Qiu Tu, dressed in a black uniform and accompanied by several confidants, walked slowly into the room against the light.

The play of light and shadow danced on him, both bright and dark. A powerful aura of a Heavenly God silently permeated every corner of the banquet hall.

An air of majesty and deadly seriousness filled the entire banquet hall, making people involuntarily shiver.

Even though he didn't speak, everyone felt a sense of oppression and fear as if confronting a being at the top of the biological chain.

Thus, when the first person stood up, soon all the leaders of the various powers in the banquet hall stood up one after another, forming a black mass to welcome Qiu Tu's arrival.

These influential figures, each of whom could shake nations on their own, stood like subordinates in front of Qiu Tu, only able to give a respectful greeting.

Amidst the gaze of nearly a hundred power leaders, Qiu Tu led his people slowly to the main seat of the banquet.

He did not sit down immediately but looked at Doris, who was arranged to be on his lower left.

At this moment, Doris was visibly unsettled, watching Qiu Tu with an expression full of suspicion and surprise on her exquisite face.

Because... when Qiu Tu walked in, not only did the dozens of Eighth Rank Great Evil Gods present feel an oppression from the top of the food chain, but even she, a dignified Heavenly God, felt it.

'Qiu Tu has grown stronger again....'

'Even though I became a Heavenly God first, in front of him, I feel an overwhelming sense of powerlessness....'

Thinking this, Doris was momentarily dazed.

Then it happened.

"Clink."

A soft sound echoed in the silent banquet hall.

That sound wasn't much louder than a pin dropping.

Yet, every person present, even the weakest at mid-Eighth Rank, captured that sound keenly.

Doris was no exception.

She came to her senses and looked in the direction the sound had come from.

She saw a finely crafted jade pendant on the floor. It belonged to the host of this banquet, Qiu Tu.

At that moment, Qiu Tu was standing before her, and the jade pendant was at his feet.

Doris paused for a moment, then looked up along Qiu Tu's legs, only to find him staring at her expressionlessly.

His eyes were shadowy and deep, like a bottomless cold pool, concealing many things that were hard to discern or describe.

The entire atmosphere of the banquet froze inexplicably.

Everyone knew that with Qiu Tu's power, it was impossible for him to carelessly drop something.

Even if he accidentally did, his confidants would have undoubtedly rushed to pick it up without him needing to.

But now, it seemed strange that he had dropped it, and none of his confidants reacted, hinting at another purpose.

Thinking this, many forces in the banquet hall began speculating in their minds about why Qiu Tu had done so.

Those present were all sharp individuals, so soon everyone's gaze fell on Doris.

Because it was precisely when Qiu Tu reached Doris that the jade pendant dropped, meaning there was undeniably a connection with Doris.

At this moment, Doris, the focal point of the incident, finally understood.

No one but her knew the real reason she came here: to pledge allegiance to Qiu Tu.

Of course, pledging allegiance didn't mean blindly submitting; she hoped to negotiate favorable terms with Qiu Tu.

However, it now seemed that either Qiu Tu had guessed her purpose, or he had learned of it through some channel, so he directly dropped the jade pendant at her feet, forcing her to declare herself in front of everyone.

If she pretended not to see, it would prove her intent to ally was impure, easily leading to Qiu Tu questioning her during negotiations, or even rejecting her pledge.

Yet if she acknowledged it and made her declaration, her subordinate identity would be established, and she'd have no room for negotiation!

'This damned scoundrel! How he schemes against me!'

With this in mind, Doris's teeth ground in anger.

She really wanted to just leave, but she thought of her circumstances and the benefits of pledging allegiance to Qiu Tu.

She hesitated, hesitated again, but finally resolved in her heart to accept it!

'Wait and see, Qiu Tu! Once things settle, I will surely get back at you!'

While cursing Qiu Tu internally, Doris stiffly rose to her feet and approached him.

Wearing a dark red slit dress today, she gathered her skirt and slowly knelt on one knee before Qiu Tu.

Her dress was already form-fitting, so her bending down and kneeling outlined her sumptuous pear-shaped figure unmistakably.

Qiu Tu lowered his gaze, looking down at the woman kneeling before him in front of the high ranks of the "Boundless Heart Sea."

From his perspective, he could see Doris's fair skin and deep cleavage, inviting enough to swallow him whole.

At this moment, Doris gathered her skirt with one hand, picked up the jade pendant with the other, and looked up, using a pitiful expression as she softly said to Qiu Tu, "Speaker Qiu, your jade pendant has fallen."

As she raised her head, her beautiful swan neck, fair collarbones, and abundant bosom were clearly displayed before Qiu Tu.

Her demeanor of vulnerability coupled with her distressed expression was truly alluring and pitiful.

Even though Qiu Tu was not one to be swayed by beauty and was very composed, he found himself momentarily distracted.

He inwardly cursed, 'What a demon.'

Then, unfazed, he reached out to help Doris up, saying, "The Lord is too courteous."

Speaking, Qiu Tu helped Doris to her feet, then said, "Since this jade pendant is fated to be with the Lord, I present it to the Lord."

Everyone present was sly as old foxes. Thus, hearing Qiu Tu's words, they keenly captured the keyword: present.

It wasn't a gift, but a presentation. This indicated that Qiu Tu and Doris were not in an equal relationship, but rather a hierarchical one.

Reflecting on Doris's earlier initiative to kneel and pick up the item for Qiu Tu, they inevitably cast their gaze on Doris…

While Doris inwardly condemned Qiu Tu, biting her lip, she softly thanked Qiu Tu, "Thank you, Speaker."

With a few simple words, their relationship was established.

The banquet hall was filled with undercurrents for a moment.

After all, before they came, everyone knew that among the six Heavenly Gods, many leaned toward Qiu Tu or were in the same camp as him.

Yet, witnessing a newly risen Heavenly God easily taken by Qiu Tu and pledging allegiance to him, they were somewhat shaken.

In their minds, they had always thought Qiu Tu and the other Heavenly Gods had equal standing. It was merely that the other gods didn't wish to show themselves, preferring to stand behind Qiu Tu in support.

Now, it seemed the relationship between Qiu Tu and those Heavenly Gods wasn't as they thought?

This prompted many power figureheads to elevate Qiu Tu's status in their hearts once more.

And at that moment, Qiu Tu keenly sensed the atmosphere in the hall.

He patted Doris on the shoulder, signaling her to return to her seat, then himself walked over to sit at the main seat.

His confidants stood expressionlessly on either side of the banquet hall, adding a sense of solemnity to the entire banquet.

After sitting, Qiu Tu coldly scanned the crowd that was still standing densely and finally spoke one word, "Sit."

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