The Law Enforcement Hall stood at the northwestern corner of Azure Billow Royal City.
Its main structure was black as ink and thirty zhang tall, like a slumbering colossal beast.
A blood-red character for "Law" was embroidered upon the black flag atop the hall. Vicious stone lions guarded the doors, black-armored sentries stood solemnly at attention, and the entire edifice was dark and austere, enough to make one shudder.
The hall's interior was vast, its walls and floor all pitch-black. Ferocious ghostly faces were carved into the black pillars lining both sides, appearing all the more sinister beneath the dim lights.
At the very center of the great hall stood a raised platform. Upon it were three black seats.
Seated in the middle was a burly old man.
His features were resolute, with a square face, thick brows, and large eyes. Long gray-white hair draped over his shoulders, and he exuded an imposing aura even without anger.
He was Zhuo Shanhai, the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall and a member of the Elder Council, a powerful cultivator at the fifth level of the Fusion Realm.
An old man sat on either side of him. They were the Law Enforcement Hall's two Deputy Hall Masters, both at the fourth level of the Fusion Realm.
The three sat upon the platform, their gazes blazing as they looked down at the Spirit Transformation Vermilion Bird Guard who had been escorted inside.
Below the platform, several high-level Void Refinement Realm experts stood on each side.
Some wore military armor, while others were dressed in robes of various colors. All had been transferred from different departments by the Elder Council to assist the Law Enforcement Hall with its investigation.
One of them wore a brocade robe and had a face as refined as