Chapter 693 - 687: Happy Cooperation

Seeing the bitter smile on Luo Yu’s face, Shen Haoran knew he had guessed correctly. The Underground Boxing Market was indeed facing a threat from the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave, and from that moment on, the initiative in the conversation was firmly in Shen Haoran’s hands. He had turned the tables.

"You’re right," Luo Yu said, his tone heavy. "The Ten Thousand Snakes Cave does want to make a move against our Underground Boxing Market. The King’s ambition is vast; he wants to unify the entire City of Sin! He’s more brutal than anyone in this city, and he’ll do anything to achieve his goals. The Underground Boxing Market and the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave are the two dominant powers in the City of Sin. If we go to war, countless people will die, but the King couldn’t care less. We have no other choice but to fight back. This place was handed down by our predecessors. I can’t just hand it over to the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave!"

"The Underground Boxing Market has been around longer than the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. Can’t you match their strength?" Shen Haoran frowned. From what Uncle Chang had told him, the Underground Boxing Market was the first power to appear in the City of Sin. It had essentially built the city, with the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave only rising to prominence later. Logically speaking, the Underground Boxing Market should be stronger than the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. How could they be getting overpowered?

"I wouldn’t say we’re stronger. After all, the Underground Boxing Market is an organization that grew organically, without many rules or restrictions. We were about evenly matched with the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. But ever since the King unified them, their power has suddenly skyrocketed. It truly seems like they intend to become the sole ruler of the City of Sin," Luo Yu said, frowning as well. "Their strength exploded almost overnight, catching us completely off guard."

"Didn’t that King also come from the Underground Boxing Market? Why would he move against it?" Shen Haoran asked, confused.

"He came to the Underground Boxing Market for no other reason than to make a name for himself. An Identity Token from here is a status symbol in the City of Sin, a fact acknowledged by all Martial Artists. To this day, the Underground Boxing Market has produced only one King, and that is the one from the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. He used the fame he built here to amass power with his own forces, and now he’s turned around trying to devour us. That scumbag!" Luo Yu cursed under his breath, filled with indignation. Yet, there was nothing he could say. The Underground Boxing Market was open to all Martial Artists in the City of Sin. For the King to achieve what he had was a testament to his own strength.

"I heard you’ve crossed swords with the King, Manager Luo," Shen Haoran said. "Is he really that strong?"

Hearing Shen Haoran’s question, Luo Yu’s expression turned grim. He then said in a heavy voice, "I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. The King isn’t just ’strong’—he’s terrifyingly strong. I was no match for him at all. I used my full power, but I doubt he even used fifty percent of his. Calling it a fight is generous; it was more like he was toying with me. And even though he wasn’t using even half his strength, he still managed to injure me. To this day, I still haven’t fully recovered."

Hearing this, Shen Haoran frowned. Luo Yu’s aura was indeed unstable, a clear sign of an unhealed injury. But Luo Yu himself was a Tier Nine Spirit Emperor. ’For a Tier Nine Spirit Emperor to be no match for the King... it seems the King’s power has already reached the Spirit Emperor Tier!’

"Manager Luo, I’ll be frank," Shen Haoran began, looking at Luo Yu. "I came to the City of Sin to rescue a friend from the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. Since we share a common enemy, why don’t we cooperate? You help me rescue my friend, and we will help you take care of the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. It would be mutually beneficial. What do you say?"

"Take care of the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave?" Luo Yu looked at him skeptically. "Aren’t you being a little too confident, Little Brother Leng? Never mind a powerhouse on the King’s level; under his command, there are also the Four Vajras and several hundred elite troops. You think you can handle all that?"

"I have a companion who can contend with the King," Shen Haoran said with a slight laugh. "As for the Four Vajras and their hundreds of elite troops, I’m sure the Underground Boxing Market can handle them. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to hold out against the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave’s threat for all these years, would you?"

"What? Are you certain you have someone who can contend with the King?" Luo Yu was shocked. He knew the King’s power was definitely at the Spirit Emperor Level. If Shen Haoran had someone who could fight the King, that meant he had a Spirit Emperor Tier expert by his side. At this thought, Luo Yu drew in a sharp breath. ’I was planning to destroy him if he couldn’t be used... Thank goodness I didn’t make a move. The consequences would have been unthinkable.’

"If you can truly keep the King occupied, then the rest is negotiable. Our Underground Boxing Market has been around for centuries; we’re no pushovers!" Luo Yu nodded emphatically. The main reason the Underground Boxing Market couldn’t defeat the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave was the King. A single Spirit Emperor Tier expert was simply too much for any one faction to resist. Luo Yu had only managed to hold on for years by relying on the resources left behind by his predecessors. Otherwise, the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave would have devoured them long ago.

"Excellent. Then here’s to our successful cooperation!" Seeing Luo Yu agree, Shen Haoran chuckled and raised his teacup. The two cups clinked together, and smiles appeared on both their faces.

For Shen Haoran, being able to use the Underground Boxing Market to move against the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave was the best possible outcome. After his reconnaissance of Wanshe Mountain the previous night, he knew that secretly rescuing Xue Ling would be impossible. After all, he had only brought four people with him, while the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave was one of the City of Sin’s long-established powers. A direct confrontation was out of the question. But with the help of the Underground Boxing Market, things would be different.

As for the Underground Boxing Market, this was a deal they couldn’t lose. Shen Haoran had a Spirit Emperor Tier expert on his side. As long as that expert could stop the King, then with Shen Haoran’s additional help, they could certainly deal with the other minions. When that time came, not only would the Underground Boxing Market’s crisis be resolved, but they might even be able to unify the entire City of Sin.

"Little Brother Leng, there’s one more favor I need to ask. I hope it won’t be too much trouble," Luo Yu said after they had reached an agreement. He scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed, but his eyes flashed with a cunning light, making it impossible to know what he was plotting.

"You want me to get rid of the traitors within the Underground Boxing Market?" Shen Haoran asked without looking up, taking a slow sip of his fragrant tea.

"Haha, you really are sharp, Little Brother Leng! You guessed it exactly!" Luo Yu’s voice turned grave. "That’s right. The Ten Thousand Snakes Cave has planted quite a few spies in our ranks. Forget the Silver Level ones—the Beast King you killed yesterday was one of them. There are even a few among the Martial Artists with Gold Level status. Those are the ones I need you to eliminate. The Gold Level Martial Artists are the backbone of the Underground Boxing Market, and we can’t afford to have any traitors among them."

"Fine," Shen Haoran said with a casual shrug. "Consider it a gesture of my sincerity."

"Haha, wonderful! Then I’ll be counting on you, Brother Leng!" Luo Yu boomed with laughter. The two immediately replaced the fragrant tea on the table with strong liquor and began to drink heartily.