Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

「Several days later.」

At a small port.

The Golden Sword Orchid, its bow raised high and ballistas at the ready, sailed brazenly in, threatening the coastal defenses!

Its massive hull blotted out the brilliant sun, casting a dense, heavy shadow like that of a mountain!

It completely enveloped the few fishing-class Spiritual Boats in the port!

Faced with such a stark difference in size, the sparsely defended port quickly lost the will to resist.

Before long, the Shu Family’s banner flying over the port was lowered and replaced with the Luo Family’s, which snapped sharply in the wind.

[Port conquered. [Tide Hunter] EXP +20]

’So little... Still, it’s better than nothing...’

Su Ye glanced at the panel, his expression calm.

"Captain, do you wish to summon the local Qi Refining family?"

"No need. Order them to behave themselves and await their enfeoffment by my family after the war."

Su Ye gave a casual wave of his hand, looking unenthusiastic.

After their pyrrhic victory in the battle at Jade Valley, the Luo Family cultivators rested briefly before beginning to claim their spoils of war.

The Shu Family didn’t have much in the way of material wealth.

But in the Island Cultivation Realm, a cultivation family’s most precious assets, aside from their fleet, were their spiritual islands!

The main force of the Luo Family’s fleet proceeded to take control of the Shu Family’s four islands one by one.

Beyond these four islands, there were also many smaller, Unranked Islands.

Su Ye’s current task was to command the Golden Sword Orchid, separate from the Luo Family’s main fleet, and take control of these smaller islands.

After a Spirit Gathering Array was set up, these islands could, in small areas, barely reach the level of low-grade Spiritual Qi.

However, their value and output were still pitifully low.

For Foundation Establishment celestial families like the Luo and Shu Families,

the greatest value of these small islands was to serve as a supply point for ships on long voyages.

Therefore, Foundation Establishment families rarely ruled them directly.

Instead, they would enfeoff some low-level Loose Cultivators or Qi Refining families to manage the islands on their behalf.

...

「Over ten days later.」

Dark clouds pressed down from above, and rain began to lash down.

With steady steps, Su Ye walked onto the deck.

SNAP.

He snapped his fingers, raising a shield of water to ward off the raindrops.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he stood at the bow, gazing into the distance and muttering to himself.

’So that’s White Iron Island?’

In the distance, the silhouette of an island emerged.

The last of the Shu Family’s four islands: White Iron Island.

A mid-grade island with relatively dense Spiritual Qi.

Furthermore, it possessed a White Iron Ore Vein underground, making it rich in resources.

But...

As the Luo Family fleet drew near, Su Ye gazed at the port, and a sense of alarm instantly rose in his heart!

The port of White Iron Island was heavily guarded!

With just a single glance, he could see at least five ballistas and dozens of well-trained cultivators...

The decimated Shu Family could never have mounted such a defense! 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’Who are they...?’ Su Ye’s expression turned grave.

The answer was soon revealed.

A massive Spiritual Boat slowly sailed out from behind White Iron Island. It had a double-deck and was towering and majestic, so imposing it made one’s heart tremble, as if gazing up at a great mountain.

Unlike most Spiritual Boats, a heavy cannon was mounted on its bow. It was pitch-black, engraved with golden talismans, and had a terrifyingly large caliber!

The black, gaping maw of the cannon seemed to devour light itself!

Just from gazing at it from a distance, alarm bells screamed in Su Ye’s mind.

An indescribable, terrifying sense of deterrence washed over him!

Sigh...

Su Ye had to look away and take a deep breath to ease the pressure in his heart.

His incredibly sharp spiritual sense made him feel, as he stared at the cannon’s muzzle, as though he were staring into hell itself, teetering on the edge of an abyss!

Such a distinct feature made him involuntarily whisper the ship’s name.

"The Soul Gold!"

’Blood Copper, Marrow Silver, Soul Gold!’

’They correspond to the high-grade, top-grade, and Tier-2 levels, respectively!’

The ship that had just appeared was the Qi Family’s Tier-2 Spiritual Boat, the Soul Gold!

It was equipped with over thirty ballistas and armed with a superweapon like the Soul Gold Heavy Cannon!

The Qi Family had taken control of White Iron Island in advance and dispatched a Tier-2 Spiritual Boat to patrol the area!

They weren’t playing games with piecemeal tactics, like crippling the Blood Copper only to send the Marrow Silver to its doom...

Instead, they sent their Tier-2 Spiritual Boat directly!

However...

’The situation is dangerous, but not dire...’

The Soul Gold’s firepower was terrifying, but precisely because of that, it wasn’t very fast.

Normally, when the Qi Family deployed the Soul Gold, they would pair it with a series of fast Spiritual Boats like the Marrow Silver and the Blood Copper.

These faster ships would entangle the enemy, allowing the slower Soul Gold to leverage its advantage in firepower!

But right now, the Soul Gold was not accompanied by a fleet.

This meant that even if the Luo Family’s fleet couldn’t defeat the Soul Gold, they could still choose to scatter and flee!

With the Soul Gold’s speed, it could sink two or three mid-grade Spiritual Boats at most.

And that would lead to an all-out war with the Luo Family.

The Soul Gold would have to remain in these waters for a long time to act as a deterrent.

This was clearly something the Qi Family wanted to avoid.

’So... is this strategic deterrence? Does the Qi Family want to negotiate? To make some kind of trade?’

Realization flashed through Su Ye’s mind.

...

Sure enough, an envoy from the Qi Family soon boarded the Yunjin via a Spiritual Boat.

The two sides began urgent talks.

The Qi Family’s demands were simple: return the Blood Copper along with its surviving crew.

Furthermore, they demanded compensation and an apology for the victims of the "friendly fire" incident.

The Luo Family agreed to this demand.

It was a standoff; both sides were afraid to escalate the conflict.

The Qi Family didn’t want an all-out war, and neither did the Luo Family.

Having just fought a major battle, the Luo Family needed time to rest and recuperate even more.

However, the Qi Family’s second condition was something the Luo Family found hard to accept.

Or rather... baffling.

...

"They’re demanding White Iron Island?" Su Ye asked, his expression one of surprise.

"According to the Qi Family, they are ’upholding the will of the Cyan Profound Sect to mediate this cruel war.’"

"They actually have a Token from the Cyan Profound Sect. Shu Shaojing must have arranged it..."

Luo Qingjun looked troubled and spread his hands helplessly.

From his explanation, Su Ye learned the details of the situation.

The Qi Family owned a small plot of spiritual land in the seas directly administered by the Cyan Profound Sect.

A short while ago, they had traded this land to the Shu Family in exchange for White Iron Island.

The Shu Family would withdraw from the war, their entire clan would relocate to this spiritual land, and the Cyan Profound Sect would guarantee their safety.

Now, White Iron Island belonged to the Qi Family. If the Luo Family tried to seize it, it would mean war!

This was a blatant attempt to snatch the spoils!

But...

Faced with the muzzle of the Soul Gold Heavy Cannon, the Luo Family ultimately had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

And this,

also marked the end of the War between the Luo and Shu Families!

In this war,

the Shu Family suffered a crushing defeat, losing their entire fleet and all their spiritual islands. Their Foundation Establishment cultivator was killed in battle, and they were knocked back down to the level of a Qi Refining family!

But thanks to Shu Shaojing’s maneuvering and by leveraging the Qi Family’s power, they had at least secured a place to live, preserving their family’s lineage.

’How should one put it...’

’Despite being nearly wiped out, they... hadn’t been eliminated!’

As for the Luo Family, they had successfully retaken Fuling Island!

In addition, they had conquered three additional Tier-1 spiritual islands and many Unranked Islands, so they had made some gains.

However, the fact that the most prosperous island, White Iron Island, was occupied by the Qi Family meant the Luo Family’s gains were less than expected.

Furthermore, with the Qi Family now occupying White Iron Island,

the sea territories of the Luo and Qi Families now directly bordered each other!

With White Iron Island as their base, the Qi Family’s fleet could effectively intimidate the Luo Family!

Compared to the Shu Family, with their shallow foundations,

the Qi Family,

was undoubtedly a much stronger and more terrifying opponent!

It’s just that...

Su Ye still didn’t understand.

’Why was the Qi Family so insistent on occupying White Iron Island?’