Chapter 333: The Roulette

Faced with Ying Xiang’s suspenseful tease, the entire audience erupted in a synchronized chant.

“Hua Erniang!”

Her name resounded through the air like thunder.

Sure enough, as the crowd’s voices died down, the heavy rumble of a stone gate opening echoed across the arena. Emerging from the dust and smoke was Innkeeper Hua, clad in a deep red long dress.

Walking alongside her was a black-clad swordsman with a strikingly handsome face.

Unlike Hua Erniang, the black-clad swordsman’s reputation in Eternal Slumber City wasn’t particularly renowned.

Thus, as soon as he appeared, the spectators began whispering among themselves, trying to piece together his identity.

However, despite the tens of thousands of demons present, none could provide a definitive answer about the swordsman.

Only a few mentioned that he seemed to share a childhood bond with Innkeeper Hua.

That said, for those in the audience who had grown somewhat drowsy, Hua Erniang’s arrival alone was more than enough to rekindle their excitement. Having an additional, unidentified swordsman step into the arena? That was just a bonus.

Regardless, anyone who dared to enter this battlefield had to have some real skill—otherwise, it was nothing short of a death wish.

On the arena floor, the servants, upon seeing their innkeeper, instinctively gathered around her. The sheer relief of witnessing their last hope before what they thought was certain death was written all over their faces.

Yet, there was one exception. The young servant boy, at first delighted, quickly showed deep concern. Leading Little Lian closer, he hesitated before whispering, “Boss… you shouldn’t have come…”

The moment those words left his mouth, the lanky young man who had earlier pounded on the stone gate immediately exploded in anger.

“You’re still talking?!

“If the boss hadn’t come, were we all supposed to die along with you?”

“If you hadn’t offended those two demon cultivators—if they hadn’t died from the poison—would we even be in this mess?!”

Now that he had a “savior” to rely on, the lanky youth’s fear had morphed into rage, which he unleashed onto the young servant boy without restraint.

The boy merely gave a bitter smile, choosing not to argue.

Innkeeper Hua, however, shot the lanky youth a sharp glare before speaking in a firm tone.

“Now is not the time for infighting. This has nothing to do with A’Huo.”

“Rest assured, since I’ve come today, I’ll stake my life to ensure your safety!”

Hearing this, the lanky youth immediately forced out a fawning smile.

“Y-Yes! The boss will protect us! We’re saved!”

“Long live the boss!”

“Enough. Stay behind me and don’t cause trouble,” Innkeeper Hua instructed before stepping forward toward Ying Xiang.

Her expression turned serious.

“Let’s not waste time. Spin the wheel.”

Hearing this, Ying Xiang didn’t bother with unnecessary chatter. He patted the storage pouch at his waist, and with a flash of light, an object shot out and landed in the open space beside them.

With a resounding boom, a massive ten-zhang-tall (approx 33 meters) roulette wheel materialized!

The wheel was divided into five sections, each labeled with a number ranging from five to ten. A long, narrow pointer was fixed at the center.

It was clear—the number the wheel landed on would determine the number of battles Hua Erniang and her companions had to win to leave the arena.

At least five fights. At most, ten.

According to Doubao, throughout the history of the hunting arena, the number of times someone had voluntarily joined a match was so rare it could be counted on one hand.

The luckiest demon cultivator had only needed to fight five times. Though he was strong, after winning four consecutive matches, he perished from exhaustion before his final opponent even stepped onto the stage.

The mortality rate for these challenges was staggeringly high. The difficulty of winning was immense. That’s why most people simply didn’t attempt it—there was no point in throwing one’s life away.

Just as Hua Erniang was about to step forward and spin the wheel, Ying Xiang took a step ahead of her, blocking her path.

At the same time, he retrieved a palm-sized black stone and placed it on the ground.

“This is a Spirit-Detecting Stone,” he said. “While our hunting arena prides itself on fairness, I still have to bring this out.”

“After all, we wouldn’t want Innkeeper Hua to accuse us of rigging the wheel if she lands on a number she doesn’t like.”

A Spirit-Detecting Stone, as the name implied, was a tool used to detect spirit energy. Placing it beneath the roulette ensured that if someone attempted to manipulate the spin using their spiritual power, the stone would immediately emit a brilliant red glow.

Ying Xiang’s intent was clear: first, to prevent Hua Erniang from making false accusations, and second, to ensure she didn’t try to alter the outcome of the spin with spiritual power.

After all, this Spirit-Detecting Stone is extremely “sensitive.” Unless you possess the strength of a great demon, the moment you use any spirit energy, it will detect it without fail!

“If there are any more rules, just say them all at once.”

Seeing that Hua Erniang was growing impatient, Ying Xiang smiled and took a few steps back, making a gesture of invitation. “No more. Innkeeper Hua, please proceed.”

The next moment, Hua Erniang stepped forward, grabbed the edge of the roulette wheel, and gave it a strong spin. The wooden wheel let out a whoosh as it rotated rapidly, the numbers on it blurring into streaks.

At the same time, the entire audience held their breath, eyes locked onto the roulette as it gradually slowed down!

Click!

“It’s at eight rounds now!”

Click!

“Nine rounds! The wheel is still moving!”

Click!

“Ten rounds! It landed on ten rounds! Will it move one more time?”

Click.

The roulette pointer trembled slightly over the number 10 before coming to a complete stop.

At that moment, the once silent arena erupted into a deafening uproar!

“Ten rounds! Damn, what kind of horrible luck is this?!”

“A death match! This is definitely a death sentence!”

“What a shame! Innkeeper Hua is a decent person, not to mention beautiful, and now she’s going to die in this arena…”

“Good! Ten rounds is where the real excitement is! Tonight was definitely worth it!”

Inside the arena, the inn workers, who had just regained some color in their faces upon seeing their innkeeper, immediately turned pale again as they saw the number 10.

Ten rounds!

Up until now, no one who entered this arena had ever won ten rounds—or even five!

The best record anyone had was only four victories!

They had initially thought that if it was five, maybe even six or seven rounds, with Innkeeper Hua’s skills and the black-clad swordsman joining her, there might have been a chance to survive.

But now, it was the maximum—ten rounds!

“We’re done for… It’s all over… What rotten luck…” The lanky youth collapsed onto the ground, his face ashen, his eyes filled with despair. It was as if he could already see himself being torn apart and toyed with by the demon cultivators once Innkeeper Hua and the swordsman fell.

“Wait!”

Duan Chen, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and said, “I remember that in the same-arena rule, it doesn’t say we can’t spin twice, does it?”

“We have two people in this fight, so shouldn’t we each get a spin and take the lower number? That would be fair, right?”

Hearing this, Ying Xiang hesitated for a moment before replying, “That’s… acceptable. Go ahead and spin.”

Up in the stands, Doubao shifted restlessly and murmured, “That’s odd… The people running this arena aren’t usually this accommodating. Why did they let the swordsman have another chance so easily?”