"Good, good. You few, come with me!"

Some of the Demons in the hall had succeeded, while others had failed. Without exception, all who failed were severely injured. The Qi Emperor looked at those who remained, nodded in satisfaction, and turned to walk out.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!"

Seeing the group standing there in a daze, one of the Golden Armored Men snorted before following the Qi Emperor out of the grand hall.

"Let’s follow them."

Nie Yun and his companion were among those who had succeeded. They exchanged a glance and followed.

A total of forty Demons had entered the grand hall, but only eight or nine had succeeded in grabbing an Elixir. They followed behind the Qi Emperor and his retinue for a time, eventually arriving in another vast hall.

The moment he entered this hall, a rich fragrance washed over Nie Yun. He looked up to see all sorts of treasures suspended in the air like a sea of stars, each one glittering with a Radiant light.

’A Treasure Vault? Could this be the Treasure Vault of the Zi Qiong Mountain Range? Why did the Qi Emperor bring us here?’ Nie Yun shuddered.

This was undoubtedly the Treasure Vault of the Zi Qiong Mountain Range. The sheer number of treasures was so immense that the collections of the Divine Holy Empire’s Imperial Family and the Mi Tian Sect combined wouldn’t amount to even one percent of it. ’If I could claim everything in this vault for myself, my power would definitely soar to a new level!’

Qi Sea Cultivation hinged on four pillars: wealth, companionship, technique, and location. The fact that wealth was ranked first was a testament to how crucial material resources were for Cultivation.

"I’m sure you are all wondering why I brought you here."

With a wave of his hand, the Qi Emperor flew up and seated himself on a throne in the room. He surveyed the group, his voice detached.

"Your Majesty the Qi Emperor must have a plan. We are all ears!" a sycophantic Demon chimed in hastily.

"Mm. I brought you here to ask for your help with a certain matter. If you succeed, you may each choose any one item you desire from this room," the Qi Emperor said.

’We can choose any item we want?’ Everyone’s eyes burned with fervor.

The Zi Qiong Mountain Range’s Treasure Vault held innumerable treasures, including countless items that could enhance one’s power. Just obtaining a single one would have made this entire trip worthwhile. To be able to freely choose any item they wanted... any task, no matter how difficult, would be worth it!

Just think, the Essence Energy and Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were merely this year’s tribute. The Zi Qiong Mountain Range had been the Demon Race’s main stronghold for no less than a millennium. A thousand years of accumulated wealth—how grand a hoard that must be! The sheer volume of treasures was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

"That’s right." Seeing their avaricious expressions, the Qi Emperor seemed very pleased, nodding with a slight smile.

"Your Majesty, please tell us! So long as it’s within our power, we will go through hell and high water to accomplish it!"

The same sycophantic Demon from before stepped forward and hastily cupped his fists.

As he spoke, the other Demons were jolted back to their senses. They all realized that if the Qi Emperor was promising such a huge reward, the mission was bound to be anything but simple.

"Very good. My task is simple! I want you to go to the Divine Holy Empire, find a few people, and bring them back to me. For every person you capture and return, you may select one treasure. If any of you can bring back five people, you may select five treasures!"

The Qi Emperor rose from his throne. With a flick of his sleeve, he spoke with an air of absolute authority, as if his every word was an ironclad promise.

"Capture five people and choose five treasures? Your Majesty, what is the Cultivation of the people you want us to capture?"

Although their hearts burned with desire, these Demons were all regional hegemons who had been able to gather the exorbitant annual tribute; they were no fools. It took them only a moment to grasp the inherent danger of this mission.

Each of the Golden Armored Men at the Qi Emperor’s side had a Cultivation level high enough to be ranked on the Celestial List. They were far stronger than any of the Demons gathered here. The fact that the Emperor wasn’t sending them, but this group instead, was incredibly strange.

"The people I want you to capture aren’t very strong. The most powerful among them hasn’t even reached the Ultimate Venerable Peak, to say nothing of the Earth List or Celestial List! The reason I’m sending you, and not my Golden Armored subordinates, is because of an agreement between our Zi Qiong Mountain Range and the Divine Holy Empire." The Qi Emperor seemed to have seen the doubt in their hearts and said lightly, "Demons from the Zi Qiong Mountain Range possess a unique aura. The moment we enter the Divine Holy Empire, we would be discovered by their experts, thus violating our pact. You, however, are all powerful figures in your own right, not belonging to the Zi Qiong Mountain Range. If you enter the Divine Holy Empire, even if you are discovered, it cannot be traced back to us! To put it in a nutshell: succeed in this task for us, and you can choose any treasure you want. Fail, and you die!"

’So that’s how it is.’

Hearing the Qi Emperor’s blunt explanation, Nie Yun nodded to himself.

’The Zi Qiong Mountain Range is the most concentrated gathering of Demons on the Qi Sea Continent, a power on par with the Divine Holy Continent. It seems they’ve made some kind of non-interference pact. Now, the Zi Qiong Mountain Range wants to capture people from the Divine Holy Empire, but being discovered would mean breaking that pact. We Demons, on the other hand, don’t ultimately belong to the Zi Qiong Mountain Range. Even if we’re caught, it can’t be pinned on them. Besides, we’re just a bunch of unaffiliated wanderers. If we die, we die. It’s no great loss to them!’

’Of course, it’s also possible that the Qi Emperor is just sending us into the Divine Holy Empire as cannon fodder to draw the attention of their experts, while he executes his real plan in secret.’

Between the two possibilities, Nie Yun was more inclined to believe the latter.

Demons had always been vicious and cruel; they wouldn’t hesitate to harm their own kind.

"Your Majesty," a Demon asked, "if I don’t want any treasure, is it possible for me to decline this mission?"

"Decline? Certainly. The alternative is death. The Elixir you took earlier may have enhanced your strength, but it is also a unique poison. Without the antidote, your Qi Sea will explode within a year, killing you instantly. Not even an Immortal could save you!"

the Qi Emperor said nonchalantly.

"This..."

Hearing the Qi Emperor’s words, the Demons all probed their bodies. Sure enough, they each detected something amiss. Their faces flushed red with anger, but they were powerless to do anything.

"Fine, we agree! Your Majesty, please tell us who we are to capture and what their distinguishing features are!"

The Demons knew they had no way to resist and could only resign themselves to their fate.

"These are the people. This contains their soul auras and appearances. Once you are in the Divine Holy Empire, you can find them on your own." With a point of his finger, the Qi Emperor sent a peculiar energy to envelop the group.

As the energy entered their minds, the appearances and soul auras of the targets became perfectly clear to them all.

This technique of directly transferring information into another’s mind was something only an expert at the Soul Great Perfection realm could achieve. A cultivator even slightly weaker would be incapable of such a feat.

’These are... the auras and appearances of my parents, my siblings, and City Lord Luoo? They’re not dead? And they haven’t been caught?’

Standing amidst the crowd, Nie Yun recognized the soul auras and faces. His eyes shot wide open, and he was so overcome with excitement that he nearly jumped for joy.

The people the Qi Emperor wanted them to capture were none other than his family!

The very fact that the Qi Emperor was sending them to capture his family meant they had successfully escaped! Otherwise, he would never have gone to such great lengths.

"You! Step forward!"

Just as Nie Yun was silently rejoicing, the Qi Emperor, who had been standing, suddenly struck. A colossal Palm Seal materialized in the air and instantly descended upon him.