Three days passed in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day of the Demon Emperor's Tribute Ceremony.
Liu Ming changed into a brand new Qing Family Patriarch costume. After warning Qing Yu and others not to go out and cause trouble, he came to the third district of the Central Imperial City alone, which was in front of the Demon Emperor's Palace.
Today was the Tribute Ceremony, so the gate of the Demon Emperor's Palace was wide open. However, if one wanted to enter, he naturally had to go through a more rigorous interrogation.
…
The entire sky above the Central Imperial City was enveloped in a gorgeous glow. The buildings in the Demon Palace were also illuminated with a myriad of colors. The flowers and trees in the Imperial Palace were also under the effect of magic, blossoming with vibrant colors.
The ceremony was held on a huge square in the Demon Emperor's Palace. The square was dozens of miles in size. The ground was paved with a kind of black crystal stone. It was as smooth as a mirror, and it could clearly reflect people's figures.
At this moment, the surroundings of the square had been set up. At the front was a high platform of more than ten meters high. On it was a long table filled with various offerings. However, at this moment, the high platform was still empty.
On the square, there were rows of spacious chairs, and there was a small table next to it. There were all kinds of rare fruits and fragrant tea on it. Many demonic cultivators who looked like servants shuttled back and forth during this period, and from time to time, they placed the things in their hands on the small table.
Liu Ming came to the square with the bustling crowd at this moment. At the same time, he kept looking around with interest.
In the entire square, there had already been many patriarchs or elders who came on behalf of the patriarchs. There seemed to be thousands of people.
The patriarchs and elders present were basically Celestial State cultivators, but the dozen or so people sitting at the forefront had deep and restrained aura. They had reached the Ethereal Enlightenment realm.
Liu Ming secretly clicked his tongue. Perhaps the number of Ethereal Enlightenment cultivators in the Middle Sky Continent was no less than that of the Demons Continent, but it was basically impossible to gather so many people.
During the resistance against the invasion of the Stemborer Queen, the Middle Sky Continent United Front probably couldn't gather so many top cultivators.
At this moment, the ceremony had yet to begin. The Patriarchs and Elders of the aristocratic families gathered in groups of twos and threes on the square. Some of them formed circles, some were whispering to each other, and some were talking loudly. The atmosphere was rather peaceful.
In the square closest to the high platform, three groups of people could clearly be seen. Among them were the three patriarchs of the illustrious aristocratic family, the Long family, and the Kong Xiang family. Beside them were the patriarchs and elders of various aristocratic families. They were like stars surrounding the moon.
There were even many family heads surrounding them, as if they wanted to have a word with the heads of the three great families.
Liu Ming shook his head and smiled. Naturally, he had no interest in joining in the fun. He found an inconspicuous spot near the back and sat down, quietly waiting for the ceremony to begin.
There were more and more people in the square, and it was getting more and more noisy.
About an hour later, with the sound of three bells, the Central Dynasty's once-in-a-century Tribute Ceremony finally began!
The noise on the square quickly subsided, and a group of honor guards in long robes appeared near the high platform.
As the bell rang for the third time, a melodious tune drifted through the air, and a streak of purple light appeared in the distance. It seemed to be moving at a slow pace, but it was actually moving at a rapid speed. It landed in front of the tall platform, and the purple light faded to reveal a man who appeared to be around forty years of age. He was wearing a purple robe and a golden crown, and he immediately stepped onto the tall platform.
Liu Ming's eyes narrowed. Although he had never seen this person before, he guessed that he was the Demon Emperor of the Demons Continent, Zhao Qianying's father, Huangfu Yong.
Upon closer inspection, this person's face was somewhat similar to Huangfu Liushui who died in the Great Chaos Demon Luo Formation. Huangfu Liushui gave him the Abyss Key before he died, so he had the opportunity to enter the Abyss Illusion, so he had a deep impression of him.
A strange feeling welled up in Liu Ming's heart. Fortunately, three other people followed closely behind the Demon Emperor and landed in front of the high platform, attracting his attention.
One of them was a purple-robed elder with a scholarly face, the other was a silver-haired middle-aged man with a slightly ferocious face, and the last one was a masked lady with a slender figure. The aura that the three of them exuded, whether intentionally or unintentionally, was extremely terrifying. Impressively, they were all Tongxuan realm devils.
Liu Ming's eyes fell on the slender masked woman, and his eyes flashed as a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
After the three of them went up, another group of more than 20 people went up the high platform.
This time, the crowd was quite young. There were both men and women, and they were all dressed in purple elegant clothes.
Liu Ming's eyes flashed. From the surrounding people's discussion, he knew that these people were the direct descendants of the Huangfu Clan.
He subconsciously glanced at the crowd, and at this moment, a beautiful purple figure immediately leaped into his eyes. His pupils shrank slightly. This woman was none other than Zhao Qianying.
Liu Ming's heart skipped a beat, and a trace of complicated emotions flashed in his eyes.
At this moment, Zhao Qianying had a fair and flawless face. Her teeth were white and her lips were red. She was a beautiful woman, and her purple hair casually draped over her shoulders. However, her expression was less leisurely and more solemn.
When Liu Ming looked at her, she seemed to have sensed it. Her beautiful eyes turned, and her gaze passed through the layers of the crowd and landed on Liu Ming.
Liu Ming's expression froze, but under the gaze of Zhao Qianying's clear eyes, he sighed inwardly, and nodded at her from afar with a faint smile.
Zhao Qianying blushed slightly, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly looked away.
There was a trace of embarrassment on Liu Ming's face, and he looked at the princes next to Zhao Qianying.
These royal nobles had different cultivation levels. Most of them were Jin Dan, and they were in the Crystallization Period. There were only seven or eight people standing in the front row of Celestial State.
Liu Ming turned his eyes and looked at a red-haired young man.
This person's appearance looked somewhat similar to Huangfu Liushui, and his aura was also the most powerful among the princes. He was already at the peak of Celestial State, and he had faintly stepped into the Mystic Enlightenment Realm.
Liu Ming's eyes flickered slightly. When he wandered around the periphery of the imperial city these days, he had long heard that among the descendants of the Demon Emperor, a prince named Huangfu Jiangu had the highest cultivation level.
After the fall of Huangfu Liushui, Huangfu Jiangu naturally became the most popular candidate for the next emperor.
Among the other Celestial State clansmen, there was a skinny young man who had reached the Celestial State later stage. Apart from these two, Zhao Qianying's cultivation was the highest.
Liu Ming's brows moved slightly, and he returned to his calm appearance again.
The melodious ritual music had stopped at this moment. Huangfu Yong stood at the forefront of the high platform, looking at the thousands of patriarchs below with a smile on his face.
"Today, I'm very grateful that everyone has come from afar and gathered here. It makes me very happy." Huangfu Yong said loudly. Although his voice was not loud, it spread far and clearly into the ears of everyone present.
The patriarchs below stood up and bowed in the direction of the high platform.
Huangfu Yong paused for a moment and continued,
"The situation in the mainland is slightly turbulent now. The Liu Family colluded with the Great Shuo and occupied the four counties …"
After Huangfu Yong's seemingly pointed opening remarks, the tribute ceremony officially began. The patriarchs of the various regions came to the high platform one by one and presented the tributes. The person in charge of receiving the tributes was responsible for collecting, registering, and chanting.
This segment was a time to show the strength of the patriarchs of the various families. In fact, the Central Dynasty did not have any specific requirements for the tribute. It was just a ceremony, and the purpose was to gather these families in the imperial city as a test of their loyalty and a means of power control.
In order to show their loyalty and at the same time show their strength in front of the major forces, the major families would try their best to offer some things.
The first to offer the tributes were naturally the patriarchs of Gao He, the Long Family, and the Kong Xiang Family. They were naturally the three forces that offered the most tributes. The magical crystals that they offered alone were hundreds of millions, and there were countless other materials and treasures, which made the people below the stage speechless.
However, the most unexpected thing was that after the three patriarchs offered the tributes, they did not return to their original seats. Instead, they were invited to the high platform by Huangfu Yong and sat in front of the throne of the Demon King.
This immediately caused a lot of discussion among the people below. In such a solemn ceremony, every action had a certain meaning.
The three patriarchs and Huangfu Yong sat at the same table. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that they were close to each other.
"Brother Zhao, I didn't expect that the patriarchs of the three major families would not only be present at this year's tribute ceremony, but also have such a close relationship with the Demon King. It seems that the rebel army of the Liu Family seems to be aggressive, but the future is bleak!" Not far from Liu Ming, two Celestial Phenomenon Realm patriarchs were talking in a low voice.
However, Liu Ming's awareness was far beyond that of an ordinary person, and his divine sense was far above that of the two. Naturally, he could hear their conversation clearly.
Liu Ming calmly glanced at them from the corner of his eyes. It turned out that the other party was about a hundred feet to his right. One of them was a middle-aged man in a gray robe, with an ordinary face. He was probably at the early stage of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.
The other person was a thin old man with gray hair.
Liu Ming did not know either of them, but looking at the family emblem on them, they should be the patriarchs of a relatively remote province.
"Humph! The Liu Family's rebellion is purely an act of seeking death. The Huangfu Family has been in control of the Demon Continent for hundreds of thousands of years. Not only are they powerful, but they are also deeply rooted in the continent. Although the Liu Family has gained the upper hand for the time being, no matter how you look at it, they are no match for the Central Dynasty. Looking at the current situation, the Demon King has already subdued the three major families. The Liu Family is not far from defeat, "the thin old man sneered. His voice was slightly hoarse.
Liu Ming's eyes flashed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
Although he did not know what method the Demon King used, at the moment, the three major families were obviously on the side of the Central Dynasty. If the Liu Family did not have any heaven-defying methods, the situation was indeed precarious.
At the same time, most of the patriarchs and elders on the square were discussing among themselves. However, most of them had the same opinion.
As a result, the families that originally had a wait-and-see attitude could not help but reconsider after seeing this scene.
The tribute ceremony continued. After the three major families, the patriarchs and elders of the other major families also stepped forward one by one and handed over their tributes.
After more than two hours, the tribute ceremony finally ended.
During this period, Liu Ming naturally stepped forward and handed over the tributes prepared by the Qing Family. These tributes were also meticulously prepared by Qing Gu and the others. However, there was nothing special here.
This was the effect that Liu Ming wanted.
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