On any island exceeding three thousand miles in area, Great Yi directly dropped multiple Immortal Cities to secure it, regardless of whether there were non-human forces nearby.
As long as a location was designated, they would ruthlessly anchor the city down—without negotiation.
Seeing this, the surrounding non-human clans didn't dare utter a single word.
"Relocate! Evacuate the vicinity of Great Yi's Immortal Cities—head for the surrounding wilderness!"
That was the only decision they could make.
Based on intel, Great Yi's policy toward the wildlands was one of leniency and tolerance. As long as the non-human races didn't provoke or assault the Immortal Cities, they wouldn't be targeted by Great Yi's military. Conflicts in the wilderness were treated as personal skirmishes, with no official intervention.
Whether it was humans or non-humans who perished in the wilds, neither side had the right to demand retribution.
Where you fall, you must rise again.
This form of controlled competition was something the non-humans could accept.
If they died in combat, it simply meant they weren't strong enough. They had no one else to blame. If they wanted to reclaim their pride, they had to train harder, grow stronger, and come back to settle the score themselves.
Such fighting was welcomed by many non-human tribes—as long as it didn't escalate into full-scale war.
Meanwhile, on all surrounding islands and territories, existing settlements—be they towns, villages, or small cities—were forcibly relocated into the newly built Immortal Cities.
For the common people, this was nothing short of a miracle.
Their old villages couldn't even begin to compare to these magnificent cities. It was a gap as wide as heaven and earth.
"Heavens! This is unbelievable. So this is where Great Yi's citizens live?Compared to this… we were living in dirt holes.Wide streets, beautiful homes… And these aren't ordinary houses!Each one is a Heaven-Earth Grotto-Dwelling—capable of housing an entire village!Inside every grotto is space for farmland, structures…It's incredible!"
The native people of the Caribbean Realm stood around with mouths agape—completely stunned.
They felt as if:
A single Grotto-Dwelling was a village.
A courtyard within the city equated to a town.
And the entire Immortal City was the root of their civilization.
It had layered order—each level logically built atop the other.
Most importantly: every Grotto-Dwelling contained soil, mountains, and water. Crops and spiritual plants could be grown within.
Immortal Cities suppressed the earth and gathered spiritual veins of the land. These veins then naturally fed the Grotto-Dwellings with spiritual energy.
The city was a giant tree.The dwellings, its fruit.
And the spiritual veins, its roots—delivering a constant flow of energy.
This kind of infrastructure… only Great Yi had it.
Before, they lived in leaky straw huts, half-exposed to the wind, under constant threat from pirates. They were robbed every few days.
Just remembering it was enough to make them want to cry.
"Great Yi is truly a paradise… a sacred land for the human race.Why didn't they come sooner?If they had, my child might still be alive…"
"It's all in the past now. The suffering is over.Our good days are finally here!"
"From now on, we can go out safely—we don't need to be afraid anymore!"
"I asked an official from Great Yi myself.From now on, it's not us who should fear pirates—pirates will fear us!"
The cheers were endless.
The people felt as if the shadow hanging over their heads had finally lifted.
They could still see the image in their minds—pirates fleeing in fear just at the sight of the Great Yi banner.
It filled them with confidence and pride.
All previously relocated settlements that were built using Village Orders were moved into the new cities and completely redesigned and expanded.
Those that weren't created via Village Orders were left behind to decay.
At best, they might become temporary resting spots for travelers in the wild.
But for the people, there was no doubt:
Joining Great Yi was the greatest blessing of their lives.
This was what dignity felt like.This was how humans should live.
Great Yi deserved its title: the First Sacred Court of Humanity, the Number One Fortune Dynasty under the heavens.
Progress in the Caribbean Realm was going smoothly.
Pirates didn't dare approach.
They could only watch helplessly as one Immortal City after another replaced their original settlements. And the number of cities only kept increasing, leaving no gaps or flaws.
It was near perfection.So flawless, it was frightening.
The pirates watched in despair.
Unless they dared to attack Great Yi, they'd soon starve.
Their only alternatives?
Robbing non-human tribes—risky.
Venturing deep into the wildlands—they'd become bandits, not pirates.
"There's no future in piracy.We might as well go straight."
More and more pirates felt a rising sense of desperation.
Shenlong Island
At this moment, Shenlong Island was crowded with pirate ships.
This was the hidden base of the pirates—a sacred place for their kind.
Whenever something major occurred, the pirates would gather here.
The island was the corpse of a fallen Shenlong (Illusory Dragon), with two mirrored sides: one desolate, the other prosperous and teeming with life. A bizarre phenomenon that defied logic—but was undeniably real.
Here lay the headquarters of the Pirate League.
On the vibrant side of the island, massive harbors surrounded the land—packed with pirate ships, their flags fluttering like a forest of skulls and swords.
Normally, this place would be rowdy with fighting, drinking, gambling, and women.
But now? Nothing.
Only gloom.
Everyone had one thing on their mind: Great Yi.
At the center of the island stood a grand palace—the residence of the Pirate Emperor.
Right now, the palace was crowded with pirate captains, including the Ten Legendary Pirate Kings.
Upon the Skull Throne, the Pirate Emperor sat solemnly.
The hall was in uproar.
SMACK!!
"Listen up!" a rough man with a braided black beard shouted.
"There's only one path left for us: get out while we still can!
Before Great Yi completely locks down the Caribbean Realm… before the Iron-Blood Great Wall reaches us…
We take our fleet and brothers and leave!
Anywhere we go, we can survive.
The Pirate League will still be the Pirate League.
We'll still rule the seas—just not here.
The teleportation gate is ours. It's in our hands.
When we leave is up to us—but we must decide now!
Don't forget, we once raided Great Yi.
Do you think they'll let us live?
If we wait any longer—we'll all be dead!"
This was the legendary captain Blackbeard—his eyes sharp with determination.
If they ran now, they'd live like pirates still.Drink, feast, and plunder another day.
The teleportation gate—rumored to lead out of the realm—was said to be hidden on Shenlong Island, under the Pirate Emperor's control.
No one but him knew exactly where—or what world lay on the other side.
He'd visited it once.
But ever since he returned, he never spoke a word about what he saw.
"Blackbeard is right!" another voice shouted.
A handsome, youthful pirate king stepped forward.
His aura was strangely demonic, and his expression fierce.
He was one of the Ten Pirate Kings, captain of the ship "Demon's Cup", known as Shuten Doji.
A wicked pirate with countless crimes, infamous for his obsession with women and alcohol.
He especially favored young virgins, leaving untold destruction in his wake.
He knew—without question—he would never be accepted into Great Yi.
If he tried to surrender, he'd likely be executed on the spot.
He wasn't going to bet his life on that.
"We've lost our place here.
Every Immortal City of Great Yi is like a Royal Capital.
Their defenses are terrifying.
If I had to storm one, I'd rather just smash my own head into a rock.
Without targets, our men will mutiny.
And just earlier, we lost millions of pirates to desertion—running to join the landfolk and turn straight.
If we wait any longer, we won't even have a crew.
Leaving… is our best option."
The atmosphere in the palace grew heavy.
Everyone understood: if they didn't act now, they would never get another chance.
The pirates' time in the Caribbean was over.
And their only hope… lay in what awaited beyond the portal.