Ancestor Blood Pu deliberated for a moment before speaking. "Having my Blood Demon lineage take action isn't out of the question. However, we must agree on three conditions. First credit must go to our Blood Demon lineage. Once we breach Wintercliff Island and capture that brat Jiang Chen, our Blood Demon lineage gets first pick of three war spoils."
"Three is a bit excessive, isn't it?" someone immediately challenged.
Ancestor Blood Pu knew full well that three was outrageous. Everyone knew by now that the brat Jiang Chen was practically a walking treasure hoard, and every lineage wanted to claim his goods for themselves.
Asking for three was simply shooting for the sky, leaving room for negotiation.
The Celestial Demon Ancestor smiled faintly. "Brother Blood Pu, your appetite is rather large. It's not as though your Blood Demon lineage is doing all the work. You're asking like a lion opening its jaws wide."
Ancestor Blood Pu chuckled. "You want the ox to pull the cart but won't feed it properly? How is that supposed to work?"
The Celestial Demon Ancestor said in a deep voice, "How about first pick of one item, as a reward? That fair enough?"
"Too few!" Ancestor Blood Pu shook his head. "Consider this—Wintercliff Island is enormous. To control the entire island, we need to generate sufficient corrosive force. At minimum, all four of us great ancestors must act together. Everyone can imagine the risk involved."
"First pick of one item is already an enormous advantage. Brother Blood Pu, our fellow demon lineages arrived at Myriad Abyss Island earlier and received nothing at all. They still made their sacrifices, didn't they?" the Celestial Demon Ancestor said coolly.
Ancestor Blood Pu let out a cackling laugh. "Forgive my bluntness, but did those lineages who came first to Myriad Abyss Island truly have no selfish motives? Did they not want to get first dibs on the spoils?"
Some things, once spoken aloud, lose their value. And indeed, the demon lineages that had arrived first were simply trying to drink from the well before anyone else.
"Hmph, Blood Pu, what exactly do you mean by that?" Ancestor Golden Howl's dissatisfaction was immediate the moment he heard those words. The sore spot of his Golden Demon lineage had clearly been prodded by Ancestor Blood Pu.
Ancestor Blood Pu feared most people, but someone like Ancestor Golden Howl, who had a volatile temperament, was someone he maintained a healthy degree of wariness toward.
After all, the Golden Demon lineage was the type to hold nothing back. In a true life-or-death struggle, even though Ancestor Blood Pu considered himself half a notch above, he couldn't guarantee he could truly overcome his opponent.
If the other side went berserk and it ended up harming his Blood Demon lineage, that would give him more than enough of a headache. The Golden Demon lineage had nothing left to lose now—they were the barefoot ones who didn't fear those wearing shoes.
"Heh heh, old Jin, don't get worked up. I wasn't talking about you. Given the sacrifices your Golden Demon lineage has made, I wouldn't object to you taking first pick of one treasure," Ancestor Blood Pu said. He was a clever man, defusing the conflict at just the right moment with a deft combination of push and pull, even managing to curry favor with Ancestor Golden Howl.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Ancestor Golden Howl was taken aback. His expression grew complicated as he stared at the Celestial Demon Ancestor.
Clearly, he was now weighing the matter in earnest. If the Celestial Demon Ancestor refused Ancestor Golden Howl, he might not have an easy time of it either.
The Celestial Demon Ancestor cursed silently at Ancestor Blood Pu's cunning.
Nevertheless, he seized the moment with a smile. "Very well, let's settle it amicably then. Friend Golden Howl, Friend Blood Pu, you each get first pick once. Friend Blood Pu, you just graciously offered one of your opportunities to Friend Golden Howl. This kind of magnanimity perfectly embodies the unity of our demon race and should be celebrated. Let's not debate this any further. Continued argument will only chill everyone's hearts."
The Celestial Demon Ancestor decided to cut the knot with a swift blade. He knew that more talk would accomplish nothing but waste breath and make the situation increasingly convoluted.
This was the moment for decisive action—to lock things in place. Otherwise, if everyone who had a grievance stood up demanding first pick of the spoils, things would descend into total chaos.
Watching the Celestial Demon Ancestor deflect and redirect, looping the noose right back around his own neck, Ancestor Blood Pu was thoroughly vexed. Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on his Blood Demon lineage with complicated expressions.