A terrifying aura enveloped the great hall.
Under its pressure, everyone felt the weight on them surge, and their movements began to stiffen.
Before long, a black-robed man with wings on his back suddenly appeared in midair, then slowly descended to the ground.
"Greetings, Pureblood Heavenly Venerable!" the otherworlders saluted in unison.
The Pureblood Heavenly Venerable nodded slightly, his icy gaze turning toward Lin Jiuyuan and the others.
The eight representatives of the Great Houses instantly felt as though they had fallen into an ice cellar.
Only when they truly faced a Heavenly Venerable did they truly understand how terrifying one was.
"The otherworlders and the Human Clan have always kept to their own waters without fouling each other's wells. Have you come to throw your weight around in our Otherworld Ruins to provoke a war between us?" the Pureblood Heavenly Venerable asked flatly.
Lin Jiuyuan forcibly steadied himself and said, "You overstate the matter, Heavenly Venerable. We are staunch supporters of peace and have no intention of making an enemy of the Otherworld Ruins.
"But Zhong Jinxiu is very important to us.
"Please grant us this favor!"
"Zhong Jinxiu has only herself to blame for her imprisonment.
"The Heavenly Punishment Clan's current plight is also the punishment they deserve for offending the Otherworld Ruins.
"If we grant you this favor, who will bear the losses suffered by the Otherworld Ruins? Who will take responsibility?"
"We have already stated our terms. Accept them, and naturally we will release her. If you cannot accept them, do you intend to seize her by force?" The Pureblood Heavenly Venerable stepped forward, his even fiercer aura pressing down until Lin Jiuyuan and the others could barely breathe.
Ji Yinzhou waved a hand and commanded loudly, "Search his soul!"
The auras of three Otherworld Ruins