Chapter 367: Mortals Enter the Ring

From behind the stone gate, a middle-aged couple emerged, supporting each other as they walked forward slowly.

The man in the lead had dark, weathered skin and a broad, sturdy frame. Beneath the short sleeves of his coarse linen shirt, his muscular arms were exposed. He held the woman’s hand in one of his own, while his other hand gripped a sharp, three-foot-long blade. His eyes flickered with barely concealed fear.

Behind him, the middle-aged woman carried a blade of the same make. Unlike the man, whose fear was mostly contained, hers was written all over her face—pale complexion, darting eyes, and rapid breathing, all betraying her terror.

This couple was none other than the refugee husband and wife Gu Ning’an had encountered when he first entered Northern Huangtian.

And standing on the opposite side of the arena… was their daughter.

“Mr. Gu, these two mortals stand no chance against Duan Chen. They aren’t even qualified to lay a hand on him,” Doubao said, his tiny, bean-sized pupils rolling in confusion.

“If that’s the case, how is Duan Chen supposed to showcase his unyielding determination?”

“If you think about it carefully, the answer is quite simple,” Gu Ning’an said, leading him to a realization. “Tell me, how does Innkeeper Hua treat her inn workers and that newly taken-in Little Lian?”

Doubao answered, “Innkeeper Hua treats them well. She’d risk her life to protect them.”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “Now imagine—if you treated someone that well, but they knelt before you, begging to take your life in exchange for their own survival, how would you feel?”

Doubao flapped his wings, his voice trembling with realization. “Hate! I’d hate them from the bottom of my heart!”

Gu Ning’an’s smile deepened. “Then consider this—if Duan Chen is willing to sacrifice himself, to lay down his life for mere mortals, what would Innkeeper Hua think?”

Buzz—buzz!

“I get it now!”

Doubao hovered slightly in the air, his wings beating with excitement. “That devious, cunning Duan Chen is using the survival instincts of these mortals to highlight his own virtue!”

“Earlier, he fought unyieldingly against powerful demon cultivators, refusing to back down, all to protect Innkeeper Hua.”

“And now, he extends that protection to those she cares about—willing to sacrifice himself to keep them safe!”

“This is a masterstroke! Layer upon layer of manipulation! If you hadn’t pointed it out, even someone as cold-hearted as Hua Erniang might be moved!”

“You’re close, but you’re still missing one thing…”

Gu Ning’an paused briefly before continuing, “Duan Chen despises mortals deep down. So by doing this, he’s also making Innkeeper Hua witness the selfish and dark nature of mortals in their struggle to survive…”

Doubao nodded in understanding. “Ooooh~~ This guy is scheming through and through!”

Meanwhile, in the arena, the middle-aged couple had reached the center. With a loud thud, they dropped to their knees, extending their arms toward their daughter’s direction, choking out her name:

“Little Lian!”

“Father! Mother!”

On the other side, a young girl with short, ear-length hair—filthy from head to toe—cried out in response. Tears welled in her eyes as she struggled against the grip of the young inn worker holding her right hand.

“Big brother, let me go!”

“That’s my father and mother!”

Little Lian thrashed, screaming with all her might.

The young inn worker’s expression was conflicted. He first glanced at the sharp blades in the hands of the middle-aged couple, then at the desperate girl beside him.

After a moment of hesitation, he stammered, “Little Lian, this is the arena… if you go over there…”

“My parents wouldn’t hurt me!”

“Big brother!”

“Let me go!”

Watching the tearful Little Lian, the young man gritted his teeth and let go of her hand.

Freed from his “restraint,” Little Lian stumbled forward, rushing toward her parents.

Before long, the family of three was locked in a tearful embrace.

The heartwarming reunion left the spectators at the Hunting Arena utterly bewildered.

At first, they had assumed that their inability to see through the seemingly unremarkable couple was due to their own lack of strength.

After all, in their minds, the final match of the Hunting Arena must surely feature an opponent of unprecedented power!

Otherwise, wouldn’t the whole competition end on a weak note?

Yet now, to their astonishment, the final defenders of the stage turned out to be two mere mortals!

As for the fact that these two commoners happened to be the parents of one of the challengers—that meant nothing to them.

What they had come to see was an intense battle between powerful opponents, not a cultivator effortlessly crushing mortals!

“Fuck your mother!”

“Have all the demon cultivators in the Hunting Arena died off or what?!”

“I just bet my entire fortune that the challengers wouldn’t make it out of this arena, and this is what you give me?!”

A rotund demon cultivator bellowed in rage, immediately echoed by others who had placed their bets on Innkeeper Hua’s team losing.

Before long, accusations of fraud filled the air. Many claimed that the gambling houses and the Hunting Arena had colluded, deliberately putting mortals on stage for the final match to rob them of their money!

In an instant, the arena erupted with deafening cries of protest.

Everyone who had placed a bet was now screaming “rigged!” at the top of their lungs, demanding an explanation from the Hunting Arena.

As the scene descended into chaos, the host, Ying Xiang, spread his wings and soared into the arena. With a simple downward motion of his hands, the deafening clamor of the Hunting Arena fell silent in an instant—

As if every shouting voice had been suddenly cut off.

“Ladies and gentlemen!”

“The Hunting Arena has never engaged in any fraud!”

“If any of you are dissatisfied, you are welcome to enter the arena yourselves!”

“Whether you choose to join the challengers or the defenders, the Hunting Arena has no objections!”

With that, Ying Xiang returned to his place at the edge of the arena.

Among the tens of thousands of demon cultivators in the audience, many were formidable powerhouses. Any one of them could have easily crushed Ying Xiang in a one-on-one fight.

Yet at this moment, not a single one dared to make a move!

Because just now, they had all sensed a terrifying formation hidden beneath the Hunting Arena!

Even if Ying Xiang himself wasn’t strong enough, that formation alone was more than enough to silence every single person present!

“This formation is quite interesting—it doesn’t suppress voices directly but instead creates individual air membranes around each person, confining their voices within…”

As he spoke, Gu Ning’an reached out and tapped Doubao lightly on the forehead.

With a soft “pop,” as if something had been punctured, Doubao’s voice suddenly rang out again.

“Sir! Sir! I can hear you now!”

“For a moment there, I thought I’d gone deaf!”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an only smiled faintly and said nothing more.

“What should we do now?”

As soon as the arena quieted down, Duan Chen’s voice, though lowered, still carried across the entire space.

Watching Duan Chen’s expression—one of supposed inner turmoil, as if he found it unbearable to make a move—

Hua Erniang felt a surge of disgust in her heart, though her lips curved into a subtle smile.

Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood trickling down Duan Chen’s cheek.

Believing that he had finally moved her heart, Duan Chen couldn’t resist reaching out to grasp her hand—only for it to slip through his fingers.

Yet this time, he felt no disappointment.

Because he had seen it clearly—his beloved Lady Hua had not discarded the bloodstained handkerchief. Instead, she had carefully put it away…

It seemed that soon, he would finally be able to knock on the door to her heart…

With this thought, even the sight of that weeping family of three became much more tolerable to him.