The three shadowy figures conjured by Zhu Yi's soul skill lunged toward Zi Zhenzhu almost simultaneously.
Their sharp claws gleamed coldly in midair, radiating an overwhelming sense of menace.
Zi Zhenzhu remained motionless, a faint smile even playing at the corners of her lips, as if mocking Zhu Yi.
"You really think you can show off your meager skills in front of me? Where does this confidence come from?"
The next moment, Zi Zhenzhu swiftly raised her right hand. With just a light flick of her command saber, she effortlessly blocked the attacks from the front and right.
This stunned Zhu Yi for a brief moment.
But he gritted his teeth and snarled, "Let's see how you block this last strike!"
Though Zi Zhenzhu's command saber had blocked two of his clones, he still had a third one!
Behind Zi Zhenzhu, Zhu Yi's soul power surged wildly. He poured even more energy into his skill, holding nothing back.
Zhu Yi knew he wouldn't make it out alive—he had already resolved to die.
Suddenly, his last clone abruptly halted.
His pupils contracted violently, and even his martial soul's true form could no longer be maintained.
Instinctively, Zhu Yi looked down at the searing pain in his chest—only to find a sharp command saber embedded there.
"Underestimating your enemy is a bad habit," Zi Zhenzhu said, narrowing her eyes as she looked down at him.
"Who told you I only have one saber?"
Schlick.
She withdrew both command sabers and coolly issued her orders: "Spare those who surrender. Feed the resisters to the fish."
"Yes!" Her subordinates responded in unison before charging into the fray.
The bloody battle lasted two hours.
Of the six Star Luo Empire warships involved in the battle, one resisted stubbornly before self-immolating, while the rest were captured.
"Young Master Ye Tian, the naval forces at the port have been completely eliminated," Zi Zhenzhu reported, bowing to Ye Tian upon returning to their flagship.
She then presented the battle statistics:
"In this engagement, we killed 223 enemy troops and captured 146. The enemy commander was also slain."
"Our forces suffered 47 deaths and 85 injuries. The wounded have already received proper treatment and are in stable condition."
"Let's bring our fallen comrades ashore for proper arrangements," Ye Tian said, raising his hand with a sigh.
The casualty count was higher than he had anticipated.
Just this first battle alone had claimed nearly 300 lives.
Once the full-scale war began, the death toll would likely reach thousands—even tens of thousands.
War truly consumed lives.
Ye Tian took a deep breath.
War was inevitable.
The only thing he could do was strive to end the suffering as quickly as possible.
"Bring me an informant. I want to know the port's defenses," Ye Tian said, looking up.
"I've already brought one," Zi Zhenzhu replied, turning and waving. Two soldiers dragged over a tall, thin middle-aged man.
Zi Zhenzhu smiled and pointed at him. "This is Xu Moyang, the first mate of the Star Luo naval fleet's flagship. When our ships first clashed, he was the first to charge onto our deck."
"Of course, he was also the first to surrender."
Hearing this, the scruffy-bearded Xu Moyang hung his head in shame, not daring to meet Ye Tian's gaze.
Ye Tian, however, felt no urge to mock him. He had no patience for ridiculing those who lacked resolve.
"Tell me about the port's situation," Ye Tian cut straight to the point.
Xu Moyang knew his life was in their hands. Even if he refused to talk, others would.
So he didn't bother bargaining and answered timidly:
"Originally, there was a garrison of 500 soldiers stationed onshore."
"But because the rebel army has been seizing cities across Tianxing Province, the governor transferred 400 of them to defend Tianxing City."
"So, the port is practically undefended now."
"Mm." Xu Moyang lowered his head again, guilt-ridden. He didn't want to betray his comrades, but he wanted to live even more.
Originally, he had been ready to die.
But after one look at the frigid seawater, his resolve crumbled.
Turns out, he was afraid of death after all.
"You'd better not be lying," Zi Zhenzhu warned, narrowing her eyes at Xu Moyang.
Though she issued the warning, she couldn't rely solely on his word.
After dismissing Xu Moyang, Zi Zhenzhu interrogated four other mid-ranking officers who had surrendered.
Three of them corroborated Xu Moyang's account.
The fourth was promptly thrown overboard to feed the fish.
"Young Master Ye Tian, the intel checks out. I request to lead the vanguard again," Zi Zhenzhu said.
"Granted," Ye Tian agreed readily.
With Xu Moyang as their guide, capturing the port was a foregone conclusion.
After securing the port, Ye Tian immediately dispatched the Heavenly Strategy Army to block all major access points.
However, this caused quite a commotion.
The docks were home to over a thousand laborers who made a living unloading cargo from merchant ships.
Terrified by the unfamiliar Army, the laborers scattered in panic.
But the unarmed workers were quickly rounded up and herded into the dock's central square.
Convinced they were about to die, some wept quietly, others wailed loudly, a few hurled curses, but most simply stood in numb bewilderment.
"Silence!" Ye Tian shouted through a loudspeaker from a vantage point.
The authoritative command instantly cowed the crowd.
The square fell into complete silence as hundreds of eyes fixed on Ye Tian.
Ye Tian, in turn, studied them.
Most of the laborers were emaciated, bare-chested, their ribs starkly visible.
They looked horrifyingly thin—likely from starvation.
After all, Tianxing Province was in the grip of a famine.
Refugees were everywhere, and even dockworkers—who didn't rely on farming—were struggling.
Tianxing Port wasn't even a major harbor, yet it had over 1,500 dockworkers.
Normally, a mid-sized port like this would only need about 200 laborers.
Ye Tian could easily imagine these workers fighting tooth and nail for unloading jobs.
He didn't bother with lofty rhetoric and spoke plainly:
"We are the righteous army of Star Luo—or rebels, if you prefer."
With that, he waved his hand.
A dozen heads were hoisted high behind him—all high-ranking officers of the Star Luo fleet.
These men had tyrannized the dockworkers, extorting their sweat and blood, even assaulting their wives and daughters.
Yet the laborers had never dared to protest, enduring the abuse in silence.
After learning this from the surrendered captives, Ye Tian immediately devised a plan to win their hearts.
Pointing at the heads, he said warmly:
"These tyrants who oppressed you—they've been executed! If you have any grievances, speak them now!"
He expected an outpouring of rage.
But to his surprise, the laborers only grew more terrified, shrinking back into a huddled mass.
Many fell to their knees, wailing:
"Kind sir! Have mercy on us poor folk—just let us go!"
"Killing these officers means execution for our whole families!"
"Please, spare us!" Others joined in the desperate pleas, kowtowing before Ye Tian.
(End of Chapter)