Chapter 756: Gaining Trust

Elder Wang stood rooted to the spot, the anger on his face replaced by a look of grievance. ‘I’m an Elder of a major power, for crying out loud! Couldn’t he have saved me some face in front of all these disciples? Those two slaps… truly merciless!’

“Hmph. Is this how an Elder of the Blood Evil Alliance behaves? So uncivilized? Even your Alliance Leader has to show me some respect, yet a minor Elder like you dares to point your finger in my face?” Shen Haoran looked down at Elder Wang and spoke coldly, his icy gaze boring into the man’s eyes and sending a chill through his heart.

Elder Wang stared at Shen Haoran, dumbfounded. Although Shen Haoran’s appearance was vastly different from the Zhang Lai of Fallen Valley he had met before, the aura emanating from him was indeed that of a Fallen Valley Martial Artist. This left Elder Wang deeply confused, unsure of how to judge the situation.

“What, are you going to make me stand here and talk to you like this?” Shen Haoran frowned at the motionless Elder Wang.

“Well… sir, as you know, we are in the middle of our operation against the Five Elements Sect. We’ve reached a critical moment, and the Alliance Leader has ordered that no one is to approach—not even him. So, please, try to understand,” Elder Wang said. He was still half-convinced and half-doubtful of Shen Haoran’s identity, so for now, he could only pretend to treat him as an Elder from Fallen Valley, though he remained on guard.

Hearing Elder Wang’s words, Shen Haoran instantly understood. ‘Looks like he’s still wary of me. No wonder the Blood Evil Alliance made him an Elder. Anyone else would have probably buckled by now.’

At this thought, a cold smirk touched Shen Haoran’s lips. He took a small step forward, closing the distance with Elder Wang, and a terrifying aura erupted from him, enveloping the Elder completely. Although Shen Haoran’s Cultivation was only at Tier One Spirit Emperor, when it came to sheer presence, he was in no way inferior to a Spirit Emperor Tier expert.

Elder Wang stared in terror at the man before him. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard; Shen Haoran’s aura made him feel as if his very life were under threat.

“S-Sir, you…” Elder Wang wanted to back away, but his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, refusing to move.

“I’m just wondering if there’s any need to keep you alive,” Shen Haoran said nonchalantly, looking Elder Wang up and down. As his words fell, Xue Ling, standing behind him, gave a perfectly timed cold snort. An aura no less powerful than Shen Haoran’s erupted from her, forcing Elder Wang and the surrounding patrol team to stumble back two steps.

Elder Wang and the patrol team stared at Xue Ling in utter shock. They had originally assumed she was just Shen Haoran’s maid, but they never imagined this “maid” would possess the power of the Spirit Emperor Tier. At that moment, some of Elder Wang’s suspicions about Shen Haoran began to fade.

“It’s been two months, and you can’t even take down a declining Sect. What use are you?” Shen Haoran’s icy voice rang out again. “The Valley Master has long since lost his patience with you. If you drag this out any longer and let the members of the Shen Family inside the Five Elements Sect escape, then none of you from the Blood Evil Alliance will live to see another day!”

At these words, Elder Wang’s expression changed drastically. All his doubts about Shen Haoran vanished completely. The entire reason Fallen Valley was cooperating with the Blood Evil Alliance was to get to the Shen Family hiding within the Five Elements Sect. This was a secret known only to Fallen Valley and a few high-ranking members of the Blood Evil Alliance. The fact that Shen Haoran could mention it was more than enough to prove his identity.

“Elder Ning, this lowly one is Wang Zhang. I have been disrespectful. This way, please!” Now certain of Shen Haoran’s identity, Elder Wang’s attitude did a complete one-eighty as he spoke with the utmost reverence.

Seeing Wang Zhang’s change in attitude, Shen Haoran breathed a long sigh of relief. ‘I’ve finally earned his trust. As long as I have that, the rest will be much easier.’

Shen Haoran retracted his aura and, with his hands clasped behind his back, swaggered forward. Xue Ling followed closely behind him. As she passed by Wang Zhang, she shot him a brief, cold glance. The icy look made Wang Zhang shudder, and his posture became even more deferential.

Escorted by Wang Zhang, Shen Haoran arrived at the Blood Evil Alliance’s command tent. Inside, two other old men were seated, discussing something.

Seeing Shen Haoran and Wang Zhang enter, the two elders stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Shen Haoran, their brows immediately furrowing.

“Brother Wang, is this the ‘sir’ from Fallen Valley you mentioned?” one of the elders asked, standing up. His expression was indifferent, but his eyes were filled with vigilance as he looked at Shen Haoran.

“Zhang Xiong, watch your attitude! This is a distinguished guest from Fallen Valley!” Wang Zhang warned, noticing the wariness on the other elder’s face.

“Brother Wang, has your old age finally blurred your vision? A dignitary from Fallen Valley, appearing so brazenly in the Southern Domain? If you casually bring an outsider in here and he turns out to be a spy from the Five Elements Sect, let’s see how you explain yourself to the Alliance Leader!” the elder called Zhang Xiong snorted coldly.

In response, Shen Haoran merely gave the man a cool glance, then found a chair and sat down casually. He turned to Wang Zhang and said nonchalantly, “You handle this. If you can’t, then there’s no need for either of them to stay alive.”

Hearing Shen Haoran’s frigid tone, Wang Zhang shuddered. He shot forward like an arrow, appearing before Zhang Xiong. Before the other man could react, Wang Zhang, mimicking Shen Haoran, swung his palm in a vicious slap.

“Look closely! This is Elder Ning’s Token! He was sent by Fallen Valley to help us deal with the Five Elements Sect! If you dare speak to him in that tone again, believe me, I’ll have the Alliance Leader take your head!” Wang Zhang hissed at Zhang Xiong.

“You hit me for him? Wang Zhang, don’t think you can act so wantonly just because you have some distant family ties to the Alliance Leader! I…” Zhang Xiong clutched his cheek, glaring furiously at Wang Zhang. But before he could finish, Wang Zhang slapped him again.

“Shut up! Elder Ning is here for the Shen Clan Members trapped in the Five Elements Sect! If you dare show him any more disrespect, not even I will be able to save you!” Wang Zhang shouted sharply.

Hearing Wang Zhang’s words, both Zhang Xiong and the other elder froze. They, of course, knew that Fallen Valley’s true objective was the Shen Family members within the Five Elements Sect. The fact that the man before them knew about the Shen Family meant he had to be an Elder from Fallen Valley. There was no doubt.

“Sir! This lowly one, Zhang Xiong, and he, Niu Chong, greet you! We were blind just now! Please, be merciful, sir, and don’t hold this against lesser men like us!” Zhang Xiong and Niu Chong fell to their knees before Shen Haoran, their faces pale as they begged for mercy.

“Truly pathetic. But I have a use for you, so I won’t be taking your lives,” Shen Haoran said nonchalantly, looking down on the two men.

Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, Zhang Xiong and Niu Chong carefully studied this Elder Ning from Fallen Valley. Seeing that he truly had no killing intent, they finally relaxed…