Chapter 374: Breaking It Casually

A chilling wind howled as the air filled with the scent of despair and decay. Wailing specters echoed ceaselessly through the surroundings.

Grudgeful spirits with green faces, fanged mouths, blood-red eyes, and long tongues drifted through the eerie space. Their forms flickered as if they were imprisoned within this ghostly realm, unable to find release.

Yet, within this ominous domain, a black-haired old man leisurely savored a roasted bird leg, while beside him, a white-robed man calmly sipped tea.

It was as if everything before them—this nightmarish land—mattered far less than the roasted meat and a cup of tea.

Hua Erniang was also trapped within the ghostly realm, holding a half-eaten bird wing in her hands. However, she had lost the appetite to continue eating. Her gaze frequently shifted toward the two at the tea table, who remained utterly indifferent. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t calm her unease.

It wasn’t that she feared death, but rather that she was worried Mr. Gu and the others would fall into Duan Chen’s trap due to overconfidence.

“Mr. Gu, let me handle the first round, shall I?” The Void Emperor asked with a grin, holding a stripped-clean bone.

Gu Ning’an set down his teacup. “Go ahead.”

The Void Emperor cleared his throat and pointed at the ghostly realm with the bone in his hand, speaking as if giving a lecture.

“This kind of ghostly domain, which can devour souls, is a fusion of an array and sorcery.”

“By combining a Yin-based formation with Yin-based spell, the caster gains a tremendous boost in power within this ghost domain, along with an eerie ability to consume both human and divine souls.”

“There are two ways to break this technique!”

“The first is the age-old brute force approach—overwhelming power. No matter how sinister a technique may be, it’s meaningless when faced with an insurmountable gap in cultivation.”

“But since today is about ‘debating the Dao,’ we obviously won’t resort to such an effortless method.”

“As for the second method, it’s quite straightforward.”

“The ghost domain relies on the perfect balance between the array and the sorcery. While the caster remains hidden, the formation itself is static. Destroying the formation’s core will unravel the entire domain, causing backlash upon the caster.”

With that, the Void Emperor flicked his finger against the bone in his hand.

With a sharp crack, the bone shattered into eight equally sized fragments, shooting toward different points on the rocky ground and embedding themselves in place.

“Little girl, go break the formation cores.”

“Just strike hard at the spots marked by the bones.”

Will that really work?

Despite her doubts, Hua Erniang trusted those who traveled with Mr. Gu. Without hesitation, she dashed to the marked spots and struck them with her fists, creating deep pits over five feet in depth!

Meanwhile, hidden within the black mist, Duan Chen panicked as the black-haired old man casually exposed the fatal weakness of his technique. He hurriedly attempted to intervene and stop Hua Erniang.

But just as he moved, an unsettling sensation gripped him—someone was watching him.

Following that gaze, he saw the black-haired old man grinning at him.

Instantly, dizziness overwhelmed him, his form wavering within the black mist. His entire body felt unsteady, as if something was pulling him into the void.

Only when he forcefully averted his eyes did the sensation vanish—but by then, it was too late.

The eight formation cores had been destroyed.

With the array shattered, the ghostly domain collapsed!

The oppressive darkness faded like melting ice. The wailing spirits vanished as if they had never existed.

Hua Erniang, having completed her task, returned to the Void Emperor and cupped her hands.

“Sir, the formation cores have been broken, and Duan Chen’s technique is undone!”

Cough! Cough, cough!

A series of violent coughs rang out.

Turning toward the sound, they saw Duan Chen materializing from the dissipating black mist, hacking up mouthfuls of inky-black fog. His body had become even more transparent than before.

Given that he only had a soul left to begin with, the backlash from the broken technique had struck directly at his essence.

This injury was far worse than when Hua Erniang had previously shattered his physical body with a full-force attack.

At the same time, with the array’s collapse, the “veil of silence” that had suppressed the spectators had also disappeared.

Realizing they could now communicate again, the audience erupted into hushed but excited murmurs, whispering to one another in astonishment.

At the edge of the arena, a tiger demon who had been watching smugly turned to his fellow cultivators.

“See? See? I told you that old man wasn’t someone to be trifled with!”

“He didn’t just survive the demon soldiers—he even showed up last, eating a chicken leg while effortlessly exposing Duan Chen’s sinister sorcery!”

A nearby demon cultivator corrected, “That old man with black hair was eating a bird leg, not a chicken leg.”

“Hm?” The tiger demon narrowed his eyes. “Does that even matter? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

“Do you even know who my ‘big brother’ is?”

Seeing the tiger demon pulling the old trick of “borrowing authority from some unknown demon,” the demon cultivator shrank back, moving a few steps away to avoid any further interaction.

Meanwhile, in the arena, the Void Emperor and Gu Ning’an continued sipping their tea, looking as though they were simply out on a leisurely outing.

Watching their casual expressions, Duan Chen wished nothing more than to cut them down immediately—then roast their flesh and strip their skins in one go.

So, you two are having a friendly discussion on Dao, huh?

That black-haired old man—his origins are unknown, and his strength is unfathomable. But that man in white? He’s just a mortal.

Now that the old man has made his move, it’s Mr. Gu’s turn. If I unleash my most powerful strike right away, won’t I be able to catch them off guard?

At this thought, all of Duan Chen’s frustration vanished. He glanced at Hua Erniang, who was obediently standing behind Gu Ning’an like a dutiful maid, and swore to himself…

Once I win, I’ll make sure she kneels and submits, no matter what it takes!

“Laugh all you want—I’ll see you cry soon enough!”

With a furious roar, Duan Chen’s body flickered, transforming into a swirling mass of black mist. The mist then solidified, forming a massive three-legged cauldron.

The cauldron was as black as ink, seemingly capable of swallowing all light. Strange carvings on its surface flickered with an eerie glow.

As the cauldron tilted, the wailing spirits that should have been inside were nowhere to be seen. Instead, thick, viscous black light poured downward, writhing continuously as if preparing to engulf everything in the arena.

The cauldron’s influence was confined to the arena itself, sparing the audience stands. But even just watching from afar, the spectators felt an overwhelming pressure—as if, should the cauldron will it, it could swallow the tens of thousands of demon cultivators present in an instant.

A suffocating aura spread through the air.

Though the crowd had regained their voices, none dared to speak too much, fearing that drawing the cauldron’s attention would mean their doom.

In the arena, the Void Emperor smacked his lips. “Hah. This guy’s already going all out on his second move… Mr. Gu, looks like you’ll have to brute-force your way through this one.”

“No more games…”

“Not necessarily.” Gu Ning’an took a slow sip of tea and smiled. “Let him gather his power a bit longer. He’s not quite ready yet…”