Chapter 359: Doubao Gains Knowledge

On the way to the Hunting Arena, the Void Emperor and Gu Ning’an exchanged quite a bit of conversation.

Of course, for the most part, it was the former speaking and the latter listening.

From the Void Emperor’s words, Gu Ning’an learned some unexpected things.

For instance, while the Void Emperor was aware of the Hunting Arena’s existence, he actually did not govern it much. After all, the arena was originally built for the demons to fight.

The demon race had always revered strength, and their competitive nature was entirely normal.

Aside from knowing this, the Void Emperor was completely unaware of any other matters concerning the Hunting Arena. In fact, this ruler of Eternal Slumber City knew even less about the city’s affairs than a Great Wu refugee who had fled there.

The Void Emperor spent the majority of his time in deep slumber. Even when the Void Emperor Temple opened once a month, he would not truly wake up like today. Instead, he would merely send out a wisp of divine sense to collect the incense offerings, leaving everything else unattended—a true hands-off ruler.

As for why he was so drowsy, Gu Ning’an did not ask, and the Void Emperor did not say. But at its core, the problem likely stemmed from that gray thread above the Void Emperor’s head.

From what Gu Ning’an had seen, the Flood Dragon Emperor was also unaware of the gray thread above his own head, so it was likely that the Void Emperor could not sense its presence either.

Additionally, when Gu Ning’an asked the Void Emperor if he recognized him, the Void Emperor replied that the Flood Dragon Emperor had recently invited him to deal with a certain Mr. Gu.

It was then that the Void Emperor learned of Gu Ning’an’s existence, which was why he had seemed somewhat familiar with him upon meeting today.

Having witnessed the entire exchange between Gu Ning’an and the Void Emperor, Doubao, the proclaimed “king” of the Blaze Bug race, felt that he had learned a great deal.

Earlier, he had doubted whether the overly humble black-haired old man before him was truly the Void Emperor. But once Mr. Gu acknowledged his identity, Doubao no longer questioned it.

After all, in Doubao’s eyes, Mr. Gu was an “all-knowing, all-powerful” figure. Anyone who could associate with True Immortals would surely be able to see through the identity of a great demon—it was only natural.

During the time he had been separated from Gu Ning’an, Granny Blaze had repeatedly reminded him that if he ever had the chance to stay by Mr. Gu’s side, he must always keep one word in mind: “learn.”

No matter what Mr. Gu did, he had to ponder its deeper meaning, reflect on it carefully, and commit it to memory.

And today, following Mr. Gu, he had learned two key lessons:

First, no matter how vast the heavens and earth may be, eating is the most important thing. Whenever Mr. Gu had free time, he would take the initiative to cook delicious meals for himself.

Thus, as long as one was not too busy, it was beneficial to make some food—it helped relax the mind and aided in cultivation.

Second, when dealing with others, one must act with courtesy and caution. Take Mr. Gu’s visit to the Void Emperor, for example—he could have bypassed the demon guards and entered directly, yet he still chose to enter through the main gate, notify the guards, and even wait for the other party to make a move before responding.

As for someone like the Void Emperor, who was clearly pretending to be asleep yet refused to meet, that called for more forceful measures.

“You can never wake someone who is pretending to sleep—but you can use force.”

From these two lessons, Doubao arrived at a single conclusion:

“With courtesy, you can walk the world; without strength, you can’t take a single step. The stronger your cultivation, the more people will be willing to reason with you!”

Just as he was deep in thought, the Void Emperor’s voice suddenly rang out, startling him.

“Ah, this little friend belongs to the Blaze Bug race, yet the aura you display is rather unusual…”

Doubao squinted his small eyes and looked over.

Before he could respond, the Void Emperor, as if seeing through something, remarked in mild surprise, “This little friend is truly blessed with great fortune—you’ve obtained a cultivation method!”

“Surely, this must be thanks to Mr. Gu’s guidance?”

Seeing that his secret had been exposed, Doubao nodded. “Yes, sir! It was Mr. Gu who taught me the Blaze Bug race’s cultivation method!”

“Mr. Gu truly possesses a heart for all beings,” the Void Emperor cupped his hands toward Gu Ning’an in gratitude.

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an, who was holding two entrance tokens while searching for their seats, casually pointed to a spot and said flatly, “It’s not about caring for all beings, just lending a hand in passing.”

“This Hunting Arena is lively tonight, but our seats seem a bit odd…”

“I’ve never been here before, but I didn’t expect the place to be so magnificently decorated. The sheer size alone is almost comparable to my Void Emperor Temple.”

As he spoke, the Void Emperor followed Gu Ning’an, squeezing through the bustling crowd until they arrived at their assigned spot.

“0167?” Gu Ning’an looked at the number on the token, then glanced at the engraving on the railing in front of him that read [0167]. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“So our spot is near the front… but we bought standing tickets?”

“Standing tickets?” Void Emperor asked curiously, “Mr. Gu, what exactly is a standing ticket?”

Gu Ning’an pointed to the neighboring number [0168] on the railing and explained, “It means we don’t have seats—we have to stand and watch the fights.”

“Hm?” Void Emperor narrowed his eyes. “These profiteers will go to any lengths just to make money!”

Gu Ning’an chuckled and said, “It looks like there are no available seats left, so we can’t exchange them… I wonder if the Void Emperor can make do with standing for a while?”

“When I bought these tickets, I didn’t realize there were seatless options.”

Upon hearing this, the Void Emperor quickly replied, “Of course, of course! I’ve been lying down for too long; I should stand for a bit!”

“Oh, by the way, if you don’t mind, just call me Old Kui. Calling me ‘Emperor’ feels too distant.”

Gu Ning’an paused for a moment and then said, “Very well… Old Kui, does anyone else know about this appearance of yours?”

“In Eternal Slumber City, no one should be aware. If we’re talking about all of Great Wu, then only that Flood Dragon boy and the two True Immortals from the Hunling Immortal Sect have seen it.” Void Emperor answered honestly.

Gu Ning’an asked in confusion, “Then what about your wife and brother-in-law? They haven’t seen it either?”

“My wife?”

“My brother-in-law?”

Void Emperor looked stunned. He thought hard for a moment before replying, “Which one are you referring to, sir?”

“Hm?”

Now it was Gu Ning’an’s turn to be taken aback. “The two mountain lotus demons who took human form—a sister and a younger brother.”

“Mountain lotus?”

Muttering to himself, the Void Emperor seemed to recall something and responded, “Ah, I remember now. I did have a Dao companion once—a mountain lotus spirit. I believe she was called Liuying…”

“She had a younger brother named Ling something…”

“But you needn’t worry, sir. I never showed this form in front of my Dao companion…”

Nearby, Doubao curiously asked, “Void Emperor, then what did you look like when you were with your Dao companion?”

“Well…” Void Emperor glanced at Doubao before instantly transforming into a young man in his early twenties—sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a face like fine jade, and clad in a billowing battle robe, looking like a heroic general. In a deep and resonant voice, he said, “Like this.”

“That looks much better!” Doubao nodded in approval.

“Cough, cough!” Void Emperor cleared his throat, reverting to his original form of an elderly black-haired man. He gave an awkward smile and said, “Since I was seeking a Dao companion, of course, I had to look a bit more pleasing to the eye. Though, of course, I didn’t rely on my looks to win over a Dao companion…”