The Black Emperor looked as though he was excited about their reunion, but in truth, his nature was hard to change: he had come for the Killing Sword.
His two enormous paws clamped around the hilt and refused to let go as he shamelessly clamored, "Let me have a look!"
"Just one look!" Seeing Jiang Zhu remain unmoved, the Black Emperor persisted, clinging to the Killing Sword and refusing to release his paws. His round head and face made him look especially honest and simple.
"We just reunited, and instead of asking what I've been through all these years, you immediately try to snatch my treasure. Do you have a conscience?" Jiang Zhu pried at his enormous paws.
"Woof! What kind of talk is that?" the Black Emperor protested indignantly. "Could this emperor snatch a treasure from you? I've long since heard of your fearsome reputation on the Ancient Road. Do I need to ask?"
He opened his mouth to bite Jiang Zhu's hand. "Just for a little while!"
A dog could never stop eating shit.
Jiang Zhu dodged the gaping maw and handed him the Killing Sword.
The Black Emperor gripped the dark-red blade tightly with both front paws, stood upright on his hind legs, and backed aside clumsily and eagerly, looking terrified that Jiang Zhu might change his mind.
First, he carefully touched the blade with a paw. Its icy feel and its restrained killing intent, which seemed capable of tearing souls apart, made his fur bristle slightly.
"What a treasure! What a treasure!" His mouth stretched wide, drool nearly dripping onto the sword as he tried swinging it twice.
Hum!
A strand of dark-red baleful energy, condensed to the utmost and almost too fine to see, escaped the sword tip and silently sliced through the void.
Crack!