Chapter 369: A Deadly Situation! The Despair of Three Gods!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At this precise moment, the air around the dock seemed to warp. [Aunt Xiao] and the other hidden Protectors of the Shen Family emerged from the shadows in unison.
They moved with the desperate speed of loyal guardians, instantly forming a defensive perimeter around Shen Anyu, their eyes locked on the burly old man as if they were facing a primordial beast.
"Young Lord, you go quickly! We will cover you!"
Aunt Xiao stood at the forefront, her voice solemn and laced with a trace of finality. She did not turn her head, her gaze fixed intently on the monster before her. Sweat trickled down her forehead, stinging her eyes, but she dared not blink.
She knew the reality of the situation better than anyone. Even with a luxurious escort lineup of three [Great Grandmasters] and dozens of [Grandmaster] experts, attempting to fight against a Martial Dao giant who had reached the legendary [Heavenly Human Unity] realm was suicide.
His Essence, Qi, and Spirit had been sublimated. He was no longer just a martial artist; he was a natural disaster in human form. It was a luxury to even hope they could delay him for a few breaths to allow Shen Anyu to escape.
"Hehe..."
The burly old man, [Sea Dragon King] Zhang Hailong, shook his head dismissively. He didn't even glance at the nervous Protectors. In his eyes, these so-called experts were nothing more than ants waving twigs.
His gaze, heavy and oppressive like the deep ocean, landed solely on Shen Anyu. There was a strange, predatory light in his eyes.
"I never expected... truly never expected..." Zhang Hailong's voice rumbled like grinding stones. "That the [Young Lord] of the prestigious [Yanxia Shen Family], a scion of wealth and politics, would be a hidden dragon. An expert close to the [Heavenly Human Unity] realm, capable of instantly killing [Sword Demon] Miyamoto Ichiro with a single move!"
Zhang Hailong had inspected the battlefield. From the mangled remains of Miyamoto Ichiro—a [Great Grandmaster] of the Sword Dao—he had detected the lingering traces of a terrifying psychic attack.
The expert guarding Zhong Lingyin possessed psychic abilities that bordered on the supernatural.
After observing from the shadows, Zhang Hailong was shocked to discover that this terrifying psychic expert was none other than the "playboy" Shen Anyu.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
The [Yanxia Shen Family].
Those three words carried a weight that could crush nations. It was a super family that stood at the apex of the world's power structure. Even an organization as ancient and ruthless as the [Martial God Hall] had to tread carefully around them.
Although the [Martial God Hall] possessed more individual combat power in the chaotic [Dark World], the Shen Family represented the absolute authority of the secular world—the military, the politics, the very spine of the Super Nation of Yanxia. Offending the Shen Family meant declaring war on the machinery of a global superpower.
Noticing the flicker of apprehension in Zhang Hailong's eyes, Shen Anyu chuckled.
He didn't panic. He didn't tremble. He simply stood there, dusting an imaginary speck of dust from his bespoke Italian suit, his demeanor as elegant as a noble attending a banquet.
"Afraid of the [Yanxia Shen Family]?" Shen Anyu asked, his lips curling into a mocking smile. "Let me add another weight to your scale. My mother is the [Young Miss] of the [Yanxia An Family]. And my maternal grandfather... is [An Youmin]!"
He took a step forward, the pressure of his own aura rising to meet the Sea Dragon King's.
"The [Yanxia Shen Family] commands the guns. The [Yanxia An Family] commands the gold. Both are my backing. Tell me, old man... are you afraid?"
An Youmin?
Zhang Hailong fell silent. The wind on the dock seemed to freeze.
How could he not know An Youmin?
Whether in the bright halls of international politics or the blood-soaked alleys of the [Dark World], that name was thunderous. He was a pillar of Yanxia, the helmsman of the An Family, and a top-tier [Heavenly Human Unity] expert who had dominated an era.
More than ten years ago, the Supreme [Hall Master of the Martial God Hall] had exchanged blows with An Youmin on the peak of Mount Tai. They were evenly matched, a battle that shook the heavens.
Although the Hall Master had been in seclusion for years, approaching the realm of [Land Immortal], and An Youmin had aged from the burdens of state affairs, the name still carried a deterrent force capable of making ghosts weep.
Behind Shen Anyu, Zhong Lingyin and Yang Luoluo saw the apprehension on the burly old man's face. They saw him hesitate. A glimmer of hope ignited in their hearts.
'Maybe... maybe his background can scare them off?' Zhong Lingyin thought, clutching her chest.
Ye Linyuan also breathed a sigh of relief, though his face was twisted with conflict. Escaping from a [Heavenly Human] was a fantasy, but Shen Anyu's words seemed to be working.
However, as he watched Shen Anyu's broad, confident back, a surge of acidic jealousy corroded his heart.
'Damn it! This pretty boy Shen Anyu... not only is he handsome, not only is he talented, but his family background is so incredibly prominent that even [Heavenly Human] experts have to bow their heads? It's truly infuriating! Why does he have everything?!'
Ye Linyuan gritted his teeth. He felt like a clown, hiding behind the man who had humiliated him, relying on that man's lineage for survival.
Zhang Hailong narrowed his eyes. He scrutinized Shen Anyu for a long moment, the gears in his mind turning. The waves crashed against the pier, counting down the seconds.
"Shen Family Boy," Zhang Hailong finally spoke, his voice low. "Your background is indeed extremely prominent. Even my [Martial God Hall] does not want to easily offend the Shen and An families. It would be... troublesome."
"But!"
Suddenly, the tone changed.
The hesitation vanished, replaced by a cold, resolute killing intent that caused the temperature on the dock to plummet ten degrees. Zhang Hailong's eyes sharpened into blades.
"The two women and the boy behind you are of great use to my [Martial God Hall]. The Hall Master requires them."
He took a step forward, the concrete cracking under his foot.
"Hand them over. Walk away. And you will gain the friendship of my [Martial God Hall]! We will pretend this never happened."
"Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?" Shen Anyu interrupted directly, his smile remaining unchanged, though his eyes grew colder. "Just you alone? Do you really think you can snatch people from my hands by force?"
"Heh."
Zhang Hailong let out a cold, rattling laugh.
"Shen Family Boy, you are confident. You possess the arrogance of youth. You underestimate me."
He raised his arms, and his aura exploded outward like a volcanic eruption.
"But this time... I am truly not alone!"
"[Left Protector]. [Right Protector]. Come out!"
BOOM!
As Zhang Hailong's booming voice rolled out like thunder, the night sky seemed to tear open.
From the darkness of the cargo containers, two figures shot out. They didn't run; they flew, gliding through the air with terrifying speed before landing gracefully on either side of Zhang Hailong.
One was an old man, tall and thin as a bamboo pole, his skin like withered bark, his eyes glowing with a ghostly green light.
The other was short and stout, with a round face that looked deceptively kind, yet his aura was heavy and suffocating, like a mountain pressing down.
As soon as they landed, their auras merged with Zhang Hailong's. The pressure tripled instantly. The air twisted visibly. These were not subordinates. They were peers.
They were clearly [Heavenly Human Unity] experts!
"Three... Three [Heavenly Human Unity] experts???"
Aunt Xiao's face went as pale as a sheet.
Ye Linyuan, Yang Luoluo, and Zhong Lingyin felt their souls freeze. Their expressions changed drastically, turning into masks of absolute despair.
A peerless expert at the [Heavenly Human Unity] level was a Martial Dao giant. They could dominate a region, command the winds and clouds, and walk into the presidential palaces of small nations without being stopped. If this were ancient times, a single [Heavenly Human] would be a National Tutor or a Great General capable of holding back an army!
Three [Heavenly Human] experts besieging a target?
This was a lineup sufficient to assassinate a King of a major power. It was a force that could overturn a small country overnight. Even an Emperor would break into a cold sweat facing such a kill squad.
But now, this apocalypse was standing right in front of them.
"It's them... those bastards from the [Martial God Hall]!"
After clearly seeing the faces of the two old men in green robes, Ye Linyuan's eyes immediately turned bloodshot. A roar of hatred built up in his throat.
How could he forget?
Several years ago, in that blood-stained valley, it was these two old men—the [Left and Right Protectors]—along with another [Heavenly Human] expert, who had ambushed his sect.
If not for his Master's desperate strike, burning his life force to create a path... and if not for Senior Sister Pei Changli's timely [Breakthrough] amidst the slaughter... the consequences would have been unimaginable.
After that battle, Senior Sister Pei Changli earned the name [Female Sword Immortal]. But his Master... his Master died from severe injuries, his organs shattered.
From that day on, Ye Linyuan swore a blood oath to flatten the [Martial God Hall] and use their heads as wine cups!
The ambush not long ago, the curse rotting his body... Ye Linyuan had suspected it was them. Now, seeing them here, the confirmation was like a knife in his heart.
However, as he tried to circulate his energy, he felt nothing but emptiness. Without a trace of [Martial Dao True Essence], Ye Linyuan felt despair crash over him again.
He was useless.
In such a desperate situation, even if Senior Sister Pei Changli appeared right now, she probably wouldn't be able to break through the encirclement.
In the past battle, Ye Linyuan witnessed that Senior Sister Pei Changli was only able to repel the three [Heavenly Human] experts because they were holding back—they didn't want to kill her, they wanted to capture her.
But now?
With just Shen Anyu and a few bodyguards? They couldn't withstand one [Heavenly Human], let alone three!
"It's over..."
Zhong Lingyin felt her hands and feet turn ice cold. Her delicate body trembled uncontrollably, and her beautiful eyes filled with tears of despair.
She looked at Shen Anyu. His profile was still handsome, still calm. A surge of reluctance and love welled up in her heart.
'I can't let him die here. Not for me.'
A look of determination flashed across her pretty face. She took a deep breath, suppressing her terror, and took a few steps forward, shielding Shen Anyu with her body.
"I... I'll go with you!" she shouted, her voice trembling but firm. "But you are not allowed to harm Shen Anyu and the others! Let them go!"
Yang Luoluo, seeing her Fifth Sister step forward, bit her silver teeth until she tasted blood.
"I'll go with you too! But you are not allowed to harm Master Brother!"
Her heart was filled with regret. I haven't even confessed to Master Brother yet. What a pity.
'Yang Luoluo, you idiot,' she scolded herself, tears welling up. 'If you can survive this time, don't be shy anymore. But... can you survive?'
She looked at Shen Anyu one last time, her eyes rimmed with red, silently saying goodbye.
"Three [Heavenly Human Unity] experts?"
Shen Anyu ignored the girls' pleas. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the three terrifying figures.
The [Martial God Hall] went to such great lengths to capture Zhong Lingyin?
'No,' he analyzed rapidly. 'It isn't just to capture Zhong Lingyin. It is to capture her and then use her as leverage to threaten Pei Changli.'
Only Pei Changli, the [Female Sword Immortal] with her special [Phoenix-Wutong Body], would make the [Martial God Hall] dispatch such a terrifying lineup.
One must know that although the [Martial God Hall] had many experts, [Heavenly Human] experts were not cabbages found on the roadside. The organization only had a total of five known [Heavenly Human] experts.
The Supreme Hall Master was in death seclusion at headquarters. The Western Branch Master was guarding their territory abroad.
The three [Heavenly Human] experts standing here—The Sea Dragon King, the Left Protector, and the Right Protector—represented the absolute peak combat power the [Martial God Hall] could currently mobilize.
It was a layout meant to catch a dragon.
It was just that such a terrifying lineup had been encountered by Shen Anyu...
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