69novels Page 699
Page 699
Qiu Tu listened patiently, his expression growing increasingly serious.
He couldn't help but recall the loyalty of Princess Xi and Kou Xuan.
It must be said that they were all powerful figures in high positions, with extremely firm minds.
Even though Qiu Tu had been trying to win over the two women during this time, neither "Princess Xi" nor "Kou Xuan" showed much change in their loyalty.
Up until Qiu Tu's last meeting with Princess Xi, Princess Xi's loyalty level was only a mere 43 points.
Kou Xuan's score was even lower, at only 37 points.
This means that when the two are under Qiu Tu's command, they will obey Qiu Tu's orders normally and will not outwardly comply but inwardly defy him. But... that's all.
Qiu Tu even suspected that this level of loyalty might simply be due to his superior martial prowess; they knew that anyone who dared to outwardly comply but inwardly defy him would be killed...
It was precisely because of their almost unwavering loyalty, coupled with Qiu Tu's eagerness to leave the "Northwest Region," that Qiu Tu ultimately devised the "shrinkage" plan. He also "sold" Shelter No. 6 and No. 7 to Shelter No. 3.
But... Guan Xiao brought another piece of bad news today.
Although Princess Xi always appeared incredibly obedient under Qiu Tu's watchful eye, she was secretly consolidating the power of the "royalist faction."
She not only extended her influence into the army again, but also secretly sent people to rescue Xiao Heng and Li Hanxiang, the top civil and military officials of the royalist faction, who were imprisoned. Clearly, she harbored rebellious intentions once more...
Thinking this, Qiu Tu's eyes flickered.
After a moment, he seemed to remember something and suddenly paused.
A bold idea formed in his mind, but he wasn't sure about it.
After all... if this idea were true, it would be too crazy.
However, verifying whether this idea is right or wrong is quite simple. It only requires a little trickery...
Thinking this through, Qiu Tu paused for a moment before asking, "By the way, how is Yu Die now?"
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao replied, "Reporting to the Speaker, Lady Yu Die has already led her elite troops and the 'Dark Legion' into the 'Boundless Heart Sea - Core Area' and is beginning to set up an intelligence network and gather information."
"However, because the 'isolation mountain range' blocks the way between the 'peripheral area' and the 'core area,' signals cannot be transmitted. Therefore, we could only establish two intelligence outposts on either side of the 'isolation mountain range.'"
"This way, any new intelligence she receives can be transmitted to the intelligence outpost on the other side of the mountain. Then, intelligence personnel at the outpost will cross the 'Isolated Mountain Range' to deliver the intelligence to the outpost on this side of the mountain, and finally pass it on to me."
“We last exchanged intelligence yesterday. Her progress is only so-so. She's still in the stage of collecting publicly available intelligence.”
Qiu Tu nodded slightly and then said, "I understand."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "How is the contraction of our 'Four Provinces' influence progressing?"
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao replied, "These past few days, the army has all returned to the 'Four Provinces' as you ordered."
"Most of the intelligence agencies' forces have also been withdrawn. Only some grassroots organizations remain, ready to be activated at any time."
Qiu Tu hummed in agreement, then asked again.
"How is the 'overseas enclaves' bill progressing?"
Guan Xiao said, "Because you personally proposed this bill, neither the higher-ups at the 6th nor the 7th shelter dared to oppose it."
"But because this would indeed affect the interests of all the higher-ups, both shelters used your absence as an excuse to delay."
"However, I believe that if you personally intervene, the problem should be resolved immediately."
Qiu Tu hummed in agreement again, then said, "Okay. I know."
He said with a profound look in his eyes, "Since everything is ready except for the east wind, then I will borrow that east wind ahead of time!"
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao on the other end of the phone was startled and a guess formed in her mind.
Sure enough, Qiu Tu then said, "I plan to complete the deal with the Third Shelter ahead of schedule and then leave this place of trouble."
Upon hearing this, Guan Xiao quickly advised, "Speaker, isn't this too fast?"
"And... if you leave, you won't be able to return to the 'Northwest Region' anytime soon, will you?"
Hearing Guan Xiao's words, Qiu Tu smiled slightly. He said, "Who told you that when I said leaving, I meant leaving the 'Northwest Region'?"
Guan Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then heard Qiu Tu continue, "When I said leaving, I meant leaving 'Shelter No. 7'."
"Of course. Externally, we should also announce that I have left the 'Northwest Region'."
"Only after I leave will those jackals in the 'Northwest Region' reveal their true colors and expose their real intentions."
"And I can make my final preparations for leaving while watching how this grand drama begins and ends..."
-----
Please vote with your monthly pass! Voting with your monthly pass also gives you a chance to win a game of your choice worth 268 yuan and a Three Squirrels gift pack!
Chapter 615 Obtaining the Reincarnation of a 7th-Order Celestial God! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then a look of realization appeared on her face. "Speaker, you...are you planning to go fishing?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu smiled and then... denied it.
He said, "You can think of this as fishing. But... actually I just wanted to add an extra layer of insurance."
Faced with this woman whose loyalty exceeded 90 points and with whom he had an incredibly close and deep relationship, Qiu Tu didn't need to hide his inner thoughts.
He stated bluntly, "I pretended to leave early simply because I didn't want you to be in danger if any major changes occurred. So, I will stay hidden and protect you for a few days."
"But... if we're just overthinking it and the situation hasn't changed at all; or... if the change is for the better, then... I'll most likely take the act seriously and secretly head to the 'Boundless Sea of the Heart - Core Area'."
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao on the other end of the phone showed a look of sudden realization. She completely understood what Qiu Tu meant.
She nodded and replied, "Then I'll listen to the Speaker. We'll proceed according to the Speaker's plan."
"At that time, I will continue to monitor the situation at the entire 7th shelter. If there are any changes, I will notify the Speaker immediately."
"If nothing changes, I will continue to safeguard this legacy for the Speaker and wait for his return."
What Qiu Tu liked most about this woman was her keen observation and understanding.
Although she was only in her early twenties, unmarried, and had even lost her virginity to Qiu Tu, she was definitely the kind of woman... you could tell whether she was rolling over or sticking her butt out just by patting her bottom.
Moreover, she had an extremely clear understanding of her own identity: Qiu Tu's close right-hand woman.
She knew that she had met Qiu Tu too late; the place in Qiu Tu's life and heart had already been occupied by several other women.
After all, she and Qiu Tu didn't meet when they were both struggling; they met after Qiu Tu rose to power. Their feelings at that time were certainly not as pure as when Qiu Tu was still struggling in the lower rungs of society.
What's more... she even had a conflict with Qiu Tu at the beginning. This further lowered her score.
Therefore, she has always been clear about her position from the very beginning.
This also means that even though she is now closer to Qiu Tu and spends more time with him, and Qiu Tu values her more, she has never mentioned going to the "Boundless Heart Sea - Core Area" with Qiu Tu.
Sometimes, that's life. She wasn't wrong, and neither was Qiu Tu. The only mistake was timing and opportunity. Therefore, in the end, the person standing beside Qiu Tu could only be Yu Die, not her...
She understood Qiu Tu's thoughts, and Qiu Tu understood her thoughts as well.
So Qiu Tu gave a soft "hmm" and reassured him, "Don't worry. Even if I go to the 'core area,' it won't be for too long."
"You and Feifei help me take care of the house and patiently wait for me to come back."
"Yes, ma'am!" Guan Xiao replied with a grin, then exchanged a few more tender words with Qiu Tu before hanging up the phone...
And so, the call with Guan Xiao ended. Qiu Tu put the communicator back in his pocket, stood quietly for a few seconds, and then walked to the window.
At this moment, the sky outside the window seemed to be stirred up by a pair of invisible hands, with dark clouds rushing and converging from all directions like a surging black tide.
The wind howled and swept across the land, and the rain poured down like a burst dam, covering the sky and the earth. The whole world was shrouded in a curtain of rain, and endless rainwater rushed freely between heaven and earth.
He, the jackal, and Muye returned to Shelter 7, walking entirely through the "Boundless Heart Sea" area. It was only after returning to the villa that he discovered it was also experiencing a torrential downpour at Shelter 7.
This is likely a change in celestial phenomena caused by the collapse of the "isolation mountain range" and the resulting imbalance of catastrophic forces.
Qiu Tu even suspected that severing a section of the "isolated mountain range" with his sword might lead to the "regional integration" proceeding ahead of schedule.
After all, according to Little Yaksha's explanation, the strength of the "Isolation Mountain Range" is not entirely uniform. Generally speaking, the strength is higher on the side closer to the "core area," while the strength is much weaker on the layer closer to the "edge area."
This is due to the different concentrations of cataclysmic power in the two regions.
Moreover, as the time for the two regions to merge draws closer, the strength on both sides of the "isolation mountain range" will decrease.
Of course, even so, normally speaking, the "isolated mountain range" shouldn't have been severed by Qiu Tu, a sixth-tier peak cataclysmic being.
So... this is clearly thanks to the "Opening Heaven" sword technique.
'This swordsmanship is indeed terrifyingly powerful...'
Looking out the window at the apocalyptic scene, Qiu Tu slowly made this judgment in his mind.
Then he put his hands behind his back, his face expressionless, but in his mind he slowly reviewed the several major battles he had fought in the past few days.
In the past two days, he has experienced three major battles.
The previous two instances of easily defeating fifth-tier evil gods were nothing special. It was mainly due to the overwhelming power of the "Order Space".
Today's match against "Dongliu" is a little different.
At that time, Qiu Tu did not choose the safer option of overwhelming with the "Order Space." Instead, after confirming that he could activate the "Order Space" at any time to ensure his safety, he chose to confront it head-on.
He first released the "Sealing Jade," unleashing the effects of the "Sealing Jade" that had been suppressing him for more than half a month, briefly raising his combat power to level 7.
Immediately afterwards, he used the "Opening Heaven" sword technique that he had been practicing all this time by "gaining without effort".
Because this was a sword technique solemnly introduced by Zhao Ji, even though Qiu Tu had already learned the "Opening Heaven" sword technique, he was still secretly practicing it without any effort.
And this sword technique does seem to be quite extraordinary. Qiu Tu has been using "Easy Gain" for so long and has been practicing for so long, and he has only just managed to raise this sword technique to level 2.
This made Qiu Tu a little curious about just how amazing this sword technique was.
It is for this reason that Qiu Tu uses "Dongliu" as a touchstone to test this sword technique.
Now... he had witnessed this swordsmanship firsthand. The word "powerful" couldn't even begin to describe it! Perhaps only "divine skill" could do it justice!
'Sōhime is definitely not an ordinary goddess.'
Although this conclusion had already been reached, Qiu Tu is now even more certain of this conjecture.
After all, whether it's the attitude of "Candle Dance" or the power of "Opening Heaven", it's clear that Zhao Ji's identity before her reincarnation must have far surpassed that of an ordinary god, making her incomparably noble and powerful.
'I need to hold on tight to this powerful figure...'
'Therefore... I must go to the "Boundless Sea of the Heart - Core Area". I must also participate in that "Trial of the Gods".'
Whether or not one succeeds, or whether or not one can attain "divine status," is not important.
"Because, compared to that trial, compared to the 'Divine Rank,' Zhao Ji's favor is far more important! That's something even more important than the 'Divine Rank.'"
'After all, obtaining the "rank of a god" doesn't guarantee becoming a god. But... by latching onto Zhao Ji's coattails, that "godhood" seems truly within reach.'
With this in mind, Qiu Tu's gaze became even more resolute...
Therefore... the matter in the "Northwest Region" must be resolved as soon as possible.
He looked out the window; the rain was pouring down, like thousands of silver arrows cascading from the sky...
The storm is coming.
......
The impact of severing the "isolation mountain range" may indeed be significant.
Despite a torrential downpour last night, the entire "Northwest region" is still experiencing a light drizzle today.
The entire No. 7 shelter was almost completely covered by rain. The streets turned into rivers, and cars struggled to move forward in the floodwaters, their engines emitting a dull roar and their wheels churning up large splashes of water.
The trash cans were overturned by last night's torrential rain, and trash flew everywhere, mixing with the rainwater and flowing past the car.
Qiu Tu sat in the car, observing everything before him with an indifferent gaze, then instructed Tao Yaoyao beside him, "Tell the Privy Council to inquire about the situation in each prefecture and city. Prepare disaster contingency plans in advance."
"Even though this rain should end today, it's always good to have some contingency plans in place, just in case."
"In addition, another batch of daily necessities and epidemic prevention supplies will be allocated and sent to various states and cities as soon as the rain stops tomorrow. There is a high possibility of a major epidemic after the heavy rain, so we need to be more careful."
"Yes." Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Tao Yaoyao quickly responded and then took out paper and pen to write it down.
And so, while assigning tasks, the vehicle slowly drove to the Senate.
Compared to the streets outside, the Senate was not only designed with proper drainage for heavy rain during its construction, but also had staff wearing raincoats to clean up the water even when it was raining.
Upon seeing Qiu Tu's convoy, all the staff members immediately stood up straight and saluted the convoy.
And so, the motorcade slowly drove into the Senate and stopped in front of the meeting hall.
Tao Yaoyao got out of the car, opened the door for Qiu Tu, and held up an umbrella. Qiu Tu, dressed in a black suit, stepped out of the car and, escorted by more than twenty black-clad guards, walked into the conference hall in the rain under Tao Yaoyao's umbrella.