Chapter 796: The End of Zhang Zhiyun
"The Yin Corpse Devil Sword can't hurt me. It never could. Because its true master... is me."
...its true master is me...
...is me...
Shen Anyu's clear, dispassionate voice echoed not in the open air, but directly within Zhang Zhiyun's mind, each word a hammer blow that stirred up a cataclysmic storm.
Zhang Zhiyun froze, stunned into absolute silence. He stared at Shen Anyu, his mind a blank slate. The seething resentment, the bitter unwillingness that had fueled him—it all evaporated, replaced by a chasm of pure, mind-numbing shock.
The true master of the Yin Corpse Devil Sword was Shen Anyu?
He simply couldn't process it. He couldn't believe it.
That fateful night, consumed by jealousy over Shen Anyu and Ji Xiaolin, Zhang Zhiyun had secretly commanded a host of fierce ghosts to attack them. The assault had backfired spectacularly; he was soundly defeated by Shen Anyu and Bai Bing, barely escaping with his life and a severed arm.
By a stroke of what he thought was incredible luck, he had stumbled upon a hidden underwater cave. There, he discovered the legacy of a grandmaster from a millennium past, obtaining the Yin Corpse Devil Swordplay and the Yin Corpse Devil Sword Embryo.
All this time, Zhang Zhiyun had considered the Yin Corpse Devil Sword his ultimate trump card, the key to reversing his fate and achieving ultimate victory.
Even when he learned the sword embryo required a blood sacrifice to be honed—a sacrifice of his closest kin—he hadn't hesitated. He had directly and brutally slaughtered Zhang Tianjiu, the Sect Master of the Tianshi Sect whom he had once regarded as a father, along with many of his martial uncles and brothers.
He had even massacred the entirety of Yanxia's Yu Clan, clinging to the desperate belief that their immortal bloodline could help him suppress the sword's demonic consciousness and prevent it from consuming him.
And the results had seemed to meet his every expectation. He gained an unmatched level of power, far surpassing that of a Land Immortal, a strength comparable to the legendary Martial Gods. And through it all, he had managed to retain his sanity.
So to be defeated so utterly, so overwhelmingly by Shen Anyu... it was beyond understanding. Zhang Zhiyun couldn't accept it. He had paid such an astronomical price, sacrificed his entire sect, and he still couldn't defeat Shen Anyu?
But all of that paled in comparison to the revelation Shen Anyu had just delivered.
The true master of the Yin Corpse Devil Sword... was him.
'I should thank you,'Shen Anyu's voice once again echoed in his mind, calm and unruffled even as he pressed down with enough force to keep Zhang Zhiyun on his knees.'Thank you for performing the blood sacrifice and honing the Yin Corpse Devil Sword for me.'
This was how you truly broke a man. Not his body, but his soul.
As the full weight of the truth crashed down on him, Zhang Zhiyun's eyes turned a terrifying, bloodshot red.
"SHEN ANYU!!!"
He had been played. Played from the very beginning. Shen Anyu had orchestrated his entire downfall, turning him into a pariah, a monster condemned by all. He saw the looks of disgust and scorn from Ji Xiaolin, Zhang Tianen, and the others. His gaze flickered back to the ruins of the Tianshi Sect's main hall, where the corpses of his master, Zhang Tianjiu, and his martial brothers lay cold. A crucial thread in Zhang Zhiyun's mind finally snapped.
What he thought was his greatest opportunity was merely a piece in Shen Anyu's grand design. All his struggles, all his sacrifices, were nothing more than the twitching of a puppet on strings. How pathetic. How utterly, laughably ridiculous.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun's Dao Heart has shattered! Plundering +66,666 Destiny Value!]
Like a caged beast driven mad, Zhang Zhiyun began to struggle. His face flushed a deep crimson, and his eyes, fixed on Shen Anyu, seemed ready to spit fire. A furious, guttural roar ripped from his throat, echoing across the mountain peak like the shriek of a vengeful ghost bent on devouring the living.
Under the explosive surge of pure rage, Zhang Zhiyun's strength continued to soar. He actually managed to push back against Shen Anyu's suppression, his knees slowly, torturously lifting from the ground as he fought to stand.
But then, with a deafening crack, his knees slammed back down onto the floor tiles, shattering them completely. A dense web of cracks spread out from the impact, and blood began to seep faintly into the stone.
If rage alone could solve problems, what need would there be for strength?
"Zhang Zhiyun," Shen Anyu's voice rang out, loud and clear for all to hear. He stood as the very image of a peerless young hero, his handsome features etched with righteous fury as he delivered his verdict upon the demonic villain kneeling before him. "Your crimes are heinous. You slaughtered Yanxia's Yu Clan and the Tianshi Sect. For Yu Guannan, for Ji Xiaolin, for all the innocent people of this world, I will end you here and now!"
Before the final word left his lips, Shen Anyu's hand shot out. He effortlessly snatched the Yin Corpse Devil Sword from Zhang Zhiyun's grasp and, in one fluid motion, thrust it forward.
The blade plunged deep into Zhang Zhiyun's heart.
With a soft, wet shunk, blood sprayed into the air.
Zhang Zhiyun's entire body trembled violently. He could feel the very essence of his life, his vitality, being drained from his heart and pouring into the demonic sword. His strength vanished in an instant. He stared at Shen Anyu, his eyes burning with hatred and unwilling despair. He tried to speak, to curse his name one last time, but he was too weak to even form a word.
'Don't worry,'Shen Anyu's voice echoed in his fading consciousness, a soft, venomous whisper.'I'll take good care of Xiaolin and Zhang Yaqian for you. You can rest in peace now.'
I lost...
Completely and utterly defeated...
Hearing this final, cruel consolation, Zhang Zhiyun's gaze drifted to the side, landing on Ji Xiaolin's face, which was a mask of revulsion and hatred. A bitter, broken expression twisted his ferocious features. His head slumped forward. His aura dissipated into nothingness.
He was dead.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun has completely fallen! Plundering +44,086 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Zhang Zhiyun's Destiny Value has been cleared. His Child of Destiny halo has shattered. He has lost his identity as a Child of Destiny!]
The very moment Zhang Zhiyun died, the Yin Corpse Devil Sword let out a low hum. The crimson, blood-red light that enveloped it faded away, leaving the blade dim and lusterless, as if it had just lost its master.
But only Shen Anyu knew the truth. Having absorbed the blood essence and soul of Zhang Zhiyun, a Child of Destiny blessed with immense fortune, the Yin Corpse Devil Sword was now truly complete.
'A half-step Treasure Artifact,'Shen Anyu noted with calm satisfaction.'If I can find some rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures to smelt into it later, it will undoubtedly become a true Treasure Artifact.'
His expression was placid, but his heart was alight with joy. The quality of the sword had far exceeded his expectations. He had originally thought a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact would be the best-case scenario, but now it had reached the level of a half-step Treasure Artifact, a tier even higher than a top-grade Spiritual Artifact.
It made sense, though. Even in the Xuanhuang Cultivation World, not every artifact refiner had the luxury of sacrificing a Child of Destiny for their craft.
The sword's quality was partly due to Zhang Zhiyun's status as a Child of Destiny, and partly due to the potent blood essence of Yanxia's Yu Clan. Of course, Shen Anyu's own masterful manipulations had also played a small, crucial role.
Shen Anyu smoothly pulled the Yin Corpse Devil Sword from Zhang Zhiyun's chest and wrapped it in a strip of cloth.
As if on cue, the oppressive dark clouds that had blanketed the sky began to disperse. A ray of sunlight, like a golden dragon breaking through the dawn, pierced the gloom and shone down upon Shen Anyu's handsome face, bathing him in a divine, almost god-like glow.
"Nannan," Shen Anyu said, turning to face Yu Guannan with a gentle smile. "I've done as I promised."
'He really killed Zhang Zhiyun... He actually did it...' Yu Guannan's beautiful eyes stared blankly at Shen Anyu's face, a deep warmth spreading through her chest.
The power Zhang Zhiyun had displayed earlier had driven her to despair. Tens of thousands of elite agents from the Special Department had been useless against him. Even laser weaponry couldn't leave a scratch. He wasn't a man; he was a walking god of destruction.
But now, that very same monster knelt lifelessly at Shen Anyu's feet.
The Yu Clan's vengeance was complete.
At that moment, Yu Guannan was completely and utterly won over.
[Ding! Detected that the Destined Heroine Yu Guannan's favorability has increased by +3! Plundering +9,000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Detected that the Destined Heroine Yu Guannan's total favorability is 100! Extra plunder of +800,000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Detected that the Destined Heroine Yu Guannan's total favorability is 100! Cashback...]
'Full favorability, and an extra 800,000 Destiny Value on top?'
A flicker of genuine joy crossed Shen Anyu's handsome face. Typically, a Destined Heroine reaching full favorability would grant an extra 300,000 Destiny Value. It seemed Yu Guannan was far more special than he had initially thought.
As for whether that 100-point favorability was born from admiration or simple gratitude, Shen Anyu couldn't care less.
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