Ao Mian looked at the eight people before him.
Lu Fentian, a prince of the Taishui Heavenly Dynasty, was the elder brother of Kong Lietian.
Kong Shang, the great peacock who once ambushed the phoenixes on Phoenix Island with Kong Lietian, is now the Supreme of the Peacock Clan.
Seku, an important figure in the Taishui Heavenly Dynasty.
And four other unknown individuals, clearly also significant members of the Taishui Heavenly Dynasty.
"Will you all help me attain the Supreme position?" Ao Mian asked with a frown.
"We've discussed this many times over the past days. Ao Sihai is the Supreme of the Dragon Clan. Since he left this realm, you, as his son, are the natural heir to his position. We are all willing to assist you!" Lu Fentian said with a smile.
"Really? No ulterior motives?"
"Ulterior motives? The Taishui Heavenly Dynasty is sincere. I will be honest with you. There are motives, but they do not conflict with your goals. Ao Sihai detested the Great Zhen Dynasty. We only wish to ally with the Dragon Clan. If your father were here, he would agree with this alliance. Does that count as an ulterior motive?" Lu Fentian explained.
Hearing Lu Fentian's words, Ao Mian finally smiled.
"With your assistance, I am immensely grateful. Please help me through these critical days." Ao Mian quickly said with a smile.
"Don't worry. We won't leave until you become the Supreme of the Dragon Clan!" Lu Fentian reassured with a smile.
At that moment, Seku, the bald man, suddenly narrowed his eyes, his body hair standing on end.
"Crown Prince, what is that place over there?" Seku suddenly pointed in a direction.
Everyone looked at Seku in confusion. Lu Fentian frowned slightly.
Following Seku's finger, Ao Mian said, "That's Li Long's residence, another candidate for Supreme. Why?"
"Another candidate? He's competing with you for the Supreme position?" Seku raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. Is there a problem?" Ao Mian asked in confusion.
A problem? Seku's survival until now wasn't due to great strength but his acute sense of danger. This ability had allowed him to escape death numerous times. The feeling he was getting now indicated extreme, imminent danger.
Inside, Seku felt a chill. The place where the other Supreme candidate resided? Such a terrifying presence was there?
This place was no longer safe!
"Seku, what's wrong?" Lu Fentian frowned, looking at Seku.
Seku glanced at everyone, struggling to maintain his composure, then looked at Lu Fentian and said, "This, this...!"
"This what? If you have something to say, spit it out!" Lu Fentian's frown deepened.
"I... I suddenly remembered something very important," Seku swallowed and said.
"What is it?"
"I left a furnace of pills brewing at home. I left in such a hurry that I forgot to turn off the fire. I must return immediately. My apologies, everyone," Seku said, full of remorse.
Everyone stared at Seku in shock. A furnace of pills at home? What nonsense was this?
"Apologies, everyone. I must take my leave!" Seku hurried to the main hall door, not waiting for anyone to hold him back, and flew off immediately.
Everyone watched Seku leave, feeling like a flock of crows was flying over their heads. Was Seku out of his mind?
The one with the ugliest expression was Lu Fentian. He had just assured Ao Mian that none of them would leave until he became the Supreme of the Dragon Clan. Yet, Seku had just run off?
Lu Fentian's eyes turned cold as he resolved to report Seku's behavior upon his return.
Seku, in a panic, dove into the sea and headed straight for the ocean surface.
"Boom!"
Seku burst out of the sea, looking at the ocean below, swallowing nervously.
"How terrifying! What kind of monster is that? It's even scarier than Zhong Shan!" Seku wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Without warning Lu Fentian and the others, Seku headed west alone, returning to the dynasty as if the lives of those left behind had nothing to do with him.
"Lu Fentian, how are you going to help me?" Ao Mian asked.
"The Supreme of the Dragon Clan is determined by the election of the entire Dragon Clan, right?" Lu Fentian smiled.
"That's right. Unless it's a dragon with the primordial bloodline, the usual way to elect a Supreme is through the vote of the entire clan. Even the previous Supreme has no say in it," Ao Mian nodded.
"Do you have the support of thirty percent of the Dragon Clan?" Lu Fentian inquired.
"Yes, I have the support of thirty percent. The other three candidates each have twenty percent. Although I currently have the most support, if any of the other three withdraw, their supporters will be redistributed. At that point, my victory isn't guaranteed," Ao Mian nodded.
"But what if you had the support of more than fifty percent of the Dragon Clan?" Lu Fentian suggested confidently.
"Oh?" Ao Mian's eyes lit up.
"Just follow my lead," Lu Fentian said with a confident gleam in his eyes.
Dragons from all over the world gathered in the East Sea for the upcoming Dragon Assembly to discuss the election of the Supreme.
The four candidates were Ao Mian, Li Long, Zhao Long, and Zhou Long. Each was a highly esteemed Dragon Emperor, with Ao Mian being the son of Ao Sihai and having the most support.
Eight days later, a day before the Dragon Assembly, shocking news spread.
Just before the Dragon Assembly, Zhao Long and Ao Mian were ambushed and poisoned.
Zhao Long was killed on the spot, and Ao Mian was severely injured and unconscious. Who dared to attack in the East Sea? Who?
The dragons ran wild, roaring with rage. The Dragon Clan, once the number one demon beast clan in the world, had fallen to the point where Supreme candidates were attacked and killed in their own homes?
Which dragon would not be furious? Which dragon would not roar in anger? This was humiliation and a provocation! Had the Dragon Clan fallen to such a state?
At this time, a strange rumor spread throughout the East Sea.
Who killed them? Isn't it obvious? The Dragon Assembly is tomorrow, and killing two candidates benefits whom the most? Of course, the remaining candidates. Fewer candidates mean less competition.
The remaining candidates were Li Long and Zhou Long. Who could be so ruthless? Could the fate of the Dragon Clan be entrusted to such individuals?
Suddenly, with Zhao Long's death, many of his supporters defected to Ao Mian's camp. Even within the camps of Li Long and Zhou Long, many dragons wavered.
Doubts filled the air. The East Sea fell into a state of silence.
Li Long's body was brought into a grand hall. Xiao Jin, along with Li Long and Zhou Long, looked on silently.
"Brother Zhao died so miserably. It must be Ao Mian. They killed Brother Zhao and then cried thief to catch the thief!" one person said with a face full of hatred.
"Ao Mian must not become the Supreme. If someone like him becomes the Dragon Clan's Supreme, our clan will never have peace," another said with resentment.
"But who exactly killed Brother Zhao? I, Zhou Long, will make him pay for this blood debt!"
"Blood for blood!" Li Long said harshly.
"Wait!" Xiao Jin suddenly said.
Xiao Jin flew into the inner hall and quickly brought out Hao Meili.
"Hao Meili?" Zhou Long exclaimed in surprise.
Li Long also frowned at Hao Meili.
"Meili, this is Brother Zhao who was assassinated!" Xiao Jinlong said with a face full of sorrow.
Suddenly, Zhou Long's expression changed with excitement. "Hao Meili? Can you find out who killed Brother Zhao?"
"Why do you want to know?" Hao Meili rolled her eyes.
"But..."
"I'll just curse him. Whoever killed this Azure Dragon, I'll curse them to die a horrible death, exploding from within!" Hao Meili said bluntly.
Zhou Long and Li Long exchanged glances, a strange look flashing in their eyes. That was too straightforward!
In another palace in the East Sea...
"Kong Shang, well done. Now half of the Dragon Clan supports Ao Mian!" Lu Fentian smiled.
"It's all thanks to the techniques taught by the Holy One. But that Zhao Long was tough. Even after being poisoned, he managed to strike me. My chest still hurts!" Kong Shang frowned.
"Are you okay?"
"It was fine until you mentioned it. Now it feels worse, increasingly painful. This is not good!"
Kong Shang quickly sat down in a meditative position.
The others watched Kong Shang curiously, but his expression became more pained. Energy within him surged chaotically, producing a strange crackling sound.
"This is bad!" Kong Shang shouted.
"Boom!"
With a deafening explosion, Kong Shang's energy went out of control and he exploded, causing a massive tsunami in that part of the sea.
Lu Fentian, who narrowly avoided the explosion, looked terrified. He glanced at Ao Mian and asked, "What kind of technique is this from your Dragon Clan? It's so powerful!"
Seeing Lu Fentian's bewilderment, Ao Mian swallowed nervously and shook his head. "I've never seen it before!"
At the Crystal Palace, the site of the Dragon Assembly, the Dragon Clan's covenant scroll hung high in the air.
Ten thousand dragons qualified to attend the assembly had gathered in front of the Crystal Palace.
The four candidates, no, now only three, each took a position. The dragons chose their respective camps and could persuade others to join their camp. Dragons also had the right to change camps during the assembly.
Starting at midnight and ending at the hour of the pig, when the hour of the pig ended, the camp with the most dragons would have its leader declared the next Supreme.
An elder dragon stepped to the center of the plaza and said, "Everyone, the Supreme determines the rise and fall of our Dragon Clan. Choose wisely. At the end of the hour of the pig, the new Supreme will be born, and all dragons must unconditionally obey him. Do you understand?"
"Roar!"
Ten thousand dragons roared in unison.
"Now, begin!"
To the east of Shenzhou...
Ao Sihai, looking furious, led a group of dragons flying back from the holy capital of Xianyang. Throughout the journey, Ao Sihai felt a deep sense of frustration and resentment, his face showing his unwillingness and grievance.
"Supreme, we will reach the East Sea in one day," one of the dragons said.
Ao Sihai took a deep breath and nodded. "The new Supreme is about to be chosen, right?"
"With your return, there will be no need to choose a new Supreme!" the dragon replied with a smile.
"Yes! Let's hurry up!" Ao Sihai ordered.
"Yes!"