"They can't get away! Put away the mechanical crossbows, chase them down, and wipe them all out!"
Out on the sea, two ships raced along, trading fierce attacks with their mechanical crossbows and magical artifacts.
But the disparity in strength was glaring. In barely a hundred breaths, the treasure ship ahead had clearly fallen behind in the fighting, and could not even flee faster than the pursuing ship.
Before long, its last stubborn resistance was crushed, and the lead ship surrendered completely.
The treasure ship behind caught up, linked the two vessels with hooks and long ropes, then swiftly sent men aboard to secure every part of the ship. They soon discovered vast quantities of gold, silver, and valuables in the hold.
"Damn it, who knows how many islands and kingdoms these bastards plundered? They're practically dripping with riches!"
The leader barked, "Shortsighted fools! What do mortal gold and silver amount to? Hurry up and look for spirit materials!"
The men kept rummaging. "Captain, we found some..."
Mortal kingdoms also produced spirit materials. Through gradual accumulation, they had stockpiled three to five hundred ungraded pieces, along with a dozen or so precious treasures that appeared to be low-grade, or even mid-grade.
Aside from those, there were quite a few magical artifacts and implements of varying grades, which held considerable value even in the Qi Refining Realm.
"Now that's more like it. Come on, we're heading back!"
The leader stroked a curved saber among the magical artifacts, casually hung it at his waist, and gave the order with a booming laugh.
Someone immediately raised a new flag on the captured enemy ship: a large water-patterned banner with a white field and gold trim, embroidered with a blue character for Luo in the center.
This was the emblem of the White Sand