ALL NOVEL Chapter 635 The Elders' Choice
The Peacock Demon King waved his hand, saying, "There's no need to reconsider anything. All Elders of the Peacock Demon Clan, step forward."
Following his order, all the seated Elders in the front rows of the Peacock Demon Clan stood up one after another.
To become an Elder, one must at least have a cultivation base beyond deity level. There were as many as sixteen Elders who stood up at that moment, plus the princess, making seventeen. That is to say, apart from the Peacock Demon King, there were seventeen individuals of beyond deity level strength, including those at the Great Demon King Level.
All the Elders bowed slightly to the Peacock Demon King as a sign of respect.
The Peacock Demon King spoke indifferently, "According to the princess, amongst you, more than eighty percent believe that Little Beauty is not suitable to inherit the position of patriarch, or is it that more than eighty percent oppose me as the patriarch?"
The Elder of the Peacock Demon Clan, a being at the Great Demon King Level standing to the right of the princess, Wang Han stepped forward and said respectfully, "Patriarch, just as you have mentioned, under your leadership, our clan has flourished for thirty years, with Jiali City thriving and prospering, all thanks to your contributions. We will never oppose you at any time, as there is no one more qualified to serve as the patriarch of the Peacock Demon Clan than you. However, just as the princess has voiced, the bloodline of the Peacock Demon Clan needs to remain pure, hence, we do hope that a pure-blooded clansmember can succeed the patriarch position."
The Peacock Demon King looked at Wang Han with a hint of disappointment in his eyes, "Clansbrother, I didn't expect even you would question my decision. Do you realize that my choice to let Little Beauty inherit the throne is without any personal bias, and solely because she is the only one who can lead the Peacock Demon Clan better into the future. Only she has the potential to truly bring the Peacock Demon Clan back to its peak."
Wang Han lowered his head and did not speak again, but his stance was already clear.
The Peacock Demon King turned to the princess, "To challenge and veto my decision requires the consensus of eighty percent of the Elders, it seems. You must be quite confident then. Go ahead, if eighty percent of the Elders oppose my decision on the inheritance of the patriarch today, then it ends here."
Upon hearing these words, the princess was startled. Indeed, she had made preparations, but she had not considered challenging the Peacock Demon King. In the Peacock Demon Clan and Jiali City, the Peacock Demon King was highly esteemed, and she did not wish to have a fallout with her husband. The princess was confident in preventing the Peacock Demon King from passing on the patriarch position to Pretty Girl, but she absolutely could not imagine dethroning him from his position as patriarch—indeed, if not for the Peacock Demon King's life-threatening injury, she might not even be able to achieve the former.
Yet, looking at the Peacock Demon King now, so calm and composed, she suddenly wondered, could it be that even her confidence was not enough?
At that moment, the Peacock Demon King did not give her more time to think, already saying coldly, "Elders who support Little Beauty's succession as our patriarch stand to the right, those who do not support, remain where you are, behind the princess. We shall decide publicly today."
Upon hearing this, all the Elders could not help but lift their heads and look at the Peacock Demon King.
The princess turned around, her eyes blazing as she looked at all the Elders.
Wang Han raised his head, a complex look in his eyes as he looked at the Peacock Demon King, his expression bitter, saying, "My liege, I apologize."
The Peacock Demon King ignored him, simply watching the other Elders with a calm demeanor.
Then, at that moment, out of the sixteen Elders other than the princess, one figure slowly stepped out and moved to the right.
The instant this Elder stepped out, both the princess and Wang Han's pupils involuntarily contracted. Wang Han exclaimed in disbelief, "Yu, sister, you..."
Indeed, the first to step forward was none other than Wang Yu, also a being at the Great Demon King Level, and Wang Han's own younger sister!
When the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor came before, it had joined forces with its elder brother, Wang Han, to fight against the two Great Demon Kings, the Ice Phoenix and the Fire Phoenix. Now, the first to step forward was unexpectedly this very Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor.
Wang Yu moved to the right side and said calmly, "I support every decision made by the patriarch because the patriarch's decisions are correct. Ask yourselves, has the patriarch ever made a wrong decision in the past thirty years? Brother, you should understand my point the most. I know that if today's ceremony fails, the one most likely to inherit the throne would be my nephew, but I cannot go against the patriarch's wishes. I'm sorry."
Indeed, the reason why Wang Han stood by the side of the princess was that the princess had promised him that as long as Pretty Girl did not inherit the throne, the successor would then be Wang Han's legitimate son.
The biggest shortcoming of the princess was that the legitimate sons she bore for the Peacock Demon King were inferior one after another, like the previously mentioned Wang Yan, who was already among the better of the legitimate sons, but compared to Pretty Girl, he was far inferior.
But the situation was different for Wang Han. Wang Han had a son who was seven years older than Pretty Girl and exceptionally outstanding. He had been strictly educated by Wang Han from a young age and now possessed considerable strength. Wang Han had always supported the Peacock Demon King, but when it came down to a time like this, who wouldn't have their own selfish desires?
What Wang Han had never expected was that his younger sister would stand on the opposite side of him.
For a while, his face turned green and then red, unable to speak a word.
And at that moment, a series of figures slowly stepped out and moved to the right side.
Among the sixteen Elders, including the one who looked the oldest and ranked third behind Wang Han, another eight walked to the right. Seventeen Elders in total, with nine standing on the right side, indicated support for the patriarch.
Seeing this scene, even the princess, who had always been able to keep her composure, couldn't help but change color. Although she had guessed there might be a problem when the Peacock Demon King announced the public decision, she had not expected that more than half of the Elders would choose to stand by the Peacock Demon King. These Elders had previously communicated with her and expressed their support! How could this be...
"Uncle, didn't you say that the purity of the bloodline is of utmost importance?" the princess couldn't help but speak to the elder who had previously ranked third among the Elders.
The elder sighed and said, "The king gave me a reason that is undeniable. I believe that the choices made by the king are indeed for the future of our clan."
"You..." The princess was rendered speechless by frustration and turned her head to the Peacock Demon King, "I wonder if the king could also give me a reason that I cannot refuse?"
The Peacock Demon King sighed and said, "Even if I give you any reason, you will not agree to my decision, so what is the point?" Its gaze coldly swept over those Elders who still stood by the side of the princess.
"With a great enemy at our doorstep, each of you should be aware that the biggest problem for our clan at the moment comes from the outside, from the rivals who wish to dominate Jiali City. But you know this and still choose to ignore the fundamental interests of our clan for your personal gains. Do you want to see our Peacock Demon Clan fall into a situation of no return before you are satisfied?"
The few Elders were temporarily at a loss for words, their faces showing discomfort under the crushing aura of the Peacock Demon King.
The Peacock Demon King looked again at the princess, "The outcome of the choice is now evident. Your impeachment is likely to fail, my Great Elder."
The princess said coldly, "Even if the impeachment fails, our clan has rules. If there are objections to the patriarch's heir, the Council of Elders may call for the Hundred Birds Toward the Sun Ceremony to determine whether the next patriarch has the qualifications to inherit."
The Peacock Demon King responded with a calm demeanor, "Do you really want to do this? Do you understand that calling for the Hundred Birds Toward the Sun Ceremony means challenging the authority of the patriarch, and should it fail, the Elder who proposed it shall be stripped of their title and bear all the consequences?"