However, this lead was practically negligible. After all, it was only four votes at this point. A slim advantage of a mere four votes could evaporate into thin air in an instant.
On the side of Peacock Sacred Mountain, excitement was running high. The four great sovereigns watched the neck-and-neck vote tally and felt a wave of quiet satisfaction.
They understood all too well that many of those who had chosen to support Peacock Sacred Mountain were likely former beneficiaries of the Peacock Great Emperor's grace.
There could also be some neutral lords who, out of admiration for the Peacock Great Emperor or simply out of respect for Young Master Zhen, had cast their vote in favor of Peacock Sacred Mountain.
Before half an hour had passed, eight hundred votes had already been counted. The current state of affairs only deepened the furrow on the Asura Great Emperor's brow.
His lead had shrunk to just two votes.
If only two consecutive votes went to Young Master Zhen, the tally would be even.
With twenty-six votes remaining, the Asura Great Emperor's composure was beginning to crack.
Meanwhile, the Panlong Great Emperor and the Jimei Great Emperor felt both relieved and anxious. Relieved because, even at eight hundred votes, Young Master Zhen was still clinging to the Asura Great Emperor's heels. Anxious because with twenty-six votes left, could that two-vote gap really be closed and even overturned?
At this point, regardless of whether Young Master Zhen won or lost, Peacock Sacred Mountain would not be the loser.
A young lord, facing such unfavorable circumstances, fighting the Asura Great Emperor to a standstill in the final stretch—this was already a victory of sorts.
After all, Young Master Zhen's roots in the Glazed Glass Royal City were shallow. He had been famous for barely a decade, and his appointment as the Young Master of Peacock Sacred Mountain had happened only in recent years.
Under these conditions, Young Master Zhen had nothing to lose. Even if he lost today, his future stretched out before him.
But if Young Master Zhen actually won? Then the Asura Great Emperor would lose face on an epic scale. After all, he had painstakingly organized this lords' assembly with everything seemingly paved in his favor.
To fall short at the final hurdle would be nothing less than slapping himself across the face with a full swing of his own arm.
The Nian Daodi announced the votes one by one.
With only five votes remaining, the Asura Great Emperor's lead was cut by one again. Now it was down to a single vote.
The suspense grew even thicker with those final five votes.
"Asura Great Emperor — one vote!"
The fifth-to-last vote went to the Asura Great Emperor. This eased his taut nerves ever so slightly. Good—with this vote, his lead was back to two.
Four votes left. He only needed to take two of them to secure the victory! A coin-flip split on the final four, and the Asura Great Emperor still liked his odds.
"Young Master Zhen — one vote!" The fourth-to-last vote, however, went to
It was like a bucket of cold water drenched over the Asura Great Emperor's head, sending his just-eased mood spiraling into turmoil once more.
"Asura Great Emperor — one vote!" The third-to-last vote was his again.
The one-vote lead returned to two. Two votes remaining. Light blazed in the Asura Great Emperor's eyes. With just two votes left, if even one was his, that meant victory!
The Canghai Great Emperor fixed his gaze on the second-to-last jade slip in the Nian Daodi's hand, silently praying over and over, his face written with desperate hope that the Nian Daodi would call out the Asura Great Emperor's name.
Unfortunately, that vote, too, belonged to
That left only the very last vote.
The suspense had carried all the way to the final ballot.
If this last vote went to the Asura Great Emperor, it would mean he would become the new master of the Glazed Glass Royal City.
If it went to Young Master Zhen, it would mean this entire election had ended in a tie.
In that moment, even the Nian Daodi's arm grew heavy as he reached for the last jade slip. He knew that this final vote would decide the future direction of the Glazed Glass Royal City.
In the Asura Great Emperor's eyes, a fierce light erupted, locked onto the jade slip in the Nian Daodi's grasp. If he could, he would have lunged forward and scrawled his own name on it right then and there.
He craved this victory desperately.
So much so that, in his tension, he had even forgotten his grudges—forgotten to dwell on which of those who had promised him their support had failed to deliver.
Who would the last vote belong to?
The Nian Daodi glanced at the jade slip, and the usual smile was gone from his face, replaced by gravity and solemnity.
"The last vote — Young Master Zhen!"