The Demon at the very front was tall and thin, clearly a member of the Skeleton Race. He walked up to the Golden Armored Man and took a purplish-red object from his robes, handing it over.

The Golden Armored Man inspected the purplish-red object for a few moments, then raised a hand. "Acceptable. You pass. Next!"

At these words, the Skeleton Race Demon let out a sigh of relief. With a look of joy, he walked toward the grand hall. The moment he stepped through the doors, his entire being vanished as if he had entered another dimension.

Though this abrupt disappearance seemed bizarre, Nie Yun knew it wasn’t teleportation, but merely a special kind of Defensive Array. To enter the doors of this hall was to enter the Array, where one would be constrained at every turn.

However, Nie Yun wasn’t afraid of this kind of Array. He had been an Array Master in his past life, and while he lacked any innate talent for them, a common Array like this was hardly a challenge for him.

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

The torture platform was in an open space, free of the fog unique to the Zi Qiong Mountain Range, allowing the sunlight to beat down directly with vicious intensity.

SIZZLE!

The moment the Iron Arm Race Demon was hung on the platform, putrid green smoke began to rise from his body amidst constant, blood-curdling screams. 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 strict as the previous Demons had described. Seven or eight out of every ten failed and were hung on the torture platform to receive their agonizing punishment.

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

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

The Crystal Stone wasn’t large, but the Spiritual Qi it contained was exceptionally dense. From within the transparent crystal, sparks of electricity would flash from time to time, as if the Spiritual Qi was so rich 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 can the Qi Sea Continent have Mid-Grade Spirit Stones? Am I seeing things?"

"To think he’d offer such a treasure as his annual tribute... this Yao Tian is ruthless. With an offering like this as a foundation, he’ll probably be granted a much larger territory next year!"

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

"That’s not foolish, that’s smart! Handing over something like this will surely win him the Qi Emperor’s favor. He’ll get a larger territory with even more treasures. His future is set for a meteoric rise!"

Seeing the Spirit Stone, all the Demons in the square fell silent for a moment before erupting in a chorus of disbelieving gasps.

Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. They couldn’t be produced on the Qi Sea Continent; they simply didn’t exist here. A single stone of this size had a Spiritual Qi concentration at least ten, or even a hundred times that of a Low-Grade Spiritual Stone!

If one wanted to break through to the Secret Realm without the help of a Secret Realm Demon Core, they could only rely on Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Low-Grade Spiritual Stones were simply not potent enough!

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

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

Even 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 wasn’t top-tier, just medium quality. Even so, it was enough to make any expert’s heart race.

Soon, the Demon Officials’ Primordial Essence Spirit Liquid also passed the inspection. The two with them were not so lucky; they both failed and were hung on the torture platform to suffer the punishment of the scorching sun.

"Damn it all! We risk our lives to get these things to offer as tribute, and not only do we get nothing in return, we get punished! I, Yao Yan, will no longer follow the orders of Zi Qiong Mountain! I hereby rebel against the Zi Qiong Mountain Range!"

Unable to bear the humiliation, the gray-robed Demon let out a long roar. The Demon Qi around his body diffused outward as the power of an Ultimate Venerable Peak cultivator surged, tearing through the surrounding demonic fog.

Each of these Demons was a Peak expert who ruled over their own territory. They came to submit their annual tribute, but instead of rewards, they received punishment. In a fit of desperation, his rage ignited.

"Rebel against the Zi Qiong Mountain Range? Good. Very good. In that case, you can die!"

The lead Golden Armored Man seemed to have expected this. He gave a cold snort, and a frigid light shot from his gloomy eyes as he raised a withered finger.

WHOOSH!

A streak of pure Golden Light instantly tore through the sky, aimed at the center of the gray-robed Demon’s brow.

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

The gray-robed Demon was a ruthless character himself. Since things had come to this, he held nothing back. His Ghost Claw technique was sinister; as he swiped it across the air, the sky filled with a ghastly evil aura and flickering phantoms.

"Petty tricks. Die!"

The Golden Armored Man completely ignored the sky full of Ghost Claws. The Golden Light suddenly intensified, descending like a death ray capable of piercing metal and stone.

CRACKLE! POP!

"Ah—!"

With a miserable shriek, all of the gray-robed Demon’s attacks and the phantoms filling the sky vanished into thin air. A hole the size of a soccer ball was blasted through his chest by the Golden Light. The light in his eyes dimmed, and his corpse fell stiffly to the ground, his breathing ceased.

"Yao Yan was killed in a single 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 hand over the annual tribute. That guy was asking for death, can’t blame anyone else..."

"How dare he oppose the Zi Qiong Mountain Range? He didn’t even stop to think about who gave him everything he has. Serves him right!"

Seeing the gray-robed Demon killed in one move, the crowd showed a mix of expressions: shock, fear, relief, and schadenfreude. 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 rebel against the Zi Qiong Mountain Range? I’ll give you a chance. If you step forward within ten breaths, I can spare your lives. However, whether or not the Qi Emperor will spare you... that’s hard to say!"

Having established his dominance by killing the gray-robed Demon with a single finger, the lead Golden Armored Man scanned the crowd, his voice like a clap of thunder.

"We wouldn’t dare!"

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

There was no other way. If they didn’t come to pay the annual tribute, they would be hunted down by the Zi Qiong Mountain Range. But if they did pay it, all the treasures they had painstakingly accumulated over the year would be gone. Since they couldn’t resist, they could only endure.

"Good that you know what’s good for you! Alright, next!"

Seeing that no one else was speaking out of turn, the Golden Armored Man gave a cold laugh and waved his hand, and the crowd resumed lining up to submit their annual tribute.

"Why do you two look so unfamiliar?"

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