Chapter 625: A sense of oppression!
Zhang Yaqian's eyes flickered, clearly seeing a translucent shield three meters away, blocking everything. Watching Zhang Zhiyun, who was suppressed on the ground, roaring and struggling desperately, unable to get up no matter what, he was like Sun Wukong suppressed by the Buddha. Such a scene, like a battle between gods and demons, shocked Zhang Yaqian to the extreme. Is this the world of extraordinary beings?
...
Zhang Zhiyun raged again and again, but remained pinned to the cold, unforgiving earth like a dead dog. The invisible weight pressing down on him was not just a physical force; it was a metaphysical mountain of absolute authority. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, his bones creaking under the strain, threatening to splinter into dust. He could feel the fine grains of soil being ground into the skin of his cheek, the metallic tang of blood mixing with the taste of dirt in his mouth as he bit his lip in a futile display of defiance.
"Impossible... impossible! IMPOSSIBLE TO BREAK THROUGH!" Zhang Zhiyun roared, his voice a hysterical, shredded sound of pure disbelief. His face, twisted into a mask of rage and humiliation, was a canvas of desperation. He had gathered every ounce of his will, every shred of his power, to launch a final, suicidal attack on Shen Anyu. Yet, he couldn't even rise to his knees. The force was absolute, a cage of psychic energy that held him immobile, crushing not just his body, but his very spirit.
"Why impossible?" Shen Anyu's voice was calm, a stark contrast to the violence of the moment. A faint, almost lazy smile played on his lips as he looked down upon the broken form of the would-be protagonist. He stood there, immaculate and untouched, an overlord observing an insect squirming beneath his boot.
Zhang Zhiyun craned his neck, the effort sending tremors through his entire frame. He stared up at Shen Anyu, his eyes burning with a venomous mixture of resentment and utter unwillingness to accept his fate. "That Land Immortal in the red dress... she helped you!" he spat, his words thick with hatred. "Otherwise, you would have died!"
Before Shen Anyu could even deign to reply, Wu Shenyun's voice, as cold and sharp as glacial ice, cut through the night air. "Little bug, if this Venerable had acted, you would have already become a fine mist of blood. This Venerable has no interest in playing such pathetic cat-and-mouse games with the likes of you."
"If I had acted, you would have been sliced into three thousand six hundred pieces by now." Bai Bing stepped forward, her exquisite jade-like face a sculpture of profound disdain and mockery. Her fiery eyes raked over Zhang Zhiyun's pathetic form. "Zhang Zhiyun, can't you tell? Only the stinky master has been toying with you, and his strength is far beyond anything your pitiful little mind can imagine. Compared to him, you are a firefly trying to outshine the bright moon!"
A corner of Shen Anyu's mouth twitched. Wu Shenyun, the destined heroine, and Bai Bing, the villainess boss—both women were even more ruthless and indifferent than he was. Each one was more formidable than the last. He was, however, a little surprised by Bai Bing's words. For that sharp-tongued woman to actually praise him in public? It was a rare event indeed.
"Only you... acted?" Zhang Zhiyun's mind reeled, the words echoing in his skull, shattering his last vestiges of denial. "How is that possible? How is that possible?!" He stared at Shen Anyu, his disbelief warring with the crushing reality. The man he had dismissed as a mortal, a hedonistic heir who relied solely on his family background and bodyguards, actually possessed a power comparable to a Land Immortal? The thought was so absurd, so world-shattering, that his mind refused to process it.
"Nothing is impossible," Shen Anyu said, his smile widening into a predatory grin. "Zhang Zhiyun, your strength is just too weak. Far, far too weak."
"AHHHHH! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!" With a final, primal scream of defiance, Zhang Zhiyun erupted. He poured every last drop of his energy into one last surge. But it was useless. Shen Anyu didn't even flinch. A fresh wave of psychic power slammed down, a hammer blow from an invisible god.
CRACK!
The ground beneath Zhang Zhiyun didn't just collapse; it shattered. A new, deeper crater formed around him as he was driven into the earth with sickening force. Dirt and debris exploded outwards. His handsome face was brutally mashed into the soil, his features obscured by mud and blood, leaving him looking utterly disheveled and pitiful.
"Impossible... impossible..." he mumbled, the fight finally draining out of him. After repeated, agonizing attempts, his body refused to obey. He struggled just to lift his head, his vision swimming. He looked up at Shen Anyu, at that tall, imposing figure standing over him. In his broken perception, Shen Anyu seemed to grow, his form swelling until he was no longer a man but an insurmountable divine mountain, ten thousand zhang high, constantly growing taller, larger, until he filled Zhang Zhiyun's entire world, blocking out the sky itself.
This was no longer just physical suppression. It was a complete spiritual and psychological domination. The indescribable sense of oppression wasn't just a feeling; it was a poison that seeped into his very soul, staining his hateful, resentful eyes with the final, dark color of ultimate despair.
Strong! He's too strong! The thought screamed through his mind, a death knell for his pride. Shen Anyu was strong enough to make him despair, to extinguish the very flame of his ambition. Wu Shenyun and Bai Bing had already shocked him to his core, their power a benchmark he couldn't hope to reach. But he never, ever expected that Shen Anyu, the First Young Master of Yanxia's Shen Clan, the man described in every intelligence report as a profligate playboy, possessed such incredible, god-like strength.
How could he possibly contend with such a monster? How could he ever hope to win?
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun's Dao Heart is shattered, plundering +999,999 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun's Destiny Value is below 30%. His Luck has fallen to a low point, and the probability of killing him has greatly increased!]
'Zhang Zhiyun's destiny value is less than one million now,' Shen Anyu thought, his eyes deep and calculating. A cruel smile touched his handsome face. 'When he successfully refines the Yin Corpse Devil Sword, it will be time to wrap this up.'
He looked down at the broken man at his feet, his voice dripping with mockery. "You are so weak. Even if you harbor a boundless killing intent towards me, what can you possibly do?"
Shen Anyu made a show of sighing dramatically. "Alright, for Zhang Yaqian's sake, I'll let you go this time."
He casually waved his hand. "Scram."
As his voice fell, a torrent of psychic power surged forth. It wasn't a gentle push; it was a violent, contemptuous force that wrapped around Zhang Zhiyun's limp body, hoisted him into the air like a sack of garbage, and hurled him over the high courtyard wall. He landed with a heavy, sickening thud on the street outside, a discarded piece of trash.
A cold glint flashed in Shen Anyu's eyes. He found himself somewhat anticipating what terrifying power the Yin Corpse Devil Sword would possess, especially when personally refined by a Child of Destiny like Zhang Zhiyun, a man once blessed with great Luck, now consumed by hatred.
"Husband~" Zhang Yaqian looked up at Shen Anyu, her small, palm-sized face tilted upwards. Her pink lips were slightly parted, her expression a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. She wanted to speak but hesitated.
Zhang Zhiyun had repeatedly tried to assassinate Shen Anyu, yet Shen Anyu had let him go... because of her? A wave of warmth touched her heart, followed by a sharp pang of remorse. Then, a dark thought slithered into her mind: if Shen Anyu had killed Zhang Zhiyun right then and there, she wouldn't have blamed him.
Although Zhang Zhiyun, her little brother from childhood, held a significant place in her heart, Shen Anyu had already barged into that same heart and seized every corner, every shadow, making it entirely his own. Compared to Shen Anyu's safety, Zhang Zhiyun's life seemed... expendable.
'Zhang Yaqian isn't some kind, innocent girl,' she thought, her self-awareness chilling her. 'She's selfish, too. Husband, why are you so foolish, letting him go just for my sake?' Her beautiful eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and a deep, possessive affection.
"No need to feel guilty." Shen Anyu chuckled, his voice gentle. He reached out and patted her small hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "I'm only letting Zhang Zhiyun go this once. If he dares to try and assassinate me again, I definitely won't be so forgiving."
Of course, it was all a lie. He didn't spare Zhang Zhiyun because of Zhang Yaqian. Shen Anyu was no soft-hearted simp. His plan had been in motion for a long time. The entire confrontation was meticulously orchestrated for one purpose: to utterly shatter Zhang Zhiyun's Dao Heart, to push him over the edge, to blacken his soul completely, and to force him to pick up the Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo and begin the gruesome process of refining it.
It was, at the very least, a Spirit Weapon. And a very powerful one at that, with immense growth potential. Among the Artifact Refining methods recorded in the Nascent Soul True Scripture, the Yin Corpse Devil Sword was among the top tier. With the right nourishment, it was capable of growing into a Dao Artifact of the Nascent Soul Stage, a weapon of truly terrifying power.
But the conditions for its creation were disgustingly specific. It had to be personally refined by a Child of Destiny overflowing with Luck, and the final tempering required the Destiny's Child to personally slaughter his closest relatives and loved ones, feeding their souls to the blade. The conditions were monstrously difficult. But the rewards were correspondingly rich.
The Two-Aspects Life-Death Medical Scripture also recorded the method for refining the Myriad Souls Banner. That artifact required the slaughter of at least a million living beings—preferably highly intelligent ones, like humans. Once completed, its power would be apocalyptic. However, while Shen Anyu was no saint, he wouldn't engage in the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents. Not unless they were his enemies. Otherwise, he wouldn't commit such an act that defied the heavens. Besides, he didn't have the heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and other ingredients to refine a Myriad Souls Banner anyway.
Zhang Zhiyun was a Child of Destiny, preordained by the will of the heavens to be hostile to a Great Villain of Destiny like Shen Anyu. Therefore, there was no need for mercy. He would simply be disposed of after every last drop of his value had been squeezed out.
...
"Hmph, you troublesome, stinky master! I'm going back to my room!" Bai Bing snorted lightly, a hint of unhappiness in her tone before she turned and stalked back to her room.
Wu Shenyun's phoenix eyes rested calmly on Shen Anyu. Her vermilion lips parted slightly as she transmitted her voice directly into his mind. "Don't raise a tiger only for it to cause you trouble later."
After delivering her cryptic warning, Wu Shenyun also turned and returned to her room, her red dress flowing behind her like liquid flame.
Shen Anyu felt a flicker of warmth in his heart. Bai Bing and Wu Shenyun, these two women, seemed as cold as winter, but he had tested them. In reality, they were quite warm beneath their icy exteriors.
As for Zhang Zhiyun making a comeback and launching a counterattack?
Hehe. Shen Anyu had far too many contingencies for that.
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