276: Chapter 276

It doesn't matter if you bury me inside, just don't make the two beauties behind me look so disheveled.

Pangolins laughed, "Big Brother, rest assured. My tunneling skills are top-notch. Don't look at how narrow this hole is; it can perfectly avoid the Formation on the ground, making it impossible to detect."

"Alright, you lead the way."

Xiao Bai transformed into a Little White Snake of similar size to Pangolins to ensure he could pass through the narrow tunnel smoothly.

"I can transform, but what about them?"

Xiao Bai looked back and saw that Bai Su and Bai Ling had already shrunk to the size of mung beans, clinging to his snake tail.

"Father, we are here, don't walk so fast."

"Little Fairy Doctor's Medicinal Pill is truly effective; as soon as we took it, we shrank according to what we had in mind."

"You really are quite silly. Why didn't you hide inside the lotus platform instead of suffering with me?"

Bai Ling's Face was bitter, "Father, I don't know how to use this thing. After it entered my chest, it didn't want to come out."

"Usually, if Huo Linger didn't come out to pick me up, I wouldn't be able to get in on my own."

Xiao Bai sighed, "Sigh, you should have told me sooner. Now, this is the only way."

Pangolins stopped and looked back, seeing the two beauties behind him had disappeared, he felt a bit panicked.

Hearing Xiao Bai talking to someone he couldn't see, question marks kept popping up in his head.

"Big Brother, where are those two beauties? Did they get lost?"

"It's fine, you just keep tunneling and leading the way. Don't worry about us."

"Alright!"

Pangolins used his sharp claws to dig in the tunnel; he had sealed this hole a while ago for fear of being discovered.

Based on the softness of the soil, he could clearly find the original path, and combined with the scent of urine left along the way, he definitely wouldn't go wrong.

Except for the strong smell, Xiao Bai acknowledged his tunneling skills; he could automatically find the path even with his eyes closed—truly, every trade has its master.

After successfully leveling Dreamscape Mountain, he must ask him for advice on tunneling techniques.

"You two come rest on my head; we can chat for a while. Who knows when we'll get out."

Xiao Bai gently lifted his snake tail, and Bai Ling and Bai Su slid along the smooth snake scales to the position of his head.

Chapter 372: Electing the Sect Master

Dreamscape Mountain, Ao Zhan Peak, Main Hall.

Today, all eight Peak Masters gathered here. Excluding the patrolling Disciples, everyone else was present.

They were witnessing a historic moment for the Sect: would Yan Zhan continue his term as Sect Master, or would Yan Ding achieve a comeback to become the new Sect Master?

This time, the Sect Master re-election was initiated by Yan Ding, quickly gaining support from other senior figures within the Sect.

In previous terms, the Sect Master was internally appointed by the Old Ancestor of Dreamscape Mountain, with a symbolic competition held before taking office.

The Host was the Elder with the highest seniority, the only one in the entire Sect with the same generation as the Old Ancestor of Dreamscape Mountain. With him presiding over the situation this time, no one would have any objections.

"Are you both ready?"

Yan Ding bowed and saluted, displaying the extremely humble side of a Junior.

"Sorry to trouble you, Junior Martial Uncle."

Yan Zhan was not to be outdone, his performance was even better. At this critical juncture, how could he let Yan Ding get ahead of him?

Having been Sect Master for so many years, his ability to read the room was naturally not bad.

Their display of humility and politeness made the Grand Elder Meng De feel somewhat disgusted; he twitched his wrinkled old Face.

"Hurry up. Yan Zhan, as the Sect Master, you go first!"

"I hope you can deliver brilliant speeches, not just read from a script."

Since they were acting, he might as well be thorough. Yan Zhan smiled slightly and slowly raised his hand, "Junior Brother Yan Ding is competing for the position of Sect Master for the first time, so I'll yield the opportunity to you first."

He had originally thought Yan Ding would feign politeness, but unexpectedly, he didn't play by the rules, catching Yan Zhan off guard.

"Then many thanks, Senior Brother."

Ever since his Cultivation broke through to the fifth-level Emperor Realm, he had changed his address for Yan Zhan directly from Sect Master to Senior Brother, something he had previously only dared to deny in his heart.

After latching onto Emperor Kun's leg, he had become much bolder, daring to openly refuse to acknowledge Yan Zhan's status as Sect Master.

Yan Ding came prepared; this time, he delivered his speech entirely without notes. His language was fluent, relaxed, and pleasant, and he spoke incessantly for over ten minutes.

Thunderous applause erupted from beneath the podium, cheering for his brilliant speech.

Yan Zhan's brows furrowed, his palms were covered in cold sweat. He muttered to himself, "Since when did this guy's eloquence become so good?"

"This is his first time speaking to so many people, yet he didn't have stage fright, and he did it without notes."

Yan Ding finished his speech and bowed forty-five degrees to all the audience members below.

"Thank you all for your support. Please cast your precious vote into the box on my left; it has my name written on it. Thank you again."

Yan Ding pressed his palms together, repeatedly bowing and saluting to the audience. Originally, the voting was supposed to happen after both sides finished their competition, but unexpectedly, this guy played dirty and broke the existing rules.

The judging panel sitting to the side pretended not to see it, allowing Yan Ding to change the rules.

The dozen or so judges were composed of Elders and the remaining six Peak Masters.

I don't know what happened, but the three Peak Masters who originally supported Yan Zhan collectively lost their voices and didn't raise their placards to object.

Perhaps during Yan Ding's impassioned speech, their state of mind had changed, and they were quite tempted by some of the reform plans mentioned.

More than half of the audience had already cast their votes for Yan Ding in advance; barring any accidents, he would be the next Sect Master.

He looked at Yan Zhan, made a shrugging gesture, looking smug and as if victory was already in his grasp.

This made Yan Zhan extremely anxious, breaking out in a cold sweat. If he lost the position of Sect Master, the three Peak Masters who originally supported him would immediately defect.

Just as he wanted to speak up to express strong opposition, at the critical moment, Meng De decisively stood up and immediately stopped this irregular behavior.

"Quiet! Please cherish your precious votes. We have not reached the voting stage yet; all votes cast previously are void."

Meng De was not only the Host of this election but also the chief judge; his opinion could sometimes play a crucial role.

Upholding the principle of fairness and justice, he directly silenced the momentum of Yan Ding, who had been riding high.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, cursing in his heart: "That Old Guy dares to ruin my plans; just wait and see how I deal with you later."

He still had to keep up appearances, so Yan Ding immediately switched to a brilliant smile.

"Everyone, my apologies. I misunderstood the competition rules just now. Please wait until the next contestant finishes their speech before voting."

The scene returned to calm. When it was Yan Zhan's turn to speak on stage, he immediately adjusted his state, almost unaffected by what had just happened.

Having been Sect Master for so many years, he still had some tricks up his sleeve. He had just panicked suddenly, which was why he was thrown off rhythm by Yan Ding.

In the hearts of the Sect Disciples, Yan Zhan had always been a steady player. Since he took over the position of Sect Master, he had improved the living standards of the Disciples significantly.

He had unscrupulously plundered the resources of various races in the Lower Realm, making the tall Yao Race and Demon Race develop desolate islands on Dreamscape Mountain, which brought huge benefits to many low-level Disciples.

Yan Zhan kept focusing on this topic, talking about the changes that had occurred on Dreamscape Mountain under his governance over the past thousand years.

He made veiled insinuations that Yan Ding's Disciples had been completely wiped out in the Demon Emperor's Tomb and had repeatedly suffered setbacks against the Lower Realm Alliance led by Xiao Bai.

Yan Zhan bowed slightly, "Everyone, I have finished my speech."

"I believe that as long as Dreamscape Mountain can maintain its established policies, all indicators can maintain at least double-digit growth every year."

"Only when we become strong can we fight for the right to remain in the Lower Realm for development against the Immortal Realm."

Yan Ding looked resentful and quickly shouted to the judging panel, "That's a violation! Why didn't you stop him?"

This judging panel itself was a mystery and was often thrown off rhythm by the audience.

Ding, ding, ding!

Meng De quickly rang the copper bell, "Speech time is up. Please cast your precious votes."

The response from the audience was equally enthusiastic; Yan Zhan wanted to win more votes for himself at the last moment.

Meng De would not give him any Face; he quickly called a halt to maintain fairness and justice.

The main hall was crowded with people. Meng De held a token, standing straight in the middle of the podium, with the two contestants standing on his left and right respectively.

With Meng De supervising on the side, Yan Ding and Yan Zhan dared not make any irregular moves, standing with their chests straight and their bodies rigid.

After the voting inside the main hall ended, it was the turn of the low-level Disciples outside to come in and vote. They had been waiting outside the hall, watching the brilliant speech competition through the projection of a Magic Treasure.

The judging panel was busy counting the voting results. With Meng De supervising, even those with selfish motives dared not act rashly.

"Yan Zhan, 7605 votes."

"Yan Ding, 7598 votes."

After counting the Disciples' votes, the fifteen-member judging panel began to vote.

Each of their votes was worth ten. Meng De did not participate in this vote to ensure absolute fairness and justice. Under his strict supervision, it was possible to suppress backroom deals as much as possible.

The votes for both sides were quite close. Ultimately, the judging panel's vote would play the most critical role. They could not abstain; the position of Sect Master would be decided in their hands.

Chapter 373: The Benefits of Having a Backer

The six Peak Masters had long been divided into two camps, with three votes each cast for Yan Zhan and Yan Ding respectively.

The remaining pressure naturally fell on those Elders. The other nine Elders had always been led by Meng De and rarely showed their Faces.

Only when something major happened in the Sect would they come out for symbolic activities. Clearly, this event far exceeded their expectations.

They didn't expect that the position of Sect Master would ultimately depend on the votes in their hands.

The nine Elders looked at Meng De in unison, hoping to get some instructions from him.

"Please, Elders, uphold the principle of fairness and justice. Whoever you think is more suitable to be this Sect Master, cast your precious vote for him."

History always repeats itself in surprising ways. Only one Elder was left to vote, while the other eight Elders had split their votes evenly.

The last Elder played a decisive role; he was also the youngest among these Elders, whose real age might not even be as old as Yan Zhan.

As long as he cast his vote for Yan Ding, he could achieve a comeback, but he was more inclined towards Yan Zhan. Over the years, he had witnessed Dreamscape Mountain gradually becoming prosperous and strong, with a large number of desolate islands being developed.