Volume Two: The Life of a Bandit - Chapter Fifty-Six: Ulterior Motives

Well, the first chapter arrives...

Thunder Punishment City.

Zhou Tian, the Sacred Emperor of the Northwest, had deliberately avoided mentioning the Zixuan Alliance ever since his previous attempt to coerce them failed. Although there were some voices within Thunder Punishment City advocating for war, no action had been taken because Zhou Tian had not given the order.

"Eldest Brother, now that the Zixuan Alliance has allied with the Dianshui Sect, it is equivalent to them having a Supreme God backing them. Dealing with them in the future will likely be even more difficult!"

In the main hall of the Northwest Sacred Emperor, Zhou Tian's brothers had gathered specifically to discuss the matter of the Zixuan Alliance. The first to speak was Zhou Tian's younger brother, Zhou Gang.

"Exactly, Eldest Brother! Just give the word, and I will personally lead men to wipe them out. As for that Li Yang whom you wish to capture, I will surely bring him back to you!" another of Zhou Tian's younger brothers, Zhou Ming, shouted loudly. Zhou Ming, Zhou Gang, Zhou Kuang, and Zhou Tian were four brothers. The other three all held strong opinions regarding Zhou Tian's constant forbearance toward Li Yang.

"I am not afraid of them having a Supreme God behind them. Our Thunder Punishment City has far more Supreme Gods than they do; in terms of Supreme Gods, we still hold an absolute advantage."

Zhou Tian shook his head, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "We can obstruct and strike at them through other means. For the time being, do not touch Li Yang and Qin Si; I have my own uses for them!"

"Eldest Brother, do you mean we should secretly fund the Pengliu Sect and the Santing Valley?" Zhou Kuang, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke up. Zhou Kuang's name completely contrasted with his personality; among the four brothers, he possessed the most meticulous mind.

"Precisely. Since they have formed an alliance, they must face difficulties together!" Zhou Tian raised his head, a flash of purple light crossing his eyes. The information Zhou Fei'er had sent back still contained nothing of use.

The Pengliu Sect and the Santing Valley together boasted nearly three hundred God Kings. The sect master of the Pengliu Sect and the valley master of the Santing Valley were both God Kings who had comprehended spatial stasis long ago. Had it not been for this, the Dianshui Sect would never have tolerated these two factions moving into Dianshui City.

The alliance between the Zixuan Alliance and the Dianshui Sect made these two factions the most nervous. They had conducted investigations into the Zixuan Alliance and knew that although it was a rising faction, its strength was definitely not to be underestimated—especially the unclear relationship between the Zixuan Alliance and Thunder Punishment City, which made them extremely wary.

While Zhou Tian and his three brothers were conferring in Thunder Punishment City, certain members of the Pengliu Sect and the Santing Valley were holding their own discussion. By comparison, these two factions attached the greatest importance to the alliance. No one could guarantee whether the Zixuan Alliance and the Dianshui Sect would make a move against them after allying, given that they had essentially forced their way into the territory of the Dianshui Sect.

"Sect Master Liu, I say we can no longer afford to wait! If we do not strike first, sooner or later the Dianshui Sect will unite with the Zixuan Alliance to defeat us one by one!"

The loudest voice belonged to He Tie, an elder of the Santing Valley. He Tie was also the most formidable expert in the Santing Valley second only to Valley Master Ma Taiyuan.

"Elder He, do not be impatient. If we strike first, we will stand on shaky moral ground. After all, the Dianshui Sect has a Supreme God behind them, and we must take the influence of that Supreme God into consideration!"

Liu Shengping, the sect master of the Pengliu Sect, shook his head and said. The Pengliu Sect had two sect masters; the other was named Peng Fan. The two were sworn brothers who had jointly founded the sect.

"What is there to fear? If their Supreme God dares to act, the other Supreme Gods certainly will not allow it! Back then, the only reason we were able to forcibly seize this place was because someone feared the Dianshui Sect would become the eleventh bandit faction and thus let us come here to keep them in check!"

Elder Ma Taiyuan shouted again. What he said was the truth. Although the two factions had moved into Dianshui City at a time when the Dianshui Sect was at its weakest, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. If the Dianshui Sect had wanted to drive them out back then, it wouldn't have been entirely impossible. It was precisely because Tianyi Water Pavilion, one of the top ten bandit factions, had intervened that the Dianshui Sect had been forced to cede half of its territory.

"Times are different now. Do not forget the existence of the Zixuan Alliance. No one can say for sure whether there is a Supreme God backing the Zixuan Alliance. Furthermore, we still do not know the relationship between the Zixuan Alliance and Thunder Punishment City. If we anger Thunder Punishment City, the consequences are definitely something we cannot bear!"

Liu Shengping shook his head once more. He was opting for caution, and there was nothing wrong with doing so.

"Eh?"

Peng Fan, who had remained silent throughout, suddenly tightened his expression. His demeanor turned exceptionally serious, and then he nodded repeatedly, finally transforming into a look of joy.

"Sect Master Peng?" Santing Valley Master Ma Taiyuan asked in a low voice. Peng Fan's appearance looked precisely like he was communicating with someone.

"Haha, there is no need to debate this any longer! If we cannot fight the Dianshui Sect, can we not fight the Zixuan Alliance? Since they want to ally, we shall eliminate their allies. Let's see who dares to form an alliance with them in the future!"

Peng Fan wore a smile on his face. Seeing the puzzled expressions of the others, he continued, "Pavilion Master Wulong of the Tianyi Water Pavilion personally came just now and communicated with me via voice transmission for a moment. Pavilion Master Wulong told me that the Zixuan Alliance and Thunder Punishment City are in an adversarial relationship. Moreover, if we attack the Zixuan Alliance, they will help us hold the Dianshui Sect in check from behind!"

"Splendid! Haha, the Zixuan Alliance and Thunder Punishment City are adversaries. If we wipe out the Zixuan Alliance this time, we might even forge a connection with Thunder Punishment City. In the future, eliminating the Dianshui Sect, monopolizing Dianshui City, and seizing the divine stone mine will be no difficult task!"

Elder He Tie of the Santing Pavilion was the first to burst into laughter. The problems they had been most worried about now seemed to be resolved, and it appeared they had been resolved even better. This was also an opportunity for them to capture Dianshui City.

The reason the Dianshui Sect sought allies was primarily because of the Pengliu Sect and the Santing Pavilion. As the two factions grew increasingly powerful day by day and enjoyed the support of the Tianyi Water Pavilion behind them, it was hard to guarantee they would continue developing peacefully. Tying the Zixuan Alliance to their chariot was also a warning to the two factions. If they could leverage the influence of Thunder Punishment City to drive the two factions away, that would be for the best.

"Eldest Brother, is the news accurate? Zhou Fei'er, the genius God King of Thunder Punishment City and the little princess of the Northwest Sacred Emperor, is still following the alliance master of the Zixuan Alliance!"

Everyone else was laughing, but Liu Shengping alone furrowed his brows slightly. He always felt something was amiss regarding this matter.

"Do not worry. I asked Pavilion Master Wulong about that. God King Zhou Fei'er of Thunder Punishment City chose to remain in the Zixuan Alliance of her own accord. As for the reason, Pavilion Master Wulong did not say, but he guaranteed that if we attack the Zixuan Alliance, Thunder Punishment City will not interfere. Second Brother, do not forget—Pavilion Master Wulong's younger sister is now a person of Thunder Punishment City!" Peng Fan explained with a smile.

"Then I am at ease. We can devise a strategy to catch them off guard and eliminate the Zixuan Alliance using the most effortless method possible!"

Liu Shengping thought for a moment and nodded as well. Strictly speaking, both the Pengliu Sect and the Santing Pavilion were minor factions attached to the Tianyi Water Pavilion; the Tianyi Water Pavilion would certainly not harm them without reason. Furthermore, the Tianyi Water Pavilion was also guarding against the growth of the Dianshui Sect, and they shared a common objective. As long as Thunder Punishment City was not dragged into this, everything else would be much easier to handle.

"What is there to discuss? We will simply take all our God Kings and charge over! Those who surrender, we will accept; those who do not, we will slaughter. I heard that their alliance master is an upper Celestial God, hailed as some kind of supreme upper Celestial God. I have long wanted to see just how formidable an upper Celestial God he truly is!"

He Tie's booming voice rang out once more. He Tie possessed a straightforward temperament and was formidable in combat, but his capacity for consideration was somewhat lacking.

"Elder He, we cannot simply destroy the Zixuan Alliance with a single blow. If we were to wipe them out completely, how would the Dianshui Sect come to their rescue? Do not forget that the Dianshui Sect and the Zixuan Alliance are now allies!" Liu Shengping stood up, paced a few steps, and then said with a smile.

"Second Brother, what do you mean?" Peng Fan's eyes lit up, as did Ma Taiyuan's. Both had already guessed Liu Shengping's intention.

"Precisely—it is to let the Dianshui Sect make a move to aid them. That way, Pavilion Master Wulong will also step in to help us deal with the Dianshui Sect's reinforcements. Even if Pavilion Master Wulong does not personally eradicate the Dianshui Sect, he can at least wipe out a portion of their forces. Only then will we be in a better position to deal with the Dianshui Sect afterward, and demanding a share of the divine stone mine's resources might not be impossible either."

Liu Shengping smiled and nodded. Destroying the Zixuan Alliance was something they felt extremely confident about, but obliterating the Zixuan Alliance in isolation was of little use to them. What they truly coveted was the Dianshui Sect's divine stone mine.

"Haha, brilliant! Sect Master Liu, your head is truly sharp. Why couldn't I come up with such a fine idea?" He Tie now understood as well, and he heartily praised Liu Shengping's plan. "Haha, I heard the Zixuan Alliance possesses countless heavenly divine artifacts. If we plunder all their heavenly divine artifacts this time, it can be considered a small windfall!"

Everyone in the room laughed, and even Liu Shengping joined in. Unfortunately, these people did not know that even three hundred God Kings from Thunder Punishment City had failed to conquer the Zixuan Alliance. For just three hundred God Kings from their two bandit factions to attempt an assault on the Zixuan Alliance was nothing more than courting their own destruction.

Ever since the Zixuan Alliance and the Dianshui Sect formed their alliance, the Dianshui Sect had remained in a state of high alert. Sect Master Duanshuai knew that their alliance would inevitably provoke the Pengliu Sect and the Santing Valley, and he was most worried that these two factions would launch a sudden attack at this juncture. The Dianshui Sect was not afraid of these two factions at all; rather, the Tianyi Water Pavilion standing behind them was the Dianshui Sect's most vexing problem.

Although the Tianyi Water Pavilion ranked last among the top ten bandit factions, the fact that it could secure a notable name among the forces of the Divine Realm meant it was vastly superior to ordinary factions. Among the twenty-seven major factions of the Divine Realm, the Tianyi Water Pavilion proudly held a place.

(To be continued)