Chapter 467: A Bountiful Harvest, Return to the Magic City!
"Do you want to celebrate again?" Shen Anyu asked with a half-smile.
"Any more and Liyou will die," Liyou gently bit her lip, rolled her eyes at Shen Anyu, stood up to tidy herself, and casually said, "Senior, we've delayed for quite some time here. Let's return to the Demon Capital of Yanxia."
"Oh, and Senior, when we get there, I'll introduce you to my Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters: Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan, Fifth Junior Sister Zhong Lingyin, and Seventh Sister Yang Luoluo. They're all in the Demon Capital, and they're all very beautiful."
'Introduce his Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters?'
A faint headache pricked at Shen Anyu's temples, though it was quickly followed by a jolt of wicked amusement. He could only imagine the spectacular expression that would cross Ye Liyou's face once she learned of his… history with Liu Ruyan, Zhong Lingyin, and Yang Luoluo. The ensuing drama would certainly be entertaining.
Fortunately, Ye Liyou's affection was already maxed out. Her personality, while cold to outsiders, was fiercely loyal to him. She wouldn't fly into a jealous rampage like Susan, who had the terrifying ability to transform into a yandere Demon King at the slightest provocation. Ye Liyou's devotion was a different, quieter, but no less intense, flame.
With that settled, Shen Anyu and Ye Liyou finally departed from the stone chamber, leaving the stifling heat of the volcano behind. As they emerged into the open air and walked past the white-sand beach, they noticed the shore was eerily empty. The other passengers from the plane crash were gone.
They must have been rescued by a passing ship. It was the most logical conclusion.
However, a quick scan of the lingering psychic residue in the air confirmed Shen Anyu's work. It was as if Ye Liyou had never existed in their minds.
She met his gaze, her own expression perfectly placid. Her voice was like cool spring water, clear and without a ripple of emotion. "Liyou doesn't care about these things. Outside of those I hold dear, the goodwill or malice of others is utterly meaningless to me." She paused, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. "Besides, in a way, they were only caught up in this because of me."
Shen Anyu simply smiled. He had, of course, been the one to intervene. He had carefully pruned the last few days from the passengers' memories, erasing every trace of Ye Liyou to protect her identity as the Blood Shadow Rose. An assassin of her caliber couldn't afford to have her face known. It would invite endless trouble, not just for her, but for him.
After all, Ye Liyou's true self, the legendary killer from the Dark List, could never be exposed to the light of day. She was a secret to be kept, much like Xu Ruoxue's alternate life or Chu Yun's identity as the Asura Demon King.
Now, with that loose end tied up, only one more trivial nuisance remained before they could return to the Demon Capital.
A knowing, dangerous half-smile touched Shen Anyu's lips.
At the same instant, Ye Liyou's posture shifted. Her clear, cold phoenix eyes sharpened, a glacial light flickering within them as she stared into the dense jungle bordering the beach.
"Come out," she commanded, her voice dropping ten degrees.
A low, grating chuckle echoed from the trees, thick with malice and triumph. "Hahaha, Blood Shadow Rose. You never expected me, Ash, to still be breathing, did you?"
The leader of the Ash Organization, the very man who arranged the plane's explosion, emerged from the shadows. The dark powerhouse, codenamed Ash, was surprisingly alive, a sinister sneer twisting his features as he strode onto the sand.
He wasn't alone.
Behind him, a dozen figures in gray robes materialized, their movements silent and practiced. The words "Ash Organization" were embroidered on their sleeves in stark black thread, a mark of their allegiance. An oppressive weight settled over the beach as they spread out, their combined auras pressing in from all sides. Each one of them gave off a formidable energy; they were, at a minimum, Xiantian realm experts. Two among them carried the denser, more solidified pressure of Martial Arts Grandmasters.
Combined with Ash himself, a powerhouse at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, their formation was anything but weak. It was a net woven to trap and kill a target of Ye Liyou's caliber.
Ash's eyes, burning with vengeful glee, locked onto Ye Liyou. "Fortunately for me, I made arrangements beforehand," he gloated, his voice a low growl. "I had the organization's remaining elites rendezvous near the estimated crash site. The original plan was for them to pick me up after I parachuted to safety. I never expected you to ruin my perfect escape."
He let out another humorless laugh. "Heh heh, but you made a fatal miscalculation, Blood Shadow Rose. You didn't expect that on top of being a Martial Arts Grandmaster, I am also a B-rank psychic, did you?" He tapped his temple. "My psychic abilities shielded me from the worst of the blast and the fall. I survived! And now," his voice dripped with venom, "you're the one who is going to die!"
With a sharp wave of his hand, the dozen gray-robed assassins closed in, their killing intent spiking, surrounding Shen Anyu and Ye Liyou in a tightening circle. These were the last remnants of his organization, his most loyal and powerful core.
In Ash's mind, the situation was decided. His own strength was nearly on par with Ye Liyou's—at worst, he was only a fraction weaker. But with two additional Grandmasters and over ten Xiantian cultivators, they could overwhelm her through sheer numbers. As for the man standing beside her? Ash's gaze flickered over Shen Anyu with contempt. He had no detectable aura, no hint of a cultivator's power. Just a handsome, soft-looking pretty boy. A 'Xiao Bailian'. Completely insignificant.
Shen Anyu didn't even grant Ash a single glance. His eyes remained fixed on Ye Liyou, a lazy, amused smile playing on his lips. "You don't need my help for this, do you?"
"Senior, Liyou can handle it," she replied, her voice soft for him, yet carrying an undercurrent of deadly promise. She nodded gently, then turned her full attention to Ash and his men. Her phoenix eyes, moments ago lively and warm, transformed into shards of obsidian. The air around her crackled.
"Die."
The word fell, absolute and final. There were no further threats, no hesitation.
The woman in the red dress exploded into motion.
She was a crimson blur, a deadly butterfly flitting between targets. One moment she was by Shen Anyu's side, the next she was inside their circle. A wicked, slender blade, seemingly conjured from thin air, was now clutched in her pale, delicate hand.
Shhlick!
The sound was almost too quiet to hear over the waves. The first Xiantian expert didn't even see her move. He only felt a sudden coolness on his neck, followed by an impossible heat as his own lifeblood sprayed across the sand. His eyes went wide with confusion before rolling back in his head.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
She became a phantom of death. Her red dress swirled around her like blooming roses of blood. With each elegant turn, each impossible twist of her body, her blade found a new throat. The assassins, trained killers all, were reduced to cattle in a slaughterhouse. They raised their weapons, but they were swatting at the wind. Her speed was supernatural, her precision absolute.
The two Grandmasters roared, attempting to mount a defense. One lunged forward, his fists glowing with internal energy. The other tried to retreat, to create distance.
It didn't matter.
Ye Liyou sidestepped the lunge with contemptuous ease, her blade drawing a graceful arc that severed his carotid artery and windpipe in one fluid motion. He stumbled, hands clawing at the gushing wound, a strangled gurgle his only final protest. She didn't even pause. Pushing off the dying man's chest, she spun through the air, her red dress fanning out as she closed the distance to the second Grandmaster. He saw her coming, his face a mask of horror, but his body couldn't react in time. The blade stabbed forward, punching straight through his heart from behind.
It was a massacre. Slaughter elevated to a form of art.
From his position, Shen Anyu watched with an appreciative gaze. The way the hem of her dress danced and billowed with each kill was a breathtaking sight, a violent, beautiful ballet. He could feel the surge in her power, the flawless control she now possessed. Their "celebration" had been more effective than he'd imagined.
In the span of a few heartbeats, the last of the Ash Organization's elite forces lay dead or dying on the beach, their gray robes rapidly turning dark red.
"Fuck! No..."
Ash watched the carnage, his mind refusing to process what he was seeing. His eyes felt like they were about to split from their sockets. This was his foundation for a comeback! His most trusted subordinates, his loyal confidants, all cut down like wheat in a field.
'How could she be this strong?' The question blazed in his mind, followed by a sudden, horrifying realization. He stared at her, at the effortless power emanating from her, and his face went white with shock and disbelief.
"You... you... you broke through to the Grandmaster realm?!"
'It had only been two or three days! How could she possibly break through so easily? And not just break through—her cultivation was stable, solid. Her strength had multiplied several times over. It defied all logic! It was impossible!'
He met her cold, clear gaze, now brimming with a surging killing intent directed solely at him, and a bone-deep chill seized him. His face turned ashen. 'Revenge? At this moment, just staying alive felt like an impossible luxury. The Blood Shadow Rose he knew was already his superior. This new, empowered version was a god of death. How could he possibly fight her?'
But Ash was a man forged in desperation. He hadn't gotten this far by surrendering. Pushed to the brink of death, his features twisted into a mask of hysterical madness.
"If I can't kill you," he roared, his voice cracking, "then I'll kill your pretty boy! I'll make you suffer for the rest of your life!"
His body erupted with a final, desperate burst of power. He lunged, not at Ye Liyou, but straight at Shen Anyu, his eyes bloodshot and crazed.
Shen Anyu's expression didn't change. He remained perfectly calm, almost bored.
The next instant, a crimson shadow flashed past him. It was Ye Liyou, moving faster than Ash could track, a beautiful, deadly rose unfurling to shield her most precious person.
Ash froze mid-lunge, a gurgling sound catching in his throat. He clutched at his neck, where a thin, dark line was rapidly welling with blood. His eyes remained fixed on his target, his body still trying to obey his last, frantic command to take Shen Anyu down with him.
But it was over.
Swish, swish, swish!
More sounds of rushing air tore through him. Blood sprayed from a dozen new wounds on his chest and limbs as Ye Liyou's blade danced across his body in a final, contemptuous flurry.
Thud!
Ash fell to his knees, his momentum spent. He stared at the woman in red standing protectively before Shen Anyu. He tried to speak, but only a wet, choking sound emerged. With a final, rattling breath filled with utter unwillingness, his head drooped, and his life expired.
Ye Liyou gave her blade a sharp flick, sending a spray of blood onto the sand. Her clear, cold phoenix eyes held no emotion, neither joy from her victory nor sorrow for the lives she had taken.
Then, she turned to face Shen Anyu. Instantly, the cold mask vanished. Her delicate features came alive, her red lips parting slightly.
"Senior, how was Liyou's performance?" she asked, her tone light and airy, her face filled with the earnest anticipation of a child seeking praise.
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow, the half-smile returning to his face. "Didn't you say your legs were weak? How are you so fierce now?"
He leaned in closer. "It seems I still didn't try hard enough."
"Let's go again."
Ye Liyou froze, her face flushing crimson.
Another day and night passed.
Shen Anyu carried the sleeping Ye Liyou on his back, leisurely arriving at the beach. A private yacht was already waiting by the shore, sent to retrieve them.
Before long, they were back in the Demon Capital.
Ye Liyou still hadn't "woken up," but Shen Anyu could feel the faint flutter of her eyelids against his neck. He wasn't sure if she was simply enjoying the feeling of being carried on his back or if she was too embarrassed to face him just yet. This delicate, almost shy demeanor was truly endearing. Who would ever connect this woman with the Blood Shadow Rose, the gold-ranked assassin of the Dark List?
"Where to?" he murmured to himself.
Shen Anyu thought for a moment, a smile curving his lips. He finally decided to take Ye Liyou to Jiangjing Manor...
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