I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Xuantian Sect, Qingfeng Cliff Main Hall.

Zeng Feng knelt on the cold gold bricks, cold sweat dripping from his forehead and nose, splashing out tiny water droplets. The air pressure inside the hall was extremely low, like solidified iron.

"You mean, Xu Tianyang has broken through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

The First Elder, Qin Cang, sat on the grand master's chair, the two ten-thousand-year-old warm jade galls he had been playing with in his hands had turned into fine powder, which fell down between his fingers.

"Absolutely true."

Zeng Feng swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "That overwhelming pressure from heaven and earth couldn't be faked. That old bastard Xu Tianyang not only broke through, but also publicly humiliated the Enforcement Hall. This disciple is incompetent; I failed to bring back Zheng Yifei's family. Please punish me, Elder!"

In an attempt to shirk responsibility, Zeng Feng described Xu Tianyang's attitude as extremely arrogant, even exaggerating by saying that the Qingyun Sect didn't take the Xuantian Sect seriously at all.

Qin Cang ignored Zeng Feng's apology. He stood up, walked to the edge of the hall, and looked south with a gloomy gaze.

The subordinate sects haven't produced a Nascent Soul cultivator in thousands of years.

This is not because the cultivators of the subordinate sects lack talent, but rather the result of the Xuantian Sect's deliberate suppression over thousands of years.

With its spiritual veins restricted and resources exploited, the Xuantian Sect, like a giant bloodsucking leech, firmly controls all its subordinate forces in the northern part of the Southern Wilderness.

Without the support of massive amounts of top-tier resources, it's simply a pipe dream for someone at the Golden Core stage to want to cross that insurmountable barrier.

How did Xu Tianyang manage to break through?

"money."

Qin Cang uttered a single word, his eyes becoming extremely terrifying.

He finally realized what was happening.

Zheng Yifei's tax reforms, the newspaper he founded, the logistics and transportation lines he established, and the "Mirage" super casino that made a fortune every day created unimaginable wealth for the Qingyun Sect.

With a huge amount of funds, Xu Tianyang could easily use the black market or other channels to acquire enough rare and precious materials to support his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

Zheng Yifei, a five-elemental-root waste whom he originally regarded as an ant, not only went to the Heavenly Demon Sect to wield power and influence, but the business system he left behind actually changed the power structure of sects in the northern part of the Southern Wilderness!

"Go, ring the Heaven-Shaking Bell. Summon all Nascent Soul elders to the main peak for a meeting."

Qin Cang flicked his sleeves and strode out of the main hall.

Half an hour later, at the main peak of the Xuantian Sect, in the Elder Council Hall.

The twelve chairs were arranged in a semi-circle. Apart from the sect leader who was in seclusion and a few elders, the core power structure of the Xuantian Sect was all present.

Qin Cang sat in the head seat and coldly recounted the situation of the Qingyun Sect.

The hall erupted in chaos.

"Outrageous! A mere subordinate sect dares to defy the Enforcement Hall's search warrant!"

The Fifth Elder slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

He was Qin Cang's trusted confidant, and naturally he had to charge into battle for his master.

"Elder, Xu Tianyang has broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, breaking the rules that have lasted for thousands of years. With a Nascent Soul cultivator in charge, the Qingyun Sect will definitely not be willing to remain a vassal of our sect in the future."

The Fifth Elder surveyed his surroundings with murderous intent: "In my opinion, we must act swiftly and decisively! Immediately mobilize the elite forces of the Battle Hall to seal off the Qingyun Sect. Either force Xu Tianyang to cripple his cultivation, or wipe out the Qingyun Sect altogether!"

As for their newspaper, logistics, and gambling businesses, they will all be taken over by my Xuantian Sect!

The Fifth Elder's words struck a chord with Qin Cang; this was a golden opportunity to seize the Qingyun Sect's assets.

Qin Cang picked up his teacup, gently stirred the tea foam, and waited for others to chime in.

However, an eerie silence fell over the main hall.

"Fifth Elder's words are far too frivolous."

A slow, deliberate voice broke the silence. Elder Wan, the tenth-ranked leader of the Array Pavilion, sat upright in his chair, toying with a jade ruyi in his hand, without even lifting his eyelids.

"What insightful opinion do you have, Brother Wan?"

Qin Cang paused and looked at Elder Wan.

Elder Wan put down the jade ruyi and sat up straight: "Fifth Elder makes it sound so easy to say that we will destroy the Qingyun Sect."

Xu Tianyang is now at the Nascent Soul stage. Don't you all know how difficult it is to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator? Unless a Deity Transformation expert intervenes, even if the Grand Elder personally leads the team, who can guarantee they can kill Xu Tianyang within the Qingyun Sect?

Elder Wan sneered and glanced at Elder Wu: "If Xu Tianyang escapes, what consequences will it cause for a Nascent Soul cultivator who has lost the support of his sect and is hiding in the shadows to seek revenge?"

Our disciples training outside, our subordinate markets, and our transport ships will all become his sitting ducks! The Xuantian Sect will never have peace!

These words were powerful and piercing, each one striking at the heart.

The Second Elder, sitting opposite, immediately chimed in, "Junior Brother Wan is right. First Elder, to force a subordinate sect with a Nascent Soul cultivator to rebel just to capture a few worthless family members, this deal is a losing proposition no matter how you look at it."

The Second Elder has always been at odds with Qin Cang, and now that he has the opportunity, he naturally wants to kick him while he's down.

Qin Cang's expression darkened slightly. He looked at the Third Elder, Seventh Elder, and Eighth Elder, who usually supported him, hoping they would speak up in rebuttal.

As a result, the three elders kept their eyes down, like meditating monks, and showed no intention of speaking.

Even the Fifth Elder, who had just been shouting for battle, coughed lightly, sat back down in his chair, and remained silent.

Qin Cang frowned, keenly sensing something was amiss. Why were these old foxes so united today?

Unbeknownst to him, Elder Wan was subtly exchanging glances with the third, fifth, seventh, and eighth elders out of the corner of his eye.

The world of cultivation is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and worldly wisdom.

Elder Wan is Xu Zhenghai's master. He set up the formation of the Mirage Super Casino, and Zheng Yifei gave him a 20% share.

Elder Wan was a shrewd man. He knew that keeping this huge sum of money for himself would easily cause trouble, so he quickly distributed the profits from his two-tenths share to four powerful elders: the third, fifth, seventh, and eighth elders.

The mirages bring in a fortune every day. These elders can sit in their caves every month and receive a huge amount of spirit stones as dividends from the Qingyun Sect.

This money is more than twice as much as their salary as elders of the Xuantian Sect!

Now the Fifth Elder is shouting that he wants to destroy the Qingyun Sect and take over its assets to the Xuantian Sect. If the assets are taken over, the money will go into the sect's treasury and be allocated by the Grand Elder. Where will these "shareholders" get their dividends?

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.

The Fifth Elder's outburst and shouts of violence were merely a formality to demonstrate his loyalty to the First Elder; the share of the Qingyun Sect's profits in his storage bag was no less than anyone else's.

"In Elder Wan's opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Qin Cang suppressed his anger and asked coldly.

"Appeasement is the priority, and surrender is the best option."

Elder Wan spoke with righteous indignation: "Since Xu Tianyang has broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, according to the rules of the cultivation world, he is qualified to be ranked among the first-class."

We might as well issue a decree to appoint Xu Tianyang as a guest elder of the Xuantian Sect, granting him the corresponding honors and treatment.

"To be granted amnesty?"

The Fifth Elder played along perfectly: "Elder Wan, what if Xu Tianyang takes this opportunity to make exorbitant demands?"

"He wouldn't dare."

Elder Wan was confident: "Xu Tianyang has just broken through and his realm is unstable. The foundation of the Qingyun Sect is also far inferior to ours. As long as we give him enough face, he will definitely take the opportunity to back down."

In this way, a bloody battle that could have shaken the foundation of the sect was avoided, and a Nascent Soul cultivator was also brought onto the Xuan Tian Sect's war chariot.

Elder Wan paused, his tone becoming earnest: "Now that Xu Tianyang has become one of our own, those properties can naturally be gradually taken over by the sect."

"Brilliant!"

The Seventh Elder immediately clapped his hands in praise, "Senior Brother Wan's plan is bloodless; it is truly a wise and shrewd strategy for governing the country!"

I second that.

The Eighth Elder nodded.

I second that.

The Third Elder stroked his beard.

The Fifth Elder sighed dramatically, "Since all of you fellow disciples think so, then I have nothing more to say. It is entirely up to the First Elder to decide."

Watching the elders sing in unison, Qin Cang's expression shifted between light and dark.

Having lived for over a thousand years, how could he not see that these people were up to something? But Elder Wan's words did indeed hit his weak spot—without the intervention of a Nascent Soul Ancestor, he wasn't entirely confident he could capture Xu Tianyang.

More importantly, the Second Elder's faction is watching him closely. If he insists on his own way and causes damage to the sect, the Second Elder will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble and shake his position as the First Elder.

"Okay, very good."

Qin Cang, enraged, laughed coldly and tapped his fingers twice on the table: "Since all the elders agree to the amnesty, then let us follow Elder Wan's suggestion and issue my decree to congratulate Xu Tianyang of the Qingyun Sect on breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage and being promoted to Guest Elder of the Xuantian Sect. I will bestow upon him a cave dwelling on the main peak and request that he come to the main peak to report on his duties at a chosen day!"

"The Grand Elder is wise!"

The elders shouted in unison.

The meeting adjourned.