This sight left Zhunti, Di Jun, and the others anxious. Hongjun had yet to distribute the treasures, and aside from their innate companion spiritual treasures, they had no other powerful treasures. Now that they had finally found a chance to obtain one, how could they possibly hand it over to someone else!
Eastern King Duke was the first to lose his composure. He had been transformed from the first strand of innate yang energy and naturally possessed his own pride. If these treasures were taken by the Three Pure Ones and the others, he would have nothing to say. But now that they had all been taken by an unborn child, how could he accept it!
Of course, he was not foolish enough to demand them from the Three Pure Ones. Instead, he stepped forward and faced Nuwa. "Fellow Daoist Nuwa, this treasure has seven gourds, yet you're taking all of them. Isn't that a little excessive?"
As Eastern King Duke spoke, afraid of being targeted while alone, he turned around and cupped his hands toward Zhunti and the others nearby. "Fellow Daoists, you are all great powers of this age. Are you really going to stand by and watch all these treasures be snatched away by a child?"
A flicker passed through Zhunti and the others' eyes, but when they looked at the Three Pure Ones, they all abandoned the thought.
They were not fools. It was obvious that the Three Pure Ones were standing on Nuwa's side. If they wanted to seize the treasures from Shen Hongfei, they would first have to get past them.
But the cultivation of the Three Pure Ones was unfathomable. Laozi in particular gave all the great powers present a sense of unease. None of them was confident they could defeat him.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi glanced at Di Jun and quietly asked, "Big Brother, are we really not going to act?"
Di Jun rested his cheek on one hand, pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "The cultivation of the Three Pure Ones is unfathomable. You and I are currently at a crucial stage in establishing the demon race. We cannot offend them rashly!"
"Besides, Nuwa is a great power of this age, and after listening to the Dao in Zixiao Palace, she has reached the late stage of the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm. If we can bring her over, our demon race's strength will increase greatly."
Eastern Emperor Taiyi nodded. He and his brother wished to accomplish great things, so offending the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa would not be wise.
"Big Brother really has thought this through!"
"Mm."
Seeing that his younger brother had understood, Di Jun said no more. In truth, he had even more considerations—the child in Nuwa's belly.
What had happened in Zixiao Palace was enough to prove how extraordinary this child was. Perhaps he would one day attain the status of a Saint. If Nuwa joined the demon race, this child would become a member of the demon race as well. By then, the demon race would surely become the greatest force beneath the heavens!
Between obtaining an Innate Spiritual Treasure and winning over Nuwa and the child in her womb, Di Jun weighed his options and chose the latter. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Fellow Daoist Nuwa, my brother and I failed to consider today's matter properly."
"If we have offended you, I hope you'll forgive us. In the future, we will certainly bring a generous gift to apologize."
Upon hearing this, Shen Hongfei looked at Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi in surprise. As expected of the one who would establish the supreme demon court in the future. His bearing really is extraordinary!
The Three Pure Ones' eyes gleamed, and they gained a trace of respect for Di Jun. They nodded slightly.
"Fellow Daoists, my brother and I shall take our leave!"
Di Jun cupped his hands toward the many great powers around him. After exchanging a glance with Taiyi, he prepared to leave.
Eastern King Duke grew anxious when he saw this. If Di Jun and Taiyi left, he would have even less hope of obtaining the spiritual treasure. Unable to hold back, he mocked them, "I never expected the two of you to be such timid cowards, actually fleeing in fear of an unborn child."
"Eastern King Duke!"
Upon hearing this, Eastern Emperor Taiyi abruptly turned to glare at Eastern King Duke. Flames danced in his golden eyes, radiating intense killing intent.
"What? You want to fight?"
Eastern King Duke was completely unfazed. He summoned the Hongmeng Measuring Heaven Ruler, raised his head, and provocatively looked at Di Jun and Taiyi, eager to try his strength.
After listening to the Dao in Zixiao Palace, his cultivation had successfully broken through to the minor-completion stage of the mid-stage Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm. With the acquired merit treasure Hongmeng Measuring Heaven Ruler in hand, his ambitions had begun to swell.
After returning from Zixiao Palace, Eastern King Duke had begun recruiting rogue cultivators to build a force. However, most of them looked down on him and instead joined the demon race established by Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi. He had long been dissatisfied and had already planned to test himself against them. This time, he finally had the chance to gauge their strength!
"Seeking death!"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi could no longer hold back. With a wave of his hand, a small golden bell appeared, radiating a terrifying aura. This treasure was none other than Eastern Emperor Taiyi's companion supreme treasure, the Eastern Emperor Bell.
Shen Hongfei looked over curiously. He had long admired this treasure and wanted to see whether its power was truly as formidable as the legends claimed!
"Second Brother!"
Di Jun grabbed Eastern Emperor Taiyi. His golden eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a dangerous glint.
"This is Fellow Daoist Nuwa's territory. It isn't suitable for fighting. Let's go!"
"Big Brother!"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi was unwilling to accept this. If they left just like that, wouldn't people think that the brothers were afraid of Eastern King Duke?
"Taiyi!"
Di Jun looked at Eastern Emperor Taiyi. Golden flames danced in his eyes, and a trace of authority showed in his gaze.
Seeing that his big brother was angry, Eastern Emperor Taiyi could only put away the small bell. He glared viciously at Eastern King Duke, then followed Di Jun away with a dark expression.
"Consider yourselves lucky to have run fast. Otherwise, I would have shown you the might of Eastern King Duke."
Seeing Di Jun and Taiyi leave, Eastern King Duke assumed they were afraid of him and spoke disdainfully toward the direction they had gone.
Shen Hongfei was dumbfounded. Where had Eastern King Duke gotten such courage?
In his previous life, he had always found it strange that Eastern King Duke, with only a few followers, had dared to oppose the demon race. Was it merely because the Dao Ancestor had named him the leader of the male immortals?
Now it seemed that the problem lay with him. He did not understand the will of Heaven and could not recognize his own position. It was only natural that he would walk toward destruction. Thinking of this, Shen Hongfei took it as a warning and became even more determined in his goal. Unless he reached the point where he no longer feared Ancestor Hongjun, he would never emerge!
The great powers present watched Eastern King Duke's behavior, and a trace of disgust rose in their hearts. Western Queen Mother in particular cursed him inwardly as an idiot. She decided to find a new home as soon as she returned and have nothing more to do with Eastern King Duke. Otherwise, sooner or later, he would get her killed.
After coming to this decision, Western Queen Mother stepped out from behind Eastern King Duke and cupped her hands toward Nuwa. "Fellow Daoist Nuwa, I shall take my leave as well." Without even glancing at Eastern King Duke, she left.
Western Queen Mother's departure left Eastern King Duke's face livid. A poisonous glint flashed through his eyes, and he felt that he had lost all dignity. He wanted to lash out, but when he saw the hostile gazes of the Three Pure Ones, his courage faltered. He could only snort coldly and turn to leave.
Shen Hongfei curled his lips. Eastern King Duke was merely a dead man walking and was not worth much attention. He then looked at Zhunti, Jieyin, and the others and continued, "Uncle Zhunti, why are you still here?"
"Are you still trying to steal my family's things?"
The corner of Zhunti's mouth twitched. He looked at the Gourd Vine in the distance, reluctance showing in his eyes. The West was simply too impoverished. Now that he had finally encountered supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, how could he willingly let someone else take them without even fighting for them?
Zhunti looked at Nuwa's belly. He squeezed a kindly smile onto his sallow face and shamelessly said, "Child, your Uncle Jieyin and I came all the way from the West without sparing any effort. Surely this shows that we are fated to meet."
"Can you really bear to let your uncles return empty-handed?"
Before you continue