Chapter 240: The Shattered Halo! A Tiger Descends the Mountain!
"Speaking of this..."
Han Qi's voice echoed slightly inside the helicopter cabin. His eyes, visible through the slits of the Bronze Dragon King mask, were burning with fervor and anticipation.
"With the help of the Yanxia Shen Family... dealing with my brother Han Xiu and reclaiming the position of patriarch of the Emperor Capital Han Family will be effortless. It will be like crushing an egg with a hammer."
He clenched his fist, imagining the moment of his triumph. The moment he would step into the Han Family ancestral hall, throw Han Xiu to the ground, and take his rightful place on the throne.
"Furthermore," Han Qi continued, turning to the middle-aged swordsman beside him. "Shen Anyu said that to deal with the Netherworld Palace, not only will our Dragon King Society take action, but also other powerful experts under his command. We are not alone."
"The Netherworld Palace bases that Shen Anyu tasked our Dragon King Society to destroy are strategically chosen. They do not have any Great Grandmasters present. It's a safe mission to farm merit."
Han Qi smiled beneath his mask. He felt like a brilliant strategist playing a grand game.
"What's more... Shen Anyu is arrogant. He thinks he knows everything. But how could he possibly know that you, Foster Father, have already secretly made a Breakthrough to the Great Grandmaster realm?"
He looked at Tianfeng Ichiro with admiration.
This was his greatest trump card. A Great Grandmaster! In the secular world, this was a nuclear deterrent. Han Qi believed that with this hidden strength, he could eventually turn the tables on Shen Anyu once he had used the Shen Family's resources enough.
Tianfeng Ichiro listened to Han Qi's confident explanation. He cleaned his katana with a white cloth, the steel gleaming cold in the cabin light.
He didn't say much. He was a man of action, not words. He believed in his blade and his own strength to protect Han Qi from any scheme.
However...
At this exact moment.
Crack.
A soundless fracture echoed in the void of fate.
The expression of confidence on Han Qi's face suddenly froze.
A wave of intense coldness washed over him, originating from the depths of his soul. It wasn't the wind from the helicopter rotors. It was a spiritual chill.
A bad premonition surged in his heart, overwhelming and terrifying. It felt as if he had lost something extremely important. Something irreplaceable. A part of his soul had been gouged out.
In a dimension Han Qi couldn't see, the golden [Child of Destiny Halo] above his head... cracked.
A large chunk of the golden light dimmed and shattered into dust, dissipating into the void.
Why?
Because the Dragon King Son-in-law's most important anchor, his "Sanctuary," his Destined Heroine—Liu Qingyue—had already left him forever.
Under Shen Anyu's two-pronged chaotic operations (the debt trap and the "Truth or Dare" game), her heart had shifted. She had seen the "Truth" about Han Qi using her family as a shield. The bond of trust was severed.
The wife who was supposed to be his unwavering support, his reason for enduring humiliation, was gone.
"Is it... an illusion?"
Han Qi rubbed his chest, feeling a phantom pain. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus.
"No time to delay. Shen Anyu wants me to destroy thirteen Netherworld Palace bases in one day. Thirteen! He treats me like a dog and a donkey, working me to death."
Resentment flared in his eyes.
"Hmph. Just wait. Once my strength grows with his support... once I consume the resources of the Netherworld Palace... I will definitely give him his comeuppance. I will make him kneel."
"Let's go! To the next Netherworld Palace base!"
Han Qi waved his hand, suppressing the emptiness in his heart.
The helicopter banked sharply, heading towards the next target in the mountains.
...
At this moment.
Across the vast land of Yanxia.
Besides Han Qi's frantic actions, a massive, coordinated operation was unfolding.
The fake Young Master and Child of Destiny, Xu Ping'an, led by the transvestite assassin Feng Kelei, was raiding bases in the north.
The elite Grandmaster Guards obtained by Shen Anyu from the System were striking from the shadows in the west.
Powerhouses from Aunt An Zhiyue's military faction, the Yanxia Shen Family's private army, and the Yanxia An Family's mercenary corps were all acting in unison.
It was a total war.
Shen Anyu had made a decision. He would not leave any loose ends.
He would completely destroy all ninety-nine Netherworld Palace bases on this specific day—the fifth anniversary of the Magic City Ye Family's demise.
He would cut off Ye Yan's arms and legs before the "Master" could even descend the mountain. He would pull the rug out from under him, leaving him with nothing but a token and a sword.
Even if the Netherworld Palace was a behemoth with deep roots... under the combined efforts of the two supreme families and a Villain with foreknowledge, it would be reduced to dust and history.
[Ding! Detected that the Child of Destiny, Ye Yan's forces have suffered a catastrophic setback!]
[Ding! Plundering +500,000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Ye Yan's destiny has undergone a major change! His army is gone!]
[Ding! Plundering +500,000 Destiny Value!]
...
On the other side of the country.
In an unknown deep mountain, shrouded in mist and legends.
An old man dressed in a worn Daoist robe stood on a cliff edge. He had white hair and a long beard, exuding an otherworldly demeanor that screamed "Immortal Expert."
He looked at the young man kneeling before him with eyes full of gratification and pride.
"Yan'er... taking you as my disciple five years ago is the most correct decision I, Tian Yunzi, have ever made in my life!"
The young man, Ye Yan, raised his head.
He was handsome, with sharp eyebrows and eyes that shone like stars. His skin was bronzed from training, his muscles compact and explosive. He radiated a fierce, untamed aura.
In just five years, Ye Yan had transformed from a desperate, suicidal boy into a monster.
He had broken through repeatedly, achieving the astonishing cultivation Realm of Grandmaster (Peak). His combat power was even higher—he could easily fight a Great Grandmaster across Realms.
Even a Heavenly Human (Tian Ren) expert like Tian Yunzi praised him endlessly. Tian Yunzi had high talent in his youth, but not as high as Ye Yan's.
Looking at his good disciple, Tian Yunzi felt that Ye Yan was very likely to enter the legendary Realm that even he struggled to touch: the Land Immortal!
Ye Yan stood up. He was full of vigor and ambition.
"Master, this is all thanks to your excellent teaching. Without you, I would be a ghost in the river."
Speaking of this, Ye Yan paused. His eyes gleamed with a cold, hateful light.
"It is also the blood feud of the Magic City Ye Family that spurs me on! Every night, I hear the screams of my parents in the fire. It does not allow me to relax for a single second!"
"This time I descend the mountain... I will surely exterminate the entire Yanxia Shen Family! I will make them pay blood for blood!"
Tian Yunzi patted his disciple's shoulder heavily.
"The Yanxia Shen Family is a millennium-old family. They have deep roots and hidden experts. They are not so easy to deal with."
"You must be careful in everything. Do not be rash. Form alliances first. Gather the scattered forces of the Netherworld Palace. Strengthen your power before seeking revenge."
"This is also a tempering for you. A sharp sword comes from grinding. I believe you will destroy the Yanxia Shen Family, surpass me, and even reach the legendary Realm of a Land Immortal!"
"The Yanxia Shen Family will be your whetstone! Step on their corpses to reach the sky!"
Ye Yan nodded heavily.
Even though he used to be quite impulsive, now, after five years of devilish training—meditating in waterfalls, fighting tigers barehanded, sleeping on ice—he had learned what it meant to be a hunter.
Lurking. Hiding. And killing in one strike.
"Master is right. The Yanxia Shen Family is just a stepping stone. In the future, your disciple will surely become a Land Immortal and revive our sect!"
Ye Yan clenched his fists, crushing the air with a sonic boom.
Tian Yunzi stroked his beard, filled with satisfaction.
"Good. Now, I'll give you some help for your journey."
He waved his hand.
"This is an International Bank Supreme Black Card. It has no limit. Spend as you please. Money is just dust to us cultivators."
"This is the Netherworld Blade. Forged from an extraterrestrial meteorite I found in a crater. It is indestructible and cuts iron like mud. I once traversed the world with it, shaking all four directions!"
Ye Yan took the black blade. It hummed in his hand, thirsty for blood.
"This is the Immortal Life-Saving Pill. There is only one. If you encounter a life-threatening danger... take it. It can bring you back from the gates of hell."
Speaking of this, Tian Yunzi paused. His expression became solemn.
He handed a dark black token to Ye Yan. It was made of unknown metal, cold to the touch, engraved with a terrifying skull.
"And this... is the Netherworld Token."
"Holding it allows you to command the ninety-nine secret bases of the Netherworld Palace scattered across the world. You can mobilize countless powerhouses, assassins, and spies. Once the Netherworld Token appears, no one in the Dark World dares to disobey!"
"This is your army, Yan'er. Use it well."
Ye Yan gripped the Netherworld Token tightly. His heart surged with excitement.
'Ninety-nine bases! An army of thousands! Grandmasters at my command!'
With this power, crushing the Shen Family would be easy!
"Yanxia Shen Family... your good days are numbered!"
"I will make you pay with blood!"
Afterward, Ye Yan bid farewell to Master Tian Yunzi. He turned around and stepped out of the deep mountain, his silhouette disappearing into the mist.
Tian Yunzi stood on the cliff, stroking his beard, looking at his disciple's back. He laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the valley.
"His departure now is like a fierce tiger descending the mountain! A majestic Dragon emerging from the sea!"
"He will surely shake the world and dominate the winds and clouds!"
"Yan'er... I, your Master, look forward to you becoming a legend! Becoming a myth!"
"And let those old guys in the hidden world see how outstanding my disciple is! Hahahaha!"
...
After Ye Yan emerged from the mountain, he walked along the winding road.
He looked up at the flowing clouds in the high sky. The shapes seemed to shift, forming a face he hadn't seen in five years.
It was his beautiful sister-in-law, Lin Keqing.
Vibrant. Charming. Graceful. Elegant.
A hint of tenderness, nostalgia, and a forbidden desire flickered in his eyes.
In these five years of hellish training, besides the blood feud of the Magic City Ye Family, what he constantly thought about—what kept him sane—was Lin Keqing.
Ye Yan had fallen in love with Lin Keqing at first sight, years ago. But unfortunately, due to their identities, they couldn't be together. She was engaged to his elder brother. He could only keep his secret crush buried deep in his heart.
However, on the day Lin Keqing married Ye Yan's elder brother, the Magic City Ye Family suffered a devastating disaster. The wedding turned into a funeral.
Due to the Yanxia Shen Family's wrath, the Magic City Ye Family went bankrupt directly. Ye Yan's father, unable to bear the blow and the debt, set the ancestral house ablaze, meeting his end in the raging inferno along with Ye Yan's brother.
And Ye Yan, in despair, jumped into a river to commit suicide. But he was fortunately rescued by Master Tian Yunzi, taken in, and taught everything.
Now, he was back. His brother was dead.
Lin Keqing was a widow.
"First, I'll go check on the ruins of the old house to pay my respects."
"Then... I'll go find my sister-in-law."
Ye Yan's eyes burned with a possessive light.
"Sister-in-law... I will take good care of you in place of my elder brother. I will protect you. I will give you happiness..."
"And this time... no one can stop us."
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