Chapter 368: One Slash, One Hole

A quarter of an hour passed, and the cries that had echoed across the Hunting Arena gradually subsided.

The dark-skinned man set his daughter down and knelt heavily in Innkeeper Hua’s direction, bowing three times with force.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each impact sounded like a muffled drumbeat, leaving a deep, bone-deep wound on his forehead. Crimson blood gushed out, quickly soaking his chest.

“Innkeeper Hua!”

“If you’ve saved us, then save us to the end! Send the Buddha all the way to the West!”

“Please, think of something—save my wife and me! Our child is still young—she can’t lose both her parents…”

As soon as the dark-skinned man finished speaking, the sallow-faced woman beside him also began to kowtow toward Innkeeper Hua.

“Innkeeper Hua, you are a living Bodhisattva—please, save us! Save us!”

“In our next life, my husband and I will serve you like oxen and horses!”

Seeing this, Innkeeper Hua’s expression turned icy, and she remained silent.

Her original plan had been to send her inn workers away first before turning against Duan Chen.

Even if she couldn’t defeat him in the end, she intended to take a chunk of flesh from him!

But now, with Little Lian’s parents placed in opposition to her, the Hunting Arena’s rules left her with only two choices: kill them or be killed by them—there was no third option.

After a long silence, Hua Erniang looked up at the amused host, Ying Xiang, on the platform and asked coldly,

“May I ask what crime this couple committed to end up in the Hunting Arena?”

Ying Xiang, arms crossed, responded nonchalantly from his perch on a nearby pillar,

“They attempted to storm the Hunting Arena to rescue someone—does that count?”

Hua Erniang wasn’t surprised by the accusation. From the moment the couple declared their intent to rescue their daughter, she had already guessed their likely fate.

She had assumed they were dead. What she hadn’t expected was that they had been captured instead—and deliberately placed in this final round.

Most crucially, their original goal had been to save their daughter. Knowing full well they would die, they had still come.

But now, despite understanding the arena’s rules, they were begging her for help. Was it sheer desperation—or something else?

After all, to put it bluntly, if they truly wanted to save their daughter, the simplest way would be to take their own lives in the arena. No matter how ruthless the Hunting Arena was, they would have to release the girl…

“Boss!”

“Hurry and do it!”

“As long as we kill them, all of us—more than a dozen people—can survive!”

The urgent cries came from the skinny young inn worker who had wept and wailed when they first entered the arena.

Previously, he had cowered at the back during the fights. But now, seeing that the opponents were mere mortals, his courage swelled. He even strode toward the middle-aged couple.

As he passed Innkeeper Hua, she reached out to stop him, speaking coldly,

“Step back. Let me think of a way.”

“Think of a way?” The young man, agitated, shouted,

“Boss! What way is there left?”

“Sir Duan fought every round to get us here!”

“And now, in this final match, the arena has sent these two out—they’re clearly playing with us!”

“If you don’t kill them, they will kill you!”

“If you can’t do it, then I will!”

His face twisted with malice as he stepped sideways, trying to bypass Hua Erniang. But before he could take two steps, she struck him down with a single palm!

Perhaps it was because he was too frail, or perhaps Hua Erniang misjudged her strength—her slap sent the young man sprawling, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Clutching his chest, he gave Hua Erniang a dark, venomous look but said no more, turning his head away.

At the same time, Duan Chen looked toward the host, Ying Xiang, and cupped his hands.

“May I ask, Lord Ying, we have already won nine rounds. If the final match were against formidable opponents, we could still handle it. But now, our opponents are two ordinary mortals, and they have ties to that child.

“We truly find it difficult to strike…

“Could the Hunting Arena show some mercy and change our opponents? Or perhaps the arena’s owner wishes to see a different kind of match—just say the word, and I, Duan, will comply without complaint!”

Hearing this, Ying Xiang narrowed his eyes slightly, then looked toward the void and said indifferently,

“Very well, I shall ask the Hunting Arena’s owner on your behalf.”

Duan Chen cupped his hands again. “Many thanks.”

The next second, Ying Xiang turned toward the largest private box at the center, making a formal bow. His lips moved slightly, as if he were communicating with someone…

“Mr. Gu, isn’t it just the Void Emperor and the Void Emperor’s wife left in the box?”

“Who exactly is this old eagle transmitting his voice to?”

Doubao asked, full of doubt.

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an chuckled.

“He’s not transmitting anything at all. He’s just putting on an act to help Duan Chen stage a performance.”

Doubao nodded.

“A convincing act indeed. I almost thought he was about to communicate with the dead, like Mi Youfu and the others…”

Gu Ning’an replied, “Even if he could, it wouldn’t matter. The Void Emperor’s wife wiped out everyone inside that room in a single strike, body and soul alike. They didn’t even have the chance to become wandering ghosts.”

At this, Doubao shuddered.

“Brutal…”

Before long, Ying Xiang solemnly stood up, looked at Duan Chen in the arena, and made a formal salute toward the central box. Then, with a serious expression, he declared:

“The owner has shown mercy and is willing to give you a chance.

“There are eleven mortal challengers here, plus two mortal defenders. If you wish to take them all away, each of you must endure thirteen strikes!”

“Following the rule of one blade, one hole!”

One blade, one hole!

Even though demonic cultivators have tough bodies and strong vitality, the two people in the arena were already at their limits. No one could endure thirteen consecutive strikes unscathed!

And even worse, Ying Xiang never specified who would be wielding the blades, nor where those strikes would land!

Duan Chen stepped forward alone and cupped his hands.

“Can I take all the strikes myself?”

Ying Xiang smiled with interest.

“It’s not impossible… but can you withstand all twenty-six strikes?”

“You should think carefully. Cultivation is no easy path. Don’t throw away your life just to show off your bravery!”

“I’ve thought it through! I will take them all!”

Duan Chen didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

“Shall I administer them myself, or will someone else do it?”

“Duan Chen!”

Behind him, Hua Erniang’s urgent voice rang out.

Duan Chen didn’t turn around. Instead, he waved his hand nonchalantly and said,

“Lady Hua, don’t try to stop me. As long as I’m here, I won’t let you suffer a single wound!”

“No, I’m not trying to stop you…”

“I just wanted to ask—can I be the one to do it?”

As soon as Hua Erniang finished speaking, Duan Chen felt a strange sensation and turned back.

He saw Hua Erniang in her deep red dress, slowly approaching him, holding a bloodstained longsword.

And in the spot where she had just been standing, a blood-soaked handkerchief, cut cleanly in two, lay on the ground.