Luo Lingtian's words were spoken in a perfectly reasoned and orderly manner, as though everything had truly unfolded exactly as he described from beginning to end.
Beside him, the two Luo clan elders both wore smiles, gently stroking their long beards, pride flashing through their eyes.
This was the qilin among their lineage!
Even when facing Luo Huangjun, he showed not the slightest trace of timidity.
"What you say does indeed make some sense."
After a brief silence, Luo Huangjun suddenly smiled. The chilling murderous intent around her also seemed to recede, no longer as suffocating as before.
Hearing this, a trace of smugness appeared on Luo Lingtian's face.
But in the very next moment, Luo Huangjun suddenly changed her tone:
"However, you are still not worthy to reason with me!"
Her expression instantly turned icy and lethal. The pressure radiating from her body exploded to several times its former intensity, instantly engulfing everyone present.
Luo Lingtian bore the brunt of it. Even with the protection of the two elders, his face turned deathly pale in an instant.
He staggered backward several steps.
The might of an Eighth Heaven powerhouse erupting in full force was something far beyond what his current self could withstand.
The two clan elders were likewise struck with horror. Such pressure far exceeded their imagination!
Against this level of force, either one of them alone would be unable to resist. Even joining forces, they could only barely hold on!
As for Luo Qingfeng, he was even more unfortunate.
With no one protecting him, his vision went dark as though heaven and earth were spinning. His so-called mighty cultivation, before Luo Huangjun now, was as fragile and insignificant as that of an ant.
"Pff!"
A mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
In just that fleeting instant of pressure, his mind and spirit had already suffered severe damage!
"Luo Huangjun, what exactly are you trying to do?!"
The two clan elders struggled desperately against the terrifying pressure from Luo Huangjun, roaring their question.
At the same time, they were filled with utter dread. Under this force, the two of them—both cultivators of the Eighth Heaven—had actually developed the thought that she was utterly impossible to oppose!
As for Luo Qingfeng, they could no longer concern themselves with him. Nor did they have the ability to.
"What am I trying to do? I should be the one asking—what exactly is it that you want to do?"
Luo Huangjun stepped down from the main seat, one step at a time. With each step she took, the pressure around her grew even more overwhelming.
The crisp sound of her footsteps was like each step was stamping directly onto the hearts of the four of them, making their souls tremble.
"You think I don't know about your secret schemes?"
"Your lineage has been in decline for a long time. The appearance of this child gave you hope."
"For that hope, you even dared to extend your hands into Taihuang and plot to seize the Huanglong Seal."
"Hoping that after this child completes his bloodline, he would lead your branch to rise again and reclaim control of the Luo family."
"What I said—am I wrong?"
By the end of her words, Luo Huangjun's voice rang out like a massive bell, resounding violently in everyone's minds.
Luo Qingfeng had already been injured in spirit earlier. Now, unable to endure any more, he immediately lost consciousness and collapsed.
The two clan elders clenched their teeth in resistance. With every step Luo Huangjun took forward, the pressure on them multiplied severalfold.
That final thunderous question in their minds was like the last straw that broke their endurance. Almost simultaneously, both of them spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Instead, the one with the lowest cultivation present—Luo Lingtian—aside from feeling suffocated and trembling uncontrollably, suffered no actual wounds.
But no one believed it was because of Luo Huangjun's mercy.
Because at this moment, Luo Huangjun's gaze had already landed squarely upon Luo Lingtian.
"Stop!"
"Luo Huangjun! If you dare harm Lingtian, our branch will fight you to the death!"
The two Luo clan elders roared in near hysteria, their eyes splitting with fury.
At the same time, terror filled their hearts.
When they had earlier learned that Luo Tianhai had died at Luo Huangjun's hands, they had not been overly surprised.
After all, they were of the same lineage and had known each other for years. Even if they did not know every detail, they understood one another quite well.
Luo Tianhai had always been a half-baked Eighth Heaven cultivator, barely of the lowest tier. Being casually slain by Luo Huangjun was nothing extraordinary.
Either of the two of them, given some effort, could have done the same.
Before setting out, they had already decided that if negotiations failed, they would resort to force to take back the Huanglong Seal.
Thus, clashing with Luo Huangjun was already within their expectations.
They believed that with the two of them working together, at worst they could fight her to a standstill.
But only when they truly faced her did they realize how naïve that belief was.
That terrifying pressure alone had already crushed them.
Not only that, from Luo Huangjun's body emanated a deeply oppressive aura.
Unlike ordinary pressure, this aura seemed to originate from the very depths of the soul, from the source of blood and ancestry itself.
It caused the blood in their bodies to nearly stop flowing, and their souls to tremble uncontrollably.
As if they were facing a being naturally born to stand above them.
"Fight to the death? What a fine 'fight to the death.' The moment you decided to lay hands on my disciple, I had already become irreconcilable with your branch!"
Luo Huangjun's voice was icy and razor-sharp. Deep violet light flickered through her eyes as an ancient, desolate aura spread from her body.
This was the power of a primordial bloodline. Though her bloodline had only begun to awaken,
It was still enough for her, without the least effort, to suppress the two Luo clan elders so completely that they could not move at all!
At this moment, Luo Lingtian could no longer maintain his earlier refined and elegant demeanor.
His face was as pale as paper, cold sweat streaming down his forehead in layers.
He felt as though one foot of his had already stepped through the gates of the underworld.
"Sigh… Huangjun, stop."
A quiet sigh echoed through the hall.
Hearing this voice, Luo Huangjun frowned slightly.
Meanwhile, the two clan elders and Luo Lingtian were overjoyed.
Reinforcements had arrived!
At some unknown moment, a white-haired, slightly hunched old man had appeared beside Luo Lingtian.
Upon seeing him, Luo Huangjun's expression tightened.
She recognized this person—a true old monster of unfathomable strength!
Only now did the two Luo clan elders finally gain a chance to catch their breath.
Luo Lingtian was also finally freed from that horrifying sensation of hovering at the edge of life and death. The moment he realized he could move again, he hurriedly retreated several steps.
"You intend to protect them?"
Luo Huangjun asked, her brows knit.
"They are, in the end, of the same clan. If it can be avoided, it would be better to shed less blood…"
Facing Luo Huangjun's question, the old man replied with a soft sigh.