Chapter 642 Enjoy life! A hero saves a beauty?
Yao Qi couldn't move or speak, the words "Heavenly Human" echoed in his mind, and his whole body trembled, his face ashen.
This young and handsome Young Master, was actually a top-tier Heavenly Human Giant?? A terrifying pressure, dense as mercury and vast as the ocean, crushed him from all sides. It wasn't just a physical restraint; it was a spiritual lockdown of his very soul. Every muscle fiber screamed in protest, locked into immobility. His lungs burned, unable to draw a breath, as if the air itself had solidified around him. The spiritual energy in his meridians was frozen solid, a raging river turned to ice in an instant. All his power, all his pride as a Half-Step Celestial Master, was rendered utterly meaningless. He was a bug pinned to a board, helpless and exposed.
Yao Qi's eyes were filled with despair and regret. A cold dread, sharper than any blade he had ever faced, pierced through him. He saw the faint, almost bored smile on the young man's face and understood.
He understood, all that nonsense about an immunity to curses was fake; this young and handsome Young Master was actually a Heavenly Human Giant. It was never about curses or strange abilities. It was about pure, unadulterated power—a chasm in cultivation so wide that he couldn't even comprehend its depths. The realization crashed into him with the force of a physical blow.
He had kicked an iron plate! No, this was not an iron plate. This was a celestial mountain forged from divine steel, and he had tried to kick it with the foolish arrogance of a mortal. The regret was a bitter acid churning in his gut. Why had he been so reckless? Why had he targeted this man?
But how was that possible? There was actually a Heavenly Human Giant even younger than the Female Sword Immortal Pei Changli? Pei Changli was already considered a once-in-a-century prodigy, a dazzling talent that illuminated the entire martial world of Yanxia. Yet, this man before him appeared even younger, his power feeling impossibly ancient and profound. It defied all logic, all known precedents of cultivation.
Shen Anyu seemed to know what Yao Qi wanted to say, his mind a chaotic storm of shock and disbelief. He smiled, a lazy, unconcerned expression that only deepened Yao Qi's terror, and shook his head. A voice, calm and clear, manifested directly inside Yao Qi's consciousness, bypassing his ears entirely.
"Heavenly Human? I am not a Heavenly Human, oh."
'Not a Heavenly Human?'
Yao Qi's face was a mask of utter shock, his mind reeling from the statement. The denial didn't bring relief; it only brought a more profound confusion. How could he not be a Heavenly Human? If he wasn't a Heavenly Human expert, how could he instantly suppress him, a Half-Step Celestial Master, with less than a thought? The pressure pinning him down was more absolute than anything he had ever heard described. One could even say that an ordinary Heavenly Human, even one at the peak stage, couldn't have subdued him so effortlessly, so completely. There had been no struggle, no contest. Just cessation.
"Or rather, I used to be a Heavenly Human, but I'm not anymore," Shen Anyu smiled, the disembodied voice flowing into Yao Qi's mind with a chilling casualness.
Yao Qi was stunned. The words hung in the void of his thoughts, echoing with dreadful implications.
'Used to be a Heavenly Human, but not anymore… what did that mean?' His mind, usually sharp and cunning, struggled to process the concept.
The next moment, a terrifying possibility struck him like a bolt of lightning. Yao Qi reacted, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets as he stared at Shen Anyu in sheer, undiluted disbelief.
Used to be a Heavenly Human, but not anymore. There were only two possibilities. Either his cultivation Realm had dropped, a catastrophic event that would leave a cultivator crippled and weakened… or, or he had broken through.
After the Heavenly Human realm… after that insurmountable peak that countless geniuses had failed to climb for a century… was the legendary stage. The Land Immortal, unseen for a hundred years!
This… this handsome young man… was… was actually a Land Immortal???
Good heavens!
A tidal wave of pure, mind-shattering terror washed over Yao Qi's soul, extinguishing the last embers of his defiance. He was completely and utterly dumbfounded. His worldview, his understanding of power and the limits of human potential, shattered into a million pieces. A Land Immortal. A living legend. A being that was supposed to exist only in ancient texts and whispered rumors.
He was not a timid person; he was Yao Qi, a notorious and powerful rogue cultivator. Even when facing the full-scale encirclement of numerous experts from the Special Department, personally led by the renowned Yanxia Female War God, he had been able to maneuver, to fight, to find a sliver of a chance to survive. He prided himself on his cunning and his strength.
But at this moment, facing this impossibly young Land Immortal, Yao Qi was scared out of his wits. His courage, forged in dozens of life-and-death battles, evaporated like morning mist. A primal, instinctual terror seized him, so potent that his heart even stopped beating for a few agonizing seconds. He was an ant staring up at a god who was casually considering whether or not to crush him.
After he reacted, as his heart hammered back to life, Yao Qi's eyes were full of a desperate, pathetic pleading. He was begging Shen Anyu to show mercy, to let him go. He would do anything. He would work like an ox or a horse, be a slave, a dog—anything to escape this suffocating proximity to absolute power.
This was a Land Immortal, a mythical existence who looked down on all living beings as mere mortals!
"Want to live?" Shen Anyu's voice, laced with a faint amusement, floated into Yao Qi's mind.
Yao Qi couldn't move a single muscle, but his eyes flickered wildly, his gaze screaming a frantic, desperate 'yes'. He wanted to live more than he had ever wanted anything in his life.
Shen Anyu smiled and shook his head slowly, a gesture that plunged Yao Qi's heart into an icy abyss. In Yao Qi's desperate gaze, he leisurely transmitted his voice once more:
"Even if you hadn't provoked me, you wouldn't have survived today."
"There's an Ele.me delivery guy in a blue uniform coming in to kill you."
Yao Qi was utterly bewildered. An Ele.me delivery guy killing him? The absurdity of the statement was jarring. He didn't believe it for a second, but facing the godlike being before him, he didn't dare show a hint of skepticism. He kept his expression utterly convinced, his eyes still begging, only hoping that this lord would find his obedience satisfactory and spare his insignificant life.
"That delivery guy's name is Xiao Fan. Three years ago, he was the Super Soldier King of the Special Department, the General Instructor of the Black Dragon Special Forces. Later, he retired and became a delivery rider, experiencing life and playing in the Mortal World. Now he has already broken through to the early Heavenly Human stage."
"Xiao Fan entered Xihe Shopping Mall just to kill you!"
Shen Anyu looked at Yao Qi with a half-smile, enjoying the cascade of emotions playing across the man's face—confusion, disbelief, and finally, dawning horror.
Only then did Yao Qi understand that a delivery guy really did have the ability to kill him. A former Super Soldier King, a Heavenly Human expert, hiding his identity as a food delivery rider. It was the classic trope of a hidden dragon in the city.
His heart grew extremely bitter, and his scalp tingled with a chilling premonition. Was today truly the day Yao Qi would perish? It seemed fate had cornered him completely. Even if he hadn't been foolish enough to provoke this Land Immortal, he couldn't have escaped Xiao Fan's killing blow.
Was this the retribution for his many evil deeds? The karmic price for a life of slaughter and depravity?
Wait.
Just then, a flash of inspiration struck Yao Qi's mind. His eyes, which had been dim with despair, suddenly lit up. He looked at Shen Anyu, a new thought taking root.
Why did this Land Immortal tell him so much? Why reveal the identity and intent of his would-be assassin? There was only one reason: he wanted to use him.
Yao Qi had no aversion to this; on the contrary, hope surged in his heart like a spring tide. Being used by a Land Immortal wasn't a humiliation; it was an opportunity! With a living legend covering him, he could not only overcome this disaster but also rise to prominence. His future would be limitless!
Even a casual pointer from a Land Immortal was a sought-after Opportunity that other cultivators would kill for!
At this moment, Yao Qi also noticed that the crushing mental suppression on him had vanished. The air rushed back into his lungs, and he could feel his spiritual energy beginning to thaw. His heart was even more overjoyed. Without hesitation, he respectfully transmitted his voice to Shen Anyu:
"This lowly one offended you before, and I deserve to die ten thousand times. I only ask for a chance, Young Master. In the future, even if I have to work like an ox or a horse, I will repay your great kindness. Through mountains of knives and seas of fire, I will never refuse!"
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow. This Yao Qi was indeed capable of bending and stretching, able to pick up and let go—a quick-witted person. A true survivor.
Those who could commit great evil and thrive for so long were rarely foolish or incompetent.
However, he had repeatedly attacked him, and now he wanted to live? 'A little too optimistic, aren't you?' Shen Anyu thought.
"It's not impossible. How about this, you go and kill Xiao Fan, and I will take you as my servant." Shen Anyu's lips curved into a playful, dangerous arc.
Yao Qi's scalp tingled. Kill Xiao Fan? That man was an expert at the early Heavenly Human stage. Although he was a Half-Step Celestial Master, only half a step away from a Celestial Master, which was comparable to a Heavenly Human, he knew the truth.
But that half-step was a world of difference. It was a qualitative leap in power and comprehension of the Dao.
Three to five Martial Arts Grandmasters, with perfect coordination and a willingness to die, might have a slim chance to encircle and kill a Great Grandmaster.
But three to five Half-Step Heavenly Humans would not be an opponent for a true Heavenly Human. They wouldn't even be a challenge. Even escaping would be a near-impossible feat.
The word "Giant" was not to be used lightly. It signified a level of power that transcended mere numbers.
Those who could achieve the Heavenly Human or Celestial Master stage were all monstrous figures who dominated and reigned supreme in the international extraordinary world.
However… before him was a Land Immortal. The choice was not a choice at all.
Yao Qi felt helpless and could only grit his teeth and agree. There was no room for negotiation.
Against an early-stage Heavenly Human, there might be a razor-thin chance of survival. Even if he couldn't kill him, there was a slim, desperate chance of escape. But facing the Land Immortal who had instantly and completely suppressed him, he dared not say no. To refuse was to die right here, right now, without a doubt.
"Don't worry, I'll help you." Shen Anyu smiled and patted Yao Qi's shoulder. As his hand made contact, a vast, majestic spiritual power, pure and terrifyingly potent, surged into Yao Qi's body. It flowed through his meridians like a tidal wave of liquid energy before condensing in his Dantian's Qi Sea, forming a volatile, shimmering core of borrowed strength.
Yao Qi felt this power, a force easily comparable to that of a Heavenly Human, swirling within him. His face contorted with wild joy. He respectfully transmitted his voice to Shen Anyu, his tone filled with fervent gratitude and loyalty:
"Young Master, this lowly one will definitely kill that Xiao Fan and return to report!"
"Go on, don't make too much noise, and don't harm the innocent," Shen Anyu waved his hand dismissively, as if sending a servant on a mundane errand.
Yao Qi respectfully bowed deeply, his body bent at a ninety-degree angle, and then silently retreated, his figure melting into the shadows of the cinema.
These scenes, unfolding in the dark, leftmost part of the cinema screening room, went completely unnoticed by anyone else. The other moviegoers were engrossed in the film, oblivious to the fact that a god had just set a pawn on the chessboard of their reality.
'Hehe, Xiao Fan, I've left you some small gifts as a welcome present,' Shen Anyu thought, a predatory smirk touching his handsome face. He then leaned back languidly in his plush chair, his posture one of complete relaxation. His left hand wrapped around Zhong Lingyin's slender, pliant waist, while the index finger of his right hand idly traced patterns on Liu Ruyan's delicate, fair-skinned arm. He looked up at the explosive action movie on the big screen with genuine interest, truly enjoying life.
As for whether Yao Qi could kill Xiao Fan? It was irrelevant. He was just sending the man to his death, a disposable tool to give Xiao Fan some "gifts."
Gifts like becoming a eunuch like Zhao Gao or Wei Zhongxian.
To actually covet his Aunt An Zhiyue, this Xiao Fan was truly outrageous. A little punishment was in order.
At this moment, Xiao Fan was rapidly moving through the complex corridors of Xihe Shopping Mall, his expression gradually becoming serious.
"Where did that guy Yao Qi go? I've searched all over Xihe Shopping Mall and still haven't found him. Did he escape from Xihe Shopping Mall? Unlikely! Big beauty An's ability is very strong, and with her personally holding the line, she would never let a target like Yao Qi escape her net."
"Could he be hiding in the cinema?"
Xiao Fan's heart stirred, and he quickly walked towards the cinema screening room, his expression shifting to one of faint excitement.
"Heh, if Yao Qi is hiding in the cinema, maybe there's a chance for a hero to save the beauty. Liu Ruyan will definitely look at me with new eyes!"
The innocent and soft school beauty Xia Mengmeng fell in love with him, an uncle more than ten years her senior, precisely because Xiao Fan had saved her from danger. It was a tried-and-true method.
Since ancient times, beauties have loved heroes.
He, Xiao Fan, would be that hero today! He would slay the villain Yao Qi, and in doing so, make both the stunning starlet Liu Ruyan and the cool, capable An Zhiyue look at him with new eyes, perhaps even favor him! It was the perfect script.
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