Chapter 1563 - Thousand Islands Sea Region's Layout

After she settled the island's residents, the beautiful woman returned, while her husband cradled their sleeping daughter in his arms.

"Fire has gutted most of the buildings on this island, so you'll have to make do for now," the woman said as she retrieved a long bench and set it in front of Liu Wuxie.

"It's fine," Liu Wuxie replied. He refused to sit and instead called the burly man over so the child could sleep first.

When Liu Wuxie insisted, the woman could only have her husband place their child on the bench while she stood facing Liu Wuxie.

"Young Master, how should I address you?" the woman asked.

"Liu Wuxie." He didn't bother hiding his identity because the Thousand Islands Sea Region lay far from the inland, and the events in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain still hadn't reached this place.

"Young Master Liu, you don't belong to the Thousand Island Sea Region, right?" the woman asked after a brief pause, as she had never heard Liu Wuxie's name before.

"Mhm," Liu Wuxie replied with a nod. He had only arrived here today.

"My name is Mei Yechan, one of the few remaining survivors of the Mei Clan," the woman said as she introduced herself. The moment she mentioned the Mei Clan, sorrow flickered across her face.

"Why did the pirates call you a survivor of the Mei Clan? Does your Mei Clan have some deep hatred for these pirates?" Liu Wuxie asked.

"We do have a deep enmity between us," Mei Yechan said, and deep resentment flashed in the depths of her eyes.

"I clearly saved everyone, but why did they drive me away?" Liu Wuxie asked. He didn't care about their grudges and only wanted to know why the residents had chased him off.

"The pirates in the Thousand Island Sea Region have set a rule that everyone has to place their tributes at their doors when they plunder. If everyone follows that rule, they won't kill indiscriminately. But if anyone appeared before them, they would either be killed or taken away," Mei Yechan explained quickly.

"So, you're saying that the pirates came to take revenge and slaughter everyone for what I did tonight?" Liu Wuxie asked after a short silence, finally grasping what Mei Yechan meant.

If he hadn't stepped in, the pirates would have carried off Mei Yechan, her husband, and their daughter.

The pirates wouldn't have vented their fury on the other residents like that, but Liu Wuxie's intervention had broken the rule and brought a more brutal retaliation.

"Don't blame them. They're just ordinary people," Mei Yechan said, trying to defend the residents. They had thought driving Liu Wuxie away would spare them from the pirates' rage, but they had ultimately underestimated the pirates' brutality.

"What's the story between your Mei Clan and the pirates then?" Liu Wuxie asked, now that he understood the reason.

"The Thousand Island Sea Region has seventy-two pirate forces, called the Seventy-Two Caves. They run rampant in this region, leaving the people to survive under such harsh conditions. A few years ago, the pirates seized a group of kids and ran into our Mei Clan. We naturally couldn't stand idly, and saved those children," Mei Yechan said, her mood sinking as she spoke of the past.

That righteous act also invited calamity onto the Mei Clan, in a way that mirrored tonight all too closely.

"So, your Mei Clan drew the pirates' hatred, and they came to slaughter your clansmen?!" Liu Wuxie guessed, already able to see what followed.

"Our Mei Clan was prestigious in the Thousand Island Sea Region, and a few small groups of pirates couldn't pose a threat to us. This was why we dared to save the children from them. But we didn't anticipate the Seventy-Two Caves pirates would bring help from outside," Mei Yechan said as she took a deep breath, forcing down the rage churning in her chest.

Because of that, the Mei Clan's thousand-year legacy collapsed, and the clansmen either died or fled into hiding, living on the run day after day.

"Given how massive the Thousand Islands Sea Region is, shouldn't there be other clans around? Why didn't they stand up to resist the pirates?" Liu Wuxie asked. With the Thousand Islands Sea Region's scale, there should have been more clans. If everyone united, they could resist the pirates.

"The Thousand Islands Sea Region has many clans scattered throughout, but everyone fights alone. We're not even on the same island, and we can't coordinate. As for the pirates, a Great Cave Lord unified them long ago, and a single command from him can rally every pirate," Mei Yechan explained. The geography of this region made unity difficult.

Even so, there was no real way around it, because the Seventy-Two Caves pirates had already submitted to the Great Cave Lord.

The atmosphere grew heavy. This structure had persisted for thousands of years, and no one could shatter it simply by wishing for a change.

The other clans weren't fools, and they wouldn't recklessly go to war with the pirates. Many clans even maintained cooperative relationships with them.

"Have you not thought of leaving the Thousand Island Sea Region and heading inland?" Liu Wuxie asked. Since the Thousand Island Sea Region was no longer safe, why not leave? With her cultivation at the fifth-level Void Realm, even if she wasn't a peerless expert, she could still make a living inland.

"To be honest, I've concealed my identity to wait for the day I can avenge my clansmen," Mei Yechang said, clenching her fists.

"What do you plan to do then? This island is no longer suitable for you to stay."

Even if Mei Yechan had concealed her identity, Liu Wuxie wasn't sure if the pirates had already passed her information to others before they died.

"We can only change places to live. But Young Master Liu, you should leave the Thousand Islands Sea Region as soon as possible," Mei Yechan said. Years of hiding had made her used to running, and she knew what awaited Liu Wuxie if he stayed there any longer.

The pirates of the Seventy-Two Caves kept close contact with each other, and the death of the Four Waters Islands' lord would soon reach the other pirates. The Thousand Islands Sea Region was vast, but the Seventy-Two Caves pirates' influence reached into every corner, and it was only a matter of time before they found Liu Wuxie's trail.

"I plan to go to Peach Blossom Island," Liu Wuxie said, making it clear he had no intention of leaving the Thousand Islands Sea Region anytime soon.

"Why are you heading to Peach Blossom Island?" Mei Yechan asked with a frown.

"I don't know. I plan to go take a look," Liu Wuxie replied. Since Su Ling had recommended it, Liu Wuxie believed there was a reason, and he would learn it only after reaching the island.

"Head northwest from here, and the journey will take about five minutes. You can also ask along the way to find the exact location of Peach Blossom Island," Mei Yechan said as she pointed out a direction. They were in the outer region where islands lay sparse, which was why she had hidden there to avoid the pirates' attention.

"Thank you for the information."

Tri-Glyph Island had returned to calm for the time being, and no pirates would come right away.

Many residents had already boarded boats and left, and Tri-Glyph Island had become uninhabitable, engulfed in fire.

Liu Wuxie bid farewell to Mei Yechan and flew toward Four Waters Island instead of heading northwest. He intended to uproot the danger, and Four Wasters Island still had plenty of pirates.

Two hours later, Liu Wuxie reached Four Waters Island. Just as he had expected, the second-in-command stayed behind at the first-level Heaven Gaze Realm, while several hundred pirates hauled goods they had likely plundered from elsewhere.

Four Waters Island wasn't large. Reefs surrounded it, and a massive fortress rose from its center, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Over the years, many people had attempted to assault the island, and without exception, the pirates had slaughtered them all.

The main hall blazed with light, and several women in revealing clothing danced in alluring movements. Those women had all been seized from other islands by the pirates.

"Second Boss, it's almost dawn, and why isn't the Big Boss back yet?" the half-asleep leaders in the main hall asked, with piles of wine jars scattered in front of them.

The second-in-command of Four Waters Island was called Water Glider, and it was rumored that he was invincible underwater.

"No hurry. Big Brother probably took a fancy to some women again," Water Glider said as he hugged a woman with his left arm and lifted a wine jar with his right, gulping down several mouthfuls.

Those women didn't dare resist at all, because even the slightest struggle would earn them torture.

After stepping onto Four Waters Island, Liu Wuxie used Ghost Pupil to sweep the entire island, and a thin murderous intent seeped into the air as he passed through the reefs and stopped before the main hall.

The pirates guarding the entrance dozed off, completely unaware that an intruder had arrived.

The main hall still shone brightly. Water Glider half-squinted, his gaze fixed on the entrance, and the sudden appearance of a stranger snapped his vigilance into place.

"Who are you?" Water Glider yelled as he shot to his feet because Liu Wuxie's face was far too unfamiliar.

"Someone who will wipe all of you out," Liu Wuxie said coldly. He had already killed every pirate on the outer perimeter, leaving only the ones inside the main hall.

"How dare you intrude on this island!" Water Glider roared as he summoned a spear and strode down from the main hall.

Liu Wuxie was only at the sixth-level Earth Immortal Realm, so Water Glider didn't take him seriously. The pirates on both sides also stood and rushed forward with weapons.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Brat, how dare you intrude on the Four Waters Island! You're courting death!" more than a dozen pirates shouted as they attacked together.

"Die!" Liu Wuxie said, and every pirate charging him dropped dead without any warning.

Water Glider narrowed his eyes, finally sensing danger.

"Brat, who the hell are you? We have no feud with you, and why are you killing for no reason?" Water Glider asked, his spear radiating a terrifying aura. He took one step and appeared right in front of Liu Wuxie.

"I'm here to uphold justice. Is that reason enough?" Liu Wuxie asked as he raised a palm and crushed down with peerless momentum.

Water Glider's expression tightened when he sensed that the strike's power rivaled the Heaven Gaze Realm.

With a loud explosion, Water Glider thrust his spear, and a violent boom shook the air. The instant they collided, Water Glider understood his mistake. Liu Wuxie's tyrannical palm seal flung both him and his spear away.

The desolate world's energy surged into Water Glider's body, stripping away his vitality.

Liu Wuxie defeated Water Glider with a single exchange. Through the memories of Four Waters Island's lord, Liu Wuxie already knew the origins of the Seventy-Two Caves pirates.

"Brat, how dare you injure me!" Water Glider bellowed as he struck again, driving his spear forward with more than double the previous force.

"You're starting to annoy me." Liu Wuxie was determined to end this quickly so he could rush to Peach Blossom Island.

He unleashed the Nine Heavenly Dragon Forms, and a dragon fist swept through the hall like a gale, flipping every table and chair.

The dancing women cowered in the corners, trembling uncontrollably.

"Dragon Ascent!" Liu Wuxie shouted as his fist force roared like a raging dragon, smashing Water Glider away again and shaking him until he spat blood.

"Brat, my Big Brother will kill you when he returns!" Water Glider roared as he wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, feeling his organs burst.