Chapter 702: Tenin!
The opulent Yu Clan manor, a sprawling estate that could rival a prince's palace, was now a ruin of smoldering battlefields and scattered corpses. Zhou Yunhu, a seasoned boss of the underground, stared at the carnage, a deep shock and terror gripping his heart. Even for a man who had taken many lives, a scene of such utter devastation was something he had never witnessed.
In the span of a few short hours, the Young Sect Leader, Zhang Zhiyun, had single-handedly slaughtered his way through the entire Yu Clan. From the highest elder to the lowest servant, over a thousand souls had been extinguished, leaving no one alive.
This was the Yu Clan of Yanxia, not some gathering of common folk. With the clan annihilated, there would be no place left for Zhang Zhiyun in the country. Even the formidable Tianshi Sect would find it nearly impossible to shield him from the fallout.
Though the main branch of the Yu Clan was destroyed, a top-tier aristocratic family was like a centipede—it does not simply collapse even in death. Countless high-ranking officials and influential figures connected to the clan still existed outside the manor, chief among them the clan's designated heir, Yu Guanying.
These surviving members, along with their disciples and old allies, would undoubtedly seek blood for blood. Zhang Zhiyun's status as the Young Sect Leader of the Tianshi Sect would offer him no protection from their unified wrath. His only path forward was to flee the country.
Yet, Zhang Zhiyun's eyes, shot through with blood and flickering with a crimson light, showed no concern for such consequences. As long as he could maintain a sliver of his sanity long enough to retrieve the Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo and successfully refine it, he would become invincible. Future troubles were a distant concern, a meaningless abstraction.
This recklessness was not entirely his own. The Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo was subtly warping his mind, whispering promises of power that eroded all caution.
"The Yu Clan of Yanxia… supposedly descendants of Immortal Master Si, yet they possess no true inheritance," Zhang Zhiyun muttered, his expression souring. After butchering the entire clan, he had scoured the estate for a long time but found nothing of value—no secret techniques, no legacy comparable to the Yin Corpse Devil Swordplay. It was a bitter disappointment.
Far away in Hangzhou, Shen Anyu smiled in his sleep, holding Ling Qingcheng securely in his arms.
Of course, Zhang Zhiyun couldn't find anything. The tale of the Yu Clan being descendants of Immortal Master Si was a complete fabrication, a lie spun by Shen Anyu himself. The Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo and the Blood Curse Talisman were all moving according to his unseen hand.
Zhang Zhiyun, the proud Young Sect Leader of the Tianshi Sect, a man consumed by a deep-seated hatred for Shen Anyu, remained completely oblivious. He had become a mere tool, a borrowed knife in his enemy's grand design.
"Still a little short."
At that moment, Zhang Zhiyun glanced at the Blood Curse Talisman in his hand. The vital blood essence of the Yu Clan members had already filled it to ninety-nine percent of its capacity. Only a final trace was needed for completion. Once it was full, he could use the concentrated life force to suppress the demonic consciousness within the Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo and avoid the fate of becoming its mindless slave.
"Let's go. Back to Hangzhou," Zhang Zhiyun said coldly, turning his back on the manor now drenched in blood and fire.
Killing a few more direct descendants of the Yu Clan would be enough. Once he claimed the Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo, Shen Anyu's doom would be sealed.
By now, the first light of dawn was breaking over the city.
Inside the top-floor presidential suite of the Hilton Hotel, a tense silence hung between the occupants.
On one side sat Yu Guanying, the so-called Crown Prince of the Yu Clan, and his sister, the clan's Heavenly Daughter, Yu Guannan.
Opposite them, a short man dressed entirely in black knelt in the traditional seiza posture.
Despite his unassuming appearance, the three members of the Yu Clan present dared not show the slightest disrespect. This man was none other than Koga Ichiro, a Tenin of the Koga school from the Sakura Country.
Among ninjas, the rank of Tenin was equivalent to a Celestial in the martial arts world of Yanxia or a Celestial Master in the world of sorcery. More, they were unmatched masters of assassination. Koga Ichiro's reputation was built on a chilling record: he had successfully assassinated Celestial-level powerhouses, and not just once.
"Mr. Yu wishes for me to act. I can, so long as certain conditions are met," Koga Ichiro said, a faint, unreadable smile playing on his lips as he addressed Yu Guanying.
His triangular eyes, however, would occasionally drift to Yu Guannan, a covetous and sinister glint appearing within them. A direct daughter of a top aristocratic family, noble in status, exceptionally talented, and possessing a face of stunning beauty. Her strong, slender figure was a vision of perfection. To him, she was an irresistible prize. Her skin, the color of warm honey, made his mouth water.
The thought of pressing the daughter of a premier Yanxia clan onto a bed and toying with her at will promised an exquisite satisfaction.
Noticing Koga Ichiro's venomous, burning gaze, Yu Guannan's expression soured. Her delicate brows furrowed in disgust. This Tenin from the Sakura Country possessed none of the dignified bearing expected of a master. His crude avarice left a deeply unpleasant impression and filled her with contempt.
However, a sharp look from her elder brother, Yu Guanying, forced her to swallow her anger. They were, after all, the ones asking for a favor.
Yu Guannan sighed inwardly. She feared her brother was inviting a wolf into their house. Colluding with a Tenin from the Sakura Country… if this were ever exposed, they would become a target of public condemnation. The centuries-old reputation of the Yu Clan would be utterly destroyed overnight.
But Yu Guanying, desperate to deal with Shen Anyu and the combined might of the Shen and An families, had cast aside all restraint. He was willing to stop at nothing, even if it meant defying the world.
What disappointed Yu Guannan even more was that the high-ranking members of the Yu Clan, including her own father, had all approved of this reckless plan. She had voiced her objections, only to be sharply reprimanded.
The interests of the family always took precedence over everything else.
A chill crept into Yu Guannan's heart. Inexplicably, the image of Shen Anyu flickered through her mind, and she let out another faint sigh. She had never imagined that a single man could exert such immense pressure on the Yu Clan, forcing them to take such a desperate and dishonorable risk.
At that moment, Yu Guanying forced a gracious smile as he looked at Koga Ichiro. "Mr. Koga, I have already agreed to all of your previous conditions."
Even as he spoke, Yu Guanying felt a sharp pang in his heart. Koga Ichiro's demands had been exorbitant, asking not only for a hundred tons of gold and a vast array of resources as payment but also requiring the Yu Clan's assistance in certain clandestine matters. The latter condition was especially dangerous; if exposed, the Yu Clan could be branded as traitors to Yanxia.
But the pressure from the Shen-An alliance was too great, and Shen Anyu's personal strength terrified the Yu Clan's elders. Without enlisting foreign aid, they stood no chance.
The Koga school was a top-tier dojo in the Sakura ninja world, boasting more than one Tenin-level powerhouse. It was the equivalent of the Tianshi Sect in Yanxia's sorcery world, a leader in its field. If they could win the Koga dojo to their side, they could certainly contend with the Shen and An families.
, Tenin were masters of assassination. If key figures like Shen Anyu, An Youmin, and An Zhiyue were to be eliminated, the Yu Clan's problems would be solved. Assassination was a despised tactic, but it was undeniably effective.
And as long as their involvement was never discovered, who would ever know that the Yu Clan had colluded with a Tenin from the Sakura Country? This meeting was private. Koga Ichiro had slipped into Hangzhou in secret, his presence unknown to the world.
"As long as Mr. Koga assassinates Shen Anyu, An Youmin, An Zhiyue, and the others, my Yu Clan will honor all the conditions we previously agreed upon," Yu Guanying stated, his voice low and firm.
Koga Ichiro's smile turned playful. His gaze swept past Yu Guanying, landing once more on Yu Guannan, where it lingered with predatory intent.
Yu Guannan's delicate brows knitted together tightly.
Yu Guanying also frowned. Could this Koga Tenin truly want his sister?
As if on cue, Koga Ichiro spoke, his tone dripping with arrogance. "The previous conditions are no longer enough."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle in the room. "If you want the help of my Koga dojo, there are two more conditions."
"First, my wife passed away not long ago, and I am in need of a new one. The noble and beautiful Miss Yu Guannan is a perfect fit."
Yu Guannan's pretty face turned to ice, and she was on the verge of erupting.
But Yu Guanying quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her aside. He whispered urgently, "Little sister, becoming the wife of a Tenin is not an insult to you!"
Yu Guannan stared at her brother, her eyes filled with bitter disappointment. "Brother, what do you take me for? A tool to be used by anyone? First, it was a marriage alliance with the Qin Family, and now you want to marry me off to the Koga school? Why don't you just let me go follow Shen Anyu and be his concubine!"
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