Chapter 684 678: King?

"What can you tell me about the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave in the City of Sin?" Shen Haoran asked the merchant before him, posing his first question.

The merchant stared at Shen Haoran for a moment, then sized up the group with a light chuckle. "You all must be new here, right? You don't even know about the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave?"

"You don't need to know anything else. Just answer my question," Shen Haoran said, ignoring the merchant's query. Instead, he pulled two Elemental Stones from his Storage Ring and tossed them over.

The merchant caught the Elemental Stones, weighed them in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction. "Ah, the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave," he began. "They're a superpower, an organization that can rival the Four Great Divine Beast Families of the Demon Race Central City. In fact, the City of Sin only exists because of them. You could say the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave is the Emperor here. Within the city, you can kill, rob, and do whatever you please. But if you mess with someone from the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave, not even the gods can save you. Still, the Martial Artists here are grateful to them. Without the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave, this haven of sin wouldn't exist. To the Martial Artists here, the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave is like a god—it's their faith."

Shen Haoran's brow furrowed at the merchant's words. 'The Ten Thousand Snakes Cave is even more powerful than I imagined. Rescuing Xue Ling from them is going to require a long-term plan.'

"Second question. I heard a King has appeared in the City of Sin. Do you know about him?" Shen Haoran asked.

At this question, the merchant's face tensed. He lowered his head and whispered, "Brother, you're new, so you probably don't know, but it's forbidden to discuss anything about the King in the City of Sin. But since you've been generous, I'll tell you what I know. The Ten Thousand Snakes Cave wasn't always a single entity. It used to be split into three factions. Then one day, some powerful expert appeared out of nowhere and, with ruthless efficiency, killed the leaders of all three factions, unifying the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. He became the King of the City of Sin. The thing is, no one has ever seen the King's true face, and you absolutely cannot talk about him here. Otherwise, you'll be hunted down!"

"Oh?" Shen Haoran grunted softly. 'A mysterious expert who unified the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave... The methods of this so-called King are truly extraordinary.'

"Third question. Have there been any major events or big moves from the City of Sin, or rather, the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave, recently?" Shen Haoran asked finally.

"Haha! I knew it! I knew you were here for that," the merchant laughed upon hearing Shen Haoran's final question. He continued, "A lot of Martial Artists have come to the City of Sin recently. They aren't here seeking asylum; they're here for the auction that the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave is holding.

They say the King of the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave abducted a peerless beauty from the outside world and is going to marry her in half a month. To celebrate, the King has decided to open the Cave's treasury and hold a grand auction. Just think about it! The Ten Thousand Snakes Cave started out as bandits, robbing Supreme Treasures from all the major families. After hundreds of years, the amount of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures in their vault is simply countless. If you could get your hands on even one of those items, you'd be set for life!"

The merchant spoke with great excitement, his eyes filled with anticipation, completely missing the dark expression that had crept over Shen Haoran's face. The King of the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave wanted to marry a woman abducted from the outside world. Shen Haoran didn't need to think twice; he knew it had to be Xue Ling. 'That King... how dare he make a move on my woman. I will make him pay.'

Shen Haoran took a deep breath, forcing down the rage in his heart. 'This isn't the time to explode. The City of Sin is the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave's turf. I have to exercise restraint here. Being reckless will only get both me and Xue Ling killed.'

"Thanks." Having asked all his questions, Shen Haoran took out five hundred Elemental Stones, tossed them to the weaselly-looking merchant, and turned to leave the Hell Auction House.

"Brother Haoran, what should we do now?" Ji Lingxuan asked. They were certain now that the woman the King planned to marry in half a month was Xue Ling. It was all up to Shen Haoran.

"Next, we make money and attend the auction," Shen Haoran said, a cold smirk touching his lips.

"Make money? And attend the auction?" Ji Lingxuan and the others were confused.

"Hmph. Didn't the merchant say the wedding is after the auction? Well then, I'm going to crash that wedding. Anyone who dares to touch my woman... I will make them regret it," Shen Haoran said coldly. A flash of icy killing intent in his eyes sent a chill down the spines of the nearby Martial Artists.

"If we want to make money, there are two ways," Long Aotian chimed in. "One, we could perform Alchemy and sell the pills. Two, we could go to the City of Sin's Underground Boxing Market. That's the fastest way to earn cash, but it's also a bit dangerous."

"The Underground Boxing Market? Then that's where we'll go. I'm going to make this City of Sin remember the name Shen Haoran!" he declared with a wild laugh, already striding ahead toward the market.

...

Meanwhile, in a mansion at the very heart of the City of Sin, a figure shrouded entirely in black robes sat cross-legged in the main hall. The space around him trembled with his every breath. A dense, sinister black mist swirled about his body, from which emerged waves of wailing cries, chilling to the bone.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the hall. A sealed letter shot forward like a dagger, aimed directly at the black-robed man on the throne.

SNAP! The black-robed man extended a hand and effortlessly plucked the letter from the air. A hoarse voice rasped from beneath his hood, "Is this how Bai Zhennan taught you to pay respects?"

The figure below slowly emerged from the shadows. It was the same Martial Artist who had previously knelt before Bai Zhennan.

"King, our Patriarch says that if you cripple the people on this scroll and deliver them to the Central Capital White Tiger Clan, the Clan Leader will agree to your previously proposed conditions," the figure stated flatly.

The black-robed man unrolled the scroll that was inside. The moment his eyes fell upon Shen Haoran's likeness, his body jolted violently. Dark flames erupted from his hand, instantly incinerating the scroll.

"Go back and tell Bai Zhennan that I won't be sending these people to him," the King's sinister, icy voice echoed. "Because I'm going to personally torture and kill them myself!" The black mist swirling around him began to roil violently, a sign of his extreme emotional instability.

Sensing the fluctuation in the King's aura, the figure below frowned slightly. "You had best do as the Clan Leader says," he said in a low voice. "Otherwise, we will be unable to agree to your terms."

"Terms?" The King gave a sinister chuckle. "I no longer need them. Because the prey... has already arrived!" His chilling voice filled the great hall, causing the figure below to tremble uncontrollably.