Chapter 623: Complete defeat and playing with people's hearts!
Zhang Zhiyun turned his head with difficulty to look in the direction of Wu Shenyun and Bai Bing, his heart filled with joy. His younger sister, Zhang Yaqian, knew that Shen Anyu was a philandering scumbag with many women, and they would definitely break up! Even if he were defeated, as long as his younger sister, Zhang Yaqian, wasn't with Shen Anyu, he could rest easy!
Zhang Yaqian pursed her tender, cherry lips, and a hint of resentment flashed in her starry eyes; she had a bad premonition when she saw Wu Shenyun and Bai Bing earlier, and it had come true. The two women stood with an air of possessiveness that went far beyond mere acquaintance, their gazes fixed on Shen Anyu with an intensity that spoke volumes. The atmosphere, once charged with the violence of combat, had now twisted into a knot of complex, unspoken relationships.
However, Zhang Yaqian still held onto a sliver of hope, a desperate belief that there was some misunderstanding. She looked at Shen Anyu, her palm-sized, pure and beautiful face tilted up towards him, her voice trembling slightly as she asked timidly, "Husband~ are you, are you really in that kind of relationship with them?"
Wu Shenyun and Bai Bing both stared intently at Shen Anyu, their expressions unreadable but their auras coiling like serpents, waiting for his answer. The pressure in the air became immense, a silent battle of wills being fought over a single man.
Shen Anyu simply smiled, a relaxed and disarming expression that seemed utterly out of place amidst the tension. He shook his head, his voice calm and clear.
"They are not my women."
The words hung in the air, a momentary reprieve. Zhang Yaqian's starry eyes lit up with relief, a brilliant spark of hope returning. 'He denied it!' she thought, her heart soaring. Even if it was just a white lie to appease her, being able to say that meant Brother Shen must love her more. The resentment she felt began to melt away, replaced by a wave of affection.
But that same denial had the opposite effect on the other two women. Killing Intent, cold and sharp enough to slice through steel, surged in the phoenix eyes of Wu Shenyun and Bai Bing. Their gazes, already intense, hardened into daggers of pure malice aimed directly at Shen Anyu.
Zhang Zhiyun, pinned helplessly to the ground, let out a sneer. 'Lying through your teeth, Shen Anyu? Good. Let Yaqian see you for the two-faced coward you are!' He was about to retort, to expose the lie and force the issue.
But then, before anyone could speak, Shen Anyu leisurely added, his tone carrying a casual cruelty that was far more devastating than any lie.
"They are not my women, but my female slaves."
"Eh?" The single syllable escaped Zhang Yaqian's lips before she could stop it. Her mind went completely blank. 'Female slaves???' The words didn't compute. They were archaic, brutal, something from a dark and distant past, not a term used to describe two stunningly powerful women in the modern world.
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
Bai Bing and Wu Shenyun both let out a soft snort in perfect unison. The murderous aura that had enveloped them moments ago vanished as if it had never existed. Their expressions softened considerably, and in a synchronized motion that spoke of long familiarity, they both rolled their eyes at Shen Anyu, a gesture that was less about annoyance and more a form of begrudging acceptance, even pride.
The world seemed to fracture for Zhang Zhiyun. His pupils dilated in shock, his gaze locking onto Shen Anyu with an expression of utter disbelief. 'He admitted it? He actually admitted it!' His mind reeled, trying to process the impossible. Female slaves? That was infinitely more outrageous, more dominant, more possessive than simply being his 'women.'
Moreover, what shocked Zhang Zhiyun even more and left him completely speechless was that Bai Bing and Wu Shenyun did not refute the title. They accepted it. Their silent acquiescence was a thunderclap that shattered his understanding of reality.
This… this, how could this be?
Bai Bing is a Heavenly Human Realm expert. Her sword dao attainments were terrifying, her assassination skills were unparalleled ghosts in the martial world. Within the Heavenly Human Realm, she was an almost invincible existence. Even Zhang Zhiyun, who had achieved minor mastery of the Yin Corpse Devil Swordplay, knew he would be at a severe disadvantage against her in a straight fight.
And Wu Shenyun… she was a Land Immortal!
A living legend. A Land Immortal that hadn't appeared in Yanxia for a hundred years! An existence that stood at the absolute apex of the mortal world, a being who could command the wind and clouds, whose lifespan was measured in centuries.
A Land Immortal and a top-tier Heavenly Human Realm expert… as female slaves?
Has this world gone mad to such an extent?
Though the earlier, intimate address of 'Yun Nu' had surprised Zhang Zhiyun, it was nothing—absolutely nothing—compared to the raw, atomic shock of Shen Anyu personally declaring their status and watching them accept it without a word of protest. The sight was so fundamentally wrong, so contrary to the laws of power and respect that governed their world, that his mind refused to accept it.
Unbelievable!
Even the most powerful and prominent figures in the world—the heads of ancient clans, the leaders of entire nations—were not qualified to have a Heavenly Human Realm expert as a female slave, let alone a mythical Land Immortal! It was a blasphemy against the very hierarchy of cultivation.
Forget Shen Anyu being the Young Master of Yanxia's Shen Clan; even if the Shen Clan's power expanded tenfold, a hundredfold, they couldn't possibly achieve this! It was beyond the scope of mortal influence.
Heavenly Human experts in ancient times were revered as national advisors, their words capable of shaping the destiny of dynasties. Land Immortals were living deities who could make emperors stand respectfully like humble underlings, not daring to even breathe too loudly in their presence. Even in the modern era, with its terrifying arsenal of advanced weaponry, the status of a Heavenly Human was extraordinarily high. As for a Land Immortal, they were a strategic weapon unto themselves, a force of nature capable of single-handedly breaking entire armies!
Great power belongs to oneself! Their strength was their own, an inviolable part of their being. How could it be subjugated?
Zhang Zhiyun felt as if he was dreaming, trapped in a waking nightmare. Unless it was a nightmare, how could such an impossible, logic-defying thing happen?
However, the searing, agonizing pain that coursed through every inch of his body, the crushing weight that pinned him to the unforgiving earth, and the utter inability to even move a single muscle made him realize this was no illusion. This was not a nightmare. It was a reality far more brutal and terrifying than any dream his mind could conjure.
Even with his formidable Heavenly Master strength, he was as helpless as an insect, firmly pressed into the dirt.
Despair, black and absolute, flooded Zhang Zhiyun's heart. All his plans, his ambitions, his pride—they were all dust. He now had only one desperate goal left: to make his younger sister, Zhang Yaqian, see Shen Anyu's true, monstrous colors. He gritted his teeth, the taste of blood and dirt filling his mouth, and forced the words out.
"Besides these two women, there's another one, Ji Xiaolin… my fiancée!"
His voice was a raw, broken thing, each word tearing at his soul. "Zhang Yaqian, your so-called good husband, Shen Anyu, snatched my fiancée, Ji Xiaolin!"
As he said this, Zhang Zhiyun felt his heart physically bleed. To bring up his most humiliating and painful past in front of his most important person, his beloved younger sister, was a self-inflicted wound of the highest order. A deep, ugly crack appeared in his Dao Heart, a spiritual fissure that might never heal.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Zhang Zhiyun's, Dao Heart is damaged. Plunder +50,000 Destiny Points!]
Zhang Yaqian's starry eyes widened upon hearing this, her head snapping towards Shen Anyu in surprise. 'Shen Anyu snatched Zhang Zhiyun's fiancée?' The accusation was a heavy one, painting Shen Anyu as a dishonorable man who stole from others.
Shen Anyu, however, merely smiled faintly, his gaze falling upon the man pressed to the ground like a dead dog. A smirk played on his lips, devoid of any sympathy. He directly pulled out his phone, dialed a number with practiced ease, and turned on the speakerphone, the electronic chime echoing in the tense silence.
"Sister Lin, did you miss me?"
The casual, intimate greeting was a calculated strike. 'This time,' Shen Anyu thought, his eyes glinting, 'I will completely and utterly shatter Zhang Zhiyun's Dao Heart. I'll make him so broken, so filled with hatred, that he will have no choice but to pick up the Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo and refine the Yin Corpse Devil Sword.'
With a Child of Destiny like Zhang Zhiyun, a man of extraordinary talent and immense Luck, personally forging the demonic weapon, Shen Anyu was greatly looking forward to what kind of peerlessly powerful sword he would eventually obtain. If not for this grand purpose, why would he tolerate Zhang Zhiyun's incessant noise? He would have slapped him into a meat paste long ago.
Sister Lin, did you miss me?
The words stabbed into Zhang Zhiyun's ears. His eyes widened, looking at Shen Anyu in astonishment. He couldn't believe it. Shen Anyu was directly calling Ji Xiaolin 'Sister Lin' right in front of Zhang Yaqian, and with such a nauseatingly intimate tone. Was he not afraid of Zhang Yaqian breaking up with him on the spot?
Zhang Yaqian's heart felt sour, a pang of jealousy striking her. Her delicate ears perked up, listening meticulously, not wanting to miss a single word.
"Hmph, who would miss you? I don't miss you at all," a coy, melodic voice purred from the phone's speaker. On the other end of the line, Ji Xiaolin was holding her phone, her long, straight, 1.2-meter legs clamping a plush pillow as she rolled happily on her bed, her eyes curved into crescents, utterly delighted. That stinky Shen Anyu had finally called her!
Shen Anyu glanced at Zhang Zhiyun, whose face was a mask of pure, unadulterated jealousy. The corners of his mouth turned up as he continued, "Sister Lin, I have good news for you: Zhang Zhiyun is still alive and came to seek revenge on me."
"What? Are you alright?" The playful tone vanished instantly. Ji Xiaolin kicked the pillow away with her small, elegant feet, abruptly sitting bolt upright in her bed, her voice laced with genuine anxiety.
"I'm fine, I have experts protecting me."
"Hmph, it's good that he's not dead. What kind of good news is this?" Ji Xiaolin said, her voice dripping with indignation and venom. "That scoundrel Zhang Zhiyun tried to assassinate you again. It would be peaceful if he just died!" She was already plotting. That bastard had repeatedly tried to harm Shen Anyu. She would definitely have to find the old man and convince him to eliminate Zhang Zhiyun for good. Although Shen Anyu had experts, they could only protect him for a while, not forever. If her grandfather disagreed, she'd just tell him she was pregnant with Shen Anyu's child. If he still disagreed, then the family of three would just have to go to the Yellow Springs together.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Zhang Zhiyun's, heart is bleeding. Plunder +9999 Destiny Points!]
It would be peaceful if he died...
Ji Xiaolin's words echoed in Zhang Zhiyun's mind, a cruel death knell for his past love. The sound was so devastating it made him wish he were actually dead. She… Ji Xiaolin… actually hated him to such an extent? All for Shen Anyu?
'Tried to assassinate again?' Zhang Yaqian keenly caught that phrase. The flicker of sympathy she had felt for Zhang Zhiyun, for having his fiancée snatched away, was instantly extinguished, replaced by annoyance. She now guessed the likely sequence of events: his fiancée, Ji Xiaolin, was taken by Shen Anyu, and because of that, Zhang Zhiyun had resorted to repeated assassination attempts. But how could that be right? Vengeance was one thing, but cowardly assassination was another entirely.
Shen Anyu watched the wonderful, ever-changing expressions on Zhang Zhiyun's face with keen interest, savoring the moment before delivering the final blow. "Sister Lin, tell Zhang Zhiyun how we got together. Did I use some conspiracy or trick to steal your love?"
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