Chapter 610 - 256: Reinforcements Arrive, Innate Divinity (Part 2)

Soon, several female cultivators greeted them, exchanging a few laughs with Ziyun. They moved aside, speaking of intimate secrets as if they were sisters.

Meanwhile, Ji Hai and Li Xuanji ascended to the Celestial Secret Seventh Floor, sitting atop the Observatory Platform. There, fine wine and delicacies were served as the two drank together.

Three rounds of wine, five flavors of dishes.

Ji Hai suddenly stood up, bowing deeply, and raised his cup, saying, "Junior has come with a request for Senior Brother Li. To be frank, the Bingli Island of the Great Li Dynasty is where I became a Daoist; it must not suffer any mishap... If Senior Brother assists, I will follow your lead in the Imperial Extreme Hall and fully support your bid for the chief position."

This promise was significant.

If anyone else said this, Li Xuanji wouldn’t even listen, but instead spit it out dismissively.

However, with Ji Hai saying it, Li Xuanji believed him.

No one understood better than him how significant Bingli Island of the Great Li Dynasty was to Ji Hai.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent decades, quietly scheming at Bingli Island.

He even suspected that other true disciples might secretly plot against and trip Ji Hai, aiming to make this promising junior with hope of achieving a Law Dragon Pearl in the Dragon Emperor Realm fail and ruin his foundation.

If this Junior Ji truly achieved a First-Grade Dragon Pearl, becoming the Ancestral Dragon Dharma Body, who could rival him within the same level?

Forget about the competition for the chief disciple, not even in the Double Moon Secret Realm, rumored to have Daoist Monarch opportunities, could anyone stand against him. At that time, they could only bow and serve him, which is quite the situation.

Therefore, Li Xuanji had to thwart his success even if he didn’t get any benefit himself.

This was a simple and straightforward self-preservation principle.

If Ji Hai’s Dao failed with his foundation flawed, not reaching the heights, he’d still have a chance.

But if he succeeded without hindrance, dominating everyone, there’d be no opportunity left for others.

"How did it come to this, how did it come to this?"

Li Xuanji was thrilled, his heart pounding.

Currently competing for the chief position, even though he was influential among the top ten chiefs, he wasn’t in the lead, with at least two others equal to him.

But with Ji Hai as a sudden disruptor, the chief position might not be in hand yet, but his chance of winning increased significantly.

Ji Hai aside, the Law Enforcement Elder recruited by him was powerful. If he could obtain his support, it would be a huge advantage.

"Junior’s sincerity is genuine, and I hope Senior Brother won’t doubt it."

Ji Hai drained the cup, his face turning sorrowful, letting out a deep sigh.

For those unaware, it seemed he’d failed to break through today, rather than achieving an Upper Third Grade Dragon Pearl, making him the most powerful among true disciples at the same level.

Without waiting for Li Xuanji to inquire, he confessed his worries.

"Normally, I shouldn’t trouble Senior Brother, putting you in difficulties. It’s because I exited seclusion today, failing to achieve a First-Grade Dragon Pearl, certainly disappointing the master. The future Dao path will be extremely hard.

Thinking back and forth, it might be better to turn to Senior Brother early... If one day Senior Brother becomes Hall Master, you’ll secure Imperial Peak and give me shelter."

Ji Hai spoke mournfully, but internally mused whether Li Xuanji could become Hall Master was uncertain. Helping him connect Dragon Veins and gather fortune could slowly repair and upgrade the Second Grade Dragon Pearl.

Not competing with him for now; once he transforms into the Dragon Emperor’s body, they shall see who laughs last.

Upon thinking this, Ji Hai was resentful, hating his siblings and offspring for failing him at Bingli Island.

He also resented Senior Brother Li and the Black Lotus Hall, who had long been secretly sabotaging, with a grudge that couldn’t go unpunished. But now was not the time for revenge; patience was paramount.

The utmost resentment was towards a rising junior from the Southern Region.

The Fubo Lineage had been in planning, and according to initial measures, they should’ve been unbeatable.

Yet, somehow, the underlying fools screwed everything up.

Even when guided step by step, they could still err.

Ji Hai felt like crying without tears.

He spent three years in seclusion achieving the Dragon Pearl, everything was going well, seemingly about to become First-Grade, transforming into the Ancestral Dragon’s body, achieving the Dragon Emperor’s Dharma Body.

But unexpectedly, at the last crucial moment, fortune support broke off.

At the final step of metamorphosis, things went wrong.

Thus, Ji Hai had to forcibly exit seclusion and hastily forge the Dragon Pearl.

Comprehending the cause and effect, Ji Hai was deeply frustrated, almost to the point of spitting blood.

But he wasn’t someone shallow; he knew that now all anger and venting were meaningless.

The best approach was naturally to find ways to remedy and undo.

Others might think he’d regret his Dao choice, with the Dragon Pearl’s rank fixed, having no chance to forge the Dragon Emperor’s body. But he knew that back in Azure Dragon Hall, he acquired some benefits, reserving some potential for upgrading.

Of course, that required enough fortune support.

After achieving the Law Dragon Pearl, with eight hundred years left to live, he had the patience and endurance to wait.

Under Ji Hai’s flattery, Li Xuanji, despite lingering doubts, couldn’t find where the problem lay. Moreover, craving Ji Hai’s and Elder Fuyun’s backing, he finally agreed.

After the two established an alliance, the atmosphere became more harmonious as they toasted and drank.