Chapter 372: The Golden Cat Battles the Ghostly Land

“Lady Hua, do you see it?”

“This is the person you protected…”

“This is the kind of hypocritical, filthy, treacherous person who would betray others just to survive…”

Duan Chen pointed at the middle-aged couple behind him and casually lifted the suppression on Hua Erniang.

Her face pale as a sheet, Hua Erniang regained her ability to move. Her expression was difficult to decipher—neither joy nor sorrow. She walked to the side of the unconscious young man and, after confirming that he was still breathing, summoned a wisp of wind to carry both him and the sobbing, fainted Little Lian to the far corner of the arena.

That spot was not far from Gu Ning’an, yet she only glanced at him without uttering any sort of plea.

Gu Ning’an simply smiled, nodded slightly at her, and flicked his fingers, sending a thread of mystical energy into the young man’s body.

“Duan Chen…”

“Come and fight!”

With a roar, Hua Erniang activated the Golden Kumquat Spirit Fruit that she had previously swallowed!

In an instant, the spiritual energy contained within the fruit surged through her entire body. Within mere moments, all her previous injuries had healed completely, and her depleted mystical energy was fully replenished!

Sensing the sudden change in Hua Erniang’s aura, Duan Chen frowned. “What kind of rare treasure did you use? To recover from your injuries so quickly?”

“Your energy is even stronger than before?”

Puchi! Puchi!

Two sudden stabbing sounds rang out!

No one could have expected that the ruthless couple who had pledged loyalty to Duan Chen would suddenly ambush him from behind, their blades piercing straight through his chest!

And judging by where the blades emerged—it was right through his heart!

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

“Wife, finish him off!”

The dark-skinned man and the middle-aged woman had gone completely mad, repeatedly stabbing and hacking at Duan Chen with frenzied determination, as if they wouldn’t stop until his body was riddled with holes!

At that moment, everyone finally realized that everything the couple had done before was all to create this one chance to stab Duan Chen!

No wonder they had seemed so determined earlier, only to be stopped by their own daughter. No wonder they had merely tossed the still-living young man aside without finishing him off!

Thanks to the weapons personally provided by the Hunting Arena, the couple’s assassination attempt had succeeded.

However, after an unknown number of stabs, the severely perforated Duan Chen suddenly spoke:

“Are you two done playing yet?”

The dark-skinned man roared, “Cut off his head!”

But in the very next moment, the middle-aged couple’s bodies simultaneously exploded into a mist of blood. Their two bloodstained blades clattered to the ground with a sharp clang.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Duan Chen sneered. “Humans truly are despicably cunning.”

“But unfortunately, no amount of scheming can overcome absolute power!”

As he spoke, he waved a hand, and the spirits of the recently slain couple appeared before everyone, standing there in a dazed stupor.

“Since you two love betrayal so much, then take your daughter with you on your journey to the afterlife.”

“Go.”

The couple’s souls, barely retaining any awareness, were instantly controlled by Duan Chen’s technique and floated toward Little Lian.

At the same time, the massive black cauldron from before once again appeared above Hua Erniang’s head, radiating a suppressive force to entrap her.

However, this time, the expected suppression did not occur. Thanks to the lingering power of the Golden Kumquat Spirit Fruit within her, Hua Erniang seemed to have temporarily resisted the cauldron’s power!

Realizing that the situation was slipping beyond his control, Duan Chen’s composure finally faltered. He actively commanded the black cauldron, unleashing a torrent of vengeful spirits that surged toward Hua Erniang, engulfing her completely!

In an instant, a fierce yin wind howled through the Hunter’s Arena, transforming it into a land of malevolent ghosts!

The once-empty ground twisted and warped, as countless hands emerged from beneath, while blue-faced, fang-bearing wraiths roamed freely.

The air grew thick with yin energy, and the surrounding temperature plummeted, sending an eerie chill through the crowd, as if they had stepped into an ice-cold crypt.

A terrifying aura spread across the arena, making every spectator tremble. They shrank back instinctively, yet none dared to flee, fearing that the attention of the monstrous demon cultivator in the arena would mean their deaths.

At the corner, Gu Ning’an casually flicked a finger, freezing the wandering spirits of the middle-aged couple in place before casting a concealment technique over them. Only then did he shift his gaze toward the battlefield.

Crack… Crack…

A sound like shattering glass echoed through the sea of vengeful ghosts. A golden light suddenly emerged, and as the cracking grew louder, the radiance became ever more dazzling.

As the golden glow swelled, the spectators could clearly see a massive feline figure, its entire body radiating a resplendent golden light. With razor-sharp claws, it was tearing apart the ghostly abyss!

This was Hua Erniang’s true beast form—a giant golden cat, its body flowing like molten gold, with every strand of fur shimmering brilliantly. Its golden slit pupils burned like twin blazing stars, gleaming with an indomitable sharpness.

Amidst the pitch-black abyss, she locked onto Duan Chen’s figure. Then, she pounced—transforming into a golden streak of lightning that slashed through the darkness with unstoppable force!

The wailing ghosts were shredded under her claws, their agonized shrieks fading into nothingness.

Boom!

The entire Hunter’s Arena shook violently three times!

In that moment, the sea of vengeful spirits surged back like a retreating tide, flowing into the enormous black cauldron.

In the blink of an eye, peace was restored. The monstrous ghostly abyss and the colossal golden cat had both vanished.

Standing in the center of the arena, Hua Erniang remained in place. Her long, once-jet-black hair had turned a shimmering silver-white, drifting gently in the breeze.

With that final strike, she had burned her very life essence—obliterating Duan Chen’s physical body into dust.

Yet, the ominous black cauldron still hovered in midair, exuding an eerie, malevolent aura.

Doubao widened his eyes and asked, “Did it work, Mr. Gu? Did Innkeeper Hua do it?”

Gu Ning’an shook his head. “His body is destroyed, but for Duan Chen, losing his physical form is more like breaking free from his restraints…”

“The combat strength granted by dark arts is simply too overwhelming. Innkeeper Hua has already done all she could…”

Doubao puffed out his cheeks. “Then… what do we do now…?”

Gu Ning’an pointed toward the central viewing box and chuckled. “Doesn’t the Hunter’s Arena have a rule about shared duels?”

“If Innkeeper Hua is unable to win, asking Old Kui to step in seems perfectly reasonable, don’t you think?”

The Void Emperor entering the fray?

Wouldn’t that mean Duan Chen was about to be utterly crushed?

At that thought, Doubao let out a gleeful “Kekekeke” laugh.

Thud, thud—thud, thud.

From within the black cauldron, the sound of a drumbeat echoed.

A dense black mist surged from the cauldron’s mouth, gathering into a hazy humanoid figure.

It was the form of a man—his face twisted in a hideous grimace, his eyes blood-red, like a demon risen from the underworld. His exposed arms were covered in dark, intricate markings, identical to those etched upon the black cauldron.

The shadowy figure fixed his gaze on Hua Erniang and spoke in a deep, chilling voice—

“Hua Niang… do you have any other tricks left?”