Chapter 645: Fatal Blow! Mentality Collapses!
As that gentle voice fell, the surging waves of qi suddenly calmed down. A few couples looked up and saw a handsome man, as refined as jade, smiling at them. It was Shen Anyu. The girls among the couples immediately brightened when they saw Shen Anyu, unable to tear their eyes away. However, Shen Anyu did not look at them, but rather at the battlefield.
After Xiao Fan unleashed that explosive punch, he was completely exhausted. His body felt like a hollowed-out shell, every muscle fiber screaming in protest, his meridians scraped raw from the violent surge of power. The air around him was still thick with the aftermath—a foul, coiling miasma of demonic energy that refused to dissipate. This was the lingering poison of the clash, a proof of the devastating power that had been unleashed. The Sword Intent of the Yin Corpse Devil Sword, a ghastly, bone-chilling force, was now mixed with the insidious, soul-eroding power of the Curse of Black Light. This unholy combination was more than enough to give a powerhouse like Xiao Fan a hellish ordeal.
This, of course, was the special gift Shen Anyu had prepared for him.
Shen Anyu felt a particular, deep-seated repulsion for this specific Child of Destiny, the one who dared to entertain thoughts of gambling with his Aunt An Zhiyue. The audacity was simply unforgivable. If it weren't for the fact that Xiao Fan's destiny value hadn't been fully milked dry, and if Shen Anyu wasn't one to let such a precious resource go to waste, the young man would have been a cold corpse long ago.
As for the source of this potent Yin Corpse Devil Sword's Sword Intent, it was a byproduct of his careful planning—an investment rebate from another Child of Destiny, Zhang Zhiyun, the prodigious youth who had descended from the mountains. Shen Anyu had even gone to the trouble of conveniently bestowing upon Zhang Zhiyun a suitably grandiose and intimidating title: the Yin Corpse Demon Lord.
A playful, almost wicked arc curved at the corner of Shen Anyu's mouth. He was extremely pleased with his handiwork.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan has suffered a fatal blow and is severely injured. Plundering +200,000 destiny value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xiao Fan is astonished. Plundering +9,999 destiny value!]
...
Xiao Fan stared at Shen Anyu, his face a mask of pure shock. He was completely spent, a warrior with an empty well of power, unable to even lift a finger to save the innocent bystanders who had been caught in the crossfire. He had watched in horror as the residual shockwaves of his and Yao Qi's final exchange pulsed outward, ready to tear through the fragile bodies of the civilians nearby.
But then Shen Anyu had appeared. With a single, effortless step, he hadn't blocked the energy or deflected it. He had simply... calmed it. The raging torrent of destructive force became a placid stream, rendered utterly harmless. Such a masterful display of control, a level of strength that, even if not quite at the Heavenly Human level, was terrifyingly close.
'This… this pretty boy actually possesses such overwhelming strength?' Xiao Fan's mind reeled. 'Why couldn't I sense it before? Not a single trace of an aura! Could it be that he has a technique for concealing his presence, just like me?'
At this moment, however, Xiao Fan couldn't afford to dwell on such questions. His gaze darted frantically toward Yao Qi's location.
He wasn't disappointed. Liu Ruyan had already closed the distance.
She let out a soft, sharp cry, her graceful and lithe body exploding forward. She moved like a huntress, a sleek female leopard pouncing on its wounded prey. An astonishing torrent of purple Martial Path True Essence erupted around her, swirling like a royal tempest. In her slender, pale jade palm, an invisible weapon took shape—a blade forged from nothing but pure, condensed Martial Path True Essence, humming with lethal intent.
Yao Qi was already on his last legs. After unleashing his previous attack, a desperate gambit that drained him completely, he was left vulnerable. Worse, Xiao Fan's final, explosive strike had punched a brutal hole through his chest. How could he possibly muster the strength to contend with Liu Ruyan's killing blow?
'He's cutting me loose! Using me and throwing me away!'
The thought flashed through Yao Qi's mind as he looked at Shen Anyu's distant, smiling face. In that instant, he understood everything. Then, a searing pain tore through his neck. His vision plunged into blackness, and he fell into an eternal, silent darkness.
Shen Anyu chuckled inwardly. Of course, he took excellent care of his own people. But Yao Qi? A major wanted criminal who had repeatedly made moves against him? He was never one of his own. He was merely a convenient, disposable pawn to torment and weaken Xiao Fan.
With a flick of her wrist, Liu Ruyan dissipated the invisible qi blade in her hand. Her normally lazy and charming face was now alight with a fierce, heroic spirit. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed down at Yao Qi's corpse, a satisfying finality in her expression. She then raised her fair, delicate chin, turning to look at Shen Anyu with a hint of pride, her eyes seeming to say, 'See? I'm formidable, aren't I?'
Shen Anyu returned a warm smile and playfully wiggled his finger at her. A few tiny, almost imperceptible sparks of electricity flickered between them, a private signal.
A lovely blush immediately blossomed on Liu Ruyan's charming face. She lightly bit her full lower lip with her pearly white teeth, casting a sultry, sidelong glance at Shen Anyu that was filled with unspoken promises.
"Liu Ruyan, stop flirting with men and help me up."
Seeing this intimate exchange, a sour, acidic taste filled Xiao Fan's mouth. He was still sprawled on the ground, his body a canvas of excruciating pain, yet they were acting as if he didn't even exist.
Liu Ruyan shot him an annoyed glance and snorted lightly, too lazy to even bother with a response. She would never touch another man. If she did, that narrow-minded, possessive dog of a man would definitely punish her later, and his punishments were always thorough.
Shen Anyu, ever the gentleman, walked over and helped Xiao Fan to his feet with a disarmingly warm smile.
"Brother, thank you!" Xiao Fan looked at Shen Anyu, his eyes filled with genuine gratitude.
He felt a pang of guilt. Just moments ago, he had been secretly slandering Shen Anyu in his mind, deriding him as a useless pretty boy, feeling utterly displeased by his presence. He had even entertained violent fantasies of stuffing him in a sack and teaching him a lesson.
And now, that same man had saved innocent lives and was helping him up. Indeed, he was not only handsome but also kind, and his strength was anything but weak. No wonder women like Liu Ruyan and Anna were drawn to him.
Shen Anyu suppressed a laugh that was bubbling in his chest, feigning deep concern as he spoke. "You're from the Special Department, right? How are your injuries?"
"Injuries… ugh, it's a long story!"
At the mere mention of his wounds, a dark cloud of gloom washed over Xiao Fan's face, and his mood grew heavy. He turned his senses inward, trying to assess the damage, and what he found was far worse than a long story. It was an absolute nightmare.
A cold dread began to seep into his heart.
Xiao Fan suddenly discovered that the sinister, evil demonic power that had erupted from Yao Qi's glabella hadn't just struck him—it had invaded him. A creeping, corrosive force was now festering inside his body, actively corroding his pure Yang Qi. His meridians were being flooded with a dense, malevolent Yin Qi that felt like liquid ice. He tried to muster his own energy to fight it, but it was like trying to push back the tide. The demonic power was a persistent parasite, clinging to his very life force, and he found it impossibly difficult to dispel.
'This is the Sword Intent of the Yin Corpse Devil Sword,' Shen Anyu mused, clinically observing Xiao Fan's paling face. 'That's the power of a true Cultivator. How could a mere Martial Path Heavenly Human like you ever hope to dispel it? Even a Land Immortal wouldn't be qualified.'
The tendrils of the Yin Corpse Sword Intent were already sweeping through Xiao Fan's entire system, causing a catastrophic imbalance of Yin and Yang and inflicting severe, systemic damage. The only reason he wasn't dead was due to his ridiculously strong physique and extraordinary innate strength as a Child of Destiny. Of course, the greater reason was his abundant Luck and the favor of the Heavenly Dao. An ordinary Heavenly Human would have been reduced to dust by that combined blow of Sword Intent and the Curse of Black Light. Yet Xiao Fan had still been able to unleash one final explosive burst of power to repel Yao Qi.
But now, the price had come due. Xiao Fan was effectively a cripple. He would be without his strength for a long time, and even the most important function for a man… was gone. He was an excellent experiment, a perfect case study.
Shen Anyu's eyes narrowed in thought. The raw power of the Yin Corpse Devil Sword's Sword Intent, as demonstrated on a resilient Child of Destiny like Xiao Fan, was truly impressive. If he could push Zhang Zhiyun to master the Yin Corpse Devil Swordplay and successfully refine the actual Yin Corpse Devil Sword, then the power Shen Anyu could unleash by wielding it himself... could only be described as terrifying.
Before long, An Zhiyue, having heard the commotion, rushed over with a team of experts from the Special Department. She breathed a visible sigh of relief upon seeing Yao Qi's corpse, then immediately noticed Shen Anyu was also there. Her sharp phoenix eyes lit up instantly.
"I was just about to ask for your help, but I didn't expect you to be in Xihe Shopping Mall," she said, her voice carrying both relief and gratitude. "We owe you a lot again this time."
At this point, An Zhiyue walked right over and patted Shen Anyu's shoulder with easy familiarity. Her heroic and pretty face was filled with a surprised, genuine smile.
"Eh? Xiao Fan, you're here too? Are you injured?"
Only then, as if noticing him for the first time, did An Zhiyue finally discover Xiao Fan standing weakly behind Shen Anyu.
Xiao Fan: "..."
His mindset collapsed...
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