After the Glamorous Costume Is Stripped Away, What Remains? (Part 2)

Woooo... It sounded like the wailing of ghosts. More than a dozen burly men surged with green energy, and over a dozen Dark Nether Palms thundered together at the temple gate. Whoosh— the force of those palms was as chilling as a wind from the land of the dead, so cold it sent shivers through every bone. But it wasn't just a physical cold; it was a cold that seeped into your soul. Even the faintest brush with it felt like being dragged into the eternal, silent punishment of the underworld.

Faced with such a high-intensity burst of martial arts, the Wolfhead Enforcer was sure that hardly anyone in the world could take it head-on. He secretly clutched a signal rocket in his left hand— as long as the person before him gave way at the door, as long as he got outside and fired the signal, his boss would come running in no time.

With two Copper Priests and a Silver Priest— who in the world could they not kill?

All he had to do was hold out for a moment— today, he’d make sure the guy never left alive!

The dozen or so Dark Nether Palms formed a staggered torrent. In a daze, Charlotte Cloud thought she saw a swarm of ghostly skulls, claws bared, lunging at the man. Panic, fear, shock— she didn’t even have time to process those feelings before the next scene left her utterly stunned. The man’s right hand seemed to conjure a stick out of thin air. He stepped forward, swung his hand, a flash of purple light— and with a loud bang, the lead ghost was instantly smacked flying.

In midair, a spray of blood tinged with eerie green scattered everywhere.

Swish, swish, swish— the white-haired man moved within a tiny space, but it was like he had special effects trailing behind him, splitting into several afterimages in the blink of an eye. He was just that fast: six or seven moves overlapped on Charlotte’s retinas at once. She couldn’t make sense of it at all— all she knew was that the white-haired man shifted poses with effortless grace, swinging his purple phantom weapon with a kind of beauty. Like slicing the sea with a sword, each crackling blow shattered, scattered, and drove back the ghostly attackers, leaving them wailing and defeated.

This white-haired man was clearly way stronger than all those evil spirits put together.

“What?!” As the saying goes, laymen watch the excitement, but professionals see the technique. The Wolfhead Enforcer was a lot more professional than Charlotte Cloud. He was shocked— and honestly, a little incredulous. On the one hand, he was stunned that his own Dark Nether Qi seemed to have zero effect on the guy. The man’s skin practically glowed with a jade-like light, and the eerie green energy just couldn’t touch him.

On the other hand, he was floored by the weapon the man was using.

That grin hit Wolfhead Enforcer with a wave of pure dread—something was seriously, seriously off.

Next thing you know, the purple shadow shot up, inner force blasting—The Showstopper went from limp to lethal, rocketing up like a divine spear.

Kaboom! The Showstopper sliced through the air and rammed straight into Wolfhead’s face.

Nope—let’s be real, it jammed right into Wolfhead’s mouth...

“Mmm—!!” That ridiculously thick Showstopper shattered his front teeth, ground up his molars, cracked his jaw, and stuffed shards deep into his throat. His windpipe and esophagus were stretched wide, almost torn apart, his neck swelling like a balloon. Razor-sharp fragments carved bloody gashes inside, and blood instantly drooled from the corners of his mouth.

Wolfhead’s eyes bulged—pain and humiliation made him want to scream, but he couldn’t even breathe, just snorted through his nose. He clawed at the Showstopper, but the white-haired man’s grip was iron—no way it was coming out. With a cold twist, he said, “Still not enough, huh? How about this?”

Crunch! The Showstopper spun in his throat, grinding up teeth, and Wolfhead’s eyes rolled back like a slot machine.

Wolfhead tried to back away with all his might, but just as he did, the white-haired man twisted the handle to the right: “Or maybe... does this feel good?”

During his daze, the white-haired man casually flicked his left hand, strumming Wolfhead’s face like a pipa. Crack— the iron mask split in two, revealing a scarred, ugly mug. With a twist of the wrist— snap— Wolfhead’s jaw was instantly dislocated.

Splurt—blood gushed out, piling up in his throat, and Wolfhead convulsed like a fish out of water.

"Oh, moving on its own already, huh? What a spicy little firecracker—you’re making me work for it!" The white-haired man’s right hand quivered, and with a buzz, the whole Showstopper kicked into high-frequency mode. Crack, crack—Wolfhead’s bones rattled, and he finally crumpled to his knees.

"Hahaha, the book didn’t lie—it really is soft as jelly! Guess I’ll play along: ‘Go!’" The white-haired man’s wrist snapped, power surging, eyes cold as he jabbed forward. Under the stunned gaze of the shamaness, the maid, Charlotte Cloud, and everyone still conscious, Wolfhead was sent flying.

Crunch—the Showstopper drilled in deep.

Splurt—the Showstopper ripped right back out.

Thud—Wolfhead went flying, slammed into the deepest idol in the temple, then flopped to the ground. Blood and foam sprayed from his ruined throat, soaking the place. The whole temple fell silent, except for the women’s ragged breathing—nothing else.

Wolfhead’s eyeballs nearly popped out— the pain and utter humiliation made him want to howl, but he couldn’t even breathe, just snorted through his nose. He clawed desperately at the Showstopper, but the white-haired man’s grip was like iron—there was no pulling it out. With a cold twist of the wrist, the man said, “Still not enough, huh? How about this?”

The white-haired man strolled into the temple, cool as you please, heading for Charlotte Cloud. She was shaken but alive, her mind spinning, vision fuzzy, and blurted out a grateful thanks: “Hero! You saved my life—my deepest thanks!” She bowed.

But the little maid got real nervous—she didn’t buy the white-haired man as a hero. The evil in his eyes was just as strong as the rest. She shrank back, then adrenaline hit and she stood tall, shouting, “What are you doing? Don’t come any closer—ah!”

A flash of purple— the maid was yanked away by a ribbon. Purple, dreamy smoke swirled through the temple as a seductive woman arrived (you know what that means, right?). With a sweep of her sleeves, she tossed the maid into the shamaness crowd, giggling: “Can’t let you spoil my lord’s fun.” She gestured to the man, signaling all clear, no one approaching.

Charlotte Cloud’s mind went blank in terror, instinctively shaking her head: “Hero, you…”

Ha! Hero? You’ve totally got me pegged wrong." The man’s easy words made her vision go dark, and that wicked, playful look in his eyes made her skin crawl.

Out of the wolf’s den and right into the tiger’s jaws? Is the universe really out to get me?

Charlotte Cloud scrambled backward in panic, but the man snapped his fingers—instantly, the seductive woman giggled and whipped out a flurry of purple ribbons. With a swish, Charlotte’s limbs were bound tight, and with a creak, she was hoisted spread-eagle into the air.

“Ah!” Charlotte, strung up, finally screamed and cried: “Help! Help!” But she’d been dosed with Triple Peak Ecstasy Elixir, and now a wild heat surged through her body, making even her cries sound like a kitten begging for treats.

“A trueborn daughter of the Chu Family, blessed by fate, and you’re scared of a two-bit crook like me?” The man didn’t lay a finger on her, just mocked: “Where’s your big-shot lady attitude now? Where’s that world-conquering swagger?”

That one line left Charlotte speechless. After a stunned pause, she finally stammered, “You—you’ve been here the whole time?”

“Yup, I’ve been here all along. Only stuck around because Miss Chu’s speeches were so entertaining—otherwise, those losers would’ve gotten to you first.” The man finally dropped his mysterious grin, looking annoyed: “Calling people whores, calling them trash? Charlotte Cloud, you’re a riot. You’re just a caged bird, a pretty vase—what gives you the right to look down on anyone? No brains, no guts, just a total IQ disaster!”

“You—!” If it was just violence, Charlotte could take it, but now, being scolded, her noble lady temper finally exploded. Mind blank, she snapped back: “I’m not wrong! You lowlife bandits are trash! Singing and dancing for money—just whores! No matter how you torture me, you can’t change what’s right and wrong!”

A flash of purple— the maid was yanked away by a ribbon. Purple, dreamy smoke filled the temple as a seductive woman arrived (you know what that means, right?). With a sweep of her long sleeves, she tossed the maid into the group of shamanesses, giggling: “Can’t let you spoil my lord’s fun.” She gestured to the man, signaling everything was fine, no one was approaching.

Charlotte Cloud’s mind went blank in terror, instinctively shaking her head: “Hero, you…”

Ha! Hero? You’ve really—got me all wrong.' The man’s laid-back words made her vision go dark, and his wicked, playful gaze made her skin crawl.

Out of the wolf’s den, into the tiger’s lair? Is fate really out to get me?

Charlotte Cloud scrambled backward in panic, but the man snapped his fingers—instantly, the seductive woman giggled and tossed out a flurry of purple ribbons. With a swish, Charlotte’s limbs were bound tight, and with a creak, she was hoisted spread-eagle into the air.

“Ah!” Charlotte, strung up, finally screamed and cried: “Help! Help!” But she’d been dosed with Three Peaks Bliss Wine, and now a wild heat surged through her body, making even her cries sound like a kitten begging for attention.

“A trueborn daughter of the Chu Family, blessed by fate, and you’re scared of a petty crook like me?” The man didn’t lay a finger on her, but mocked: “Where’s your noble lady attitude now? Where’s that bold, world-conquering swagger?”

That one line left Charlotte speechless. After a stunned silence, she finally stammered, “You—you’ve been here all along?”

“Yeah, I’ve been here the whole time. I only stuck around because Miss Chu’s speeches were so entertaining—otherwise, those losers would’ve gotten to you first.” The man finally dropped his mysterious smile, looking annoyed: “Calling people whores, calling them trash? Charlotte Cloud, you’re a joke. You’re nothing but a caged bird, a pretty ornament—what gives you the right to look down on anyone? No brains, no guts, just a total IQ disaster!”

“You—!” If it was just violence, Charlotte could take it, but now, being scolded, her noble lady temper finally flared. Mind blank, she snapped back: “I’m not wrong! You lowlife bandits are trash! Singing and dancing for money—just whores! No matter how you torture me, you can’t change what’s right and wrong!”