Chapter 714 - 708: Threat

Ever since seeing the King yesterday, Shen Haoran had felt a deeply familiar aura. Last night, he had searched his memories and discovered that the person whose aura came closest was, surprisingly, Shen Cheng—the very man he had driven out of the Shen Family years ago!

Staring at the man before him, Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed. The scene from years ago felt as if it had happened only yesterday: Shen Cheng’s abuse, his own awakening of the Chaos Divine Body, and the subsequent crippling of Shen Cheng’s cultivation before he cast both Shen Cheng and his second uncle out of the Shen Family. But now, Shen Cheng’s power had actually reached the Spirit Emperor Tier, and he had even become the King of this City of Sin. ’What on earth happened to him all these years?’

The Martial Artists before the great hall stared blankly at Shen Cheng on the high platform, unable to process what they were seeing. This was the first time they had laid eyes on the true face of the King of the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave; he had always kept himself completely shrouded in a black robe. They never expected the King who held absolute power in the City of Sin to be so young. And not only did he know Shen Haoran, but they were cousins.

"Shen Haoran, you never expected we’d meet again, did you!" Shen Cheng looked down on Shen Haoran, his eyes filled with venomous hatred. The sight of Shen Haoran brought back memories of his own agonizing life over the past few years. ’I have you to thank for everything I’ve become!’

"I certainly didn’t. And I especially didn’t expect you to become this... thing, neither human nor ghost!" Shen Haoran said with a slight frown, glancing at Shen Cheng’s pale face. The sensation Shen Cheng gave off was bizarre. His aura was identical to that of the white-robed youth who had appeared in the Demon Race Central City. In fact, he had encountered this aura more than once—in the Five Elements Sect Secret Realm, the Northern Domain Secret Realm, and from those black monsters. ’It feels like something on this continent is gradually awakening,’ Shen Haoran thought, a deep sense of unease settling in his heart.

At Shen Haoran’s words, Shen Cheng’s expression twisted into a savage mask. His eyes, fixed on Shen Haoran, looked as if they were about to bulge from their sockets. A dense black energy erupted from him in an instant, shrouding the entire sky, and his body began to tremble violently with rage.

"Neither human nor ghost? HAHA! Shen Haoran, who’s responsible for what I’ve become? It was YOU! If it weren’t for you, would my cultivation have been crippled?! If it weren’t for you, would I have been left homeless, fighting stray dogs for scraps?! If it weren’t for you, would my own father have sold me to human traffickers?! If it weren’t for you, would I have killed my own father with my bare hands?! This is all because of YOU!" Shen Cheng practically roared the words, the madness on his face sending a chill of terror through everyone present.

Everyone had only ever seen Shen Cheng’s glamorous public image. They never imagined he had such a past. Patricide—killing his own father. Now that was some explosive news. It also seemed he and Shen Haoran were from the same family and held a deep grudge against each other. This was turning out to be quite a show!

"You should have considered the consequences when you tried to kill me back then. You’re simply reaping what you sowed," Shen Haoran said coolly. ’If Shen Cheng hadn’t tried to kill me, I never would have crippled his cultivation and cast him out of the Shen Family. He brought all of this on himself.’

"You’re right. I do regret it. I regret not killing you when you were still a good-for-nothing! But it’s not too late. In my eyes, you’re still a good-for-nothing. In fact, I should thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would never have obtained such immense power!" Shen Cheng clenched his fist, and the very space around it seemed to twist and distort. The power to command space itself—this was the hallmark of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse!

Staring at the immensely powerful Shen Cheng, Shen Haoran’s expression grew grave. A Spirit Emperor Powerhouse... Reaching the Spirit Emperor Tier meant one had gained the recognition of heaven and earth, allowing them to wield the very forces of nature. With his current strength, even if Shen Haoran used every trick up his sleeve, the best he could hope for was to escape with his life. He was no match for Shen Cheng.

"Hmph. You must have sold off quite a bit of yourself to gain this kind of power," Shen Haoran snorted.

Hearing this, Shen Cheng let out a sinister chuckle. He wagged his index finger in front of Shen Haoran and whispered, "No, no, no. I only sold one thing. And that one thing... was my soul."

The surrounding Martial Artists gasped. Selling your own soul just for power... The depth of Shen Cheng’s hatred for Shen Haoran was truly immense.

"What, surprised? A soul is the most worthless thing there is. The moment I killed my own father, I ceased to be me. A single soul in exchange for immense power... I’d say it’s a bargain! Just look at you now, trembling before me, forced to watch as your beloved woman becomes my plaything. How does that feel? Pretty satisfying, right? HAHA!" Shen Cheng roared with laughter, his face a mask of savagery. With that, he yanked the "Xue Ling" beside him into his arms.

"’Beloved woman?’" Watching Shen Cheng put his hands all over the woman, Shen Haoran snorted. A pitch-black vortex abruptly appeared behind him, and a longsword wreathed in black flames shot out. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of the bride, whisking the red veil from her head and revealing a stunningly beautiful face.

The crowd gasped at the sight of her. While the woman was indeed stunning, when compared to the Xue Ling who had appeared yesterday, they were worlds apart. Their entire bearing was on a completely different level.

"Who is this woman?" the crowd wondered, completely confused.

Seeing Shen Haoran expose the woman’s face, Shen Cheng looked utterly disappointed. He shoved her aside and sneered at Shen Haoran, "Not bad. I thought you’d charge at me like a rabid dog, ready to fight to the death. How boring!"

"Where is Xue Ling?" Shen Haoran asked coldly, ignoring Shen Cheng’s taunt.

"Xue Ling? You want to know? Fine. Kill Su Chi, and I’ll tell you," Shen Cheng said, a cruel, mocking smile playing on his lips. He loved the feeling of toying with Shen Haoran like this; it brought back the same thrill he used to get tormenting him back at the Shen Family estate. Today, he would make Shen Haoran pay for all the years of suffering he had endured—and he would pay double!

"What, not going to do it? In that case, I don’t mind letting you have a taste of what it’s like to lose someone you love!" Shen Cheng threatened savagely when Shen Haoran didn’t move.

"You’d better keep your word. Otherwise, I’ll make you remember what it feels like to have your cultivation crippled," Shen Haoran said coldly, his eyes narrowing. At the same time, a pitch-black shadow slipped from his body with extreme stealth, rushing toward the depths of Wanshe Mountain...