Chapter 334: Spiderweb

As Doubao’s doubtful voice echoed beside him, Gu Ning’an chuckled and said, “Then I guess that next, the black-clad swordsman will once again give Innkeeper Hua the chance to spin the roulette.”

“And when Innkeeper Hua spins again, the result will undoubtedly be the same.”

Hearing this, Doubao curiously asked, “Sir, is their luck really that bad?”

Doubao believed the first part of Gu Ning’an’s prediction—after all, that black-clad swordsman clearly had the look of a hopeless romantic and would naturally let Hua Erniang be the one to “test fate.”

But if there was no external interference, would it really land on 10 again?

Gu Ning’an shook his head. “From the moment Innkeeper Hua stepped into this arena, the word ‘luck’ has already fallen into the hands of others.”

“Oh…” Doubao nodded, half-understanding.

Meanwhile, after a brief back-and-forth, the black-clad swordsman once again let Hua Erniang spin the roulette.

Sure enough, when the wheel came to a stop, the pointer landed on 10 once more!

“Sir, you predicted it perfectly!” Doubao trembled slightly.

Gu Ning’an reached out and patted Doubao’s soft little head, smiling. “It wasn’t really a prediction.”

Doubao nodded enthusiastically. “Mm! Sir has divine foresight—you calculated it!”

“Ah, you and your habit of saying auspicious things…” Gu Ning’an chuckled, giving Doubao’s cheek a light pinch before turning his attention back to the arena.

In the arena, Hua Erniang’s eyes narrowed slightly. From the moment she spun the wheel, her gaze had never left the Spirit-Detecting Stone. Yet, that black stone hadn’t reacted in the slightest.

“Is my luck really that bad?” she murmured under her breath, then turned a cold gaze toward the grinning Ying Xiang. Her voice was indifferent. “Why are you just standing there? Or is my first opponent going to be you?”

The latter quickly waved his hands. “Ah, ah, ah! Innkeeper Hua, don’t scare me—I can’t fight you.”

With that, Ying Xiang suddenly flapped his wings and soared into the air, announcing the new defender of the arena!

Since a co-challenger had joined the match, the previous arena defender had to be replaced. This rule was in place to prevent situations where the co-challenger was far stronger than the original defender, which could result in an easy victory.

Thus, a new defender was chosen.

As Ying Xiang made his announcement, the stone door on the right slowly creaked open. The silver wolf that had been there earlier darted inside the moment a gap appeared, as if terrified of being left behind and accidentally slaughtered.

“Next, let us welcome the defender of the arena, undefeated in five consecutive battles—Black Hand!”

As soon as Ying Xiang finished speaking, he hovered a little higher, his gaze filled with amusement as he looked toward the right-side stone door.

Meanwhile, the spectators erupted into excited discussions upon hearing the defender’s name.

“The first match is against Black Hand? Innkeeper Hua and her group really have the worst luck imaginable!”

“No kidding! Black Hand’s fighting style is completely shameless—this arena is her natural hunting ground!”

“Don’t panic! Hua Erniang’s cultivation is higher than Black Hand’s. Maybe she has a way to counter that shameless style!”

From the murmured discussions around him, Gu Ning’an pieced together some information about Black Hand.

This Black Hand was apparently a spider demon.

Her infamous fighting style involved covering the entire arena with spiderwebs.

Not only were her webs poisonous, but when she clung to them, her speed, strength, and perception all increased significantly.

Conversely, her opponents had to constantly guard against both the poison and the risk of getting entangled—all while trying to finish her off quickly.

Because if they didn’t…

Once Black Hand covered the whole battlefield in webs, she could simply wear down her opponent, slowly tormenting them to death.

Shhh~ Shhh~

Crunch… Crunch…

Amidst a sinister rustling and a grotesque chewing sound, a figure slowly stepped out from the shadows of the stone doorway.

It was an old crone, her mouth stained with fresh blood.

Her face was pockmarked and uneven, resembling a jagged, grotesque rock.

In her arms, she clutched the headless corpse of a wolf, blood pouring relentlessly from its severed neck. The crimson tide seeped across the rocky ground, drenching the crone’s tattered robes.

As the old crone walked toward the center of the arena, she continued to tear into the wolf carcass in her hands. With every bite, the sound of flesh and bone being separated echoed clearly through the arena.

Even though most of the spectators present were demon cultivators who were used to raw flesh and blood, their hair stood on end at the sight.

Smack!

The old crone casually flung the mangled wolf corpse onto the ground and spat a few times. “Ugh, disgusting. The meat’s too tough.”

“Black Hand, no matter how hungry you are, you shouldn’t—”

Hovering in midair, Ying Xiang suddenly cut himself off. Sensing the unsettling look in the old crone’s eyes, he quickly changed his tune: “Well, what’s done is done. At least you’re full now—you’ll have more strength for the fight.”

The moment those words left his mouth, his figure shot off like an arrow from a bow, vanishing from the arena in an instant.

The host’s departure signaled the official start of the battle!

Hua Erniang instructed Duan Chen to protect the inn staff while she took a few steps forward to face off against the old crone.

“Little girl, you have such a beautiful face…”

Blood dripped from the corners of the crone’s mouth, some still trickling down, making her look like a demon straight out of hell.

Hua Erniang was about to respond when the old crone suddenly let out a mocking laugh. “I’m so jealous of you.”

The next moment, she leapt into the air, spreading her limbs wide. The cratered skin covering her entire body suddenly burst forth with thousands of spider threads, shooting out in all directions!

The threads rapidly expanded from her body, each one glinting with an eerie cold light as they stuck to the arena’s surroundings with loud, wet snaps.

Across from her, Hua Erniang retreated midair and landed in front of the inn staff, her hands moving rapidly to slash apart the incoming spider threads.

Not far away, the black-clad swordsman fulfilled his self-appointed duty, cutting down the threads that were flying toward the inn staff one by one.

After a few moments, the old crone stopped releasing threads. By now, two-thirds of the arena had already been taken over, the silk strands weaving together into a massive web that tightly enclosed the battlefield.

From the web, dark green venom dripped onto the ground, sizzling as it corroded the stone, leaving behind pits the size of soybeans. Meanwhile, the old crone moved nimbly across the web, stepping lightly on the silk strands as she slowly approached Hua Erniang.

“Little girl, you’re so pretty. How about I peel off your skin and wear it myself?”