The Demon at the very front was tall and gaunt. A single glance was enough to tell he was from the Skeleton Race. He walked up to the Golden Armored Man and took out a purplish-red object from his robes, handing it over.

After carefully examining the purplish-red object for a few moments, the Golden Armored Man raised his palm. "Acceptable. Pass. Next!"

At the sound of his voice, the Skeleton Race Demon breathed a sigh of relief, a happy expression on his face as he walked toward the grand hall. The moment he stepped through the hall’s entrance, his entire body vanished completely, as if he had entered another dimension.

Although this abrupt disappearance seemed bizarre, Nie Yun knew it was not teleportation, but merely a special type of Defensive Array. To enter the doors of this grand hall was to enter the Array, where one would be constrained at every turn.

However, Nie Yun was not afraid of this kind of Array. In his past life, he had been an Array Master himself. Even without any innate talent for them, ordinary Arrays were no challenge for him.

After the Skeleton Race Demon went in, the second was a Demon from the Iron Arm Race. This fellow’s luck, however, seemed to be rather poor. He was immediately judged unacceptable. Two Golden Armored Men instantly appeared before him, seized him, and stripped off all his clothes. They then placed him on a nearby torture rack to be scorched by the sun.

The area around the torture rack was a vacuum, devoid of the unique mist of the Zi Qiong Mountain Range, allowing the sunlight to shine directly down, vicious and unforgiving.

SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE!

The moment the Iron Arm Race Demon was hung on the rack, his whole body began to emit a foul-smelling green smoke. His screams were incessant, but after a short while, he stopped struggling. It was impossible to tell if he was dead or had just passed out.

"Next!"

The Golden Armored Men’s inspection was just as the previous Demons had described—extremely strict. Out of ten, a full seven or eight were deemed unacceptable. One by one, they were hung on the torture racks to be punished, their suffering beyond words.

"This is the annual tribute I am submitting for this year!"

Suddenly, a Demon in red robes walked to the very front. He carefully took out a walnut-sized Crystal Stone from his robes and declared with a proud expression.

The Crystal Stone was not large, but the Spiritual Qi it contained was abnormally dense. Within the transparent crystal, sparks of electric light flashed intermittently, as if the Spiritual Qi was so concentrated that it would burst out if not suppressed.

"A Mid-Grade Spirit Stone? It’s actually a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone?"

"How is that possible? How could a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone exist on the Qi Sea Continent? I’m not seeing things, am I?"

"To actually offer such a treasure as the annual tribute... This Yao Tian is truly ruthless. With this as a foundation, he’ll probably be granted an even larger territory next year!"

"That’s terrifying! A Mid-Grade Spirit Stone! That’s a supreme treasure only used by those at the Ultimate Venerable Peak to break through to the Secret Realm! Is he crazy to just give it away? If it were me, I’d definitely keep it for myself!"

"That’s not crazy, it’s smart! By handing over something like this, he’s sure to gain the Qi Emperor’s favor. He’ll get a larger territory, more treasures, and his future will be a smooth path to success!"

Seeing the Spirit Stone, all the Demons in the plaza fell silent for a moment before erupting in a wave of incredulous gasps.

The Qi Sea Continent was simply incapable of producing Mid-Grade Spirit Stones; they were things that shouldn’t exist here. A single stone of the same size contained at least ten, or even a hundred times the concentration of Spiritual Qi as a Low-Grade Spiritual Stone!

To break through to the Secret Realm, if one did not have the help of a Secret Realm Demon Core, their only hope was to rely on Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Low-Grade Spirit Stones were simply not up to the task!

A treasure like this was priceless. A single one would not be traded for even ten Royal Family’s Top-Grade Weapons. For this Demon named Yao Tian to contribute it as his annual tribute was truly ruthless!

"Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, medium quality. Acceptable. Pass!"

Spirit Stones of the same grade were not all identical; they were also divided into high, medium, and low quality. This Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was not top-tier, only medium. Even so, it was enough to make any expert’s heart race.

Soon, the Primordial Essence Spirit Liquid from the Demon Officials also passed inspection. The two who were with them were not so lucky. Both were deemed unacceptable and were hung on the torture racks to suffer the punishment of the scorching sun.

"Damn it! We risk our lives to get things to offer as tribute, and not only do we get no benefit, but we also get punished! From this day on, I, Yao Yan, will no longer obey the orders of Zi Qiong Mountain! I hereby defect from the Zi Qiong Mountain Range!"

Unable to endure the humiliation, the gray-robed Demon let out a long cry. The Demon Qi all over his body flared out, his Ultimate Venerable Peak power surging and blasting away the surrounding demonic mist.

Each of these Demons governed their own territory. They were figures at the Peak, yet when they came to submit their annual tribute, not only did they not receive any rewards, but they also faced punishment. In a fit of desperation, his rage ignited.

"Defect from the Zi Qiong Mountain Range? Good. Very good. Then you can die!"

The lead Golden Armored Man seemed to have long expected something like this to happen. He let out a cold snort, his gloomy eyes flashing with an indifferent light as he raised a withered finger.

WHOOSH!

A streak of pure white golden light instantly tore through the sky, aimed at the space between the gray-robed Demon’s eyebrows.

"You want to kill me? It won’t be that easy! Great Demon Hand!"

The gray-robed Demon was a ruthless man himself. Since they had come to blows, he held nothing back. His Ghost Claw was sinister as it slashed through the air. Instantly, the sky filled with a baleful aura and flickering phantoms.

"Insignificant tricks. Die!"

The Golden Armored Man completely ignored the Ghost Claws filling the sky. The golden light suddenly intensified, descending like a death ray that could pierce through metal and stone.

CRACKLE! POP!

"Argh..."

With a single, wretched cry, all of the gray-robed Demon’s attacks and the phantoms filling the sky vanished into thin air. A soccer-ball-sized hole was blasted through his chest by the golden light. The light in his eyes dimmed, and his body fell stiffly to the ground, his breathing ceased.

"Yao Yan was killed in one move?"

"Yao Yan was at the Ultimate Venerable Peak! He could even rank on the Divine Holy Empire’s Earth List, yet he couldn’t even block a single move! Terrifying!"

"We should just obediently pay our annual tribute. That guy was asking for death, can’t blame anyone else..."

"Daring to oppose the Zi Qiong Mountain Range... he should’ve thought about who gave him everything he has. He deserved it!"

Seeing the gray-robed Demon slain in a single move, expressions of shock, fear, satisfaction, and schadenfreude appeared on the faces in the crowd. Those who had been harboring their own little schemes now suppressed those thoughts and prepared to obediently pay their annual tribute.

"Does anyone else plan to defect from the Zi Qiong Mountain Range? I’ll give you one chance. If you step forward within the time it takes to take ten breaths, I can spare your lives. However, whether or not the Qi Emperor will spare you is another matter!"

"We wouldn’t dare!"

Hearing such a blatant threat, all the Demons lowered their heads.

They had no choice. If they did not come to pay the annual tribute, they would be hunted down by the Zi Qiong Mountain Range. But if they did pay, the treasures they had painstakingly gathered over an entire year would be gone. Since they could not resist, they could only endure.

"You know what’s good for you! Fine. Next!"

Seeing that no one else was spouting nonsense, the Golden Armored Man gave a cold laugh and waved his hand. The crowd continued to line up to submit their annual tribute.

"Why do you two look so unfamiliar?"

Suddenly, a Golden Armored Man blocked Nie Yun and Xiaofong.