Ao Feng did not even know how he had walked back into the gathered crowd. He did not hear anyone greeting him.
Others merely assumed he was too lofty and proud of his status. Seeing that they would only be snubbed, no one took the initiative to approach him again.
Though those participating in the contest had gathered together, they were still clearly divided overall: one group dressed in red, the other in black.
To Niu Youdao, the people from every sect were all old acquaintances. Those he had not known before had become acquainted with him at Gapwatch Manor. Naturally, quite a few came up to greet him when he returned.
Niu Youdao nodded to each of them, smiling as he exchanged pleasantries, only to run into a "tough nut" in the crowd. Taishu Shancheng blocked his path, standing there without budging. He was clearly doing it on purpose, intending to make Niu Youdao take a detour.
Niu Youdao said coolly, "A good dog does not block the road!"
"Hmph!" Taishu Shancheng snorted. He appeared to glance about before saying, "Wasn't Chao Jing with your group? How come all of you have returned, yet Chao Jing is nowhere to be seen? Don't tell me you killed him to silence him?"
Just as he said, the cultivators from the various sects who had gone into the Desolate Marsh Deadlands had split into three groups. Since they had set out together, they naturally returned together. If someone was missing, it was easy to notice.
Of course, for him, it was not merely easy to notice. He knew perfectly well that Chao Jing was dead, personally killed by his own hand and sunk into a swamp. Even he, the murderer, would likely be hard-pressed to identify the exact place where he had