Volume Two: The Life of a Bandit Chapter Seven: Valley of a Thousand Insects

The Valley of a Thousand Insects, spanning several thousand square kilometers, was home to countless divine beasts of the God Realm—most notably smaller in size, earning the valley its peculiar name. Qin Si, Qin Shuang, and Zhong Xing soared through the skies, surveying the valley’s entirety.

“Zhong Xing, how many upper-tier gods are there in the Valley of a Thousand Insects?” Qin Shuang inquired.

“Two. Among the six powers here, only Sandhill Ridge and Wind God Village possess three upper-tier gods each,” Zhong Xing replied with certainty. “Alliance Leader, are you sure you don’t want to recruit some people first? With just the three of us, I fear it will be difficult.”

Qin Si flicked Zhong Xing’s forehead sharply. “You rascal, I had intended to bring in your brothers as well, but someone ruined my plans. Now you’re scared, aren’t you?”

“Ha, enough, brother,” Qin Shuang laughed beside them. “Zhong Xing, you don’t need to do anything today. This is your chance to witness the strength of the Purple Profound Alliance.”

“I… I don’t need to fight?” Zhong Xing was stunned. He had assumed, after receiving a lower-tier divine artifact and three supreme divine stones, that he’d have to risk everything immediately. Yet the deputy alliance leader claimed his efforts weren’t needed?

“Let it be. At the start, it’s up to us two alliance leaders to conquer the world. Later, it will fall to you. The divine stones aren’t gifts for nothing—go train well,” Qin Si played the role of the ‘good cop’ when dealing with subordinates.

“Then… where should I go?” Zhong Xing was bewildered. Battles between upper-tier gods often shattered space; even spectating was dangerous for a mid-tier god.

Qin Si sighed, “Fine, I’ll send you somewhere suitable. But you must swear eternal loyalty to the Purple Profound Alliance, and to Qin Si and Qin Shuang as your leaders.” After some thought, Qin Si realized there was no better option than to place Zhong Xing in the Jiang Lan Realm.

Sweat trickled down Zhong Xing’s face. He thought, “It seems I have no other choice.” Gritting his teeth, he swore, “I, Zhong Xing, swear by the heavens to serve the Purple Profound Alliance and Alliance Leaders Qin Si and Qin Shuang unto death. If I betray this oath, let heaven and earth forsake me!”

Truthfully, Zhong Xing’s induction into the alliance and subsequent oath had been entirely forced by Qin Si. Yet curiously, Zhong Xing felt no resentment toward this leader; instead, a sense of genuine submission arose within him, leaving him somewhat surprised.

“Very well, don’t resist.” With that, Qin Si swept Zhong Xing into the third layer of the Jiang Lan Realm.

“The time flow here is one to a thousand. That is, a thousand years of training inside equate to a single year outside. And you need not worry about the violent divine energy being impossible to absorb—the spatial artifact will automatically draw in external divine energy for your cultivation,” Qin Si’s voice resonated throughout the third layer of the Jiang Lan Realm.

“One to a thousand…” Zhong Xing was dumbstruck. Though many god-kings in the Hongmeng God Realm had mastered portions of the time law, and their numbers were vast, few had the materials and skill to craft spatial artifacts capable of altering the flow of time.

To effortlessly hand out lower-tier divine artifacts, casually give three supreme divine stones—claiming to have many more—and add this spatial artifact, Zhong Xing was now convinced: Qin Si and Qin Shuang must be scions of some great family, at least one of which housed a celestial lord.

Celestial lords of the Hongmeng God Realm, though not as enigmatic as those of the Linmeng God Realm, still represented the realm’s supreme power.

“Shuang, shall we offer them a greeting gift?” Qin Si smiled, his expression already prepared for all eventualities.

Qin Shuang gave a faint smile. “Alright, brother, but this depends on you. Though I could break the mountain-protecting array, it wouldn’t be as effortless as you.”

The two had clearly seen the valley was shrouded by a grand array. Despite its vastness, Qin Si regarded it as inferior to the array Ou Ye Yu had set up in his own courtyard.

“We won’t use the Hongmeng spiritual treasure for now—to avoid unnecessary trouble.” As Qin Si spoke, an ancient spear appeared in his hand. “A lower-tier divine artifact is more than enough.”

With a thunderous boom, the entire Valley of a Thousand Insects trembled.

“Someone’s causing trouble!” The valley master, Shangguan Hong, was meditating when he sensed the disturbance and immediately stood, sending a mental message to his deputy, Jian Hui, and alerting everyone in the valley.

“Brother, what’s this commotion…” Jian Hui emerged from his residence, equally aware of the tremors.

“Someone’s here to cause trouble, and their strength is formidable,” Shangguan Hong said, brows furrowed.

Within the valley, Qin Si and Qin Shuang stood smiling in mid-air. Qin Si had shattered the grand array with a single spear, making both Shangguan Hong and Jian Hui uneasy. An upper-tier god could break their array, but to do so in an instant was beyond most.

“Friends, what brings you to the Valley of a Thousand Insects?” Shangguan Hong cupped his hands in greeting.

Qin Si and Qin Shuang exchanged a glance. “We brothers are here to take over the Valley of a Thousand Insects. We have one principle: those who surrender will not be killed. This applies to you two as well,” Qin Si said lightly.

“You wish to take over the valley? Then show us your strength,” Jian Hui sneered, waving his hand. Five mid-tier gods led over a dozen lower-tier gods to encircle Qin Si and Qin Shuang.

Qin Si’s divine sense glanced around and quickly understood. These twenty or so gods were arrayed in formation, with the main assault coming from the five mid-tier gods.

Formations composed of gods, whether for attack or defense, amplified their effectiveness. A single mid-tier god was powerless before an upper-tier god. But Qin Si observed that, once arrayed, the space within the formation became highly stable—even attempting to destroy a small portion of space through spatial mastery would be extremely difficult.

“You two are truly contemptible!” Qin Shuang paid no mind to their formation, addressing Shangguan Hong and Jian Hui. “You know we are upper-tier gods, yet send these mid- and lower-tier gods to their deaths. Are your subordinates’ lives so worthless?”

Qin Shuang’s words were a psychological tactic, intended to sow discord between the gods and their leaders. Yet, unexpectedly, the surrounding gods showed no change in expression.

“Enough talk—kill them!” Jian Hui sneered, issuing the order.

“Heaven-Shaking Staff!” Qin Shuang’s hand produced a long, azure staff, and without hesitation, thrust it toward one of the mid-tier gods. The Heaven-Shaking Staff was already formidable, but with divine power channeled through a lower-tier divine artifact, its strength became terrifying.

A faint ripple surrounded the staff, born from its immense power, vibrating space with its every move.

With a roar, the mid-tier god was struck before he could dodge, instantly reduced to dust without so much as a cry.

The force of the blow continued, sweeping away from the staff and rapidly expanding into a fan-shaped wave, smashing into three lower-tier gods behind the mid-tier god.

Even the residual power was more than the lower-tier gods could withstand; like the mid-tier god, they too were reduced to dust, and the formation of twenty-some gods collapsed in an instant.

“Ha, Shuang, your Heaven-Shaking Staff has improved,” Qin Si laughed, showing no surprise at Qin Shuang’s display.

“A lower-tier divine artifact!” Jian Hui’s eyes lit up. “Is that a lower-tier divine artifact?”

Qin Shuang smiled, “Regardless of what it is, it can take your life. Let me repeat my brother’s words: we are here to take over the valley. Those who surrender will not be killed.”

“Those who surrender will not be killed!” The phrase, previously dismissed by Shangguan Hong, Jian Hui, and the gods as a joke, suddenly carried new weight.

Qin Shuang’s thunderous strike had, with the amplification of the formation, effortlessly slain a mid-tier god and three lower-tier gods, prompting everyone to reconsider the promise.

“You all… come back!” Jian Hui called the remaining gods to retreat. Qin Si and Qin Shuang did not stop them—they had no wish for unnecessary bloodshed, as establishing a new power required talent.

“How have you considered?” Qin Si folded his arms, asking pleasantly.

A flicker of murderous intent flashed in Shangguan Hong’s eyes. “If either of you can defeat us brothers one-on-one, we will bring all the gods and wealth of the valley under your rule.”

“Well said!” Qin Si slapped his thigh in delight.

“Brother, they’re playing tricks!” Qin Shuang grumbled. His brother was brilliant at times, but at others, maddeningly oblivious.

(To be continued)