Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 760

If it weren't for the "Trial of the Gods," a single force with four eighth-tier Great Evil Gods could probably have easily crushed the current "Puppet Ants."

Thinking this way, Shuxia felt much better.

So he continued to look up at the battlefield, wanting to see what Qiu Tu planned to do next.

Then, he saw Qiu Tu quietly watch the "puppet ant" army leave before turning to look at the human soldiers in the trenches.

The next second, Qiu Tu called out, "Feifei, come here for a second."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's voice, Tang Feifei emerged from behind the battlefield, her face expressionless, and stepped through the air.

The two flew to the side of the battlefield, landed on the ground, and then exchanged a few words in hushed tones.

Tang Feifei was visibly taken aback for a moment, and then asked a few more questions.

However, because the two spoke very softly and were very careful to keep it a secret, Shuxia and the others did not hear what they were saying.

All they knew was that after their conversation ended, Tang Feifei took out her communicator and made a few phone calls.

After a while, more than a dozen troop carriers arrived at the trench.

Tang Feifei directed the soldiers to board the vehicle, and then directed the troop transport vehicle to leave.

Because this was a public order, even though Tang Feifei didn't publicize it, spies from various factions still vaguely heard some words and details.

Examples include "recapture the disaster zone," "follow behind the army of 'false humans,'" and "kill them on the spot," etc.

Although they didn't hear the complete command, they were able to glean some information from the fragmented sentences.

'Qiu Tu... is he planning to send the "Puppet Ants" to launch a counterattack on the disaster zone?'

'And then let the "Northwest Shelter" reap the benefits?'

'Was this the order he gave to the "puppet ants"?'

'What exactly is his cataclysmic ability? How could it cause the "Puppet Ants'" attitude to completely change 180 degrees?'

With these questions in mind, the factions present continued to observe while simultaneously relaying information to their superiors.

As a result, they discovered that Qiu Tu seemed to genuinely intend to use force against the "Disaster Zone," and... he had likely already made the necessary preparations.

Because, at some unknown time, the army of "Tianzhou" had already assembled and began to arrive one after another to join forces.

Afterwards, an army of 30, led by Tang Feifei, began to march towards the "disaster zone".

As the army marched on, it encountered little resistance and all the cities in the "Dizhou" were recaptured.

Afterwards, the army did not stop, following behind the "puppet ant" army, and continued to march towards the "catastrophic zone".

The "puppet ants" can fight the regular army to a standstill, but they can crush anti-government forces and extremist sects.

In addition, they have no fatal wounds except for their heads, and they are fearless in the face of death.

Therefore, when they launched a counterattack on the disaster zone, they were unstoppable.

Liu Xiongyuan, Li Tingdong, and the others followed behind "Puppet Ant" and Tang Feifei, starting to relocate the residents of "Dizhou" back, and then rearrange and restore the production and economy of "Dizhou".

As for Qiu Tu, the president of the "Northwest Sanctuary," he naturally sits in charge of both the Heaven and Earth states and helps them maintain order.

It was at this moment that Shu Xia and the spies from various forces belatedly realized: So... that great battle really ended so hastily? And... without any reversal.

Although they knew all along that the retreat of the "Puppet Ants" and the departure of the "Northwest Sanctuary" army signified the end of the entire war.

But deep down, they always had a hope that things might take a turn for the better.

The result... was nothing.

However, it was precisely because of this that their evaluation of Qiu Tu was further improved.

Previously, most factions believed that Qiu Tu's ranking in the top 40 of the "Trial of the Gods" was due to luck, or his previous achievements in the "Northwest Region".

Later, Qiu Tu advanced to the eighth rank and his ranking rose back to the top 20.

However, since this was still largely due to the accumulated achievements of the "human camp," and also involved a lot of luck, the various factions did not pay much attention to it.

However, things don't happen a third time. Once could be attributed to luck, twice to chance, but three times it certainly comes down to ability.

In particular, Qiu Tu single-handedly repelled 100,000 catastrophic creatures in front of so many forces, which immediately elevated his status in the eyes of all parties.

Therefore, all the information about Qiu Tu began to travel back and forth across various regions via radio waves.

At this time, Qiu Tu became the focus of attention for all parties involved in this "Trial of the Gods".

Shu Xia blinked as she looked at Qiu Tu, who was sitting in the distance.

'Wait a minute... Although Qiu Tu has subdued seventy or eighty thousand "Puppet Ants," he does seem to be stuck here...'

'If that's the case, then my sister-in-law will be all alone...?'

Thinking this, Shuxia's eyes suddenly lit up.

He felt that he was right!

Currently, in the "Northwest Shelter," there are only two known eighth-level experts: Qiu Tu and Zhao Ji.

As the top expert in the "Northwest Sanctuary," Zhao Ji is most likely focused on improving herself right now. It's highly unlikely she'd be looking after her sister-in-law.

Qiu Tu is currently overseeing the "Two Continents of Heaven and Earth" and cannot spare any time.

So... if I just find my sister-in-law, I can rescue her, right?

The more Shuxia thought about it, the more she realized this made sense. Her excitement grew.

He quickly went through the plan in his mind, and after confirming that there were no major problems, he turned around and said in a low voice to the reinforcements from "Siyuan Pavilion," "Now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Qiu Tu has been bogged down here by the 'Puppet Ants.' And Zhao Ji has most likely gone into seclusion as well."

"Therefore, it is very likely that the Deputy Pavilion Master of Manhuang is not guarded by any experts."

"Before this operation, I had been secretly following the Deputy Pavilion Master of the Manhuang Pavilion. She is currently being held in a villa in Dongcheng City."

"Dongcheng City is thousands of kilometers away from the border between Tiandi and Liangzhou, and it takes more than a day to travel there and back."

"We just need to create a time difference, while Qiu Tu is still tied up here, and then rescue the Vice Pavilion Master of Manhuang. Even if he receives the notification, there will be no way to make amends."

Upon hearing Shu Xia's words, the reinforcements from "Siyuan Pavilion" exchanged glances, a hint of hesitation in their eyes.

One of the reinforcements spoke up, "Young Master, can things really be that simple?"

“These past few days, we’ve been gathering intelligence on Qiu Tu. We’ve discovered that he’s always been known for his strategic planning, always thinking three steps ahead for every one he takes.”

"If you could spot this flaw in the Manhuang Pavilion Master's strategy, how could he not have thought of it? Could this be a trap?"

The reinforcement was speaking from the heart, but... it was indeed a bit hard to hear.

Therefore, Shu Xia's expression immediately turned cold.

He said, "You shouldn't mythologize anyone."

"Do you think I haven't seen Qiu Tu's intelligence?"

"His resume is indeed legendary. But that doesn't mean he's truly infallible."

"Such a record must have been due to luck in addition to his own ability."

"So why can't this be the beginning of his failure, when his luck has run out?"

First, he dispelled Qiu Tu's mystique in front of the reinforcements from "Siyuan Pavilion." Then, after a pause, he tilted his head and gestured towards Qiu Tu in the distance, saying, "And... don't forget, Qiu Tu personally handled this 'Puppet Ant' invasion."

"Tens of thousands of 'Puppet Ants'! He's probably the only one in the entire 'Northwest Sanctuary' with the ability to resolve this danger so easily."

"As for his staying to work, it's probably temporary. After all, he kept everything simple and didn't even change his coat, clearly indicating that he was preparing to leave."

"I suspect that it was this last-minute arrangement of his that exposed such a loophole in a short period of time."

"If we wait until he finishes his business and starts heading back, we'll have wasted this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Upon hearing Shu Xia's words, the reinforcements exchanged glances and finally nodded silently.

They felt that Shuxia's words made some sense. Qiu Tu was a human, not a god; how could he possibly calculate everything in such detail?

So...maybe this really is a loophole in Qiu Tu's strategy?

Could there be other possibilities?

For example... is the current Qiu Tu actually an avatar? And the subjugation of those tens of thousands of "puppet ants" was actually a show staged by Qiu Tu using a magical artifact or having other Cataclysmic beings act in his favor?

Thinking this, one of the reinforcements suddenly had a bright idea and said, "Young Master, I suddenly remembered that I have a Cataclysmic Treasure that can check from a distance whether a person is an avatar or their true form."

"I think we should verify Qiu Tu's situation first. I've heard he's cunning and treacherous, so we mustn't be fooled by him."

Upon hearing the words of reinforcements, Shuxia's eyes lit up slightly, and she said after a moment of understanding, "That's for the best. This way, we can feel at ease."

With Shuxia's approval, the reinforcement immediately took out a piece of paper that looked like a "scratch card".

The piece of paper had two large characters written on it: "Breaking Illusion," and below it was a scratch-off area like a lottery ticket.

The reinforcement explained, "This catastrophic artifact is called 'The Paper of Deception.' Its function is to lock onto a person, then scratch off the 'Scratch and reveal' mark, and that person's true form will appear on the paper."

"Therefore, whether this Qiu Tu is an 'avatar' or another Cataclysmic being in disguise, it's immediately obvious."

Hearing the reinforcement's words, Shu Xia nodded in satisfaction and then ordered, "Then give it a try quickly."

Upon hearing this, the reinforcement picked up the paper and waved it slightly towards Qiu Tu in the distance. Visibly, the paper seemed to glow with strange, bright golden patterns.

Seeing this, Shuxia also turned to the side, waiting for the lottery results to be announced.

The reinforcement took out a metal buckle and started scraping it repeatedly.

Moments later, the lottery area was scratched off, and Qiu Tu's lifelike photo appeared on it.

Seeing this, the reinforcement visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Shu Xia and the other reinforcements, and then said, "Qiu Tu is indeed here in his true form."

Upon hearing the confirmation of the reinforcement, everyone present breathed a slight sigh of relief.

After all, most of the reinforcements that can enter the "edge area" are only at the peak of the fifth rank.

Such strength is far superior to ordinary people or ordinary catastrophic creatures. However, it's insufficient against Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu, an eighth-tier deity, could almost kill a fifth-tier deity with a single move. Therefore, no one wanted to encounter Qiu Tu if they could avoid it.

Having confirmed that there was no danger, the group left one person to keep an eye on Qiu Tu and hurriedly headed to "Dongcheng City" to rescue Manhuang.

What remains, of course, is the reinforcement that can use its treasure to detect Qiu Tu's true form.

Soon, reinforcements from "Siyuan Pavilion" arrived in "Dongcheng City".

It was probably nighttime, and everything in "Dongcheng City" was quiet and peaceful.

After quietly sensing the surroundings outside Dongcheng City for a while and confirming that Zeji was no longer in the city, Shuxia led the reinforcements and silently infiltrated Dongcheng City.

Following Shuxia's memory, they found the villa where Manhuang was imprisoned.

However, when the group sneaked in, they discovered that... the Emperor had already been moved.

The furniture throughout the villa was covered in a layer of dust, indicating that no one had been there for several days.

This turn of events was exactly what Shuxia had anticipated.

After all, as the others just mentioned, Qiu Tu has always been a strategist. Even if he's leaving for a short time, he'll most likely make some arrangements and have a backup plan.

This is perfectly reasonable.

If Qiu Tu hadn't done that, Shu Xia would have suspected that it was all a trap!

Moreover... no matter how they move, they will always leave clues. As long as you follow them early and use some support-type "catastrophic artifacts", you can always find them.

And so, over the next few hours, Shuxia began to trace the path of Manhuang's relocation, little by little.

Finally, around 5 a.m., just before dawn, they found Manhuang in the New Territories.

Qiu Tu actually hid Manhuang in his mansion in the New Territories, a gift from the Five Elders. It had a rather gilded cage feel to it.

This made Shuxia, who was determined to never forget her sister-in-law, so angry that her eyes turned red.

And so, they arrived at the location where the Emperor of the Man Mountains had been transferred.

Shuxia used a special communication device to contact the reinforcements who were monitoring Qiu Tu.

After the reinforcements confirmed Qiu Tu's true identity in "Dizhou" once again using the "Cataclysmic Treasure," Shu Xia finally felt completely relieved.

He led reinforcements from "Siyuan Pavilion" and quietly infiltrated the first floor of the villa.

At this moment, the first floor of the villa was dark and quiet, with only the faint light from the nightlights.

The group exchanged glances, conducted a quick search of the first floor, and after confirming that Manhuang was not there, quietly made their way to the second floor.

As soon as they reached the second floor, they seemed to faintly hear some crisp "snap" sounds...