, for fear of disturbing the celestial being before them.
Ye Yunxi could no longer concern herself with anything else. Her flushed cheeks burned, her heart pounded as though it would burst, and she had no intention of staying another moment.
She snatched up the veil from the ground. Soul Power surged beneath her feet, and she unleashed Lingbo Microsteps to its utmost!
Her slender figure became a pale-pink blur, too fast for anyone to follow. Only a faint, delicate fragrance lingered and drifted away on the wind.
She swept across the platform and through the crowd, like a startled fawn, racing without a backward glance toward the depths of the streets.
That stunning figure flashed through the crowd and soon vanished around the corner.
Only after Ye Yunxi had disappeared from sight did a clamor like crashing waves suddenly erupt beneath the platform!
"A fairy! She must be a fairy!"
"Ten thousand jin of divine strength, a beauty that could topple a kingdom—how can anyone like that exist in this world?!"
"I saw her blush just now! So cute! So beautiful!"
Everyone chattered like mad, the fervor and infatuation in their eyes lingering long after.
Beneath the stone platform, the Shrek Seven Devils still stood frozen in place, gazing in the direction Ye Yunxi had disappeared. For a long while, none of them came back to their senses.
Dai Mubai took a deep breath. Awe still lingered in his golden eyes as he gave a rueful smile. "So there really are people this perfect in the world."
Tang San slowly withdrew his gaze and lightly touched his chest. His heart was still beating far too fast.
His Purple Demon Eye refocused, and his eyes churned with solemnity and a trace of an emotion he hadn't even noticed in himself.
This woman's strength was unfathomable, her beauty peerless. Her identity was definitely no ordinary one.
"Her speed is so astonishing—even faster than my Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"
Heaven Dou City was probably about to be turned upside down.
The wind stirred the veil on the ground, making it flutter gently. The lingering fragrance spread through the air. Everyone knew they would never forget that peerlessly beautiful figure for as long as they lived.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunxi ran all the way to an empty alley before finally stopping.
She leaned against the cold wall and panted heavily, one hand pressed to her burning cheek. Her peach-blossom eyes still held traces of bashfulness and fluster.
"Damn wind!"
Ye Yunxi bit her lip, her cheeks still red enough to drip blood. She was both embarrassed and annoyed.
Having that many people stare at her face had been even more unbearable than fighting a hard battle.
She clutched the purse, a flicker of lingering fear in her eyes. It was a good thing she'd run fast; otherwise, who knew how long they would have crowded around her?
"Three hundred Gold Soul Coins! I'm rich! With this much money, I can go anywhere!"