Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty! Chapter 1664 688: Qiu Tu's Heavenly God Ranking Soars!

Thinking this, Qiu Tu's gaze flickered, his mind also spinning rapidly.

As an eighth-rank peak Great Evil God who had lived for centuries, there were countless things of value on Tian Qi.

For example, he was the president of the "Fog Hidden Association," the largest power in the "Western Kingdom"; for example, he was a firsthand witness of the "Heavenly God Cataclysm";

For example, he controlled the "Southwest Region"; and for another, he definitely had intelligence channels supplying the four great Divine Kings…

As for the wealth he had accumulated over these hundreds of years, there's no need to even mention it.

As a man who almost got himself and Zhao Ji killed, Qiu Tu certainly didn't mind squeezing him dry and sending him to his final death.

As for whether Tian Qi, after scheming against Zhao Ji and Qiu Tu, had truly repented and was genuinely seeking to surrender—well… that wasn't important.

True repentance was Tian Qi's problem; Qiu Tu didn't have to choose to forgive.

After all, just the fact that Tian Qi had coveted Zhao Ji for centuries had already sealed his fate.

'Who the hell do you think you are, longing for my woman.'

Silently cursing in his heart, Qiu Tu left the garden, continuing on to refine the "Boundless Heart Sea Region," strengthening his own power.

Although he already saw Tian Qi as a dead man, for now Qiu Tu still had to squeeze every last bit of value out of him.

And in the meantime, Qiu Tu couldn't allow his own strength to stagnate, because… compared to Tian Qi, what was truly most important to his advancement was the "Heavenly God Trial."

So, for the next two days, Qiu Tu, though still hiding in the "Crimson Territory," orchestrated by remote command the grand merger of the "Northwestern Region" and the "Southwest Region."

Nobody knew whether Tian Qi had truly repented and sincerely wanted to join them, or was just putting on a show for Qiu Tu and Zhao Ji; either way… when it came to transferring control of the "Southwest Region," everything went remarkably smoothly.

The "Southwest Region" was, after all, an ancient territory of humanity, and was also the birthplace of human civilization in the "Era of Disaster." So when receiving this region, the "Human Camp" was incredibly familiar with every step.

The former upper ranks of the "Fifth Sanctuary," who had been imprisoned, were all released, and each city-state of the "Fifth Sanctuary" was also liberated.

Admittedly, the Zhi Yan Heavenly King played a huge role in all of this. Once the "Fog Hidden Association" overtook the "Fifth Sanctuary," she, representing the Second Sanctuary, made a pact with them, securing the lives of all within the "Fifth Sanctuary."

Which is why almost everyone in the "Fifth Sanctuary" came through unscathed.

As for the Third and Fourth Sanctuaries—since they were the "Human Camp's" territory to begin with—their recovery was easy as could be.

The result was that, in less than two days, the entire "Southwest Region" was fully pacified.

And the upshot of all this? Qiu Tu's ranking surged once again.

Even without a breakthrough in personal strength, he soared from eighth place straight to fourth place, overtaking Tian Qi and Bai Yi.

Currently, the top six in the Heavenly God Trial rankings are: first place, Zhao Ji; second, Shao Hua; third, Doris; fourth, Qiu Tu; fifth, Tian Qi; and sixth, Bai Yi.

In other words, by stacking population and controlled regions, Qiu Tu had forcefully crossed an almost impossible gulf in power and clawed his way into the final circle of the "Heavenly God Trial."

Even more importantly… the explosion in controlled area and population greatly accelerated Qiu Tu's "Cataclysm Path" as well.

As expected, following the annexation of the "Southwest Region," his strength rocketed to the late eighth rank, just a single step away from the eighth-rank peak.

This also pushed his rank in the "Heavenly God Trial" up one more, replacing Doris—he officially became number three…

...

Crimson Territory — Lord Castle.

Doris's bedroom.

Doris sat at the vanity by her bed, quietly looking at the latest "Heavenly God Trial" rankings, combing her hair with a Dragon Bone Comb.

The dragon bone comb really did seem to be made of actual dragon bone; every stroke from top to bottom would set off a deep, low dragon's chant.

And with every pass, Doris's wavy, wine-red hair shimmered like gilded waves from root to tip. That golden glow spilled down, dyeing her hair tips with a gradient sheen like molten gold.

But at the moment, Doris clearly wasn't paying any mind to her hair's transformation; she seemed a little absentminded—clearly stunned by the new rankings.

'Already fourth place?'

'That's so fast… Wait, actually, it's too slow… Eh? So is it fast or slow?'

Thinking this, Doris couldn't help feeling a bit frustrated.

Emotionally, she felt that Qiu Tu was climbing way too fast. After all, just two or three months ago, Qiu Tu had been ranked dozens of places lower.

And yet, two or three months later, Qiu Tu was already above her.

But… rationally, she knew Qiu Tu's true strength was far greater.

After all, she was the only person in this world to have witnessed Qiu Tu instantly slay three Divine King clones with a single move.

What's more, judging by the price Qiu Tu had to pay afterward, she guessed he most likely relied on some bizarre cataclysmic ability, not any single-use special treasure.

Which proved that this trick of Qiu Tu's wasn't just a one-off, but a repeatable killing blow.

So… in a way, Doris felt that, in that moment, Qiu Tu's strength had already surpassed hers and Tian Qi's.

Yet surprisingly, the "World Origin" didn't see it that way, only boosting Qiu Tu's ranking after he advanced again…

'Forget it. Anyway, Qiu Tu has already broken into the top four now.'

'He should be able to take the victory in this "Heavenly God Trial" and obtain the "Godhood" title, right?'