Chapter 332: Ye Liyou's Heart is Moved!
But Ye Liyou was indeed Ye Liyou, a Destined Heroine, the Blood Shadow Rose. The moment Vulture lunged, Ye Liyou didn't hesitate in the slightest; she ducked, passed under Vulture's armpit, and stabbed with her short blade.
"Ah—!"
Vulture screamed, a shrill sound that tore through the gloomy alley. His right rear shoulder was pierced, the sharp steel sinking deep into the muscle, blood instantly staining his combat fatigues a dark, ominous crimson.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Ye Liyou's beautiful, frost-laden eyes. The blade in her hand trembled slightly.
'Damn it. The toxin is circulating faster than I anticipated.'
If she were at her peak, circulating her full Grandmaster cultivation, this move would not have merely grazed the shoulder. It would have bypassed the scapula, severed the arteries, and directly pierced Vulture's heart from behind. But now, poisoned and exhausted, her speed was a fraction of a second too slow, allowing Vulture the critical window to shift his vital spot.
Feeling her strength plummet like a stone dropped into a deep well, Ye Liyou gritted her silver teeth, a determined, almost suicidal glint emerging in her beautiful eyes.
She was the Blood Shadow Rose. She had dignity.
At the last moment, even if it meant detonating her own dantian and committing suicide, she couldn't fall into the hands of Vulture and his men. If she were captured alive by this group of beasts, the fate awaiting her would be a thousand times worse than death.
"Brothers, let's go! This woman is poisoned; her strength isn't that great! She's running on fumes!"
After being wounded and bloodied, Vulture's ferocity was fully ignited. The pain didn't deter him; instead, it acted as a stimulant. He roared like a wounded bear, his eyes bloodshot with rage and lust, and charged forward first.
As the leader of this mercenary group, he truly acted when needed and truly shared benefits, even sharing a stunning beauty like Blood Shadow Rose.
"Get her! The boss gets the first taste, we get the soup!"
"Hahaha, a Gold-tier assassin! I can't wait to hear her scream!"
One by one, the mercenaries charged forward, howling like a pack of hyenas sensing a dying lioness. The alley was filled with the stench of sweat, blood, and unrestrained malice.
"I'll risk it all!"
Seeing the wall of bodies closing in, Ye Liyou gritted her silver teeth so hard they nearly cracked. Her left hand flickered, and two slender golden needles appeared between her fingers.
She prepared to insert them into the Zhongfu and Yunmen acupoints on her chest. This was a forbidden technique of her sect—burning one's life essence and blood to stimulate potential, forcibly suppressing the poison and granting a burst of explosive power.
The cost was severe: her cultivation foundation would be damaged, perhaps permanently. But she had no choice.
However, just as the needles were about to pierce her skin—
Shen Anyu, who had been watching from the shadows of the eaves, finally decided to stop watching the show. His figure flickered, breaking through the air with a sonic boom, and he appeared on the scene like a descending deity.
Bam—!
There was no fancy technique, just pure, overwhelming kinetic energy.
A mercenary who was pouncing on Ye Liyou, his face twisted in a lecherous grin, suddenly felt a mountain-like force slam into his chest. He was sent flying back at a speed three times faster than his charge, crashing against the alley wall with a sickening bang.
The concrete wall spiderwebbed with cracks. The mercenary's chest collapsed completely, his bones shattering into powder. He slid down the wall, leaving a trail of visceral slime, instantly killed.
This sudden, violent scene immediately shocked everyone into silence.
The howling stopped. The footsteps halted.
Especially the Vulture mercenary group. The mercenary who was instantly killed was not some random cannon fodder; he was the second-in-command of the Vulture mercenary group, a strong Martial Arts Grandmaster second only to their leader, Vulture.
A Grandmaster! A powerhouse who could dominate a city!
As a result, the second-in-command couldn't even withstand a single move from this suddenly appearing person. He was swatted away like a fly. This reality truly astonished them, sending a chill down their spines.
"Who are you? Do you want to be an enemy of my Vulture mercenary group?"
Vulture stopped his charge, his feet skidding on the ground. He stared at the figure standing protectively in front of Ye Liyou, his eyes filled with deep apprehension and a trace of dawning horror.
This was also Ye Liyou's question.
She lowered the golden needles, her chest heaving. She looked at the back of the man who had suddenly appeared in front of her. His back was broad and straight, exuding an aura of towering stability, like a mountain that shielded her from the violent storm.
Curiosity bubbled within her. Who had saved her?
"What are you? Do you even deserve to be my enemy?"
Shen Anyu turned his head slightly, looking at Vulture with a half-smile. His voice was calm, indifferent, carrying a hint of disdain that pierced deeper than any blade. It was the tone of a dragon looking at an insect.
The moonlight filtered through the narrow gap between the buildings, illuminating Shen Anyu's face.
Vulture clearly saw Shen Anyu's face, and his expression drastically changed. The color drained from his rugged face instantly, leaving him pale as a sheet. His pupils constricted to the size of pinholes.
"It's you?!"
The terror in his voice was palpable, cracking under the strain.
"Brothers, run! Run for your lives!"
As his voice fell, Vulture didn't hesitate for a split second. He turned around and took off running, abandoning his subordinates, abandoning the bounty, abandoning everything.
Earlier that afternoon, he was one of the many Dark World powerhouses following behind Shen Anyu and Zhong Lingyin, and he personally witnessed how Shen Anyu effortlessly crushed Sword Demon Miyamoto Ichiro.
Sword Demon Miyamoto Ichiro! A Grandmaster of the sword, a legend in the East Asian martial arts circle!
He was instantly killed. Crushed like a bug.
That scene had terrified countless powerhouses into retreating. Vulture was also one of those who were scared, fleeing the scene immediately. But his greed had overcome his fear; he was unwilling to give up the exorbitant bounty of one billion dollars, so he lingered near Zhong Lingyin's concert to look for a straggler or an opportunity.
But he didn't expect such rotten luck. He had encountered this terrifying existence directly.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Vulture was sweating profusely, running for his life, his heart pounding against his ribs like a war drum. In the blink of an eye, he was about to run out of the alley.
One by one, the Vulture mercenary group members were dumbfounded, standing frozen in place. They never expected their usually loyal, fierce, and domineering leader, Vulture, to just take off running without even exchanging a blow.
"Can you leave?"
Shen Anyu smiled lightly, a brilliant, mysterious light surging in his deep eyes.
[God-level Telekinesis] erupted.
It wasn't a visible attack. There was no flash of light, no roar of energy. Just an invisible, majestic ripple of psychic force that swept through the alley instantly.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
In an instant, invisible psychic forces transformed into sharp, intangible blades, directly piercing the hearts of many powerhouses from the Vulture mercenary group.
Vulture's body abruptly stopped mid-stride, as if he had hit an invisible wall.
He looked down slowly. There was no wound on his chest, but he could feel his heart... it had stopped. It had been crushed from the inside.
Looking at the faint bloodstain beginning to seep through his tactical vest, he gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with infinite regret.
"If only I had known... I shouldn't have been so greedy..."
Before he finished speaking, his massive body collapsed forward, falling into eternal silence.
Thud.
Behind him, the bodies of his subordinates fell in unison, like wheat harvested by a scythe.
"So strong..."
Ye Liyou stood there, clutching her wounded arm, deeply shocked by the scene before her. Her world view was shaking.
The Vulture mercenary group was not weak; a dozen Innate powerhouses, two Grandmaster powerhouses, and Vulture, a Grandmaster Peak expert. They were a well-known mercenary group in the international Dark World, feared by many.
Yet, in front of this man, they were instantly annihilated. He hadn't even moved his feet.
The strength of the person before her was truly terrifying. Was this the power of a Heavenly Human Unity expert? Or perhaps... even higher?
"Thank you, Senior, for saving me. Blood Shadow Rose is endlessly grateful!"
Ye Liyou suppressed the shock in her heart. She sheathed her short blade and cupped her hands, bowing deeply. Her cold and beautiful face was filled with sincere gratitude.
In the Dark World, the weak were prey to the strong. Saving a life was a heavy debt.
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Ye Liyou's favorability +40. Plundering +120,000 Destiny Value!]
...
"You don't even say your real name after I saved you? That's impolite."
Shen Anyu turned around fully and smiled slightly.
In the dark alley, blood-stained corpses lay scattered, creating a hellish backdrop. Yet, Shen Anyu stood amidst the carnage, his white suit spotless, not a single drop of blood on him.
The bright moonlight happened to shine on Shen Anyu's face, casting soft shadows that accentuated his sharp jawline and deep eyes. At this moment, he looked as handsome as an immortal banished to the mortal realm, noble and untainted by the filth of the world.
Of course, this positioning was deliberate on Shen Anyu's part. He had calculated the angle of the moonlight perfectly, fitting an idol drama's setup to maximize the visual impact on the heroine.
Ye Liyou was stunned at the sight.
Her breath hitched. She hadn't expected the Senior who saved her to be so young. And not just young—so incredibly handsome.
His temperament was elegant and easygoing, completely different from the brutal killing intent of the Dark World experts she was used to.
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Ye Liyou's favorability +10. Plundering +30,000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Destined heroine Ye Liyou's heart has stirred for the first time. Plundering +20,000 Destiny Value!]
...
After coming to her senses, seeing Shen Anyu's seemingly unusual gaze—a gaze that seemed to appreciate her not as a killer, but as a woman—Ye Liyou's usually cold face uncharacteristically blushed.
A strange heat rose in her cheeks. She felt a sense of shyness she hadn't experienced since she was a teenager.
If powerhouses from the Dark World, who feared Blood Shadow Rose as a cold-blooded reaper, were to see her display such a shy demeanor like a young girl in love, they would probably stare in disbelief, wondering if the sun had risen from the west.
"Senior... my real name is Liyou."
She lowered her head slightly, her voice softer than usual.
"Ye Liyou? A very pleasant name. It suits you."
Shen Anyu savored the name, the smile on his handsome face growing wider, warm and engaging.
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Ye Liyou's favorability +3. Plundering +9,000 Destiny Value!]
...
Listening to Shen Anyu's praise, Ye Liyou felt an inexplicable joy in her heart, like a flower blooming in winter.
However, at this moment, reality crashed back in.
"Ugh..."
Her vision blurred violently. The world spun. She felt dizzy and weak from exhaustion.
She had already been heavily poisoned by the Qianji Poison, and she had just fought a high-intensity battle against the Vulture mercenary group. The adrenaline that had been sustaining her faded, and she could no longer suppress the poison's effects.
The suppression collapsed like a dam bursting. The toxin rushed towards her heart.
She had endured, forcing herself to hold on until the danger passed, but now that she felt safe in front of this powerful Senior, her will relaxed, and she could no longer bear it. Her knees buckled, and she fainted, falling forward.
"Tsk tsk, so trusting of me? Compared to those minor villains like Vulture, I am the true Destined Villain."
Shen Anyu's figure flickered, catching the collapsing Ye Liyou before she hit the dirty ground. A playful, calculating smile played on his lips.
"So defenseless."
Fortunately, he wasn't the type of cliché great villain who killed his wife to prove his Dao, but rather the type who conquered destined heroines and suppressed Sons of Destiny. Otherwise, Ye Liyou would have suffered terribly tonight.
Of course, Shen Anyu would also make her bleed—just in a different, more pleasurable way.
Shen Anyu immediately scooped up Ye Liyou by her arm and leg, lifting her into his arms in a classic princess carry.
The movement caused the hem of her high-slit red dress, which looked like a blooming blood-colored rose, to lift slightly. It revealed her fair, delicate calves and her translucent jade feet clad in black stilettos. The skin was so pale that faint bluish veins were subtly visible, giving her a fragile beauty.
Shen Anyu looked down at the woman in his arms.
He inwardly mused that someone who trained martial arts and fought year-round had such fair and tender skin. It was devoid of calluses or scars. And fighting in high heels? That was truly unscientific. The physics of combat should have shattered her ankles.
But this was also standard for a destined heroine. Logic gave way to aesthetics.
If anyone objected to this, they were basically a nagging little queer who didn't appreciate art.
And, most commendably, the eternal fragrance... cough. Even amidst the blood and grime of the alley, she smelled of faint orchids.
Shen Anyu looked at the unconscious Ye Liyou, admiring her exquisite features—the sword-like eyebrows that hinted at her heroic spirit, now softened in sleep, and the long eyelashes that cast shadows on her cheeks.
A satisfied smile played on his lips. The fish was in the net.
"Next, it's the much-anticipated healing scene..."
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