Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 608

'Is it just my imagination?'

Perhaps because everything was so secretive, Yan Chen was somewhat unable to make a judgment. He could only keep his doubts to himself.

After all... what lies before him now is not figuring out what exactly happened to Qiu Tu, but rather his path to promotion...

.....

Meanwhile, as Yan Chen pondered the fleeting fluctuations of catastrophic power emanating from Qiu Tu,...

After returning to the state legislature, Qiu Tu went straight to the "Boundless Heart Sea - East City Area".

The eastern part of the city has changed dramatically by now.

Because of the planting of the "Earth Vein Flower", the concentration of catastrophic power in the entire East City area has risen sharply, making it like a blessed land.

Even while staying in the "Eastern City Area," Qiu Tu felt that the cataclysmic power within him had become more active.

Moreover, with the increase in the concentration of Cataclysmic Power, the generation speed of Cataclysmic Materials in the entire area has increased significantly by many times.

Originally, a region could only produce a dozen kilograms of Cataclysmic Materials per month, but now it can produce almost fifty kilograms.

As Qiu Tu scattered the grass seeds, this area began to have real plants, no longer just illusions of spiritual energy as before...

It can be said that the "Flower of the Earth Vein" has transformed the originally ordinary "Eastern City Area" into an extremely special place.

And it continues to change rapidly.

Fortunately, Qiu Tu had always told others that the East City area belonged to La Ri Luo, otherwise he would have been surrounded by countless envious, jealous, and hateful gazes by now.

Meanwhile, in the East City area where the concentration of catastrophic power was off the charts, Qiu Tu was also holding a dark soldier summoning ceremony.

Under the pitch-black night sky, Qiu Tu, dressed in black, stood in a valley, his hands clasped together, silently gathering his power.

On the dark earth, black energy ripples slowly spread in front of him, blending into the surrounding environment and making the whole scene even more eerie and unpredictable.

As time went by, a massive amount of cataclysmic power from the entire "Eastern City Area" began to surge toward this place!

Within the shadows before Qiu Tu, an indescribable surge of catastrophic power began to emerge. This surge, like a giant wave from the abyss, swept outwards with boundless chill and oppression.

Along with that force, the shadows on the ground seemed to be activated by it. They no longer lay quietly on the ground, but began to twist and roll, gradually gathering into clumps of viscous, asphalt-like black substance.

Then the black substance slowly rose from the shadows, forming blurry and grotesque humanoid silhouettes.

They gradually became clearer and solidified, eventually transforming into squads of dark soldiers exuding a chilling aura, clad in black robes and wielding sharp blades!

However, the leader was an acquaintance of Qiu Tu!

Pang Haichen, a fourth-tier peak Cataclysm who just died!

However, the resurrected Pang Haichen was clearly different from the one he was alive. His originally aged body had become strong again, his gray hair had turned black, and the wrinkles on his face had almost disappeared, making him look decades younger.

But that's all.

Perhaps influenced by the trauma before his death, his strength increased instead of decreased, and he seemed even stronger than he was in life.

However... compared to his strength, his mental state was clearly not as well preserved as that of "Captain" and "Scarface".

Perhaps because he died with his eyes wide open, his expression was ferocious, his eyes were fierce, and he looked at everyone as if he had a blood feud with them.

Upon seeing this, Qiu Tu nodded slightly.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

The reason he deliberately gave Pang Haichen hope before he died, and then made him despair, was actually to test the influence of emotions on the strength and sanity of the "Dark Soldier".

When Qiu Tu first acquired the ability of the "Dark Legion," he knew that the time of death, the intensity of emotions, and the price he paid could all determine the strength of the dark soldiers. (Chapter 364)

However, he didn't have the time or suitable candidates to conduct the experiment before.

Now that he has encountered a peak fourth-tier expert like Pang Haichen, Qiu Tu naturally wants to give it a try.

So he not only deliberately provoked Pang Haichen to become emotionally agitated before his death, but also deliberately told him false information so that he would die with regrets; and in the end, he almost brought the consequences to the maximum extent.

That's how he created a peak fourth-tier dark soldier.

As for the other dark soldiers, they were cataclysmic individuals from extremist cults and anti-government armed groups who had been executed in recent days.

Since the expansion plan of the three states of New, Heaven, and Earth was launched, Qiu Tu has been gathering a group of Dark Soldiers almost every few days.

Now, several months later, the number of dark soldiers under his command has skyrocketed from over 100 to over 2000.

Keep in mind that these dark soldiers are almost all Cataclysmic level.

His power is expanding rapidly during the war.

It was precisely because Qiu Tu knew that he possessed an army whose life was tied to his own that he dared to intervene in the succession of the Sixth Sanctuary!

Qiu Tu's gaze lingered on the group of dark soldiers for two seconds. With a thought, he put them away, then looked up to the north, towards the direction of the shelter...

If he's not mistaken, the shelter is probably in an uproar right now because of him, because of the death of Pang Haichen.

And since this large-scale operation simply cannot be concealed,... their true target should once again be able to flex their muscles...

.....

Meanwhile, at Shelter No. 8, within the high walls, in the presidential suite of the Fengtian Luxury Hotel.

A graceful figure was reporting to Princess Xi...

-----------

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Chapter 553 Qiu Tu is showing off his muscles! (10,000 words, please vote!)

The pretty girl standing there looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old, with a striking and beautiful appearance.

Her eyes were bright, her head held high, her chest out, as if she were always full of enthusiasm, with an inexhaustible youthful vitality.

"Your Highness! That's roughly the situation!"

"The other faction leaders have now gone to Speaker Rao's house to discuss this matter behind closed doors with Speaker Rao and Vice Speaker Tang."

"Although the entire 8th shelter was filled with panic, there was no large-scale riot because Speaker Rao and Vice Speaker Tang had made preparations in advance."

"Moreover, perhaps fearing trouble this time, all 'academic' officials have been ordered to stay home. Troops have been deployed to guard the area."

Upon hearing the words of the young girl before her, Princess Xi's beautiful face showed a thoughtful expression.

After a moment, she looked up and asked, "Are you sure Pang Haichen is dead?"

Upon hearing this, the girl nodded and said in a clear voice, "Yes, Your Highness!"

"Not only did he die, but it is said that his death was very bizarre."

"He had clearly already escaped long ago, fleeing to a disaster zone thousands of miles away from Dongcheng City, and used a double to perform official duties in his place. Yet, Commander Qiu still managed to find his exact location."

"At first, when Garrison Commander Qiu revealed his location, his men were still skeptical."

"When they arrived at the local area and investigated, they actually found Vice Speaker Pang."

"But... at that time, Vice Speaker Pang had already been dead for more than ten hours."

At this point, the girl paused for a moment, then added, "There are rumors that the forensic doctor conducted multiple examinations but failed to find the cause of Vice Speaker Pang's death."

"No poisoning, no external injuries, and not even the power of cataclysm."

"But... if we calculate the time of death, it happens to be exactly the time when Garrison Commander Qiu announced the location of Vice Speaker Pang."

After listening to the girl's report, Princess Xi's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She pondered quietly for a while, then whispered in a voice only she could hear, "Showing off his muscles... He's showing off his muscles to me."

The girl clearly hadn't listened to Princess Qingxi's words. A hint of doubt flashed in her bright eyes, then she tilted her head and asked in a clear voice, "Your Highness, what did you say?"

Princess Xi snapped out of her reverie after being interrupted by the girl.

She smiled and shook her head at the girl, saying, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about something else."

After saying that, she waved her hand and said, "Luo Luo, you can go and get back to work."

Upon hearing Princess Xi's words, the young girl Luo Luo quickly saluted and said with a spirited air, "Yes, Your Highness!"

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the suite.

Just as she was halfway there, Princess Xi suddenly called out to her, "Luo Luo, wait a moment."

Upon hearing Princess Xi's words, Luo Luo turned around and looked at Princess Xi with a lively expression.

Her vibrant energy even brought a smile to the face of Princess Xi, who had been suppressing her emotions for so long.

However, that smile vanished in an instant, and was immediately withdrawn by Princess Xi.

She looked at Luo Luo with an air of authority, then said, "Luo Luo, if I were to assign you a difficult and challenging mission, would you be willing to accept it?"

Upon hearing Princess Xi's words, Luo Luo's expression immediately turned serious. She stated firmly, "I'm willing! And I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Upon hearing Luo Luo's words, Princess Xi finally smiled.

She pondered for a moment, then said to Luo Luo, "Go find Ji Yuan and get a copy of the information on Garrison Commander Qiu. Memorize all of that information. Then wait for my instructions."

Upon hearing Princess Xi's words, Luo Luo saluted and said with her head held high, "Yes, Your Highness!"

After saluting, Luo Luo left the suite to find Ji Yuan.

After she left, Princess Xi's expression slowly faded.

She sat gracefully in the chair, as noble as a snow lotus.

'Slaying a peak fourth-tier cultivator from a thousand miles away? Is this telling me that choosing you unlocks the "easy" mode?'

Perhaps she was thinking of something, but Princess Xi's expression became inscrutable...

...

Meanwhile, at Rao Shou's residence, in the reception room.

The five leaders gathered together, discussing the death of Pang Haichen with serious expressions.

Hu Jie, the head of the "Liberal Democracy Faction," had a serious expression on his face and a rather clear attitude.

He pointed to the coffee table and then said seriously, "In order to align with other shelters, our No. 8 shelter has been promoting democracy and the rule of law."

"Vigilante justice is strictly prohibited."

“Especially someone of Lao Pang’s caliber, who can kill without hesitation, does he still care about the shelter or us?”

Upon hearing his words, Lei Laosan, the leader of the "Local Armed Alliance," stroked his bald head and chuckled, saying, "If he dares to kill Pang Haichen today, he'll dare to kill us tomorrow."

“If this matter is let off lightly, the entire shelter will fall into chaos.”

He paused, continuing to stroke his bald head while looking at Rao Shou and Tang Wanfeng, and said with dissatisfaction, "What's more, you two didn't even consult us when you dealt with Pang Haichen this time."

"This has broken our original agreement."

Hearing the two men's criticisms, Rao Shou remained calmly seated in the main seat, offering no response.

Tang Wanfeng, on the other hand, was forced to switch to "explanation mode".

He said, "Pang Haichen's case is really too big. And the issues involved are too sensitive."

"The more people know, the more unexpected things might happen. So after discussing it with the Speaker, we decided to wait until things were over before telling everyone."

At this point, Tang Wanfeng abruptly changed the subject, directly silencing the question, "Furthermore, I think this matter has completely crossed the line. No matter which of you I ask for confirmation, you will all agree."

At this point, Tang Wanfeng took a sip of tea and then slowly said, "Surely no one will actually object?"

Upon hearing Tang Wanfeng's words, the other two leaders froze for a moment, then fell silent.

Seeing that both of his "allies" had been defeated, Wang Guochuan, the leader of the "reform faction," spoke slowly, "This is not a matter of opposition or support. Rather... it's a question of whether we can still be trusted by you two."

“The five of us, plus Pang Haichen, are, after all, the heads of the shelter.”

"All important matters concerning the shelter should be discussed and decided by us."

"This incident has set a bad precedent."

At this point, Wang Guochuan added authoritatively, "Justice should not only be done, but should be done in a way that people can see."

Wang Guochuan's points were spot on.

To put it bluntly, the outcome of Rao Shouhe and Tang Wanfeng's case was correct, but the "procedure" was wrong.

The handling of a case must be fair, and the adjudication process must also be fair.