Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty! Chapter 1662 687: Surpassing the Promise Made to Zhao Ji

"And after their persuasion, Sanctuary No. 2 is also considering whether to merge with us."

Although Shen Lingshuang's voice was soft, everyone present was a high-level mutant, so they heard her loud and clear.

In that instant, even the usually composed Tang Feifei showed a hint of surprise on her tanned face.

As for Princess Xi, it goes without saying—her brows knitted slightly, the exotic beauty of her face full of contemplation, and her emerald green eyes were like two bottomless emerald springs, revealing no emotion.

As for Guan Xiao, she never bothered to hide her feelings in front of her own people. So, upon hearing Shen Lingshuang's words, there was immediately a look of astonishment on her face.

After a moment, she glanced at Tang Feifei and Princess Xi, then parted her fiery red lips and said with a smile, "Speak of the devil—it's like whatever we want just drops right into our laps."

"We were just talking about how to take the Southwest Region, and who would've thought... Qiu Tu had already acted ahead of us."

Saying this, Guan Xiao looked to Shen Lingshuang and continued, "If I'm not mistaken, Zhi Yan Heavenly King is definitely coming to negotiate with us in person, right?"

Maybe she was also secretly proud of Qiu Tu—Shen Lingshuang grinned, showing off her two cute little tiger teeth, and said, "Yes."

"Zhi Yan Heavenly King said she's coming to Eastern City this afternoon to talk with you face-to-face."

When Shen Lingshuang said this, a brilliant smile appeared on Guan Xiao's stunning face, and she replied, "Okay, got it."

"Ling Shuang, go contact General Li Feng now."

"She was born in Sanctuary No. 2, and the negotiator is her mother—she can provide us a lot of help."

Hearing Guan Xiao's instructions, Shen Lingshuang made a sound of acknowledgment, then hugged the files to her chest and strode out.

This girl who had been by Qiu Tu's side since the very beginning was growing at a shocking pace…

...

Meanwhile, Qiu Tu was paying little attention to the Sanctuary merger between the Southwest and the Northwest Regions.

At his current standing, some things only needed to be ordered once—there were professionals to handle the rest.

Right now, he was strolling through the back gardens of the castle with Doris, chatting as they walked.

The two of them—handsome and beautiful—walked side by side, looking every bit like a perfect couple.

Qiu Tu said, "So what you're saying is... Tian Qi's probably been infatuated with Zhao Ji for centuries now?"

"And... all these years, his actions and even his moves have been imitating Zhao Ji?"

At Qiu Tu's questions, Doris, who was walking next to him, nodded with a gentle smile.

Just now, when she saw Tian Qi off, her flickering gaze and pensive expression were all because she suddenly remembered all his behaviors over the years.

The ceremonial crown of fortune, parading with a retinue, the love of showing off, and... his trump card called 'Heaven Split'—which has the exact same name as Zhao Ji's 'Heavenly God Technique'...

So many little details, it was almost overkill.

Doris had actually known about some of this before, but she'd never put much thought into it. After all, Zhao Ji had been dead for centuries, long since erased from most people's memories.

But today, when Tian Qi came forward seeking alliance and acted totally devoted to Zhao Ji, that's when she realized something was off.

If one detail was coincidence, two might be fate, but this many similarities? That's 100% intentional.

So it basically confirmed that Tian Qi is a legendary simp for Zhao Ji.

And let's not forget... being a simp isn't just about love. It can turn into emotional distortion, an intense possessiveness, or even... love turned to hate.

That explains a lot of Tian Qi's contradictions: he's enamored with Zhao Ji, but he also wants to possess her. He'd even sabotage her on purpose.

His real goal might simply be to drag Zhao Ji down to his level, or climb on top of her—so he could finally be a match for this woman he's been obsessed with all this time.

Thinking of this, Doris turned her pale face to Qiu Tu and said, "Yeah. Tian Qi's probably been into Zhao Ji for ages."

"So I think Tian Qi might have hindered Zhao Ji's progress on purpose, just to close the gap between them."

Doris added, "And don't forget... Tian Qi helped bring down the Isolation Mountain Range."

Seeing the slightly odd look Qiu Tu gave her, Doris coughed and defended herself,

"Back then, I didn't know who Zhao Ji really was, and I hadn't teamed up with you guys. That's the only reason I helped the Kabane take down the Isolation Mountains."

"It's not the same as Tian Qi's motives."

Qiu Tu shook his head and deliberately argued, "Well, going by Tian Qi's words, he only found out Zhao Ji's identity today."

"So, just like you, he didn't know at the time. He just saw me and Zhao Ji as threats, and messed things up as a result."

"That makes sense, doesn't it?"

Hearing Qiu Tu's reasoning, Doris opened her mouth but couldn't come up with a good comeback.

Then, all of a sudden, Qiu Tu spoke again, "But..."

"Actually, there's something that's been bugging me."

When Doris heard this, she couldn't help but look up at Qiu Tu. The tiny teardrop mole under her left eye made her seem more delicate and pitiful somehow.

Qiu Tu glanced down at her and, not bothering with any buildup, went straight to the point. "Don't you think... the four Divine Kings reacted a little too strongly?"

Qiu Tu said, "Even though Zhao Ji and I killed Kabane, if the East God King had shown up, or had the North God King come instead, it would have been quite enough."

"After all... over the years, the four Divine Kings have killed more peak level Eighth-Tier gods than anyone cares to count—Kabane shouldn't have been enough to provoke them at all."

"But instead, three of the four Divine Kings have shown up. All just to get Zhao Ji's whereabouts out of me."