Chapter 708 702: Shen Haoran is Enraged

A dense, baleful aura erupted from Shen Haoran as purple-black flames surged to life around him. The temperature inside the private room skyrocketed, the terrifying heat even beginning to melt the floor. A chilling killing intent spread out, and the faces of Luo Yu and the others filled with terror.

They had all seen Shen Haoran angry before, but never had they seen him in such a furious rage. As they stared at his back, a saying came to mind: a Demon God in its rage can slaughter the world. Right now, Shen Haoran seemed like a Demon God straight from Hell. Even Luo Yu, who had weathered many storms, couldn't help but shrink back in fear. The Shen Haoran before them was utterly terrifying. The pressure erupting from him felt like a great mountain, crushing them until they could barely breathe.

Beside them, Lady Ya and Long Aotian also stared at Shen Haoran in disbelief. They had known him for some time but had never seen him like this. The man before them felt like a complete stranger. Yet, seeing him this way made Lady Ya's heart ache. 'Such a dense, baleful aura... such terrifying killing intent... what on earth did Haoran have to go through to develop such an oppressive presence?' She couldn't even bring herself to imagine it.

The only person in the private room whose expression remained unchanged was Ji Lingxuan. Of everyone present, she was the one who knew Shen Haoran best. They had faced life and death together, so she understood his current state perfectly. This side of him rarely appeared—only when someone touched his Reversed Scale. In her memory, the number of times Shen Haoran had flown into such a rage could be counted on one hand.

The first time was when she had been badly injured. In a fury, Shen Haoran had single-handedly slain a Tier Five Spirit Beast. At the time, he was merely at the Spirit Pupil Tier, and a Tier Five Spirit Beast should have been an invincible foe. Yet, he had done it!

The second time was when the Shen Family was on the verge of being annihilated. Shen Haoran had stormed into Fallen Valley, the stronghold of the Northern Domain Dominator, all by himself. He slew three Elders, severely wounded Fallen Valley's Valley Master, and nearly wiped out the entire sect!

The third time was when Shen Haoran found out what the White Tiger Race had done to Lady Ya. In his fury, he annihilated the entire Golden Rat Race. If Ji Lingxuan hadn't stopped him, the Four Great Divine Beast Families of Zhongdu would likely have been reduced to three!

Whenever Shen Haoran entered this state of extreme rage, a river of blood was sure to flow. A dragon has a Reversed Scale; touch it, and you die. Even the most saintly person will turn into a demon in an instant if you touch their reversed scale. And Shen Haoran was a demon to begin with. When his Reversed Scale was touched, he transformed into something that even other demons would fear.

However, this was not the time for him to erupt. Ji Lingxuan stepped forward and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. A cool Water Attribute Spiritual Power flowed into his body, soothing his furious heart. Her ethereal voice whispered in his ear, "Brother Haoran, calm down. Now isn't the time to act."

Under Ji Lingxuan's touch, Shen Haoran's raging heart gradually calmed, and his crimson eyes became clear once more. The overwhelming, baleful aura receded into his body like a subsiding tide. The others felt the pressure on their shoulders vanish, and their bodies went limp, slumping to the floor. They gasped for breath, their eyes still filled with terror as they looked at Shen Haoran.

If there was anyone in the world who could pacify Shen Haoran in that state of rage, it was without a doubt Ji Lingxuan. Their bond and mutual understanding were irreplaceable.

Coming back to his senses, Shen Haoran saw the look on everyone's faces and gave an apologetic nod. "Sorry, I lost my composure."

Luo Yu looked at Shen Haoran, his expression grave. "Little Brother Leng," he said, "do you have some connection to that auctioneer?" He had noticed that Shen Haoran's drastic change occurred the moment the auctioneer appeared. There had to be an untold secret between the two.

"That auctioneer... she's the one I'm looking for," Shen Haoran said in a low voice, his gaze fixed on Xue Ling, who was the center of attention on the auction stage. A vicious, blood-red glint flashed in his eyes once more.

Hearing this, the others glanced from Xue Ling on the stage to Ji Lingxuan and Lady Ya standing behind Shen Haoran, and a sudden understanding dawned on them. They were filled with boundless admiration for him. Behind him stood Ji Lingxuan, a celestial fairy, and Lady Ya, a worldly Saintess. Below on the stage was Xue Ling, who was clearly a Demoness from the Demon Race. 'To think he's won over all of them,' they thought. 'Shen Haoran's luck with women is truly incredible!'

But that led to another question. How could Xue Ling also be the future wife of the King of the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave?

"It looks like Sister Xue Ling is being controlled," Ji Lingxuan whispered in Shen Haoran's ear, an icy blue light flashing in her eyes for an instant.

At her words, Shen Haoran fixed his gaze on Xue Ling again. This time, he also noticed something was off. While Xue Ling appeared normal on the surface, her eyes were completely vacant and lifeless, as if her consciousness had been stripped away. In other words, she was like a Puppet, with someone else pulling the strings!

'Hmph. King?' a vicious thought flashed through Shen Haoran's mind. 'I'll make you wish you were dead!'

As Shen Haoran watched, Xue Ling's mechanical voice rang out. "Welcome, everyone, to the Hell Auction House. I am your auctioneer for this event, and also the future..." She trailed off, unable to say the final word. Her eyes filled with struggle, as if she was fighting against saying it.

"...wife." But as a flicker of pain crossed her face, the struggle in her eyes disappeared. She finally managed to say the word, and her gaze immediately went vacant and lifeless again.

Hearing that word, Shen Haoran felt a sharp, inexplicable pain in his heart. A wave of guilt washed over him. 'If it weren't for me, Xue Ling wouldn't have ended up like this. In the end, this is all my fault!'

'Just wait,' a determined glint flashed in Shen Haoran's eyes. 'I will get you out of there!' He then sat down on the sofa, his face expressionless, and quietly waited for the auction to start.

"And now, our auction officially begins! The first item is a Top Grade Spiritual Artifact forged from Fire Obsidian. It can slice through iron like mud, and its power is amplified when wielded by a Fire Attribute Martial Artist! The starting bid is one hundred thousand Elemental Stones. Let the bidding commence!" Down below, the auction finally began amid the roar of the crowd. Shen Haoran glanced at Xue Ling one last time, then closed his eyes. He was afraid that if he kept watching, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from storming out and taking her away by force.

"Oh? He actually held back," Shen Cheng mused from somewhere in the main hall, a sinister smile playing on his lips as he watched the auction get underway. "It seems I underestimated your self-control. But I suppose that's to be expected from someone who endured being called trash for five years."

"The real show is just getting started. Don't you go disappointing me, now," Shen Cheng sneered. With a flicker, he vanished from sight.