Undying Life

Chapter 794: Forced Ascension

Two Supremes?

The dragons were stunned. Hadn't Ao Sihai left with the Great Qin? What was going on? They had just elected a new Supreme, and had sworn allegiance. The assumption was that the old Supreme had left this realm. But now the old Supreme had returned?

The dragons were conflicted, glancing between Xiao Jin and Ao Sihai. Two Supremes together? Impossible. A clan could have only one Supreme. Having two would create chaos. Who should they follow?

Silently, the dragons moved aside, creating a space for the old and new Supremes to confront each other. This was a matter for the Dragon Clan, but none of them knew what to do. Better to let the two Supremes resolve it themselves.

"Ao Sihai? Didn't you leave with Ying?" Hao Meili raised an eyebrow.

"Leave this realm, huh!"

Mentioning it only made Ao Sihai angrier. He glanced around.

"The Taishui Heavenly Dynasty's Lu Fentian greets the Dragon Clan Supreme!" Lu Fentian and his men quickly bowed to Ao Sihai.

"Father!" Ao Mian called out with a hopeful expression.

The dragons looked angrily at the group.

"What is going on?" Ao Sihai demanded.

"The Taishui Heavenly Dynasty sincerely seeks an alliance with the Dragon Clan!" Lu Fentian said.

As soon as Lu Fentian spoke, the dragons erupted in anger.

"They killed Dragon King Zhao! Blood for blood!"

"They conspired to control our election!"

"Kill them!"

"Kill them!"

The dragons' rage surged.

Ao Sihai's pupils contracted. A dragon quickly explained the situation to him.

After hearing the explanation, Ao Sihai's eyes grew cold as he looked at Ao Mian.

"Father, I was wrong! I allied with Lu Fentian, but Zhao Long conspired with the traitor too! Besides, Zhao Long's death wasn't entirely my fault!" Ao Mian pleaded.

"From this day forth, you are stripped of your title as Dragon King and exiled from the Dragon Clan. You are never to set foot in the East Sea again!" Ao Sihai declared coldly.

"Father!" Ao Mian cried out in despair.

"Ao Sihai, are you shielding your son? He kills the Dragon King, and you think exile is enough?" Hao Meili said angrily.

"When did the matters of the Dragon Clan become your business, outsider?" Ao Sihai retorted coldly.

"I have a contract with the Dragon Clan!" Hao Meili said arrogantly.

"You're still an outsider. Your name will soon be removed from the covenant scroll. You are not welcome here. Get out!" Ao Sihai said icily.

"Ao Sihai, how dare you tell me to leave? Are you tired of living, you...!" Hao Meili was enraged.

"Meili!" Xiao Jin suddenly called out.

Xiao Jin had to interrupt Hao Meili because she was about to start her curse.

"What?" Hao Meili snapped, annoyed at being interrupted.

"Don't curse him. Regardless, during your growth, Ao Sihai did take care of you to some extent," Xiao Jin said.

"No, how did he take care of me? He just took me in. It was my master who always looked after me. What does his life or death have to do with me?" Hao Meili immediately retorted.

"But he did care for me. I can't watch you kill him!" Xiao Jin shook her head.

Seeing Xiao Jin's determination, Hao Meili could only swallow her anger and glared fiercely at Ao Sihai. "Fine, I won't kill him!"

"Ao Jin, is the Dragon Clan's covenant scroll in your possession?" Ao Sihai asked sternly.

"It is, Supreme," Xiao Jin nodded.

"Xiao Jin, what are you calling him? You are the Supreme!" Hao Meili exclaimed, exasperated. They had fought hard for the title of Supreme, and now it seemed like it was being handed back.

Hearing Xiao Jin's address, the dragons were slightly puzzled, but Lu Fentian and his group showed faint smiles, and Ao Mian's frown began to relax.

"He did show me kindness," Xiao Jin said, shaking her head.

"You're driving me crazy!" Hao Meili was visibly upset.

Ao Sihai stared at Xiao Jin for a long moment. "Even though you once betrayed the Dragon Clan, you have shown remorse. I will give you another chance. You will remain the Dragon Clan's young master. Hand over the covenant scroll."

Xiao Jin stared back at Ao Sihai. All the dragons watched the interaction, and Hao Meili was visibly unhappy.

"Supreme, before handing you the Dragon Clan's covenant scroll, I have a question for the future of our clan."

"What question?" Ao Sihai asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

"In the future, will our Dragon Clan ally with the Great Zhen or the Taishui Heavenly Dynasty?" Xiao Jin asked.

Hearing Xiao Jin's question, all the dragons looked at Ao Sihai. Indeed, the world had been reduced to these two dynasties.

"The Taishui Heavenly Dynasty sincerely requests an alliance with the Dragon Clan. Your status will be equivalent to that of the national beast," Lu Fentian quickly interjected, bowing.

Lu Fentian's plea caused the dragons to react with disgust.

"Meili!" Xiao Jin nudged Hao Meili.

"What?" Hao Meili responded, still annoyed.

"Before leaving, Zhong Shan anticipated this situation. In case you forgot, he gave you a purple pouch. Hurry!" Xiao Jin whispered.

Though still upset, Hao Meili remembered the purple pouch Zhong Shan had given her and quickly retrieved it.

"Ao Sihai, I, Zhong Shan, sincerely request the Dragon Clan's alliance with the Great Zhen Dynasty. Your status will be on par with the Xuanwu Clan, the Phoenix Clan, and the Tiger Clan. All past grievances will be wiped clean. Please consider carefully," Hao Meili read from the note in the pouch.

Ao Sihai's expression grew darker as he listened.

"Hahahahaha!" Ao Sihai suddenly laughed loudly.

Everyone looked at Ao Sihai, puzzled.

"Zhong Shan? You need me now? Hahaha! Dream on. I will never join the Great Zhen. The Great Zhen? Hmph!" Ao Sihai scoffed coldly.

Seeing Ao Sihai's attitude, Lu Fentian was overjoyed.

"What's wrong with the Great Zhen?" Hao Meili snapped, displeased.

"Enough, Ao Jin, hand over the covenant scroll," Ao Sihai commanded, ignoring Hao Meili.

"Sorry, but the Dragon Clan cannot be handed over to you," Ao Jin suddenly shook her head.

"What did you say?" Ao Sihai's eyes widened.

Many dragons were also taken aback, and Hao Meili looked at Xiao Jin curiously.

"Ao Sihai, you abandoned the Dragon Clan for your own ambitions. You returned only to reclaim power. The Dragon Clan needs a leader who prioritizes the clan above all. I have the bloodline, the support of our people, and the conviction to lead us to greatness," Xiao Jin declared firmly.

The dragons murmured in agreement, seeing the truth in Xiao Jin's words. Ao Sihai's return was clearly motivated by a desire for control rather than the welfare of the Dragon Clan.

"You're making a grave mistake," Ao Sihai warned, his voice laced with menace.

"No, Ao Sihai, the mistake was yours. You lost the trust of your people," Xiao Jin retorted calmly.

With the covenant scroll secure, Xiao Jin had the authority and the moral high ground. The Dragon Clan's future rested in her capable hands.

"Ao Sihai, you are just like the previous Supreme Ao Lie, too impulsive. The Dragon Clan did not serve you as slaves but hoped you would lead us to prosperity. Though your cultivation is high, your temperament, vision, and judgment are insufficient to guide the Dragon Clan to glory. I cannot entrust the fate of the Dragon Clan to you!" Xiao Jin shook her head.

Hearing Xiao Jin's words, many dragons nodded in agreement.

"You dare to go back on your word?" Ao Sihai said coldly.

"It's not that I'm going back on my word. I intended to return the Supreme position, but now I see it's not right. Though you have been kind to me, I must be responsible for the entire Dragon Clan. I will not return the Supreme position. I, Ao Jin, am the new Supreme of the Dragon Clan! For the first time in tens of thousands of years, the Dragon Clan has unanimously elected a Supreme. I am the Supreme!" Xiao Jin declared.

"Greetings, Supreme!" Countless wise dragons bowed to Xiao Jin.

"Greetings, Supreme!" More and more dragons bowed to Xiao Jin.

Many dragons abandoned Ao Sihai and bowed to Xiao Jin instead.

"Nonsense! I am the Dragon Clan's Supreme!" Ao Sihai shouted.

"I am the true heir of the Dragon Clan. I am the Supreme!" Xiao Jin stood tall and proud.

"Well done, Xiao Jin!" Hao Meili's previous displeasure vanished. This was exactly what she wanted to see.

"Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, listen to my command! Arrest these conspirators on the spot!" Xiao Jin pointed at Lu Fentian.

"Understood!" A giant dragon immediately responded.

Seeing the situation turn against them, Lu Fentian and his subordinates quickly fled. Seven of them fled rapidly, but hundreds of dragons roared and chased after them.

"Rebellion! This is rebellion!" Ao Sihai roared in fury.

"Ao Sihai, in the past, Hao Meili and I grew up under your protection. We won't harm you, but in the grand scheme of things, the Dragon Clan can no longer endure turmoil. Please ascend!" Xiao Jin called out again.

"Outrageous! You dare to force me to ascend?" Ao Sihai's chest heaved with anger.

"The Dragon Clan is about to ally with the Great Zhen Dynasty. With your unquenchable hatred for the Great Zhen, we will inevitably become enemies. None of us want to see that day. We do not wish for the Dragon Clan to tear itself apart. We plead with you to ascend!"

"Please ascend, old Supreme!" A dragon suddenly shouted.

"Please ascend, old Supreme!"

"Please ascend, old Supreme!"

The chorus of pleas grew louder as the dragons, representing all dragons in the world, collectively urged Ao Sihai to ascend. This was reminiscent of how Ao Lie was once forced out of this realm by his master, Di Xuan.

"You...you!" Ao Sihai was seething with rage.

"If you won't do it willingly, I'll help you!" Hao Meili, in high spirits, shouted.

"I curse you with a great thunder strike, a storm of lightning, and a heavenly tribulation!" Hao Meili shouted.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous roar, a bolt of heavenly lightning struck from the sky, diving straight into the sea, aiming at Ao Sihai.

All the dragons were stunned. Had she really summoned a heavenly tribulation? They stared at Hao Meili in disbelief. Wasn't this too exaggerated?

"Rumble!"

More and more lightning bolts descended from the sky. The sea surface was soon covered with dark clouds, heralding an overwhelming heavenly tribulation.

Ao Sihai's eyes were filled with shame and fury. At this moment, he finally understood the terrifying power of Hao Meili. No wonder Xiao Jin had warned her not to kill him. Was she a demon? Could she summon heavenly lightning with just a word?

The lightning bolts grew stronger and stronger. Shamed and furious, Ao Sihai burst out of the sea, forced by the dragons to face the tribulation head-on.

"Protect the old Supreme during the tribulation. Send him off with honor!" Xiao Jin shouted.

"Roar!"

The dragons roared in unison, soaring out of the East Sea to protect Ao Sihai as he underwent his tribulation.