Chapter One Hundred Twenty: The Min Family's Assault! (Please Vote)
The cultivators on both sides changed color the moment they saw the cultivators opposite them.
“Who are you?”
“We are cultivators from the Min Immortal Village. Who are you?”
The young cultivator surnamed Min spoke with a frigid gaze.
“We discovered this island first. Leave at once.”
A-Jin immediately stepped forward.
“Hmph, that sounds easy enough. Aside from the main islands belonging to the Immortal Villages, all the others are unclaimed islands. Whoever occupies one gets to keep it.”
The Min cultivator sneered. “There has never been a precedent of our city lord handing over something he has taken a fancy to. Could it be that you intend to go to war with the Min Immortal Village?”
According to the rules of the Immortal City Alliance, no one was allowed to kill the lord of an alliance city, nor were they permitted to attack any of the alliance’s immortal cities.
Outside the immortal cities, however, there were very few restrictions. Cultivators often fought over various resources, and such conflicts were not subject to alliance regulations. Everything was decided by strength.
All disputes took place within the bounds permitted by the alliance treaties.
It was perfectly normal for conflicts of interest to arise between human immortal cities. Yet, constrained by the various treaties of the Immortal City Alliance, they generally refrained from dealing one another excessively harsh blows.
“Min Village cultivators? So what? Could it be that my Ye Immortal Village is afraid of you?”
Ye Mo paused slightly, then replied with a mocking laugh. Among the ten new city lords of Azure Cloud Immortal City, there was no one from the Min clan. This man was most likely the lord of one of the other thirty-five major immortal cities.
“The Ye clan? Which Ye clan?”
The young man surnamed Min frowned and quickly searched his memory for the prominent cultivation clans bearing the surname Ye. Among the great clans of the Eastern Sea cultivation world, the Ye clan was not particularly—
“The Ye clan of Azure Cloud Immortal City.”
Ye Mo gave a cold smile.
The city lords who had come to the Aolai Sea Region were scattered throughout the thirty-six major immortal cities. It would have been strange if the other party happened to know of the Ye clan of Azure Cloud Immortal City.
The young man surnamed Min grew suspicious. He thought for a long while, but could not recall any prominent Ye clan in Azure Cloud Immortal City. Ye Mo was dressed plainly, without even a decent magical robe, and there was no clan insignia on his clothes. The man had no way to determine his identity.
“May I ask which Ye family of Azure Cloud Immortal City Lord Ye comes from?”
Unable to restrain himself, the young man surnamed Min asked. He was worried about provoking a major cultivation clan and bringing trouble upon the Min Immortal Village.
“You have no need to know that.”
Ye Mo’s voice was calm.
“Since Lord Ye insists on competing for this unclaimed island, I can only report the matter to our city lord and let him decide.”
The young man surnamed Min stared intently at the city lord token hanging from Ye Mo’s waist. In the end, he wisely abandoned the argument.
The difference in status between a city lord and an ordinary cultivator was enormous. A city lord was a core member of the Immortal Alliance and protected by its highest authorities. Any cultivator who dared kill a city lord would be hunted by the entire alliance.
Ordinary cultivators received no such protection. If they were killed, they could only rely on their friends and relatives to avenge them. The Immortal Alliance would not intervene.
Moreover, if they wished to go to war with the Ye Village, the Min Immortal Village’s city lord would first have to give his approval. As one of the city lord’s subordinates, he had no authority to initiate hostilities with another immortal village.
“Lord Ye, farewell.”
The young man surnamed Min cupped his hands, then led his group of cultivators away from the gorge.
Ye Mo watched them leave.
“Master, are we not going to keep them here? They will take news of the Scarlet Flame Ore back to the Min Immortal Village,” A-Jin whispered.
“We certainly cannot keep them. There are four or five cultivators in that group, no fewer than we have here. Besides, they must have come by sea vessel, and there are probably more cultivators and martial artists aboard. With the people we have, we cannot stop them from taking the news back.”
Ye Mo shook his head. His mind remained calm as he spoke indifferently. “I estimate that once they return to the Min Immortal Village, they will soon bring a large force to seize this Scarlet Flame Ore Island.”
“Master, what should we do?”
“Return to the ship. We will wait in these nearby waters and see how many people they send to seize the island. Then we will gather our own forces and fight them. Only after defeating them can we occupy this unclaimed island.”
“Set sail! We must return immediately and report the situation to our city lord. Have him arrange his forces and come here at once. We absolutely cannot let that fellow Ye take this Scarlet Flame Ore Island!”
The young man surnamed Min boarded the sea vessel with an extremely gloomy expression.
He had unexpectedly encountered the city lord of another immortal village here.
He had not dared provoke the man further and had left Scarlet Flame Island. The whole affair made him feel rather humiliated.
“The city lord will certainly not give up this Scarlet Flame Ore Island.”
The young man’s expression darkened. He had thought he had accomplished a great feat, only to have another immortal village attempt to snatch it from him. Since the city lord would now have to personally lead men to compete for the island, his own contribution would undoubtedly be reduced. Naturally, he was in no good mood.
The old man surnamed Lao was equally dejected.
Relying on his talent for locating ore, he had become an honored guest of the Min Immortal Village. He had discovered a small mine, only to encounter an unexpected complication: cultivators from another immortal village had appeared on the island, and one of them was even a city lord.
The Min sea vessel raised anchor and sailed toward a spirit island in the distance.
More than an hour later, it stopped beside a distant spirit island.
Min Island.
A fairly large immortal village had already been built across a plain on the island.
Many cultivators and martial artists were busy throughout the village. There were more than two hundred people inside and outside its walls. Judging from the scale of the village alone, it was clear that the city lord must have the support of a cultivation clan behind him.
Inside the city lord’s residence at the center of the village, a richly dressed young man not yet twenty sat with one leg crossed over the other upon the city lord’s throne. He sipped spirit tea while listening to the report of the young man surnamed Min.
“An exposed Scarlet Flame ore vein worth more than one hundred thousand spirit stones? Excellent! With that amount of spirit stones, I can repay the thirty thousand I previously borrowed from the clan in full, with enough left over to continue developing my immortal village.”
The richly dressed young man’s spirits lifted at the report, and delight spread across his face.
Although he was a direct descendant of a cultivation clan, he was far from being the only direct descendant of the Min clan. He had more than a dozen brothers and cousins from the same generation.
The Min clan’s wealth was not something he could spend freely.
He had borrowed thirty thousand spirit stones from the clan to cover the construction costs of his immortal village. In the end, he would still have to repay them.
If he withdrew ten thousand spirit stones today and another ten thousand tomorrow, even a wealthy cultivation clan could not withstand such waste.
Furthermore, whether the Min clan was willing to provide him with greater support would depend on how well his immortal village performed.
“Exactly, Big Brother. We are determined to obtain this Scarlet Flame Ore Island. However, the Ye Immortal Village may prove troublesome. They probably will not give up such a lucrative prize either. Moreover, I am worried that he may be a descendant of another major clan.”
The young man surnamed Min spoke respectfully.
“The Ye clan’s city lord? Hmph, you were deceived.”
The richly dressed young man’s expression sank, his gaze turning cold and sinister. He replied calmly, “If he truly had the backing of a powerful clan, he would have announced his identity at once and forced us to withdraw. Since he did not name any clan, then either he comes from a clan of little renown, or he is an unimportant member of his clan who receives no support. Whichever the case, he cannot be my opponent. He dares to seize this city lord’s ore vein? He truly does not know the meaning of death.”
“So that is how it is. I thought he was the son of some great clan and did not dare offend him, which was why I took the initiative to withdraw. I ask Big Brother to punish me.”
The young man surnamed Min’s expression changed, his face shifting between pale and flushed.
“Forget it. He is a city lord, and you are certainly no match for him. I will deal with him personally. Uncle Fu, make arrangements for the sea vessel. Take half the cultivators of the village and accompany me to sea. We will seize that Scarlet Flame Ore Island.”
The richly dressed young man swept his hand grandly, rose to his feet, reassured the young man surnamed Min, and then addressed an old man who looked like a steward standing beside him.
“City Lord, the defenses and many of the buildings in the village have yet to be completed.”
“Forget those for now. We will discuss them after taking the Scarlet Flame Ore Island!”
“Yes.”
The old steward answered and withdrew.
“With Big Brother personally leading the expedition, that fellow will certainly be beaten into submission.”
Delight appeared on the young man surnamed Min’s face.
“Dealing with a weak city lord is nothing worth mentioning. Once I dominate the Aolai Archipelago, that will be the true height of my ambition.”
The richly dressed young man spoke disdainfully.
Less than half an hour later, the Min city lord departed with twenty or thirty Qi Refining cultivators and forty or fifty martial artists. They boarded a sea vessel and hurried toward the Scarlet Flame Ore Island at full speed.
Scarlet Flame Ore Island.
A pirate ship drifted upon the sea. At the very top of its mast stood a small Fire Crow, staring unblinkingly at the distant waters as though it knew no fatigue.
The sun moved across the sky.
Not long after noon, a tiny black speck suddenly appeared on the distant sea.
The little Fire Crow flapped its wings and soared into the air, rising several hundred yards before darting toward the black speck.
“They really came. The Min Immortal Village moves quickly.”
Seeing the Fire Crow suddenly take flight, Ye Mo frowned.
He immediately sat cross-legged on the ship’s deck and closed his eyes, casting an intricate spell.
“Spirit-Seeking Eye.”
Ye Mo opened his eyes once more.
A thin membrane now covered his pupils, and his eyes had turned fiery red. The scene within them was exactly the same as what the Fire Crow saw.
The world before him had changed completely.
It was as though he were flying through the sky, looking down upon dozens of miles of open sea. In the distance, he saw a large sea vessel flying a banner marked with the Min clan emblem, sailing toward the Scarlet Flame Ore Island.
The Spirit-Seeking Eye was a form of beast-taming technique through which the master of a spirit beast could share its vision.
However, the technique required an exceptionally close bond and unobstructed spiritual communication between master and spirit beast. Otherwise, it could not be performed.
This little Fire Crow of Ye Mo’s was naturally devoted and deeply attached to him.
The Fire Crow flew high into the sky and soared among the clouds, using seabirds passing overhead as cover as it approached to within six or seven miles of the Min sea vessel.
That distance was enough for it to see everything aboard the ship clearly.
There were more than twenty cultivators on the deck, along with no fewer than forty or fifty martial artists. More than seventy people had come in a single force. What an impressive display.
Ye Mo’s heart sank.
Perhaps the cabin had been too stifling, or perhaps they were still far from Scarlet Flame Island. The Min sea vessel had made no attempt to conceal its forces. Everyone stood on deck, looking out across the sea.
The Min clan’s strength was indeed extraordinary. They had transported so many cultivators and martial artists on a single vessel.
These cultivators and martial artists nearly matched the entire manpower of Ye Village.
“Let us go. The Min Immortal Village’s sea vessel will arrive soon. Return to the village immediately and summon our cultivators to meet them in battle.”
Ye Mo withdrew the Spirit-Seeking Eye technique, recalled the little Fire Crow, and spoke in a low voice.
“City Lord, can we win?”
Chang Fei hurriedly asked. He could not see the Min sea vessel in the distance.
“Ye Village has more than twenty cultivators, a large number of martial artists, the Fire Crow, and three spirit eagles to aid us. As long as we plan carefully, it is not impossible to defeat them.”
Ye Mo remained composed.
Chang Fei nodded and ordered the sailors to set sail.
The pirate ship departed from the waters around the Scarlet Flame Ore Island and quickly retreated toward the opposite shore, making its way toward Ye Immortal Island.