So, once she gained the support of the North God King, becoming the head of "Siyuan Pavilion" would practically be a foregone conclusion.

At this thought, Man Huang's heart couldn't help but start racing for a few seconds.

But... right after, she instantly calmed down again. Because she realized that although her becoming the head of "Siyuan Pavilion" was a good thing, it also brought up an issue: What about Shu Xia?

As the "Tree Ancestor"'s own son, Man Huang's brother-in-law, and himself also an eighth-rank Great Evil God, Shu Xia was actually higher than Man Huang in the line of succession.

What's more, before her husband passed away, he had repeatedly exhorted Man Huang to take good care of and support Shu Xia.

Thinking of this made Man Huang even more hesitant and conflicted.

So, a few traces of struggle couldn't help but show on her face.

After all, who doesn't want to ascend to the peak, who doesn't want to hold power over a domain?

But... to ascend to the peak, would she abandon her conscience and promises?

Man Huang felt that she just couldn't do it.

So, after quietly reflecting for two seconds, when memories of the "Tree Ancestor"'s care over the years flashed through her mind, in the end, her conscience won out.

So Man Huang let out a gentle sigh, then bowed her head and gave her respects, saying to the North God King, "Thank you, Divine King, for your high regard."

"But I, Man Huang, feel inadequate for the task, not up to such great responsibility, so I ask the Divine King to choose someone else."

Hearing Man Huang's words, the North God King's face softened slightly. He watched Man Huang quietly for a while before he sighed.

After a moment, he looked at Man Huang and, with his youthful voice, began to speak, "Forget it. Earlier, Qiu Tu wrote in his letter that I wouldn't be able to keep you here, and I didn't believe him."

"Seems your mind is already made up, so I won't say anything more."

Just before, Man Huang had undergone an intense internal struggle, and in the end, her conscience triumphed over her ambition. She'd been able to exhale in relief inside, and even felt a slight pride in herself.

As a result, these few words from the North God King instantly wiped out all her self-contentment.

Suddenly, a bunch of question marks popped up over her head, and she had a vague sense of foreboding in her heart.

Wait a minute? What do you mean, my mind is already made up? What's this about Qiu Tu saying you can't keep me?

What is the North God King talking about?

Did Qiu Tu trick her again?

For a moment, Man Huang started to panic a little.

But before she could really think it through, the North God King spoke again. He looked at Man Huang, his expression turning serious and imposing, "Man Huang, hear my order!"

Hearing the North God King's words, even though Man Huang's heart was full of doubts, she still dropped to the ground in haste, "Yes."

The North God King said with full authority, "From this moment on... I appoint you as Ambassador of the Northern Kingdom, in charge of diplomatic affairs between the Northern Kingdom and the Human Camp."

"Starting today, you are to stay by Qiu Tu's side, responsible for conveying messages between me and Qiu Tu."

When she heard the North God King, Man Huang jerked her head up, eyes wide in shock.

The ominous feeling in her heart grew heavier. She hurriedly tried to explain something.

But at this point, the North God King no longer gave her a chance to speak.

With a wave of his hand, the folding fan he'd been holding flew straight into Man Huang's hand.

"Take this to Qiu Tu. Tell him: I've agreed to the matter; if there are any issues, he can contact me through this fan."

With that, the North God King made a shooing motion with his hand, a hint of fatigue on his youthful face. "That's enough, off you go. I'm tired."

Hearing this, Man Huang's expression kept shifting.

After a while, she finally lowered her proud head and softly said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

With her response, the ground began to collapse and the sky started to shatter. Soon, all illusions faded, and as Man Huang came back to her senses, she found herself kneeling before a divine statue.

She looked up at that statue.

The statue stood over ten meters tall, made entirely of jade, and even at night it emitted a faint glow.

Clearly, this time Man Huang sent a message to the North God King right through one of the divine statues erected throughout the "Northern Kingdom."

Or rather... the true key to how the Divine Kings divided their territories was the divine statues themselves.

Wherever a divine statue stands, it's as if the Divine King is present in person. In this region, the Divine King wields the power of a Heavenly God Peak.

Bowing once more to the North God King's statue, Man Huang rose slowly and walked outward with a blank face.

By now, how could she not realize that she'd been played by Qiu Tu once again?

Qiu Tu really had kept his promise, gave her freedom, let her go. But he'd found another way to pull her back in!

What's more... whatever Qiu Tu had said to the North God King, now Man Huang was being ordered to follow Qiu Tu around.

This was just cutting off her retreat, making it so she had no chance to escape, even if she wanted to!

Thinking this, Man Huang was so angry her chest was heaving violently.

Clenching her teeth, her emerald green eyes flashed dangerously—she was ready to go fight Qiu Tu!

.....

Meanwhile.

Southern Kingdom - Capital.

The towering gates slowly opened, and Shao Hua, dressed in a heroine's outfit, strode toward the immense stone temple hundreds of meters high.

Last night, Shao Hua had thought it over all night—even though she felt like Qiu Tu really was testing her, but... she couldn't risk it.

After all, she'd studied Qiu Tu's intel in this period; he was astute, resourceful, and never fought a battle unprepared.

What was even more important... it seemed like he truly had some mysterious power. He could find the key clues amid a chaotic situation and piece them together into critical intelligence.

The reason "Southern Kingdom" had enjoyed such stability these decades was mainly because the other three Divine Kings didn't know about the Southern God King's disappearance.