Chapter 1174: Toll Fee

Hunting demonic beasts in the Ten Thousand Monster Mountain Range is no different from provoking the Myriad Demon Valley.

In a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, a waterfall cascaded down from a peak a thousand zhang high. Below it, a pond about an acre in size held more than a dozen black lotuses floating on its surface. Their crescent-shaped petals had unfurled from their buds, releasing a rich, exotic aroma.

Suddenly, a faint blue light materialized above the valley, revealing a light blue scroll. Depicted on the scroll was a giant blue eagle soaring high above. Five Core Formation cultivators and more than twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators were seated upon this light blue scroll.

"Black Moon Lotuses. They appear to be over eight hundred years old. With more than a dozen of them reaching such an age, there must be a demonic beast guarding them at the bottom of the pond."

A short, stout old man in green robes whispered, his gaze intense.

"Fellow Daoist Song, this is the Myriad Demon Valley's territory. Let's not stir up trouble. Our main objective is more important."

A refined young woman in a red dress frowned and said, "Killing demons and collecting herbs right at the Myriad Demon Valley's doorstep? That's just foolish!"

"I've been stuck at the sixth level of Core Formation for many years. With these Black Moon Lotuses, I might be able to advance to the seventh level. Don't worry, we won't kill the demonic beast guarding them. We'll just collect the spiritual herbs and leave. With the 'Eagle Striking the Sky Scroll' in hand, a Tier 3 demonic beast won't be able to catch us, and a Tier 4 demonic beast might not even detect our presence."

The green-robed old man was brimming with confidence. In his view, possessing such a rare treasure meant there would be no danger in secretly harvesting the spiritual herbs. As long as they didn't kill the demonic beast, even if they were caught by the Myriad Demon Valley, there would still be room for negotiation.

"Is that so? You think you can deceive us with a magical treasure that has stealth abilities? What do you take our Myriad Demon Valley for?"

A mocking male voice suddenly resounded. Immediately, a green light and a purple light appeared on the horizon, followed closely by more than a dozen streaks of escaping light.

"Oh no, Transformation Stage demonic beasts!"

The green-robed old man was greatly startled, his face turning pale. He dared not flee. While the 'Eagle Striking the Sky Scroll' could conceal one's aura, its flight speed wasn't particularly fast. He had never imagined they would be discovered.

Soon after, a tall man in a green robe and a cold-faced young woman in a purple dress appeared before them, followed by more than a dozen Core Formation cultivators.

"Seniors, this is all a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding."

The green-robed old man quickly apologized, his expression fraught with tension.

"Misunderstanding, hmph. What did you say just now? It's one thing to pass through here, but you also intended to harvest our spiritual herbs?"

The purple-robed young woman sneered, her face grim.

"Senior, we are from the Thousand Moon Merchant Alliance. Please, for the sake of our Alliance Leader, spare us this once!"

The green-robed old man gave a bitter smile and produced a green token, emblazoned with the two golden characters, "Thousand Moon."

"I have no interest in who you are or where you come from. Leave a million spiritual stones as an apology, and you can leave."

The five individuals, including the green-robed old man, exchanged glances. After a brief hesitation, they honestly produced a string of storage beads. The old man then flew forward and, with both hands, presented them to the green-robed man.

"Alright, you may leave. This is a pass. From now on, whenever you pass through here, Nascent Soul cultivators will be charged three hundred thousand spiritual stones, Core Formation cultivators one hundred thousand, and Foundation Establishment cultivators one thousand. Pay the toll honestly, and we will not trouble you. However, you must not harbor any designs on the demonic beasts or spiritual herbs here. Minor infringements will result in a double toll; severe infringements will lead to immediate death."

The green-robed man accepted the string of storage beads, then produced a square green token and handed it to the green-robed old man.

The green-robed old man's eyes widened. "What?" he asked, incredulously. "A toll? We can just pass through?"

"If you don't wish to pass, that's your choice. But if you pay the toll, we won't make things difficult for you."

The green-robed man narrowed his eyes and gazed towards a certain point in the void. "Since fellow Daoists have arrived," he said, "why continue to hide? If you pay the toll and refrain from hunting demonic beasts or collecting herbs, we won't trouble you. But if you insist on lurking, we won't be so courteous."

No sooner had he spoken than a tremendous roar erupted from the ground, and more than a dozen colossal demonic beasts burrowed their way out.

In a section of the void, a red light flared, revealing a jade shuttle pulsating with red light. Wang Qingshan and over a hundred other cultivators stood upon this red jade shuttle.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Shen from the South Sea and Fellow Daoist Fang from the Great Yan Dynasty. You've heard what I just said. Pay the fee honestly, and we will issue you a pass, absolutely without troubling you. Otherwise, you will be killed without quarter."

The purple-robed young woman said coldly. The leader of the Myriad Demon Valley, a half-demon, was amicable towards humans and advocated for peaceful development. This approach allowed them to acquire significant wealth without resorting to bloodshed, earning the approval of many demon tribes. Most of those who opposed this policy had perished. While plundering these merchant convoys could provide sustenance for many years, it would inevitably provoke other powerful factions. A steady, continuous flow of income was deemed the superior choice.

Shen Ruirong's brows furrowed deeply. She couldn't be certain if the other party's words were true, but she had no other option. They had already alarmed the Myriad Demon Valley's Nascent Soul cultivators and were now deep within its territory. Fighting their way out would be incredibly difficult. Paying for peace seemed to be the only viable choice.

"You all heard him. As this fellow Daoist stated, let's pay the toll. If anyone dares to obstruct us, there's no need for us to be polite with them."

After a brief deliberation, Shen Ruirong and the white-robed old man agreed.

Wang Qingshan paid over three hundred thousand spiritual stones. He had initially anticipated a fierce battle, but this outcome was entirely unexpected. The marketplace's closure of its teleportation array forced most merchant caravans to risk traversing the Myriad Demon Mountain Range. Was the Great Qin Dynasty unwittingly assisting the Myriad Demon Valley by doing this? Or, perhaps, certain factions within the Great Qin Dynasty were colluding with the Myriad Demon Valley to secure substantial profits. Was it the left faction? The right faction? Or even the imperial family? Wang Qingshan couldn't fathom it. Nevertheless, if they could depart safely, paying over three hundred thousand spiritual stones for peace was acceptable. After all, they had just eliminated an evil cultivator and acquired more than four hundred thousand spiritual stones in loot.

After collecting the spiritual stones, the green-robed youth issued tokens to Shen Ruirong and her companions, permitting them to leave.

Shen Ruirong carefully inspected the tokens. Once she confirmed they were legitimate, they resumed their journey.

Initially, they continued to proceed cautiously, hiding to avoid detection by the Myriad Demon Valley's inhabitants. However, after several encounters where Nascent Soul cultivators questioned them, they simply displayed their tokens, and the Myriad Demon Valley personnel allowed them to pass without any trouble. Eventually, Shen Ruirong began to travel boldly and openly. As long as they displayed their tokens, they could cross unimpeded.

Over a month later, they departed the Myriad Demon Mountain Range and emerged into the territory of the Great Yan Dynasty.

"We've finally reached the Great Yan Dynasty. You are now free to move as you wish."

Shen Ruirong gazed at a tall city in the distance and let out a long sigh of relief. Above the city gate hung a golden plaque bearing the characters "Tiger Pass City." The city walls stretched for a thousand li, and the constant flow of cultivators entering and exiting made it appear exceedingly lively. Tiger Pass City housed a teleportation array that led directly to Jinyan Market. As per their agreement, members of the Murong Royal Family would be receiving their goods there.

Shen Ruirong led her clan members towards Tiger Pass City, with Wang Qingshan and his own clan members following close behind.