CHAPTER 864: CHAPTER 635: THEY’RE NOT GOING TO HIDE, ARE THEY?

The night sky was tranquil, and before anyone realized, the eastern horizon had already begun to lighten with the first hints of dawn.

As the morning stars dimmed, another swift boat arrived at Star Moon Island.

"Report, the enemy forces are now twenty miles away, expected to arrive in an hour!"

Inside the government center, a Navy soldier responsible for scouting ran in to report.

In the main hall, Yang Zhenshan sat in the chief seat, with Zhang Juhai and Zhu Yanshan on his left, and the three brothers Yang Mingcheng, Yang Mingzhi, and Yang Minghao on his right.

Li Chang and Wang Lei stood outside the door, their expressions indifferent as they leaned against the corridor pillars.

As for the other Personal Followers, they were not present and were instead distributed throughout the city.

For this battle, Yang Zhenshan planned to lure the enemy to the island to fight, but he didn’t want Star Moon Island to suffer too much loss, so he dispersed everyone.

Yang Chengche and Yang Qinwu had brought Government Officials to various coasts on the island, organizing the island’s young and strong to prevent enemy forces from landing elsewhere.

Ding Qiu led the family’s guards and Personal Followers, overseeing the city’s young and strong who spread across the city’s streets.

Even though the Star Moon Navy soldiers weren’t on the island, and the family’s trading guards had already gone to sea, the strength on Star Moon Island remained incredibly formidable.

On the island, the average young adult aged twenty to thirty is a Martial Artist, and those above thirty are likely Postnatal Martial Artists at the fifth or sixth layer, while those above forty, one-tenth to one-fifth are Postnatal Martial Artists at the eighth or ninth layer.

"Let’s go, we should head out to greet our visitors from afar!" Yang Zhenshan stood, speaking calmly.

Everyone followed suit, getting up and heading towards the door.

Upon leaving the government building, they found a street leading straight to the dock, paved with bluestone, about two meters wide and two to three miles long, lined with shops on either side.

Currently, the streets and alleys were filled with young and strong holding weapons, gathered in groups of three to five, or even dozens, watching Yang Zhenshan and his group calmly.

Residents within the city were different from those in villages and towns. Those in villages and towns came from four sources: initially islanders moved from other islands, those moved from the southern Fuhai Province, tenants and servants from various families previously in Da Rong, and military households from Tenglong Guard.

The city residents, however, were descendants from various families: the Yang family, the Luo family, the Zhen family, the Yu family, the Xie family, the Wu family, the Han family, etc. Although these families were under the Yang family’s patronage, they were now substantial families with established foundations.

Constantly consuming Spiritual Spring Water, the offspring of these families naturally gained considerable strength.

Zhang Juhai watched the crowd on both sides of the street, secretly astonished.

As an Innate Martial Artist, while he couldn’t clearly discern a person’s cultivation, he could roughly guess from their aura.

Those youths with steady auras were clearly Postnatal Martial Artists.

How many Postnatal Martial Artists were there?

In essence, while Innate Martial Artists are a pillar of strength, Postnatal Martial Artists are potential for a force.

Only with sufficient Postnatal Martial Artists can a force sustain itself over generations.

Particularly, young Postnatal Martial Artists could potentially become Innate Martial Artists in the future.

Zhang Juhai marveled at the number of Postnatal Martial Artists on Star Moon Island, even more so at their ages.

Of course, this was without him realizing how many Innate Martial Artists were on the island. If he knew, his jaw would probably drop in shock.

The group arrived at the northern side of the dock, not directly entering the dock but instead remaining on the street to the north.

Yang Zhenshan stood silently with his Mystical Iron heavy spear, calmly combing his majestic beard.

The gentle breeze lifted his beard, yet it stayed smooth and straight, even gleaming brilliantly.

Indeed, his beard was slicked with an oily shine.

Yang Mingcheng stood behind him, lovingly caressing the Mystical Iron Spear in his hands.

Yang Zhenshan passed down his Mystical Iron Spear to his son upon acquiring a new one.

Receiving the Mystical Iron Spear made Yang Mingcheng ecstatic, to the point he couldn’t sleep for three days.

Meanwhile, Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao looked enviously at the Mystical Iron Spear in his hands.

The value wasn’t about the quality of the Mystical Iron Spear. For them at present, it wasn’t extraordinary, since their spears forged from Earthfire Steel by the Zhu family were no inferior.

The key lay in this being Yang Zhenshan’s previous weapon; whoever received it was who he favored.

Although Yang Mingcheng was somewhat simple, Yang Zhenshan always favored him, even his real children couldn’t compare to this son by circumstance.

Well, hard to blame anyone, since the real son had left home.

Hmph.

Thinking of Yang Mingzhao sparked a flame of anger in Yang Zhenshan’s heart.

Not returning home even for New Year; even his own son must learn a harsh lesson.

The morning breeze carried a bit of chill, waves rolling over the ocean’s surface.

In the blink of an eye, the fiery sun emerged from the horizon, along with a black silhouette accompanying the sunrise.

The dawn’s light revealed a fleet of warships connecting into a grand formation, advancing powerfully towards Star Moon Island.

"They’re here!" Yang Mingzhi spotted the enemy’s warships.

At the same time, aboard the Whale Navy flagship, Chang Lin, Xiang Anxu, Wen Qing, Hou Fangjin, and others also sighted Star Moon Island.

Chang Lin, appearing unremarkable, was slightly hunched, using a cane crafted from the Divine Tree’s root, with his hair adorned with a wooden hairpin bearing leaves.

His furrowed face carried sunken triangular eyes, giving an aura of venerable frailty, yet his eyes held an ominous intensity, so much that meeting his gaze could lead someone to feel a chill if their resolve wasn’t steadfast.