Chapter 744: A Surprise, Isn't It? Shen Anyu's Move!
"Yaoyao, awaken! Let the world bear witness to your power and your beauty!"
Qin Yuan's gaze was utterly transfixed upon the Xiantian Spiritual Corpse, Yaoyao. With a fanatical gleam in his eyes, he activated the incantation, his will pouring into the ancient corpse to command its obedience.
In that very instant, Yaoyao's eyes snapped open.
She stepped out from the bronze coffin, her movement unnervingly fluid. A grand and formidable aura, vast enough to seemingly displace the very heavens and earth, erupted from her form. The air for miles around grew thick and heavy, solidifying as if it had been flash-frozen.
The moment Yaoyao emerged, the world itself seemed to be cast in concrete.
A Domain.
This was a Domain. To possess the Domain of a Golden Core cultivator while still technically at the Fake Core Formation stage—this was the terrifying marvel of a Xiantian Spiritual Corpse.
Within the confines of this Domain, Yaoyao was a god, an invincible existence who controlled every mote of dust, every breath of wind.
Unless one could counter with a Domain that surpassed the Golden Core realm, there was simply no hope of matching a Xiantian Spiritual Corpse.
In the mortal world, Yaoyao's strength was nearly peerless.
Under Qin Yuan's unseen manipulation, Yaoyao's lifeless gaze swiveled, locking onto Wu Shenyun.
A terrifying pressure, like a collapsing sky, surged forth and descended upon the Shaman God Cult's headquarters.
Under this crushing weight, the grand buildings of the cult splintered and exploded into dust. The very ground was compressed, sinking by a half-zhang as if an invisible mountain had been dropped upon it.
Hundreds of the Shaman God Cult's experts, caught in this oppressive field, were forced violently to their knees. The weaker among them immediately vomited blood, their bodies giving out as they fainted on the spot.
If not for Qin Yuan's desire to preserve their bodies intact for his corpse puppet collection, this immense pressure would have instantly atomized them into a fine mist of blood and flesh.
And the one bearing the absolute brunt of this power was the Southern Border Goddess, Wu Shenyun, herself.
The moment Yaoyao's pressure enveloped her, Wu Shenyun's face went deathly pale. A series of sharp, cracking sounds echoed from her slender, phoenix-like frame as her very bones began to fracture under the strain.
The ground beneath her feet shattered instantly, and her legs plunged straight through the stone, sinking her knee-deep into the earth.
Yet, through it all, Wu Shenyun's phoenix eyes remained fixed on Yaoyao, blazing with an indomitable spirit that refused to be extinguished.
"Hmph. Overestimating your own strength," Qin Yuan scoffed from his hiding place. Wu Shenyun was powerful, exceptionally so, but before Yaoyao—a Xiantian Spiritual Corpse cultivated for a millennium—she was as fragile as glass.
At Qin Yuan's command, a flicker of intent passed through Yaoyao's eyes.
Tear!
In an instant, streaks of crimson lightning crackled through the void around Wu Shenyun.
She felt an overwhelming force, like the combined weight of mountains and oceans, crash down upon her. It threatened to suffocate her, to crush her, to force her to prostrate herself on the ground.
But Wu Shenyun still held her back ramrod straight. A rainbow-hued light surged around her, desperately resisting Yaoyao's immense might. Her phoenix eyes burned with defiance.
She raised a bamboo flute to her crimson lips. A sharp, piercing melody erupted, transforming into visible sound waves that shot toward Yaoyao. However, the attack dissipated into nothingness a full zhang away from the corpse, unable to even touch the hem of her robes.
Seeing this, even Qin Yuan was astonished. A mere Land Immortal was actually resisting the full pressure of a Xiantian Spiritual Corpse—a force a hundred times greater than that of a standard Fake Core cultivator? And she still had the strength to launch a counterattack?
'This Southern Border Goddess is quite impressive,' Qin Yuan thought, his gaze filled with a collector's appreciation. 'Yaoyao will be the main wife in the future, of course, but letting this one be a noble consort wouldn't be a bad choice either.' Wu Shenyun's beauty, her willpower, and her strength all left a deep impression on him.
He, more than anyone, knew how difficult it was to stand against Yaoyao's might.
While Wu Shenyun strained every fiber of her being to resist the crushing pressure and launch futile attacks, she gritted her silver teeth, cursing a certain scoundrel in her heart.
'Shen Anyu, I will remember this grudge!'
'This Venerable One is risking her life to buy you time! Five breaths, at most! Any longer and I'll die for nothing!'
'After this, I will most certainly grind my heel into your face, shove it into your mouth, and make sure you can't breathe either!'
Only…
A bitter, weary expression flickered across Wu Shenyun's jade-like face. Would there even be an 'after this'?
Even someone as proud and powerful as her had to admit it: the palace-robed woman who had emerged from the bronze coffin was terrifyingly strong, far surpassing the world of a Land Immortal.
With her own strength, just resisting the ambient pressure had already caused severe internal injuries, and her bones were riddled with fractures.
She feared that even Shen Anyu would be no match for such a monster.
In Wu Shenyun's heart, Shen Anyu was stronger than her, but not by an impossible margin. This woman, however, was powerful beyond comprehension, unbelievably so. Her might perhaps even eclipsed that of the legendary Martial God.
Even if Shen Anyu made his move, he would likely be defeated.
And he still hadn't appeared. Had he… run away?
If he ran, then so be it…
Wu Shenyun sighed internally. She could understand. After all, this was an existence one simply could not fight. Yet, despite her understanding, a deep sense of loss and sadness washed over her.
RUMBLE!
At that very moment, with Yaoyao fully emerged from the bronze coffin, the sky above began to change. Layers of dark, ominous clouds gathered at a dizzying pace. Streaks of purple lightning, thick as serpents, began to weave through them, brewing a calamity of terrifying proportions.
'The worst has come to pass,' Qin Yuan's heart tightened, a chill running down his spine. 'As I feared, Yaoyao cannot remain outside the coffin's seal for too long, or she will trigger a Lightning Tribulation.'
The Xiantian Spiritual Corpse could not be exposed to the world for an extended period. To do so was to invite a horrifying heavenly punishment.
If Wu Shenyun hadn't displayed such formidable strength, destroying so many of his precious corpse puppets and driving him to a state of desperate fury, he never would have risked summoning Yaoyao. If she were to be damaged by the Lightning Tribulation, the regret would haunt him for eternity.
Even when he had ambushed Shen Anyu earlier, Qin Yuan hadn't been willing to take such a monumental risk.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Yuan formed a hand seal, preparing to issue his final command to Yaoyao to suppress and kill everyone present.
"Yaoyao, quickly—"
The next instant, Qin Yuan's voice died in his throat.
A three-inch-long sliver of crimson sword light had silently sliced through his body.
Before the light was unleashed, there was no fluctuation of power. After it was unleashed, there was still no fluctuation. It was utterly silent, yet it contained the ultimate power of destruction.
Qin Yuan looked down at his chest. A horrifying, empty hole had been bored straight through his heart, all signs of life extinguished in an instant.
His expression blank, he slowly turned his head to look at the tree hollow he had been hiding in, five li away from the Shaman God Cult's main hall. There was now a thumb-sized hole pierced through the ancient wood.
How could this be?
How was he discovered?
He had never once exposed his aura.
, who was it that had struck? They had seized the single most crucial moment—the instant his Divine Sense was fully occupied with commanding Yaoyao. The timing was perfect, not a fraction of a second too early, not a fraction of a second too late.
Otherwise, with a Divine Sense comparable to a mid-to-late Foundation Establishment cultivator, Qin Yuan would have surely sensed the danger and recalled Yaoyao for protection.
With Yaoyao's strength, even a true Foundation Establishment cultivator could be killed in a heartbeat.
The next moment, the massive tree he was in exploded into splinters. Qin Yuan's body fell from the wreckage, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
A handsome, noble young master with a refined, jade-like bearing appeared elegantly before the fallen corpse. Who else could it be but Shen Anyu?
"A surprise, isn't it? Unexpected?" Shen Anyu tilted his head, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked down at the disbelieving, lifeless eyes of Qin Yuan.
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