Volume Two: Bandit Life Chapter Ten: The Campaign Continues

The three years during which the Purple Profound Alliance seemed to vanish were, in truth, three thousand years spent in seclusion. After the forces of the Demon Refining Cave came looking for trouble, Qin Si decided to send everyone into Jianglan World to cultivate, so as to raise the alliance’s overall strength.

In the third layer of Jianglan World, everyone who had joined the Purple Profound Alliance regretted it bitterly. Even Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong, the two former valley lords, regretted not joining earlier. Their alliance master was truly generous.

Over those three thousand years, Qin Si poured out an enormous number of divine pills and countless spirit medicines. Against more than two thousand divine beings, he forcibly raised over a hundred lower heavenly gods, and among the thirty-two lower heavenly gods from the two branch halls, he promoted four to middle heavenly gods. And all of this took only three thousand years.

By now, the Purple Profound Alliance possessed five upper heavenly gods, fourteen middle heavenly gods, and forty lower heavenly gods in total. Zhong Xing ultimately could not resist temptation and brought all his former companions in with him. Life inside the Purple Profound Alliance was far more comfortable than it had ever been before.

During these three thousand years, Qin Shuang devoted himself entirely to cultivation. In the Primordial Divine Realm, only when one reached the level of godking could one truly be secure. Qin Shuang wanted to rely on himself to become a godking of the Primordial Divine Realm.

Qin Si was completely different from Qin Shuang. Over those three thousand years, he spent most of his time with his subordinates, training them and tempering them. The reason these people had advanced so quickly in just three thousand years was in no small part due to Qin Si’s efforts. By now, his position was utterly unshakable; these people would not leave even if beaten.

The former Thousand Insect Valley was now the Purple Profound Alliance’s stronghold. Once everyone came out of seclusion, the alliance’s affairs gradually began to expand. It started collecting protection money from villages and also went out in groups to rob and plunder, no different from any ordinary bandit power.

"Xiaoshuang, you do not need to go tomorrow. Stay home and keep watch. A tiny place like Wind God Fort will be easy enough to take," Qin Si said with a smile in the great hall, where only he and Qin Shuang were present.

"Big brother, can we not wait a little longer?" Qin Shuang asked with a bitter smile.

After coming out of seclusion, Qin Si had insisted on conquering the other four minor powers at once. Only after Qin Shuang vehemently objected did he agree to proceed gradually, taking them one by one.

In truth, the Purple Profound Alliance was now far stronger than those four powers. Every heavenly god in the alliance possessed a heavenly divine artifact suited to his own level of cultivation. As for the combined forces of the other four powers, they did not even have a single top-grade heavenly divine artifact, much less one in the hands of every heavenly god.

If not for concern over the reaction from the Demon Refining Cave, Qin Shuang would have agreed with Qin Si’s rapid expansion as well. After all, their strength had already reached that level.

"What is there to wait for? We will proceed exactly as planned. If anyone from the Demon Refining Cave comes again, just drive them straight out!" Qin Si said carelessly with a wave of his hand. If not for the need to stabilize the two newly subdued forces the last time, he would never have shown the Demon Refining Cave any courtesy at all. With only a single godking on their side, and with him and Qin Shuang together each possessing a first-rate primordial treasure, Qin Si simply did not take the Demon Refining Cave seriously.

"All right."

Qin Shuang gave a wry smile and agreed. He knew that Qin Si had already shown restraint once before, and that alone had not been easy. It seemed that if intimidation failed this time, they would have no choice but to fight it out.

Wind God Fort was more than a hundred thousand li from Thousand Insect Valley, an old bandit stronghold that had long existed. Among the six minor powers, it had originally been the strongest.

Wind God Fort had one fort master and two deputy fort masters, all three of them upper heavenly gods. Moreover, all three were beast cultivators. The fort master’s true form was even a super divine beast, the Wind God Eagle.

Qin Si brought Jian Hui, Shangguan Hong, and ten middle heavenly gods straight to Wind God Fort. With a single thrust, he shattered the fort’s protective formation, and the thirteen of them swaggered openly into the stronghold.

"You?"

Not long after entering, Qin Si encountered the three fort masters who had hurried over upon hearing the alarm. The moment they saw Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong, they immediately recognized who they were.

"That’s right, it is us. You three seem rather good. The Purple Profound Alliance has been recruiting lately, and we could use the three of you to join us," Qin Si said with a hearty laugh as he flew to the front. He preferred to solve problems in the simplest way possible, and since all three fort masters had come out together, that was ideal.

"Hah! You and those two useless trash?" Fort Master Feng Batian laughed twice and cast a disdainful glance at Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong.

Feng Batian looked wildly arrogant, but inwardly he was not so careless. He did not fear Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong, yet Qin Si had subdued the two of them by himself, and that made him impossible to underestimate.

"You..." Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong were instantly furious and were about to rush forward, only to be stopped by Qin Si.

"What, not convinced? Very well. Send out your two deputy fort masters and have them spar with my two hall masters. If you win, we will leave at once."

Qin Si strolled lazily around Feng Batian before speaking slowly.

"Very well. Zheng Yuan, Tai Hong, go and exchange a few blows with Hall Master Shangguan and the others." After some thought, Feng Batian agreed to Qin Si’s proposal. He understood Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong fairly well; they were definitely no match for his two brothers. Using this chance to make them leave was far better than tearing off all pretense and confronting an unknown expert head-on.

"Many thanks, Alliance Master!"

Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong knelt on one knee in the air. Qin Si was giving them the chance to avenge the humiliation they had suffered themselves. After three thousand years of secluded cultivation, their strength had already improved beyond all comparison to what it had been before. More importantly, each of them now possessed a top-grade heavenly divine artifact.

"Remember, do not drag it out. I am waiting to go back," Qin Si said with a smile and a nod. He had once suffered from Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong’s combined techniques himself. Those two upper-grade divine beasts, without top-grade heavenly divine artifacts, were absolutely no match for the pair they were now.

Seeing the three of them so full of confidence, Feng Batian suddenly felt that he had agreed too quickly. A faint sense of unease rose in his heart, and his confidence in his two brothers weakened somewhat.

"You two useless fools. Today, your old horse grandpa will send you on your way!" Ma Zhengyuan, whose true form was the upper-grade divine beast Lujun Horse, was extremely fast and had formidable defense, though his temper was rather explosive. He immediately began by shooting a contemptuous glance at Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong.

"Zhengyuan, do not be careless," Tai Hong reminded him quietly.

Compared with him, Tai Hong, whose true form was the upper-grade divine beast Fire-Eyed Bear, was much more cautious. Their personalities were complete opposites. Tai Hong of the bear clan had far more flexibility in his mind than Ma Zhengyuan of the horse clan.

"Hmph."

Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong were enraged by Ma Zhengyuan’s attitude. Both of them snorted coldly and each drew out his top-grade heavenly divine artifact.

Shangguan Hong’s heavenly divine artifact was a blade. He liked weaponry in blade form, and the mid-grade heavenly divine artifact they had obtained back then had also been a blade, which was why it had been given to him.

Jian Hui’s heavenly divine artifact was brush-like in shape, but do not be deceived by its appearance. The bristles at the tip could all be launched as hidden weapons, and each one carried power of no small measure, absolutely exceeding that of a mid-grade heavenly divine artifact.

"Top-grade heavenly divine artifacts!"

Feng Batian, who was watching from the side, had keen eyes. At a glance he could tell that both Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong’s weapons were top-grade heavenly divine artifacts. Immediately afterward, he looked at Qin Si in shock.

These two top-grade heavenly divine artifacts absolutely had not belonged to Jian Hui and Shangguan Hong before. Some time ago they did not have them, yet now those two weapons had truly appeared in their hands. There was only one possibility: their newly joined force, the Purple Profound Alliance, had been the one to give them to them.

To casually give away two top-grade heavenly divine artifacts required a boldness beyond even what an ordinary godking possessed. Qin Si was merely an upper heavenly god, yet he had been able to produce two top-grade heavenly divine artifacts at once. His background was absolutely terrifying.

While Feng Batian was trying to guess Qin Si’s origins, Ma Zhengyuan had already exchanged blows with Shangguan Hong. Hearing Feng Batian’s cry, Ma Zhengyuan also noticed the heavenly divine artifact in Shangguan Hong’s hand. After a glance, his eyes instantly turned red. Ma Zhengyuan had reached the level of upper heavenly god far earlier than Shangguan Hong, and up to now he had only barely managed to obtain a mid-grade heavenly divine artifact. Seeing Shangguan Hong’s top-grade heavenly divine artifact, his first thought was to snatch it.

Tai Hong’s thoughts were a little more measured than Ma Zhengyuan’s. Like Feng Batian, he also became wary of Qin Si. Qin Si’s identity was definitely not simple.

Very soon, Jian Hui was also engaged with Tai Hong. Qin Si did not even look at their fight, merely smiling as he watched Feng Batian, the somewhat tense fort master of Wind God Fort. He was already thinking about what method would be best to subdue him.

Bang.

After several exchanges with Ma Zhengyuan, Shangguan Hong and he both refused to be entangled any longer, and at last they collided fiercely. Ma Zhengyuan had not expected that Shangguan Hong could actually match him blow for blow; the two of them were forced back by the same distance.

"You are only relying on your weapon. What kind of hero does that make you?" Ma Zhengyuan roared. Shangguan Hong was able to contend with him only because his heavenly divine artifact was superior to his.

"Poor wretch, if you have the ability, get yourself a top-grade heavenly divine artifact too," Shangguan Hong said, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes. These years at Qin Si’s side had not taught Shangguan Hong much else, but they had certainly taught him Qin Si’s manner and bearing.

"You are courting death!"

Shangguan Hong’s attitude and words thoroughly enraged Ma Zhengyuan. With his furious bellow, his body also began to change.

To be continued.