Chapter 701 695: End

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

A series of booms rang incessantly in everyone's ears. After an unknown amount of time, they finally stopped. The raging storm gradually subsided, and the blinding light disappeared, allowing everyone's vision to return.

When everyone's vision returned, they couldn't help but gasp at the scene before them.

The martial arts arena before them was now a scene of utter devastation, ravaged by the recent storm. Massive cracks snaked out from the arena, stretching all the way to the spectator stands. The original Martial Arts Arena itself was now a giant crater. Even the walls of the Underground Boxing Market, reinforced with protective arrays, couldn't bear the load and had fractured all over. The largest arena in the Underground Boxing Market had been completely destroyed in that single storm!

GULP... In the dead-silent Underground Boxing Market, the sound of someone swallowing hard suddenly echoed. Everyone stared blankly at the nearly obliterated arena, their clothes drenched in cold sweat. The destructive power of Shen Haoran's attack was simply horrifying. If it weren't for the Underground Boxing Market's protective arrays, they would have been caught in the aftermath. Few would dare claim they could have survived such a terrifying Energy storm.

Once their initial shock subsided, the crowd began to search for any sign of Shen Haoran and the five Golden Martial Artists. They scanned the air above the Underground Boxing Market, but no one was there. A few tattered pieces of golden robes, however, fluttered down from above. Seeing them, everyone understood the fate of the five Golden Martial Artists.

"What about Leng Feng?" The crowd began searching for Shen Haoran's figure within the deep crater. At last, they spotted him behind a shattered boulder, just as he was unsteadily climbing out.

Shen Haoran's body was also covered in cuts, both large and small. The Energy storm hadn't distinguished between friend and foe, and as its creator, Shen Haoran had been caught in the blast as well. Fortunately, he had deployed his Black Tortoise Shield in time, escaping with only superficial wounds.

Shen Haoran gazed at the destroyed arena around him, a flash of surprise in his eyes. 'The power of the Demon Dragon's Descent far exceeded my imagination. It's a Martial Skill that came with the Demon Dragon Claw. After I awakened my Chaos Divine Body, it just appeared in my mind out of nowhere, as if I was born knowing it. This was my first time using it... I never expected it to be so terrifying.'

However, using such a powerful Martial Skill always came at a price. Shen Haoran's left arm was now completely numb, and the Spiritual Power in his body was utterly depleted. Even the Wood Spirit Cyan Profound had grown listless, pulsing feebly within the Primordial Small World; its restorative ability had dwindled to almost nothing. Shen Haoran could only offer a wry smile. 'Looks like this Demon Dragon's Descent is just like Flame Sun Burst,' he thought. 'At my current level, I can only use it once. I can't just throw it around unless it's a true crisis.'

Shen Haoran plopped down on the boulder and tossed several Spirit Revitalizing Pills into his mouth, beginning the process of Recovering his depleted Spiritual Power.

The crowd watched Shen Haoran calmly Recovering his Spiritual Power, all of them in a daze. Challenging the Golden Martial Artists of the Underground Boxing Market wasn't unheard of in the City of Sin. But for someone like Shen Haoran to challenge eight of them at once—and kill every single one—that was a feat of strength no one besides the former Kings had ever accomplished. As this realization dawned on them, the crowd's gazes turned fervent. A King... could Shen Haoran truly become the next King of the City of Sin?

Backstage, Luo Yu and the dozen or so Golden Martial Artists were also staring dumbfounded at Shen Haoran, who sat meditating on the boulder. It took them a moment to snap out of their stupor. Their original plan was for Shen Haoran to disable the eight spies one by one, allowing them to finish the job from the shadows. But Shen Haoran had just gone and fought all eight at once, brutally slaughtering every last one. On top of that, he'd nearly wiped their largest arena in the Underground Boxing Market off the map. Shen Haoran's combat prowess was simply frightening!

"Ahem," Luo Yu said after finally snapping out of it. He cleared his throat and looked at the dozen Golden Martial Artists behind him. "Someone was calling him useless earlier, weren't they?"

Hearing Luo Yu, looks of embarrassment crept onto the faces of the dozen men. They recalled their earlier contempt for Shen Haoran, and now, seeing his true strength, they wished they could find a hole to crawl into and hide. Shen Haoran could handle eight opponents at once, opponents they themselves weren't even sure they could beat one-on-one. By that logic, Shen Haoran could probably take on eight of *them* with no problem. If someone like that was considered useless, then they were less than useless. At that moment, they were completely and utterly convinced of his power.

"The Supervisor's eye for talent is as sharp as ever!" one of the Golden Martial Artists exclaimed, quickly changing the subject and starting to suck up to Luo Yu. The others immediately chimed in.

"That's right! When has the Supervisor ever misjudged someone? This Brother Leng will surely help us solve our Ten Thousand Snakes Cave problem!"

"The Supervisor is incredible, finding an ally like him!"

Luo Yu basked in the flattery, his eyes narrowing into smiling slits. These men had been somewhat insubordinate before. Now, riding on Shen Haoran's coattails, they would likely hang on his every word. 'Shen Haoran really did me a huge favor!' he thought.

Luo Yu gave a slight wave of his hand, silencing the men. He then walked out into the ruined arena himself. Standing amidst the devastation, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. The ground underfoot was soft, and a single step could press a deep hole into it. This entire floor had been paved with Cyan Radiance Stone, which he had paid a fortune for. It was supposed to withstand a full-force attack from a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse, yet Shen Haoran's single strike had blasted it to dust. 'Just how powerful was that attack?!'

Luo Yu silently mourned his expensive arena for a second before walking over to Shen Haoran and giving him a nod. He then turned and announced to all the Martial Artists present, "Leng Feng's challenge is a success! From this day forward, he is the one hundred and first Martial Artist of our Underground Boxing Market to hold Gold status! Let's congratulate him!"

At Luo Yu's words, the crowd erupted in a massive cheer. They no longer gave a second thought to the eight dead Golden Martial Artists. This was the way of the City of Sin. Only the strong earned respect. Even if you were once a Golden Martial Artist, the moment you were defeated, you became one of the weak. And when the weak died, nobody cared.

Amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd, Shen Haoran followed Luo Yu backstage. The challenge match was officially over. Shen Haoran's name would now be remembered throughout the City of Sin, and the story of this battle would surely be told for a very long time.

Meanwhile, in a dark corner of the Underground Boxing Market, a shadowy figure stared coldly at Shen Haoran's disappearing back. In a flash, the figure vanished, as if they had never been there at all…