Volume 2: The Life of a Bandit - Chapter 62: Qin Si's God King Realm (Part Two)

"Although this is a third-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure, in my hands, it can unleash power far greater than your first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure." Wu Qing's eyes revealed deep emotion, as if he were gazing at his own wife. He stared intently at the gold and blue sphere floating before him. The fist-sized sphere seemed to respond to his will, emitting a buzzing resonance. Instantly, golden and blue radiances surged straight into the sky, the two brilliant lights intertwining in a magnificent display.

"Come and taste the power of my 'Golden Ocean Spirit Bead'."

A low, deep groan escaped Wu Qing's lips. Before the sound faded, the gold and blue sphere suddenly erupted with a blinding beam of light as thick as a rice bowl, instantly striking Qin Si in the chest.

Qin Si floated leisurely in mid-air. Hearing Wu Qing's deep voice, he made no effort to stop him; instead, he watched with keen interest as Wu Qing manipulated the third-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure to attack him.

Every deity and God King had their eyes fixed on the third-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure orb in Wu Qing's hand, their faces displaying a myriad of expressions—envy, shock, greed, and admiration. In that moment, everyone believed that Wu Qing, a practitioner at the God King realm, would surely defeat Qin Si, who wielded a first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure.

After all, weapons still had to be wielded by people. In everyone's view, given Qin Si's current cultivation level, wielding a first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure was no different from an eight-year-old child brandishing a hundred-pound club. Though he might be able to swing it, the weapon would inflict as much harm upon himself as it did upon his enemy.

Wu Qing, on the other hand, was like a fully grown adult wielding a long blade perfectly matched to his physique, capable of fully unleashing the blade's might without restraint. The disparity between them was self-evident.

The rice-bowl-thick beam of light reached Qin Si's chest almost the exact moment it was launched. Giving Qin Si no time to react at all, it struck his chest with heavy, malevolent force.

Qin Si's whole body shuddered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, flying backward for several hundred zhang under the immense impact. Immediately afterward, Wu Qing's figure abruptly materialized right in front of Qin Si. Throwing a punch, he sought to leverage the mighty power of the 'Golden Ocean Spirit Bead' to finish Qin Si off in one fell swoop.

The formidable offensive power of the 'Golden Ocean Spirit Bead' and the chilling aura it radiated caused Qin Si immense discomfort. As Wu Qing's fist drove toward him, the corners of Qin Si's mouth curled into an elegant arc, a flash of mockery dancing in his eyes. The next instant, his body vanished without a trace.

Right where he had disappeared, a massive black chasm materialized beside Wu Qing. Having just thrown a punch and with no time to retract it, Wu Qing punched straight into the chasm.

With a soft snap, the spatial rift generated by the black chasm remained motionless as Wu Qing's fist was instantly reduced to a spray of flesh and blood. In the blink of an eye, his entire right arm was ground into pulp by the overwhelming power. Wu Qing let out a miserable shriek and rapidly retreated, continuously casting time-acceleration spells upon himself until he shot back to the exact spot where the battle had just begun.

At that very moment, Qin Si's figure abruptly appeared behind him. A golden spear swept out silently, thrusting straight toward Wu Qing's Dantian.

Wu Qing's severed right arm instantly regenerated. Just as he was about to release his divine sense to search for Qin Si's whereabouts, a sudden wave of extreme peril chilled him to the core. Terrified beyond measure, and with no time to turn around, he fled frantically forward.

Qin Si pursued relentlessly. The two figures turned into twin streaks of light in the sky, chasing one another back and forth like predatory falcons locked in an endless duel.

Though it takes a while to describe, their movements actually transpired in the span of a single breath. The deities and God Kings standing below watched in utter bewilderment, their minds replaying the scene of the clash over and over. Everyone felt their throats go dry; the combat prowess displayed by these two was truly astonishing.

Nan Quewu and the fatty exchanged bitter smiles, the latter whispering in a low voice, "I never imagined the Alliance Master of the Purple Mystery Alliance would be this terrifyingly powerful. His physical body is so shockingly resilient that he merely spat a mouthful of blood after taking a direct hit from a third-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure."

The fatty stared blankly at the chasing figures in mid-air, envy flashing in his eyes as he muttered in response, "Qin Si is indeed immensely powerful. It seems all of us severely miscalculated his strength—not just miscalculated, but terribly so. I always have the lingering feeling that he hasn't even used his full strength yet."

Nan Quewu glanced at the fatty in surprise, unable to suppress the shock in his heart anymore, and blurted out, "Impossible! For a mere Upper Deity to beat a God King who has comprehended time-stagnation into such a sorry state is already beyond belief. How could he possibly still be hiding his strength?"

The fatty shook his head, sighed without speaking, but a look of quiet disbelief remained etched upon his face.

Just as the two of them were arguing, Wu Qing had already spun around to engage Qin Si in direct, head-on combat. After all, he was a God King who had mastered the laws of time-stagnation. Although time-stagnation could not inflict actual damage on Qin Si, it was still sufficient to slightly hinder his relentless pursuit.

Sensing that his right arm felt considerably weaker than the rest of his body, a blazing fury ignited within Wu Qing. He roared, "Qin Si, if I don't kill you today, I, Wu Qing, am no longer human!"

"Spare me, do you even want to remain human?" Qin Si looked at the 'Golden Ocean Spirit Bead' in Wu Qing's hand with utter disdain. To his own surprise, when he had intentionally remained motionless earlier just to test the lethality of that third-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure, he hadn't expected its destructive force to be quite so terrifying, managing to force a mouthful of blood out of him despite his protective Fire Source Spirit Bead.

Pondering for a moment, Qin Si suddenly chuckled. Looking at Wu Qing with a grin, he teased, "Could it be you actually thought a shabby third-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure bead would be enough to deal with me?"

"Did you really assume I only possess a single first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure?"

A mighty wave of confidence suddenly erupted from Qin Si's entire body. Behind his head, an orb radiating a fanatical aura slowly rose, hovering steadily above his crown.

Silence—an absolute, profound silence spread among the onlookers. The bead radiating that frenzied aura left everyone holding their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.

"Another—another first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure..." The fatty raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap across Nan Quewu's face, sending the unprepared Nan Quewu spinning sideways through the air.

Nan Quewu let out a miserable groan before flying back to the fatty's side. The sudden pain snapped him back to his senses, but instead of arguing over the unexpected blow, his jaw dropped wide open as he stared fixedly at the orb hovering above Qin Si's head.

Everyone stared with unblinking eyes at the floating bead, virtually all of them feeling an overwhelming sense of oppression. Wu Qing was naturally no exception; he too widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at Qin Si as he blurted out, "How can you possibly possess two Grandmist spiritual treasures?!"

Having said that, he couldn't help offering a bitter smile to himself. It wasn't just two Grandmist spiritual treasures—they were, damn it, two first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasures! At that moment, Wu Qing felt an urge to end his own life. Just who was the backer supporting this Purple Mystery Alliance Master? Even a supreme Celestial Venerable couldn't casually pull out two first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasures at once. And even if they could, it wouldn't be as effortless and unconcerned as Qin Si displaying them before his eyes.

Qin Si smiled faintly, his piercing gaze locking onto the incredulous expression on Wu Qing's face as he calmly replied, "So what if there are two? Had I not wished to keep a low profile, even producing ten or eight wouldn't be much trouble. What's the matter? Seeing the formidable power of my treasures, are you too scared to fight me anymore?"

"If you're willing to beg for mercy on oath—oh, never mind, let's just kill you instead." Qin Si chuckled evilly, his figure vanishing in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already right in front of Wu Qing, delivering a straightforward, unadorned punch. The intense, searing heat left Wu Qing gasping for air.

Wu Qing's fighting spirit had already been beaten down to its lowest ebb by Qin Si. Seeing the attack incoming, his body reacted out of pure instinct, and the power of the 'Golden Ocean Spirit Bead' surged outward from his fist.

"Stop right there!" Wu Qing was, after all, a supreme expert of the God King realm with an immensely tenacious will. Though temporarily demoralized by the shock of Qin Si's first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure, he recovered instantly, shouting coldly as he unleashed spatial stagnation directly onto Qin Si.

Qin Si smiled faintly, his body twisting in a bizarre, unnatural manner that instantly broke him free of Wu Qing's control, his fist carrying a blazing inferno as it continued its descent toward Wu Qing.

Boom! A deafening roar instantly filled the ears of all the surrounding deities. The massive shockwave drove the ground beneath their feet down by a hundred meters, leaving a mirror-smooth depression that starkly contrasted with the surrounding terrain and left the deities gasping in frequent awe.

The two figures simultaneously retreated, each coughing up a mouthful of blood before halting at a distance to glare at one another in a standoff.

Feeling the 'Golden Ocean Spirit Bead' vibrating incessantly—clearly having sustained damage from the unknown first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure Qin Si had used—Wu Qing could not help demanding, "What kind of bead is that first-rate Grandmist spiritual treasure of yours?"

Qin Si made no secret of it, replying with a faint smile, "This is a treasure that has accompanied me ever since my birth—the Fire Source Spirit Bead. Very well, enough chit-chat. Since you are so wary of it, I won't bully you by relying solely on the superiority of my treasures. I've gained some insights today; haha, perhaps it will allow me to break through to the God King realm. In that case, let us have a truly hearty and unrestricted battle!"

Before his voice had even faded, Qin Si's figure reappeared beside Wu Qing, a casual wave of his hand instantly engorging Wu Qing within a sudden spatial rift.

(To be continued)