Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 640

"If her path to catastrophe is truly 'revenge,' then while imprisoned, she cannot gain power without seeking 'revenge.'"

"It's highly likely a case of 'reversing cause and effect.'"

"Reversing cause and effect?" Qiu Tu had never heard of this before, so he looked at Zhao Ji with a puzzled expression.

Zhao Ji gave a faint "hmm" and then said, "It's a very rare phenomenon."

"This phenomenon is generally only triggered by cataclysmic individuals whose mental state is 'extremely pure' when suppressed to the extreme."

She explained, "As you know, the 'Boundless Ocean of the Mind' is the spiritual world, and the essence of the catastrophic power is actually spiritual power."

"Therefore, when a person's spirit is pure to the extreme, then some miracles may happen to him."

"For example... gaining the favor of the world's will, 'first acquiring power at a huge cost, and then fulfilling the promise after acquiring power.'"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu's eyes flickered slightly, and then he analyzed, "So you mean... Princess Xi was probably under extreme pressure at the time, so she made a wish to take revenge and kill all the high-ranking members of the Lin family after advancing to the third tier?"

Zhao Ji nodded slightly. "More or less."

She said, "This phenomenon is rare, but it has indeed happened a few times. The simplest way to tell is to see if her strength has increased since then."

"Because of her revenge, the Lin family was wiped out, millions lay dead, and the land was scorched for miles. Such a level of 'revenge' certainly not only paid the price she initially promised, but also allowed her strength to advance by leaps and bounds."

Hearing Zhao Ji's words, Qiu Tu nodded slightly and said, "Princess Xi was indeed very strong at the time. According to Kou Xuan, she was already at the fourth level of strength when she joined Prince Kang's camp."

Having seemingly confirmed her suspicions, Zhao Ji nodded slightly, then closed her eyes expressionlessly, preparing to continue her cultivation.

Then, Qiu Tu spoke again.

He added, "Furthermore, there are also problems in the relationship between Princess Xi and Prince Kang."

Zeki: ....

Zhao Ji slowly opened her eyes, her sharp gaze fixed on Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu coughed awkwardly twice, then said, "If you don't want to hear it, I can stay silent."

Zeki: ....

Zhao Ji didn't answer the question directly. Instead, she gave Qiu Tu a cold look and said in a flat tone, "Do you feel... that I've been more lenient with you lately, so you're starting to disregard me?"

Hearing Zhao Ji's words, Qiu Tu said blankly, "I... I never really took you seriously anyway."

Zhao Ji's breath hitched, and she was just about to unleash her attack.

As a result, she heard Qiu Tu say sincerely, "After all, I have always respected and admired Your Highness."

"Moreover, I really don't respect or admire you because Your Highness is stronger than me."

"At first, I didn't have much of a liking for you. I thought you were just a god who was a little prettier, a little stronger, and a little more knowledgeable."

"However, after getting to know you better, I realized that you are world-class in every way, whether it's your appearance or your inner qualities, your talent or your ability, your personality or your will."

"Therefore, I respect and admire you from the bottom of my heart."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhao Ji quietly looked at him, just staring at him.

To be honest, Qiu Tu felt he had figured out Zhao Ji's personality, but at that moment, he still felt a little guilty.

What happened? The flattery failed? The attempt to start by criticizing backfired?

“Not the world’s best, but… number one.” After saying that, Zhao Ji closed her eyes with satisfaction and said calmly, “Alright, you can continue.”

Qiu Tu: .....

Damn it. How can someone find an opportunity to show off like this?

Qiu Tu felt that his learning journey was still long and arduous.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu pulled himself back to reality and continued, "Back then, after the Partridge Terrace Incident, the Lin family was almost wiped out, leaving only some old, weak, and disabled people."

"The destruction of the core layer meant that almost no one knew Princess Xi's secrets, except... Prince Kang and his wife."

This puzzled Zhao Ji a little. She hummed in response and then asked, "Why?"

Qiu Tu said, "Because... although the Queen's surname is Kou, she and Princess Xi are cousins."

"Her mother came from the Lin family, and her maternal grandfather was one of the core members of the Lin family. When she went back to the Lin family with her mother to visit relatives, she inadvertently learned this secret and informed Prince Kang." (Chapter 572)

Zhao Ji's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of realization appeared in her eyes.

Qiu Tu said with a serious expression, "Prince Kang is ambitious and extremely talented. After learning about Princess Xi's secret, he certainly doesn't want to miss out on this 'strategic weapon'."

"That's why, after saving the 7th Sanctuary, he instructed the Queen to have more contact with Princess Xi in order to gain her favor."

"Princess Xi suffered because of the Lin family, so naturally she didn't want to stay there. After finding warmth with the Queen, she mustered her courage and went to serve under Prince Kang." (Chapters 490 and 557)

"That's why the rumors circulated in various shelters that Princess Xi was ambitious, abandoned her family, and followed Prince Kang."

At this point, Qiu Tu paused, then said in a deep voice, "Later, just like the Lin family, the Kang King almost reached the 'Boundless Heart Sea - Core Area,' and then the 'Mist Hidden Society' sent a Yaksha to advance to the 6th rank."

"Back then, Yaksha directly defeated the near-6th rank Kang Wang, severely injuring him." (Chapters 510 and 557)

At this point, a hint of reluctance appeared in Qiu Tu's eyes. He said, "Actually, I had some doubts when I first learned about this."

"King Kang falls ill so easily now. How did he manage to escape with his life and recover completely after being attacked by a Yaksha when he advanced in his cultivation level?"

Zhao Ji had clearly been listening attentively the whole time. She asked, "The Butterfly Transformation Gu?"

Qiu Tu hummed in agreement. "And it's the 'original Gu' of the 'Butterfly Transformation Gu.' That is... Princess Xi."

"In order to save their own lives, after Princess Xi was given a new lease on life, he and the Queen pushed her off a cliff again. They drugged her and took her virginity."

"It was precisely the power of the 'Primal Gu' that allowed them to save King Kang, who was half-buried in the ground."

After Qiu Tu finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Even with Zehime's calm demeanor, it seemed as if her composure was shattered.

She sat quietly for a while, then stopped her practice and ceased her cultivation.

She looked at Qiu Tu and asked, "So... that's why Lin Xi hates them so much, and then started a new round of revenge?"

"Not only did she poison the Queen, but she also secretly poisoned King Kang for the next ten years or so, eventually killing him?"

Qiu Tu said calmly, "I don't know about that."

"These are all palace secrets; apart from those directly involved, who knows if they are true or false?"

"But the Kou family meant that...some of these secrets were told to them by the Prince of Kang."

"The reason why Prince Kang handed over power to the Kou family instead of Princess Xi after he fell seriously ill was because he suspected that Princess Xi had poisoned him."

"In fact, during the half hour he's awake each day, he's constantly handing over power to the Kou family, and that's the reason." (Chapter 523)

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhao Ji nodded slightly, expressionless, as if to indicate her understanding.

After discussing these private matters with Zhao Ji, Qiu Tu stretched and said, "However... those are all things of the past."

"Although I sympathize with Princess Xi and want to help her, politics cannot be based on sympathy, but on interests."

"Well... actually, it's just that the Kou family gave too much."

At this point, Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then added with a smile, "Of course, I'm not the kind of person who abandons someone after they've done their bidding. I've already secured a way out for Princess Xi."

"That road... she might even like this one more."

After saying that, Qiu Tu waved his hand at Zhao Ji and said, "Alright. They've fought enough over there, it's my turn to make a move."

"Your Highness, I'll chat with you when I get back."

After saying that, Qiu Tu lowered his body, and his "body" slowly withered and shrank, quickly turning into a small puppet.

It was none other than Qiu Tu's commonly used stand-in prop: the Unyielding Mannequin.

Looking at the wrinkled mannequin on the ground, Zhao Ji couldn't help but recall the scene when Qiu Tu came to find her earlier that day.

She immediately recognized Qiu Tu as a dummy. She thought Qiu Tu had gone so far as to use a dummy to harass her and escape her pursuit.

As it turned out, Qiu Tu didn't do that.

He just sighed and said he knew some secrets and felt a little depressed.

He's about to start another big battle, so he wants to confide in me and maybe even show me his face to increase my favorability.

His amusing words convinced Lady Zhao to keep him.

As a result, the two have been chatting ever since.

'What a strange guy....'

Silently evaluating Qiu Tu in her heart, Zhao Ji slowly closed her eyes, wanting to cultivate some more.

But for some reason, her state of mind seemed to be affected, and she couldn't calm down.

So after hesitating for a moment, she opened her eyes and stopped cultivating...

She looked up, her gaze fixed on the northwest, at the location of Shelter No. 6. Her gaze seemed to transcend the distance of time and space, looking at the two forces locked in fierce combat...

-----

We might win the daily monthly vote championship today! We're begging for some monthly vote support!

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Some readers commented that the last chapter was incomplete, and since I'm on leave from work for the next couple of days, I'm rushing to finish it to enhance everyone's reading experience.

今天还是2章1万字哈，还有1章在凌晨3-6点哈。

Chapter 579 The Princess Has Been Captured (10,000 words, please vote!)

Although the catastrophic creatures do not unleash their full power, other creatures cannot perceive them.

However, as a deity who possesses "absolute perception" and has mastered it to the extreme, Zehime can still roughly deduce the strength of a catastrophic being from the slightest clues or the flow of aura.

In her perception, Qiu Tu's strength had begun to increase rapidly again during this period.

Two or three months ago, Qiu Tu was just entering the fifth rank. Two months ago, he advanced to the middle and late stages of the fifth rank, and a month ago, he reached the peak of the fifth rank.

In the last month, Qiu Tu's aura became even more refined, and he continued to advance beyond the peak of the fifth rank.

Such strength might still be insufficient against a Tier 6 Cataclysm, but against other Tier 5 beings, it's truly a case of dimensional reduction.

Combined with "Absolute Perception" and Qiu Tu's own powerful cataclysmic abilities, Zhao Ji felt that the battle taking place in the 6th Sanctuary should be a foregone conclusion.

However, she felt that the fluctuations in the cataclysmic power in the Northwest region were a bit strange lately, and she wondered if it was just her imagination.

It seems that some fairly capable individuals have quietly infiltrated the Northwest region.

It's important to understand that the power of cataclysm is essentially a manifestation of the spiritual ocean. The cataclysmic power of an entire region is interconnected, like "seawater."

Therefore, when a major event occurs in a certain area, such as a war between super-level evil gods, nuclear weapons, or the mass death of tens of thousands of catastrophic beings, it will cause fluctuations and changes in the power of cataclysm.

In addition, when a powerful catastrophic creature arrives in an area that is almost impossible to contain, it will also cause violent fluctuations in that area.

It's like an elephant jumping into a swimming pool; no matter how far away it is, the water in the pool will ripple violently.

The same applies to the relationship between super-cataclysmic beings and regions.

The maximum size that the "Boundless Heart Sea - Core Area" can accommodate is level six.

The battle between Zehime and Yasha had already begun to tear apart space and affect reality.

Therefore, if a higher-level evil god were to infiltrate the northwest region, even with the utmost care, it would still affect the tidal wave of catastrophic power in the entire region.

For Zeki, who possessed "absolute perception," those subtle changes were like a beacon, making her aware of the anomaly.

'Seventh rank?' Zhao Ji murmured to herself.

After a moment, her gaze shifted eastward, looking at the "Boundless Sea of ​​the Heart - Core Area," as she pondered...

'This area is nearing its limit in terms of capacity for me.'

'After this match, it's time to head to the core area...'

'Should we bring Lara and that guy along?'

.......

Meanwhile, Qiu Tu was unaware that Zhao Ji was hesitating about whether to take him to the "Boundless Heart Sea - Core Area".

At this moment, his consciousness returned to his body, and he was looking at the chaotic battlefield, searching for a suitable opportunity to strike.

This one-on-one battle was deliberately arranged by Qiu Tu for training purposes.

For an organization to develop in the long term, it certainly cannot rely on its leader to carry the burden alone.