"Heh, you must be joking. We are merely excavating the treasures of this family, nothing deceitful about it," Demon Emperor Moyun said, feigning calmness as he stored the white jade cauldron into his inner world. His face remained stern, devoid of humor.
His attitude wasn't particularly friendly.
Given that the two races were currently at war, and with the demons already invading human territory, being too polite would only make them seem suspicious!
"Oh, really?"
The corner of Qin Chuan's mouth curved slightly as he said, "In that case, as fellow Martial Emperors, shouldn't I get a share of the spoils as well?"
"You're a human. At a time like this, aligning with us invaders seems rather inappropriate, don't you think?" Demon Emperor Moyun sneered.
"That's where you're wrong. We're all Martial Emperors here, so why cling to these tribal distinctions?" Qin Chuan smiled and added, "While the juniors of the human and demon races often fight, the senior experts of both races have always been on good terms. As powerful beings of the Nine Heavens World, we should focus on the bigger picture."
Demon Emperor Moyun eyed Qin Chuan carefully.
After calculating the situation, he realized that Qin Chuan's strength was likely on par with his own, making it difficult to defeat him. If this person left and leaked information about their activities here, their plan could be exposed, leading to ambushes on their return.
In that case…
It might be wiser to give this man some benefits to keep him quiet. After all, once someone receives a share of the spoils, they're more likely to remain silent.
"Fine. If you want a piece of the pie, let's see if you're capable enough to earn it," Demon Emperor Moyun said with a cold snort.
Though he had decided to avoid conflict by sharing the spoils, he still wanted to maintain the pretense of reluctance, so as not to raise suspicion.
"Let's give it a try, then."
Qin Chuan grinned, raising his right hand and easily crushing the blood-red spear.
"Hmph, Cloud Grasping Hand!"
Demon Emperor Moyun sneered, raising his right hand. Instantly, a massive black cloud hand formed in the sky, spanning ten thousand meters wide, and pressed down toward Qin Chuan.
"Break!"
Without even raising his head, Qin Chuan casually swung his left hand as if holding an invisible stick, jabbing it upward toward the sky.
"Boom!"
A devastating pillar of light pierced through the heavens, shaking the earth with a terrifying roar that shattered mountains within a thousand miles!
A loud "crack" echoed as the black cloud hand fractured, crisscrossed with cracks before dispersing into a scattering of black mist.
"Hmm?!"
Demon Emperor Moyun staggered back a couple of steps, clearly suffering some backlash, his expression growing more serious.
"You're qualified to take a share."
He spoke gravely before waving his right hand. A colossal mountain of treasures emerged from his inner world and flew toward Qin Chuan.
Ordinary items wouldn't move a Martial Emperor, so the treasures he offered were from his own collection.
This was him dipping into his personal stash!
Qin Chuan held his right hand up, suspending the treasure mountain overhead, his eyes gleaming as he assessed the value of the items.
"Hmm, what's this?"
Suddenly, he pulled out a piece of pink triangular cloth.
It resembled a small flag, its ends tied together with a fine string that had a small knot in it.
Demon Emperor Moyun's face flushed bright red!
"This... I don't know either. It was dug up from the family's treasury, probably some sort of special artifact..." he said awkwardly, his expression stiff.
He had been caught in a highly embarrassing moment!
"Oh."
Qin Chuan feigned ignorance and, after stowing away the treasure mountain, said, "But these treasures seem a bit lacking. As far as I know, this family has been around for tens of thousands of years. Surely, there's more than this?"
Demon Emperor Moyun's face twitched!
This was half of his personal collection, already far exceeding the wealth of that family!
But to avoid giving himself away, he swallowed his anger and said, "We've been working hard here. Naturally, we'd take the majority. Giving you a quarter is already quite generous."
Qin Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, but there's one more thing I want."
"What is it?"
Demon Emperor Moyun's heart tightened. He had a bad feeling about this.
"The white jade cauldron you just stored away—it looked quite nice. Why don't you give that to me?"
Qin Chuan said with a grin.
"Impossible!!"
Demon Emperor Moyun straightened up, defiantly saying, "That's my most cherished treasure. I absolutely won't give it to you!"
"If you insist on pushing me, then we'll have to fight. There are five of us demon emperors here—you stand no chance."
Qin Chuan swept his gaze over them, still smiling. "Two second-star, two third-star, and one fifth-star... What difference does that make? It's like having a meal and then snacking on a few desserts afterward."
"Arrogant!!"
"How dare you insult us!"
The four demon emperors were furious. After all, they were emperors, revered by countless members of the demon race. When had they ever been so blatantly disrespected?
"Actions speak louder than words."
Qin Chuan snorted coldly, summoning a spear in his hand and tossing it into the sky. Instantly, it multiplied into thousands of spears, which rained down like a storm.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
The spears sliced through the air like dragons, cutting through the sky like black streaks, shredding the clouds in their wake!
"Undying Defense!"
"Immortal Body!"
"Indestructible Flesh!"
The skills the demon emperors and quasi-emperors shouted out were more bark than bite, their effects negligible.
"Poof, poof, poof, poof!"
"Ah!"
"No—"
The defenses of the twenty-plus quasi-emperors crumbled instantly, their bodies pierced by spears, then torn apart by the devastating energy, exploding into a rain of blood.
Even the four demon emperors were sent flying, their defenses pierced, blood gushing from their wounds.
"You're courting death!!"
Demon Emperor Moyun roared in fury, his body enveloped in a violent golden light as he charged at Qin Chuan.
Like a monstrous dragon swimming against the current, the spears near his body shattered on contact, his aura overwhelming.
"Sky-Shattering Demon Claw!"
He howled, stretching out his right hand toward Qin Chuan. Instantly, a massive, transparent gray claw manifested, its sharp talons gleaming as it closed in on him like a gaping maw.
Qin Chuan countered with a punch.
"Buzz!"
But the punch passed right through the demon claw, shooting off into the distant sky, while the claw continued its pursuit.
It passed right through him!
"This!"
Qin Chuan realized that his soul had been grasped by the claw, forcibly pushed out of his body as he watched his own back!
From afar, it looked like a golden shadow being pulled out by the claw.
"Die!"
He shouted, his soul lighting up, and the black demon claw exploded. His body quickly snapped back, re-entering his physical form.
But by then, Demon Emperor Moyun had reached him, his punch filled with destructive power, piercing through Qin Chuan's body!
"Ugh!"
Qin Chuan spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling the destructive force rampaging through his body, trying to tear apart his organs and even shatter his inner world.
"Many Martial Emperors have perished under my Sky-Shattering Demon Claw. You're not the first, and you won't be the last."
Demon Emperor Moyun remained motionless, his fist still embedded in Qin Chuan's body. His face was expressionless, his voice cold.
Inside, however, he was bursting with pride, barely containing the urge to laugh out loud.
It was like being praised by the teacher in class—you can't help but smile, but you have to keep your head down and control it.
Yet, at that moment, a mocking voice echoed:
"Of course not, after all... I'm not dead."