In order to obtain the Divine Emperor Artifact, the Space God King wouldn't risk his life. So if it becomes impossible, he would probably give up.
However, even though he wouldn't risk his life to forcibly snatch a Divine Emperor Artifact, if the opportunity presents itself, he would create the best conditions for himself to try to grab the Divine Emperor Artifact before the other God Kings react. This is not surprising.
Thus, at the time, before he had accurate information on the Divine Emperor Artifact's vessel, the Space God King had no reason to kill Zhou Tian.
However, even though the Space God King held back against Zhou Tian because he wanted the Divine Emperor Artifact, it did not mean that Zhou Tian would be ensured safety if the Space God King couldn't discover the Artifact's vessel information.
