Volume Two: The Life of a Bandit Chapter Eight: Subduing with Force

"Xiaoshuang, do you really have so little confidence in your big brother? Forget about these two paupers—even if two more came, I could handle them all the same!"

Qin Shuang was momentarily breathless. What Qin Si said was right; if he used those two top-tier primordial treasures, not to mention two, even ten opponents would be no issue. But at the moment, Qin Si only held a high-grade celestial weapon in his hand, one that Qin Shuang had never seen before.

"You two, surrender now if you want to avoid suffering unnecessarily!"

"You’re arrogant, boy!"

With a furious roar, Shangguan Hong suddenly split into three before Qin Si, and a powerful force surged toward him with a howl.

"Big brother, be careful!" Qin Shuang cried out anxiously. This Shangguan Hong was clearly no ordinary opponent—the three figures weren't clones but afterimages left by his incredible speed. Shangguan Hong was astonishingly fast.

Qin Si, too, was taken aback, but his immense confidence remained unshaken. He shifted just slightly to evade the attack, and at the same time, thrust his spear forward.

Jian Hui, standing to the side, also moved as Shangguan Hong launched his strike. However, compared to the latter, Jian Hui’s movements seemed sluggish, slower even than a mid-level celestial’s.

But to everyone’s surprise, just as Qin Si dodged Shangguan Hong’s attack, Jian Hui, moving deceptively slow, suddenly appeared behind Qin Si and struck with his palm.

A muffled thud echoed as Qin Si was sent flying backward, crashing into the ground with enough force to leave a deep pit before he clambered back up.

"Big brother, are you alright?" Qin Shuang rushed over, deeply concerned. Qin Si, caught off guard, had actually been struck by Jian Hui’s bare-handed attack.

"Cough, I’m fine—just got careless and was outmaneuvered by these two working together!" Qin Si rose into the air again, coughing loudly, a flush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks. He wasn’t hurt by Jian Hui’s blow, but having boasted in front of everyone only to be caught off guard was a hard pill to swallow.

"Hmph, regretting it now? Too late!" Jian Hui sneered, then shot forward with both his hands, each clad in a low-grade celestial glove that amplified his power.

Jian Hui’s movements remained steady and slow, but Shangguan Hong was different. He reappeared with several afterimages, circling Qin Si rapidly.

Neither had pressed the attack when Qin Si was first struck. For one, Qin Si still wielded a high-grade celestial weapon, and they worried that Qin Shuang might become desperate if pressed. For another, Qin Si had another high-level celestial beside him—two against one was easy, but with another opponent, the pressure would mount.

Lastly, this was their stronghold. Already fighting with a numerical advantage, if they didn’t show some 'magnanimity', it wouldn’t look good in the eyes of their subordinates.

Their calculations were sound, but they made a crucial mistake: underestimating Qin Si. They still had no idea how formidable he truly was.

"Trying the same trick again?" Qin Si shouted strangely. Their attack was much like before, but this time, Jian Hui led while Shangguan Hong supported. One fast, one slow; when one attacked, the other was ready to cover any openings—a flawless coordination.

A thunderous boom resounded. This time, their cooperation didn’t succeed. Qin Si was prepared when Shangguan Hong closed in, and his spear clashed directly with Shangguan Hong’s celestial blade.

"So, you have a mid-grade celestial weapon? Not bad, you have some skills," Qin Si said with a faint smile. Shangguan Hong’s weapon was a blade-shaped mid-grade celestial treasure. In the resource-scarce Primordial God Realm, for a high-level celestial to possess such an artifact was no small feat.

"Big brother, this fellow is tricky," Jian Hui frowned. After two exchanges, he could sense a notable gap between his strength and Qin Si’s.

"Don’t worry. Right now, he’s alone. Let’s finish him with our ultimate move, then deal with the other one," Shangguan Hong replied coldly, a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Boy, if you can withstand this next attack, we’ll follow your orders from now on!" Shangguan Hong’s face darkened as he and Jian Hui moved together, taking up a strange stance.

"Ha! Bringing out your real skills now? Show me your strongest attack—I’d like to see what you’re capable of!" Qin Si clapped and laughed. Neither of them alone could beat him, so he was more than willing for them to unleash their mightiest blow.

"Prepare to die!" Jian Hui roared, and a glowing orb appeared before him, rapidly condensing a massive surge of combined energy. Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong merged their divine powers, greatly amplifying their collective strength.

"Now things are getting interesting," Qin Si murmured, his smile fading slightly but the gleam in his eye growing sharper.

The orb shot toward Qin Si. He gripped his spear with both hands, a faint halo enveloping him as he stood his ground to meet the oncoming energy head-on.

A deafening explosion shook the air, followed by a dull thud. Qin Shuang, watching from a distance, vanished in a flash—she had darted into the lingering glow at incredible speed.

The energy orb, it turned out, wasn’t their true ultimate move. The combined power was a feint. As it passed, Shangguan Hong used his speed to bring Jian Hui close behind it. The two struck together, merging their divine energy right beside their opponent, causing spatial distortions and seeking the perfect moment to kill. The real killing blow came after.

Though both had been high-level celestials for only a few hundred thousand years, and their divine power was not as pure as Qin Si’s, they had trained together since childhood. Their coordination was flawless, and after becoming gods, they developed the technique of merging their powers. With it, they had slain many stronger opponents.

"Xiaoshuang, I’m fine," Qin Si said, a note of frustration in his voice as Qin Shuang flew to his side. He had been on guard for a follow-up attack and blocked the real strike with his weapon after withstanding the energy orb, but even so, he failed to evade entirely. He was thoroughly annoyed.

"You two have some skill, but I’ve had enough of this game," Qin Si announced coolly as he and Qin Shuang ascended again, his voice carrying across the entire Valley of Ten Thousand Insects. Then he flashed a mysterious smile at Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong before shooting into the sky.

Thunder rolled across the heavens as a dark shape hurtled down from above. Jian Hui, Shangguan Hong, and Qin Shuang all recognized it instantly—Qin Si, spear in hand, descending at breakneck speed.

"Arrogant brat!" both Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong bellowed, joining forces to meet Qin Si’s attack head-on.

Their teamwork was superb, but their weapons were simply outmatched, and the gap in power between them and Qin Si was vast. Had Qin Si not wanted to test their strength, he could have defeated them long ago.

"Shocking Heaven—One Spear!"

Qin Si uttered these words softly. Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong felt the world around them tremble violently, and the next instant, an earth-shattering force crashed down. They managed only a brief resistance before blood spurted from their mouths and they were hurled backward. Before they even hit the ground, both of them vanished.

"The God-locking Tower!"

Qin Shuang’s eyes lit up. She had seen clearly—Qin Si had used his mastery of space to forcibly separate them, then wounded and finally captured them into the God-locking Tower.

"That’s right, Xiaoshuang! Heh, the Valley of Ten Thousand Insects is ours now!" Qin Si laughed gleefully. With Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong imprisoned, they could never again defy his orders. Winning them over meant winning the entire valley.

The other celestials and gods in the valley were dumbfounded. Just moments earlier, their two masters had held the upper hand, yet in a blink, both were grievously wounded and had vanished.

"Listen well! From this day forth, the Valley of Ten Thousand Insects no longer exists. This place shall be renamed the Violet Profound Alliance! For now, it’s just an outpost," Qin Si announced excitedly to the assembled celestials and gods. This was his first band of followers in the Primordial God Realm, and at last, his Violet Profound Alliance had subordinates of its own.

"Jian Hui, Shangguan Hong!" Qin Si loosened his grip, and the two reappeared before everyone. "From this day on, you two are the Master and Deputy Master of the Violet Profound Alliance’s Ten Thousand Insects Pavilion. Your former followers remain under your command."

"Yes, master!" Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong bowed deeply. Their time in the God-locking Tower had been harrowing; they understood well that only by obeying Qin Si could they survive from now on.

"Excellent. Now, lead me and the Deputy Alliance Leader inside." Qin Si laughed to the sky, directing Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong to lead the way as they flew deeper into the valley.

(To be continued)