The Second Elder shouted, and all weapons were drawn, the warship swiftly retreated. The Second Elder, Fourth Elder, and Wu Qingxia stood on the deck of the warship, looking fearfully at Tie Hualong slowly approaching with his men.

After nearly four hours, Ding Fan had not yet recovered, but his spirit was not as exhausted. He still hadn’t come out, remaining seated in meditation inside the cabin of the warship.

As Tie Hualong and the two Third Level Divine Realm masters approached the front of the Second Elder, they retreated to the back of the crowd, with hundreds of people blocking their way, clearly fearing a sudden attack from the Tigertooth Ape.

In the open space in front of the dock, Tie Hualong’s men stopped, and Tie Hualong’s eyes locked onto the face of the Second Elder, shouting loudly towards him: "Brother Chuanfeng, we took in your Skeleton Sect, giving you a place to stay, and now this is how you treat us?"

The Second Elder’s face flushed red, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Looking at it now, it’s hard to say who is right. Skeleton Sect could be seen as ungrateful, but the Tie Family was not well-intentioned from the start. From the beginning, they aimed to annex Skeleton Sect, with Tie Haijiao nearly causing harm to Wu Qingxia. When they saw that Skeleton Sect could cultivate high-quality Crimson Flame Bodhi, they immediately moved aggressively towards Skeleton Sect.

Therefore, no matter which side one stands on, it can be said that everyone is correct; both parties seek development, and any decision to avoid extinction and foster greater development is the right one.

The Second Elder gave a somewhat helpless smile, saying to Tie Hualong: "Brother Tie, let’s not speak of who’s right or wrong. I’ve been forced to do many things for Skeleton Sect that weren’t my desire. How about we negotiate, you give up Tie Family Island, and I promise not to be your enemy anymore, delivering a million Black Obsidian to you every year. Does that sound good?"

"A million Black Obsidian every year!"

This offer not only surprised the people from Skeleton Sect but also greatly astonished those on Tie Family Island. The Second Elder was incredibly generous, offering a million Black Obsidian right away, which is no small sum even for a third-grade power like the Tie Family.

However, Wu Qingxia and others believed that if Skeleton Sect could obtain Tie Family Island, they could grow Crimson Flame Bodhi from its resources, using Ding Fan’s formula to earn millions of Black Obsidian a year, making it feasible to give the Tie Family one million without issue.

Tie Hualong remained silent for a while, then consulted with two elders. The three discussed for over forty minutes before Tie Hualong turned to the Second Elder, saying: "Brother Chuanfeng, how about this: Xinkai Island will remain yours, and we will grant you three nearby islands. You deliver us a million Black Obsidian each year, and from now on, we will not engage in disputes, letting everyone coexist peacefully."

Tie Hualong seemed somewhat afraid of the Tigertooth Ape, unwilling to wage war against Skeleton Sect, hoping instead for peace. Hearing Tie Hualong’s words, the Second Elder and Fourth Elder exchanged glances, seeing a glimmer in each other’s eyes.

Actually, both did not wish to continue fighting; Skeleton Sect needed time to develop. If they could delay a little longer, allowing Skeleton Sect to develop for some time, the Skull resources could buy more Tigertooth Apes, enabling them to raise numerous Second Level or even Third Level Divine Realm experts, and continue to grow stronger, ultimately establishing Skeleton Sect’s domain in Tianmu Sea.

The Second Elder consulted with Skeleton Sect’s elders, finally making up his mind. Looking at Tie Hualong, he said: "Brother Tie, lend us Tie Family Island for a year. We don’t need the other islands; we will monthly deliver you a hundred thousand Black Obsidian, allowing our sides to grow quickly. After a year, we will fully leave Tie Family Island, going to Ji Shangye to find other Magma Land islands. We can swear, if we break our word, we shall have no burial place."

The terms of the Second Elder were genuinely sincere and greatly beneficial for Skeleton Sect. With Tie Family Island remaining in Skeleton Sect’s possession for a year, they could earn enough Black Obsidian to buy dozens of Tigertooth Apes, then easily occupy any island with Magma Land.

Tie Hualong seemed moved by the Second Elder’s words, his gaze flickered, indicating he might consider it, but he would convene with all Tie Family elders to discuss, asking Second Elder for two hours to gather the elders and deliberate on this matter.

Tie Hualong returned with his men, saying they would discuss it. Skeleton Sect’s elders were immediately thrilled, everyone’s eyes burning with excitement. In their minds, they thought about how to develop Skeleton Sect, how to expand planting areas, and how to cultivate more Crimson Flame Bodhi after obtaining Tie Family Island.

Wu Qingxia was also very excited, immediately entering the cabin to share the great news with Ding Fan.

At this time, Ding Fan had regained quite a bit of his physical strength and mental state. After hearing Wu Qingxia’s account, he remained silent for a while, not speaking for ten minutes. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and said to Wu Qingxia: "A bunch of fools, you’ve all been deceived, Tie Hualong is merely stalling for time."

Ding Fan was always merely an observer, allowing him to see things much more clearly.

Skeleton Sect’s group, in such circumstances, were blinded by the immediate benefits, contemplating how to acquire Tie Family Island for Skeleton Sect’s future development, how to grow, how to earn countless Black Obsidian.

Some might consider the worst-case scenarios, but faced with huge profits, they automatically abandon negative thoughts.

In their minds, there are only three Third Level Divine Realm experts on Tie Family Island now, but they have eight Tigertooth Apes with them. Tie Hualong knows that under these circumstances, the people of Tie Family wouldn’t be opponents, and Skeleton Sect offering so much Black Obsidian within a year, and with only a one-year stay on the island, how could these good conditions not be agreeable to Tie Hualong and the Tie Family?

Ding Fan was not one of Skeleton Sect, at least he never considered himself a Skeleton Sect member, so he wasn’t too concerned about the benefits Skeleton Sect could gain; Skeleton Sect was merely his temporary resting place.

Ding Fan was very calm, considering things holistically. He used to dislike thinking because he believed having absolute power was sufficient. But since Xia Mengqing was captured by Jade Goshawk Palace, Ding Fan matured a lot, always thinking more, preferring to see things for what they really are.

He considered the issue from Tie Hualong’s perspective; Tie Family Island is Tie Hualong’s foundation, having managed it for over a decade. If he lost Tie Family Island, what other assets would he have?

Tie Hualong was set to rise in Tianmu Sea and become a dominant figure; he must be a smart man. If they gave up Tie Family Island, Skeleton Sect could grow rapidly, reversing their positions with Tie Hualong. If they wanted to stay, or faced extermination, it would no longer depend on Tie Family’s decisions but instead on Skeleton Sect becoming their master.

What is the purpose of this war? Did Tie Hualong endure arduous efforts just to submit to Skeleton Sect?

No, he’s doing this to obtain the Skeleton Sect’s secret recipe for cultivating the Crimson Flame Bodhi. If they give up the Tie Family Island, what will happen? This recipe will never reach Tie Hualong’s hands, but it might anytime lead to the destruction of the entire family by the Skeleton Sect.

Therefore, unless Tie Hualong is a fool, he will never give up Tie Family Island.

Hence, the question arises: Why did Tie Hualong come out to negotiate, why pretend to seriously consider? 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The only reasonable explanation is that he’s stalling for time!

What use is stalling? Of course, waiting for reinforcements. The ships outside the pier at Tie Family Island have disappeared, needless to say, they have gone to find reinforcements. Tie Hualong has been operating here for over ten years, as long as he’s willing to pay the price, he will definitely bring some reinforcements.

"Ah? This serious!"

Upon hearing Ding Fan’s explanation, a look of surprise appeared on Wu Qingxia’s charming face. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. After careful analysis, her complexion turned even paler. It seems what Ding Fan said makes sense!

Wu Qingxia didn’t dare to make a decision and immediately went to find the Second Elder and others, then narrated Ding Fan’s analysis to them.

Upon hearing, the Fourth Elder waved his hand and said, "Reinforcements? No, according to my investigation, Tie Hualong has a bad relationship with several nearby third grade forces, and has even had wars with nearby Luoying Island, impossible! Absolutely impossible."

Ding Fan sneered at him and said, "How have you been a Great Elder all these years, are there eternal friends and enemies in the martial world? If you ask me, you’re just a fool."

The Fourth Elder got angry and wanted to speak with Ding Fan, but the Second Elder waved his hand and said, "Fourth, enough! Ding Fan is right. Between powers, there are no eternal friends and enemies, only eternal interests. Let me consider this carefully."

The Second Elder calmed down, closed his eyes, and about a quarter of an hour later, he suddenly opened his eyes and shouted loudly, "Wu and everyone, quickly take people to the nearby seaside to investigate if there are any reinforcement troops?"

Upon hearing this news, Elder Wu Ren and several others dived into the water, swimming out in all directions.

The Second Elder’s expression became extremely serious. He glanced at a group of elders on the ship and said to them, "There really is a problem, Tie Hualong’s personality is resolute. He would never easily hand over the Tie Family Island that he has worked hard to conquer. He’s the kind of person who would rather break than bend. There’s a big issue here, maybe Ding Fan is right."

The Fourth Elder, who always listened only to the Great Elder, was a bit panicked at this and asked the Second Elder, "Second brother, what should we do now? Should we keep waiting here?"

The Second Elder turned his gaze to Ding Fan, who had already closed his eyes and continued meditating to recover his strength and energy.

The Second Elder pondered for a while and said to everyone, "We’ll wait for Elder Wu to return, let’s hope it’s not as we thought."

A group of elders sat on both sides, their expressions very unpleasant, completely devoid of the joy they had earlier.

Everyone anxiously waited, and half an hour later, Elder Wu Ren and the others returned, rushing into the ship like a sharp sword, dripping wet as they entered the cabin and said to everyone, "Bad news, forty miles to the north, three warships have arrived. I didn’t dare get too close, but from afar, there are lots of people on the ships."

"Hiss...!"

The faces of the group of elders all changed. Although the other scout cavalries had not returned, Ding Fan’s suspicion had already been confirmed. Tie Hualong indeed delayed time, waiting for reinforcements.

"Second brother, what do we do?"

The Fourth Elder and others all looked towards the Second Elder, waiting for his decision. Although Wu Qingxia is the sect master, at the moment she is also panicking and certainly doesn’t have any good ideas.

The Second Elder hesitated. He glanced at the crowd and said, "Why don’t we retreat to Xinkai Island? After all, it can still be defended."

Xinkai Island has their prohibition, and in the fog the attacks of the Tigertooth Apes are even deadlier. If they can repel the reinforcements brought by Tie Hualong, the Skeleton Sect can at least hold Xinkai Island and slowly find a way to deal with the Tie Family.

"Idiot!"

Ding Fan suddenly opened his eyes. His energy and physical strength had almost fully recovered. His cold gaze swept through the crowd as he said to everyone, "There’s only one road to take now!"