Chapter 577: We just happened to meet, let's take action tonight!
Seeing Zhang Zhiyun storming over in a rage, Ji Xiaolin's pretty face changed, and she shielded Shen Anyu, her eyes extremely wary as she looked at Zhang Zhiyun.
A cascade of ice-cold notifications flooded Shen Anyu's mind, each one a proof of the absolute devastation he had just wrought upon the Child of Destiny.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun's heart aches to the point of suffocation. Plundering +9,999 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun's emotions have detonated. Plundering +9,999 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun's Dao Heart is unstable. Plundering +55,555 Destiny Points!]
…
Pain.
It was a pain so profound, so absolute, that it transcended the physical. It felt like a thousand spectral needles were piercing his soul, each one coated in the venom of betrayal.
So much pain.
'Xiao Lin… why? Why are you protecting him?'
Zhang Zhiyun's vision swam, the vibrant colors of the world bleeding into a desolate gray. The sounds of the bustling city faded into a muted roar, as if he were submerged deep underwater. All he could see was Ji Xiaolin's back—the same back he had once dreamed of protecting for a lifetime—now forming a human shield for his most hated enemy. His heart, once filled with passion and ambition, felt like a piece of dead, withered wood, brittle and ready to crumble into dust.
Even though he had spat those harsh words, vowing to break all ties with Ji Xiaolin, they were nothing more than the bitter ramblings of a wounded ego. In the deepest corners of his heart, she was still his fiancée, the woman he had fallen for at first sight. He still cherished her image, admired her spirit, and was utterly unwilling to let her go. His entire plan, his every waking thought, was a twisted tapestry woven around her. He had even imagined a future where, after he secretly disposed of Shen Anyu, their relationship could be mended. He would wash the blood from his hands and return to her, and they could finally be together, their path cleared of obstacles.
But reality was a cruel, merciless hammer. Now, seeing her stand bravely before Shen Anyu, her eyes filled with a fierce, protective wariness—a look he had once fantasized she would give him—shattered his delusions. The fear in her gaze wasn't for her own safety, but for the man standing behind her. That single, devastating realization tore through Zhang Zhiyun's chest, a vicious, shredding agony that left him hollowed out and barren.
Shen Anyu, on the other hand, almost broke into a genuine laugh. The sight was simply too amusing. He maintained a placid smile, his eyes crinkling with false warmth as he addressed the seething protagonist.
"Brother Zhang, fancy seeing you here again! Are you looking to purchase more property? Please, just say the word. Whatever you want, I'm willing to sell. A generous client like you is a true rarity in this world."
The YUHE Pavilion villa, worth three billion at most, had been snatched up for a staggering sixty billion, paid in a single, jaw-dropping transfer. A customer like that wasn't just good; they were a walking, talking treasury, and Shen Anyu was more than happy to drain it dry.
[Ding! The Child of Destiny Zhang Zhiyun is heartbroken. Plundering +6,666 Destiny Points!]
Zhang Zhiyun's gaze was a venomous thing, dark and heavy with unspoken murder. He shot Shen Anyu a look that could curdle milk, then let out a cold, guttural snort. Without wasting his breath on empty threats, he turned on his heel and began to stride away.
There was no point exchanging barbs with a dead man.
His plan was already in motion. A faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of arcane energy had already left his fingertips, latching onto Shen Anyu like a spectral leech. The magic mark was set. Tonight, he would act. He would end this.
As long as the kill was clean and untraceable, even if the colossal Shen Clan of Yanxia had its suspicions, it wouldn't escalate into an all-out war with the Tianshi Sect. There were risks, of course, but they were acceptable. If Shen Anyu didn't die, Zhang Zhiyun knew his own thoughts would never be clear, his Dao Heart forever plagued by this festering obsession. His path to power would be blocked by this single, infuriating man.
Sooner or later, once he broke through to the Land Immortal stage, he would possess the power to wipe out the entire Shen Clan. This wasn't mere arrogance; it was the unshakeable confidence of the Tianshi Sect's most outstanding successor in a thousand years. To have reached the rank of a Half-Step Celestial Master in his twenties was a feat of astonishing talent in the arcane arts.
The memory of his humiliating defeat at the hands of the Master of Myriad Dharma Sect still burned in his mind. The Myriad Curses Sword had nearly flayed his soul, a brutal lesson in humility. But now, with his wounds healed, that very defeat had become a whetstone for his spirit. He had gained new insights, a deeper understanding of his own power. Zhang Zhiyun was confident that within a year and a half, at most, he would shatter his bottleneck and ascend to become a true Celestial Master of spells.
In his grand vision, a mere young master of the Yanxia Shen Clan, a man who coasted on his family's reputation, was nothing but a temporary stepping stone.
Watching Zhang Zhiyun's retreating back, a half-smile played on Shen Anyu's lips. He then deliberately raised his voice, ensuring his words would carry, and spoke to Ji Xiaolin with theatrical affection.
"Xiao Lin, since you didn't refuse, I'll take that as your agreement. From this day forward, you are my, Shen Anyu's, girlfriend."
Zhang Zhiyun's stride faltered. His entire body went rigid for a split second, and his expression, already grim, darkened into a thunderous storm cloud. But what truly sent a torrent of fury through his veins was the silence that followed. He didn't hear Ji Xiaolin's immediate, vehement denial. Against his better judgment, he turned his head, and the world went dark once more.
Ji Xiaolin's small, delicate mouth had been completely captured by Shen Anyu's, silencing any protest she might have made.
'SHEN ANYU!!!'
Seeing Shen Anyu publicly, brazenly kissing his fiancée, Zhang Zhiyun felt a rage so pure and white-hot that his soul nearly burst from his body and ascended to the heavens. The last thread of his control snapped. In that instant, he didn't care about the consequences, the risks, or the plan. He was about to charge forward, to unleash every ounce of his power and obliterate the man who had stolen everything from him.
But in the next moment, a wave of chilling pressure descended from all sides. Auras erupted from the shadows—sharp, focused, and humming with killing intent. He could sense them clearly: seven or eight powerful signatures belonging to Grandmasters, and dozens more from elite Masters, all hidden, all poised, all aimed directly at him.
Zhang Zhiyun's face turned incredibly ugly. The blood drained from it, leaving a sickly pallor. If he attacked now, he might not even reach Shen Anyu before being swarmed. He would be entangled, exposed, and his chance for a clean assassination would be lost forever. He would have alerted his prey.
Had this happened right after he first descended from the mountain, his younger, more reckless self would have charged in without a second thought, ready to fight to the death. But the near-fatal encounter with the Master of Myriad Dharma Sect had forged him in a crucible of pain. Zhang Zhiyun's personality had become far more stable, tempered by the chilling reality of his own mortality. He was no longer so impulsive.
'Hmph. Shen Anyu, you won't live past tonight. Just you wait.'
Taking a deep, shuddering breath to cage the beast of his rage, Zhang Zhiyun forced his body to turn and strode away.
"Xiao Lin, what kind of lipstick did you put on? It's so sweet."
The casual, intimate words drifted from behind him, each one a poisoned dagger twisting in his back. Zhang Zhiyun stumbled, his foot catching on nothing, and he almost pitched forward onto the pavement.
'Good heavens, this Zhang Zhiyun is truly patient,' Shen Anyu mused, a flicker of genuine interest in his eyes as he watched the departing figure. 'More patient than King Goujian enduring his humiliation. If he hadn't run into me, a man with his talent and newfound caution might have actually succeeded in his counter-attack.'
"Shen Anyu, you bastard! How dare you kiss me?" Ji Xiaolin, dizzy and breathless, finally shoved him away. Her mind, which had gone completely blank, rebooted with a jolt. She glared at him, her cheeks flushed a furious crimson.
"You're my girlfriend. Why can't I kiss my own girlfriend?" Shen Anyu countered, looking at her with an expression of pure, innocent surprise.
'Oh… that… that actually makes sense.'
Ji Xiaolin was stunned into silence for a moment before she recovered, letting out an indignant huff.
"Shen Anyu, don't try to change the subject! I never agreed to be your girlfriend!"
"You haven't agreed, but you let me kiss you?" Shen Anyu tilted his head, his look of surprise intensifying into one of genuine puzzlement.
A vein throbbed on Ji Xiaolin's fair forehead. Her hands balled into tight fists at her sides. It wasn't that she let him; he had ambushed her when she was completely disarmed!
"Shen Anyu, is this fair to Zhou Luyao?" Ji Xiaolin demanded, her beautiful eyes locked on his, searching for any sign of guilt.
Shen Anyu's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "She knows. In fact, didn't she invite you to form an alliance last time?"
Ji Xiaolin's face instantly burned a shade redder. She couldn't believe Zhou Luyao had actually told him about their secret pact. It was mortifying.
"Hmph! I won't agree so easily, you scumbag," she snorted, crossing her arms defensively.
"A capable and powerful man, even with several women, can bring them all happiness. An incapable and useless man, even with only one, can't properly take care of her," Shen Anyu said, his tone shifting from playful to something deeper, more meaningful. He smiled faintly. "I, Shen Anyu, can guarantee that every woman who follows me will surpass ninety-nine percent of all other women—in safety, in material comfort, and in all kinds of life experiences. I will never allow any of my women to suffer misfortune."
He paused, his gaze intensifying as he delivered the final, pointed statement.
"A man who can't even protect and provide for his own woman is, in my eyes, the most incompetent and useless man there is. What do you think?"
Ji Xiaolin, who had been ready with a dozen retorts, suddenly fell silent. His words, though arrogant and twisted, struck a deeply buried nerve.
Scenes from her childhood flickered through her mind like a broken film projector. Her father, Zhang Tianen, abandoning his wife and daughter to chase his own cultivation, sealing himself away in the Tianshi Sect for nearly twenty years. Her mother, her health already frail, working herself to the bone to raise a child alone. The hacking coughs that echoed in their tiny apartment, the scent of bitter medicine, and the final, agonizing image of her mother fading away in a small, sterile clinic, all alone.
Her father was undeniably a capable man, a powerful cultivator. But what good had all that capability been for her and her mother? It had brought them nothing but pain and abandonment.
It was why, even though Zhang Tianen had returned years ago, trying to compensate with diligent teaching and lavish gifts, Ji Xiaolin could never bring herself to forgive him. She rarely even called him 'father,' preferring the cold, distant titles of 'old man' or 'old geezer.'
"You know about my family?" Ji Xiaolin wasn't a fool. She looked at Shen Anyu with a sliver of suspicion. His words resonated, yes, but she wasn't so easily manipulated.
Shen Anyu didn't answer, merely looking at Ji Xiaolin with deep affection, and said:
"Xiao Lin, can you give me a chance to take care of you?"
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