Then let them offer their loyalty!

Upon hearing Zhao Ji's words, La Ri Luo quickly nodded, "Yes, that's right."

At this point, La Riluo added, "Also, Qiu Tu said... he hopes that you, sister, can accidentally reveal something."

"Let those who are paying attention discover this 'trick' themselves; that way, everything will seem more real."

Hearing Larilu's words, Zehime nodded slightly. Although she remained as stoic as an iceberg, her expression clearly seemed to have relaxed somewhat.

Even so, after a two-second silence, she still spoke up, "However... this approach may fool most people, but it may not fool everyone."

"What if someone notices something's wrong and launches an attack beforehand, leaving him all alone? How will you respond then?"

Upon hearing Zhao Ji's words, La Ri Luo tilted her head and glanced at Qing Lan and Zhu Wu beside her, then said, "Qiu Tu means... he will maintain the arrangements for the next few days. He will have Lady Qing Lan and Lady Zhu Wu remain hidden nearby to protect him."

"With this, plus his other backup plans, even if a peak eighth-tier expert attacks, it should be enough to ensure his safety."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji remained silent for a moment, then her deep, cold eyes fell upon Qing Lan and Zhu Wu, silently scrutinizing them as if to see if they were qualified.

Although both are "reincarnations of gods," Zhuwu, having witnessed Zhaoji's methods, showed no divine majesty whatsoever, instead becoming as docile as a kitten. She grinned at Zhaoji, appearing completely harmless.

In contrast, Qinglan was much more casual. She was probably used to being lazy, so even during meetings, she pulled up a soft chair and half-reclined there. While she looked incredibly comfortable, she didn't seem like someone who could handle anything...

Seeing how stupid and lazy the two of them were, Zhao Ji:.....

She took a deep breath, looked at Larilu, and wanted to discuss the division of labor again.

Just then, Qinglan, who was comfortably leaning back in her chair, spoke up. She looked at Zhaoji with her big, watery eyes and said, "Your Majesty Zhaoji, I know you think I'm lazy, but don't worry, I won't let you down when it matters."

She said, "When I was in the 'Hidden Mist Society,' I didn't like doing anything, simply because the 'Hidden Mist Society' was too ruthless. The more I worked, the more the leader benefited."

"Now, the four of us are working together. The compensation and profit sharing that Qiu Tu discussed with me are also to my liking. So... I won't slack off."

"After all, protecting Qiu Tu is protecting our team, and it's also protecting my interests."

Although Qinglan's lazy demeanor made it a little hard to believe, I figured I knew Qinglan was lazy, so Qiu Tu would definitely know even better.

Given Qiu Tu's strategic and meticulous nature, he most likely already had arrangements and preparations made....

So after a slight hesitation, Zhao Ji ultimately didn't say anything more.

"If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them." Since Qiu Tu had already arranged everything, she decided to trust him and follow his plan.

And so, the short meeting ended, and the four went their separate ways. Zhuwu and Qinglan continued to protect Qiu Tu, while Zhaoji went with La Riluo to coordinate with Qiu Tu.

Although Qiu Tu had been refining the "Boundless Heart Sea Region," he was not in seclusion. Every time he finished refining one region and was about to move on to the next, he would send a message to La Riluo in advance.

Larilu's task is to choose an area close to this region, then have Zhao Ji refine it, and alternate between her and Qiu Tu.

After the meeting, the two sisters headed towards the area Larilu had chosen.

On her way to that area, Lariro couldn't help but recall Zhao Ji's various reactions earlier.

Her eyes darted around, a sudden idea striking her. Then, a cunning glint flashed in her crimson eyes, and she asked, seemingly casually,

"Sister, if I'm not mistaken, you seemed... to be worried about Qiu Tu's safety just now?"

Upon hearing Lariluo's words, Zhao Ji, who was flying on her, was stunned for a moment. Then, she frowned, gave Lariluo a cold look, and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"When have I ever worried about Qiu Tu's safety?"

"I don't care about him at all. What I care about is my 'divine status'."

She paused, then added almost involuntarily, "As for your earlier thought that I was worried about his safety, it was really just that I was worried about it affecting the 'Trial of the Gods.'"

Hearing Zhao Ji's words, La Ri Luo grinned, softly uttered an "Oh," and then drawled, "I see~~"

Her exquisitely beautiful face, like a meticulously crafted jade mask, possessed an eerie beauty. Coupled with her slightly upturned lips, her smile held a hint of mockery.

She deliberately said, "It's good that you're not falling in love."

"I knew it! Only I would like a man like Qiu Tu who is weak, a jerk, and a bit narcissistic."

After saying that, Larilu thanked Zhaoji, "But I still want to thank you, sister. Whether you're worried about Qiu Tu or the 'Trial of the Gods,' you're ultimately concerned for my Qiu Tu's safety."

"Although my Qiu Tu is very smart, he is still just an ordinary person and it is possible for him to make mistakes."

"The more we help him identify and fill in the gaps, the more insurance we can have."

Upon hearing Lariro's words, Zehime, who was flying, frowned slightly.

Larilu's words were clearly fine, but for some reason, she felt a slight unease. The feeling wasn't strong, but it was definitely a little strange.

She gave Larilu a deep look, feeling as if Larilu was up to something. She wanted to sort out her feelings, but the feeling was fleeting and elusive.

She hesitated for a moment, but her gaze immediately hardened.

After all, compared to the great path she pursues, a momentary emotional change is far too insignificant.

Neither romantic love nor the vicissitudes of life could affect the speed at which she drew her sword.

Instead of worrying about these things, let's focus on obtaining the "Divine Rank" first...

Thinking this, she stopped talking and continued flying forward.

Meanwhile, Lariluo, flying beside her, saw that Zhao Ji had adjusted her emotions in just a few seconds, and a hint of disappointment appeared on her face...

However, Lariro quickly composed herself.

She glanced at Zhao Ji's retreating figure, then pursed her alluring red lips, a resolute expression appearing on her face, before chasing after her.

.....

The return of Lady Zhaoji had a very significant impact.

Even without a cheat-like ability like "getting something for nothing," her refining speed was almost the same as Qiu Tu's, thanks to her status as a "reincarnated god."

This is also one of the reasons why she advanced so quickly before.

However, refining together as a group would inevitably leave clues, so Zhao Ji didn't actively expose herself. When she secretly refined the third "Boundless Heart Sea Region," a certain force discovered her little actions.

There are five factions in the Northwest Region. Besides the Mist Hidden Society and Lady Zhao, there are three other factions.

During this time, these three forces have been paying close attention to Qiu Tu's situation. Therefore, they have naturally noticed the terrifying speed at which Qiu Tu is refining the "Boundless Heart Sea Region".

They had suspected before that there might be something fishy going on.

After all, Qiu Tu, a god at the early stage of the seventh rank, even if he is exceptionally talented, and even if others have conquered each region in advance, he should not be able to refine a "Boundless Heart Sea Region" so quickly.

This is almost twice as fast as a normal seventh-tier deity.

But once it was discovered that Zhao Ji was also refining the "Boundless Heart Sea Region" at the same time, everything suddenly made sense...

Many details that were previously unclear can now be explained.

—It turns out that Zhao Ji and Qiu Tu refined the areas together, which made it appear that Qiu Tu refined 46 areas in 3 days.

So... Qiu Tu's advancement to the 8th rank was a ruse. It turns out his refining of the "Boundless Heart Sea Region" all this time was a smokescreen.

The reason he made the whole operation so grand was to cover up Zhao Ji's actions.

The purpose is quite simple.

That is... Zhao Ji's talent and strength far surpass Qiu Tu's.

For Qiu Tu to advance to the eighth rank would take a very long time, but Zhao Ji is not far from the eighth rank, making her advancement much easier.

More importantly... compared to Qiu Tu's combat power, Zhao Ji, the "reincarnation of a god," is far more terrifying in combat.

In the "Northwest Region," she was practically known for "fighting opponents of higher ranks." A fourth-ranked warrior could kill a fifth-ranked warrior, a fifth-ranked warrior could kill a sixth-ranked warrior, and a sixth-ranked warrior could kill a near-seventh-ranked warrior!

Although it is unclear what her current combat strength is, the "Hidden Mist Society" and the three forces believe that once Zhao Ji breaks through to the eighth rank, she will likely be able to contend with late-stage eighth-rank opponents.

Therefore, when it was discovered that Zhao Ji was refining the "Boundless Heart Sea Region" at the same time as Qiu Tu, all forces almost instantly locked onto the new target: Zhao Ji.

Compared to Qiu Tu, this is their real biggest threat.

So, after a moment's thought, the towering man who burned down the manor and the toddler in a children's suit with his hands in his pockets decided to abandon Qiu Tu and follow Zhao Ji.

The naked woman with vine-like hair, a slender body, a youthful face, and large breasts hesitated for a moment before slowly disappearing in Zhao Ji's direction...

As for the man who had become one with the water, and the old man with the cane, after careful consideration, they also turned their attention to Zhao Ji...

Just as Zhao Ji had thought during the meeting: given Qiu Tu's intelligence, he certainly wouldn't completely trust the lazy and foolish duo of Qing Lan and Zhu Wu. Therefore, he had made arrangements and preparations well in advance...

However... perhaps Zhao Ji didn't expect that... Qiu Tu's arrangement wasn't about Qiu Tu himself, but about her.

"Finding a new target for the enemy is the easiest way to divert their attention..."

Moreover, Qiu Tu believed that it was just a group attack by a few eighth-tier deities, and Zhao Ji could definitely handle it.

After all... she is Lady Zhao!

And so, Qiu Tu perfectly shifted the attention of the "Northwest Region" to Zhao Ji.

Qiu Tu finally got another short period of development.

Knowing that the enemy might react at any moment, and that every second of his time was extremely precious, Qiu Tu spent the last two days rapidly refining the "Boundless Heart Sea Region".

During the refining process, the cataclysmic materials from the "Three Great Sanctuaries" were transported truckload after truck to his next refining area.

Of course, in order to make the performance more convincing, Qiu Tu also instructed the three shelters to place equal amounts of disaster materials in the cities that Zhao Ji passed through.

Fortunately, even though the "Boundless Heart Sea - Edge Area" is relatively poor, the resources accumulated over the decades are more than enough for the two of them.

Therefore, even the three parties involved couldn't see any problem...

Among them, only the members of the "Hidden Mist Society" were not easily deceived because they knew more information...

three days later.

Shelter No. 7 - Sanma City.

Zhiyan Tianwang and Baiyi Yinyin stood quietly to the side, watching as truckloads of supplies were transported to the designated storage location, and then they chatted quietly.

Zhiyan was clearly curious about Baiyi's stance, so she asked indirectly, "Lord Baiyi, aren't you supposed to be stationed in the disaster zone, waiting for the guild leader to arrive?"

"Why have you personally come to Sangma City to take charge of its defense?"

Hearing Zhiyan's words, the man in white smiled gently. Then he said, "You need to ask Jinni about this."

"He assigned me this task, not the other way around."

To become one of the three kings of the Second Shelter, Zhiyan is clearly a cunning old fox.

She didn't believe a word the woman in white said.

So she asked, "Are you here to do a errand or to protect Qiu Tu?"

Perhaps worried that she hadn't explained herself clearly, she continued, "Were those 'just getting by' things you mentioned before true or false?"

Upon hearing Zhiyan's question, Baiyi smiled. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, making him look quite comical.

"Is the Heavenly King of Weaving Flames planning to betray us?"

"That's not good."

The man in white's words sounded perfectly reasonable, yet extremely ambiguous.

At first glance, it sounds like a warning to Zhiyan not to tell Qiu Tu and ruin Baiyi's plans.

However, upon closer examination, it seems to be a reminder to Zhiyan not to inform the "Misty Society".

Anyway... it can be interpreted in any way, whether you listen to it the way you want or the way you want to hear it.

Therefore, Zhiyan was even more confused about Baiyi's stance.

She wanted to test the waters again.

Suddenly, at that moment, "Sangma City" trembled violently for some unknown reason, and surging forces began to emerge from tiny cracks in the world, then seeped into the real world.

That strange phenomenon was like... the cataclysmic power in the corresponding area of ​​the "Boundless Heart Sea" was overflowing and almost couldn't be contained anymore.

Upon seeing this, Zhiyan's body trembled violently, and then she looked up at the sky.

As for the man in white, he looked up at the sky with a half-smile. After a moment, he waved his hand, and a huge, semi-transparent spider web appeared out of thin air, then disappeared again.

But a strange thing happened: along with the disappearance of the spider web, the overflowing cataclysmic power seemed to vanish abruptly.

That state was particularly like... a broken world being mended...

Zhiyan's pupils contracted slightly. Only an eighth-level expert like her could understand how terrifying Bai Yi's seemingly effortless move was.

'Repairing the cracks in the world? Blocking the power of cataclysm? Isn't this a power only gods could possess? How can an eighth-tier being do it?'

'Besides... he's only at the mid-stage of the eighth rank, not even at the peak of the eighth rank yet!'

'Could this be... the strength of the 5th ranked "God Candidate"?'

Thinking this, Zhiyan couldn't help but look at the white-clad figure beside her.