You Really Have No Authority Over This

"You've got it all wrong! What I mean is, you're the mighty Celestial Empress, and yet you've raised such a nest of sleazy thugs! Truly impressive!" Divine Lord Tanya Quinn sneered, his face full of mockery.

The Celestial Empress’s neck stiffened. She glanced at Brandon Xiao and Zane Xiao, then said coldly, "There's no point in talking further! We have both witnesses and evidence—Lucia Lu plotted against the Celestial Emperor and must be executed! You may leave now!"

"Celestial Empress!" Divine Lord Tanya Quinn called again.

"What else do you have to say, Divine Lord Tanya Quinn?"

"Isn't Drake Abyss supposed to be under the command of the First Prince now? Where is he?"

"He's in seclusion," the Celestial Empress replied.

Tanya Quinn snorted, "His father, the Celestial Emperor, is in such trouble, and he can still focus on his closed-door cultivation? That's some serious lack of filial piety!"

The Celestial Empress answered, "He's at a critical juncture and cannot be disturbed, so he doesn't even know about His Majesty's accident yet. When he emerges, he'll naturally take charge."

Tanya Quinn said, "Then hand Lucia Lu over to me for now. Once the First Prince comes out, we can gather the five Dragon Lords for a proper retrial!"

"What, my mother is the mighty Celestial Empress—she can't even make a decision about this?" Princess Quinn Xiao demanded, her aura intimidating.

Tanya Quinn chuckled, "Princess Quinn Xiao, divine mandate is heaven-bestowed! Your mother may be the Celestial Empress, but in terms of cultivation she's just a Divine Maiden—not even a High God. She's the head of the imperial harem, sure, but when it comes to real decisions... she honestly can't call the shots here!"

Princess Quinn Xiao fumed, "You..."

Tanya Quinn’s aura suddenly hardened. "Celestial Empress, you have two choices. One: call the First Prince here to take charge, and you go do whatever you need to do. Two: hand Lucia Lu over to me until the First Prince comes out of seclusion!"

"And if I refuse?" The Celestial Empress glared at her, eyes icy.

"Your only leverage is Lucia Lu's life," Tanya Quinn said with a faint smile. "But honestly, I don't believe you'd dare kill her! Let me be blunt—if Celestial Palace repeats the disaster that struck the Radiant Palace, the Southern Realm won't lift a finger to help!"

The Celestial Empress sneered, "You must've forgotten—Drake Abyss is completely protected by the Mirror of Truth! Bianca Whitefan can't get in!"

Tanya Quinn sneered right back, "Is that so? Go ahead, try it! See if she can get in or not!"

"Divine Lord Tanya Quinn, stop trying to scare everyone!" The old are always the shrewdest—the Azure Dragon Lord smiled coolly. "Lucia Lu's already been tortured a dozen times! If Bianca Whitefan could get into Drake Abyss, she'd have come long ago!"

Tanya Quinn cursed silently in her heart.

If they've really tortured her and Bianca Whitefan still hasn't shown up, maybe she truly can't get into Drake Abyss!

Getting her released is probably going to be very difficult...

She glanced at Sean Shaw.

Sean Shaw sent a sound transmission: "I know where she is. Let’s head back first and then figure out how to rescue her."

Tanya Quinn sighed and asked the Celestial Empress, "When will the First Prince come out of seclusion?"

"At most half a month," the Celestial Empress replied.

How about this! Let’s each take a step back. We won’t ask for her release, and you won’t torture her for now. When the First Prince comes out, he’ll take charge—how about that?

The Celestial Empress glanced at Leo Li.

Leo Li sent a sound transmission: "The Three-Realms Joint Army is watching closely—just agree for now. We’ll think of something else later."

So the Celestial Empress agreed: "Fine."

...

Palace Guard Barracks.

"You know where she’s being held?" Everyone looked at Sean Shaw.

Sean Shaw nodded. "According to reliable sources, she’s in the Undersea Divine Prison! I went down invisibly to check—sure enough, there’s a Grand Array sealing her in, the God-Sealing Grand Array. I couldn’t get through."

The God-Sealing Grand Array originates from the old Divine Tomb; inside, there’s no spiritual power at all. It blocks all communication—including the Heartscale bond.