Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

The depths of the East China Sea are shrouded in a thick, impenetrable gray-white fog year-round.

This place is full of hidden reefs, and the undercurrents are like ferocious beasts that devour people. If ordinary fishing boats and merchant ships accidentally enter this place, they will often end up with their ships destroyed and people killed.

Passing through layers of mist, one arrives at a mirage-like paradise.

Yingzhou Fairy Island.

The island is dotted with towering peaks, cascading waterfalls, and flowing springs.

Although the spiritual energy is no longer as abundant as it was when the Qin Dynasty alchemists first arrived on the island two thousand years ago.

But compared to the mundane world, it can still be called a paradise on earth.

The sect leader of Yingzhou, Qingyunzi, was sitting in the ancestral hall halfway up the mountain.

He was dressed in a purple-gold Taoist robe, with white hair and a youthful face, and held a string of white jade Bodhi beads in his hand.

But that face, which should have been serene and indifferent, was now filled with gloom and scheming.

"Sect Master, if we keep withholding spirit stones and fail to pay our tribute on time, what should we do if we anger that Green-Clad Killing God in the capital?"

A gaunt elder at the bottom asked in a low voice, looking worried.

Qingyunzi snorted coldly, flicking the white jade Bodhi beads in his hand rapidly, producing a crisp clinking sound.

"Although that person's cultivation was extraordinary, he was ultimately alone."

"The vast territory of the Ming Dynasty requires him to be stationed in the capital. Why would he personally travel thousands of miles to the East China Sea for a mere few percent of spirit stones?"

Qingyunzi stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the churning sea of ​​clouds outside the hall, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.

"The spiritual veins of our Yingzhou are a legacy passed down from our ancestors. That mortal emperor can demand that we hand over all the spiritual veins we've unearthed with a mere flick of his lips—it's utterly delusional!"

"We've secretly laid down a massive, concealing scheme to hide that newly discovered rich mine. What clues could those mere mortal tribute officials possibly discern?"

The gaunt elder sighed, "But what if the Ming navy attacks..."

"Come on, come on!"

Qingyunzi waved his sleeve and said proudly.

"Last time, they were able to break through Penglai's protective formation because they had the advantage of sharp firearms and surprise. In recent days, I have ordered all the disciples on the island to push the Taiyi Kui Water Formation protecting the island to its limit."

"The navy's iron ball cannons can't even penetrate this water curtain! As long as we hold the island and hold out for three months, the civilian fleet will run out of supplies and naturally retreat."

Just as Qingyunzi's bold words landed.

"Ugh!"

A piercingly mournful alarm horn suddenly resounded throughout the entire Yingzhou Immortal Island.

Qingyunzi's heart skipped a beat. His figure blurred, and he instantly transformed into a purple streak of light, rushing out of the Ancestral Hall and hovering in mid-air.

The gaunt elder and hundreds of disciples on the island also ascended into the air on their swords, looking at the sea beyond the island with expressions of alarm.

The fog rolled in.

From the depths of that grayish-white mist, a low, rumbling sound, like that of an ancient behemoth, could be faintly heard.

The sound was not the crashing of waves, but the sound of some heavy steel mechanism crushing and chopping in the seawater.

Immediately afterwards, a colossal creature smashed through the barrier of mist and entered the sight of all the cultivators.

It was a super battleship that was entirely black, like a mobile iron city.

The surface of the ship is engraved with countless intricate and mysterious dark blue array patterns.

As the sea breeze blew, the array patterns shimmered with a chilling, eerie light, completely protecting the warship.

Behind the flagship named "Zhenhai", thirty modified Ming Dynasty treasure ships were lined up in a goose-feather formation.

The Ming Dynasty's sun, moon, and dragon banners fluttered in the sea breeze.

"This...this is a ship belonging to mortals?!"

The gaunt elder gasped, his voice trembling as he stared at the ship's hull, which shimmered with array-like light.

It combines the formations of cultivators with the iron armor of mortals.

Such a feat is simply unheard of!

On the deck of the warship, Zheng Yuan, the admiral of the Fujian Navy of the Ming Dynasty, wearing heavy armor and with his hand on his goose-feather saber, coldly stared at the cultivators in mid-air who were like startled birds.

He neither uttered any words nor read out any imperial edict urging surrender.

Before setting off, the Grand Tutor, who was sitting in the Qintian Pavilion, only gave one instruction.

Blow up the ancestral hall, then we'll talk about the rules.

Zheng Yuan slowly raised his right hand, the blade pointing directly at the majestic Ancestral Hall atop the main peak of Yingzhou.

"Zhenhai's main cannons, load high-grade wind and fire spirit stones. Give them to me, and blast that mountain to smithereens!"

With a command given.

The three-zhang-long "Thunderfire Rune Giant Cannon" at the bow of the Zhenhai ship had its spirit-gathering array inscribed on the cannon barrel instantly activated.

A blinding red light gathered wildly deep within the cannon barrel, and the spiritual energy on the surrounding sea surface seemed to be drawn in by some terrifying force, like rivers flowing into the sea, and was forcibly sucked into the cannon barrel.

Standing in mid-air, Qingyunzi felt the violent spiritual energy fluctuations that were enough to destroy the world. His eyes widened, and his heart pounded with fear.

"Quick! Activate the Taiyi Kui Water Formation! Block it!"

Qingyunzi roared hysterically, unleashing his full power of true energy without reservation.

Hundreds of disciples on the island simultaneously formed hand seals, and a huge water curtain, several meters thick and shimmering with azure light, instantly enveloped the entire Yingzhou Island.

However, it was all in vain.

"boom!!!"

A terrifying roar that shook the heavens and earth exploded over the East China Sea.

A thick, dark red beam of light, as thick as a water vat, carrying an unparalleled ferocity capable of burning mountains and boiling seas, burst forth from the rune-inscribed giant cannon.

The Taiyi Kui Water Formation, which Yingzhou considered indestructible, did not even pause for a moment when it came into contact with the pillar of light.

It was like boiling water splashed on snow, instantly evaporating into nothingness.

The beam of light, its power undiminished, swept across the sea for miles with unstoppable force, striking the Ancestral Hall on the main peak of Yingzhou with pinpoint accuracy.

"Boom!"

The earth trembled violently, and the mountains shook.

A cloud of rubble and dust rose into the sky, obscuring half the heavens.

In mid-air, hundreds of cultivators, including Qingyunzi, were scattered by the terrifying shockwave, spitting out blood as they fell to the ground like dumplings.

One shot.

Just one shot.

This once invincible fairy island of Yingzhou was utterly destroyed by the warships of mortals.

Qingyunzi, covered in dust and dirt, crawled out of the ruins. Looking at the ancestral hall that had been razed to the ground, and then at the black behemoth on the sea that resembled a demon god, all the pride and schadenfreude in his heart collapsed into nothingness at that moment.

His legs trembled, and he collapsed to his knees amidst the rubble, crying out in anguish.

"Yingzhou Island...is willing to surrender! We are willing to obey the orders of the Ming Dynasty! We will never dare to have any disloyal thoughts again!"

The sea breeze, carrying the smoke of battle, carried the mournful cries of submission far and wide to the ears of the Ming soldiers.