Volume Two: A Bandit's Life - Chapter Seventy: The Calm Before the Storm

Ziyan cast a grateful look at Qin Si and was about to speak when Ye Qiuhong roared from the side, "Ziyan, we belong to the Heaven-One Water Pavilion, and the Pavilion Master is still awaiting news of our triumphant return. How can you casually pledge allegiance to others?"

Duan Tianlang and Gao Qi also nodded repeatedly, clearly startled and panicked by Ziyan's sudden defection to the Purple Mystery Alliance. Gao Qi shouted as well, "Don't forget that the Heaven-One Water Pavilion can wipe out your Purple Mist Heaven at any moment. Even if you want to surrender to the Purple Mystery Alliance yourself, you must consider how to appease the wrath of the Heaven-One Water Pavilion."

Ziyan glanced coldly at the panicked Ye Qiuhong and his two companions, ignoring their bluster. Instead, he turned his head and cast a reluctant gaze toward the equally dazed God Kings of Purple Mist Heaven.

"From this day onward, I shall no longer be the leader of Purple Mist Heaven, and all of you shall gain your freedom. Those who still wish to remain in Purple Mist Heaven, please leave immediately so that you will not be accidentally injured in the upcoming battle and grieve in vain. Brothers who desire free and unhindered cultivation, please leave at once as well..."

Ziyan's calm yet emotion-laden voice echoed among the crowd. All the God Kings of Purple Mist Heaven listened quietly to his words without interrupting.

Just as Ziyan's voice faded, all one hundred and twenty God Kings of Purple Mist Heaven dropped to their knees simultaneously before him. They said in unison, "We are all willing to follow God King Ziyan and never leave you, through thick and thin."

Ziyan was stunned for a moment, and Qin Si and his two companions were similarly taken aback. Ye Qiuhong and the other two were even more shocked, glaring bitterly at Ziyan. Ye Qiuhong sneered, "Well, well, Ziyan. And well done, Purple Mist Heaven. To think you truly intend to betray the Heaven-One Water Pavilion. From now on, everyone listen up: see anyone from Purple Mist Heaven, kill them on sight. Show no mercy."

Everyone else remained silent, watching the God Kings of Purple Mist Heaven with a sense of incomprehension. None of them had expected Ziyan's prestige and appeal to be so immense.

"Haha, Ye Qiuhong! Ziyan is now a member of my Purple Mystery Alliance, and Purple Mist Heaven has become a part of the Purple Mystery Alliance as well. How dare you threaten my people? Watch me teach you a good lesson today!" Qin Si was ecstatic. Having subdued a God King along with over a hundred followers who came with him—though he, Xiaoshuang, and Li Yang had expended considerable effort to rescue Ziyan's true spirit from imminent self-destruction—the cost was negligible compared to these gains. It was an exceptionally good deal.

"Hmph, Qin Si! Don't think that just because Ziyan and Purple Mist Heaven have surrendered to you, we will be afraid. Without them, we still have nearly five hundred God Kings. If a real war breaks out, we won't necessarily be defeated by you." Seeing the look on Qin Si's face, anger welled up within Ye Qiuhong. He sneered, glaring sideways at Qin Si and his group while his mind raced with lightning speed, trying to figure out how to capture Watersedge City under these circumstances and annihilate both the Purple Mystery Alliance and the Watersedge Sect.

Qin Si chuckled, looking down at Ye Qiuhong with utter contempt. "What? Could it be that your cultivation is even more formidable than Wuqing's and Ziyan's? Haha, I never imagined that Qiuhong Island actually possessed such experts. Since that's the case, let us test our true skills with our fists."

Ye Qiuhong's expression stiffened. Qin Si's sarcastic words filled him with shame, anger, and fear. Even Ziyan, the strongest among the four of them, had been driven almost to self-destruction by Qin Si; naturally, with his own level of cultivation, he would certainly be no match for Qin Si.

After pondering for a long time, Ye Qiuhong exchanged glances with Duan Tianlang and Gao Qi before making a swift and resolute decision in his heart. "Today's business ends here. Hmph, we have plenty of time ahead. Eventually, we will wipe out your Purple Mystery Alliance."

Qin Si laughed heartily and made no move to stop them, simply watching as Ye Qiuhong led the forces of the three major factions away in a hurry.

Once everyone entered Watersedge City and settled into the Watersedge Sect, Qin Si took his seat in the main hall of the sect and began issuing a rapid series of orders to various factions. Qin Shuang and Li Yang flanked him on either side, while the actual master of the Watersedge Sect was relegated to a guest seat.

Following their consultation, Ziyan, Ping Tian, and Zhao Yongkui set off for Purple Mist Heaven to bring the remaining God Kings and Heavenly Gods stationed there back to Watersedge City.

By now, Watersedge City had become a vital base for the Purple Mystery Alliance. The destroyed headquarters of the Pengliu Sect and the Three Pavilions had both fallen under the control of the Alliance. Strictly speaking, the Purple Mystery Alliance now possessed sufficient strength within Watersedge City to rival the Pavilion head-on, to say nothing of their strength in Ironflower City.

The news that Ziyan had been defeated by Qin Si and had defected to the Purple Mystery Alliance along with all the God Kings and Heavenly Gods of Purple Mist Heaven spread throughout the Primordial God Realm by the very next day. All twenty-seven major factions in the Realm were thrown into an uproar, especially the ascender factions that had previously stood by as onlookers, who could not help but view the Purple Mystery Alliance in a new light.

The God Realm was always like this: the strong would forever receive the welcome and respect of others. Rumors were already faintly circulating that within the nine major ascender factions, some God Kings had suggested making contact with the Purple Mystery Alliance. However, because the current situation remained unclear, no emissaries had been dispatched just yet.

What puzzled Qin Si and the others, however, was that the eight major divine clans of the God Realm had maintained a stance of detached observation from beginning to end. After the Primordial Monarch of the Northwest and Qin Si had their fallout, everyone had imagined that these divine clans would seize the opportunity while the Heaven-One Water Pavilion went to war with the Purple Mystery Alliance to stir up trouble. Qin Si had even prepared himself early on to resist the eight clans, yet no one had come to make trouble, not even after the subjugation of Ziyan and Purple Mist Heaven.

"Big Brother, something seems a bit abnormal." Li Yang was still sitting in a chair, sipping Erguotou. Qin Shuang leaned lazily against the back of his chair; ever since he had comprehended the cessation of time, he understood that any further progress from this point onward would require extraordinary perseverance and destiny, rather than relying solely on bitter cultivation and enlightenment to achieve the realm of a Exalted God, otherwise Li Yang would have already reached that level long ago.

Looking at Qin Si, who was frowning in deep thought, Qin Shuang furrowed his brow and said, "Why have the eight divine clans made no move all these days? Logically speaking, they would love nothing more than for us and the Heaven-One Water Pavilion to suffer heavy mutual losses so they could devour our forces and capture the three of us. Their tranquility is far too bizarre."

"Indeed. I originally thought they would take advantage of the fire to loot, but who would have thought these old fellows could actually sit so still without the slightest reaction? It gives me a headache, a headache..." Qin Si rubbed his temples. Inadvertently, a graceful figure stepped out from behind him, placing delicate, scallion-like jade fingers upon his forehead to massage it gently.

Qin Si turned around in surprise, only to see Zhou Fei'er standing behind him with a sweet, charming smile. The docile expression on her face made his heart tighten involuntarily. But then, recalling Zhou Fei'er's bizarre behavior ever since she arrived in Watersedge City over the past few days, he relaxed. Perhaps this young woman had grown tired of being arrogant and domineering and wanted to play the role of a sweet and obedient girl. Right now, Qin Si had no energy to deal with her; as long as she didn't stir up trouble indiscriminately, he would let her be.

Come to think of it, it was quite comical. After his falling out with the Primordial Monarch of the Northwest, Zhou Tian, Qin Si had once considered sending Zhou Fei'er back to the Thunder Punishment City. After all, once a real war broke out, Zhou Tian would hardly care about the oath he had sworn. Furthermore, even if Thunder Punishment City didn't intervene, the other seven divine clans alone would be enough to give the Purple Mystery Alliance a very hard time.

Yet for some unknown reason, Zhou Fei'er stubbornly refused to return to Thunder Punishment City. Whenever Qin Si brought it up, she would use her oath as an excuse, insisting on staying for a full millennium before leaving. This left Qin Si both perplexed and worried. Ever since the war broke out, he had sent Zhou Fei'er to Crow Leaf Island and asked Crow Leaf to take care of her. Figuring that an Exalted God's abilities would naturally prevent her from coming to harm, Qin Si's mind had settled just a little.

Seeing Qin Si sitting with his eyes closed and an expression of pure enjoyment, coupled with the gentle look on Zhou Fei'er's face, Qin Shuang's eyes widened in disbelief as he exchanged bewildered glances with Li Yang. Although the two of them had frequently seen Zhou Fei'er during this period, they had usually avoided her due to lack of time and a desire to keep their distance, never having interacted with her closely. Yet no matter how hard the two of them racked their brains, they could never figure out how this savage, violent, and ignorant little girl had transformed into this appearance in the span of a mere hundred years.

"Ahem... Big Brother, Li Yang and I are going to check on those cultivating Heavenly Gods. As for, well, you enjoy yourself..." Qin Shuang gave a light cough. Both he and Li Yang wore bizarre smiles on their faces, looking as if they were forcefully holding something back; their complexions were somewhat abnormal. Without waiting for Qin Si's reaction, the two of them teleported away from the main hall.

In the distance, two roars of laughter echoed far into the entire Watersedge Sect, persisting for quite a long time before finally fading away.

Qin Si opened his eyes, gazed into the distance, and muttered a bitter curse under his breath before immersing himself once again in the massage of those soft, delicate little hands.

Time flew by, and a century passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, Ziyan, Ping Tian, and Zhao Yongkui had relocated the entirety of Purple Cloud Heaven into Ironflower City. Everyone had entered the Jiang Lan's Realm to contemplate and cultivate, leaving only Qin Si and the others to continue waiting for the revenge of the Heaven-One Water Pavilion.

As time elapsed, the news of Ziyan leading Purple Cloud Heaven to surrender to the Purple Mystery Alliance gradually settled into the background. Watersedge City gradually returned to peace day by day. Backed by the generous rewards of the Alliance, over the past century, more than two hundred God Kings from all corners of the Primordial God Realm had come to pledge their allegiance, making the strength of the Purple Mystery Alliance increasingly formidable.

To everyone's surprise, following the disastrous defeat of the four major factions including Purple Cloud Heaven, the Heaven-One Water Pavilion did not immediately dispatch forces to attack. Instead, they grew even quieter, and members of the Pavilion ceased moving about the Primordial God Realm entirely.

However, Qin Si and his companions did not lower their guard. They continued to send people out daily to gather intelligence on the Heaven-One Water Pavilion and monitor the reactions of the various factions in the Primordial God Realm. Everyone knew this was merely the calm before the storm. The Heaven-One Water Pavilion did not lack the strength to fight the combined forces of the Purple Mystery Alliance and the Watersedge Sect; on the contrary, the Pavilion's power was so immense that even now, the Alliance and the Sect fell far short.

The fact that the Heaven-One Water Pavilion was making no moves clearly indicated they were plotting an even grander scheme. The entire God Realm was watching, and everyone was waiting to see just how terrifying the thunderous wrath of the Heaven-One Water Pavilion would ultimately be.