Chapter 749: Direct Surrender

"Alright! Stop arguing! Since it's suspicious, let's probe it first. Wu Tian, whether inside are humans or ghosts, you must bring them out to confirm. If it's a Yin Soul, clear the way immediately. If it's a Martial Cultivator, intercept with full force."

"Yes!" Wu Tian replied, giving Lao Gui a smug glance before rushing to make arrangements.

Lao Gui curled his lip and ignored him.

Lan Ruo Bing watched their squabble and just smiled.

"Gui Shu, you also go to support Wu Tian, so he won't get into trouble!"

"Fine! The brat is careless, so I, the old man, have to cover his rear!"

Saying that, he left the control room, taking people to follow Wu Tian.

Wu Tian, on his side, didn't dare to mobilize too much force at once. He is Lan Ruo Bing's capable assistant; although more confident, he still couldn't be reckless.

He only dispatched over a hundred Flying Boats, surrounding the Nether Ghost Ship.

Thus, even if his judgment errs, the loss for the whole robber gang is minor. The contest for control of this area depends mainly on the number of high‑end combat power and the number of Warships.

These small Flying Boats have little impact on the outcome of the contest.

Lao Gui instead deployed a first‑class Warship, bringing dozens of strong individuals from the Yin‑Yang Realm, trailing them from afar.

Ye Liuyun and the others' Divine Sense has now detected the surrounding Flying Boats.

His Golden Pupil also saw a first‑class Warship arriving as reinforcement in the distance.

Du Yan, after learning the situation, said directly to him: "The markings on the Flying Boats show they're from Lan Ruo Bing's robber gang. It seems they're determined to force us to intervene! What's your plan?"

"We can't beat them, we can't run away, what else can we do? Surrender. We'll see the situation first!"

Ye Liuyun said calmly.

"Hmm, that's the only option!" Du Yan's thoughts were the same as Ye Liuyun's.

The robbers have their own code; if you surrender outright, they won't kill you.

Especially large‑scale robber gangs, they also value reputation. Their discipline is usually very strict, unlike small gangs that slaughter indiscriminately.

It's precisely because they keep their word that many merchant ships willingly pass through them, paying a fee to go through safely.

The robbers are also at ease; no fighting, no casualties, and they can guarantee income.

Especially Lan Ruo Bing's robber gang, whose reputation is assured, is widely known in this region.

The two of them agreed, and the Warship immediately began to decelerate.

Wu Tian, seeing the Warship slow down, became somewhat worried.

He originally thought the Nether Ghost Ship would, as before, clear all obstacles and keep advancing.

But this slowdown made him fear that a Yin Soul might actually emerge to eliminate them.

So now he doesn't dare to be sure what kind of people are inside!

The Lao Gui behind grew tense, immediately bringing his Warship forward, ready to reinforce, at least to rescue Wu Tian.

Although they disagreed, having partnered for years, risking life and death for the robber gang, their bond remained strong.

The Nether Ghost Ship slowly halted in front of a line of Flying Boats.

"Who's inside? Could you come out for a look?"

Wu Tian's Divine Sense was also blocked by the Nether Ghost Ship's Formation, so he could only shout directly.

Du Yan said to Ye Liuyun: "I'll go out to pay the fee; you all stay put for now."

"I'll go with you, to avoid any sudden incidents!"

Ye Liuyun worried about mishaps. Du Yan is their captain; he cannot afford any slip.

"Alright then. Everyone else, be ready on both fronts!" Du Yan arranged, then walked out of the Warship together with Ye Liuyun.

"I wonder what will come out?"

After Wu Tian finished speaking, he waited anxiously in place.

Until he saw that two human Martial Cultivators, an old man and a young one, emerged, he finally relaxed.

"You scared me half to death; I thought a Yin Soul would leap out! What's with you, pretending to be divine and ghostly?"

Wu Tian, emboldened, directly asked Ye Liuyun and Du Yan.

Du Yan clasped his fists and said to Wu Tian: "I am the captain of this ship; you may call me Du Yan. By chance, we came to possess this Nether Ghost Ship."

He didn't elaborate on the Nether Ghost Ship's origin, but said directly: "We have long heard of Boss Lan's righteousness, so we don't wish to misunderstand the esteemed leaders; we'll stop to pay the fee and hope you'll be accommodating."

Wu Tian, seeing Du Yan speak knowledgeably, nodded and said: "Knowing the rules is enough; it saves us trouble. I'm Wu Tian, Lan's assistant. However…"

He paused, then continued: "But your timing is off; our triangular zone is about to contest the next term's control. Our side, Lan's, needs fresh forces. Your Warship is decent; at least it can boost our momentum in the contest…"

Du Yan, hearing that, immediately replied: "Boss Wu, we still have urgent matters and need to hurry on our way…"

Wu Tian waved his hand, cutting Du Yan off: "It won't delay you much. Help us, and we'll point you to a route that can save you three months of travel time, how about that?"

He added: "When the time comes, we won't charge you a fee; we'll even pay you the labor compensation you deserve. Think it over."

Logically, for a robber to negotiate like this with those being robbed is already very courteous.

Du Yan looked at Ye Liuyun helplessly. If they refuse, they'll have to force these robbers to use force.

"When does your contest start, and when can we leave?"

Ye Liuyun's main concern was the timing; they cannot be pursued by the Nether Hell.

"It starts in three days, at most three to five days, and should finish then," Wu Tian didn't lie; he spoke the truth.

Ye Liuyun saw the timing was acceptable and thought it was fine.

The spatial layout of this triangular zone is somewhat chaotic. Without a guide, they'd certainly fail to find a passage that saves three months.

Spending a little time to save three months of travel seemed worthwhile to him.

"Do you need us to fight?" Ye Liuyun asked again.

"Combat?" Wu Tian laughed upon hearing it: "What do you think a Yin‑Yang Five Layers realm can really help with?"

The robbers around Wu Tian also laughed along.

The Yin Yang Five Layers realm, among their bandits, is not considered high; it can only be said to be medium.

Wu Tian has already reached the Yin Yang Eightfold realm; beside him are several bandits ranging from Yin Yang Five Layers to Seventh Layer.

They only took a liking to the Nether Ghost Ship. As for Ye Liuyun's realm, they haven't even put it in their eyes.