The voice sounded like one, yet within it were layer upon layer, as though many people were speaking together. It was the voice of the Composite Will.
In fact, those like Zhou Dongyi, who were paying especially close attention, noticed that as the voice appeared, the lips of those Grandmasters and Grand Confucians from other continents moved slightly, as if they too were speaking.
But this discovery was quickly driven away by the meaning contained in those words.
"Who speaks? A small punishment and a great warning? Are those words directed at us?" A Grand Confucian immediately questioned, without any sign of anger, a trace of amusement in his voice. "And how, exactly, do you intend to punish us?"
At that moment, the Composite Shadow descended from above and waved a hand. Chairs and meditation cushions appeared all around, along with low tables and desks. The blank scene transformed into an Apricot Grove Dao Field, like an ancient academy where sages debated the Dao.
After doing this, the Composite Shadow said to the crowd, "The Human Path advances through exploration and exchange. Cut off from the outside, one will inevitably become trapped in old ways, only to decline in the end. Thus, the first punishment will be to revoke your respective schools' right to enter the Literary Web in the future."
Another Grandmaster said, "What a joke! Are you saying that being denied entry to your Literary Web counts as punishment? You think far too highly of yourself, don't you?"
"Whether it is punishment or not, you will know for yourselves after a few years. Talking until my lips split would be useless now; you would not believe me anyway. But this is only one punishment. The rest is to make all of you pay the appropriate price."
"A price?"