"It... it started descending at a steady pace, but then suddenly went 'thud!' and closed!"
"A 'thud!' you say? Are you sure there was a 'thud'?"
Jenna Summers braced herself and said, "...Yes!"
"When my Divine Mother left, there were four people present to see her off: my Father Emperor, myself, Divine Lord Tanya Quinn, and Lord Noctis." Sean Shaw said, "Divine Lord Tanya Quinn, may I ask—when the coffin descended, how did it fall?"
Divine Lord Tanya Quinn replied, "Just like in the Supreme Clarity Talisman, it fell at a steady pace, silent and smooth. It never suddenly sped up, and there was never a 'thud.'"
Jenna Summers' face flushed red as she shouted, "Just because it didn't happen last time doesn't mean it couldn't happen this time!"
Sean Shaw kept a straight face: "Everyone, her story clearly doesn't add up. In fact, what Lucia Lu said—that she fell in, was sent out, and then the coffin sealed the well—matches the timing perfectly."
"Sean!" the Celestial Empress called out, "Your Father Emperor always cherished you most. Now he's been harmed, and you still defend the culprit? You—"
"You shut up!" Sean Shaw shot her a cold look. "Hand Lucia Lu over!"
"You little brat! Is that how you speak to my Empress Mother?" Jason Xiao yelled angrily.
"Celestial Empress!" At this moment, Quentin Lian tugged on Sean Shaw's sleeve and shook his head. "Here's what we'll do: Adrian Drake still has a Divine Crimson Pill. Let Consort Jenna take it, and we'll see what's true and what's fake."
The Celestial Empress looked icy. "Who knows if your so-called Divine Crimson Pill is real? Maybe it just makes her hallucinate!"
Quentin Lian replied, "You can have any Spiritual Alchemist you want verify it."
"All the Spiritual Alchemists in this world answer to your Spirit Alliance. Who would dare go against you?" The Celestial Empress sneered. "The only thing we trust now is this Supreme Clarity Talisman! We don't trust your pills!"
"So you plan to ignore reason and just frame my daughter, is that it?" Quentin Lian's gaze turned sharp.
"Quentin Lian! Are you addicted to raising other people's daughters or something? How is she your daughter? She's obviously the demon Bianca Whitefan's child!" Jason Xiao said. "Or is it that... you just can't bear to let go of Lucia Lu because she's so pretty?"
"Hahaha!" Asher Xiao laughed with no decency at all. "Quentin Lian, you sure have a wild taste!"
"Screw your mothers!" Ryan Lu charged at them with his sword raised.
He hadn't even reached them when—bang! bang!—both Asher Xiao and Jason Xiao flew through the air, slammed into the wall, and crashed to the ground coughing up blood.
Ethan Lu had struck, sending both imperial princes flying.
"Ryan Lu! Ethan Lu! Are you rebelling?" Princess Quinn Xiao shrieked.
"Rebelling? You think you're even worthy of that word?" Ethan Lu strode step by step toward the Celestial Empress, radiating a murderous aura.
The Celestial Empress staggered backward in shock, yelling, "Guards! Guards! Stop him!"
"Stop right there!" Leo Li shouted. "Take one more step and Lucia Lu dies on the spot, believe it or not?"
Ethan Lu halted, slowly turning his gaze toward Leo Li.
"She's locked in a mobile Grand Array, packed with the deadliest death-light and poisons!" Leo Li said with a half-smile. "How many rounds do you think she can survive?"
Veins bulged on Ethan Lu's forehead.
"Celestial Empress, you really are something!" Divine Lord Tanya Quinn suddenly remarked.
The Celestial Empress raised her brows, chin held high. "Divine Lord, you flatter me. For His Majesty's sake, I've had no choice but to be strong."