I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Zeng Feng stood in the cold wind by Yingxian Lake, his back, soaked with cold sweat, feeling a chill.

He took several deep breaths of the cold, damp wind before he could barely suppress the crazy urge in his mind to turn around and rush back to the gambling table to win back his losses.

"A dignified Golden Core cultivator almost suffered a qi deviation in a gambling game that didn't require spiritual energy..."

Zeng Feng gritted his teeth, his face so dark it seemed like it could drip water. He looked at his empty storage bag; twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones had vanished without a trace!

"Master, where are we going now?"

Hu Jingpeng asked nervously from the side, having just witnessed Zeng Feng's ferocious expression when he lost.

"Where are we going? To take care of important business, of course!"

Zeng Feng snorted coldly, wiped his face to remove the illusion, and took out a black cloud-patterned robe representing the head of the Xuan Tian Sect's Law Enforcement Hall from his storage ring, draping it over his shoulders.

The disheveled hair was instantly combed neatly by spiritual power.

In the blink of an eye, the gambler who had lost so much at the gambling table with bloodshot eyes disappeared, replaced by the aloof, dignified, and cold-blooded head of the Xuan Tian Sect's Enforcement Hall.

"Let's go meet Xu Zhengkun!"

With a wave of his sleeve, Zeng Feng led Hu Jingpeng swiftly toward a secluded villa next to the mirage.

That was the temporary residence of the Qingyun Sect Master at Yingxian Lake.

Inside the main hall of the villa, Xu Zhengkun sat upright in the main seat, reviewing account books. Upon hearing a disciple outside announce that Zeng Feng from the Xuantian Sect's Enforcement Hall was requesting an audience, a cold smile, as expected, curled at the corner of his lips.

"Please invite Master Zeng in."

Xu Zhengkun put down the account book and stood up.

A moment later, Zeng Feng led Hu Jingpeng into the main hall with his head held high.

His sharp gaze swept over Xu Zhengkun, and he felt the solid and heavy spiritual pressure of the Golden Core stage within the other's body, causing his eyes to twitch slightly.

"Master Zeng, your presence is an honor; I have failed to greet you properly."

Xu Zhengkun bowed slightly, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant. He showed neither the fear and trepidation he had shown when facing envoys from the upper sects, nor did he try to act superior. He struck a perfect balance.

"Sect Leader Xu, you're too kind."

Zeng Feng gave a forced smile and sat down in the guest seat with an air of authority. "I have come on the orders of the Grand Elder to congratulate Mirage on its opening."

By the way, the Grand Elder is quite interested in your Qingyun Sect's recently launched "Qingyun Daily" and has ordered me to visit your printing workshop. Sect Leader Xu, you wouldn't refuse such an honor, would you?

Xu Zhengkun smiled slightly, picked up the spirit teapot himself, and poured a cup of tea for Zeng Feng: "It is my honor that the Grand Elder is interested in my Qingyun Sect's small business. Since Hall Master Zeng wants to see it, there is naturally no problem."

Please have some tea. I will personally escort the master there shortly.

Half an hour later, on the outskirts of Qingyunfang City, there was a huge factory that was doubly shrouded by a third-order illusion array and a defensive array.

As the array's light barrier slowly cracked open, a strong scent of ink and the distinctive aroma of paper wafted out.

Immediately following was a deafening roar of machinery.

As soon as Zeng Feng stepped into the factory, he was struck dumb, frozen in place as if by lightning.

What unfolded before him was a breathtaking scene unlike anything ever seen in the world of cultivation.

Hundreds of massive and sophisticated steel behemoths were neatly arranged in the spacious factory, the clatter of gears meshing and the hum of the energy hubs operating intertwined.

The rolled-up spiritual pulp paper was precisely fed into the roller by the robotic arm. Accompanied by the flashing of the array light, newspapers printed with text and patterns flew out like snowflakes, and were then quickly packaged and boxed by the Qi Refining disciples on the assembly line.

The whole process was incredibly smooth and efficient!

Without the support of high-level cultivators' magical power, this product of combining mortal machinery and formations has managed to unleash such terrifying productivity!

"This is... a printing press?"

Zeng Feng swallowed hard, his eyes flashing with undisguised greed and shock.

Beneath his wide sleeves, his fingers twitched slightly, and a recording stone was quietly activated, capturing the entire operation of the grand and precise production line before him without missing a single detail.

Xu Zhengkun took in Zeng Feng's subtle actions but pretended not to notice. He simply put his hands behind his back and introduced in a calm tone, "Hall Master Zeng, this is the printing plant of my Qingyun Sect. It produces 200 million newspapers a day, all thanks to these iron lumps running day and night."

Zeng Feng composed himself, turned to look at Xu Zhengkun, and revealed his true intentions: "Sect Master Xu, let's not beat around the bush. The Grand Elder values ​​this item highly and believes that if such a powerful weapon can be promoted throughout the entire Xuantian Sect territory, it will surely benefit millions of cultivators."

"Now that I am here, I request that Sect Leader Xu make a copy of the core blueprints and array patterns for this printing press so that I may take it back to Qingfeng Cliff to report."

Zeng Feng's tone was condescending, carrying a sense of entitlement and command.

In his view, anything belonging to an affiliated sect would be handed over obediently by the Grand Elder if he asked.

However, Xu Zhengkun's smile didn't even change; he simply uttered three words: "Inconvenient."

"What did you say?"

Zeng Feng's face darkened, and the spiritual pressure of a Golden Core cultivator faintly emanated from him: "Xu Zhengkun, do you dare disobey orders? This is the Grand Elder's decree!"

"Master Zeng, please calm down."

Xu Zhengkun was completely unaffected by Zeng Feng's spiritual pressure. He looked directly into Zeng Feng's eyes and said in a firm voice, "As a subordinate sect of Xuantian Sect, my Qingyun Sect has paid its annual tribute on time every year without ever having any shortage."

If we are invaded by foreign enemies, the disciples of my Qingyun Sect will certainly respond to the call of our superior sect and fight valiantly. This is our duty as an affiliated sect, and I, Xu, will have no objection.

Xu Zhengkun changed the subject, his tone becoming sharp: "However! Article 7 of Volume 3 of the Xuantian Sect Code also clearly states that affiliated sects have the right to develop independently!"

The Xuantian Sect has no right to forcibly interfere with or demand the sect's internal industrial planning, secret techniques, and business secrets!

This printing press is the very foundation upon which my Qingyun Sect was founded, developed at great expense of countless resources and manpower. I, Xu, am afraid I cannot comply!

"you!"

Enraged, Zeng Feng took a sudden step forward.

He never expected that Xu Zhengkun, who used to be so subservient to him, would dare to use the "Xuantian Sect Code" to intimidate him today!

"Xu Zhengkun, don't be so stubborn! You think you can stop the Grand Elder with some lousy law code?"

Zeng Feng threatened through gritted teeth.

"If the Grand Elder insists on forcibly taking it, I, Xu, naturally cannot stop him."

Xu Zhengkun sneered and pointed in the direction of Yingxian Lake: "However, Elder Wan Tianxiang is currently drinking tea on the top floor of the mirage. The array formation of this printing press was personally engraved by Elder Wan's beloved disciple, Zheng Hai."

If the hall master feels that the Grand Elder has enough influence, he can certainly speak to Elder Wan on that matter.

Upon hearing the name "Wan Tianxiang," Zeng Feng felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, instantly sobering him up.

That overprotective old madman is a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator. If I dare to forcibly seize the property that his disciple is involved in here, that old madman would definitely dare to chop me in half with a sword!

Zeng Feng's face turned ashen, his chest heaving violently as he forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

He knew that forcibly seizing the blueprints was impossible, so he had to settle for second best.

"Good, what a wonderful right to independent development!"

Zeng Feng laughed in anger, "Since Sect Master Xu is reluctant to part with the blueprints, then I'll just buy them with spirit stones, shall I?"

"I cannot disobey the Grand Elder's decree. On behalf of the Xuantian Sect, I offer 100,000 low-grade spirit stones to buy a physical copy of your printing press to take back with me. Surely this doesn't violate your rules?"

"Sorry, it still doesn't work."

Xu Zhengkun maintained his unyielding smile.

"Xu Zhengkun! Don't push your luck!"

Zeng Feng completely lost it, pointing his finger at Xu Zhengkun and roaring.

"Master Zeng has misunderstood. It's not that I don't want to sell, but that I cannot sell."

Xu Zhengkun walked unhurriedly to a printing press that was in operation, pointed to the complex array patterns flashing at the connection between the machine's base and the ground, and explained: "In order to prevent the leakage of secrets, the bases of these hundreds of printing presses are all engraved with a fourth-order linked self-destruct array."

This formation is connected to the earth's spiritual energy. If anyone attempts to forcibly move the machine or sever the energy hub, the formation will instantly activate, blasting the entire machine into a pile of scrap metal.

Xu Zhengkun gestured for him to proceed: "If you don't believe me, you're welcome to take one apart yourself and try it."

However, let me make this clear from the start: if the explosion causes damage, the hall master will have to pay the 100,000 spirit stones in compensation.

Zeng Feng stared intently at the array patterns flashing with a dangerous red light, and carefully probed them with his divine sense. Sure enough, he sensed an extremely violent aura of destruction.

A cold sweat broke out on his back again. If he had really tried to snatch it by force, he would probably be covered in dust by now.

"You win!"

Zeng Feng knew he wouldn't gain any advantage today. He glared fiercely at Xu Zhengkun, then suddenly flicked his sleeves and said, "Xu Zhengkun, we'll see how things go."

Watching Zeng Feng's furious departure, Xu Zhengkun's smile slowly faded, and his eyes became deep and cold.

He knew that a complete break between the Qingyun Sect and the lineage of the Grand Elder of the Xuantian Sect was inevitable.