Chapter Fifty-Seven: Let Me Choose a Treasure

This kind of behavior was akin to someone suddenly walking up to you and declaring, "You are too powerful, so I must seal you away lest you bring disaster upon the world." How utterly absurd!

If I really were that formidable, do you think you could even seal me? The God of Darkness felt suppressed, yet powerless to argue back. Thinking it over, he cursed inwardly: Damn it! He’s not trying to seal us—he’s simply concocting a reason to wipe us out!

So arrogant! If he truly wanted to seal us, he would have acted already, not waited until now. The more he considered it, the more anxious he became. Ye Qiu’s actions seemed to be a declaration: I’m going to eradicate your entire race.

Was everyone in this era so polite? Before annihilating you, they’d actually consult you about the method?

No, I must remain composed, or today will be the end...

The God of Darkness truly didn’t want to confront Ye Qiu. He couldn’t fathom Ye Qiu’s intentions. The atmosphere at the scene was tense; everyone held their breath, not daring to make a move. The God of Darkness watched Ye Qiu warily.

This was a critical moment concerning the survival of their entire race. Whether they could win or not, since there was no avoiding it, they had to fight.

What he didn’t know was that Ye Qiu’s earlier words were pure bravado. Ye Qiu never dared think of such things.

Ye Qiu scrutinized the God of Darkness and realized he seemed thoroughly intimidated.

Ye Qiu was secretly delighted. Heh... Turns out I really have a knack for bluffing! He actually bought it? Looks like I have to keep up the act today...

Bluffing aside, Ye Qiu knew his limits. He couldn’t provoke the God of Darkness too much, or he’d risk a desperate counterattack, and then things would get messy.

He wasn’t a fighter, Yuechan hadn’t recovered yet, and very few could fight...

“Ahem... Little Red, bring me my treasure chest!”

To be safe, Ye Qiu ordered the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow to fetch his treasure chest, preparing to arm himself for self-defense. If the God of Darkness attacked, he’d be doomed otherwise.

Seeing Ye Qiu rummaging through a box, the God of Darkness paused, puzzled. What’s he doing? It's just an old box—what’s so special about it?

“My lord, could he be looking for some divine artifact to seal us?”

Behind him, a demon cautiously suggested.

The God of Darkness scoffed, “Impossible. It’s just an old box—what treasure could it hold? Besides, we have the River of Realms as a barrier; as long as we don’t go out, he won’t easily break through.”

Though fearful, the God of Darkness wasn’t so scared as to refuse a fight. He watched Ye Qiu with a disdainful gaze, curious to see what he’d do next.

With everyone’s eyes fixed on him, Ye Qiu opened the treasure chest and drew out a sword.

“Hm! This sword looks decent, but I don’t know how to use it...”

He examined the sword for a moment, then tossed it aside.

What he didn’t realize was, as he took out that sword, everyone stared at him in stunned silence.

The God of Darkness turned pale, trembling. “Did you see clearly? What sword is that?”

“It seems... it’s called the Immortal Execution Sword.”

A gasp swept through the crowd. The God of Darkness inhaled sharply, his face stricken with terror.

This fellow... actually possesses such a terrifying divine sword? And he just tosses it aside?

Luckily, he probably doesn’t know the sword’s sinister aura restrains us. As long as he doesn’t use it, we still have a chance...

The God of Darkness exhaled in relief. Seeing Ye Qiu discard the Immortal Execution Sword, his panic finally eased.

He’d thought the chest held nothing special, but never expected it to hide a divine sword...

It was frightening—a peerless artifact like that, left in a shabby box? Was he even human?

Just as the God of Darkness relaxed, Ye Qiu drew out another item, and his mind went blank.

“Th-that... what is that?!”

Ye Qiu held a hammer, swinging it twice through the air. The void trembled.

Powerful momentum surged, like a force breaking through bamboo—just from its aura, you could tell this hammer was unsurpassed in strength.

The God of Darkness was stupefied. One Immortal Execution Sword was already daunting, but this hammer seemed even more formidable.

The atmosphere was electric with shock; everyone held their breath, eyes glued to Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu weighed the hammer and swung it twice. “Hm! Why did I take out my blacksmith’s hammer? This useless thing—other than forging, it doesn’t seem to have much use...”

This hammer was Ye Qiu’s specialized tool for crafting weapons; aside from smithing, he’d hardly used it. Surely it wouldn’t work against these demon gods.

Ye Qiu felt frustrated—he really couldn’t fight. He had loads of weapons, but didn’t know how to use them. It was almost too much.

Thinking it over, Ye Qiu tossed the hammer back into the chest and drew out a painting.

Seeing Ye Qiu discard the hammer, the God of Darkness relaxed again. Goodness, that was terrifying...

Thankfully, he won’t use the hammer either—there’s still hope!

Wait, that painting...

Written boldly on it was: The Map of Rivers and Mountains.

A gasp rippled through the crowd. “Heavens, a masterpiece!”

“Do you sense it? That painting contains the purest essence of heaven and earth, interwoven with all sorts of energies—like the chilling sword aura, sharp and unyielding! With just a glance, the sword’s aura could kill across a thousand miles. Isn’t that insane? How dare he...”

“My god, that chest isn’t just some broken box—it’s a treasure trove. Anything he draws out could destroy heaven and earth.”

“That Map of Rivers and Mountains feels even more terrifying than the Buddha’s portrait in the sky...”

For a moment, the whole scene was stunned. Eyes fixed on Ye Qiu, everyone was dumbfounded.

The God of Darkness suddenly felt hollow, cold sweat pouring, his back chilled.

Is this guy showing off his magical treasures? Too much! Is he letting us choose how we want to die?

As Ye Qiu sorted through his treasures, the God of Darkness grew more frantic. It felt more like Ye Qiu was picking which artifact to use to kill them. It was terrifying.

How could they go on? There was no hope left. Surrendering early seemed wise—if Ye Qiu kept picking, his heart couldn’t take it.

Moreover, Ye Qiu calmly and methodically selected his treasures, not realizing that with each choice, the hearts of those below skipped a beat.

Finally! This zither is nice—I can play it. Maybe I’ll emulate those legendary figures, play a tune of lofty mountains and flowing waters, and scare them off?

Ye Qiu’s gaze landed on a zither within the treasure chest, and he grinned. At last, he’d found a treasure he could actually use.

However, this zither didn’t seem to possess much destructive power. It was good for posturing. In the novels he’d read, the protagonist could kill across a thousand miles just by playing—what style!

Today, he’d try it himself...

Ye Qiu let out a crazed laugh. It wasn’t easy, but he’d finally found a treasure he could wield, and could finally play the role.

Ye Qiu had spent over twenty years mastering music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—playing the zither was certainly no challenge, and he played beautifully.

As Ye Qiu took out the Fusang Zither, the God of Darkness broke into a cold sweat. Before Ye Qiu could even speak, he surrendered.

“Elder—”

“Huh?”

Ye Qiu was taken aback...

What happened? I haven’t even played yet, and he’s already calling me elder?

Good grief, could it be that my posture is so terrifying? Just hearing my reputation is enough to rout an army of a hundred thousand?