Volume 2: The Bandit's Life — Chapter 12: The Structure of the Divine Realm

"Haha, well said, but if our Purple Mystery Alliance didn't show enough sincerity, how could we hope to enjoy the shade beneath the great tree of the Demon Refining Cave?" Qin Si laughed.

"Good, refreshing! Someone, lay out a banquet. I want to get properly acquainted with the two Alliance Masters." King Pingtian gave the order. In truth, even without Qin Si's tribute, this had been his plan all along. In the Primordial Divine Realm, God Kings weren't all that valuable. Although Qin Si and Qin Shuang of the Purple Mystery Alliance were only Upper Heavenly Gods, who knew what kind of figures stood behind them?

"Come, let me, Pingtian, drink first as a gesture of respect." Pingtian raised a cup of wine and tossed it back in one swig.

"We are honored that King Pingtian thinks so highly of our Purple Mystery Alliance. The Demon Refining Cave will not go without its benefits in the days to come." Qin Si said aloud, but in his heart he was thinking—of course the Demon Refining Cave would get its benefits, for in the future, this place would become a subordinate of the Purple Mystery Alliance as well.

"The two Alliance Masters are generous indeed—Pingtian can see that plainly." King Pingtian laughed. "But in the Divine Realm, there are not many with more capital than the two of you. If I had to count, I'd say no more than thirty forces."

"Oh?" Qin Shuang narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, then said, "King Pingtian, we brothers have only recently come out to gain experience. Could you tell us about the various powers of the Divine Realm?"

Pingtian was taken aback. He hadn't expected Qin Shuang to ask such a question. The various powers of the Divine Realm? Anyone with even a bit of strength probably knew that. But looking at Qin Shuang's demeanor, he didn't seem to be putting on an act. Perhaps it really was as he said—they had just come out to gain experience.

"The Divine Realm has existed for an untold length of time—at least a thousand aeons, I'd say." Pingtian thought for a moment before speaking. "Since the birth of the Divine Realm, there have been eight families that could never be toppled. Powers rise and fall in ceaseless cycles, yet the Eight Divine Clans have never once declined. Even the cataclysmic war more than two aeons ago could not shake their standing."

Qin Si and Qin Shuang felt a tremor in their hearts. The cataclysmic war more than two aeons ago? If their calculations were right, that war must have had something to do with their Second Uncle, Lin Meng. Though suspicious, the two said nothing and merely listened to King Pingtian's introduction.

"The Eight Divine Clans govern the eight fundamental forces of Yin, Yang, Thunder Punishment, and Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. They were born of heaven and earth, and so many God Kings are willing to pledge themselves to the Eight Divine Clans. This is why the Eight Divine Clans enjoy an eternal prosperity that never fades." The Eight Divine Clans had once invited King Pingtian as well, but he had refused. Better to be a bandit chieftain than a minor figure in one of the Eight Divine Clans.

"Now... roughly how many God Kings do the Eight Divine Clans have?" Qin Si asked with a seemingly indifferent air.

"God Kings? Heh." At the mention of God Kings, Pingtian let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Any one of the Eight Divine Clans probably has over ten thousand God Kings. As for Heavenly Venerables, each family has at least three."

Qin Si and Qin Shuang felt their breath catch!

Over ten thousand God Kings, three Heavenly Venerables—if the Eight Divine Clans were to unite, wouldn't that mean a hundred thousand God Kings and over twenty Heavenly Venerables?

At that thought, the two brothers couldn't help but exchange a glance. Though shaken, neither showed anything. Qin Shuang merely said calmly, "After more than a thousand aeons of accumulation, having over ten thousand God Kings and three Heavenly Venerables is only to be expected."

Qin Si inwardly sneered, thinking, "Keep up the act, why don't you. Over ten thousand God Kings and three Heavenly Venerables—it seems any single Divine Clan from the Primordial Divine Realm could easily conquer and unify Lin Meng's Divine Realm if they wanted to." Of course, that hypothetical assumed the Three Sovereigns wouldn't interfere.

"Besides the Eight Divine Clans, what other forces are there?" Qin Si asked. But upon hearing the strength of the Eight Divine Clans, he had already resolved that today he would thoroughly scout out the entire situation of the Primordial Divine Realm, or else he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

"Aside from the Eight Divine Clans, there are also the Nine Ascendant Forces and the Ten Bandit Forces, which have flourished without decline." Pingtian said casually. To him, such a state of affairs had existed for countless trillions of years. Qin Si and Qin Shuang, however, widened their eyes—"There are also Ten Bandit Forces?" But that was only a thought in their hearts; on the surface, they maintained an air of indifference.

"Each of the Nine Ascendant Forces also has several thousand God Kings. But you only need to remember three of them: the Rippling Flame Hall, the Azure Dragon Palace, and the Blood Slaughter Alliance. Although they are counted as nine forces, the other six essentially follow the commands of these three." Pingtian introduced them casually, all the while keeping a close watch on Qin Si's and Qin Shuang's expressions, searching for any crack.

Unfortunately for Pingtian, whether it was Qin Si or Qin Shuang, both wore the same faint smile from start to finish—whether he spoke of ten thousand God Kings or three Heavenly Venerables, their expressions never wavered.

"These two have truly seen the world; otherwise, they wouldn't be this relaxed." Pingtian thought to himself. But this was actually Pingtian overthinking things—the shock in the two men's hearts was beyond measure; they simply didn't dare show it in front of him.

"Do the Nine Ascendant Forces have Heavenly Venerables as well?" Qin Si pressed on. After all, the strength of a Heavenly Venerable was far too formidable. Although the Primordial Divine Realm had rather many Heavenly Venerables, they still represented the pinnacle of power. The people of the Primordial Divine Realm also believed that Heavenly Venerables were the strongest existences, completely unaware of the level of the Sovereigns.

"Heh, of course they do." Pingtian smiled. "Otherwise, what do you think keeps them standing in the Divine Realm?"

"The Nine Great Forces, while not equal to the Eight Divine Clans, nonetheless possess nearly twenty Heavenly Venerables combined. That's how they can stand against the Eight Divine Clans."

"And what about the Ten Bandit Forces of the Divine Realm?" Qin Shuang asked.

"Heh, simply the ten most powerful bandit forces in the Divine Realm. Behind each of them, there are Heavenly Venerables lending support. Every bandit force has over a thousand God Kings as well." At this point, Pingtian felt a touch of helplessness. The Divine Realm had existed for such an impossibly long time that nearly all of its resources had been exhausted. Without a certain amount of backing, even reaching the God King realm meant nothing at all.

"This Divine Realm... is truly chaotic enough." Qin Si and Qin Shuang thought at the same time.

"The two Alliance Masters." Pingtian smiled. "Given how generously the two of you spend, I imagine you must have extremely powerful forces behind you." In Pingtian's view, without backing, two Upper Heavenly Gods alone couldn't possibly have so easily taken down the six bandit forces under him in such a short time. And that wasn't even counting the great gift they had brought him this time.

"Heh, as for us..." Qin Shuang gave an easy smile. "Actually, there's no one really behind us. The elders of our clan simply gave us a few things and sent us out to gain experience."

Qin Shuang had spoken the truth, but to Pingtian's ears, it stung somewhat.

"Gave them a few things casually?" Judging by how lavishly Qin Si and Qin Shuang spent, the things 'casually given' were certainly no less than what his Demon Refining Cave had accumulated over two aeons.

And the elders of the clan Qin Shuang mentioned—in Pingtian's eyes, they were absolutely Heavenly Venerables, and very likely more than one. For even a God King couldn't casually gift divine artifacts to others.

Pingtian gave a dry chuckle and said, "The two Alliance Masters are indeed descendants of a distinguished house. Unlike me, Pingtian—I have nothing, a poor wretch." Qin Shuang's mention of 'clan elders' made Pingtian hesitate over his original plan. Since they had already made it clear they were from some clan out gaining experience, if he were still so blind to the situation, then all these aeons of his life would have been lived in vain.

Actually, Qin Shuang's intent in saying that was precisely this. Given the current circumstances, only one of his avatars had reached the God King realm. If they truly fell out with the Demon Refining Cave, it would likely end in mutual destruction. So he had come up with the notion of 'clan elders' to temporarily keep Pingtian in check.

But Pingtian had been a God King for two aeons. He knew full well that once the Purple Mystery Alliance grew strong, his Demon Refining Cave would eventually be subjugated. The Demon Refining Cave was something he had built with his own hands—he had no intention of handing it over to anyone.

"I wonder what the two Alliance Masters plan for the future? I think my Demon Refining Cave can hardly contain your Purple Mystery Alliance." Pingtian asked with a meaningful look.

"Haha..." Qin Si laughed heartily. "King Pingtian, rest assured. For now, we have no plans for expansion. And even if we did, we wouldn't dare harbor any designs on the Demon Refining Cave."

"But what if..." A glint of light flashed through King Pingtian's eyes. "I'm saying, what if—when the two Alliance Masters become God Kings one day, wouldn't my Demon Refining Cave be in danger?" The moment Pingtian finished speaking, the six Upper Heavenly Gods who had been standing in the distance instantly appeared around him, looking as though they were ready to come to blows at the slightest disagreement.

Pingtian didn't want to fight. The mere mention of that 'clan elder' from Qin Shuang was enough to worry him deeply. But if he couldn't obtain a promise from the Purple Mystery Alliance now, then once the two became God Kings in the future, given the Purple Mystery Alliance's style of doing things, the Demon Refining Cave would inevitably become the Purple Mystery Alliance's Demon Refining Pavilion.

Qin Si narrowed his eyes at the six Upper Heavenly Gods surrounding him, and said with a cold laugh, "King Pingtian, I've already said—we will not set our sights on the Demon Refining Cave in the future either. But don't think for a moment that we brothers are afraid of your Demon Refining Pavilion. I advise you... best not to act rashly."

(To be continued)