The Subtleties of the Vote

"Vote!" At this moment, the atmosphere in the grand hall was chillingly subdued. Yuan Qingdong and the others all wore grim expressions. As representatives of the sacred lands, each had received a jade talisman. How should they cast their votes? Marquis Xia, who had instigated the whole affair, and King Miecan, who had fueled the flames, looked completely unbothered. With a smile on his face, Marquis Xia toyed with his jade talisman, looking completely indifferent. ... In the armamentsmiths' section. Zhao Tianbing wore an equally grave expression. Several Earth-rank armamentsmiths quickly transmitted their voices: "What do we do?" Marquis Xia had made it sound simple! Vote Option 1, and the Xia family would be displeased. Vote Option 2, and they would antagonize the Eight Great Families. Vote Option 3, and they would merely be muddling through and dodging the issue. Zhao Tianbing quickly replied via transmission: "Senior Hu, how do you say we choose? We cannot represent King Tianzhu!" Hu Qi said calmly, "We can represent the armamentsmiths—the majority of them. There are a little over fifty Earth-rank armamentsmiths in the Human Realm, and about one-sixth of them are present today. Each of us has close friends in the trade. Our stance represents the stance of the Human Realm's armamentsmith lineage. As for whether it reflects King Tianzhu's stance, that doesn't matter! Once war breaks out, those in need of weapons won't mostly be the top experts!" "War!" Their hearts shook. Zhao Tianbing quickly looked toward Hu Qi with deep solemnity. Turning his head to look at the beaming Marquis Xia, his expression grew even graver. Right at that moment, a dark shadow appeared at the entrance. A figure blocked out the light. A man strode in, saying flatly, "In my view, voting Option 1 is best. There really isn't much to choose between. Chen Yong was the one who killed those men. Why feign ignorance when everyone knows the truth? Whether the Eight Great Families colluded with the All-Races Cult is something everyone knows full well in their hearts too! The All-Races Cult isn't qualified to have the Eight Great Families collude with it!" The newcomer walked with a vigorous, commanding stride, his aura oppressive. At that moment, someone recognized him. A formidable old man! Eighth layer of the Sun Moon Realm! One of the eight patriarchs of the Eight Great Families in the Quest Realm, the second son of the Zhou family, son of King Dazhou, and younger brother of Zhou Potian—Zhou Pochong. The old man stepped into the grand hall, bowed slightly, and saluted the three Invincibles. At this moment, gone was his usual low profile and reticence; his demeanor was aggressive and bold. King Dahan sighed softly and closed his eyes in silence. King Miecan asked with a smile, "Pochong, did your father send you?" "No, I represent only the Quest Sacred Land!" King Miecan chuckled. "Interesting. The Quest Realm... you can represent it?" Zhou Pochong looked at King Miecan and said calmly, "The Quest Realm is governed by the Eight Great Families. Since the world does not acknowledge the sacred land as a sacred land, then the sacred land belongs to the Eight Great Families. As I stand here representing the sacred land, none of the eight governing families object!" King Miecan smiled again. "Suit yourselves. I won't get involved." "My thanks to King Miecan!" Zhou Pochong bowed slightly, looked around, and said indifferently, "Chen Yong slaughtered military commanders and went on a killing spree in all directions. His crimes are unforgivable! Such a plain and obvious matter, yet you insist on making it so convoluted. Feng Qi confessed his crimes and is already a criminal. If so, why is a referendum even necessary?" He looked at everyone and said coldly, "Furthermore, Chen Yong has already succumbed to inner demons. Since he has fallen, he should be put to death!" Over on the other side, Hong Tan stood up, looked at him, and sneered, "Zhou Pochong, do you call the shots?" "I do!" Zhou Pochong looked back at him. "I represent the Quest Realm, the Quest Sacred Land! The Elders of Civilization Academies fall under the jurisdiction of the Quest Realm as well! When he commits a crime, the Quest Realm has the authority and justification to handle him! Hong Tan, do not double down on your mistakes!" Hong Tan's blood boiled. He stared at him with an increasingly chilling glare. "Zhou Pochong, I'm doubling down on mistakes? Don't you double down on yours! The meek get bullied! You people have grown so accustomed to bullying our lineage that you take it for granted!" Hong Tan's eyes turned icy. "How much has my lineage sacrificed for the world, for the Human Realm, and for everyone! Others might not know, but could you possibly be ignorant? You insist on shedding all pretense with me—do you truly believe you represent everyone under heaven?" Zhou Pochong said coldly, "Sacrifice? Everyone under heaven makes sacrifices! Hong Tan, don't paint yourself as so noble. When your master sought dao-verification—forcing his way through—how vast an error did he commit? How staggering were the losses! Must we drag out what happened over fifty years ago and air every detail in plain view? The treatment your lineage has received all these years is the bitter harvest Ye Batian sowed himself!" "A bitter harvest?" Hong Tan's aura exploded as he shouted furiously, "A bitter harvest? You call it that? If not for that upheaval back then, would you people have had the luxury of developing in peace for fifty years? For fifty years, my lineage allowed ourselves to be slaughtered like sheep at your whim—and for what?" Enraged, Hong Tan snapped coldly, "We owe you nothing! The debt of gratitude for the Invincibles who fell in those days has already been repaid! Even Zhou Polong has let it go, so who the hell do you think you are? Did your father die for my master?" "..." "Insolence!" Zhou Pochong barked, his eyes glinting with cold venom. "Hong Tan, think before you speak! Three Invincibles sit right here, yet you dare insult a Prefecture-Founding King! When he founded his prefecture back then, he rescued hundreds of millions from misery! You are insulting the foremost Civilization Master of the Human Realm! Hong Tan, are you courting death?" Hong Tan summoned his civilized armaments—both sword and shield materialized at once. Staring at him, Hong Tan said, "You want to kill me? Come try it! Zhou Pochong, you think a piece of trash like you can kill me? Decades have passed, and you're still just as useless! Back then, my master's ax cleaved you like a stray dog, yet today you dare act so arrogant!" "You die!" Zhou Pochong was furious. Right then, King Miecan chuckled and intervened: "All right, what's all this fuss about? You two have put on enough of a show. Vote if you're supposed to vote. If you want a duel, wait until the voting is over. Once we leave, kill each other for all I care—one less person to worry about! Don't pull this stunt in front of us!" King Miecan wore an amused smirk. "You've been feuding for so many years, still haven't had your fill? Trust me, there will be plenty of chances to play later!" With that, he added indifferently, "Everyone, make up your minds and cast your votes. As for the rest, I won't say more!" Zhou Pochong fell silent. Across from him, Hong Tan also reined in his hostility. Fighting to the death in front of Invincibles was just talk; a real clash could never happen here. Yet after a moment of silence, Zhou Pochong suddenly said, "Even if the murderer truly is Chen Yong, his life can be spared. Exile him to the Vanguard Camp to fight on the front lines, leading every charge!" He looked at everyone, enunciating each word: "Small-scale chaotic battles have already begun breaking out at the front line! The vanguard forces of the Gods and Demons have already reached the eastern warzone! The Immortal Realm has opened wide, and the allied armies of the eighteen Immortal sects have mobilized, massing along our northern defense line!" "In the central chaotic territories, the allied monster armies have mobilized, menacing our western defense line!" "The Dragon race demands that the Human Realm hand over all captured dragons, looting the burning house and kicking us while we're down!" "The Alliance of Thirty-Two Minor Realms demands that humanity withdraw from all occupied minor realms!" "..." Enunciating every syllable, Zhou Pochong laid out all the battlefield reports from the front. Then, with impassioned fervor, he declared, "Great chaos is at hand! The myriad races are in revolt, and the myriad realms are in upheaval! Everyone, can the Human Realm afford turmoil right now? For Chen Yong? For Feng Qi? You would plunge our Human Realm into chaos?!" He turned to Marquis Xia, his voice booming: "Xia Longwu is on the verge of seeking dao-verification. Given the current situation, his death is all but guaranteed! The only slim chance of survival—I believe the Marquis knows full well what it is!" Things that were usually taboo to utter aloud were brought out into the open today! Marquis Xia remained silent. Zhou Pochong barked, "Must you ruin your own future? Does the Human Realm have the power to break the alliance of the myriad races? This is a tribulation! A calamity of life and death! A tribulation surpassing the great calamity of four hundred years ago!" Hearts trembled among the crowd. ... In the armamentsmiths' section. At this moment, Su Yu began to understand. Things he had failed to grasp in the past now became clear. This was a tribulation! The Human Realm's tribulation! And certain people were meant to resolve this tribulation. Certain people were destined to be sacrificed, destined to buy time—for the Human Realm, for the world, for all living beings! A handful of lives traded for a century of peace for all living beings. Was it worth it? It was worth it! At this moment, Su Yu recalled a question Bai Feng had once asked him: when Xia Yuwen fought on the battlefield, using ordinary soldiers as bait to lure enemy Lingyun cultivators, was he right or wrong? Wasn't killing one Lingyun cultivator worth more than a hundred ordinary soldiers? That day, Su Yu hadn't said anything at first, thinking vaguely to himself: *What does that have to do with me? Actually... it's not that big a deal.* Then Bai Feng had asked again: *What if your father were among those soldiers?* Su Yu had answered: *Xia Yuwen deserves to die!* Today, it was the exact same situation. Sacrificing a few people in exchange for a century of peace for the Human Realm—was it worth it? Perhaps... it was! But when those few people were your master, your martial uncle, your grandmaster... was it worth it? They deserved to die! Anyone who proposed such an idea deserved to die! A double standard, perhaps, but it was reality. If those people were strangers, it would be none of his business: a century of peace, his own cultivation and dao-verification—what would it have to do with him? Yet these people were not strangers. At this moment, Su Yu looked at the crowd, sighing softly in his heart. Who could be blamed? Just moments ago, he had even thought to himself: if those people weren't his own teachers and elders, would he have stood so firm? He himself hadn't been steadfast! How could he expect others to be? "The Multiple Divine Characters... the Multiple Divine Characters of the Great Xia Prefecture are not the Multiple Divine Characters of the entire world!" At this moment, Su Yu experienced a profound realization! *I overthought it.* *I always thought the Invincibles were fools. When the myriad races fear the Multiple Divine Characters so much, could you not understand what that means?* *Now, many signs were telling him: they knew full well what it meant.* *However, you cannot represent the world's Multiple Divine Characters Faction.* *Perhaps... in the eyes of the world, you are merely anomalies.* A glint of calamity qi flickered across his eyes. The divine character "Tribulation" showed signs of advancing to the fourth tier; it might very well become his first fourth-tier divine character. He looked at Bai Feng in the hall, then at Hong Tan... And finally, toward Marquis Xia. Bitterness welled up! At this moment, he finally saw through so many things. Indeed, only when it came down to this could one distinguish the truth: the Xia family was still on the side of the Multiple Divine Characters... Just as he had that thought, Marquis Xia suddenly spoke up: "The Xia family doesn't wish to meddle too much. However, I want to make certain things clear: Longwu's dao-verification is of paramount importance. Right now, everything must prioritize Longwu's dao-verification! As for other matters, let us not push things too far!" "..." Su Yu froze, dazed. What did Xia the Second mean? *It hasn't even begun, and you're already backing down?* Beside him, someone kicked him lightly under the table. Su Yu turned his head. Xia Huyou, smiling broadly, transmitted his voice: "The Xia family's blade has grown a little blunt. A blunt blade doesn't hurt people. When a blade doesn't hurt people, everyone dares to touch it, dares to inspect it. If we sharpen it right now and make it too keen, people will be too scared to come close..." Su Yu looked at him without speaking. Xia Huyou smiled at him and transmitted again: "Let me tell you a story. Once there was a tiger. In its prime, it was ferociously brutal. Everyone feared it, dared not provoke it, and kept their distance! Later, the tiger grew somewhat old. Its claws fell out, and its teeth fell out too, yet its tiger might remained. When someone thought of attacking it, the tiger bared its fangs and brandished its claws... scaring the people away once again!" "One day, a hunter arrived. He was bold, suspected the tiger was old, and wanted to test the waters. The tiger postured aggressively for a while, then suddenly panted out of breath and told the hunter: 'Don't mess with me, I'm not old yet, I can still bite you to death...' Brother Cui, do you think the hunter leaves, or attacks the tiger?" Su Yu fell silent for a moment before replying via transmission: "Attacks the tiger!" "Right! But the hunter is still a bit wary, so he calls over a dozen hunters from the surrounding area. The tiger blusters again, panting as it warns everyone: 'Don't mess with me, I'm dangerous!' If you're a hunter, what do you think?" Su Yu thought for a moment and transmitted: "Bluffing! This tiger is done for! Let's swarm it together, kill the beast, and split the meat!" Xia Huyou grinned and transmitted: "Exactly, a bluffing tiger! That's why everyone dares to attack. Tell me, if this tiger never made a sound and simply stared at you with cold eyes, would you dare move in?" "I wouldn't!" "Exactly! That's why the tiger must make noise, must bluff, must intimidate. Only then will everyone find the courage to go in and kill it!" Xia Huyou grinned brilliantly and transmitted again: "Of course, the tiger isn't entirely dead yet, and it is still guarding a treasure. So if you were a hunter, what would you do right now?" "Surround it, linger, wait. Wait for the other hunters to arrive. Ideally, have someone test the waters first. If it really is hollow and weak inside, charge in together, kill the tiger, divide the meat, and split the treasure!" Xia Huyou continued, "At that time, will there be many hunters?" "Plenty. Most anyone who wants to hunt the tiger will probably show up!" "Then tell me, what happens if, right before it dies, the tiger suddenly regrows all its claws and teeth?" "..." Su Yu let out a soft sigh, exhaling slowly, and said no more. At this moment, he completely understood what the Xia family was aiming to do! The tiger was the Xia family. Bluffing, intimidating, threatening, yet never daring to strike—waiting for the hunters to encircle it. Once all the hunters assembled, the tiger would deliver a fatal counterstrike to wipe them all out. Perhaps the cub could survive; perhaps the treasure it guarded could be preserved. Now, he understood completely. He thoroughly understood why the Xia family appeared so fierce time after time, yet always stopped short after a mere taste. The Xia family was telling everyone: *Actually... I am weak.* This was also fishing. The fishing line: give and take, tighten and slacken. Veterans of the rod! Novices liked to yank the line directly, only for the hook to snap, the line to break, and the rod to be lost, netting nothing at all. Veteran anglers had patience. They knew when to tighten and when to slacken, occasionally letting the line go slack so the fish bit down harder. Now, the fish was on the hook. Yet it hadn't bitten deep enough! What was more, the angler wanted to catch all the fish in the area. That required even greater patience—ideally waiting until every single fish had taken the bait before reeling in. His only worry was whether the line, the hook, and the rod... could hold under the strain! ... Su Yu sank into deep thought. Meanwhile, in the hall, Marquis Xia uttered another threat, carrying a subtle air of bluster hiding weakness, an impression of frailty. Having delivered his threat, Marquis Xia said impatiently, "Regardless, this is the Great Xia Prefecture, and Feng Qi is a man of the Great Xia Prefecture. I hope you all think twice! Furthermore, Chen Yong is not a criminal or a convict. Zhou Pochong, stop carrying on about Chen Yong this and Chen Yong that! Let's leave it at that. Cast your votes, everyone, and stop wasting time!" With that, he directly carved a character onto his jade talisman, hidden from everyone's view. "One." Yes, "One"—soul-search Feng Qi, but not the Eight Great Families. Marquis Xia handed the jade talisman to King Miecan. King Miecan gave him a meaningful look, a subtle nuance in his eyes. Marquis Xia had voted "One"! Soul-search Feng Qi! Right then, the representative of the Great Ming Prefecture walked over, looked at Hu Qi, and said, "Elder Hu, the Manor Lord's instructions are for you to cast the vote on behalf of the Great Ming Prefecture!" Hu Qi was taken aback. *Me?* In the next instant, she vaguely understood Zhu Tiandao's intention. He wanted her to consult Su Yu; how the Great Ming Prefecture voted depended on Su Yu. Naturally, Hu Qi assumed there was no need to ask: vote Option 2, of course, to investigate the Eight Great Families! *The Manor Lord is currying favor again?* Hu Qi was speechless. Selling favors at a time like this. She directly transmitted her voice to Su Yu: "Then I'll vote Two. The Manor Lord might have... guessed something." She hadn't told the Manor Lord, but Zhu Tiandao was shrewd, as she well knew. He might have deduced it. Otherwise, Zhu Tiandao had already contacted his representative; there was no need to instruct the representative to have her cast the vote. Yet Su Yu hesitated for a moment before hurriedly transmitting back: "Hold on!" Hu Qi was startled. Many thoughts flashed through Su Yu's mind, including Xia Huyou's words. He looked up toward Marquis Xia. The marquis seemed to be observing something as he glanced around. When his eyes met Su Yu's, he smiled faintly and quickly shifted his gaze away. *Slacken the line... take the bait...* Thoughts swirled in Su Yu's mind. Beside him, Xia Huyou was all smiles, looking as if he felt no sense of crisis for the Xia family whatsoever. *A ferocious tiger... won't lure in big fish!* Idea after idea surfaced. Su Yu suddenly looked toward Feng Qi in the grand hall. He took a glance and lowered his head. *Martial Uncle Chen had Martial Uncle Feng Qi return!* *Back then, Martial Uncle brought utter disaster upon Zhai Feng, Huang Qifeng, and the others with effortless ease, all because someone testified that they were instructed to spread the rumors, clinching their guilt and forcing Zhou Mingren himself to step down from the vice manor head post.* *Can he deceive an Invincible?* Su Yu vaguely grasped Martial Uncle Chen's plan! *Martial Uncle Feng Qi needs his soul searched to prove his innocence. If his soul isn't searched, it will actually work against him, and Martial Uncle Feng Qi won't regain his freedom.* "Elder Hu, vote One!" Ahead of him, Hu Qi's heart trembled. *Vote One?* *Why vote One?!* Su Yu didn't insist on having the Eight Great Families searched alongside him—what did this mean? Zhu Tiandao had handed the choice over to Su Yu... Why make this choice? If Zhu Tiandao truly wanted to do him a favor, he could have simply voted Two; there was no need to ask. At this moment, thoughts raced through Hu Qi's head as well, but she refrained from dwelling further. In the next instant, she carved the character "One" onto the jade talisman. *One it is!* ... Yuan Qingdong and the others felt as though they were sitting on pins and needles, fraught with anxiety. Zhou Pochong walked over and transmitted: "What are you afraid of! We are guaranteed to win! Who would offend the Eight Great Families for the sake of a nobody like Feng Qi? They represent eight Invincibles!" "Contact all the prefectures! Qingdong, contact Dayuan Prefecture! Zhang Ying, contact Daliang Prefecture!" Zhou Pochong issued swift arrangements and soon walked over to the Great Zhou Prefecture's delegation. Out of forty votes, the Quest Realm held one, and there were thirty-nine votes outside. If they secured nineteen votes, their victory would be assured! Of course, this vote would decide far more than the fate of Feng Qi and the others! Perhaps... it would reveal for the very first time the future direction of the Human Realm. Voice transmissions flew back and forth among the factions as they debated and discussed. One jade talisman after another was handed over to King Miecan! King Miecan tossed them carelessly onto the table, a smile never leaving his face. King Dahan spoke up at this moment: "Miecan, how did you vote?" King Miecan laughed. "Me? I'm just here for the spectacle. Abstain! I voted Option Three—search neither!" King Dahan gave him a deep look and asked no further. King Miecan laughed and asked, "What about you two?" These two represented the stances of two great prefectures. King Dasong smiled. "I might as well vote Option Three as well. Ah, with some matters, what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over." Saying that, he glanced at Hong Tan and Zhou Pochong, adding softly, "All old friends. Truth be told, we fought side by side in blood back then, yet today... forced to part ways over these disputes. I... can't tell who is in the right and who is in the wrong." Who was right, and who was wrong? Perhaps he truly couldn't say. At this moment, his feelings were somewhat complicated. King Miecan smiled, paying no heed to that, and continued collecting jade talismans, reminding the crowd: "Everyone, hurry it up! That's twenty-eight votes cast, twelve remaining. Don't end up with a tie on me, or the fun is ruined!" ... Meanwhile, over in the armamentsmiths' section, one vote remained uncast. Just as everyone was hesitating in a bind, Zhao Li strode over and bellowed directly, "What are you dallying for! Vote! Vote Option Two! If souls are to be searched, search both sides! Since you're troubled, I'll make the call! You might be afraid, but I'm not!" At that moment, countless eyes turned toward Zhao Li. Zhao Li gave a cold snort. Even when Zhou Pochong glared at him, he was fearless, barking irritably, "What are you staring at! What's wrong with me voting Two? My Zhao family has forged weapons for generations; the number of people who owe debts of gratitude to my clan could fill a mountain! When my father forged weapons back in his day, he rarely took payment! If I cast a vote, do you dare kill me for it?" Zhao Tianbing was rendered speechless. This junior brother of his... was truly insane for Su Yu's sake. Helpless though he was, Zhao Tianbing spoke up: "Then vote Two. It's fairer. We wish to solve the case, but we also wish for fairness. Of course, this vote represents only the opinion of my junior brother and me, not the entire lineage of armamentsmiths. If anyone feels it improper, this vote may be withdrawn!" Hu Qi spoke up immediately: "I agree. Vote Two!" Although she found Su Yu's choice to vote Option 1 somewhat strange, at this moment she chose to stand by Zhao Li and Zhao Tianbing so they wouldn't have to fight alone. Old Chen from the Great Xia Prefecture also stated coolly, "I agree with voting Two as well!" "I agree as well!" "..." A few remained silent, but with several Earth-rank smiths all calling for Option 2, the decision was quickly finalized. This was also the first faction in the hall to make its vote openly known. Naturally, in everyone's eyes, the Great Xia Prefecture would certainly vote Two, the armamentsmith lineage would vote Two, the Great Ming Prefecture would very likely vote Two, and the Great Qin Prefecture would probably vote Two as well... By that count, at least four major prefectures would choose Two. As for the War God Hall, it would probably choose Two too. After all, the matter had little to do with the War God Hall, and upholding fairness was something the War God Hall was likely glad to do. That would make at least five votes! The jade talismans in King Miecan's hands piled higher and higher. When he received the jade talisman from the Great Ming Prefecture, King Miecan's heart stirred slightly. Saying nothing, he shuffled the jade talismans continuously, as though merely playing with them. Before him, the count of jade talismans reached thirty-five. Only the last five remained. Great Zhou Prefecture, Great Qin Prefecture... These powerful prefectures had yet to cast their ballots. After a while, the votes from Great Zhou, Great Qin, and the other major prefectures were all submitted. Now, there were a full forty jade talismans before him, including King Miecan's own. In that instant, all eyes turned to King Miecan. The reason he had been chosen to preside was that he was not a Prefecture-Founding King, and his stance was relatively neutral. And King Miecan himself would most likely vote Three, an abstention. Yet right now, King Miecan casually tossed his own jade talisman into the pile. On it was clearly written "One"—he supported soul-searching Feng Qi. "All votes are in." King Miecan said with a chuckle, "I'm actually feeling a little thrilled. Tell me, what do you think the final result will be?" King Dahan said flatly, "We don't know, but haven't you known all along?" King Miecan chuckled. "What a way to put it! Someone had to preside, didn't they? Of course, you can pretend I don't know!" Saying that, he tossed the jade talismans into the air. The forty talismans spun at an astonishing speed; at this moment, even the other two Invincibles could hardly see them clearly. "To keep King Dahan and King Dasong from knowing who voted for what, I won't let them see who cast which vote, lest they retaliate against anyone with opposing views. I'm exceptionally considerate in my conduct!" "As for me, don't worry, everyone. I haven't founded a prefecture, have no descendants, and have only a few students. Everything else has nothing to do with me, and my students and I all walk the path of warriors." King Miecan beamed. "Is everyone curious what the final result actually is?" "..." Everyone stared at him in silence. *Cut the nonsense!* *The point is, hurry up and reveal them!* King Miecan was in no rush, chuckling, "Honestly, anonymous ballots like this are the most entertaining! I'll reveal them now, one by one, to give everyone some suspense!" Without giving anyone a chance to refuse, he picked up a jade talisman at random and grinned: "Don't know whose this is, but it's Option One: soul-search Feng Qi!" The crowd fell into grim silence. "The second one, One again! Too bad, Feng Qi, I think you might have to bear soul-searching all on your own!" "The third one, One again! Tsk, tsk, ruthless bunch! Zhou Pochong, the moment you arrived, you changed the entire tide! Remarkable!" "The fourth one, Three! Not bad, an actual Three! Who is this weakling? Fence-sitter!" "..." Many looked at him speechlessly. Voting Three made someone a fence-sitter? What about you? What did you vote? ... Below the dais, Su Yu gripped the armrest of his chair without a word, watching King Miecan tally the votes on stage. The eighteenth vote was Three! Up to this point: Option 1 had 10 votes, Option 2 had 3 votes, and Option 3 had 5 votes. One represented the anti-Xia camp. Two represented the pro-Xia camp. Three represented the neutral camp. Yet now, the disparity was immense. On the stage, King Miecan shook his head as well. "What a shame. Moving on: the nineteenth vote is Three!" "Twentieth vote: Two!" "Half the votes counted! Feng Qi, you've racked up ten votes! Zhang Ying, you guys only have four votes! Looks like you won't need to be soul-searched!" King Miecan chuckled, "What a pity. I wanted to search a few more just for fun!" "Miecan, hurry it up!" King Dahan frowned slightly. *Haven't you played enough?!* King Miecan laughed heartily and continued calling out the votes. Soon, the tally reached thirty votes. King Miecan announced with exaggerated tension, "Fourteen votes for Option 1, seven for Option 2, nine for Option 3! Ten votes remaining! Two more votes for One, and it's settled for Feng Qi!" Neutral votes had already reached nine. With nine neutral votes out of forty, among the thirty-one decisive votes, sixteen meant a guaranteed win. At this, Yuan Qingdong and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ten votes remained—victory was in the bag! Even if Option 1 didn't get two more votes, so long as more votes went to neutral, they would still win. The gap was huge! "Thirty-first vote: Option 2! Hahaha, Feng Qi, you dodged a bullet!" "Thirty-second vote: Option 2! Tsk, tsk, Feng Qi, you dodged another bullet!" "..." In the center of the grand hall, Feng Qi felt utterly helpless. Only after a pause did he speak up: "My lord, whether it's One or Two, my soul will be searched!" *How on earth did I dodge a bullet?* King Miecan blinked, then burst into hearty laughter: "Right, right, quite so! You can't escape it either way. Then let's see about Yuan Qingdong and the rest!" "Thirty-third vote: Option 3! It's fourteen to nine to ten!" "Match point!" King Miecan said excitedly, "Let's see if it's One! If it's One, the outcome is sealed—even if it loses every remaining vote, it'll at least be a tie!" "Thirty-fourth vote: what a pity, Option 2! It's over!" "Fourteen to ten to ten! Six votes left! Great Xia isn't doing badly at all; nine factions actually back you!" "Thirty-fifth vote: Option 2 again!" "..." Now, the Sun Moon experts of the Eight Great Families grew nervous. Why were they all Option 2 consecutively! "Thirty-sixth vote: Option 3!" "Down the drain!" King Miecan said regretfully, "Fourteen to eleven to eleven!" "Thirty-seventh vote: Option 3!" "Whoa, it's really over now!" King Miecan shook his head. "No need to go on. Fourteen to eleven to twelve. Even if all the remaining ones are Two, it'll only be a tie. Feng Qi has no hope of winning now." Marquis Xia was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Continue." King Miecan chuckled and continued, "Thirty-eighth vote: Option 2! Thirty-ninth vote: Option 2!" At this, even King Dahan perked up and smiled: "The final vote! So it's fourteen to thirteen. If this one is Option 2 as well, it's a tie?" King Miecan nodded with a laugh. "Indeed. If it's a tie, we'll proceed according to Option 3." The very last vote! King Miecan looked around, wearing an inscrutable smile. He held the last jade talisman in his hand—and on it was written Option 2! A tie! A genuine tie! However, as he lifted the jade talisman, the character "Two" within it instantly shifted into "One." King Miecan took a glance and said regretfully, "Option 1! Fifteen to thirteen! What a shame, Feng Qi, you're the only one getting your soul searched. You didn't manage to drag anyone down with you!" Yuan Qingdong and his cohort let out sighs of relief one after another. Zhou Pochong secretly breathed a sigh of relief as well. Fortunately: fifteen votes in favor, twelve neutral, and the Xia family along with its allies had only mustered thirteen votes, one of which belonged to the armamentsmiths and hardly even counted. While they were relieved, Marquis Xia slumped back against his chair looking somewhat dazed and dejected, speaking not a word. Over on the other side, Hong Tan stared blankly, lost in thought. ... As for King Miecan, he secretly let out a sigh of relief. *Holy shit!* Great Xia, Great Ming, himself, plus altering the final vote—and Option 2 had still garnered thirteen votes! If he hadn't altered it, wouldn't it have taken seventeen votes? The Eight Great Families had actually only gotten eleven votes! Of course, Great Ming's side... hadn't understood the situation. Seventeen votes—even excluding the armamentsmiths, that would still be sixteen votes. Sixteen to eleven, with twelve neutral. King Miecan secretly rejoiced. *Thank goodness.* Glancing at Zhou Pochong and his allies, seeing how relieved they were, he smiled inwardly: *Satisfied now, aren't you?* He said no more, declaring directly: "Feng Qi lost. Thus, only Feng Qi will be soul-searched; the Sun Moons of the Eight Great Families will not! Hong Tan, Acting Manor Lord Xia, this is the result of everyone's vote. You must accept it and cause no further trouble!" Marquis Xia said calmly, "I accept it! If you place a bet, you accept the loss! I simply never imagined we would truly lose and reach this point. Fifteen votes in favor of searching only Feng Qi... Heh, impressive!" ... Below the dais, Su Yu felt stifled. He wondered: besides himself, what did the Xia family vote? Option 1 or Option 2? If the Xia family voted Option 2, that meant there were only fourteen pro-Xia factions, counting the Xia family itself. "However... if I hadn't voted One on behalf of the Great Ming Prefecture, it would have been a tie!" Thinking of this, Su Yu felt somewhat reassured. In fact, it was much better than anticipated. In his mind, it should have been considered a tie. Not bad at all! At least not everyone was leaning toward the Eight Great Families! As for the remaining neutrals, he didn't care to criticize them. If those people didn't make trouble or interfere, that was already the best outcome. *Fortunately, there's still a fight left to wage!* Su Yu was actually somewhat surprised. Even after being pushed to this state, the Xia family had still rallied so many people. Truly, an emaciated camel was still bigger than a horse! Marquis Xia, meanwhile, felt a twinge of tension in his heart. He didn't know what the exact situation was or whether King Miecan had done any tampering. He hoped the outcome matched his expectations—otherwise, the Human Realm would descend into massive chaos! At this moment, King Dahan and King Dasong both wore regretful expressions, neither speaking further. Indeed, the realm had split into three factions. Support for the Multiple Divine Characters Faction and the Xia family was not small, yet it was still somewhat lower than expected. It seemed that over the years, the Xia family's prestige had truly declined significantly. Fifteen to thirteen seemed like a narrow gap, but among the thirteen, there was also the armamentsmith lineage. It was really fifteen to twelve! This meant that three more Invincibles leaned toward the policies of the Eight Great Families. With this, the die was cast!