Beginning with Ti Hun getting his wish, one Bashan demon cultivator after another took the stage to fight for their own fame and fortune.
These challenges arose not only from territorial disputes. Long-standing grudges, clan blood feuds, and even carefully plotted attempts on someone's life could all serve as grounds.
At its core, this was also a mechanism for resolving tensions within the Demon Kingdom and restraining its inhabitants' behavior.
Given the Demon Race's nature, they were hardly likely to develop civilized systems such as imperial examinations or Immortal Sect recruitment. These contests, rich in their race's distinctive character, had already proven extremely effective at reducing conflicts between Demon Kings, and so had been passed down as a tradition.
As demon cultivators eagerly took the stage one after another, the gathering grew livelier.
But after watching for a while, Li Ling turned his attention away from the stage.
"The feast is served!"
Demon attendants kept bringing out fruit and exquisite dishes, plate after plate, stack after stack, load after load.
These were all specialties of the Bashan Demon Kingdom. Each stone platform held a separate banquet, with everyone's allotment prepared according to the information submitted beforehand.
Naturally, the Sacred Fruit grown on Divine Bird Mountain was among them.
As the Peak Envoy of the Seventh Sacred Peak, Ju Huang ranked quite high among the Demon Kingdom's middle-ranking commanders.
Sharing her table, Li Ling soon got his wish and saw the Sacred Fruit produced by the Soul-Returning Tree.
It was a strange fruit shaped like a plum but as large as a gourd melon, its skin patterned in gold and silver. Its entire surface gleamed with a gemstone's crystalline luster, spirit resonance spilling from it as its fragrance filled the air.
According to legend, a divine tree grew on Divine Bird