Chapter 691 - 685: Night Exploration of Wanshe Mountain

Shen Haoran spoke with Uncle Chang for a short while before they were called to dinner by Uncle Chang’s wife. Uncle Chang hadn’t been exaggerating—his wife’s cooking was a rare delicacy. Even though Shen Haoran and his companions had reached the Grain Avoidance Realm, they couldn’t resist having two bowls each. Long Aotian, in particular, heaped on the praise, only stopping when he was too full to eat another bite.

After dinner, everyone chatted for a while before returning to their rooms to rest. Shen Haoran, however, carefully slipped out of Uncle Chang’s house and crept into the depths of the City of Sin under the cover of darkness. He wanted to see Wanshe Mountain, where the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave was located, and find out if it was as difficult to enter as the rumors claimed.

The City of Sin at night was not at all silent like cities in the outside world. Nighttime was when the City of Sin truly came alive. Countless Martial Artists reveled in brothels, taverns, and the Underground Boxing Market, indulging themselves and enjoying life to the fullest.

Shen Haoran quietly followed the path Uncle Chang had pointed out, arriving before a mountain peak deep within the City of Sin. Gazing at the peak shrouded in the black of night, a sense of danger rose in Shen Haoran’s heart. ’This Wanshe Mountain seems truly extraordinary!’

The City of Sin was brightly lit at night, but the light seemed to stop abruptly at the edge of Wanshe Mountain, vanishing strangely. It was as if this part of Wanshe Mountain didn’t exist, creating a stark divide in the world that looked sinister and terrifying.

Two tangible flames flashed in Shen Haoran’s eyes, and the topography of Wanshe Mountain gradually materialized before him. Rather than a mountain, it looked more like a giant python. Its massive body was coiled together, soaring into the clouds. At its highest point, the snake’s head was raised to the heavens as if roaring at the sky. A malevolent aura faintly radiated from Wanshe Mountain, inspiring fear in anyone standing at its base.

Shen Haoran took a deep breath, then his figure flickered as he snuck up Wanshe Mountain. ’Tonight, I’ll test the waters of Wanshe Mountain and see just how deep they run!’

The moment he set foot on Wanshe Mountain, Shen Haoran felt a bone-chilling cold. It was a sinister chill that seeped deep into his soul. Wails echoed from caves on the mountain, a hair-raising sound.

Shen Haoran scanned his surroundings warily, on guard against any danger. However, nothing strange happened on his way to the halfway point. The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet. Apart from the sound of his own heartbeat, there was nothing—not even the slightest breeze. It was as if Wanshe Mountain was completely devoid of life.

The quieter it was, the more unnerved Shen Haoran felt. It was the calm before the storm. Moreover, he could feel an extremely intense sense of danger steadily approaching, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

Shen Haoran stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping the area. But aside from the bare Yan Shi, there was nothing else. The more this was the case, the more he felt something was wrong.

HISS HISS HISS...

Just as Shen Haoran was feeling perplexed, a hissing sound reached him. At first, it was just one or two hisses, but the sound quickly multiplied, growing louder and more numerous, causing Shen Haoran’s brows to furrow. When his gaze swept over his surroundings again, he sucked in a sharp breath.

All around Shen Haoran, venomous snakes were slithering, packed densely together. There were Tier One, Tier Two, Tier Three, and Tier Four, one after another, piled on top of each other. They were innumerable, a sight that made Shen Haoran’s scalp tingle. Although these were all just Low Tier Spirit Beasts, a sufficient quantity could lead to a qualitative change. Forget Shen Haoran; even a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse would shrink back in fear at this sight. Besides, if Wanshe Mountain had this many Low Tier Spirit Beasts, how could it not have High Tier ones?

HISS...

Sure enough, just as the thought formed in Shen Haoran’s mind, a loud hiss echoed out. Following that, a massive, patterned python slowly slithered out of a dark cave. Its scarlet tongue flicked continuously toward Shen Haoran, and its triangular pupils glowed with a cold light, as if looking at a dead thing.

’A Tier Seven Spirit Beast!’ Judging by the aura emanating from the patterned python, it was actually a Tier Seven Spirit Beast! Upon its appearance, all the surrounding venomous snakes seemed to bow toward it in worship. ’It seems this is the Snake King of this swarm of vipers!’

Shen Haoran looked further up the mountain. ’A Tier Seven Spirit Beast appeared halfway up the mountain. What about higher up? No wonder Martial Artists from the outside world can’t do anything about the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. With so many venomous snakes guarding it, unless one’s strength reaches the Spirit Emperor Level, it’s impossible to force your way through Wanshe Mountain without paying a hefty price!’

Looking at the dense swarm of snakes, Shen Haoran didn’t dare advance any further. It wasn’t that he was afraid of them. But if he pressed forward, he would surely be attacked. His opponent had a Tier Seven Spirit Beast, and a fight would inevitably cause a commotion. Shen Haoran didn’t want to reveal his presence prematurely.

Shen Haoran didn’t move, and the venomous snakes didn’t dare to move either. The Tier Seven patterned python’s triangular pupils were locked onto Shen Haoran. As a Tier Seven Spirit Beast, it could also sense the danger he posed. It sensed an extremely scorching aura from Shen Haoran, which, being a creature of yin nature, it deeply disliked.

Shen Haoran slowly backed away. The patterned python remained motionless. Only when Shen Haoran had retreated beyond its range of perception did it let out a sigh of relief. It gave his disappearing back a deep look before slithering back into its cave. The rest of the venomous snakes also vanished from sight, and Wanshe Mountain returned to its previous tranquility.

At the foot of the mountain, Shen Haoran cast a wary glance back at Wanshe Mountain before finally leaving. ’It seems sneaking onto Wanshe Mountain is impossible. With so many Spirit Snakes acting as a natural barrier, it’s a near-impossible task. Looks like the only chance to save Xue Ling will be on the day of the wedding.’

’First, I’ll go find the supervisor of the Underground Boxing Market. Maybe he can offer some help!’ Shen Haoran thought to himself. He then snuck back to Uncle Chang’s house to wait for dawn.

After Shen Haoran left, a figure slowly materialized in the pitch-black darkness. This figure was the very same black mist that had previously separated from Shen Cheng.

The figure stared at Shen Haoran’s disappearing back, standing motionless for a long moment before slowly dissipating. Meanwhile, Shen Haoran, who was hurrying forward, suddenly sensed something. He stopped and whirled around. He felt someone spying on him.

’Was I just imagining things?’ Shen Haoran stared at the empty space behind him, his brows tightly knitted. He began to spread his vast Spiritual Thought into the surroundings, but he found nothing. He could only shake his head and continue on his way. The black shadow behind him did not appear again...