106: Chapter 106: Irrefutable Evidence, the Empress's Daughter Deposed!

Chu Wanqing did not argue with her anymore.

It was pointless.

You can never reason with someone who is performing on a stage.

Because every word she spoke and every tear she shed was part of a script.

"Test it then."

Chu Wanqing turned around and faced the xuantian mirror.

"Isn't this exactly what you want to see?"

"Then watch!"

She raised her right hand and bit her fingertip.

A drop of essence blood condensed at the tip of her finger.

Golden light swirled within the essence blood, and the aura of the Imperial Phoenix Bloodline spread throughout the hall.

Pure, noble, and divine.

Several Disciples even lowered their heads involuntarily.

That was suppression at the Bloodline level.

Chu Wanqing flicked the essence blood toward the xuantian mirror.

Pa!

The golden essence blood landed on the dark cyan stone surface.

Instantly, the xuantian mirror lit up.

The imperial phoenix inscriptions were all activated, and brilliant golden light burst forth from the stone surface.

A golden phantom of an Imperial Phoenix flickered within the light, spreading its wings as if ready to take flight.

"It's the Imperial Phoenix phenomenon! The Bloodline is fine!"

Someone among the Disciples exclaimed.

Chu Chengdao's fingers relaxed slightly.

His tense shoulders also slumped a little.

As expected, there was no problem.

How could his own daughter be wrong?

But in the next breath.

The golden light on the xuantian mirror suddenly trembled.

From the base of the Imperial Phoenix phantom's wings, a wisp of black Qi emerged.

It was as thin as a strand of hair.

But amidst the hall full of golden light, it was exceptionally jarring.

Chu Ningshuang's fingers gave a gentle squeeze inside her sleeve.

The Erosion Yin Blood Curse was activated.

That wisp of black Qi spread at a visible speed.

It spread from the base of the wings to the entire Imperial Phoenix phantom.

The golden light began to dim.

The Imperial Phoenix phantom began to twist.

The pure gold was eroded by a layer of disgusting dark purple.

It was like ink being splashed onto an exquisite painting.

The light of the xuantian mirror turned from brilliant to turbid.

Finally, it went completely dark.

The hall became terrifyingly quiet.

It was quiet for two seconds.

Then it exploded.

"Bl-black Qi?!"

"How could the Imperial Phoenix Bloodline have black Qi?!"

"It's over, it's over, the Bloodline really has been contaminated!"

"This... how is this possible!"

"I told you, how could the Third Elder's perception be wrong? That's the perception of a Quasi-Emperor!"

"Fake Imperial Daughter! She really is a fake Imperial Daughter!"

The discussions of hundreds of people converged like a tide, surging toward the center of the hall.

Surging toward Chu Wanqing.

Chu Wanqing was stunned.

She stared at the layer of dark purple turbid light on the xuantian mirror, her mind going blank.

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

How could there be a problem with her Bloodline?

She possessed the Innate Emperor Phoenix Holy Body.

It was something she was born with.

How could there be black Qi?

She looked down at her own hand.

The fingertip she had just bitten was still seeping blood.

Golden blood.

Pure Imperial Phoenix blood!

There was no black Qi.

Not a single trace.

Then where did the black Qi on the xuantian mirror come from?

"Sister."

Chu Ningshuang's voice rang in her ear.

It carried grief, regret, and a perfectly measured heartbreak.

"Sister, just what... did you experience in the Secret Realm?"

Chu Wanqing snapped her head up.

She looked into Chu Ningshuang's tear-filled eyes.

Beneath those tears, what was hidden in those eyes?

Triumph?

Mockery?

Or cold killing intent?

Chu Wanqing didn't know.

She only knew that she had been framed.

Completely and utterly framed.

"I didn't!"

Her voice squeezed out of her throat, hoarse and urgent.

"There is nothing wrong with my Bloodline! The xuantian mirror must have been tampered with!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the clamor in the hall grew even louder.

"She's making excuses!"

"The xuantian mirror is an immemorial treasure; who could possibly tamper with it?"

"Even the Family Head said the xuantian mirror has never made a mistake. What is she questioning?"

"Still stubborn even when facing death!"

Voice after voice stabbed at her like knives.

Chu Wanqing's body was trembling.

Not from cold.

But from anger.

And from being wronged.

She looked around, trying to find a pair of eyes that believed her.

On the Elders' seats, Chu Wanjun sat composedly.

Chu Canglan was chuckling.

Chu Yuanshan and Chu Henian were expressionless.

The Fifth Elder and Eighth Elder kept their heads down, drinking tea.

In the Disciples' section, there were over three hundred faces.

They were either filled with doubt, indifference, or the desire to watch a good show.

Not a single person stepped forward to say a word of justice.

Not one.

Chu Wanqing's gaze finally landed on the high platform.

Her father.

Chu Chengdao's face had turned so pale that there wasn't a trace of color left.

He stared fixedly at the dark purple light on the xuantian mirror, his lips trembling slightly.

"Impossible..."

He repeated those words under his breath.

But the voice was too soft; no one could hear it except himself.

Chu Ningshuang knelt toward the high platform.

"Father!"

She sobbed uncontrollably.

"The evidence is irrefutable! The facts are right before our eyes!"

"For the sake of the Chu Family's million-year legacy!"

"Please give the order, Father, to depose her from the position of Imperial Daughter and reclaim the Imperial Weapon!"

"Place her under guard and hand her over to the Council of Elders for disposal!"

Grand Elder Chu Wanjun also stood up.

"We request the Family Head's decision!"

The Second Elder, Third Elder, and Seventh Elder chimed in unison.

"We request the Family Head's decision!"

Among the Disciples, someone took the lead.

"We request the Family Head's decision!"

One person shouted.

Two people shouted.

Ten people shouted.

Finally, hundreds of people shouted in unison.

"We request the Family Head's decision!"

The wave of sound almost lifted the roof of the Ancestral Hall.

Chu Wanqing stood there, surrounded by the sound waves.

Like a lonely island.

In the middle of the vast ocean, there was water on all sides and not an inch of land.

She suddenly smiled.

The smile was filled with bitterness and desolation.

It also carried a hint of despair that even she herself hadn't noticed.

Upon the high platform.

Chu Chengdao closed his eyes.

The pressure of the entire clan weighed on his shoulders like a great mountain.

He was a Peak Quasi-Emperor who could shatter a star with a single palm strike.

But at this moment, he could not move this mountain.

Because this mountain was the heart of his clansmen.

There was a long silence.

So long that everyone began to grow restless.

Chu Chengdao opened his eyes, his voice hoarse.

"First, place Wanqing... under guard."

"In three days, I will give everyone an explanation."

The moment these words fell.

Chu Wanqing's body swayed, and the last trace of color drained from her face.

The light in her eyes went out.

But she didn't cry, nor did she make a scene.

She didn't say another word.

She just stood there quietly.

Beneath the Imperial Phoenix mural, a solitary figure.

Deep in her mind, a voice was echoing.

Very distant.

Very soft.

"Wanqing, don't be afraid. I'll come to see you in a few days."

Her lips moved slightly.

She silently mouthed a few words.

"Brother Lin Yi..."

"Wanqing... might not be able to wait for you anymore."

Outside the Ancestral Hall.

The sky was gloomy to the extreme.

The Imperial Clan Luck light pillar shook violently.

Thunder rumbled from the distant horizon.

Dull and heavy.

Like someone was fuming with rage.