Chapter 361: Clichéd Acting

The word “survival” is not something everyone can master!

At first, this statement might sound cowardly.

But upon deeper reflection, it actually makes a lot of sense!

We, the Blaze Bug Clan, have survived since our birth precisely by clinging to life however we can.

So the Void Emperor is the same!

Now, the Void Emperor has transcended, stepping into the realm of great demons. Even so, he still remains true to his roots. Such a mindset is something I should learn from!

The Void Emperor’s words gave Doubao a great deal of insight, making him feel as if he had suddenly seen the light.

Beside him, the Void Emperor noticed the gleam of realization in Doubao’s small eyes and laughed heartily before turning his gaze toward the arena.

On the platform, the defender looked like a young child and was known as “Water Boy.” Despite his youthful appearance, he was actually a water demon over five hundred years old.

It was said that this demon once fought alone against hundreds of demon cultivators in Demon Capital. Later, fearing the Flood Dragon Emperor, he fled to Eternal Slumber City to seek refuge.

His role as an arena defender was not because he had been captured but because he had voluntarily joined the fights. He made it seem as if he was willingly submitting to punishment, all to ease the Flood Dragon Emperor’s wrath.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Water Boy raised his right hand toward the sky, and at once, whirlwinds of yellow sand formed in midair!

In an instant, torrents of sand spiraled down from above, flooding the arena.

Even though Water Boy deliberately controlled the sandstorm to keep it from reaching the stands, spectators near the edge of the arena still got a mouthful of sand.

Some, who reacted too slowly, ended up buried in sand and turned into human-shaped mounds of dust!

One particular tiger demon, who had been distracted, was among them. Spitting out a mouthful of sand, he shook himself off vigorously—only to freeze in place a few seconds later.

Oh no!

The old man standing beside me… his strength is unfathomable! Just one look from him, and I already feel like I’m about to die!

Now, after shaking myself off so wildly, I’ve probably covered him in sand, right?!

The tiger demon’s face turned ashen. He swallowed nervously and cautiously glanced at the black-haired old man beside him.

To his shock, the elder remained completely unbothered, leaning against the railing, without a single speck of dust on him.

“Phew…” Exhaling in relief, the tiger demon wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Then, his gaze shifted to the white-clad man standing next to the old man.

This one was also completely untouched by the sandstorm.

Feeling a sense of unease, the tiger demon glanced around and realized that even seven or eight rows of people behind him had been covered in sand—yet the two men beside him remained as pristine as ever, completely unaffected.

These two must be powerhouses… I’d better move farther away.

With that thought, the tiger demon quietly shuffled to the other side, earning annoyed frowns from the demons around him.

Meanwhile, Gu Ning’an observed the battle in the arena and remarked, “This Water Boy has taken an unconventional path. By nature, he should cultivate water-based techniques, yet here in Northern Huangtian, he has adapted by using sand as water, refining his combat prowess even further.”

The Void Emperor nodded and responded, “It’s an interesting approach. But against that black-clad swordsman, it won’t be enough.”

“That man carries tens of thousands of vengeful spirits within him. He can use them to enhance his cultivation or unleash them in battle. No matter how clever Water Boy is, he won’t be able to defeat him.”

Void Emperor frowned slightly. “But why is that guy suppressing his cultivation? And why is he only using his sword? His swordsmanship is decent, but there’s no way he can break through Water Boy’s techniques with just that.”

Looking at the arena, now transformed into a vast desert of swirling sand, Gu Ning’an chuckled. “Old Kui, do you believe that the black-clad swordsman can kill Water Boy using only his swordsmanship?”

“Uh…” The Void Emperor glanced at the swordsman, who was flailing and hacking away in the sandstorm like a headless fly. He smirked and said, “Mr. Gu, unless Water Boy has a death wish, there’s no way he’ll get killed by that guy.”

“Of course, that’s assuming the swordsman doesn’t use the spirits from his reservoir.”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “What if Water Boy really does have a death wish?”

“Huh?” The Void Emperor’s lips twitched. After mulling over Gu Ning’an’s words, he hesitated before saying, “Are you suggesting… they’re working together? That Water Boy will deliberately create an opening to be ‘killed,’ just to keep the swordsman’s true power hidden?”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “That should be the case.”

The Void Emperor said, “Then isn’t this just a staged performance?”

Gu Ning’an inclined his head. “You could say that.”

The Void Emperor looked speechless. “I see now. The black-clothed swordsman is putting on a show for that Innkeeper Hua, isn’t he…?”

“First, he fights evenly, then starts losing ground, only to turn the tide at the last moment. After being wounded, he flashes a reassuring smile at Innkeeper Hua… and that’s how he wins her heart?”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an chuckled. “Old Kui, have you been reading too many drama scripts?”

The Void Emperor curled his lip. “Such a crude method of courting a Dao companion… Even before I gained sentience, I wouldn’t have stooped to this level.”

Doubao interjected, “Void Emperor, you actually had a time when you weren’t intelligent?”

The Void Emperor hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Well… not really. I was born with intelligence, as my bones were tempered by the primordial forces of heaven and earth… It was just a manner of speaking.”

“Oh…” Doubao flapped his wings, looking envious.

Just as the Void Emperor had described, during the first few moments of the match, Duan Chen still managed to fight evenly against his opponent. After all, at that stage, the Water Boy was still flooding the arena with sand, limiting his ability to move swiftly and hide within it.

But after a short while, Duan Chen started getting completely toyed with in the sea of sand!

As long as the Water Boy kept dodging, Duan Chen could never catch him.

After all, in the sandy battlefield, one was like a fish in water, while the other was like a headless fly.

Just as the fight reached its most intense point, the Water Boy refused to attack Duan Chen directly. Instead, he repeatedly “harassed” Hua Erniang and the other inn workers.

Yet, Duan Chen always seemed to know exactly where the Water Boy would appear next, blocking every attack meant for Hua Erniang and the others with precise timing.

Meanwhile, Hua Erniang played along with the act.

Every time Duan Chen protected her, she would turn around with a concerned expression and say something like, “Are you alright?” “I’m here.” “Trust me.”

And to make the act more convincing, she played along, allowing Duan Chen to “defeat” all the remaining opponents first, ensuring the other inn workers could leave safely. This, in turn, forced her to respond to him with “earnest” smiles.

In the end, the Water Boy, just like the stereotypical villain in a scripted story, deliberately held back multiple times before ultimately being run through the heart by the “righteous hero” in black.

Watching this, the Void Emperor couldn’t help but spit. “Damn it, this acting is atrocious…”

Doubao mimicked him, spitting as well. “Disgusting!”

Off to the side, Gu Ning’an simply smiled and shifted his gaze toward the largest private box in the stands.