Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 832

The "Southern Kingdom" is a special case. Due to the agreement between Qiu Tu, Bai Yi, and Shao Hua, Qiu Tu's forces did not attack the "Southern Kingdom," which has maintained a relatively independent state.

However... now everyone knows that Qiu Tu will completely control the world. Therefore, six or seven forces from the "Southern Kingdom" have also come to place their bets.

However, compared to other forces, their strength is relatively weak, so they can only stick together in one corner.

Since it was still early, the various factions were quietly chatting in their own small circles, some talking about Qiu Tu, some about the Heavenly God Trial, and others about the banquet.

Because they were all high-ranking members of the "Boundless Heart Sea," powerful figures whose mere stomp could shake a nation, everyone spoke very softly, some even using their mental energy to transmit their voices.

And so, time passed by, minute by minute. Soon it was 7:50.

Suddenly, accompanied by a "creak".

The banquet hall doors were slowly pushed open from the outside, and at that moment, all parties fell silent in unison.

The entire banquet hall went from noisy to completely silent.

All the leaders couldn't help but look towards the doorway.

They assumed it was Qiu Tu who had arrived. But when they looked over, they realized it was a woman who had entered.

That woman was very beautiful, with porcelain-white cheeks and a beauty mark under her left eye.

She wore a dark red long dress with a very high slit, which accentuated her alluring pear-shaped figure.

Her long, wavy, wine-red hair was casually draped over her shoulders. With every smile and frown, she looked incredibly charming, as if she could steal a man's soul with just a blink.

In that instant, even the most composed leader was momentarily stunned by the beauty.

However, when reason returned to their minds, they were suddenly drenched in a cold sweat.

Because the person who came was none other than the most beautiful woman in the four kingdoms, and also another newly ascended goddess: Doris.

For hundreds of years, Doris has been the dream lover of all the evil gods in the "Boundless Heart Sea".

With the encouragement of the four great gods, and the allure of Doris's background and appearance, who wouldn't want to get close to her or win her over?

After all, winning over Doris would not only make one the envy of all men in the world, but also grant one control over a region or make a great contribution to the God-King's expansion of territory.

But... now the three great god-kings have fallen, and the Southern God-King has disappeared without a trace. Doris, however, has ascended to the celestial realm.

This made Doris an unattainable figure.

Everyone prayed that Doris wouldn't seek revenge later; they were already being generous by settling scores with them, and dared not even think of targeting her.

So when they saw Doris come in, everyone lowered their heads after glancing at her.

After bowing their heads, they secretly used their mental powers to communicate and inquire within their small circle.

"Why is Doris here?"

"Could it be that she's also here to congratulate Qiu Tu?"

"I think so. After all, she cooperated with Qiu Tu during this 'Trial of the Gods.' Now that Qiu Tu is going to unify the entire 'Boundless Heart Sea,' she'll definitely come to offer her congratulations."

"Makes sense."

Doris's arrival clearly changed the atmosphere of the entire banquet.

As she took her seat at the front of the banquet, none of the various factions dared to speak, only daring to secretly observe her while communicating with each other using their mental powers.

Despite the stares of the crowd, Doris remained completely unfazed. She sat there with captivating charm, as if everyone else at the banquet were merely ordinary cabbages.

Ten more minutes passed.

At 19:59:59, one second before the banquet was scheduled to begin, the banquet hall doors opened again.

Qiu Tu, dressed in a black uniform, walked slowly in from outside, accompanied by several trusted confidants, against the light.

Light and shadow danced on his body, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. A powerful divine aura silently permeated every corner of the banquet hall.

An aura of authority and menace filled the entire banquet hall, sending chills down everyone's spines.

Even though he didn't speak, everyone felt a sense of oppression and fear when facing those at the top of the food chain.

So, once the first person stood up, soon all the leaders of the various factions in the banquet hall stood up one after another, forming a dense, dark mass to welcome Qiu Tu's arrival.

These are all powerful figures, each capable of shaking any country on their own, yet they stand before Qiu Tu like lackeys, only able to offer their respectful glances.

Under the gaze of nearly a hundred leaders of various factions, Qiu Tu led his men slowly to the main seat of the banquet.

He didn't sit down immediately, but instead looked at Doris, who was seated to his lower left.

Doris was clearly not calm at this moment either. She looked at Qiu Tu, her beautiful face filled with surprise and doubt.

Because... just as Qiu Tu walked in, not only the dozens of eighth-order Great Evil Gods present, but even she, a dignified Heavenly God, felt a sense of oppression from the top of the food chain.

She didn't feel like she was facing a god of the same realm, but rather like she was facing an irresistible god-king.

'Qiu Tu has gotten stronger again....'

'Even though I became a god first, I feel a profound sense of powerlessness before him....'

'His talent is simply monstrous.'

Thinking about this, Doris couldn't help but space out for a moment.

The result came at this moment.

"Clap."

A soft sound rang out in the silent banquet hall.

That sound wasn't much louder than the sound of a pin dropping.

However... the weakest of the leaders present was at the mid-stage of the eighth rank, so they could clearly hear that voice.

Doris was no exception.

She snapped out of her daze and looked in the direction the sound came from.

As a result, she found a beautifully crafted jade pendant lying at her feet. And the one who dropped the pendant was clearly Qiu Tu, the host of the banquet, who was standing in front of Doris.

Doris paused for a moment, then looked up along Qiu Tu's legs and saw that Qiu Tu was also looking down at her expressionlessly.

Those eyes were dark and deep, like a bottomless, icy pool, concealing many things that were unfathomable and inexplicable.

His close confidants, however, remained motionless, standing there like statues, without any reaction.

Upon seeing this, the atmosphere of the entire banquet inexplicably came to a standstill.

Everyone knows that with Qiu Tu's strength, it's impossible for him to accidentally drop something.

Even if he accidentally dropped something, he wouldn't need to lift a finger; his trusted confidants behind him should simply come over, squat down, and pick it up.

But now he has suddenly lost something, and his confidants have not made any statement, so he must have other purposes.

Those who could get into this banquet were all shrewd and intelligent, so everyone's attention quickly turned to Doris.

Because the jade pendant suddenly fell off when Qiu Tu was walking right in front of Doris. Therefore, all of this is 100% related to Doris.

At this moment, Doris, who was at the center of the incident, finally realized what was happening.

Of all those present, only she knew the purpose of her visit: to seek refuge with Qiu Tu.

Of course, her surrender wasn't a matter of blindly bowing down; she wanted to negotiate favorable terms with Qiu Tu.

For example, she was Qiu Tu's legal wife, while other women could only be concubines.

For example, although she could incorporate "Crimson Territory" into Qiu Tu's forces, she wanted a certain degree of management control.

For example, properly resettling the old managers of "Crimson Collar," and so on.

However... upon seeing this scene, Doris realized that something was amiss.

She felt that Qiu Tu had most likely guessed her purpose, or had learned about it through some channel, which was why he threw the jade pendant in front of her, forcing her to make a public statement in front of everyone.

If he pretends not to see it, it would prove that his intentions to defect are impure, and Qiu Tu would easily question him during negotiations. Qiu Tu might even refuse his defection.

If I were to see this and express my opinion, then... once the master-servant relationship is established, what right would I have to negotiate?

'That damned bastard! He schemed against me like that!'

Thinking this, Doris was truly seething with hatred.

She really wanted to leave, but then she thought about her situation and the benefits of seeking refuge with Qiu Tu.

She hesitated, hesitated, and hesitated some more, but finally she made up her mind and decided to admit it!

'Just you wait, Qiu Tu! Once everything settles down, I'll get my revenge on you!'

While cursing Qiu Tu in her heart for being inhuman, Doris stiffly got up and came to Qiu Tu.

Because she was wearing a dark red, slit dress today, she gathered the hem of her dress with her hands, slowly squatted down, and knelt on one knee in front of Qiu Tu.

Her long dress was already form-fitting, so when she squatted or knelt, it clearly outlined her shapely pear-shaped figure.

Qiu Tu lowered his head, looking down at the woman kneeling before him in front of all the high-ranking members of "Boundless Heart Sea".

Looking down from above, what comes into view are Doris's two snow-white hues and the deep cleavage that could bury Qiu Tu in.

At this moment, Doris, holding her skirt with one hand and picking up the jade pendant with the other, looked up at Qiu Tu with a pitiful expression, and then said with tears in her eyes, "Speaker Qiu, your jade pendant is lost."

As Doris raised her head, her beautiful swan neck, fair collarbone, and heavy bosom were displayed before Qiu Tu without reservation.

Her posture of being at the mercy of others, coupled with her aggrieved expression, truly evoked pity in me.

Even Qiu Tu, who was not attracted to beautiful women and had great self-control, was momentarily stunned for a moment.

He cursed inwardly, 'What a vixen.'

Then, without changing his expression, he reached out and took Doris's arm, saying, "You're too polite, my lord."

As he spoke, Qiu Tu helped Doris up and said, "Since this jade pendant is destined for the lord, it shall be given to the lord."

Those present were all shrewd and calculating old foxes. So when they heard Qiu Tu's words, they keenly grasped the key word: reward.

It wasn't a gift, it was a reward. This implies that Qiu Tu and Doris are not in an equal relationship, but rather a superior-subordinate one.

Considering Doris's earlier act of kneeling down to pick up Qiu Tu's things, they couldn't help but look at Doris...

Doris could easily see through Qiu Tu's intentions. She couldn't help but curse inwardly: "Fine... I treat you like a husband, and you use me as a stepping stone to establish your authority?!"

You're a complete scoundrel!

But... now that she's already kneeling, she can't just stand up halfway through.

This is tantamount to all our previous efforts being wasted.

So while inwardly cursing Qiu Tu, Doris tried her best to cooperate with him. Her captivating eyes gazed at Qiu Tu with a watery look, then she bit her lip and softly said, "Thank you for the Speaker's kindness."

"I will definitely keep it safe."

The conversation between the two seemed simple, but a closer look reveals its subtlety—the words "reward" and "bestowal of reward" are not used casually; they are generally reserved for superior-subordinate relationships.

Those present were all seasoned veterans; how could they not understand the crux of the matter?

So they immediately understood the relationship between the two.

And so... for a moment, undercurrents surged in the banquet hall.

After all, before they came, everyone knew that among the six celestial gods, many were inclined towards Qiu Tu or were on the same side as him.

However, they were still somewhat shocked when they saw a newly promoted celestial being easily defeated by Qiu Tu and then become Qiu Tu's master.

After all, in their hearts, they always believed that Qiu Tu and the other gods were equals. It was just that the other gods didn't want to show their faces, so they supported Qiu Tu from behind the scenes.

Now it seems that Qiu Tu's relationship with those gods is not like that at all?

This led many leaders to once again place Qiu Tu at the highest level in their hearts.

At this moment, Qiu Tu also keenly sensed the atmosphere on the scene.

His expression remained unchanged, but he nodded slightly inwardly. Everything was proceeding as he had anticipated.

So he patted Doris on the shoulder, gesturing for her to go back and sit down, and then he went to sit in the main seat himself.

By this time, his confidants were already lined up expressionlessly on both sides of the banquet hall, rows of men in black clothes and shoes. This added to the solemn atmosphere of the banquet and made the expressions of all the high-ranking officials present even more grave.

Qiu Tu keenly noticed this scene, but he did not intervene.

Instead, after sitting down, he coldly surveyed the large group of people still standing in front of him, paused for a full two seconds, and then uttered a single word, "Sit."

--------

Please vote for me!