I run a casino in the immortal realm.

The Four Elders' dojo, a secret underground chamber.

The dim wall lamp flickered. Hu Lie held a communication jade slip in his hand, his face grim.

"Thirty million low-grade spirit stones, enough to be transported in a single flying boat."

Hu Jinpeng stood to the side, his voice trembling: "Grandpa, this is clearly a trap set by that little bastard Zheng Yifei. He wants to lure us in."

Hu Lie crushed the jade slip into powder. He knew, of course, that it was a trap.

Zheng Yifei deliberately spread the news; he was practically writing "Come and grab it!" on the flying boat.

But this is an open conspiracy with no solution.

The lottery has only been on sale for a few days, and hundreds of millions of spirit stones are being transported to the main peak every day.

At this rate, it won't even take twenty days to raise one billion in tribute.

Once Xu Tianyang pays his tribute, the position of Xu family patriarch will be secure, and the Hu family's scheme will be a complete failure.

If it doesn't bite, it's waiting to die; if it bites, there's still a glimmer of hope.

"So what if it's a trap?"

Hu Lie stood up, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "Once this 30 million is swallowed up, the credibility of the lottery will completely collapse. When the rogue cultivators know that the Qingyun Sect can't even protect its own money, who will still buy that worthless piece of paper?"

"But the Grand Elder was secretly escorting them..."

"I will make the trip myself."

Hu Lie interrupted his grandson, took out a black robe that shielded divine sense from his storage bag and put it on: "I'll deal with that stubborn old man, the First Elder."

"The Three Blood Demons, along with the six Foundation Establishment assassins we secretly trained, are more than capable of dealing with the disciples escorting the cart. We'll just grab the storage box and leave; they can't stop us."

Hu Lie put on the bronze mask. He had done the math; both he and the Grand Elder were in the late Golden Core stage, and he could easily hold off the Grand Elder for half an incense stick's time.

Half an incense stick's time is enough for someone to rob cultivators, kill, and steal.

Day six, dusk.

The jurisdiction of the Su family, Baiyunfang City.

A massive, high-quality airship was anchored in the center of the square.

Ten specially made black iron storage boxes were carried into the lower compartment one by one, each box covered with thick sealing talismans.

Eight late-stage Foundation Establishment sword cultivators from the inner sect lined up on both sides of the flying boat, their hands on their sword hilts, their expressions solemn.

Su Tong stood below the flying boat and cupped his hands towards the leading swordsman: "Commander Yifei instructed that no matter what happens on this trip, we must defend the lower deck to the death."

The leading swordsman nodded, turned around, and leaped onto the deck.

The flying boat's array patterns lit up, and it slowly rose into the air, its enormous shadow sweeping across the market and heading straight towards the main peak.

Night falls.

The airship entered the skies above Falling Star Valley.

This is the border between Baiyun District and Zhufeng District. The mountains are continuous and the spiritual energy is violent, which can easily interfere with divine sense detection.

On the deck of the flying boat, eight sword cultivators formed a defensive sword formation.

Suddenly, three blinding beams of blood-red light erupted from the dense forest below.

"Enemy attack!"

The leading swordsman shouted.

Three streaks of blood-red light crashed heavily into the airship's defensive light barrier, causing the barrier to distort violently and shatter under the strain.

The three Blood Demons rose into the air, their bodies emanating a strong stench of blood.

Immediately afterwards, six masked Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared from all sides and surrounded the flying boat.

Nine Foundation Establishment cultivators simultaneously unleashed their magical artifacts, frantically bombarding the defensive formation.

"Snap!"

The array's light barrier shattered.

Just as the three Blood Demons were grinning and preparing to rush onto the deck, the cabin door on the top floor of the airship suddenly exploded open.

A terrifying pressure belonging to the Golden Core stage directly sent the two masked Foundation Establishment cultivators at the forefront flying backward, coughing up blood.

The Grand Elder, dressed in a gray robe and holding a cyan longsword, stepped out into the air.

"The Three Blood Demons, how dare you!"

The elder's voice was icy, and his sword was pointed directly at the three of them.

The leader of the Blood Fiend Trio's expression changed slightly, but he did not back down. He shouted, "Senior, this is a tough opponent, please make your move!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the clouds in the sky were torn apart by a violent spiritual force.

A figure shrouded in a black robe swooped down, holding a long, black sword in his hand.

The black blade of light, several meters long, whistled as it tore through the air, and slashed straight at the Grand Elder's face.

The elder snorted coldly and raised his sword to meet the attack.

The clash of swords produced a deafening roar, and the resulting shockwaves caused the flying boat below to sink dozens of feet.

The man in black robes used the momentum to take a half-step back and regain his balance. It was none other than Hu Lie in disguise.

"Late stage of Golden Core cultivation."

The Grand Elder stared at the man in black robes: "Hiding your face, afraid to show your true colors?"

Hu Lie lowered his voice and let out a hoarse, eerie laugh: "Enough talk, your opponent is me. Make your move!"

The last two words were shouted at the Blood Demons.

The Blood Demons immediately led the remaining six Foundation Establishment cultivators toward the deck.

The eight guards, all sword cultivators, fought desperately, their sword energy crisscrossing and blood splattering.

However, the number of cultivators was superior, and the three Blood Demons were all at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, with ruthless and deadly moves.

In just a dozen breaths, a gap was torn in the defensive formation.

"Charge in and seize the storage boxes!"

The leader of the Blood Fiend Three Ghosts cleaved back the leading swordsman with a single slash and headed straight for the entrance to the lower deck.

Watching this scene from mid-air, Hu Lie sneered behind his mask.

The Grand Elder was so engrossed in his task that he had no time to spare for the rescue; he was determined to get those thirty million spirit stones.

Just as the leader of the Blood Demon Trio was about to touch the hatch.

"boom!"

The deck of the entire lower deck burst open from the inside, sending countless wood chips mixed with violent spiritual energy soaring into the sky.

A giant handprint, formed from pure spiritual energy and over ten feet wide, slammed down from below onto the chest of the leader of the Blood Demon Trio.

"puff!"

The leader of the Blood Demon Trio coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, and was sent flying backward at ten times the speed he had come from, crashing heavily into a distant mountain wall. His fate was unknown.

At the same time, an even more violent and intense late-stage Golden Core pressure, stronger than that of the Grand Elder, completely enveloped the entire night sky.

Su Chenyuan, dressed in a brocade robe, slowly rose from the shattered lower deck. His face was ashen, and his eyes blazed with fury.

"Anyone who touches my Qingyun Sect's money shall die."

Without saying a word, Su Chenyuan raised his hand and delivered two slaps.

The two masked early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, unable to dodge in time, were slammed into two clouds of blood mist before they could even scream.

The entire room fell silent.

The remaining cultivators were terrified and turned to flee.

Hu Lie, who was in mid-air, was struck as if by lightning. His whole body stiffened, and his eyes under the mask instantly became bloodshot.

Su Chenyuan!

How could he be here! The intelligence clearly stated that only the Grand Elder was escorting the carriage!

"Hu Lie, do you really think Director Zheng's scheme is that simple?"

The Grand Elder sheathed his longsword and coldly looked at the man in black robes: "A bait of thirty million naturally needs to be paired with a hook containing two Golden Core cultivators."

Su Chenyuan stepped forward, standing with the Grand Elder in front and behind, flanking Hu Lie in the middle.

"You dare to hijack my flying boat in Baiyun Market and cut off the Su family's source of wealth."

Su Chenyuan now held a crimson spear, its tip pointed directly at Hu Lie: "Take off your mask, or I'll smash your head and mask together."

Hu Lie knew he was completely finished.

Zheng Yifei had anticipated that he would personally take action, and he had also anticipated that he would intervene to restrain the Grand Elder.

Therefore, Zheng Yifei stuffed Su Chenyuan, who was in the late stage of the Golden Core realm, into the lower compartment.

This is a complex and interconnected scheme.

"If you want to keep me here, you'll have to suffer a lot!"

Hu Lie roared and stopped concealing his cultivation level.

The Fourth Elder's unique skill, "Mysterious Yin Technique," was unleashed at full power.

His black robe ripped apart, revealing his true face.

The Grand Elder and Su Chenyuan attacked simultaneously, their cyan sword light and crimson spear shadows intertwining to form a net that descended upon them.

Hu Lie was struggling to keep up. He could only manage a draw against a Grand Elder, and he was no match for two Golden Core cultivators. After only a dozen or so exchanges, he was in grave danger.

"puff!"

Su Chenyuan pierced Hu Lie's left shoulder with a spear, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.

Hu Lie grunted, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly bit his tongue, spitting out a black bead that exuded an aura of destruction.

My natal magic weapon, the Mysterious Yin Pearl.

"burst!"

Hu Lie shouted sternly.

The Profound Yin Pearl exploded with a deafening roar. A violent stream of black energy, mixed with the primal power of a Golden Core cultivator, swept indiscriminately in all directions.

The First Elder and Su Chenyuan's expressions changed, and they immediately summoned defensive magic treasures to defend themselves.

The blinding white light illuminated an area of ​​ten miles around.

Taking advantage of the explosion's cover, Hu Lie unhesitatingly unleashed his Blood Escape Technique. He transformed into a crimson rainbow, instantly tearing through the void and disappearing into the horizon.