Chapter 242: The Broken Heart of the War God! An Unexpected Variable!
Shen Anyu wore a joyful, satisfied smile as he watched the System continuously prompt him about the Destiny Value he was plundering from Ye Yan.
"It's still a Destined Heroine like Lin Keqing who is the easiest to handle. Like a chicken following its Master... or a wife following her husband. As long as I get her body and soul, everything else will fall into place naturally."
He stroked her hair, which was scattered across the pillow like black silk, enjoying the afterglow. The air in the room was still thick with the scent of musk and romance, a testament to the battle they had just concluded.
"Of course, it's also because I am a Destined Villain and am not afraid of the Child of Destiny and the Destined Heroine's plot armor."
"Otherwise, if other third-rate villains coveted Lin Keqing and wanted to make a move... it would be impossible for them to succeed. They would definitely encounter accidents—a sudden phone call, an earthquake, or it's even possible that Ye Yan would come down from the mountain directly at that exact second to interrupt them."
But Shen Anyu had suppressed those variables. He had crushed the so-called "will of the heavens" under his boot. He had won.
"It's also time to go to the Ye Family Old Residence Ruins. To deal with the Child of Destiny, I still need to personally oversee it; otherwise, accidents are prone to happen."
The joyful smile on Shen Anyu's face receded, replaced by a chilling glint that flashed in his eyes, sharp as a blade. The warmth of the lover vanished, replaced by the calculating coldness of the predator.
He was not a good-for-nothing scion who lost his ambition indulging in soft comforts. He knew exactly what he was.
Or rather, to better enjoy life, crushing each Child of Destiny was a necessary task. They were the weeds in his garden, and if left unchecked, they would strangle his flowers.
Especially Ye Yan.
This "Master Descends the Mountain" type of Child of Destiny was dangerous. In the original timeline, Ye Yan was a calamity. He annihilated the Yanxia Shen Family, killed Shen Anyu's beloved Aunt An Zhiyue, killed Shen Anyu, and reached the pinnacle of his life on a throne built from their corpses.
Regarding Ye Yan, Shen Anyu must kill him! No mercy. No hesitation. He would burn the roots and scatter the ashes.
At this moment, a net of despair had already been woven.
The experts of the Yanxia Shen Family and Yanxia An Family had already been mobilized. Led by Aunt An Zhiyue herself—a military goddess whose very name commanded fear—they were lying in ambush at the Ye Family Old Residence Ruins. Shadows lurked behind every broken wall, and snipers occupied every vantage point.
With the strength Shen Anyu had displayed recently, and those miraculous elixirs he provided which restored the vitality of the elders, the hierarchy of the Yanxia Shen Family and An Family believed Shen Anyu's source of information completely.
The Yanxia Shen Family naturally wouldn't let go of Ye Yan, an enemy who had declared he wanted to annihilate them. Preemptive strikes were the Shen way. Eliminate the threat before it draws a breath.
There was no process of disbelieving Shen Anyu or questioning him like in stupid novels where the elders ignore the young master's warnings due to arrogance.
Shen Anyu was a Great Villain, not a brain-dead antagonist.
As everyone knows, a Great Villain's family is usually very united. They protect their own with vicious loyalty. If you hit the young, the old will come; if you hit the old, the ancestors will crawl out of their coffins to drag you to hell.
Shen Anyu, as the only male heir of the third generation of both the Yanxia Shen Family and Yanxia An Family, had absolute authority. His word was law. As long as he wasn't cryptic and explained the threat clearly, the elders had no reason to doubt him.
There wouldn't be a comedy like the "Calabash Brothers saving their grandpa"—one by one sending themselves to their deaths to feed the protagonist experience points.
No.
Shen Anyu sent everyone. It was total war.
In addition, the subordinates and guards Shen Anyu obtained from the System lottery were there, lurking in the dark.
The Dragon King Son-in-law, Han Qi, and his Dragon King Society were there, acting as cannon fodder and muscle.
The fake Young Master Xu Ping'an, with his reflection ability, and the assassin Feng Kelei were there.
When Ye Yan arrived at his ancestral home to pay respects... what awaited him was not a quiet moment of reflection or a tearful reunion with the past.
It was an ambush from all sides. A certain death trap with ten layers of encirclement. A meat grinder prepared specifically for a Son of Destiny.
However... Shen Anyu still felt it wasn't enough.
Far from enough.
Because Ye Yan was a Child of Destiny. He had a [Destiny Halo] surrounding him. This invisible armor was terrifying.
Before his Destiny Value was completely plundered and his halo shattered, killing him was as difficult as ascending to heaven. The heavens would literally bend reality to save him. A sudden storm might mask his escape, a hidden tunnel might appear beneath his feet, or a passing expert might just happen to save him on a whim.
Even if he sent Han Qi and Xu Ping'an—two other Children of Destiny—to deal with Ye Yan, Shen Anyu still felt it was somewhat insecure.
For such an important matter, only Shen Anyu, with his [Destined Villain Halo] which suppressed protagonists, could handle it personally to ensure stability.
Shen Anyu was terrifyingly cautious! He would not leave a 1% chance for survival.
Besides... there was another reason. A darker, more sadistic reason.
"How could I not let Ye Yan see Lin Keqing in my arms?"
From the very first day he awakened his past life memories, Shen Anyu had this scene in his mind. It was his masterpiece.
Embracing Ye Yan's beloved beautiful sister-in-law, Lin Keqing... surrounded by countless experts... watching with a beaming smile as Ye Yan, trapped in a desperate situation, was filled with despair, cuckoldry, and hatred.
Just thinking about this scene made Shen Anyu excited and expectant. His blood boiled with a dark pleasure.
Killing a person is easy. A knife to the throat, a bullet to the head. But destroying their heart? Shattering their will until they beg for death? That is art.
"Keqing, my dear... wake up. Come, I'll take you somewhere."
Shen Anyu patted Lin Keqing's cheek, which was flushed with the rosy hue of satisfaction, and said with a gentle smile.
Lin Keqing opened her beautiful eyes, misty with sleep and satisfaction. She looked at Shen Anyu with curiosity and wonder, like a kitten looking at its owner.
"Where are we going, Anyu?"
"To meet an old friend of yours."
She didn't ask anything more. She obediently got up and helped Shen Anyu tidy his clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles on his suit with gentle, loving hands. Then she fixed her own makeup, ensuring she looked perfect for him. As long as she was with Shen Anyu, her heart was sweet. She felt safe.
She wished she could stay with him longer. Forever.
Shen Anyu took Lin Keqing's hand. They walked out of the VIP room, heading towards the elevator to leave the Lin Family Company building.
The elevator descended smoothly. Ding.
However.
Just as they reached the lobby on the ground floor...
Shen Anyu frowned slightly. He narrowed his eyes, and his gaze turned cold.
Killing Intent!
It was visceral. The temperature in the lobby seemed to drop ten degrees in an instant. Through his [Divine-grade Perception], Shen Anyu keenly detected a powerful, terrifying, and chaotic Killing Intent surging towards them like a tsunami. It was raw, unrefined, and filled with madness.
He looked towards the glass doors of the main entrance.
His eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"Ye Yan?"
"How could he be here??"
Standing just outside the glass doors was a young man. He wore simple, ragged mountain clothes that clashed violently with the modern glass and steel of the CBD. He carried a long black blade wrapped in cloth on his back. His face was twisted in a rictus of absolute rage, his eyes spitting fire.
Shen Anyu was surprised.
According to the plot and his calculations, Ye Yan should have gone straight to the Ye Family Old Residence Ruins to pay respects to his dead parents. That was where the ambush was set! That was where the net was waiting!
What unexpected turn of events caused Ye Yan to deviate? Why did he run to the Lin Family Company first?
How did he know Lin Keqing was here?
However, the surprise was fleeting. Shen Anyu was a master of improvisation. He adapted instantly.
'He came here? Fine. It saves me the trip.'
Shen Anyu wrapped his arm around Lin Keqing's slender waist, pulling her flush against his body. A faint, mocking smile appeared on his handsome, jade-like face.
He turned his head and whispered to Lin Keqing, his voice dripping with possessive honey:
"Keqing, my dear... look. Why is that person staring at us? He looks like a lost dog."
Lin Keqing's face flushed at the intimate contact. She felt his strong hand on her waist, claiming her. She followed Shen Anyu's gaze.
She saw the young man outside. The familiar features... the intense stare...
Her beautiful eyes widened in shock. She covered her mouth.
"Ye Yan?!"
[Ding! Detected that the Child of Destiny, Ye Yan's mindset has exploded!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Ye Yan is furious! Plundering +9,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Ye Yan's face is ashen! Plundering +9,999 Destiny Value!]
...
At this moment.
Outside the glass doors.
Ye Yan stood frozen. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the handle of his Netherworld Blade.
He looked at his beautiful sister-in-law, Lin Keqing.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Five years had only added a ripe, mature charm to her. Her face was glowing with a rosy hue that only a woman in love possesses—a look she had never given him. Her clothes were slightly disheveled, the buttons of her blouse strained, hinting at what had just transpired upstairs.
And she was intimately close with a man.
A handsome, noble man who held her possessively by the waist, looking down at Ye Yan with the eyes of a king looking at a beggar.
This person... this woman he had yearned for five years in the cold mountains... whom he had sworn to protect, to marry, to cherish... her blushing face and shy, clinging attitude... it all fell into Ye Yan's eyes.
It was so dazzling! So painful! It pierced his heart like a thousand needles dipped in acid!
Ye Yan's mindset exploded. His world collapsed.
He was greatly struck. His eyes turned bloodshot, veins popping on his forehead like earthworms.
He stammered, his voice trembling with disbelief and rage:
"That person... that mysterious person... he actually said it so accurately?"
"He said... I came too late?"
"No..."
"NO!!!"
At this moment, Ye Yan roared to the sky, a sound of unbearable pain and beast-like fury that shook the glass of the building.
Shen Anyu, inside the lobby, narrowed his eyes. He caught the key phrase through the glass.
'"That person"?'
'"Said it accurately"?'
Shen Anyu fell into deep thought. His mind raced, calculating probabilities.
"Who was that person? Who tipped him off?"
"Was the unexpected turn of events because of that person? Is there a hidden variable I missed?"
...
[Flashback: 30 Minutes Earlier]
The story returns to a bit earlier.
Ye Yan bid farewell to his Master, Tian Yunzi, descended from the deep mountains, and returned to Magic City.
After five years, an international metropolis like Magic City had become even more prosperous. Towering buildings scraped the sky, and bustling traffic flowed like rivers of steel.
Ye Yan, who had just emerged from the primitive life of the deep mountains, looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene before him. His emotions were complex.
He took a deep breath of the city air—tainted with exhaust, but smelling like home.
After a sigh, he stepped towards the direction of the Magic City Ye Family.
His pace was very fast. He used a movement technique called [Shrinking the Ground into Inches]. Even with casual steps, he surpassed a thousand-mile horse, appearing dozens of meters away with each stride, causing passersby to exclaim in admiration and rub their eyes, thinking they saw a ghost.
However, Ye Yan's state of mind was calm, like a still lake.
Five years of devilish training and numerous life-and-death trials had tempered his will. Except for a very few things—revenge and Lin Keqing—nothing could move him.
He had a plan.
First, visit the Magic City Ye Family's old residence to offer incense to his parents and swear vengeance.
Then, find his sister-in-law Lin Keqing to ensure her safety.
And after that, gather the Netherworld Palace experts using the Token to begin planning his annihilation of the Yanxia Shen Family.
However.
Just as Ye Yan passed by an Ancient Street known for fortune telling and antiques... his steps slowed.
He looked at this familiar Ancient Street. He recalled his father bringing him here as a child to buy candy. His father's voice and smiling appearance were still vivid in his mind.
Ye Yan's eyes showed a hint of deep sadness.
Then, the sadness turned cold. Absolute zero.
"Yanxia Shen Family..."
"If this grudge is not avenged... I, Ye Yan, swear I will not be a human!"
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