Chapter 2030: Blizzard Pirates, Cai Siblings

The large Star Pirate Group, the Blizzard Pirates, was led by two high-level True Immortals who firmly occupied the seats of their chiefs.

They were the overall chief, fifth tier True Immortal Cai Zhuifeng, and the second chief, fourth tier True Immortal Cai Yingxue.

According to news out there, they were cousins and they had a pretty close relationship. They were also quite famous in the Chaotic Sea of Stars. They had always been listed in the intelligence sent back to the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Fields, and they weren’t in some obscure section either. They would be pretty high up on the list of people to take note of.

The reason the Blizzard Pirates were cruising in the stretch of void was that, after hearing that the Spatial Vortex in the Distant Star Region had undergone strange changes, which attracted great attention from the various Heavenly Fields. They thought they might seize the opportunity to profit from all those random vessels traveling through the void.

For a long time, many Star Ships from different Heavenly Fields had been traveling in and out of the Distant Star Region, so the pirates hoped to take advantage of the situation.

Of course, the main reason was also that the Starsea Markets had been restless recently. Ever since the 4th Starsea Market was forcefully seized by the newly risen Invincible Pirates, a chain reaction seemed to have been triggered. Heavenly Fields from all Star Regions began to turn their eyes toward the eight remaining Starsea Markets within the Chaotic Sea of Stars. They started to form subordinate powers to infiltrate those markets, which in turn ignited fierce competition among the Heavenly Fields.

In such a situation, the Blizzard Pirates, though lacking the backing of a Heavenly Field yet commanding considerable power, naturally drew the attention of interested factions and became a target for all sides to win over.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

However, instead of enjoying the newfound attention, both chiefs of the Blizzard Pirates felt a strong sense of foreboding. Thus, they decided to lead their fleet toward the Distant Star Region.

Along their way, they encountered an Asteroid Sea that was forced out of their original location by the clash of several Sages. Cai Zhuifeng and Cai Yingxue, both highly astute, immediately noticed that the Asteroid Sea covered an extremely wide range. It was moving extremely slowly compared to how quickly things moved in the void and it had a complex structure. Since it was difficult to survey, they simply ordered the fleet to split into several smaller squads, each led by a True Immortal pirate leader, to lie in ambush along its edge.

They realized that the Asteroid Sea happened to drift across a region dense with transportation routes into and out of the Distant Star Region. Furthermore, the clash of Sages had left remnants of their forces within the Asteroid Sea. That made it not only difficult for passing Star Ships or fleets to detect danger due to the obstructions of large and small asteroids, but it also made it highly possible that entire fleets might be separated or even lost inside.

Under such conditions, even if a Star Ship managed to escape, it would usually be exhausted with its defenses low. They would be easily ambushed by the Blizzard Pirates lying in wait.

Events indeed unfolded as they had predicted. During their entire stint, they had already successfully struck five or six times, capturing a total of seven small and medium Star Ships, destroying another five. They even managed to obtain an Azure Ark, and they even severely damaged a large Star Ship which they unfortunately let escape.

Even so, their gains nearly equaled the Blizzard Pirates’ haul from the past two or three years combined.

At that moment, however, the Cai siblings received a transmission from their fifth leader. Hu Shanhai, their second tier True Immortal, was reporting that a Spirit Ark had appeared outside the Asteroid Sea, with no escorting Star Ships!

When Cai Zhuifeng and Cai Yingxue received the news, instead of feeling overjoyed, they were filled with suspicion and unease. Having fought and survived nearly a hundred years in the Chaotic Sea of Stars, growing from two pirates with a single small Star Ship to chiefs of a large Star Pirate Group just one step away from becoming a super Star Pirate Group, they had endured countless dangers and hardships on the edge of life and death. Their instincts told them not to believe in pie falling from the heavens.

Even when Hu Shanhai sent two more urgent secret transmissions, conveying detailed information about the Spirit Ark, including the fact that a second tier True Immortal was stationed aboard, and that he himself had been defeated by the True Immortal, the siblings still did not act rashly. Instead, they gathered their fleet to encircle the location Hu Shanhai reported.

"Never have I heard of an Ark traveling the void alone. And Hu Shanhai would never lie, nor could he have mistaken what he saw. There is only one possibility! The Ark was separated from its escort fleet in the Asteroid Sea!" Cai Zhuifeng analyzed what was happening to his core subordinates.

"From Hu Shanhai’s report, the Ark has a second tier True Immortal who defeated him. However, that doesn’t mean that there are no other True Immortals hidden within. Furthermore, any power capable of owning a Spirit Ark has to be at least on par with us, if not backed by a Heavenly Field!"

This time, it was Cai Yingxue who spoke.

She continued in a firm tone, “But no matter which force stands behind it, we, the Blizzard Pirates, must take this Spirit Ark! The reason I explained so much beforehand was to warn you not to underestimate them. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. This time, we must commit all our power and capture the Spirit Ark at all costs!"

It was precisely because of their cautious approach that the Blizzard Pirates arrived later than expected.

In fact, had it not been for Hu Shanhai’s eagerness for merit, sacrificing a medium Star Ship to delay the Spirit Ark and finally even risking himself personally to intercept, it was likely the Spirit Ark would have long since escaped.

Of course, the deeper reason the Spirit Ark failed to escape was that the other True Immortals... Or even their monstrous high-level Sage presence aboard never lifted a hand to help. Shang Xia and the Giant Ape King in particular appeared entirely indifferent as they immersed themselves in their cultivation.

Well... Since they were surrounded, whether they liked it or not, they couldn’t stay out of it any longer.

The Blizzard Pirates had already mobilized two large Star Ships and dozens of small and medium ones. They charged over from all directions. They completely surrounded the Spirit Ark, even blocking the passage leading back into the Asteroid Sea.

It was no exaggeration to say that unless an unforeseen event occurred, the Spirit Ark would never be able to escape!

With their target secured, both chiefs appeared simultaneously on the decks of their respective Star Ships. Hidden by their protection barriers, they called out to the Spirit Ark. "Honored ones aboard, the Cai siblings of the Blizzard Pirates greet you. We mean no harm. May be so fortunate as to request a meeting?"