Volume Two: The Life of a Bandit Chapter Twenty-Seven: Stripping You to the Bone

“Greetings, Alliance Leader, Deputy Alliance Leader!” Within the Thousand Insect Valley, the mysterious Divine King Zhao Yongkui, accompanied by Divine Kings Xuanmiao and Xuanqing, bowed respectfully to Qin Si and Qin Shuang seated at the main seat. Ping Tian and Cui De stood on either side, while Jiang Zheng was immersed in the study of artifact forging within Jiang Lan’s realm.

Qin Si rose with an air of pretense, waving his hand with a smile. “Haha, no need for formalities. We’ve been waiting a long time to hear such words from the Mysterious Divine Kings.”

Zhao Yongkui said, “Alliance Leader, Deputy Alliance Leader, there is something I’d prefer to clarify face to face.”

“Please speak, Mysterious Divine King,” Qin Shuang smiled in invitation.

Zhao Yongkui’s expression turned somewhat embarrassed. “The bounty on Lu Qingtian… was it issued by the two Alliance Leaders on behalf of others?” Now living under their protection, he dared not directly ask if it was a setup by Qin Si and Qin Shuang, so he chose a more tactful tone.

Qin Si waved carelessly. “Rest assured, if anyone truly kills Lu Qingtian, you won’t have to pay the reward.”

Zhao Yongkui was utterly speechless, thinking, It’s not because I’m worried about paying the reward.

“By the way, Mysterious Divine King, our Purple Mysterious Alliance is about to engage Lu Qingtian and his faction. You should be quite familiar with the distribution of these sixty-three allied forces, right?” Qin Shuang suddenly asked.

“Hmm…” Zhao Yongkui pondered briefly, furrowing his brow. “Yes, those sixty-three forces consist of 133 Divine Kings in total. Although they appear as an alliance, there are many weaknesses within.”

“Tell us,” Qin Si poured a cup of wine for Zhao Yongkui and handed it to him.

“Firstly, although the original Mysterious Valley seems the strongest among these sixty-four forces, that’s only according to each faction’s ranking,” Zhao Yongkui said calmly. “The true backbone of the alliance lies with Tongmu Village, Ten Directions Pool, Clear Stream Pavilion, and Eternal Tower. These four form the framework of the alliance, and this framework is very sturdy—difficult to dismantle.”

“In other words, the other forces are actually dependents of these four. Without this framework, the dependents would naturally collapse,” Qin Si mused, then smiled and asked, “In your view, what are our chances of victory?”

Zhao Yongkui gave a bitter laugh. “Almost zero.”

“If you think victory is impossible, why then join our Purple Mysterious Alliance?” Qin Shuang asked with interest.

“Without joining the Purple Mysterious Alliance, my chances of survival are zero. With it, my chance of death decreases by thirty percent. Though it may seem slight, it’s still a glimmer of hope,” Zhao Yongkui replied clearly. Even a small chance to survive was worth fighting for.

Qin Si patted Zhao Yongkui’s shoulder with a smile. “Rest assured, you’ll be glad you made this choice today.”

He then summoned a subordinate Heavenly God casually. “Go spread the word: the Purple Mysterious Alliance places bounties on Fang Tao, Shui Ruojun, and Gu Tai, with rewards equal to that for Lu Qingtian.”

Zhao Yongkui’s face suddenly shifted. “Alliance Leader, isn’t this reward a bit excessive?”

“How else could it stir suspicion among their own people?” Qin Shuang replied with a smile.

Zhao Yongkui was puzzled. “What do you mean, Deputy Alliance Leader?”

“You’ll see in time,” Qin Si answered with a smile.

---

At Tongmu Village, inside a secret chamber.

“Smash!” Gu Tai slammed his palm, shattering the stone table before him, shouting in anger, “The Purple Mysterious Alliance is utterly despicable! They rely on their wealth and resort to such vile tactics!”

Shui Ruojun frowned deeply, forcing a bitter smile. “This is troublesome. The four of us together possess twelve superior-grade Heavenly Artifacts and a hundred and twenty mid-grade Heavenly Artifacts.”

“Heh, yes, such an enticing offer—I’m even tempted. Damn the Purple Mysterious Alliance, they’re truly shameless,” Fang Tao cursed.

“Hmph, anyone who wants to kill us must have the capability,” Lu Qingtian snorted coldly. “I want to see who has the power to slay a Divine King.”

Suddenly, Gu Tai’s expression changed. “It’s bad—Xiao Jin is dead.”

Xiao Jin was Gu Tai’s only subordinate Divine King.

“What?” The group’s faces changed simultaneously, and they all used their divine senses to scan their territories.

Lu Qingtian was shocked. “How could it happen so fast? I just used my divine sense to observe the Eternal Tower moments ago and found no trace. Xiao Jin’s understanding of time acceleration was profound—how could he be killed so swiftly?” No wonder Lu Qingtian was astonished; to kill a Divine King in such a short time, only those who mastered time stasis might achieve it.

Yet, if someone had mastered time stasis, they could have come to Tongmu Village to kill all of them.

Fang Tao and Shui Ruojun exchanged sympathetic glances at Gu Tai. “Nothing unusual has happened to us,” they said.

“Damn it, there was no bounty on killing Xiao Jin,” Gu Tai cursed bitterly. Xiao Jin had followed him for several cycles, and his sudden demise left him feeling uneasy.

Shui Ruojun considered and analyzed, “This time it was Xiao Jin. Next time, it could be you. By eliminating your trusted aide first, they can come after you directly.”

Fang Tao nodded. “Shui, you have a point. Looks like we all need to be more careful.”

Lu Qingtian paced with his hands behind his back, speaking gravely. “This matter isn’t that simple. I suggest the three of you stay at Tongmu Village for now. Any issues can be discussed there. Also, order your subordinate Divine Kings to come immediately. We cannot afford further losses.”

Shui Ruojun’s expression shifted. “Though that’s a good plan, we must also protect our main bases. Losing our home grounds would be a greater loss than a single Divine King.”

Lu Qingtian’s face darkened. He thought, If that’s the case, it simplifies matters. I can directly accept these three allies. But it seems Shui Ruojun is reluctant.

Hearing Shui Ruojun’s words, Gu Tai’s face grew more anxious. “I must return to check on my territories. I cannot bear to lose what I’ve built for several cycles.” He was about to leave.

“Wait,” Lu Qingtian barked. “Gu Tai, if you want to die, be my guest. But right now, we can’t afford any more losses. Since none of you want to abandon your accumulated foundations, let’s move your assets and elites temporarily to Tongmu Village. Even if we suffer losses, it won’t prevent you from making a comeback.”

---

Fang Tao pondered. “I think Lu’s plan is good. We can also use this opportunity to gather the leaders of the other fifty-nine forces to discuss a strategy against the Purple Mysterious Alliance. This matter demands urgency.”

Shui Ruojun nodded without objection. “No time to waste. Let’s act immediately.”

This time, the Divine Kings were cautious, keeping their divine senses fixed on these locations. Within just two hours, all the foundations and elites cultivated over the years by these three forces were gathered at Tongmu Village.

When everyone and everything had assembled, no one noticed the faint trace of satisfaction curling at the corner of Lu Qingshan’s lips.

---

The Divine Kings in the Primordial Divine Realm had one disadvantage compared to those in the Linmeng Divine Realm. In Linmeng, a Divine King’s divine sense could nearly cover the entire divine realm. But the Primordial Divine Realm was many times larger, and every three cycles a new spatial realm would open, limiting the range of a Divine King’s divine sense.

Therefore, even with seven Divine Kings, the Purple Mysterious Alliance only learned of Tongmu Village’s movements through Wan Peng.

Upon receiving the news, Qin Si laughed heartily. “This Lu Qingtian is just a worm inside my belly, crawling exactly into the trap I set for him.”

Qin Shuang, naturally, received the news from Qin Si immediately. It seemed the situation was becoming increasingly straightforward.

Zhao Yongkui stared blankly at the two Alliance Leaders, wanting to ask something but unsure what. Expanding his divine sense, he found little else.

“Old Zhao, feeling a bit puzzled?” Qin Si asked cheerfully, draping an arm over Zhao Yongkui’s shoulder.

Zhao Yongkui nodded awkwardly. Only now did he realize that aside from requiring an oath upon joining the Purple Mysterious Alliance, these two leaders were genuinely approachable and kind.

“Actually, it’s simple. You said those four forces form a solid framework, right? Since the framework is tough to dismantle, we choose to peel the flesh off—pry a little from the outside, let some worms in to gnaw away. Once the inside rots, the outer flesh falls away too. As for dismantling the framework itself, our Purple Mysterious Alliance definitely has the strength,” Qin Si explained.

“…” His words were somewhat abstract. Qin Shuang, Cui De, and Ping Tian, who knew the inside story, all understood the meaning, but Zhao Yongkui was utterly lost, confused. “Alliance Leader… I don’t quite understand. Could you please explain more clearly?”

“Ping Tian, you tell him. After all, Old Zhao is now a core member of the Purple Mysterious Alliance and has the right to know,” Qin Si delegated the task to Ping Tian, who had initially proposed the idea.

After Ping Tian’s explanation, Zhao Yongkui suddenly understood and exclaimed excitedly, “In that case, Tiehua City will still belong to our Purple Mysterious Alliance. As for Lu Qingtian, in the end, he’ll be left empty-handed. I really want to see what expression that guy will have then.”

(To be continued)