Volume Two: Life as a Bandit, Chapter Forty-Five: You Have Lost Your Mind

Three second-rate Hongmeng treasures—even Zhou Fei'er, who had been burying her head in her wine, paused at these words. Beside her, Zhou Xian also looked stunned. As Godkings of the Zhou family, even they only wielded third-rate Hongmeng treasures; second-rate ones were rare even within their own clan.

"Impressive, truly a tempting offer!" Qin Si nodded in praise. Zhou Tian was worthy of being a Holy Emperor; he knew when to hold and when to fold, and his judgment of the situation was remarkably sharp. Any other faction would likely have crumbled under such an allure.

"So, you accept!" A faint smile appeared on Zhou Tian’s face. He had steeled his heart to offer three second-rate Hongmeng treasures to win over the Zixuan Alliance, not just because of Li Yang, but because he held Qin Shuang and Qin Si in high regard—especially Qin Shuang, a Godking who had grasped the power of Time Stasis, which set him apart from ordinary Godkings.

"It is a pity, but my brothers and I are accustomed to our independence and are not used to accepting the leadership of others. We thank the Holy Emperor for his kindness, but we cannot accept these Hongmeng treasures."

Zhou Tian had not expected Qin Si to refuse him. The smile on his face instantly stiffened, and anger began to rise within him.

"Alliance Master Qin, are you certain you wish to refuse?" Zhou Tian’s expression grew dark. As a noble Holy Emperor, he had personally come to recruit a minor faction and had offered three second-rate Hongmeng treasures; his sincerity was beyond reproach. He had never imagined that Qin Si would reject him.

"Many thanks for the Holy Emperor's generosity." Qin Si stood up and cupped his hands, clearly signaling that it was time for his guest to leave.

A flash of green light suddenly appeared beside Qin Si, accompanied by a terrifying aura of lightning that completely enveloped him. Zhou Xian, standing next to Zhou Tian, wore a sinister grin. He had attempted to attack earlier only to be frozen by Qin Shuang’s Time Stasis; this time, his sneak attack had finally succeeded.

"Big Brother!"

Qin Shuang felt a jolt of alarm. He had not expected the man named Zhou Xian, whom he had previously subdued, to dare attempt a sneak attack. No matter how formidable Qin Si was, his cultivation was only that of an Upper Celestial, and Qin Shuang was uncertain how much damage Qin Si could withstand.

"Time Stasis!"

Qin Shuang and Zhou Tian acted almost simultaneously. As a Holy Emperor, Zhou Tian was clearly stronger than someone who had only just grasped Time Stasis; Qin Shuang only managed to freeze Zhou Xian’s body for a split second before another bolt of green light struck Qin Si.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous crash, the lightning unleashed by Zhou Tian collided with the blade of light swung by Li Yang, shattering the entire reception hall into dust.

"Boom!"

Before anyone could react, another deafening sound erupted. This time, however, it came from Qin Si. The lightning that had shrouded him vanished, and in his hand, he held a long spear radiating the potent aura of a Hongmeng treasure.

The commotion in the reception hall drew everyone from the Zixuan Alliance. Ping Tian, Zhao Yongkui, and the other Godkings rushed over, staring in shock at the two opposing parties in the air. They could not fathom how two groups that had been on good terms moments ago had suddenly come to blows.

"Holy Emperor!"

Suddenly, hundreds of figures appeared beside Zhou Tian. At least three hundred Godkings had arrived via teleportation, completely sealing off the space around the Zixuan Alliance. Zhou Tian had not come unprepared; he had brought reinforcements.

"Qin Si, I will give you one more chance. If you agree now, it is not too late!" In the air, Zhou Tian stood with his hands behind his back, looking as if he held victory in his grasp.

"Zhou Tian, have you gone senile? I do not wish to repeat myself!" Qin Si’s face was livid. Although he had successfully fended off Zhou Xian’s lightning, no one would look pleasant after being sneak-attacked. With Zhou Tian still pressing the matter of recruitment, he was bound to receive no better response.

"Very well, Qin Si. You are the most stubborn person I have ever encountered. Today, I shall see your Zixuan Alliance crumble to dust!"

Zhou Tian’s expression darkened further. Qin Si had rejected him in front of everyone and even called him a senile old man. Killing intent began to burn in Zhou Tian’s eyes.

"Alliance Master!"

Ping Tian and the others finally realized that the Zixuan Alliance was now at odds with the Thunder Punishment City. Though they viewed Thunder Punishment City as an untouchable, supreme power—and fighting them was surely like throwing an egg against a rock—these people still gathered before Qin Si. They had once sworn an oath of eternal loyalty to the Zixuan Alliance, and that was reason enough.

"Rest assured, it will be fine!"

Qin Si understood their concern, but he had no better options at the moment. Relying solely on themselves, they could never withstand the Godkings of Thunder Punishment City. Fortunately, Li Yang and Qin Shuang possessed immense power of their own.

"Li Yang, what about you?"

Zhou Tian stopped looking at Qin Si and turned to Li Yang. Among them all, the one he truly feared was Li Yang, who also commanded the energy of the Thunder Punishment.

"I am the Vice Alliance Master of the Zixuan Alliance!"

Li Yang said coldly, his words making his position immediately clear.

"Very well. Zhou Ming, Zhou Kuang, you two are responsible for dealing with the Qin brothers. I shall handle Li Yang personally. Zhou Xian, the rest of them are yours!"

Thunder flickered in Zhou Tian’s eyes. Thunder Punishment City had deployed over three hundred Godkings, and he, the Northwest Holy Emperor, had even come in person. It was certainly damaging to the prestige of Thunder Punishment City to be seen dealing with a small band of "bandits" in such a way, but to suppress Li Yang, Zhou Tian had no other choice.

A bead shimmering with purple electricity slowly emerged from Zhou Tian’s body and hovered above his head. He had summoned the symbol of the Holy Emperor of Thunder Punishment City—the first-rate Hongmeng treasure, the Thunder Source Pearl.

"Li Yang, if I take on Zhou Tian, can you hold off these Godkings?"

Qin Si suddenly asked Li Yang. With the great battle looming, no one knew what Qin Si intended.

"I suppose I can!" Li Yang gave a wry smile. Although he was also a Godking who commanded the Thunder Punishment, holding off over three hundred Godkings from Thunder Punishment City alone would be extremely difficult. If it were just him, he would not fear them—they could not kill him—but the situation was different now.

"What if you include Little Shuang?" Qin Si pressed further.

Li Yang looked at the pale-faced Godkings of the Zixuan Alliance behind him and began to understand Qin Si’s intention. He nodded, "With Little Shuang and me, there should be no problem!"

"Good, then kill as you please. I will take care of Zhou Tian!" Qin Si laughed, flying directly toward Zhou Tian. He suddenly turned back to Qin Shuang and added, "Little Shuang, I leave the account of that sneak attack by Zhou Xian to you. Don't forget it!"

Qin Shuang flew to Li Yang’s side, nodding, "Don't worry, Big Brother. I despise that name just as much as you do!"

"Haha, Zhou Tian, come! Let me see what kind of tricks you, the Northwest Holy Emperor, truly have!" With his instructions given to Qin Shuang, Qin Si no longer had any distractions and faced Zhou Tian with a hearty laugh.

An Upper Celestial challenging a Holy Emperor—to the people of Thunder Punishment City, the way they looked at Qin Si was as if they were watching a madman. Only Zhou Tian wore a grave expression.

A fiery red bead slowly emerged from Qin Si and hovered above his head. Facing a Holy Emperor, Qin Si dared not be arrogant. Beyond the golden spear in his hand, he had also summoned a first-rate Hongmeng treasure: the Fire Source Pearl.

"The Fire Source Pearl!"

Zhou Tian’s expression changed drastically. "Are you from the Western Extremity Flame Mountain?" he cried out in shock. Then, he shook his head, "Impossible. Even if you were from the Flame Mountain, you could not possibly possess the Fire Source Pearl!"

"What Western Extremity Flame Mountain? I don't know them!" Qin Si gave a cold laugh. He spun his spear, creating a flurry of thrusts that sent pitch-black spatial rifts surging toward Zhou Tian. Since the rift was already made, Qin Si would strike first; he was not foolish enough to let a Holy Emperor take the initiative.

Spatial rifts were places of certain death, even for Godkings. Zhou Tian had known that Qin Si’s attacks were formidable, but only when facing them himself did he realize he had underestimated him—Qin Si was far more powerful than his investigations had suggested.

With spatial control superior to that of a Godking who had fully mastered the Laws of Space, and possessing a first-rate Hongmeng treasure like the Fire Source Pearl, this Qin Si was indeed a major threat.

"Kill!"

Zhou Tian and Qin Si had already begun their clash, and the other Godkings of Thunder Punishment City naturally followed suit. Zhou Xian, being closest to the members of the Zixuan Alliance, charged forward first.

"Just in time!"

A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Qin Shuang’s mouth. The Thousand-Face Garment instantly appeared on his body, and he gripped the Mysterious Cyan Qi Staff, which was comparable to a first-rate Hongmeng treasure. Without any wasted movement, he swung the long staff directly at Zhou Xian and the other Godkings of Thunder Punishment City.

"Thump!"

A Godking from Thunder Punishment City used his own treasure to intercept Qin Shuang’s strike. To his shock, his treasure shattered instantly upon impact with the staff. The Godking scrambled backward, but even so, the force of the staff’s wind left him wounded.

"A first-rate Hongmeng treasure!"

The Godking did not even check his own wounds, staring at Qin Shuang in horror as he shouted. His cry caused both sides to pause. Zhou Tian cast a stunned glance at Qin Shuang, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart. His decision to use force against the Zixuan Alliance seemed to have been a mistake.

"Truly not simple!" A smile played on Li Yang’s lips. Qin Si and Qin Shuang had managed to stun everyone; for Li Yang, the stronger they were, the better.

"Qin Si, this golden spear of yours... is it also a first-rate Hongmeng treasure?"