Chapter 1886 No further objections!

Situ Haokong stood frozen in place, watching Lin Jichen turn and leave with the others, stunned.

The boiling primordial dragon blood within his body cooled down like a tide, and his swollen size shrank back to its original state at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The sword wound on his left shoulder was so deep that the bone was visible, and dark golden dragon blood mixed with bits of flesh seeped out, dripping down his arm and onto the mountains and rivers at his feet.

But he seemed oblivious; the excruciating pain from the wound paled in comparison to the suffocating feeling churning in his chest.

That was the ultimate pain of pride being crushed and faith being overturned.

At that moment, he felt like a complete joke.

Having cultivated for a thousand years and influenced by his father since childhood, he firmly believes that the Dragon Blood Body Refinement is the strongest body cultivation method in the world.

It was precisely because of the powerful bloodline of the dragon race, combined with the physical cultivation techniques of the human race, that his strength advanced by leaps and bounds, making him the sect master of Nine Dragon Valley, far surpassing his father in strength.

He had displayed his half-dragon form countless times at sect ceremonies, receiving the reverence of his disciples.

He also defeated Ye Jinyun in a physical cultivation duel, becoming the strongest physical cultivator!

But today, his most prized body-refining technique was easily broken by a young man who had only been practicing for a few years with a single sword strike.

"Neither human nor ghost, neither dragon nor not dragon..."

Lin Jichen's casual remark during their earlier exchange now struck him like a series of heavy blows.

He suddenly raised his hand to touch the dragon horn on his forehead, the mark of his mastery of the Dragon Blood Body Refinement Technique, which had once been a symbol of his glory, but now felt incredibly glaring.

Yes, he was not a true dragon after all. Forcibly cultivating the Dragon Blood Technique made him nothing more than a "hybrid" imitating the dragon race.

No wonder the threshold to the Immortal Realm is so close, yet I can never cross it.

It turns out that he went astray from the very beginning.

The mind is like a mirror; once broken, it is difficult to restore.

Situ Haokong could clearly feel that the dragon blood power in his body was beginning to become disordered, and his originally solid blood and qi became sluggish, which even caused his cultivation level to decline slightly.

He knew that physical injuries from this battle were minor; the most serious damage was to his Dao heart.

The reason why Nine Dragon Valley can remain among the super sects is because of the deterrent power of this late-stage Ascension Body Cultivator.

Now that his Dao heart is damaged and his strength has declined, the status of Nine Dragon Valley will probably quietly fall from the ranks of super sects along with his defeat.

Inside the Sword Sect's main hall, everyone gathered again, but fell into a deathly silence.

The star runes on the thirty-six bronze sword pillars were still flickering slightly, but they couldn't illuminate the complex expressions on the faces of the people in the hall.

Everyone was still reeling from the fleeting duel and was barely breathing.

As they gazed at Lin Jichen's figure, their eyes were filled with nothing but awe and apprehension.

Everyone knew in their hearts that Lin Jichen would win this match.

But I didn't expect him to win so easily.

Although Situ Haokong did not risk his life or use any extremely costly killing moves, Lin Jichen did not either.

If Situ Haokong used 99% of his strength, then Lin Jichen probably didn't even reach 60% before beating Situ Haokong into submission.

He only suffered minor injuries, which were easily healed by Yun Lanyi when he returned.

With such strength, and a super healer as his Daoist partner to assist him, it's no wonder Lin Jichen dares to be so arrogant; he truly has the capital to be arrogant!

"I think we should work together and unite our strength to overcome this calamity in the Three Realms. What do you all think?"

Lin Jichen's voice broke the silence in the hall. It was still that low but penetrating tone, which instantly brought everyone present back to their senses.

Zhao Lie, the sect leader of the Sky Eagle Sect, was the first to react. He stood up abruptly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and shouted loudly.

"Sect Leader Lin is right! Our Heavenly Eagle Sect is willing to unconditionally obey Sect Leader Lin's orders! Ever since an elder from the Sword Sect saved our disciples at Black Wind Ridge three years ago, I've known that you are someone we can entrust with our mission. Only you can lead us through this calamity!"

How can you expect an elder to save you? What does that have to do with the sect leader? This is just too much of a power play!

But his leading statement was like a stone thrown into a lake, instantly creating ripples.

The leaders of other top-tier sects all stood up to echo this sentiment, afraid of falling behind.

"Yes! For the sake of the Eight Desolations and Three Realms, Sect Leader Lin risked his life to fight against Zhu Jiuyin's clone. This noble spirit is truly a model for all cultivators! How can we let him down!"

"The Sword Sect is the number one sect in the world. Everyone has witnessed Sect Leader Lin's strength and strategies. Our Danxia Sect is willing to send all its disciples at the Enlightenment Realm or above to await your command!"

"Sect Leader Lin, please give your orders! As long as peace can be maintained in the Eight Desolations, I, this old man, am willing to risk my life!"

"I agree!"

"agree!"

"I agree!"

...

The echoes of responses reverberated throughout the hall, and even several sect leaders of the Demonic Sect who had previously been hesitant nodded in agreement.

The Blood Shadow Sect Master licked his lips, a shrewd glint in his eyes.

"If Zhu Jiuyin awakens, our Demonic Sect will not fare well either. Sect Leader Lin, rest assured, the Blood Shadow Sect's 'Shadow Guards' are ready at any time!"

Apart from the major demonic sects, the Ghost Realm, and the Demon Realm, which have not yet spoken, all other sects have expressed their opinions, and even the demonic sects agreed very readily.

When it came to the major sects, apart from Yun Lanyi and Gu Qingcheng, whose representatives were undisputed, Ye Jinyun was the next one to be chosen.

The old man with a full head of red hair put down his wine gourd, stood up, and spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"I have lived for over 1,600 years and have seen hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of geniuses, but I have never seen anyone like Sect Leader Lin! No one else is qualified to be our leader! The entire Crimson Flame Fist Sect agrees!"

Xuan Kong chuckled, stood up, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Our Buddhist sect has no objection. In fact, our Buddhist sect owes Benefactor Lin a great deal of favor. In terms of sentiment, reason, public good, and private matters, our Buddhist sect has no reason to object. Benefactor Lin has gone to such lengths for the sake of all living beings, and this old monk admires you."

"Master Xuan Kong, you flatter me. I'm not that noble. In the end, I'm just doing this for my own sect. I just want to protect the people I care about. It's that simple."

Lin Jichen didn't want the old monk to create a persona for him, so he simply revealed his purpose.

Xuan Kong raised his white eyebrows slightly and shook his head, saying, "Benefactor Lin's magnanimity and composure are all the more precious. I often think that if I had met you a few years ago when you first embarked on the path of cultivation, I would have tried every means to invite you to join my Buddhist sect."

Lin Jichen teased, "You guys did this before. That bald monk Zhiyuan almost kidnapped me to Tianyin Temple to be ordained. If I weren't my master, you guys would have really forced me to become a monk."

Xuan Kong looked slightly embarrassed and said, "My junior brother acted rashly. I have already sent him into seclusion to reflect on his mistakes, and he has not come out yet."

"Then may I ask, what are your plans to do about this, Nun Jingyi?"

Taking the opportunity to ask, Lin Jichen was actually secretly inquiring about the whereabouts of the nun Jingyi.

...