Chapter 121: Naval Battle, When Enemies Meet on a Narrow Path! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The pirate ship returned in full to the Ye Clan's Spirit Island. Ye Mo stood at the stern, his gaze calm as he looked toward the tiny black dot in the distance—the mast of the Min Clan Immortal Village's ship.

After settling the affairs on board, Chang Fei appeared behind Ye Mo.

"City Lord, how many men have they brought?"

Chang Fei looked toward the horizon. He could not yet see the Min Clan's ship or their cultivators. Even the five Earth Slave guards only knew that the Min Clan’s ship was approaching, but they were unaware of the specifics.

"The Min Clan has brought quite a few," Ye Mo said with a faint nod. "Over twenty cultivators and fifty warriors. It seems the Min Clan intends to occupy the Red Fire Ore Island in one go; they have no intention of negotiating with us at all."

"Over twenty cultivators?"

"So many? They shouldn't have brought their entire force. Even just these numbers are already on par with the strength of our entire Immortal Village."

Chang Fei and the five guards were shocked. As the core members of Ye Clan Immortal Island, they knew their own strength intimately.

"City Lord, I believe this news should be kept confidential for now. Though everyone considers the Ye Clan Immortal Village their home, the enemy is too powerful. It could cause those with wavering wills to lose heart, which would be detrimental to the village," Chang Fei said hurriedly.

"Hmm, you make a valid point. There is no need for all the villagers to know. Ensure the sailors on the ship keep quiet and do not spread rumors," Ye Mo replied calmly.

"Yes, I understand," Chang Fei nodded.

"The Min Clan's ship is a large vessel, nearly two-thirds larger than ours. If we encounter them at sea, do you have a way to overcome them? I am not familiar with naval warfare. You spent years drifting in the East Sea; you must be experienced and knowledgeable in such matters," Ye Mo asked.

"City Lord, I used to follow Captain Feng Xiongchang. Our ship was a pirate vessel, and we occasionally engaged in naval battles with other pirates. Naval combat is generally divided into two parts: cannon fire and boarding combat. Cannon warfare relies on the power of the bronze cannons and the ship's ability to withstand bombardment. Boarding combat depends entirely on the strength of the warriors on board."

"Given the hull of the Min Clan's ship and the number of cultivators and warriors they have, I fear we are at a disadvantage in both cannon fire and boarding," Chang Fei said, shaking his head with a troubled expression. "Of course, there are other methods—scuttling the ship, fire attacks, or luring them into complex waters to run aground. But these are rare and difficult to execute. It depends on the circumstances."

"I see. I will think about it further," Ye Mo nodded slowly.

Chang Fei felt heavy-hearted. As the actual commander of the pirate ship, he had fought over a dozen battles for Feng Xiongchang and had extensive combat experience. However, the situation with this formidable opponent was grim.

Chang Fei left in a hurry, leaving Ye Mo and the five Earth Slave guards standing at the stern, gazing into the distance.

"This battle concerns the future of the Ye Clan Immortal Village; we must win," Ye Mo whispered to himself, his eyes fixed on the masts of the Min Clan ship just appearing on the horizon.

Victory meant life; defeat meant death. The Min Clan's ship had arrived so quickly that they must be nearby, likely within a hundred or two hundred miles. If the Min Clan won and seized the resources worth a hundred thousand spirit stones, they would grow explosively. There would be no place left for the Ye Clan in this Aolai sea region.

The pirate ship docked at the Ye Clan's Spirit Island. Ye Mo went ashore and immediately ordered all cultivators to gather at the City Lord's Mansion. He even dispatched Fire Crows to summon Mo Ling and Huang Yi from the jungle over ten miles away, as well as Gao Jian, who was patrolling the mountain peaks.

Inside the council hall of the City Lord's Mansion, all the cultivators of the Ye Clan gathered one after another, aware of the emergency.

"Everyone, this is the situation. What are your thoughts?" Ye Mo, seeing that everyone had arrived, explained the circumstances at Red Fire Island and swept his calm gaze across the room. A battle between villages could not be won by one or two individuals; it required collective strategy.

The group became indignant, their expressions turning to anger.

"Red Fire Ore? An open-pit Red Fire ore vein! A rough estimate puts it at over one hundred thousand spirit stones. If all of it were forged into Fire Spirit Swords, how many spirit stones would that be? This will be the greatest source of wealth for our Ye Clan Immortal Village; we absolutely cannot let the Min Clan steal it!" Wang Hu stood up, his eyes wide and burning with fury. As a blacksmith, he valued the ore vein immensely. With a vast supply of raw materials, the production of the smithy would skyrocket, bringing in huge profits and allowing his smithing skills to leap forward.

"Brother Ye discovered this island first. It is within a hundred miles of our Ye Clan's territory; by all rights, it belongs to us. We cannot back down," Yang You added.

"The key now is not who owns the island, but how to win this naval battle. Acting on impulse is useless. They are not as easy to deal with as those two demonic eagles on the cliff," Lin Zhi said coldly, shaking his head. "The Min Clan's ship is larger, and they have more cultivators. Our chances of winning are slim; the situation is unfavorable. We must devise a plan and act only after careful deliberation."

"Lin Zhi, are you afraid?" Wang Hu shouted. "Where is the courage you showed against the demonic beasts? Back then, we were just a group of warriors, even weaker than Zheng Yiqing and the beast tide, yet we defeated them both!"

"One must act according to one's means. The Min Clan's cultivators are not like common sea beasts with only brute force. One moment of negligence could lead to total ruin. We cannot be too cautious," Lin Zhi retorted.

"Oh, stop it. Lin Zhi didn't say we shouldn't fight; he just suggested being careful. If their strength is superior, a direct head-on clash won't work. We need a strategy. How about using poison? We could try to sneak onto the island and poison their water source," Mo Ling suggested, attempting to mediate.

"Yes, poison!" Everyone immediately turned their eyes to Lin Zhi.

"Using poison is feasible, but have you considered where? Once they land on Red Fire Island, they will certainly set up camp and guard it tightly. Should we poison their water? The area chosen for the camp will be heavily defended. How would we sneak in to administer the poison?" Lin Zhi shook his head, rejecting the idea.

"The feasibility is low. City Lord-level cultivators pay great attention to their camps. It is difficult to defeat them by poisoning their water source. We must think of something else," Ye Mo added.

The group fell into deep thought.

"Chang Fei, how much gunpowder is left on the pirate ship? And how much fire oil is in the smithy?" Ye Mo, who had been silent, suddenly asked.

"The gunpowder on the pirate ship is what remained from before—about four or five portions. Enough to fire four or five iron shots. As for the fire oil, you'd have to ask Wang Hu," Chang Fei stood up and replied immediately.

"We use fire oil to raise temperatures for forging; there are about twenty barrels left," Wang Hu scratched his head and asked, "Brother Ye, why do you ask? Aren't we discussing how to fight?"

Several people in the hall revealed thoughtful expressions.

"As expected, Brother Ye thinks fast." Lin Zhi's expression cleared, a distinct smile appearing on his face.

"Brother Ye, do you already have a plan?" Gao Jian asked, his brows furrowed in uncertainty. Gunpowder and fire oil—it must be related to fire. But how to execute it, he hadn't yet figured out. Because the Ye Clan had these two items, and the Min Clan likely had them as well, could these two items alone guarantee victory?

"I have some ideas, though it's hard to say if they will work," Ye Mo nodded slightly.

"Man proposes, God disposes. This plan is quite good; I estimate an eighty percent chance of success. As for the details, we can adapt to the battlefield situation. City Lord, this matter brooks no delay; let's set sail immediately! If we wait for them to secure their footing on Red Fire Island, it will be much harder to succeed," Lin Zhi stood up and said firmly.

"Good. All cultivators, board the ship immediately. Wang Hu, gather all high-level warriors, bring all the Spirit Wood Spears and Spirit Wood Shields, and board. Yang You, bring five barrels of fire oil and some cotton cloth; they will be useful," Ye Mo, seeing Lin Zhi's approval, stood up and ordered.

"Wait, what is the plan? Why don't I know?" Wang Hu was bewildered. He didn't understand why they were setting sail in the middle of a discussion.

"Just bring the fire oil on board, and you will understand when the time comes," Ye Mo smiled. Wang Hu didn't have many complex thoughts; it wasn't easy for him to figure out how to outmaneuver others.

The entire Ye Clan Immortal Village was mobilized. Everyone knew they were going to war with another village, and they were filled with excitement. Of course, they did not yet know that the Min Clan's strength surpassed theirs; if they did, most would likely lose heart.

Soon, all the cultivators and high-level warriors, carrying the necessary supplies, boarded the pirate ship. The ship headed directly toward Red Fire Island.

Passing by a barren islet, the view suddenly opened up, and Red Fire Island appeared in the sight of the cultivators on the pirate ship.

"Woo—"

A horn suddenly sounded from the ship. A lookout at the top of the mast was blowing the signal.

"Enemy ship spotted a thousand feet away! Be careful!" The entire crew immediately went into a state of alert.

As it turned out, a large warship had been hiding on the other side of the islet, blocking the path of the Ye Clan's ship. They had anticipated that the Ye Clan's ship would pass through here and had been lying in ambush.

"Turn left three times! Evade and open up the distance!" Chang Fei shouted to the helmsman from outside the bridge, then hurried to the deck to command the cannons, ready to fire at any moment.

A thousand feet away, a group of cultivators appeared on the deck of the large warship. The leader was a young man in ornate robes—the Min Clan's City Lord.

He wore a triumphant expression, as if everything were under his control. "Haha, I told you, the Ye Clan's ship couldn't escape my grasp! I knew they would come quickly, so I waited here for a long time."

"Who is the City Lord of the Ye Clan? Come out and speak!" He shouted, demanding to see Ye Mo.

"Captain Min, you are blocking the way here. What is your intention?" Ye Mo stood near the bow and asked in a deep voice.

"Haha, interesting! You ask what I intend? City Lord Ye, you have overstepped your bounds. Everything past this point is the territory of the Min Clan. All these islands are our branches; you have no part in them. I warn you, do not move forward. Otherwise, do not blame me for disregarding the brotherhood of the Immortal Alliance and sinking your ship," the Min Clan Lord laughed loudly.

"Pah, shameless!" Wang Hu spat heavily and shouted, "We discovered that ore island first! It is a branch of our Ye Clan Immortal Village! Since when did it become yours?"