"Don't touch me!"
Suddenly, the sealed Xia Qiuer actually spoke. Her tone was icy, utterly unlike her usual self.
"Holy Maiden, you've been conscious all along?" Yan Su asked in surprise.
The refined man, Jian Chuan, and the others were equally astonished. Everyone present was a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, yet not one of them had noticed that Xia Qiuer's consciousness had awakened.
When had she awakened?
"I've been awake all along. I heard everything you said. Sure enough, all of you were lying to me, even Father!" Xia Qiuer's voice was filled with disappointment.
"The Emperor Lord must have his reasons. You need to trust him," Yan Su urged. They could not let Xia Qiuer's thoughts run wild, or she truly could not be saved.
"Stop talking!" Xia Qiuer shook her head. She did not want to know what the Emperor Lord was thinking.
"Holy Maiden, if you don't repair your Great Dao, your Path of Mortals will truly come to nothing," the refined man said.
He walked to Xia Qiuer's side and reached for her forehead. His emperor soul overflowed as he prepared to act.
"A Path of Mortals cultivated in a false world—I'd rather not have it!" Xia Qiuer shook her head. "If you touch my memories, you will regret it."
Her tone was calm, without the slightest hint of menace.
Yet those words alone froze the refined man's outstretched hand in midair, and he did not dare lower it.
"Holy Maiden, are you really going to become useless like this? Are you truly willing? No matter what the Imperial Court becomes, isn't it still the Imperial Court?" Jian Chuan said.
"No. The Imperial Court in my memories was beautiful, harmonious, and loving—a perfect place. My Path of Mortals was born for such an Imperial Court, but..."
Xia Qiuer