Chapter 132: The Newly Arrived Neighboring Village

The next morning, inside the City Lord's Manor, Ye Mo began his meditation to cultivate his primordial spirit.

Suddenly, a celestial guard rushed in to report that several large seagoing vessels had appeared near the Spirit Island's harbor.

Waking from his meditation, Ye Mo felt a surge of confusion. He left the manor in a hurry and headed toward the harbor. Chang Fei stood on a towering watchtower at the port, gazing nervously at the three large ships approaching from the distance.

"City Lord, I don't know where these ships came from. They circled our island once and then headed straight for our harbor. They’ll be here soon." Upon seeing Ye Mo, Chang Fei breathed a sigh of relief. Despite his vast experience, he felt immense pressure facing three ships of unknown intent.

"They must be newly appointed City Lords from other main cities. But what are they doing circling my Ye Family Spirit Island? Are they eyeing my territory?" Ye Mo climbed onto the watchtower, his expression filled with suspicion.

According to the rules of the Immortal City Alliance, human-aligned immortal cities are forbidden from attacking each other’s established immortal villages or the main islands where they reside. Could they dare to violate the alliance's regulations?

With this thought, Ye Mo tapped the small fire crow on his shoulder, signaling it to fly toward the three ships. He then cast the "Psychic Eye" technique. A moment later, his eyes turned a strange, crimson red, and his vision shifted to that of the fire crow high above.

More than ten miles off the coast of the Ye Family Spirit Island, three large ships flying family banners were sailing around the island. On one of the ships, three young City Lords stood gathered together, surrounded by a dozen followers of various ranks.

A young man in red robes looked at the growing silhouette of the Ye Family Spirit Island, his eyes gleaming with intrigue. "This island is quite remarkable. It spans dozens of miles, with mountains in the back, valleys inside, a flat plain, and a high-quality deep-water harbor. Establishing an immortal village here would offer both defensive and offensive advantages, allow for large-scale cultivation, and it's even suitable for a shipyard. The island is lush with spirit wood resources. If we could seize it to establish a village, future development would be much easier."

A youth in yellow robes added, "Indeed. This is likely the best spirit island within a thousand-mile radius. It's a pity someone arrived before us. See that ship docked at the harbor? I suspect the people have already gone ashore."

A youth in blue robes on the left chuckled, "So what if they’ve gone ashore? As long as the immortal village hasn't been established and there is no teleportation array, they aren't protected by the Alliance. Even if we take it, we aren't violating any rules."

The youth in red laughed heartily. "Exactly my thought. Just looking at that small ship, I can tell they are children of a minor family. To the likes of us, they are beneath notice. Let's go over and see if they’ve built their village yet. If they have, we can just leave."

The youth in yellow smiled, "Let's go take a look, then. But if we take it, who does the island belong to? We have too many people and too few islands; it won't be easy to divide. Arguing over it would only harm our camaraderie."

"Heh, that's simple. The old way. We draw lots; whoever has the best luck gets it," the youth in red suggested. The three of them laughed.

Suddenly, a middle-aged cultivator among them narrowed his eyes, looking up at a red speck in the sky. A strange light flashed in his eyes, and the blurred speck sharpened into the form of a fire crow. "City Lord, a fire crow is flying from the island, spying on us from above our ship."

The three City Lords were taken aback. "Oh, a fire crow?" The youth in red sneered. "Perfect, my Snow Eagle has been starving."

A lone fire crow, while capable of spitting fireballs, was not particularly strong unless in a flock. The youth in red touched a silver bracelet on his left wrist. With a flash of light, a three-foot-tall, snow-white eagle landed on his shoulder.

"Little Snow, you've grown fat again. There’s a little fire crow up there; go say hello," he said, patting the eagle's back. The Snow Eagle let out a sharp cry and shot into the sky like a bolt of white light.

The middle-aged cultivator and the other elders looked on with concern, wanting to stop it, but the eagle was already gone. They exchanged helpless glances.

"Da Jin, Er Jin, San Jin, go save the fire crow!" Ye Mo, watching from the watchtower, barked a sharp command.

Hearing his order, three massive golden spirit eagles soared into the sky, their speed far surpassing that of the snow-white eagle. The small fire crow in the sky spotted the Snow Eagle and hurriedly fled back toward the island.

The three young masters and their followers, expecting to watch a spectacle, were shocked to see the three giant golden eagles erupt from the island.

"Little Snow, come back!" the youth in red shouted in panic. His mental connection with the Snow Eagle was weak, and as it flew four or five miles away, the link became almost non-existent.

The Snow Eagle sensed the danger. Upon seeing the golden eagles, it abandoned the chase, panicked, and circled back toward the ships. But its speed was no match for the larger, more ferocious Golden-Feathered Spirit Eagles. Over the past half-month, Ye Mo had been feeding them inside his ancient scroll, and they had grown rapidly. Da Jin, in particular, was massive, with a wingspan of several yards, approaching the strength of a third-tier demon beast.

Turning into a streak of golden light, Da Jin caught up to the Snow Eagle and viciously attacked its back. With a sickening sound, feathers and blood rained from the sky. The Snow Eagle fell in agony, only managing to spread its wings ten yards above the sea to crash-land onto the deck of the ship.

Seeing his Snow Eagle covered in blood with a torn back, the youth in red trembled with rage. Da Jin and the other two eagles circled above the ships. They didn't dive down; with over a hundred cultivators on the ships, that would be suicide.

"Damn feathered beasts! If you have the guts, come down here! I’ll kill you and boil you for soup!" the youth in red pulled his spiritual sword, cursing furiously.

"City Lord, these three golden eagles are not to be trifled with. The one that attacked the Snow Eagle is already a second-tier beast, comparable to a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator. The other two are also first-tier, comparable to early-stage," the middle-aged cultivator said gravely. "To raise such birds costs as much as cultivating thirty Qi Refining disciples. The City Lord on this island is not easy to provoke."

"Are we just going to let it go?" the youth in red asked angrily.

"We can't handle those eagles. Do you want to attack the island?" the youth in blue replied with a bitter smile.

"Let it be," the youth in yellow advised. "The City Lord here has invested heavily in these spirit birds. We haven't even secured our own islands yet; there's no need to make a powerful enemy now. Let's make a note of this and deal with it after our villages are built."

The youth in red took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "Fine. We'll note it and seek revenge later. Tell the captains to change course. We'll go find another island."

The message was passed down, and the ships began to turn.

"City Lord, they are changing course. They seem to be leaving," Chang Fei noted.

"Hmph, they know when to back down," Ye Mo said coldly. "Hurry with the construction of the harbor turrets and the defensive walls. Prepare for the shipyard. Keep monitoring the area and report any changes immediately."

"City Lord, these waters are becoming increasingly restless. Will they come back for revenge?"

"They are too busy building their own villages to bother with us right now. We will secure the nearby uninhabited islands first."

Ye Mo shook his head. He ordered the three golden eagles to patrol the perimeter and returned to the manor to oversee the expansion. The branch islands were vital for resources, and the shipyard was crucial for maritime strength. Among the thousand islands of the Aolai Archipelago, with 360 City Lords, each would only get about three islands. Resources were limited, and competition was fierce. Combat strength was the only way to claim ground. Those who acted fast would thrive; those who were slow would be eliminated.

Ye Mo’s plan for island annexation continued rapidly, with the task delegated to Lin Zhi, who, having little to do in his poison-refining shop, set off with a team of celestial guards to map the surrounding resources.