I run a casino in the immortal realm.

"Go to the Xuantian Sect?!"

Tie Feng suddenly stood up, his head almost hitting the protective array of the secret chamber.

The Foundation Establishment late-stage sword cultivator, who was usually calm and composed, and whose expression remained unchanged even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, now had his eyes wide open like copper bells, his face full of disbelief.

The other two guards also gasped, as if they had heard the most absurd joke in the world.

"Director, you're not joking, are you?"

Tie Feng swallowed hard, his voice trembling: "That's the Xuan Tian Sect! The Grand Elder's territory! Going there now is like lambs to the slaughter, walking into a trap!"

Zheng Yifei remained calm, a knowing smile playing on his lips: "Tie Feng, do you even know what 'blind spots under the lamp' means?"

He stood up and paced back and forth in the small, secret room with his hands behind his back: "Zeng Feng is a naturally suspicious person. He would never easily believe that I am dead."

He will definitely send people to keep a close eye on the Qingyun Sect, and may even issue arrest warrants to all major sects in the Southern Wilderness.

But what he never expected was that I would dare to brazenly appear right under his nose.

"The most dangerous place is often the safest place."

Zheng Yifei's gaze pierced through the porthole, as if he could already see that colossal behemoth. "The Xuantian Sect has hundreds of affiliated sects under its jurisdiction, and its core Xuantian Market is a melting pot of all sorts of people with a permanent population of over ten million."

There, countless independent cultivators and merchants come and go every day. A few disguised cultivators can blend in, but it's like a drop of water merging into the ocean; they can't even make a ripple.

Moreover, only by venturing deep into the lion's den can I uncover Hu Xiaotian's true nature, and perhaps even... find an opportunity to turn the tables on him.

Tie Feng and his two companions exchanged glances, then clasped their hands in unison, a resolute glint in their eyes: "Commander, your wisdom and foresight are profound; we swear to follow you to the death!"

The flying boat silently turned its bow amidst the sea of ​​clouds, like a ghost, speeding towards the most central and prosperous heartland of the Southern Wilderness.

Zheng Yifei sat down cross-legged again and closed his eyes.

Although he left the Qingyun Sect, his grand business empire plan did not come to a standstill.

On the night before he faked his death and escaped, he secretly entrusted all his resources and plans to a few people he trusted most.

The plans for Super Casino had to be put on hold due to this unexpected turn of events.

The "city that never sleeps," envisioned to be able to absorb the wealth of the entire Southern Wilderness, cannot be hastily launched in his absence.

However, this does not mean stagnation.

Before leaving, he met Zhao Wenyuan and Zhang Biao in Xu Zhengkun's underground secret room.

"After I leave, you will open a gambling den in Qingyun Market, following the model of Tianyuan Gambling Den. The young sect leader will assist you."

Zheng Yifei placed a storage bag in front of them, containing spirit stones to activate the gambling den.

"This gambling den doesn't need to be too big; it just needs to be a little bigger than the one in Sujiafang Market before. But the facilities must be extremely complete, and the service must be top-notch."

Its main purposes are twofold: first, to accumulate working capital for the future mega-casino; and second, to "test the waters" and "cultivate the market."

Zhao Wenyuan and Zhang Biao nodded without saying a word. They were already very experienced in running gambling dens and did not need Zheng Yifei to give them too many instructions.

"As for the two hundred acres of lakeside land allocated by the sect, it cannot be left idle."

Zheng Yifei then instructed Xu Zhengkun: "Brother Kun, fence off that land first, hire array masters and civil engineers, and start building the infrastructure."

Underground drainage, foundation array patterns, and the spiritual vein diversion of the spirit-gathering array—these basic tasks are the most time-consuming.

We plan to spend two to three years gradually refining the main structure of the super casino.

No rush, slow and steady wins the race. What I want is a fortified, luxurious, and utterly extravagant mansion.

To ensure the smooth progress of the plan, Zheng Yifei left the 100 million low-grade spirit stones that Sect Master Xu Tianyang had bestowed upon him to Xu Zhengkun intact.

This is not just about construction funds, but also a show of sincerity in keeping Xu Zhengkun firmly on his side.

He himself only took one million low-grade spirit stones and the eighty-odd mid-grade spirit stones he had left over from his previous cultivation.

For a Qi Refining stage cultivator, this is already a huge sum of money, enough for him to squander and bribe people outside.

Xu Zhengkun gave him a top-grade communication talisman. This kind of talisman can enable communication even between people who are 100,000 miles apart. In the Qingyun Sect, only the sect leader and a few elders possess it. Xu Zhengkun gave Zheng Yifei one, which shows how much the Xu family values ​​him.

Pulling himself back to reality, Zheng Yifei touched the top-grade communication talisman he kept close to his body, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

Hu Xiaotian, Zeng Feng, you thought you had crushed an ant, but little did you know that this ant had already quietly crawled towards your hearts.

Seven days later.

The top-quality flying boat landed in a secluded valley on the edge of the Xuan Tian Sect's territory.

To avoid attracting the attention of high-level cultivators, Zheng Yifei had Tie Feng put away the flying boat. The four of them changed into ordinary clothes of rogue cultivators, and Tie Feng carried Zheng Yifei on a sword for three whole days before finally arriving at their destination, Xuantian Market.

When that colossal, breathtaking city of cultivation appeared on the horizon, even the well-informed Tie Feng and his companions couldn't help but gasp.

Zheng Yifei's pupils contracted sharply, and a storm raged in his heart.

If Qingyun Market is a bustling prefecture-level city, then Xuantian Market in front of us is a true metropolis.

The city wall is hundreds of feet high, built entirely of black basalt, with a terrifying dark gold defensive array pattern flowing across its surface, like a lurking dragon that tightly encircles the plains for hundreds of miles around.

On the city wall, every hundred feet there stands a towering psionic tower that reaches into the clouds, its tip flashing with dazzling lightning and radiating a terrifying pressure capable of killing even a Golden Core cultivator.

Through the open, massive city gates, one can see the rows of buildings inside the city.

The pavilions here are often dozens of stories high, with flying eaves and brackets, and sparkling with light.

In the sky, countless sword lights, flying boats, and spirit bird mounts shuttled like a woven net, leaving behind a series of dazzling trails.

What's most striking is the concentration of spiritual energy here.

The dense spiritual energy above the entire market town had even condensed into a tangible mist. Anyone who breathed into it felt incredibly comfortable throughout their body, and their cultivation level even showed signs of loosening.

"As expected of the core market of a Nascent Soul sect..."

Zheng Yifei took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. "With a permanent population of over ten million, this is practically an independent cultivation kingdom."

Here, let alone those in the Qi Refining stage, even those in the Foundation Establishment stage are as numerous as carp crossing a river, utterly insignificant.

"Chief, let's go into the city."

Tie Feng reminded him in a low voice.

The four of them mingled among the bustling crowd of independent cultivators, paid the expensive entrance fee of ten low-grade spirit stones each, and successfully entered the Xuantian Market.

Upon entering the city, one is immediately struck by the extremely prosperous commercial atmosphere and astonishing prices.

Shops line both sides of the wide bluestone street.

The second and third-tier spiritual herbs that were treasured in the Qingyun Sect were displayed on the counter like cabbages here; all kinds of dazzling magic treasures and rare monster materials were on display.

The cultivators walking on the street were at least in the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining, and Foundation Establishment cultivators were everywhere. Occasionally, one could even feel a few unfathomable Golden Core stage auras flashing by.

Zheng Yifei and his three companions kept in mind the principle of "keeping a low profile" and did not linger on the main street. Instead, they made several turns and arrived at a relatively ordinary area on the west side of the market.

Even so, the level of prosperity here far surpasses that of the main street of the Qingyun Sect.

"Let's find a place to settle down first."

Zheng Yifei glanced at the sky and pointed to a four-story building in front of him with a sign that read "Yunshui Inn".

Upon entering the inn, a servant at the seventh level of Qi Refining immediately greeted them with a beaming smile: "Four esteemed guests, are you here for a meal or to stay the night? Although our Yunshui Inn isn't on the main street, all the rooms are equipped with a second-tier spirit-gathering array, making it absolutely excellent value for money!"

"I want a high-class suite with a private courtyard, somewhere quiet."

Tie Feng stepped forward and tossed out a mid-grade spirit stone.

The servant's eyes lit up, and his attitude became even more respectful: "Alright! Courtyard No. 3, please come in!"

Upon arriving at the courtyard, Zheng Yifei looked around. The courtyard wasn't large, but it was decorated quite elegantly, with the main house and three side rooms arranged in a staggered manner. There were also arrays around it to isolate and detect any threats, making it a decent place to stay.

Of course, the price is also extremely high, costing a hundred low-grade spirit stones a day, which is outrageously expensive.