Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 599 - 31 The Referendum Begins

Wushan was drenched in sweat, his legs buckled, almost dropping to his knees, but he forcefully stayed upright and did not collapse.

Stubbornly, he lifted his head, and across from him, Li Yan, with no concern for decorum, sat his ass down on the ground, taking advantage of every second to gasp for air and recover his strength. His complexion was deathly pale, with not a hint of color and several deep cracks lining his chapped lips.

Whether it was deploying Thousand Prosperous Clouds or the R’lyeh Storm on such a large scale, with deadly potential, or simply manipulating Dragon Mist and Disaster Water, it all relied on the substantial consumption of Li Yan’s physical strength, as well as the reserves of "Calamity Wave" and "Yunmeng Marsh".

Because of "Destiny Yak", "Quanlang Sea Ghost", and the connection of the Yin Yang Twin Fish to the sea’s eye, Li Yan never worried about reaching a state of total exhaustion. This was the first time since he had obtained Wu Zhiqi that he experienced the feeling of being unable to refine even a drop of ordinary water.

He could feel the pair of Yin Yang fishes in the Water Lord Palace spinning wildly, attempting to replenish the water supply, but this process still needed time.

Crack~

Looking down, Wushan noticed that the Zhenjun Wuzao ring on his finger had also cracked.

Despite Wushan’s resilient mind, he was momentarily dazed, and by the time he snapped out of it, he knew it was bad news.

And sure enough, Li Yan’s eyes were sharp as blades as he suddenly charged into Wushan’s embrace, his shoulder and right knee slamming into Wushan’s body, taking advantage of the shift in his center of gravity to wedge his right foot firmly between his legs, bracing against the heel of his back foot. With his left hand grabbing Wushan’s forearm, he delivered a rolling elbow strike right to Wushan’s throat. It was a seamless sequence of attacks, giving Wushan no chance to counter.

Wushan fell heavily to the ground and passed out, while Li Yan also took two steps back, leaning against a pile of rubble and using the wall for support to keep from falling.

After a while, when he was sure that Wushan was truly incapacitated, Li Yan pulled open his clothes; on his abdomen was a festering wound with several portions of his intestines rotted away. During his transformation into water, he had been scraped by a molten lava staff. The "Zhenjun Wuzao" indeed possessed great power; neither the Tentacle-Shaped Calamity Water nor the R’lyeh Storm had been able to cause any actual harm to Wushan. But Li Yan, caught off guard, had been struck by the staff, resulting in a severe injury.

Li Yan glanced at Wushan, who appeared lifeless, his swollen Adam’s apple slowly healing. Li Yan cursed under his breath, then walked over to Wushan and took off the ring from his hand.

He carefully examined the properties of the Zhenjun Wuzao ring and thought of trying it on for himself, but was reminded by Earth Endurance that the artifact had already fused with Wushan’s bloodline, and would not display its full power in the hands of others.

Even so, Li Yan unapologetically pocketed the ring. After looking around for a bit, he left with an awkward, limping gait.

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"Before we begin the meeting, we need to arrange the seating for this News Conference."

Zhao Jianzhong lifted his head, "The seats are all here. Below the second seat, anyone can sit wherever they like. For the second seat and above, we’ll decide later through a vote. There’s no difference in voting rights between the seats. During the Yan Zhao Club meeting, speaking order is based on seating, but everyone gets a chance to speak. However, those in the front seats may take on some other important responsibilities and enjoy some privileges outside the official meetings of the Yan Zhao Club. There’s still time to change seats now, of course, provided they’re empty."

No one in the room spoke, and almost no one stood up to change seats. It was clear to all that there were unwritten rules everyone understood.

The first three seats were mostly familiar faces, with no significant changes. The third seat had one vacancy, but no one dared to claim it, suggesting that Pang Chunhao must be a tough figure whom nobody wanted to provoke, leaving the obvious advantage unclaimed.

After about half a minute, Zhao Jianzhong’s gaze settled on the lone figure in the spacious fifth seat.

"Mo."

The portly man was startled and quickly looked up.

"Come sit at the front, in the third seat."

What Zhao Jianzhong meant, of course, was Pang Chunhao’s spot.

"This, I’m not sure if that’s appropriate..., I... I’ll sit."

Under Zhao Jianzhong’s gaze, Mo reluctantly corrected himself. He took his seat, with over two hundred pounds of bulk, beside a man with a shawl for hair, in the outermost position of the third row, then he fist-bumped toward the others in the shawl-haired man’s direction: "A pleasure, a pleasure."

Ju Mang turned away in disgust, but most of the others in the third seat nodded at Mo in a friendly manner.

Time ticked by, second by second, and after another half a minute or so, seeing that no one else was changing seats, Zhao Jianzhong nodded.

"Next is the topic of the four vacancies in the second seat of the Yan Zhao Club. The second seat is unlike any other position; each member has a value to Yan Fu that is truly unique and irreplaceable. The recent deaths of An and the others directly impacted the workings of certain authorities of Yan Fu, and over a thousand Yan Fu Fruits have been lost into the Leaf Sea. It’s uncertain how much effort it will take to retrieve them, which is why, as with every past member of the second seat, Yan Fu’s public vote is required for decision-making. As usual, let me emphasize again,"

Zhao Jianzhong scrutinized the crowd: "Cherish your voting rights, for they’ve been forged from the blood and flesh of our forebears."

Zhao Jianzhong declared loudly: "After several internal meetings, we have finalized the following list of candidates for the reserve of the second seat: Jingang Zhi, Nine Phoenixes, Taishuai, Zheng, Weiyue Yan, and Zhao Xuantan. They have been recommended by myself, Su Ling, Wuwei Sanzang, and Zhan Yuejin, respectively. Their recommenders will then expound on their reasons for advocating these Proxies to enter the second seat. If the rationale wins the unanimous approval of the twenty-five persons present in the first seat, then the Proxy need not go through any voting process and can directly join the second seat."

The attendees discussed among themselves for a while, without any dispute. This was the old rule for advancing to the second seat. A unanimous approval from the first seat could directly allow a Proxy to enter the second seat, but this was extremely difficult. Aside from the five Ten Masters, there were another twenty peak figures from the Heavenly and Divine categories of the Six Ministries Peak present, all deeply entangled in their own interests; unless there were substantial merits or benefits for the entire Yan Fu populace, approval was unlikely.

In the history of the more than twenty meetings of the Yan Zhao Club, only three Proxies of the Six Ministries had ever received the unanimous approval of the first seat and directly entered the second seat at the time: Zhan Yuejin, Wuwei Sanzang, and Yu Shiqie.

These three each had solid reasons and abilities, nearly impossible to replicate.

"After the first seat voting concludes, if there are still vacancies, then all attendees will cast their votes, with the highest vote-getter being elected. In case of a tie, the existing Yan Fu Master shall decide the seat’s fate. If another tie occurs, it suggests that both candidates are of equal value and recognized by the Yan Zhao Club, so the Proxy with greater strength will enter the second seat. That’s the basic procedure; does anyone have any questions?"

The scene was silent.

"Alright, I’ll start by discussing my reasons for recommending Nine Phoenixes, Taishuai, and Yang Zheng,"

Su Ling suddenly raised his hand.

Zhao Jianzhong looked puzzled at him.

Su Ling said with a smile, "Let me go first."

Zhao Jianzhong narrowed his eyes, sensing something, then nodded.

Standing, Su Ling took off his glasses and surveyed the entire room: "In terms of seniority and capability, Weiyue Yan is not particularly outstanding among the Peak of the Seven Palaces and might not be convincing enough. However, I have sufficient reasons and confidence to recommend Weiyue Yan for the second seat."