Volume Two: The Life of a Bandit Chapter One: Return to the Divine Realm

In the Divine Realm, beside the Ascension Pool, a team of ten divine beings chatted idly.

“Big Sister, could you tell us again about the day Lord Qin Yu ascended? Just thinking that Lord Qin Yu ascended right here makes me so excited!”

The speaker was a young man with fiery red hair. The woman he addressed as "Big Sister" was a beautiful lady who seemed helpless in the face of his enthusiasm and shook her head lightly.

“Liu Feng, how many times have I told you? Lord Qin Yu merely ascended here. After a few of us escorted them to the Divine Stone Mines, we never saw him again!”

This beautiful woman was none other than Liu Fei, the one who had met Qin Yu upon his ascension. Now, Qin Yu was the most renowned figure in the Divine Realm, idolized by countless young divinities. Three hundred years ago, Liu Fei had been reassigned to the Ascension Pool, but this time she served as the team leader. She was now a mid-ranked divine being.

“Boss, please tell us again! We all love hearing it!” Another female member beside Liu Fei urged. Guarding the Ascension Pool was dull work; their greatest daily pleasure was listening to Liu Fei recount the tale of Qin Yu's ascension. In fact, much of their basic understanding of the Divine Realm came from her stories.

“Alright, I’ll tell it once more.” Liu Fei nodded helplessly. She had never imagined that the youth she once received would achieve such heights in just ten thousand years.

“Big Sister, wait—something’s happening!”

Just as Liu Fei was sinking into her memories, the red-haired youth interrupted her. She snapped back to attention to see the Ascension Pool beginning to stir—the prelude to someone's arrival.

“It’s been three years since the last ascension, hasn’t it? It’s about time for someone new.” Liu Fei nodded, her eyes fixed on the pool. Their duty was tedious, but after a thousand years, she would be eligible for a better post.

“Actually, Big Sister, it’s been three years and eight days!” the red-haired young man replied with a cheeky grin, earning himself a roll of the eyes from Liu Fei.

“He’s finally back!”

From above the white mist, Qin Shuang’s head emerged. He shouted loudly, then clenched his teeth and fell silent.

“He... he can speak!” The whole squad was thunderstruck. Liu Fei stared at Qin Shuang amidst the mist in disbelief. She had never even heard of anyone who could speak after ascending but before being infused with divine power.

In the history of the Divine Realm, no one had ever spoken between their ascension and the infusing of divine power.

Qin Shuang only managed to shout once before the immense divine force began transforming his body. The overwhelming surge made the process anything but comfortable.

“Boss, it’s been two hours!” the woman beside Liu Fei whispered.

“He’s strong,” Liu Fei nodded. Qin Yu’s divine infusion had taken three hours. Judging by this new arrival, he might match or even surpass that.

But Liu Fei misjudged. The duration of the divine infusion depended on physical strength and soul level. Qin Shuang now surpassed Qin Yu of old in both, so his time would certainly be longer.

“Big Sister, it’s been five hours!”

Ten pairs of astonished eyes stared at Qin Shuang enveloped in mist.

“I understand! He must be a native of the Divine Realm, faced tribulation in the lower world, and then ascended!” Liu Fei exhaled deeply. In the Divine Realm, a few elite descendants had reached five hours during their infusion, some even six.

“Big Sister is right. He even shouted ‘I’m finally back!’ so he must be one of us from the Divine Realm,” the red-haired youth agreed, having guessed Qin Shuang’s true identity.

After eight hours, the infusion had still not ended. The ten exchanged glances, silent in awe. Never had they heard of anyone lasting eight hours in the history of the Divine Realm.

Finally, after twelve hours—a full day—Qin Shuang’s transformation concluded.

He leapt from the Ascension Pool, twisting his body with satisfaction. The long process had brought him considerable benefits.

First, his soul had crystallized into a Soul Nascent Infant, reaching the level of a lower-tier Celestial God and still growing rapidly. He could sense his increasing comprehension of the laws of space. His physical body had reached the strength of a top-tier divine artifact. Qin Shuang was very pleased with this outcome, though he did not realize that much of the credit belonged not to the divine infusion, but to the mysterious wine he had consumed in the mortal world.

At the same time, his immortal energy had directly transformed into divine power. The stage of “divine being” was skipped entirely.

“Um, hello. My name is Liu Fei, and I’m the captain in charge of welcoming new ascendants,” Liu Fei greeted him. Strangely, she felt a pressure from Qin Shuang and addressed him with far more courtesy than she would a typical new arrival.

“Oh, Captain Liu, thank you, but there’s no need for the formalities. I know where I’m going.”

In an instant, Qin Shuang recalled that newly ascended beings were expected to mine for a thousand years. Being a native of the Divine Realm, he naturally had no desire to do so.

“Without teleportation, things really are inconvenient,” he muttered as he slowly rose into the sky. Suddenly, he called down to Liu Fei, “What city is this?”

“Weichi City!” Liu Fei replied, still stunned.

“Thank you!” With the city identified, things became easier. Qin Shuang determined his direction and sped toward Misty City.

“Big Sister, he can fly?” Ten jaws dropped. Long after Qin Shuang had vanished, the red-haired young man finally stammered out a question.

“Yes, he can fly,” Liu Fei replied, her voice as dazed as the rest. But at that moment, none of the others found her answer foolish; they too were shaken to the core.

“Then isn’t he…?” The red-haired youth’s face went pale as he uttered two words: “Celestial God.”

In the Divine Realm, only Celestial Gods could fly in the sky—a common piece of knowledge. Yet Qin Shuang, who had just ascended, had already reached that level. For a new arrival to become a Celestial God was unheard of, bordering on the unimaginable.

All ten felt they were dreaming. Had someone told them such a story before, they would have laughed it off. Now, faced with the truth, they could only accept it. The Ascension Pool’s surface hadn’t even settled yet.

**********************

High in the sky, Qin Shuang accelerated, his Soul Nascent Infant growing and his understanding of space deepening by the moment.

Yet Qin Shuang paid little mind to the changes in his soul. His heart was still pounding with excitement.

A thousand years. It had been a thousand years since he, as a seventh-level Immortal Emperor, had left home. Now, having returned as a lower-tier Celestial God, the label of “wastrel” no longer applied. He could finally be called a prodigy.

“Little Shuang!”

Suddenly, a figure appeared before the speeding Qin Shuang. Qin Si smiled warmly at his emotional brother, arms wide as he embraced him.

“Big Brother, I—I’m back!” Qin Shuang didn’t wonder how Qin Si had found him; his voice was already choked with emotion, tears glistening in his eyes.

“I know. Father sent me to bring you home!” Qin Si nodded firmly. He was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart that his brother had returned, and as a Celestial God, no less.

Misty City. After a thousand years, Qin Shuang finally returned home, his emotions a tangled mess.

He felt like a runaway child, bracing for punishment. He didn’t know how his parents would react—he both longed to see them and feared the encounter.

“Little Shuang!”

Qin Yu and Jiang Li were waiting in the city. Seeing him, Jiang Li—now a Divine King—couldn’t help but rush over, gently caressing his face, her eyes brimming with love.

“Mother, I’m sorry. I was wrong to worry you!” Seeing his mother like this, Qin Shuang understood, and could no longer contain his emotions. He knelt before her and apologized.

“It’s enough that you’re home!” Jiang Li let her tears fall freely. No matter what, a child is always a mother’s dearest treasure. After a thousand years’ absence, her concern and heartache were only natural.

“Well, our family is finally together again. Let’s go home,” Qin Yu said softly, wrapping his arm around Jiang Li’s shoulders. When Qin Shuang looked at him, Qin Yu simply nodded—no words, but the encouragement in his eyes told Qin Shuang that his father bore no grudge.

“Mother, Father is right. We’re all together again—let’s go home!” Qin Si said cheerfully, coming to stand beside Jiang Li. She looked at her sons and then broke into a smile. “Alright, you’re both right. Let’s go home…”

(To be continued)