Volume II: The Life of a Bandit - Chapter 67: With Your Blood, Spread My Name (Part Two)

"That may be true, but we have no connection whatsoever to those ascender factions. How could we ever ask them for help?" Qin Shuang thought for a moment before continuing, "Besides, out of the three of us, not a single one ascended from this realm!"

"Shuang is right. We are neither a native faction nor an ascended faction. Come to think of it, the three of us are entirely outsiders!"

Qin Si also smiled. He and Qin Shuang hailed from the Linmeng God Realm. As for Li Yang, though his exact origin remained unclear, he certainly did not belong to the Hongmeng God Realm. Just like them, he was an outsider.

"None of that matters. What matters is how we can persuade the ascender factions to help us. Given our current standing, they certainly won't pay us any mind!"

Li Yang shook his head and slowly added, "The threat the Eight Great God Clans pose to the Zixuan Alliance is far greater than that of the Tianyi Water Pavilion. To put it bluntly, if the Eight Great God Clans truly wish to destroy the Zixuan Alliance, our alliance will never again be able to show its face in the God Realm."

"Supreme spiritual treasures? No, we don't have enough spiritual treasures to sway them!" Qin Si pondered briefly before dismissing his own idea. To move the nine major ascender factions into helping them deal with the Eight Great God Clans, a single top-tier Primordial Spiritual Treasure wouldn't suffice, and they would need more than one. Qin Si did possess top-tier Primordial Spiritual Treasures, but he only had two.

"Divine stones are out of the question as well. The divine stone mines controlled by the nine major factions are by no means fewer than those of the Eight Great God Clans!" Qin Shuang also ruled out that option. Bribing the nine major ascender factions with divine stones was nothing short of a joke.

"Strength. If we have a way to help them enhance their strength, then it might work!" Li Yang said slowly, his eyes fixed on Qin Si.

"You mean..." Qin Si seemed to grasp his meaning and nodded, asking, "You are suggesting...?"

"As an upper-level Heavenly God, you can display strength that surpasses ordinary God Kings. I believe they will definitely be interested in your cultivation technique. You don't need to give them the complete manual; revealing just a portion should be enough to sway them and make them help us deal with the Eight Great God Clans!"

Li Yang nodded, confirming his train of thought. Qin Si's formidable strength implied that the cultivation technique he practiced was extraordinary. Much like himself, whose techniques were also exceptional and far more powerful than those of ordinary God Kings.

"A cultivation technique? That's a good idea, but the technique I practice is something I comprehended on my own and cannot be passed on to others!" Qin Si paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

"It can't be passed on?" Li Yang was also stunned. His own technique could indeed be taught to others, though it would be considerably inferior without the control of the lightning origin source, and his technique might not possess enough appeal to move the nine major ascender factions.

"It seems we'll have to think of another way!" This time, even Li Yang smiled bitterly. He had originally intended to persuade Qin Si to part with a small fraction of his technique to entice the nine major factions and weather this crisis, but now that path seemed unviable as well.

"Forget it. If they come, we will simply fight and kill. Leave no one at the headquarters. As for Tiehua City, whoever dares to seize it will be annihilated by me later on. Once we get past this hurdle, no one will ever dare to look down upon our Zixuan Alliance again!"

Qin Si slammed his hand heavily onto the table, speaking with lingering resentment. At present, the Zixuan Alliance truly lacked the strength to defend two separate locations; they might as well concentrate all their forces in Duanshui City. At least here, they had allies like the Duanshui Sect to join forces with in defense.

Yuchi Zhengfeng had already left Duanshui City. From the moment this Sovereign of the Western Pole arrived until his departure, the true master of Duanshui City, Duan Shuai, never even caught a glimpse of him. However, reports from his subordinates already indicated that the conversation between Qin Si and the Sovereign of the Western Pole had not been pleasant.

"Boss Qin, you can't be serious. I heard your talks with the Sovereign of the Western Pole completely fell apart?" Duan Shuai wore a gloomy expression, hoping Qin Si could give him a satisfactory reply.

Qin Si spread his hands and said helplessly, "Actually, I didn't want it to turn out this way either. That old fellow insisted on prying into my personal privacy, and when I refused to tell him, he threatened me. What else could I do?"

"And what was the final outcome?" Duan Shuai's heart leapt to his throat as he asked cautiously.

"At least for now, it appears the Eight Great God Clans have no intention of standing on the same front as us," Qin Si told Duan Shuai calmly.

"You really are my boss..." Faced with Qin Si, Duan Shuai was utterly speechless. "Let's put that aside for now. The Sun-Moon Alliance, Qianhong Island, Tianya Sea, and Ziwu Heaven together boast several hundred God Kings. Let's figure out a way to send them packing first."

Qin Si chuckled softly, "Who gives a damn about those people? Just wave them off however we can."

Duan Shuai offered a bitter smile, "Boss, I'm not afraid of these people, and the Duanshui Sect alone isn't afraid of them either. The crucial issue is the Tianyi Water Pavilion standing behind them. If we fight until both sides are badly mauled and the Tianyi Water Pavilion suddenly launches an attack, we'll be in deep trouble."

"What's more, you've already offended the Eight Great God Clans. In the event that they decide to meddle as well, we will be completely finished."

"I... I am aware of that." Qin Si hesitated for a moment before speaking with a serious expression, "Sect Master Duan, may I ask how many core members the Duanshui Sect currently has?"

"Uh..." Duan Shuai was taken aback, failing to understand why Qin Si would ask such a question, but he answered truthfully nonetheless, "Currently, the Duanshui Sect has a total of about eleven hundred core members, among whom one hundred and nineteen are God Kings, and all the rest are Heavenly Gods."

Qin Si pondered slightly and said, "Very well, Sect Master Duan, let's get our ugly truths out in the open first. The Tianyi Water Pavilion and ourselves are already as incompatible as fire and water. What I, Qin Si, can guarantee is the safety of the Duanshui Sect's core members. As for the God Kings from the Sun-Moon Alliance, Qianhong Island, Tianya Sea, and Ziwu Heaven, we will deal with them ourselves. The moment the Tianyi Water Pavilion joins the fray, we will fight if we can; if we cannot, we will simply have to sacrifice some people."

"This... Very well." Duan Shuai actually understood that in the battles and killings of the God Realm, casualties were inevitable, and as for the fall of God Kings, they had long since grown accustomed to it.

"Sect Master Duan, you should return right now to reorganize your forces, separating those who can participate in battle from those core members who need to be preserved. Our Zixuan Alliance will do the exact same thing. As long as our foundation remains unshaken, no one will ever manage to destroy us." A hint of murderous intent flashed across Qin Si's eyes.

Over six hundred God Kings from the Sun-Moon Alliance, Qianhong Island, Tianya Sea, and Ziwu Heaven appeared outside Duanshui City.

Meanwhile, on the other side, only four individuals—Qin Si, Qin Shuang, Li Yang, and Duan Shuai—floated in the void, chatting and laughing cheerfully, looking nothing like people facing an imminent, formidable enemy.

Gao Qi, leader of the Sun-Moon Alliance; Ye Qianhong, master of Qianhong Island; Duan Tianlang, pavilion master of Tianya Sea; and Ziyan, sect master of Ziwu Heaven, were thoroughly infuriated by the attitude of the Zixuan Alliance and the Duanshui Sect.

Both sides were at the God King realm, yet their opponents had dispatched a mere four people while they had mobilized a total of six hundred.

"That must be Sect Master Duan Shuai and the three leaders of the Zixuan Alliance on the other side." Ye Qianhong had been appointed by the Tianyi Water Pavilion as the overall commander for this military campaign, so when facing the leadership of the opposing side, only he was qualified to speak.

"Wah!" Qin Si suddenly let out a startled cry, then shouted loudly, "Little Shuang, Brother Li Yang, Sect Master Duan, look at all these God Kings! Where on earth did they all pop up from?"

Li Yang rubbed his chin and said thoughtfully, "Alliance Master, it seems the terms we promised were far too tempting, bringing out so many God Kings all at once. Do you still have that many superior-grade heavenly artifacts? You did promise two pieces to each of them, after all."

"Big Brother, I warned you back then not to make such extravagant promises. Now that you can't produce all those items, how do you plan to explain yourself?" Qin Shuang chimed in with complaints.

"Come to think of it, every day countless God Kings arrive in Duanshui City, and oddly enough, they're all here to pledge allegiance to the Zixuan Alliance. Alliance Master Qin, if I may speak my mind, you really ought to spare some of them for our Duanshui Sect as well." Duan Shuai joined in the banter.

The four of them spoke in voices varying from loud to soft, yet the God Kings on the opposite side heard every single word with absolute clarity, without missing a single syllable.

"Alliance Master, let us go over there and slaughter these arrogant brutes." A red-haired, burly man with bloodshot eyes requested permission from Gao Qi, leader of the Sun-Moon Alliance.

"No. They are standing out there with only four people; there's bound to be an ambush." Gao Qi was naturally cautious. Although he had heard that the three leaders of the Zixuan Alliance possessed peerless valor, no sane person would believe four individuals could face six hundred God Kings with such nonchalance. Consequently, Gao Qi concluded that the Zixuan Alliance must have prepared a fallback plan.

"Alliance Master Gao, I believe Chijun's suggestion is viable. You mustn't forget the purpose of our trip here." Ye Qianhong glanced sideways at Gao Qi and said with a trace of sarcasm.

"Hmph, of course I know. It's just that Gao fails to understand—Brother Ye also has quite a number of men under his command, so why not send them up?" Gao Qi knew full well that their actual purpose in this endeavor was merely to act as cannon fodder, as long as they inflicted a certain degree of damage upon the Zixuan Alliance.

"Hmph, a bunch of all-talk, no-action good-for-nothings," Ziyan, with his cascade of purple hair, said coldly. With a sudden flash of his figure, he materialized right before the four of them, cupped his fists in a salute, and declared, "I am Ziyan, Sect Master of Ziwu Heaven. I have specifically come here to challenge Qin Si, leader of the Zixuan Alliance."

Qin Si paused for a moment, then smiled affably as he said, "Sect Master Ziyan, was it? Challenging me is fine, but I always prefer to place a little wager. I wonder what you have to stake?"

"My life!" As soon as he finished speaking, a ball of deep purple flames suddenly ignited in Ziyan's palm. Though these flames were not the ethereal karmic fire, their destructive might was by no means inferior to it.

"Boom!" With a deafening explosion, Qin Si's body was sent flying backward for hundreds of meters, while the Fire Origin Divine Bead hovered above his crown.

"Oh?" Qin Si let out a surprised cry, "Your flames are quite extraordinary indeed; my Fire Origin Divine Bead was actually unable to absorb them?"

"Die." Ziyan's chilling voice rang out as his entire body became engulfed in purple flames, charging straight toward Qin Si.

*(To be continued)*