Chapter 360: The Art of Survival

Mountain lotus… Could it be that Liuying and her brother somehow offended Mr. Gu?

Liuying has a gentle and sensible nature; she doesn’t seem like the type to provoke Mr. Gu.

But that so-called little brother of hers, Wei Ling, is unruly by nature. He even insisted on establishing a government-like institution in Eternal Slumber City.

Could it be that he angered Mr. Gu, which is why Mr. Gu deliberately woke me up in advance?

But what does this have to do with the Hunting Arena?

Unable to figure it out, the Void Emperor felt his brow twitching wildly. He couldn’t resist using divination to deduce the situation.

However, no matter how he calculated, he couldn’t find any connection between the Wei siblings and Mr. Gu.

“Old Kui, no need to rush to understand what’s happening. Just watch and see for yourself in a bit.”

Mr. Gu’s calm voice rang in his ears. The Void Emperor gave an awkward smile and stopped his attempts at divination.

But the uncontrollable twitching of his brow left him feeling uneasy.

At his level, if he truly felt a sense of unease, then trouble was definitely brewing. Judging from Mr. Gu’s words and actions, he was certain that this matter was connected to the Wei siblings.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound cut through the air as the host of the Hunting Arena, Ying Xiang, swooped down from above the stage. Just as he was about to crash into the platform, he executed an extravagant midair spin, soaring back up in a dramatic display.

After drawing a series of elegant arcs in the air, he hovered above the arena and loudly declared to the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, the midnight hunting battle is about to begin!”

“Are you all ready for a feast for the eyes?!”

“What the hell is this birdman?” the Void Emperor frowned, staring at the overly dramatic Ying Xiang. Just as he was about to comment further, a deafening roar erupted around him.

Countless demon cultivators were shouting in wild excitement. Their faces were flushed red, as if their Dao companions were about to give birth.

Seeing the Void Emperor’s confusion, Doubao couldn’t help but explain the role of Ying Xiang as the host and why the spectators were acting so crazed.

After listening, the Void Emperor’s mouth twitched as he muttered, “Hah, these little things really have too much free time. Making such a ruckus over a simple match—no wonder Eternal Slumber City hasn’t produced a great demon in so many years.”

Gu Ning’an simply chuckled, not saying much in response.

Smack!

The Void Emperor suddenly felt someone pat his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw a tiger demon shaking its hand, baring its fangs as it grumbled, “Damn it, old brother, what kind of demon are you? Your body is ridiculously tough!”

The Void Emperor’s brows furrowed. “Why are you patting me?”

The tiger demon awkwardly laughed while shaking its hand. “Well, you just look old and out of place here, so I wanted to cheer you up!”

The Void Emperor’s voice turned cold. “Do I look unhappy to you?”

Feeling the piercing gaze of the black-haired elder before him, the tiger demon—who was no weakling—immediately broke into a cold sweat and instinctively dropped to his knees. “I was wrong! Old brother! I won’t touch you again!”

“Hmm?” The Void Emperor grabbed him and pulled him up. “I never said I was going to do anything to you…”

“Thank you, old brother!” The panicked tiger demon quickly stepped aside, giving the Void Emperor plenty of space. From then on, even when Ying Xiang tried to hype up the crowd, he only joined in with a few cautious cheers, afraid of provoking the old man who had terrified him.

Dong—Dong—Dong!

Three long bell tolls echoed through the arena. As the host, Ying Xiang, announced, “Midnight has arrived! Let the hunt begin!” he swiftly flew out of the ring.

At the same time, the stone doors on both sides of the arena slowly opened. From the shadows on either side emerged the challenger and the defender for tonight’s battle!

There was no need to introduce Hua Erniang’s group. However, tonight, the one leading the entrance was the black-clothed swordsman, Duan Chen, while Hua Erniang, in her dark red long dress, took on the role of guarding the inn workers, walking behind him.

As soon as she stepped into the arena, Hua Erniang instinctively looked for Gu Ning’an’s position.

When she saw him standing near the railing closest to the stage, smiling and nodding at her, she returned the smile and waved.

Then, she noticed the black-haired elder standing beside Mr. Gu, conversing with him while occasionally glancing in her direction. She quickly deduced that this elder must be the friend Mr. Gu had brought to watch the hunting match.

“He looks like an ordinary mortal too…” Hua Erniang was momentarily stunned, then gave a wry smile. “There are always mountains beyond mountains, heavens beyond heavens. This old man is probably like Mr. Gu—someone I simply cannot see through.”

Duan Chen, who was walking ahead while keeping an eye on Hua Erniang, also noticed this scene.

When he saw Hua Erniang smiling and waving at an ordinary-looking man, jealousy flared in his heart.

Perhaps it was because the one who had taken his childhood sweetheart from him had also been a mere mortal swordsman.

Now, witnessing Hua Erniang—who always treated him coldly—smiling and waving at that Mr. Gu, his hatred burned even stronger.

However, he hid it well.

To truly make Hua Erniang devoted to him, he had to create the image of a carefree swordsman—the very kind he despised the most.

Not far away in the stands, the Void Emperor had already pieced together the “grudge” involving Hua Erniang’s side. Feeling the venomous gaze from Duan Chen, he couldn’t help but tease, “Mr. Gu, you’ve earned someone’s resentment. That guy is looking at me like he wants to take me down along with you…”

Gu Ning’an simply smiled without saying a word, while Doubao, ever the curious one, asked, “Void Emperor, why does Duan Chen resent Mr. Gu?”

“This?” Void Emperor glanced at Gu Ning’an, then chuckled. “Because that black-clad swordsman is jealous. He’s so full of envy that he thinks Mr. Gu is going to steal his dao companion…”

“Steal his dao companion?”

Doubao thought for a moment, then continued, “You mean Innkeeper Hua? But Mr. Gu and she haven’t done anything. They just ate together, talked together, and reminisced about the past together. How is that stealing…”

Sensing a juicy bit of gossip, the Void Emperor’s wrinkles smoothed out as he grinned. He had never been able to divine anything about Gu Ning’an, so hearing it firsthand was a rare treat. “Come on, tell me! What kind of past did Hua Erniang and Mr. Gu reminisce about?”

Clang!

The crisp sound of a sword resounded near his ear. The Void Emperor glanced at the immortal sword, visible only to him, and instinctively shrank his neck. With an awkward chuckle, he quickly backpedaled, “Ahem, Daoist Dou, no need to tell me—I’m not interested in such things…”

Doubao twisted slightly and, looking puzzled, said, “Void Emperor, you’re not at all like how I imagined a great demon to be…”

“Oh?” Void Emperor asked with a smile. “How am I different?”

A bit cowardly…

Doubao hesitated for a moment, then shook his head with a laugh. “Nothing, nothing.”

Seeing this, the Void Emperor glanced at the Hongchen Sword, which had once again concealed itself. Breathing a sigh of relief, he chuckled, “Daoist Dou, remember this—anyone can act domineering, but not everyone can master the art of survival.”