Volume Two: The Life of an Outlaw Chapter Twenty-Four: Stirring in All Directions

Tongwood Stronghold lay more than a hundred thousand miles east of Ironflower City. Among the sixty-four bandit alliances surrounding Ironflower City, only Profound Mystery Valley surpassed Tongwood Stronghold in strength.

Inside a secret chamber enveloped by formations, four God-Kings sat together. Had these four appeared in Ironflower City, they would certainly have caused an uproar.

They were Fang Tao, master of Ten Directions Pool; Shui Ruoyun, mistress of Clearstream Pavilion; Gu Tai, master of Eternal Tower; and Lu Tianqing, great master of Tongwood Stronghold. It could be said that these four factions formed the foundation of the sixty-four bandit powers in the Ironflower City alliance. In terms of stability, however, only these four factions were truly unbreakable.

“Everyone, a new faction called the Purple Mystery Alliance has appeared near Ironflower City. I believe you have all heard about it by now.” Seated in the place of honor, Lu Tianqing spoke with unconcealed concern.

“The Purple Mystery Alliance? Yes, I know of it. It is merely a minor faction under the protection of Demon Refining Cave. Why has Great Master Tianqing suddenly taken an interest in it?” Gu Tai asked with a smile. From his expression, it was clear that he did not regard the Purple Mystery Alliance as a threat in the slightest.

“I have heard of it as well. Although the alliance has only two High Gods as its leaders, they are remarkably wealthy. I suspect they are disciples of some major clan who came out to experience the world.” Shui Ruoyun, the only female leader among them, spoke indifferently. To them, a faction that still needed Demon Refining Cave’s protection was hardly worth mentioning.

Fang Tao lightly tapped his fingers against the stone table and said calmly, “I think this Purple Mystery Alliance is not as simple as it appears. With such wealth, I refuse to believe that that fellow Ping Tian never tried to set his sights on them. For two High Gods to rise so quickly, they must have something to rely upon.”

Lu Qingshan nodded. “There is something you may not yet know. One of those two High Gods has already become a God-King. He even fought Profound Mystery God-King, Profound Marvel God-King, and Azure Profound God-King in Ironflower City.”

“Oh?” This immediately piqued the other three’s interest. Shui Ruoyun raised her willow brows. “From the looks of it, Profound Mystery God-King must have suffered a serious loss.”

“Heh, Sister Shui certainly knows her affairs. Profound Mystery God-King did indeed suffer badly.” Lu Qingshan chuckled. “Azure Profound God-King even came close to losing his life.”

Fang Tao frowned and said worriedly, “If that is so, then the God-King of the Purple Mystery Alliance must be exceptionally powerful. Has he comprehended Temporal Stasis, or does he possess a Primordial Spirit Treasure?”

“A Primordial Spirit Treasure?” Gu Tai’s eyes suddenly lit up, but he immediately curled his lips. “Stop dreaming, Old Fang. You have been a bandit for so many years. Have you ever even seen a Primordial Spirit Treasure?”

Lu Qingshan gave a bitter smile. “You are all mistaken. The God-King of the Purple Mystery Alliance never made a move from beginning to end. The one who fought Profound Mystery God-King and the others was that alliance’s High God.”

Fang Tao slapped the table and sprang to his feet. His eyes widened in disbelief. “You... what did you say? A High God...?”

Shui Ruoyun and Gu Tai were equally incredulous. It was not unheard of for a High God to defeat a God-King, but to them, such a thing was simply too astonishing.

“Have you thought of someone?” Lu Qingshan asked with an exasperated smile. “Back then, when that person was merely a Middle God, many God-Kings were already no match for him.”

At the mention of that person, all four wore looks of reverence.

“Yes. If that person had been obsessed with power and factions back then, then the so-called Eight Great Divine Clans, the Nine Great Ascender Factions, and the Ten Great Bandit Powers would probably all have been destroyed if they had stood against him.” Lu Qingshan spoke with a helpless sigh.

“Indeed. Back then, that fellow stood proudly above the entire Divine Realm by his own strength. That bearing...” Fang Tao shook his head and laughed. “Tsk, tsk. I cannot even dream of possessing such grandeur.”

Shui Ruoyun frowned. “Brother Lu, do you mean that we should immediately pledge ourselves to the Purple Mystery Alliance as an investment? If that High God truly possesses the strength of the person from back then, we will prosper in the future.”

“You are mistaken, Sister Shui. I do not believe that the Divine Realm could produce another figure like him.” Lu Qingshan shook his head. “A spy I planted in Profound Mystery Valley recently sent word that the Purple Mystery Alliance intends to win Profound Mystery Valley over. It has already given the valley three hundred Heavenly Artifacts and countless divine stones.”

“Brother Lu, are you saying that Profound Mystery Valley has already become outwardly cordial but inwardly divided from our alliance?” Fang Tao asked.

***

Within Profound Mystery Valley, Profound Mystery, Azure Profound, and Profound Marvel—the three God-Kings—were gathered together with their brows tightly furrowed. All the High Gods had withdrawn, and even Zhao Wu had been sent away by Zhao Yongkui.

“Eldest Brother, do you still remember that person from more than two Yanji ago?” Azure Profound had nearly lost his life in Ironflower City. Whenever he recalled that pitch-black annihilation space, lingering fear still filled his heart.

“Of course I remember. I fear that no one in the entire Divine Realm will ever forget him.” Zhao Yongkui sighed. “If I had not remembered that person, I would have attacked directly that day. A High God possessing strength that even God-Kings cannot resist... If he becomes a God-King, then all the God-Kings in our allied factions combined may not withstand even one of his hands.”

“He broke through our defensive formation with a single spear thrust. It seems he was not merely trying to strike at us,” Profound Marvel suddenly said.

“Hm?” Zhao Yongkui was startled. “Go on, Profound Marvel.”

Profound Marvel cleared his throat. “My guess is that the three hundred Heavenly Artifacts and countless divine stones the Purple Mystery Alliance left us were meant to force us onto a dead end.”

***

“Brother Cui, Brother Jiang, do either of you believe that someone would give you three hundred Heavenly Artifacts and countless divine stones for no reason at all?” In Thousandfold Valley, Ping Tian asked with a beaming smile.

Cui De and Jiang Zheng exchanged a glance before answering in unison, “We do not.”

“Exactly. The other sixty-three factions of Ironflower City certainly will not believe it either.” Ping Tian spoke calmly. “The Purple Mystery Alliance has not even joined us, yet it has already given us such an enormous fortune. This exceeds anything we can comprehend. No one will believe it.”

“You mean... those sixty-three factions will launch an attack on Profound Mystery Valley?” Cui De suddenly started. “But their alliance has existed for several Yanji. It will not be so easy to break apart.”

“Why did we form bandit factions in the first place? So that we would not be bullied, so that we could obtain more wealth and materials, and so that we could use better weapons.” Ping Tian pondered for a moment. “Now, everything you want can be obtained simply by nodding your head—and you will receive more, not less, than you asked for. How would you choose? Or rather, how do you think Zhao Yongkui would choose?”

Cui De and Jiang Zheng fell silent. Indeed, if Qin Si had taken out several hundred Heavenly Artifacts, countless divine stones, and endless refining materials from the very beginning, perhaps there would have been no need for that contest at all.

“What is more, if they suddenly obtained such an enormous fortune for no reason, do you think the other factions would still trust them? In other words, regardless of how Zhao Yongkui chooses, those sixty-three factions will never trust him again. And Ironflower City is still in Profound Mystery Valley’s hands. Do you think those sixty-three factions will remain calm?”

“Indeed. They are probably already discussing how to deal with Profound Mystery Valley. Once the conflict begins, Profound Mystery Valley will certainly not be a match for the sixty-three allied factions. If they wish to survive, they will have no choice but to seek help from our Purple Mystery Alliance.” After finishing, Ping Tian respectfully inclined his head toward Qin Si.

“Haha, very good, very good. Ping Tian’s thoughts are much the same as ours. I just feel that things are still not chaotic enough.” Qin Si stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Qin Shuang’s face was covered in helplessness. His elder brother had come to the Primordial Divine Realm, yet he seemed never to have considered gaining experience. Instead, he treated the entire affair as a game.

“If it is not chaotic enough, then we will pour in another ladle of water.” Ping Tian smiled.

Qin Si looked at him with great interest. “You rascal, tell me quickly. How should we pour it?”

“Hehe, Alliance Master, we should do this...” Ping Tian spoke with a crafty expression.

“My elder brother really has found himself an excellent partner.” Qin Shuang smiled helplessly. He then called out to Jiang Zheng, “Jiang Zheng, I hear that you are a master refiner. If you had sufficiently good materials, what grade of weapon could you forge?”

“Vice Alliance Master... At most, I can forge high-grade Heavenly Artifacts.” Jiang Zheng was quite proud of his skill in refining. If he possessed Primordial Spiritual Energy, then given enough time, he was certain that he could also forge a Primordial Spirit Treasure.

Qin Shuang nodded slightly. “Being able to forge high-grade Heavenly Artifacts is already quite remarkable. From now on, you need only devote yourself to studying the path of weapon refinement. If you require materials for experiments, come to me and collect them whenever you wish.”

With that, Qin Shuang tossed Jiang Zheng a storage ring. “Use these materials for now. If they are insufficient, come back and get more. A major faction cannot do without a master refiner.”

Qin Si suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly, “That is an excellent idea. We will do exactly that.”

To be continued.