Chapter 2091: Chapter 2128: Killing Intent on the Island

The Second Elder was furious. What the hell was this? They’d even called those people water bandit pirates, but these guys were more vicious than pirates. And that Hu Feng was only a Divine Realm Second Level middle stage Martial Artist, yet he dared treat him so rudely. He lowered his voice and said, "Boss Hu, do you think we’re that easy to bully? Twenty pieces of Black Obsidian exchanged for food are enough to keep us going for over ten years."

"Heh, you’re not satisfied? Then don’t trade with us. Go find your own food. Don’t think Tie Hualong is anything special—when he sees our Island Master he still walks with his head down. And what the hell do you count as?"

Hu Feng sneered at the Second Elder, his face full of contempt.

The Second Elder got even angrier. He had always been in a lofty, superior position; when had he ever swallowed this kind of insult? Let alone a Divine Realm Second Level middle stage Martial Artist, even a Third Stage one wouldn’t dare talk to him like this. He forgot where he was for a moment and said to Hu Feng, "Don’t you go too far!"

"What? You still want to make a move on me or what? I’ll tell you, old bastard, just you try. If any of you lot manage to live past two hours after making a move, I’ll write my surname ’Hu’ backwards. You didn’t even bother to ask around—within a hundred miles of here, there isn’t a soul who dares lay a hand on our Moon Mist Island."

The Fourth Elder heard them arguing and hurried over, plastering on a smile as he said to Hu Feng, "Boss Hu, don’t be angry. My elder brother’s been in a bad mood these last two days, his temper’s a bit hot. Don’t hold it against him. We’ll trade, we’ll trade!"

The Second Elder knew in his heart he’d gone a bit too far. They had only just entered Tianmu Sea and didn’t know the exact situation yet; this was not the time to be throwing his weight around. The Fourth Elder carefully smoothed things over with Hu Feng for a while, then secretly slipped him three pieces of Black Obsidian. Only then did this little storm pass.

"So even after entering Tianmu Sea, life won’t necessarily be any easier."

Looking at what was happening before him, Ding Fan couldn’t help muttering under his breath. Wu Qingxia picked up his words and said, "Tianmu Sea is a paradise for criminals. Here, human life is worth even less. Say one wrong sentence and someone will kill you on the spot. The laws of the Four Great Royal Clans don’t reach this place. Here, only the strong have a say. If Master Daozhen hadn’t set some basic rules, who knows how chaotic it would be."

Hearing Wu Qingxia’s words, Ding Fan nodded and fell silent. He sat down cross‑legged and resumed cultivating. Everyone else also stopped talking; some sank into their own thoughts, some continued their cultivation. After the Fourth Elder finished soothing Hu Feng, he came back in and spoke for a while with the Second Elder and Elder Wu Ren. Looking at the scene before them, the three of them were filled with emotion, to the point where for a time none of them could find any words.

There were only around a hundred and thirty or forty people total in the cabin. Counting Wu Qingxia, there were barely twenty Divine Realm Second Level Experts. This was the last remaining combat strength of the Skeleton Sect and the Wu Family.

With this pitiful bit of power, even some Second Grade forces were far stronger than them. The Skeleton Sect had once been considered the overlord around Great Python Mountain, but now it had fallen to such a state; one couldn’t help but sigh.

At this moment they thought of the old, weak, women, and children hidden deep in the mountain ravines. Were they all right now? Had they been discovered? Would the Zhong Family slaughter them? If the Zhong Family found them, what would they do? Thinking of what might befall their kin, these men who lived with their blades licking blood from the edge fell silent. The whole cabin was eerily quiet.

Hu Feng did keep his word and had people bring them Qingshui and dried meat, but no one really had the appetite to eat. Only a few people forced down a little, roughly.

Ding Fan forced himself to eat some. His mood at this time was no better than anyone else’s, but he refused to let others see his sorrow. He forced himself to pull it together. The road ahead might be hard, but no matter what, he was still alive. As long as a man was still alive, there was still hope; it wasn’t complete despair yet.

The Martial Artists of Moon Mist Island hadn’t lied to them. The warship rode the wind and waves toward Tie Family Island. The sea stayed calm along the way. Those harboring bad intentions, once they saw it was Moon Mist Island’s warship, stayed well away. No wonder Hu Feng acted so overbearing; it seemed the people of Moon Mist Island really did walk sideways here.

Soon the sky darkened. Many people collapsed right on the floor and fell asleep. Wu Qingxia still didn’t sleep, just sat there hugging her knees, and no one could tell what she was thinking. She was still wearing the soft armor from the battle, her hair casually tied up, with none of the bearing of a spoiled young lady anymore.

The remaining dozen or so Divine Realm Second Level Elders gathered together to discuss how they could one day make the Skeleton Sect rise again.

Ding Fan didn’t join their discussion. The Skeleton Sect right now didn’t even have enough wealth to feed everyone a few meals. With no resources to survive, how were they supposed to rise again? Whether they could even live on here was still a problem.

Nothing happened over the next two days. On the afternoon of the third day, the warship arrived at an enormous island.

"We’ve reached Tie Family Island. Get ready to disembark."

One of Hu Feng’s men came in and gave the Second Elder a heads‑up. Hearing this, many people showed complicated expressions on their faces. Seeing them like this, the Second Elder quickly calmed everyone, saying, "Don’t worry. Back when Tie Hualong was outside, he almost died at his enemy’s hands. If it hadn’t been for me, he’d be dead. After he gained a footing here, he sent people to find me many times, asking me to come to his Tie Family Island, saying he wanted to repay his debt. So you don’t need to worry."

When they had just reached Moon Mist Island, the Second Elder hadn’t been in a position to say much, and no one had any real confidence in their hearts. Now, hearing this, they all felt that once they got ashore there would definitely be a place for them to settle. Only then did everyone quiet down.

After the ship docked at the pier, a group of Martial Artists in black Battle Armor surged up. A man who looked a bit older and steadier stepped forward, clasped his fists, and asked, "Brothers from Moon Mist Island, what business brings you to our Tie Family Island?"

"I actually didn’t feel like coming either. But the ones on this ship are friends of your Iron Island Master. We helped bring them over for you."

Hu Feng also clasped his fists to that man as he spoke. His attitude was noticeably better than it had been toward the Second Elder.

The Second Elder led his people out of the cabin as well. He clasped his fists to that Martial Artist from Tie Family Island and said, "Brother, this old man is Song Chuanfeng. Please inform the Iron Fortress Master for me. Once you tell him my name, he’ll understand."

"Ah! Friends of the Island Master, please wait a moment, I’ll go report at once."

The seasoned man didn’t dare neglect them. He hurriedly sent someone to inform the Island Master, then carefully stayed with them on the ship, without inviting them to disembark. His attitude was respectful, yet Ding Fan noticed him quietly ordering his men to stay on guard.

It was only a matter of a few minutes before a group of people came out from the Tie Family Island castle. The man walking at the very front wore bright silver battle armor, his figure extremely burly, his eyes shining with spirit, making him look truly imposing.

"Hahaha..."

When this man saw the Second Elder he burst out laughing, saying to him with a smile, "This morning I heard the magpies in the courtyard chattering non-stop! So it turns out distinguished guests were arriving. Brother Chuanfeng, such an honored visit and Tie Hualong has been remiss. I must ask Brother Chuanfeng not to hold it against me."

"Hoo..."

Seeing Tie Hualong’s attitude, the people of Skeleton Sect and the Wu Family finally let out a breath of relief. Now that they had entered Tie Family Island, they were at last completely safe, no longer needing to fear pursuit. Perhaps in the future they could also gain a foothold here in the Tianmu Sea.

"Divine Realm Third Level experts... there are actually six of them!"

Ding Fan sensed the strength of Tie Hualong and the people beside him, and couldn’t help being shocked in his heart. Who would have thought that the Tie Family on a mere small island would have so many experts. Even at Skeleton Sect’s peak, they hadn’t had this many Divine Realm Third Level experts.

However, from them Ding Fan did not sense the aura of Inheritance Warriors, nor did he see any insignia on them. It seemed they had Legacy Warriors here.

Tie Hualong came with several dozen people to receive them, putting on a grand show of support. Everyone then disembarked. While chatting idly with the Second Elder, Tie Hualong led a group to welcome the Skeleton Sect people off the ship.

Ding Fan walked at the back of the group, and very soon a young man caught his attention, because that youth had been looking at him the whole time!

But when Ding Fan focused on him, he realized that the youth wasn’t actually looking at him. That gaze was locked onto Wu Qingxia at his side!

This youth stood right beside Tie Hualong. The people around him were all very respectful toward him, his clothes were more luxurious than the others, and his features somewhat resembled Tie Hualong’s. He should be one of his sons or nephews of that generation.

The youth’s eyes swept across the people on their side, and once he saw Wu Qingxia, he could no longer move his gaze away. Wu Qingxia’s hair was a bit disheveled and her clothes were not clean, but she was the eldest young lady of the Wu Family, the Great Elder’s darling jewel. Her bearing was exceedingly noble, and she was very good-looking. Especially after the recent upheaval, she had grown noticeably thinner, giving her an additional touch of sickly beauty that made her look all the more pitiable.

Wu Qingxia also felt a pair of fervent eyes fixed on her. She glanced at the owner of that gaze and felt somewhat afraid. Her body instinctively leaned closer to Ding Fan’s side. That youth’s gaze seemed a bit too passionate; it gave her the feeling that he wanted to strip her naked with his eyes, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

She had seen plenty of men’s gazes before; back in the Wu Family Castle on Great Python Mountain, no one would have dared look at her like that. But now a fallen phoenix is worse than a chicken. On Tie Family Island she felt no sense of safety at all, and unconsciously wanted to move closer to Ding Fan.

Right now, Ding Fan could be said to be the strongest among their own people. When they broke out to sea, he had split apart that skinny Divine Realm Second Level Peak elder with a single axe blow. In Wu Qingxia’s heart, he had already become a figure like a god of protection. Being close to him now gave her a feeling of reassurance.

She herself didn’t think much of it, but the moment she leaned in, the youth’s gaze also swept over Ding Fan. That look was as sharp and cold as a knife, yet when it met Ding Fan’s eyes for an instant, it immediately withdrew. Still, with just that one glance, Ding Fan already sensed a powerful killing intent.

"Sigh... looks like things won’t be peaceful here either."

Ding Fan thought to himself. Sensing that youth’s murderous intent, he grew wary of him. But seeing the Second Elder and Tie Hualong chatting so warmly, his heart relaxed a little. From the looks of it, Tie Hualong did know how to repay a favor. For a while at least, nothing should happen... right?

Tie Hualong was extremely enthusiastic. Holding tightly onto the Second Elder’s hand, he led the way toward the castle inside the island. The Tie Family people were also very warm, inviting everyone to walk together. One Tie Family Martial Artist even specifically started explaining things about Tie Family Island to them.

Ding Fan walked beside him and listened to his smooth explanations, gaining a general understanding of Tie Family Island. This Tie Family island counted as a Third Level island in the Tianmu Sea, and their Tie Family was a third grade family in the Tianmu Sea.

Tie Family Island was not considered a large island in the Tianmu Sea, but it wasn’t small either. The island spanned six to seven hundred li, and there were several smaller islands encircling it. It was quite a renowned place in the Tianmu Sea.

Within Tie Family Island and its sphere of influence lived nearly four hundred thousand commoners. There were over six thousand Divine Realm First Level Martial Artists, more than one hundred and twenty Divine Realm Second Level Martial Artists, and six Divine Realm Third Level Martial Artists.

In this stretch of sea spanning more than ten thousand li around them, aside from Moon Mist Island, there was no force that the Tie Family feared—other than the Xu Family on Moon Mist Island!