Flames roared and smoke filled the sky. The prosperous Market Ward was reduced to ashes amid blood and tears, and over a hundred thousand island residents and people from the surrounding nations were not spared either.
When the Merchant Association's people arrived, they were filled with regret. "We came too late!"
They had begun responding the moment they received the report, but two or three ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators were nowhere near enough to deal with those vicious pirates, so assembling manpower had taken considerable effort.
By the time they gathered their forces and arrived, the enemy had already escaped at leisure, leaving only shattered ruins at the scene.
In truth, they had been somewhat prepared for this outcome, but faced with the ghastly sight of corpses strewn everywhere, they still could not help sighing bitterly.
What a monstrous sin!
Several Foundation Establishment cultivators searched the scene, then said helplessly, "They were seasoned hands. They left no clues."
With that, they could only return empty-handed.
Pursuing the culprits was out of the question. Failing to catch them would waste their efforts, while catching them would mean fighting for their lives. Worse still, they might fall for a ploy to lure the tiger away from its mountain, leaving even their own homes unsafe.
Better to hurry back, shut their doors, and protect themselves.
"Utter incompetents! They couldn't uncover anything! What are they even good for?"
In the Council Hall of the Council of Elders on Northsky Island, an elder flew into a rage, harshly condemning the subordinate powers near Red Conch Island.
But for all their scolding, there was nothing they could do.
Someone said, "Let it go. If we want those pirates to expose a weakness, we'll probably have to wait until they sell their loot."
Another said, "There are