Several Great Emperors had already made their positions known.
Though Shura Great Emperor was inwardly irritated, he understood that this transitional phase was necessary. Otherwise, he would appear far too greedy.
Moreover, he knew better than anyone that Peacock Great Emperor would never return. Such injuries — even Pill Zenith Great Emperor had declared them absolutely fatal.
Powerful as Peacock Great Emperor was, he was not invincible. Even if he had somehow managed to survive and flee into the Sealed Demon Land, could he have escaped the clutches of the demon race?
Therefore, Shura Great Emperor did not care whether the arrangement was temporary or not. The great authority of the Glazed Glass Royal City would eventually fall into his hands regardless.
"Then let it be as everyone says. A temporary controller is also a mark of respect for Brother Peacock!" Shura Great Emperor said with a sanctimonious expression.
Nian Great Emperor nodded and gave orders to begin preparing the jade slips.
After a count, there were a total of eight hundred and twenty-six lords, great and small, in the Glazed Glass Royal City.
"There are eight hundred and twenty-six jade slips here, representing the eight hundred and twenty-six lords present. Each of you will receive one. These jade slips bear my exclusive seal. You must inscribe the name of the person you believe should be the temporary controller of the Glazed Glass Royal City into your slip. When the time comes, all the Great Emperors present will count the votes together. The person with the most votes will become the temporary controller. Does anyone have objections?"
Nian Great Emperor waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to deliver the jade slips one by one to each lord.
"Let me remind you once more — do not attempt to cheat. Every jade slip must bear a signature and your exclusive seal. Without these, the vote will be invalid."
Since Nian Great Emperor had taken responsibility for this matter, he naturally would not allow any loopholes. Otherwise, the whole exercise would be meaningless.
Before long, every lord had received a jade slip.
No single jade slip might be decisive on its own. But all the jade slips combined would carry decisive significance for the future direction of the Glazed Glass Royal City.
Nian Great Emperor glanced at Jiang Chen and Shura Great Emperor, asking, "Would the two of you like to say a few words?"
Shura Great Emperor hastily replied, "No need, no need. Anything more would just bore everyone. Let's get straight to the point. We martial cultivators should be more decisive."
It was not that Shura Great Emperor did not want to speak — he knew that if he and Young Master Zhen each said a few words, he would be the one at a disadvantage in the end.
That Young Master Zhen had far too silver a tongue. Every extra sentence he spoke was an additional risk, another chance to win over supporters.
So Shura Great Emperor flatly refused.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly and gave Shura Great Emperor an amused glance. "Shura Great Emperor, you seem rather timid? What are you afraid of? That I'll expose the cowardice lurking in your heart?"
Shura Great Emperor laughed proudly. "Young Master Zhen, this Emperor knows you're putting on a brave front. If you're afraid, this Emperor, out of respect for you being a junior, is willing to show some leniency."
"You two, keep it in check. If you keep going, your subordinates will start laughing at you," Nian Great Emperor reminded them with a frown.
Jiang Chen shrugged and said nothing more.
The Assembly of Lords had progressed to this stage, and he had done everything he needed to do. No matter the outcome, it didn't matter. He had long since made his preparations.
If Shura Great Emperor truly came out on top, Jiang Chen would not be crushed by that alone.
At worst, he would lie low and bide his time for a few years. Jiang Chen firmly believed that with his rate of growth, as long as everything went smoothly, breaking through to the Sovereign Realm within a hundred years was absolutely within reach.
Setting aside his own breakthrough to the Sovereign Realm — once his strength reached the peak of the Royal Realm, he was confident he could overpower Shura Great Emperor from every angle.
When that time came, reclaiming control of Peacock Sacred Mountain would be effortless.
What worried him more at this moment was still the whereabouts of Peacock Great Emperor.
As for Shura Great Emperor's retaliation, Jiang Chen feared nothing. Peacock Sacred Mountain had long been fortified with the Nine Subtle Flying Formation.
This formation was so powerful that even several Great Emperors working together might not be able to break through it.
No matter how domineering Shura Great Emperor was, he likely could not breach that formation.
With offense possible and defense assured — that was why Jiang Chen had been able to remain so composed throughout.
If there was anything else that worried Jiang Chen, it was Pill Fire City. Today he had not only seen Pill Zenith Great Emperor, but also the Lord of the Indestructible Celestial Capital.
This made him even more uneasy. Shura Great Emperor had long been seen through by Peacock Great Emperor — a man with ambition but no real courage.
It was precisely such a man who, if he conspired with outside enemies, would be no different from inviting the wolf into the fold.
Jiang Chen truly did not want the three thousand years of prosperity that Peacock Great Emperor had cultivated in the Glazed Glass Royal City to be reduced to a murky mess because of Shura Great Emperor's collusion with foreign powers.
Jiang Chen's calm composure had, to a certain extent, also influenced the four emperors of Peacock Sacred Mountain.
The four emperors were still somewhat worried inside. Although the Young Master had invited many allies, and even a rogue cultivator powerhouse like Peerless Great Emperor was willing to serve under the Young Master — which earned their secret admiration and deepened their understanding of his abilities — Shura Great Emperor had been renowned for three thousand years. He was one of the two most senior figures apart from Peacock Great Emperor himself.
Such a man, even if he had contributed nothing to the Glazed Glass Royal City, carried three thousand years of accumulated prestige. His intimidating presence over the lords should have been considerable.
The lords held their jade slips, each wearing a grave expression.
When the two factions had been trading insults earlier, everyone had been fired up and impassioned. Now that the jade slips were actually in their hands, each had to deliberate carefully.