I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Xu Zhengkun's brows furrowed into a knot.

"Are you crazy, kid?"

"We agreed before that we'd rent a three-story shop in Qingyun Market and open a high-end gambling den. I'll take a 10% stake. I'm currently working on streamlining the logistics company's routes, so I'll help you find a good location."

Xu Zhengkun lowered his voice, "You want two hundred acres of land now? And on the outskirts of the market? That place doesn't even have a spirit-gathering array, it's the middle of nowhere, you're opening a gambling den for ghosts to play with?"

Zheng Yifei leaned on the white jade railing with both hands, the night wind ruffling the hem of his clothes.

"Young Sect Master, that was before. Back then, I was just an outer sect director with no money, so I could only do small-scale operations."

Zheng Yifei turned his head and said, "Now that the sect has given me 100 million low-grade spirit stones for construction, plus the resources I have from the News Division and the Inspection Department, it would be too beneath me to open a small three-story workshop."

"That's two hundred acres!"

Xu Zhengkun emphasized.

"Two hundred acres? I still think it's too small."

Zheng Yifei said calmly, "What I want to build is not a gambling den with a few tables, I want to build a city."

A super complex integrating eating, drinking, playing, entertainment, cultivation, dual cultivation, auctions, and life-or-death duels.

Xu Zhengkun was stunned.

Zheng Yifei continued, "Think about it, a high-level cultivator with hundreds of thousands of spirit stones in his pocket, where would he spend them when he comes to the Qingyun Sect? In the brothels in the market? Or in those shops that sell scrap metal? That's too monotonous."

"In my city that never sleeps, the moment he entered, he stepped on a carpet made of third-tier demon beast hides and breathed in the rich spiritual energy drawn from a super spirit-gathering array set up by a formation master."

He can play dominoes and roll dice on the first floor;

If you win money, go up to the second floor to participate in a high-end, private auction;

If you're tired, head to the third floor and enjoy a massage from a top-notch female cultivator.

Looking for thrills? Go to an underground arena to watch death row inmates fight and bet on their lives.

Zheng Yifei stared into Xu Zhengkun's eyes: "Once he steps through this door, I have hundreds of ways to make him willingly take out the last spirit stone from his storage bag. Moreover, when he leaves, he'll feel like this is paradise on earth, and he'll bring his friends here next time."

Xu Zhengkun's breathing became heavy.

"That's not enough."

Zheng Yifei held up one finger. "The super spirit-gathering array must cover the entire city. I want the spiritual energy concentration in the City That Never Sleeps to be 30% higher than that of the main peak of the Qingyun Sect!"

Rogue cultivators are usually reluctant to use spirit stones for cultivation, but here, they can enjoy a top-tier cultivation environment for free simply by spending money. They'll treat this place like a sacred ground and won't leave no matter how hard they try.

"You want to attract cultivators from the entire Southern Wilderness?"

Xu Zhengkun grasped the key point.

"right."

Zheng Yifei nodded, "The Qingyun Sect's territory has been nearly exhausted with the lottery profits. To make big money, we need to reach outwards. The hundreds of sects and countless cultivation families in the Southern Wilderness are our targets."

Xu Zhengkun swallowed hard.

He admitted that Zheng Yifei's vision had thrilled him.

"However, the plate is too big; I, a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator, cannot handle it."

Zheng Yifei changed the subject: "Therefore, I need the young sect leader to back me up."

"How do I carry it?"

"After the City Never Sleeps is completed, 20% of the shares will go to the young sect leader."

Zheng Yifei directly revealed his trump card: "I will take care of the daily operations, customer acquisition, and security. The young sect leader only needs to step in and calm things down when someone causes trouble or when other sects are jealous and put pressure on him."

20% stake!

Xu Zhengkun quickly did the math in his mind: he'd made 1.8 billion yuan in ten days from the lottery.

If this city that never sleeps can truly attract cultivators from the entire Southern Wilderness Region, how terrifying would its annual revenue be? A 20% share would be an astronomical figure.

"This matter..."

Xu Zhengkun forced himself to calm down.

He knew his own limitations; within the Qingyun Sect's territory, he, as the young sect leader, could act with impunity.

However, if he attracts all the high-level cultivators from the Southern Wilderness Region, or even the Golden Core stage elders from other major sects, as well as the Nascent Soul stage elders from the Xuan Tian Sect and the Tian Mo Sect, he won't be able to handle it.

"Yifei, you're too ambitious."

Xu Zhengkun patted Zheng Yifei on the shoulder: "To be frank, I really want 20% of the shares, but I can't take it all. I have to ask my father for permission."

"That's how it should be."

Zheng Yifei cupped his hands in greeting.

Xu Zhengkun turned around and strode towards the rear hall of the main peak.

The rear hall, a quiet room.

Xu Tianyang sat cross-legged on a futon, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

He has recently spent a lot of energy dealing with the lottery and the Hu family.

But at this moment, he was in excellent spirits. The confidence he had gained from the 1.8 billion spirit stones gave him an aura of domineering power.

"Father."

Xu Zhengkun strode into the quiet room and closed the palace door.

Xu Tianyang opened his eyes: "What's the rush? The logistics matter isn't settled yet, what are you doing here?"

"Father, it's about Zheng Yifei."

Xu Zhengkun stepped forward and repeated the conversation he had just had on the observation deck word for word.

Xu Tianyang did not speak immediately after listening.

He stood up, walked to the map of the Southern Wilderness hanging on the wall of the quiet room, and his gaze fell on the location of the Qingyun Sect's territory.

"What a Zheng Yifei!"

Xu Tianyang sneered: "I knew it. How could someone who can scheme against people to the core possibly build a manor on just two hundred acres of land?"

So, this is where he was waiting for me.

"Father, is this city that never sleeps a viable business?"

Xu Zhengkun asked.

"Why not?"

Xu Tianyang countered, "Lottery is a one-off deal. The foundation of the 1.5 billion loose cultivators has already been emptied, and it's impossible to do it again in a short period of time."

For a sect to develop, maintain its army, and cope with the exploitation by the Xuantian Sect, it needs a constant influx of spirit stones. This City That Never Sleeps is a treasure trove.

Xu Zhengkun looked worried: "But if it's really as he says, attracting high-level cultivators from the entire Southern Wilderness Region, what if someone causes trouble, or the Xuantian Sect blames us for gambling and corrupting the cultivation world..."

"madness!"

Xu Tianyang interrupted sharply, "In the cultivation world, strength is everything! What kind of atmosphere is this? Having spirit stones is the only trend! The Xuantian Sect pays a tribute of one billion every year. Do they care how we earn it? As long as we hand over the spirit stones on time, they don't care if we run a gambling den or not!"

Xu Tianyang paced back and forth in the quiet room, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Zheng Yifei is a smart man."

Xu Tianyang's eyes gleamed: "He knows he has no background or power, so he shares his profits. He gives you 20% of the shares because he wants to tie you to his chariot."

But he underestimated the resistance this would face.

"What does Father mean?"

"20% is not enough."

Xu Tianyang stopped in his tracks. "He wants to build the largest money pit in the Southern Wilderness, which will inevitably affect the interests of other sects. At that time, it won't be a few rogue cultivators causing trouble, but the Golden Core elders of other sects. You can't control it. In the entire Qingyun Sect, only I can keep things in check."

Xu Tianyang walked up to Xu Zhengkun, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Go tell Zheng Yifei that I will give him the land, I will give him the people. I will even arrange for him to become a master of formations if he needs one."

However, I want 50% of the shares!

Xu Zhengkun gasped.

Fifty percent! That's equivalent to taking half of Zheng Yifei's Never-Sleeping City directly.

"Father, isn't this too harsh?"

Xu Zhengkun hesitated, saying, "Zheng Yifei has just made a great contribution. If we ask for 50% right away, what if he becomes resentful and quits..."

"He won't."

Xu Tianyang said with certainty, "He is an ambitious man. An ambitious man doesn't care about how much is distributed in the short term, but about how big the pie can become."

Without my fifty percent, his plate is just a broken bowl. With my fifty percent, he can extend his reach to the entire Southern Wilderness. He understands this clearly.

Xu Zhengkun nodded in acceptance.

"There's one more thing."

Xu Tianyang's expression turned solemn: "The ten billion tribute has been collected. Judging by the time, the tribute envoy from Xuantian Sect will arrive the day after tomorrow."

Xu Zhengkun's expression changed.

The tribute envoys from the Xuantian Sect are like a death warrant hanging over the Qingyun Sect. Every time they come, they won't leave until they've ripped the Qingyun Sect dry.

"Who is this envoy?"

Xu Zhengkun asked.

"We haven't received any definite news yet. But with Hu Lie's defection, his son, who is a personal disciple of the Xuantian Sect, will definitely not let this go."

Xu Tianyang's gaze turned cold: "This tribute payment will probably not be peaceful. Whether Zheng Yifei's Never-Sleeping City can open smoothly depends on whether we can get through the hurdle the day after tomorrow."

Xu Zhengkun clenched his fist: "Father, don't worry, the spirit stones are ready. They can't just take them by force, can they?"

"The Xuantian Sect has always acted domineeringly. Go and finalize the 50% share agreement. Tell Zheng Yifei to hurry up and make preparations."

Xu Tianyang waved.