Chapter 381: The “Strange” Flood Dragon Emperor

As the white-robed Mr. Gu walked unhurriedly into the hall, the aura around the Flood Dragon Emperor surged to its peak, clearly prepared to strike at any moment.

Gu Ning’an sensed this tension and was about to speak when the Flood Dragon Emperor suddenly barked, “Liu Shi! Go pour Mr. Gu a cup of tea!”

At these words, Liu Shi, who had been hiding in the back like a quail, was momentarily stunned. Then, she quickly retrieved a tea set from the storage artifact at her waist and placed it between the Flood Dragon Emperor and Gu Ning’an, beginning to prepare tea.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an cupped his hands and smiled. “Many thanks, Flood Dragon Emperor. I thought there was some misunderstanding last time. I originally expected you to attack me directly today, but I didn’t anticipate such magnanimity… As expected, the mindset of a cultivator is extraordinary.”

“Sit.” The Flood Dragon Emperor, sparing his words, said only this before seating himself.

His expression remained utterly emotionless, as calm as an ancient, frozen lake, but inside, his mind was in turmoil.

Just moments ago, he had been ready to unleash the Soul Restraining Technique, and at the very last moment, as he was about to shout and release it, he inexplicably uttered, “Liu Shi, serve the tea!”

The most baffling part was that the technique in his hand had dissipated—not because of an external force, but because he himself had withdrawn it.

But why? Just a second earlier, he had been determined to attack, so why had he suddenly changed his mind?

This bizarre occurrence left the Flood Dragon Emperor deeply unsettled. He considered two possibilities: either this white-robed man had played some trick on him, or his recent bouts of mental instability had flared up again, causing hesitation at the last moment.

Both were plausible, so he decided to sit down and figure it out first.

Beside them, Liu Shi carefully held a purple clay teapot, pouring hot water into their cups. Her hands trembled so violently that she had to use mystical energy to stabilize them, gripping the teapot like a vice.

It wasn’t that she was cowardly—it was just that the last time she had served tea in a situation like this, her previous master, Hei Shui, had died. Now, the Flood Dragon Emperor wasn’t attacking and was even inviting the man to tea, reviving the helpless terror she had felt back then.

Once she finished pouring, Liu Shi quickly set the teapot down and retreated to stand behind the Flood Dragon Emperor, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor, not daring to look directly at Gu Ning’an.

Clack!

Lost in thought, the Flood Dragon Emperor had forgotten about the broken bamboo slip in his hand. He casually placed it on the table before picking up his teacup.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an chuckled and asked, “Flood Dragon Emperor, were you divining something?”

“Mm.” The Flood Dragon Emperor remained expressionless as he gestured toward the half-broken bamboo slip and smiled faintly. “Yes. I was trying to see whether any… unexpected—no, honored—guests would be arriving today.”

“And I ended up receiving you instead. Mr. Gu, your presence truly graces my humble demon palace.”

At these words, all three in the room were momentarily stunned.

The Flood Dragon Emperor’s gaze filled with confusion, and inside, he was roaring: What the hell am I saying?!

Liu Shi: His Majesty is actually capable of such flexibility? Has he been beaten into submission?

Meanwhile, Gu Ning’an studied the Flood Dragon Emperor, his gaze finally settling on the faint gray line above his head.

“Enough.” The Flood Dragon Emperor took a sip of tea and subtly changed the subject. “Mr. Gu, what brings you here again?”

“Are you planning to finish that unfinished fight?”

“I’m not that fond of fighting.” Gu Ning’an waved his hand with a smile, then pointed to the top of the Flood Dragon Emperor’s head. “I came mainly because of that gray thread.”

“Gray thread?”

Recalling what Gu Ning’an had mentioned during their last encounter, the Flood Dragon Emperor frowned. “What gray thread?”

Gu Ning’an replied, “Atop your head, there’s a gray thread stretching straight into the heavens.”

The Flood Dragon Emperor let out a dry laugh. “Mr. Gu, do you really have nothing better to do? Are you here just to play mind games with me again?”

“Flood Dragon Emperor, please stay calm.” Gu Ning’an lowered his hand slightly and continued, “You cannot perceive the gray thread, but it does, in fact, exist.”

“My theory is that this thread may be influencing your thoughts, making you instinctively do what you believe is the right thing.”

“But in truth, those actions are not of your own will.”

“To put it simply—Flood Dragon Emperor, without realizing it, you have become someone else’s puppet.”

Bang!

“Absurd!” The Flood Dragon Emperor smashed the teacup in his hand. The tea inside splashed out but then flowed right back into the cup. He glared coldly at Gu Ning’an and said sternly, “Do you take me for a three-year-old child? Trying to use this to break my Dao heart?”

Gu Ning’an shook his head. “The Void Emperor also has such a gray thread above his head. He can’t see it either, but he knows of its existence… That’s why he went into hiding—to prevent himself from doing things that do not come from his own will.”

“Void Emperor?” At these words, the Flood Dragon Emperor’s expression softened slightly, and he fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, standing behind him, Liu Shi clearly saw that a hexagonal, jet-black scale had appeared on the hand the Flood Dragon Emperor kept under the tea table!

A fleeting look of surprise flashed through Liu Shi’s eyes.

That palm-sized scale was none other than the reverse scale that had formed on the Flood Dragon Emperor’s body after he ascended the Dragon Gate!

A dragon’s reverse scale—touch it, and one shall die. Yet, the Flood Dragon Emperor had willingly peeled it from his own body at the first opportunity and refined it into a formidable artifact, capable of both offense and defense!

Liu Shi had once asked him why he would go so far as to harm his own demonic body to create such a thing.

The answer he gave was—If one day I fall in battle on the path of revolution, then the demon race that fought alongside me can still wield my reverse scale for a chance at survival!

This artifact could be used by others, temporarily granting them power nearly on par with a great demon.

Of course, in the Flood Dragon Emperor’s hands, it was an unparalleled weapon that could pierce through anything!

Now, seeing him silently retrieve it, Liu Shi immediately understood that he was preparing to strike. His contemplative demeanor was merely a ploy to lull his opponent into complacency!

Realizing that the Flood Dragon Emperor was unafraid of this white-robed man, Liu Shi felt both hopeful and terrified. She was pleased because if the Flood Dragon Emperor succeeded, the grudge of her former master, Hei Shui, would finally be avenged.

But what frightened her was—if they failed to take down Mr. Gu, wouldn’t it mean that the nightmare from several months ago was about to repeat itself?

At this thought, Liu Shi almost felt that it would be better if the Flood Dragon Emperor didn’t act at all.

While his subordinate struggled internally, the Flood Dragon Emperor himself was in just as much turmoil.

He had always looked down on the Void Emperor. In his eyes, a demon cultivator with such formidable strength who spent his days in hiding like a cowardly turtle was unworthy of being called a senior figure of the demon race.

Now, hearing Gu Ning’an say that the Void Emperor had a gray thread just like his own, he assumed it was merely an excuse the Void Emperor used to justify his avoidance of trouble.

Thus, he had immediately drawn his reverse scale, intending to launch a surprise attack and seize the advantage.

Yet, to his shock, the reverse scale, which had always responded to his will like an extension of his own body, refused to activate no matter how much mystical energy he poured into it today.