Volume Two: The Bandit Life, Chapter Twenty-Nine: Quarter to Those Who Surrender

Zhao Yongkui cast a surreptitious glance at Qin Si’s expression. Seeing no particular reaction to his words, he gathered his courage, smiled, and continued: “Although the God Kings of Tiehua City are well-known, the reason why my faction, along with those of Lu Qingtian, Fang Tao, Shui Ruojun, and Gu Tai, are the most powerful is simply because we possess a greater number of God Kings and Heavenly Gods than others. It is not because our cultivation levels are significantly higher than theirs.”

At this point, a flicker of pride crossed Zhao Yongkui’s eyes. “Once we had grasped the essence of time acceleration, we realized that comprehending time suspension is no easy feat. Without a certain degree of destiny, no matter how diligent one is or how much time one spends, it is all in vain. That is why we turned to building our own factions, pursuing that power which stands above all but one.”

“Is there any God King in Tiehua City who has mastered time suspension?” Qin Shuang suddenly interjected.

Zhao Yongkui’s face flushed, and he chuckled sheepishly. “Your perception is sharp, Second Alliance Leader. There is indeed one such powerhouse in Tiehua City. It was precisely because the five of us encountered her at the same time that we conceived the idea of expanding our own influence.” A trace of fear flitted across his face as he stared blankly at the sky, muttering to himself, “That was back when we had just become God Kings. We had just mastered time acceleration and felt invincible, looking down on everyone. We accidentally offended her, and she effortlessly used time suspension to bind us. That was not a pleasant experience.”

Qin Si smiled. “Is she a man or a woman? What is her name?”

Zhao Yongkui shook his head. “She is a woman, a very beautiful woman. Had she not been kind-hearted, she would have killed us then and there. As for her name, I am not sure; I only know she is called the ‘Tiehua Jade Orchid’.”

Qin Si and Qin Shuang exchanged glances, both sensing the other’s concern. Ping Tian suddenly cried out, causing everyone to turn toward him.

“Tiehua Jade Orchid? I have heard of her. Is it the White-Haired Jade Orchid who once slaughtered three thousand gods in a fit of rage?” God King Ping Tian shuddered violently and shrank back.

God King Xuan Miao chuckled. “That is exactly who Ping Tian is talking about. Years ago, because her disciple was killed, she went on a killing spree in a fit of fury. She hunted down everyone associated with the killers of her disciple, wiping out thirty God Kings and nearly three thousand Heavenly Gods in one go. That is how she became known as the White-Haired Jade Orchid, and the decline of Tiehua City began with that very event.”

The group felt a chill run down their spines. This woman was too ruthless. To kill thirty God Kings and three thousand Heavenly Gods—setting aside her cultivation level, the sheer brutality of her methods was hair-raising.

To become a God King, almost everyone present had killed countless cultivators; death was as common as a daily meal to them. But killing a God King was no trivial matter. Everyone who attained such a rank was a person of exceptional talent with their own secret techniques. Even Qin Si and Qin Shuang could not guarantee they could kill many, especially since God Kings are not fools; once their lives are threatened, they naturally unite against a common enemy.

Unless one reaches the realm of a Heavenly Venerable, even a God King who has mastered time suspension or time reversal could not withstand the combined force of thirty God Kings and three thousand Heavenly Gods rushing at them simultaneously. Yet, this woman had wiped them all out at once—it was truly inconceivable.

Qin Si pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhao Yongkui. “Where is this White-Haired Jade Orchid now?”

Zhao Yongkui carefully pointed toward a location in Tiehua City. “In a humble residence within Tiehua City. That area is a forbidden zone for all sixty-four factions; no one dares to disturb her.”

“Good. If we have the chance, we shall go and meet her.” Qin Si transmitted his thoughts to Qin Shuang with great interest. “If she pushes us too far, we can use our avatars to finish her off. At worst, we will be hunted by those Heavenly Venerables.”

Qin Shuang was caught between laughter and tears, glaring at Qin Si. “You make it sound so easy. If a Heavenly Venerable strikes, none of us will be able to escape. We would be dead for sure.”

Qin Si laughed, a devious look on his face. “How about this... why don’t you use your charm to lure her over? As long as she doesn’t cause trouble when the time comes, that would be fine. Hmm, that’s a good idea. Little Shuang, with your temperament, you should be able to seduce her. If you succeed, wouldn't we have a master of time suspension on our side?”

Qin Shuang was dumbfounded. “And if I fail?”

Qin Si gave an evil, sinister laugh. “If soft tactics don’t work, we use force. If that fails, we can always resort to brute force...”

Before he could finish, a massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking straight at Qin Si’s head—it was Qin Shuang, who, in his fury, had waved his hand to summon the strike.

Qin Si laughed heartily and teleported away. Seeing the two brothers like this, the others couldn't help but smile.

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In the Tongmu Stronghold, a massive board stood before the crowd. Lu Qingtian looked triumphantly at the stunned assembly and pointed to the board, which shimmered with a ghostly glow. “This is Tongmu wood, a divine artifact. What makes it different from ordinary wood is that anyone below the level of a Heavenly Venerable cannot use divine power upon it. Here is a knife also made of Tongmu. Our four names are already carved on the board. Below, please use this knife to draw a horizontal line under the name of the God King you support. When the time comes, it will be clear at a glance who has won.”

He glanced at Wan Peng with satisfaction, thinking to himself that this fellow was truly clever. With this move, no matter the outcome, he would secure leadership over these people. Eventually, he mused, everyone would be incorporated into the Tongmu Stronghold.

He cast a sidelong glance at Fang Tao, Shui Ruojun, and Gu Tai. Seeing their calm expressions but sensing the underlying suspicion in their eyes, Lu Qingtian knew they feared he would rig the election, and a confident smile played on his lips.

“For the sake of fairness, will one of you brothers step forward to test it and see if what I say is true?”

“No need to test it! Boss Lu is not the type of person to stoop so low. Since Boss Lu says there is no problem, then there is certainly no problem!” Wan Peng’s voice rang out again, immediately drawing echoes of agreement from the crowd.

“No! This is, after all, the territory of Tongmu Stronghold. Even if Boss Lu is usually fair, we must test it just in case.” Several dissenting voices rang out from the crowd, drawing their own supporters.

The two groups began to argue. One side supported Lu Qingtian, claiming no inspection was needed, while the other insisted on fairness and demanded a test.

Lu Qingtian, Fang Tao, Shui Ruojun, and Gu Tai all frowned at Wan Peng’s words. Fang Tao, Shui Ruojun, and Gu Tai thought that Wan Peng was clearly dead-set on following Lu Qingtian, and they seethed with hatred, secretly vowing that if Wan Peng ever fell into their hands, they would subject him to every kind of torture until he wished for death.

Lu Qingtian, meanwhile, felt a slight dissatisfaction. While Wan Peng’s sycophancy showed loyalty, there was indeed some trickery involved with the Tongmu board, and Wan Peng’s words now sounded almost like reverse irony.

As the argument escalated, the tensions between the groups deepened. Many already held grudges due to their different factional affiliations, and with Wan Peng adding fuel to the fire with his sinister smirks, the crowd became incensed, drawing their weapons and facing off against one another.

“Enough!” Fang Tao’s expression darkened. Channeling his power, he let out a thunderous roar that exploded like a bolt of lightning in everyone’s ears. Caught off guard, a large portion of the crowd collapsed.

The people looked up in astonishment to see the four leaders—Lu Qingtian, Fang Tao, Shui Ruojun, and Gu Tai—all looking grim. Fang Tao swept a cold gaze across the crowd. “What are you doing? Our enemies are watching like tigers, ready to strike at Tiehua City at any moment to seize the fruits of our years of struggle. Instead of discussing how to defend ourselves, you are bickering over trivialities. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Fang Tao roared, a fire of rage burning in his chest, making him wish he could instantly pull out his divine artifact and slaughter these useless fools who failed at everything.

Seeing the expressions of the four leaders, the crowd fell deathly silent. Lu Qingtian shot a reproachful look at Wan Peng and took over from Fang Tao. “I just said that we need a few people to come up and inspect the board. This has nothing to do with personal character; the matter is of great importance, concerning the affiliation of all our brothers here and the very survival of Tiehua City. Therefore, it must be tested. Which brother will volunteer to come up and test it with their divine power?”

Seeing Lu Qingtian take charge, Fang Tao shut his mouth, his face ashen, and retreated to the side of Shui Ruojun and Gu Tai. The three exchanged glances, each calculating how to ensure their own people were chosen.

Four voices rang out from the crowd simultaneously. Before the sounds had even faded, four individuals stood on the platform. Lu Qingtian and the others looked over and saw that, apart from Wan Peng, the other three were subordinates of Fang Tao, Shui Ruojun, and Gu Tai.

Lu Qingtian glared at Wan Peng in embarrassment and scolded, “What are you doing up here? Get down at once!”

Wan Peng started to argue, but seeing a fierce glare from Lu Qingtian, he felt a chill and hurriedly jumped off the stage with a sheepish grin.

“The three of you, feel free to test this Tongmu board. Any method is fine,” Lu Qingtian said with a genial smile, masking his previous irritation.

Just as the Tongmu Stronghold held its election, in Pingxiang Valley, more than fifty thousand miles away from Tiehua City, a lazy voice echoed across the wilderness: “The Zixuan Alliance is here to recruit! Those who surrender will be spared!”