Chapter 2093: Chapter 2130: Challenge Me If You Disagree
Upon hearing Tie Hualong’s explanation, Tie Haijiao finally understood his father’s meaning, and couldn’t help but secretly admire him. It turned out that the older the ginger, the spicier it gets.
"Humph, you little brat, listen carefully, don’t keep leaning towards Wu Qingxia. If you ruin my reputation, see how I’ll deal with you!"
Tie Hualong said to his son, knowing his son best. Just from that moment, he knew that the lustful Tie Haijiao fancied Wu Qingxia, and feeling uneasy, he reminded him once more. Tie Haijiao didn’t speak, just scratched his head and chuckled.
A silent night passed, and the sky was brightly lit the next morning. That night, the Second Elder and others did not sleep well; they kept imagining what it would be like to have their own territory, so excited they couldn’t fall asleep.
After breakfast, Tie Hualong indeed personally took the Second Elder and others on a ship to view the islands one by one. The more they saw, the worse the faces of the Second Elder and Fourth Elder became, and by the time they returned, neither had a smile on their face. The situation wasn’t as optimistic as imagined.
Tie Hualong showed them islands that were all similar in size, with the largest only about a dozen miles in circumference. They were too small, and none of the islands had any resources; not a single fruit tree or even any wildlife to be seen. For everyone, it would be hard just to find enough to eat, let alone develop anything.
Tie Hualong explained that this area used to be a group of volcanoes, each island formed by magma. Without fertile soil, no crops could be grown, not even on Tie Family Island, where food was procured from outside.
No matter what, life had to go on. The Second Elder discussed with everyone and chose a small island north of Tie Family Island. That island originally had no name and could accommodate their current numbers, and it was not far from Tie Family Island. In case of danger, they could escape to Tie Family Island quickly.
Once the location was decided, Tie Hualong didn’t let them move right away but hosted them in Tie Family Fortress for five or six more days. During these days, he entertained everyone with feasts large and small, showing absolute warmth; a perfect host, leaving no room for critique.
Finally, when the Second Elder and others couldn’t stay any longer, Tie Hualong found a sunny day to send them over. The Second Elder hoped this small island was a new beginning, so they named it Xinkai Island.
Upon arriving at the new island, the Second Elder and others felt even more grateful to Tie Hualong. In just a few days, people under Tie Hualong’s orders had built more than thirty stone castles with complete living facilities, providing them with plenty of food and drinks, which made the Second Elder and others grateful beyond measure.
Things weren’t settled yet; as Tie Hualong left, he gave the Second Elder two warships from his Tie Family fleet before he returned to Tie Family Fortress.
After Tie Hualong departed, the Second Elder gathered the elders and chiefs of the island’s original residents for a meeting. The island had very few original inhabitants, only five or six thousand people. The Second Elder announced that Xinkai Island would henceforth belong to Skeleton Sect, given to them by the Tie Family. With the Tie Family’s affirmation, the chiefs and elders had no objections, as resources were scarce, and regardless of who took charge, it would be the same. They might even depend on these masters for aid in the future.
Having resolved everything, the people of Skeleton Sect explored Xinkai Island with excitement, for it would be their domain from now on.
Ding Fan and Wu Qingxia were also excited and took a tour of the island, but upon returning, they weren’t as pleased.
The island was indeed beautifully scenic, with few people causing little damage. Yet the most troubling issue was the lack of resources—no large animals to hunt, no wild fruits to eat, and the soil was ash-like with no nutrients, making it impossible to grow crops.
The island residents’ livelihood relied solely on sea fish, pearls in shells, underwater coral, and aquatic products.
Living was easy enough, but for a sect to develop, these resources were far from sufficient. They needed materials to expand, like Black Obsidian, various Spirit Grass, and Medicine Pills.
Only with resources and money could Skeleton Sect grow. Without these, they could only stagnate. In the Divine Realm, reaching Ninth Level and Twenty-Seven Stage cultivation, each stage required money, Spiritual Materials, and Black Obsidian. Without these, relying solely on personal cultivation to improve was as naive as dreaming. Without resources, it was impossible for Skeleton Sect to flourish again.
The sky darkened gradually, and the Second Elder summoned everyone for a meeting. After so many days, Skeleton Sect and Wu Family held their first high-level meeting. In truth, neither group now had many members, Wu Family’s strong ones being only Elder Wu Ren and Miss Wu Qingxia.
Ding Fan was the rightful Skeleton Sect Master, but since the incident at Wu Family Castle, he’d no longer wanted the position. Currently, the decision-making for Skeleton Sect and the Wu Family fell to the Second Elder, and Ding Fan was beginning to think it was perhaps a good idea to let him continue.
Honestly, Ding Fan wanted to leave, but now he was tied to the Second Elder and the others like grasshoppers on a string. Without them, Ding Fan would have nowhere to go. Joining another family or faction wasn’t appealing to him, and things seemed quite good as they were. Everyone respected him, and apart from engaging in battle, he didn’t need to handle anything else. Why not enjoy it?
The first item on the agenda for this meeting is to re-elect a sect master. A snake without a head won’t work; a faction cannot function without leadership, much like a country without a commander, leading to chaos and lack of unity.
However, this very matter stirred excitement among everyone, causing strong divisions.
The Fourth Elder and several elders from the Skeleton Sect wanted the Second Elder to take on the role of sect master. With Ding Fan stepping down, the Second Elder was the most powerful, and the safe haven the Skeleton Sect had now was entirely due to the Second Elder’s efforts.
Wu Ren didn’t speak, but the Second Level Martial Artists from the Wu Family in the Divine Realm unanimously nominated Wu Qingxia as sect master. Since Wu Qingxia was the eldest young lady of the Wu Family, if she were elected sect master, the Wu Family members would feel inferior. Besides this, Wu Qingxia’s father, Wu Ji, was the Great Elder of the Skeleton Sect. In terms of seniority, Wu Qingxia was qualified to become sect master. In truth, they also had other calculations in mind.
It’s evident that Ding Fan had been taking care of Wu Qingxia throughout. At the Wu Family Castle on Great Python Mountain, he gave priority to critical situations and went to rescue Wu Qingxia and Xia Mengqing. If Wu Qingxia became the sect master, Ding Fan would certainly assist her.
The Second Elder appeared extremely modest, insisting that he would not take on the role of sect master and strongly supported Wu Qingxia’s ascension. Yet Ding Fan knew well that if he truly didn’t want to be sect master, why would his confidant, the Fourth Elder, insist on it?
Wu Qingxia didn’t speak, unsure of what to say. As the eldest young lady of the Wu Family, daughter of Great Elder Wu Ji, she had the eligibility to be sect master, but she was too young and her cultivation level was not high. How could everyone accept her as sect master?
She had another concern. If she became sect master, would the Second Elder and Fourth Elder of the Skeleton Sect still remain of one heart with the Wu Family? If they became disloyal then, how far could this team go?
A group of Second Level Martial Artists from the Divine Realm argued for nearly two hours, but the matter was still unresolved. Ding Fan couldn’t stand it any longer, so he slapped the table and stood up, saying, "Everyone stop arguing. Since the Second Elder is unwilling to be sect master, I, as the previous sect master, will give the position to Miss Qingxia. If anyone is unhappy, consult my Giant Axe instead!"
Wu Qingxia was truly pitiful; she lost her mother at a young age. Though the Great Elder cherished her dearly, he ended up dying in the Wu Family Castle battle. Although it could be said this matter resulted from Wu Qingxia, everyone knew well it was just an excuse for the Liew Family to annex the Wu Family and devour the Skeleton Sect.
If the Great Elder were here, Ding Fan wouldn’t be sect master, it would be the Great Elder. Now that he’s gone, letting Wu Qingxia be sect master is entirely reasonable. Ding Fan also saw through it: the Fourth Elder and others nominating the Second Elder were all his scheming. A strong individual wanting to ascend is natural, but employing such petty tricks was intolerable for him.
The reason Ding Fan didn’t remain sect master was because of the realization of his own inadequacies after the battle on Great Python Mountain. What he wanted now was a faction to provide resources for his future cultivation. But a sect needs development, which means many responsibilities. He couldn’t both cultivate and lead the people toward growth.
Most importantly, he had no good impression of the elders. Rather than letting them gain influence, it was better for the previously rescued and benefactor Wu Qingxia to ascend, which for him, would be all benefit and no harm.
Ding Fan’s speech shocked many and angered others. In their eyes, Ding Fan’s becoming sect master was peculiar. Before the battle, he suddenly appeared, claiming the previous sect master instructed him to take over the Skeleton Sect, but his arrival was strange.
Most crucially, with Zhuge Qing dead, Xue Wu fled, and the Great Elder also dead, if the Second Elder and Fourth Elder ignored him, Ding Fan wouldn’t have any means other than slaughter. Nearly all the remaining people were their subordinates.
For an unknown individual to slam the table at a high-level meeting disturbed the Second Level Martial Artists from the Divine Realm. The Fourth Elder sinisterly remarked, "Ding Fan, you’d better say less. The internal matters of the Skeleton Sect aren’t for someone like you, an unknown figure, to discuss."
The Fourth Elder emphasized the words "unknown figure," implying Ding Fan had no right to involve himself in Skeleton Sect affairs.
"Stop talking nonsense. When holding battle meetings at Wu Family Fortress on Great Python Mountain, you didn’t call me an unknown figure. When fighting for life, I was the sect master. Now that it’s over, I’m suddenly unknown, huh? Didn’t you Divine Realm people always respect strength above all? Why don’t we, Fourth Elder, have a showdown first? Whoever loses shuts their mouth. How about it?"
Ding Fan spoke defiantly to the Fourth Elder.
"Brother Ding!"
Wu Qingxia showed a trace of emotion on her face but gently tugged at Ding Fan, meaning for him not to argue with the elders on her behalf.
Ding Fan ignored her entirely, keeping his eyes fixed on the Fourth Elder with a look of readiness to fight!
