Some were joyful, others worried. While the entire Ho Tian Palace celebrated, the Tian Ting Marshal's Office was draped in a heavy sense of gloom. Juling, his face sagging with weariness, sat quietly across from Li Jing, still unable to comprehend why he had lost—though they hadn't even begun to fight. He hadn't had a chance to deploy a single skill or technique. Li Jing encouraged him, "Actually, this is quite fitting. You may not know that, just before your match began, I received an imperial decree from the Jade Emperor: if Qin Feng were to meet any misfortune, I would step down as Marshal and return home to care for my children. In other words, even if you win, I must intervene before you do. Thus, this has become a contest with no clear winner or loser." Juling frowned. "That can't be right. I clearly lost—rather decisively. By the way, Marshal, I remember when I first saw you, I hadn't even fainted yet. How did I end up fainting later? That's quite strange." Li Jing blushed, thinking to himself, "Will you tell me that you actually knocked me out? Even if he hadn't done that, the Giant Spirit would still have fallen to Qin Feng—either way, it's a loss. It's better to lose early than late." Shifting the topic, he said, "The negotiation mission I mentioned earlier has now been assigned to Qin Feng and his team. You should go home and rest for a while. If there are any new assignments, I'll send someone to find you." The Giant Spirit narrowed his eyes, "That young man not only damaged my reputation, but also stole my credit—this I can't swallow!" "Then you'll have to swallow it. A gentleman waits ten years for his revenge." "General, I'm not a gentleman." "Get out of here." "Why? My words aren't even finished yet!" "You've given up being a gentleman already. I don't welcome petty people here—get out right now, or I'll beat you senseless." "…." Qin Feng has always believed that only those with strong arms have the right to speak. He intends to pass down and promote this admirable tradition from generation to generation. It's unclear whether the magical race's heads have been kicked by donkeys or simply misfired on one of their neural pathways—yet they've formally protested to the heavenly court, demanding compensation for the damages caused by Crystal King Star on Earth, asserting this demand as entirely reasonable. Reasonable? After the last divine-mortal war, a peace treaty was signed, but never once did it include provisions for war damages. How did the magical race come up with this? If compensation is to be made, it should be Earth that receives it—yet here they are, as the aggressors, insisting on paying, as if dreaming. It's said that representatives from Crystal King Star have already arrived at the heavenly court and are awaiting a response. Upon learning of this, Qin simply replied without hesitation, "Let them wait. Let's take care of some serious matters first." "Qingya asked, "Isn't it the main thing to deal with the demonic race? Even if you've given him a good beating, that still counts as a serious matter. So, what exactly do you want to do?" He chuckled, "Of course—I'm heading out to hunt the beasts' inner essences. I'm planning to collect a batch and bring them back so my female relatives can learn to refine them." The beautiful Inspector glared at him, "This is private business, fine! Go on your own—there's no time for me to stay." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Qin Shao standing awkwardly on the祥云. Well, if none of you are going, then I'll go alone. After three full days in the wild frontier, he returned to Earth with over a hundred inner essences, happily planning to head straight home. But on the way, he made a detour. The valley he had reclaimed from the plump Maitreya had, besides Lin Caiwei's mother, seen an unexpected guest arrive—Mei Li—long before. According to Qin Shao's original plan, Meili should have found a quiet spot and stayed there, living off the mountain's rhythms for several years, waiting until the storm passed before making her move. Indeed, that's exactly what the beautiful, formidable mage had done—until she laid eyes on this valley, when she suddenly became stubborn and refused to leave. "Lin Auntie stood up happily: 'Of course we'll serve our specialty dishes—Mili is truly a wonderful girl. With her here, I feel much more at ease.'" Qin thought to himself, well, you haven't yet learned her true identity—she's actually a female demon who nearly destroyed Earth and enslaved humanity! He hadn't shared that with Aunt Lin. The demon woman, smiling seductively, said: "Today, I'll be cooking—let me show you my skills, how do you think?" This girl is truly stubborn—three days without a single spark of energy, yet still unyielding. Isn't it time she finally delivered? Do you think you're particularly impressive at it? My own composure is strong—will your energy even make a difference? "Then let Aunt Lin handle the cooking," he shrugged, "I'm afraid you might poison me. Also, there's something very important I'd like to share with you—let's talk." "Alright, that's exactly what you've done—refusing to let me cook. Don't regret it." The female demon queen set down the fresh, tender leaf in her hand. Who could have imagined that she still had a touch of homemaker in her, something that would surely be doubted by anyone who heard it. The two walked to a small stream beside which Qin Shao detailed to her the tasks assigned by the Heavenly Palace. Mili was stunned: "Our people have lodged formal protests with the Heavenly Palace and even demanded war reparations. They must have had their heads crushed between the palace gates—whom among the court could have come up with such a foolish idea? It's like trying to negotiate peace with a tiger." Qin Shao's face darkened; what could he say? After all, the very meaning of being 'at a loss' was precisely to be trying to negotiate with a tiger. The demon queen paused for a few seconds, then added: "I believe this might actually be a strategic test by the Demon Clan to gauge the Heavenly Palace's stance on such matters." He immediately grasped the point: "So your point is, if the Heavenly Palace shows any sign of weakness, the Demon Clan will be fully confident in launching the next great war between gods and demons, is that correct?" "Should be like this... What are you doing, holding my hand?" "Did I really hold your hand?" "Look at it yourself—besides you, who else is here?" "Haha, unexpected. This is unexpected. What I actually meant to say is that by doing this, he's expressing his appreciation and regard for you. You can treat it as a gesture of courtesy, or simply ignore it entirely."