Chapter 691: Unable to Withstand a Single Blow!
"Qin, I concede!"
Under the shocked and disbelieving gazes of the crowd, Old Qin cupped his fist toward Shen Anyu and conceded on the spot.
Yu Guanying was stunned.
Yu Guannan was bewildered.
Everyone present was dumbfounded.
Old Qin, Qin Haitian, who had dominated Hangzhou and commanded respect for decades, an established Heavenly Human Giant, actually conceded on the spot, cupping his fist toward a younger Junior?
This... What is going on??
Especially Yu Guanying, his vision went dark, and he nearly fainted. He had painstakingly orchestrated everything, even using his sister for a marriage Alliance and offering various promises, all to secure Old Qin's support. Yet now, he had conceded?
"Old Qin, how could you concede?" Yu Guanying's expression was utterly grim, a volcanic rage threatening to tear through the thin veneer of his composure. He whipped his head towards the old man, his voice a low, furious hiss that barely concealed its tremor.
Given his usual composure and meticulous methods, such a public loss of control was unthinkable. But the blow dealt by Old Qin's concession was too severe, too absolute. It wasn't just a setback; it was a total demolition of his grand design. The foundation of his ambition had just been pulverized into dust.
This meant losing everything!
Not only would he be unable to leverage the situation, to use Old Qin's immense prestige to pressure the assembled influential figures and tycoons into forming his so-called Hero Assembly, but he would also be trampled underfoot by Shen Anyu alone. His meticulously crafted alliance against the Shen and An families had collapsed before it even began. He would be a laughingstock, a cautionary tale, unable to ever rise again.
"How can Old Qin concede?" Yu Guannan's perfectly made-up face was a mask of astonishment, her mind reeling. If Old Qin backed down, what did that mean for her? That she, the dignified, legitimate daughter of Yanxia's Yu Clan, was truly destined to become Shen Anyu's concubine? A plaything? The thought was so humiliating, so impossible, that it made her physically recoil.
Everyone in the grand banquet hall looked at Old Qin, their disbelief etched onto their faces. The air was thick with unspoken questions, the tension a suffocating blanket.
But Qin Haitian paid no attention to the astonished, strange looks piercing him from every direction. His focus was singular, absolute. Ignoring Yu Guanying's furious questioning, he bowed deeper, his posture one of utter submission, and cupped his hands once more toward Shen Anyu. His voice, though steady, was laced with a gravity that silenced the room.
"Young Master Shen, Qin, I have conceded!"
As he spoke, a cascade of cold sweat beaded on his brow and streamed down his back, soaking the fine silk of his tunic. He was utterly drenched, not from exertion, but from pure, undiluted terror.
Internally, he was viciously cursing Yu Guanying, tearing the young man apart with every foul word he could conjure. 'That bastard! That arrogant little snake! Making me, a seventy-year-old man with old bones and fading strength, fight a monster like Shen Anyu—wasn't that just sending me to my death?'
Monster!
That was the only word that fit. At this moment, Shen Anyu, in Old Qin's eyes, was no longer a human. He was terrifyingly powerful, an apex predator disguised in human skin, a primeval beast from an age of gods and demons.
Those tens of thousands of water swords, each one perfectly formed and vibrating with lethal energy, suspended in the air as if held by an unseen god's hand—was that something a human could possibly achieve? It defied every principle of martial arts he had ever known.
Even though Old Qin was a Late Stage Heavenly Human, a giant in the martial world, his eyelids twitched wildly and a chilling numbness crept up his scalp. He felt like an ant staring up at a tidal wave.
Yu Guanying, Yu Guannan, and the rest only saw strength. They only understood that Shen Anyu was powerful. But only Qin Haitian, as a fellow Heavenly Human Giant, could truly grasp the chasm that separated them. He understood. Shen Anyu wasn't just 'strong'. He was an existence from a higher plane. He was a Sword Immortal descended upon the mortal world, a Demon God incarnate.
The power displayed by that single, effortless technique was truly, apocalyptically terrifying!
'This old fellow is actually such a coward. It seems using five percent of my strength was still too much.'
Shen Anyu watched the scene unfold with detached amusement, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. He couldn't help but laugh internally. Of course, he hadn't used his full power against a mere Heavenly Human. To think that just five percent of his true strength was enough to scare the legendary Old Qin of Hangzhou into this pathetic state... it was almost disappointing.
"Young Master Shen," Old Qin's voice cut through the silence again, desperate and pleading. "Qin will no longer interfere in the conflict between the Shen Family and the Yu Family. I will wash my hands of the matter, retire from the Jianghu, and stay out of worldly affairs from this day forward. I only ask that Young Master Shen show mercy. Qin will remember this great favor for the rest of my days."
The numerous influential figures and tycoons present were all shrewd individuals. They had built empires on their ability to read a room, to sense the shifts in power. How could they not understand now? Old Qin wasn't being polite. He was terrified. He was no match for Shen Anyu and was begging for his life.
Everyone turned their gaze back to Shen Anyu, their initial shock replaced by a profound, chilling awe.
"It seems this Young Master Shen's strength is even greater, even more unfathomable than we imagined!" a certain Hangzhou billionaire exclaimed in a hushed, reverent tone.
The others around him nodded in silent, solemn agreement, their hearts hammering in their chests. They were witnessing the birth of a legend, a power that could reshape the entire landscape of their world.
"Mr. Shen is so amazing!" He Yiyi's pretty face was flushed with a rosy hue, her pure, large eyes sparkling like stars as she gazed intently at Shen Anyu, her heart fluttering.
"Yes, very amazing." Ling Qingcheng's phoenix eyes shimmered, a complex mix of relief and wonder swirling within them. She had originally been gripped by a cold worry, terrified that Shen Anyu might not be Old Qin's match and could be seriously injured. But seeing the indomitable Old Qin immediately bow his head and concede, how could she not guess that Shen Anyu's true strength far, far exceeded even her wildest imagination?
In stark contrast, the faces of Yu Guanying, Yu Guannan, and the rest of the Yu Clan members had turned ashen, their expressions uglier than death.
Old Qin had surrendered. He had conceded. Their greatest trump card had folded without even playing a single hand. Things were dire.
Unwilling to accept this catastrophic failure, Yu Guanying frantically tried to salvage the situation. He began transmitting his voice to Old Qin, a desperate, silent stream of promises—more wealth, more resources, anything—urging him, begging him, to fight Shen Anyu. But Old Qin ignored him completely, standing as still as a statue, his head bowed.
The benefits promised by the Yu Clan were great, but what use were they to a dead man? His old life was simply not worth the risk.
'He is quite sensible.'
Their pathetic, silent negotiations naturally couldn't escape Shen Anyu's senses. A cold smile touched his lips as he looked at the trembling Old Qin.
"Unfortunately," Shen Anyu's voice was light, almost conversational, yet it dropped the temperature in the room by ten degrees, "you have held a grudge against my maternal grandfather for many years. For that, I cannot let you live."
The casual death sentence hung in the air, stunning everyone into silence. Twenty years ago, Shen Anyu's maternal grandfather, An Youmin, had impartially dealt with Old Qin's eldest son for the crime of treason. Old Qin had harbored a deep-seated grudge ever since, a festering wound that had led him to collude with Yanxia's Yu Clan. Just moments ago, he had stood ready to cripple Shen Anyu. How could Shen Anyu possibly spare him?
As for subduing a Late Stage Heavenly Human expert for his own use? The thought was laughable. It was utterly unnecessary. With the vast resources Shen Anyu possessed, he could cultivate his own loyal followers, his family, and his women, all of whom were far more trustworthy. Those beautiful and talented Destined Heroines held infinitely more potential than this useless, cowardly old man.
"Shen Anyu... I have cultivated for seventy years. Do you think I am made of clay?"
Realizing that Shen Anyu had no intention of sparing him, that begging was useless, a grim resolve finally settled over Qin Haitian. He gradually straightened his back, the fear in his eyes replaced by the cold, hard light of a cornered beast. His voice was low and menacing.
"Although I admit I am not your opponent, it is not difficult for me to risk this old life and severely wound you, or even perish together." He raised his right fist, a lifetime of battle and bloodshed coloring his tone. "My punch carries seventy years of effort; how can it be taken lightly?"
A profound Martial Path True Essence, thick and potent, condensed around Old Qin's right fist. It surged with a tangible, blood-colored Protective Aura, glowing like a miniature, malevolent sun. The sheer power radiating from it warped the air, its unleashed force enough to shatter a heavy tank into scrap metal.
Even the spectators watching from the far side of the hall felt a heavy, crushing pressure settle on their hearts, their breath catching in their throats. They were shocked by the terrifying power Old Qin could command.
'Heh heh, Shen Anyu is truly too arrogant, too conceited. He doesn't understand the principle of letting others off when possible, forcing Old Qin into a desperate, life-or-death situation!' Yu Guanying sneered internally, a sliver of malicious hope igniting in his heart. If he were in Shen Anyu's place, he would have accepted the surrender, sparing Old Qin to demonstrate his magnanimity.
Why force an elderly Heavenly Human Giant in his seventies to fight to mutual destruction? He could have even used this momentum to subdue Old Qin and make the old master his own subordinate.
In Yu Guanying's view, although Shen Anyu was powerful, he was too reckless, too brutish. He completely lacked the subtle finesse and calculated grace of a superior ruler.
Shen Anyu merely smiled. He didn't need that.
Looking at the outwardly fierce but inwardly broken Old Qin, Shen Anyu casually waved his hand. In an instant, the tens of thousands of water swords hovering in the air converged behind him. They flowed together like a river of liquid steel, merging and weaving into a single, breathtaking formation—ten thousand swords returning to their source, outlining the monstrous shape of an astonishing Sword Blade Storm.
"Qin Haitian, you said you would let me have three moves," Shen Anyu said, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "I won't deceive you. If you survive this one move, I will spare you."
As his voice fell, with a final, dismissive wave of Shen Anyu's large hand, the Sword Blade Storm formed by tens of thousands of water swords roared. It ripped through the air like a world-ending tornado, a screeching vortex of death hurtling directly toward Qin Haitian.
Under the shocked and horrified gaze of the crowd, a deep trench was plowed into the thick marble floor of the Hilton Hotel's banquet hall. The force was so immense that the steel reinforcement bars buried deep within the concrete were shredded like paper, revealing the floor of the level below.
"Break for me!"
At this critical moment of life and death, Old Qin displayed the unyielding spirit of a true Heavenly Human Giant. Knowing he couldn't evade it, that escape was impossible, he braced himself. With a guttural roar that shook the chandeliers, he punched directly toward the oncoming Sword Blade Hurricane.
At this moment, Old Qin's entire body's Martial Path True Essence surged wildly. He poured every last ounce of his seventy years of cultivation into his right fist, making the crimson small sun shine with a blinding, desperate brilliance.
But he couldn't even hold on for a single second. Old Qin's right fist, the vessel of all his Martial Path True Essence, his life's work, was instantly shredded into a fine, bloody mist upon contact.
"What great favor did Heaven bestow upon An Youmin, to have a grandson like you?"
At the moment of life and death, facing the terrifying, violent storm, Old Qin sighed softly. His ferocious expression turned calm as he glanced deeply at Shen Anyu, who was not far away.
There was not much resentment or anger, but rather intense envy and jealousy.
He envied, he was jealous—why didn't he have such a Prodigy as a descendant?
The Shen and An Families are destined to rise, unstoppable!
Following this, Old Qin sank into eternal silence, shredded into a mass of bloody mist.
The violent Sword Blade Storm was about to tear through the floor and cleave the Hilton Hotel in half.
Shen Anyu waved his hand, and the terrifying Sword Qi dissipated into nothingness.
One move, Old Qin killed
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