Chapter 648: Loken vs Seven Experts from Emerald Cove

Aksai had even left behind two Foundation Establishment Pills for Goren and Vienna before departing for Sharang.

At the time, Aksai wasn’t sure if these two youngsters would be ready in time for the war.

Because of that, he hadn’t counted them as part of the island’s strength, even though he had mentioned the possibility of two more Experts joining the island’s core team.

Normally, it would have taken much longer for the two to achieve their breakthroughs, no matter how talented they were. But the danger brought by the Kalingoot’s constant attacks acted as a catalyst. That fear. That pressure. That fire to survive…

All of it pushed Goren and Vienna to break through ahead of time.

Now they stood on the cliff with the others, facing a Core Formation enemy with bodies that had not even finished stabilizing their new realm.

The Third Supreme’s smile grew wider as he looked at them—eight Foundation Establishment Experts, bracing themselves even though they knew the huge difference in strength.

He placed his hands behind his back, calm and amused.

“So,” he said, his voice smooth and cold, “these are the ones brave enough to greet me.”

At this point, Shuan stepped forward. He took a slow breath before speaking.

“Are you one of the three leaders of Kalingoot?” he asked.

Loken raised a brow. He didn’t look angry—just surprised. “Hmm? How do you know about me?” he asked in a curious tone. The Kalingoot’s core leadership was well hidden from the Big Five Sects and Three Major Demonic Sects up till this point.

In fact, there were only a handful of cultivators within the Kalingoot at the administrative position who were aware of the fact that there were three Core Formation Lords running the organization from the shadows.

As such, the Third Supreme was genuinely surprised.

He paused for a moment. His eyes narrowed slightly, and then a smile slowly spread across his face.

“I see,” he said. “Some of my men you captured must have talked. Was it that baldy Heebyuk? He was the only one who knew about us. No wonder you all seem so prepared to face me.”

He looked at the seven Foundation Establishment Experts standing behind Shuan. Their faces were tense, their hands ready—even though readiness meant little against someone of his level.

Loken folded his hands behind his back and announced calmly, “That’s right. I am the Third Supreme of Kalingoot. My name is Loken.”

Shuan nodded grimly. He took in a deep breath, steadying his nerves as he turned firm.

“Lord Loken,” he began, “we have a proposal for you.”

He glanced back at Ruan, Violet, Zara, Ivy, Goren, and Vienna. They each gave him small nods—silent support for the difficult step he was about to take.

Shuan faced Loken again.

“We want you to leave the island intact,” he said and took a deep breath before saying what he had already prepared to say beforehand.

“Let’s be honest. Even with your Core Formation strength, it won’t be easy to look after Emerald Cove’s resources alone. The island is rich, yes, but without trained people, these resources are useless.”

He paused. His fists tightened at his sides—this next part clearly weighed on him.

“We… we are willing to give you forty percent of the island’s resources,” Shuan said. “And forty percent of the annual profits as tribute—if you choose not to harm Emerald Cove.”

His voice was steady, but the strain behind it showed.

“You could earn far more with less effort this way. All we ask,” Shuan continued, “is that you leave us alone and stop the others from Kalingoot from attacking us.”

He held Loken’s gaze. There was no pride left in his expression—only a desperate but rational attempt to save the island.

He knew the truth.

Seven Foundation Establishment Experts together could not defeat a Core Formation Lord. Not even close. If they fought, the island would fall, their people would die, and all the years of work put into Emerald Cove would be wiped out in a single night.

Shuan’s voice lowered slightly, as if he was also speaking to himself.

“After the formation fell… we ran out of options. Master Aksai trusted us with this island. If we fought now… he wouldn’t have a home left to return to.”

His throat tightened, but he stood firm.

“I am willing to face any punishment he gives me for this choice,” Shuan said quietly. “But I refuse to hand him back a destroyed island. I refuse to let Emerald Cove fall to ruins.”

Shuan bowed his head slightly before speaking firmly to Loken.

“This offer… it’s our surrender and the limit of our compromise. Otherwise, we will all die fighting you.

“And… and at the same time, we will detonate the key locations on the island, including our warehouses, so you won’t gain anything from us. If you choose not to agree to this deal, you will gain nothing except a ruined land.”

Shuan looked at Loken seriously, his hand tightening around the sword. It was clear that he and the others were ready to die for the island’s sake.

Loken’s smile grew slow and relaxed as he looked at Shuan, almost as if he were praising a child who had done something mildly clever.

“You have indeed offered me a good deal,” he said. “I have to be honest here. I wasn’t expecting this island to have not just one or two, but seven Foundation Establishment Experts. It’s almost at the level of a mid tier sect or a really powerful clan with rich history.

Having seven Experts on the island only speaks volumes about how rich in resources it really is. And that too without counting the two island owners, Aksai and Nuya. I also wasn’t expecting the people in charge of this island to think so calmly and rationally.”

He let out a soft sigh and shook his head.

“The island owners connected to the Alliance Kalingoot had to deal with until now were always so arrogant.”

For a moment, he almost looked relaxed… almost friendly. But then his expression changed in an instant.

The smile faded. His eyes narrowed like the edge of a knife. A cold pressure seeped out from him, and the air around the cliff seemed to freeze.

“As for me accepting this deal,” Loken said, his voice turning murderous and sharp. “Although what you have offered is decent, you seem to have missed a crucial point.”

His Core Formation aura surged outward without warning.

It hit the seven Experts like a crashing wave.

Ruan staggered back a step. Violet’s breath caught in her throat. Zara’s knees almost buckled. Ivy clenched her teeth, sweat forming instantly on her brow.

Goren and Vienna, with their unstable cultivation, felt their bones tremble. Even Shuan, the calmest among them, felt a crushing weight fall onto his shoulders.

Loken continued speaking as if nothing had changed.

“It seems you are quite unaware about how the world really works. A deal only happens between two parties who stand on the same level,” he said. “When one side is overwhelmingly weaker than the other… what happens isn’t a deal.”

His gaze swept over their faces one by one.

“It is a compromise. A submission.”

Shuan’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak.

Loken raised his hand and placed both of them behind his back again, looking at them like they were insects that had offered to negotiate.

“I will now tell you what you need to compromise,” he said calmly. “It is simple. Offer me everything you and this island have. All seven of you will submit to me and accept my Slave Mark willingly.”

Violet’s eyes widened in horror. Ruan’s grip on his weapon tightened. Vienna took a sharp breath. Even the wind felt heavy.

Loken’s voice dropped lower, colder.

“Do this, and I will not punish you too harshly for thinking you and I stand at the same height. Hoping to strike a deal with a Core Formation Lord as equals? Hahahaha. You sure like to daydream a lot.”

The aura pressing down on them grew heavier again, almost like it was squeezing the air out of their lungs.

“Isn’t this an attractive offer, where I don’t kill all seven of you right away? I’m actually being quite magnanimous by giving you this deal.

“Refuse…”

He looked out over the island, then back at them with a smile that never reached his eyes.

“…and I will turn this entire island into a graveyard of souls.

“Do you think a Core Formation Lord cares about the resources you have to offer? And how dare you threaten me? Hehehe.

“Act on your threat, and you’ll truly see how capable of violence I am.

“Your threat has no effect on my decision, but it can certainly anger me. If you dare to blow the warehouses up, I’ll simply let you.

“I can start over from scratch. It may be troublesome, but it’s not impossible for the Kalingoot to rebuild this island from the ground up.”