Chapter 603: Cruel Competition
Aria’s sharp eyes scanned the crowd like blades seeking flesh. Her expression was cold, calculating, but behind that mask was a seething fury barely kept in check. Yet no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t pinpoint a single suspicious face.
One among them was just a young man barely at the 8th level of Seeker Rank—far too weak. The rest were all peak Expert Rank cultivators, clearly overwhelmed by the oppressive pressure of the Master Rank presence around them.
There was only one among them who stood out slightly, a man whose strength teetered on the edge of stepping into the Master Rank, but even he didn’t seem powerful enough to face someone like Silus head-on.
Though if he were part of a coordinated ambush… perhaps the story changed.
But no one said a word.
The entire group from the Lower Domain stood frozen, shoulders stiff, eyes lowered. They understood all too well the reality of their situation. They were nothing here—ants in the presence of dragons. Even breathing too loud might be seen as provocation. So silence ruled.
"We know someone—or more likely a group of you—killed Silus," Elias said, his voice laced with venom, each word a threat cloaked in calm. "If you come out now, I might consider sparing your lives. Silus and I didn’t get along. That’s the only reason I wasn’t with him. So I’ll give you one chance—step forward and confess, and I might let you live."
But no one moved.
Not a soul among the Lower Domain dared to twitch. They exchanged wary glances, each one as clueless as the next. No one had any idea who had done it—and even if they did, none of them had the courage to stand up in front of Elias and Aria. Their lives weren’t worth that much.
Elias’ gaze darkened as the silence grew heavier. "If I find out later who it was…" he said, his voice now ice, "then only death awaits you all."