At the heart of the storm stood none other than Niu Dali, the Killer by Reputation who called Meng Zhao brother.
The Innate Master fighting him on the stage was Ji Chang, a martial artist from a small sect.
The two had no real grudge between them, nor any major clash of interests or conflict. The reason they had been provoked into fighting to the death on the grand arena was chiefly because they had been swept up in the dispute between Meng Zhao and Fu Ning.
The contradiction and conflict between those two had merely begun that day, but now it had already spread. The struggle between Niu Dali and Ji Chang was only a miniature reflection of it.
Around the arena, a dense sea of heads surged together like a tide. The bustling crowd murmured in endless waves, all having come upon hearing the news and eagerly awaiting the battle between Niu Dali and Ji Chang.
Among them were ordinary Houtian Realm martial artists, Innate Masters from sects and Rogue Cultivators, martial artists clad in Immortal Palace disciples' robes, and even people who had opened betting pools to wager on the outcome.
At this moment, Meng Zhao said to Niu Dali in a secluded, deserted corner,
"Brother Niu, I have dragged you into this. You had no need to pay attention to that man in the first place—just treat his words as a dog barking.
Now that you must decide victory or defeat with him on this arena, I cannot help but feel uneasy."
Niu Dali laughed heartily, stroking the large gold ring hanging from his earlobe as he replied confidently,
"Brother, you are wrong about that. That man may have been targeting you, but between the lines, he was provoking Old Niu as well. You saw how