Crispin Valentine gritted his teeth and asked, "Sect Leader, what exactly are you planning to do today? Are you planning to subdue the Firzgerald Family and the Aarav Family, or slaughter us here and cripple both the Firzgerald and Aarav clans?"

Halvyr Briggs said calmly, "That depends on your choice. If you’re willing to submit to me, help me take back the seat of Sect Hierarch and rebuild the Sea God Sect, then the Firzgerald Family and the Aarav Family may not have to be destroyed."

Crispin Valentine ground his teeth and said, "May I ask how many people support you right now?"

Halvyr Briggs answered blandly, "Before your life belongs to me, you’re not qualified to know."

Crispin Valentine’s face instantly turned quite ugly. He had wanted to weigh things, see how many stood behind Halvyr Briggs, and then decide whether to place his bet. But clearly Halvyr already knew what he was thinking and simply wouldn’t tell him.

Halvyr Briggs said evenly, "Don’t think so highly of yourself. With or without you, the outcome of this grand affair won’t change. If you want to live and defect, then show some attitude. At a time like this you’re still thinking you’ll only place a bet once you’re sure of winning—do you really think you have that qualification?"

Halvyr Briggs swept his gaze across everyone opposite him and said calmly, "Four Superior Grade ones, six Middle Grade ones—you’re actually quite strong. In fact, you don’t necessarily have to wrong yourselves. You can fight it out and see if you can run, or at least see how many manage to escape and then go back and report my news to him. Wouldn’t that be a great merit?"

The experts of the Valentine Family and the Aarav Family looked at each other and saw the tension in one another’s eyes.

The other side could even state their lineup clearly; obviously, he had long prepared against them. Now they were like turtles in a jar. Wanting to escape—how could that be easy?

Who didn’t know the Sect Leader’s Mirror Array Divine Ability was unrivaled under heaven?

If it were only the Sect Leader alone, there might still be a chance to gamble. But the enemy’s numbers were almost twice their own, and they were all wounded. How were they supposed to fight this battle?

Darius Aarav only pondered for a few seconds before making a decisive statement: "My Aarav Family is willing to follow the Sect Leader in setting things right!"

Halvyr Briggs did not rush to accept. Instead, he said in a faint, ghostly tone, "You agreed so readily... This may not succeed, you know. People are going to die."

Darius Aarav said straightforwardly, "Let’s not beat around the bush. If we were ambushed outside, I might choose a desperate fight. But here, I don’t want to die. Since that’s the case, I’ll follow the Sect Leader and take this gamble."

"Even if I die in the end, it’s still better than dying right now. Besides, since the Sect Leader was framed, with his prestige, once he raises his arm, people will naturally gather like clouds. There should be a high chance of taking back the seat of Sect Hierarch. It’s not certain we’ll die."

"The Sect Leader ruled the Sea God Sect for many years, clear in rewards and punishments, respected by all. Following him can’t be called surrender; it’s merely setting the crooked straight. If I serve with all my heart, the Sect Leader will naturally not mistreat the Aarav Family in the future."

Cyprian Valentine watched as Darius Aarav, with a smooth, flowing speech, instantly dragged the Aarav Family over to the Sect Leader’s side, and he immediately knew the general trend was gone.

If the two families joined hands, there might still have been a sliver of a chance. But with Darius Aarav choosing to surrender without the slightest hesitation, if the Valentine Family still failed to read the situation, their outcome would likely be total annihilation.

Cyprian Valentine looked toward Crispin Valentine. Crispin gritted his teeth and said, "We are willing to follow the Sect Leader and revive the Sea God Sect."

Halvyr Briggs stared at Crispin Valentine and said, "The Sea God Sect became a miasma of filth and chaos, and your contribution to that is no small thing."

Crispin Valentine’s expression turned bitter. So he wasn’t planning to leave him a way out?

As Vice Sect Hierarch, personally elevated by the current Sect Hierarch, his life was held in the Hierarch’s hand, making him a die-hard confidant. In this situation, would they really spare him?

Leaving others aside, even if the Valentine Family chose to surrender, he would probably be the first one they couldn’t rest easy about.

In front of the life-and-death survival of the family, one man like him was insignificant, even if he was a Superior Grade Great Land Primordial Immortal.

Crispin Valentine smiled bitterly and said, "Some things are simply beyond my control. Once I sat in this position, certain things became unavoidable. Besides, he never cared about any of it and let everyone run wild. I may be Vice Sect Hierarch, but I never had much real power..."

Halvyr Briggs nodded. "I know. Your little life is pinched in his hand. You’re just the watchdog he picked."

Harsh as the metaphor was, it was the truth. Even Crispin Valentine himself had no way to refute it.

Crispin’s heart was filled with bitterness. "Yes. If I hadn’t been willing to hand my life over to him, how would he ever have let me be Vice Sect Hierarch?"

After a pause, Crispin Valentine said in a low voice, "I know you’re afraid I’ll go inform on you, and that you’ll kill me. Then the others of the Valentine Family..."

Halvyr Briggs answered crisply, "I can leave you a path to live. You can feign being gravely injured, apologize and go into seclusion. What happens afterward will have nothing to do with you. Whether he remembers to take your life will depend on your luck."

"If luck is good and we successfully achieve our goal, or if he forgets you, then you’ll live. If luck is bad, then you can only blame your own bitter fate..."

Crispin Valentine’s eyes were filled with unwillingness, but he also knew that right now he had absolutely no qualification to bargain.

Not killing him was probably just to avoid startling the snake.

"I accept!"