I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Xuantian Sect, main peak, Lingxiao Palace.

The smoke from burning agarwood swirled inside the main hall.

Twelve purple-gold chairs were arranged on both sides, with the Grand Elder Qin Cang sitting in the main seat. Except for the Seventh Elder who was at the front line, all the other elders were present. The hall was completely silent, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was suffocating.

Qin Cang raised his hand and threw a blood-stained jade slip onto the center of the long table.

"Take a look, everyone. Urgent report from the Blood Soul Valley front: Zeng Ming has been killed in battle, and the Cloud Cliff Mine has fallen."

The elders all extended their divine senses, and their expressions changed drastically.

The Cloud Cliff Mine not only produces high-quality Blood Soul Stones, but is also a vital passage in the Southern Wilderness defense line.

Once the mines are lost, the Heavenly Demon Sect's army can advance unimpeded and tear the entire Xuan Tian Sect's battle line in two.

"How could this happen?"

The Second Elder frowned: "Zeng Ming has three hundred elite supervisory troops, and there are also sect-affiliated guards in the mine. In addition, there are more than two thousand people from the Qingyun Sect. Even if the Tianmo Sect launches a major attack, it will not be difficult for them to hold out until reinforcements arrive."

How could they have been completely wiped out overnight?

Qin Cang's voice was icy: "The Demonic Sect had been plotting for a long time, mobilizing tens of thousands of elite troops, plus six late-stage Golden Core assassins leading the way. More importantly, the Qingyun Sect's defenses collapsed at the first touch, and Su Chenyuan led the remaining troops directly into Luoyan Forest, leaving the mine wide open."

His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over everyone present: "Desertification in the face of battle led to the loss of this important town. I propose that Su Chenyuan lead the remnants of the Qingyun Sect as a vanguard suicide squad to recapture the Yunya Mine within three days. If he fails, he will bring his head to me."

The hall was deathly silent.

Everyone could tell that this was an attempt to force the remnants of the Qingyun Sect to their deaths.

Two thousand defeated soldiers went to attack the mine guarded by the Demon Sect's tens of thousands of elite troops and six Golden Core cultivators; they had absolutely no chance of survival.

"I object."

A deep voice broke the silence.

The tenth elder, Wan Tianxiang, stood up. He was wearing a faded gray Taoist robe, his face was thin, but his back was straight.

"What insightful opinions do the Tenth Elders have?"

Qin Cang slightly raised his eyelids.

Wan Tianxiang looked directly at Qin Cang: "Elder, the battle report clearly states that the Qingyun Sect has been stationed at Blood Soul Valley for two years, and 2,800 of its 5,000 elite troops have been killed in battle, with casualties already exceeding half. According to our sect's laws, affiliated sects can be rotated out after two years of stationing."

Their rotation period has long passed, why are the replacement troops still nowhere to be seen?

Qin Cang said expressionlessly, "The war is at a stalemate, and troop deployment must take the overall situation into account."

"Considering the bigger picture?"

Wan Tianxiang sneered, raising his voice slightly: "Zeng Ming, carrying the Grand Elder's decree, forcibly detained the Qingyun Sect. That's one thing. Last night, the Demonic Sect launched a surprise attack, and Zeng Ming, as the captain of the supervisory team, overstepped his authority and gave reckless orders, forcing the remaining Qingyun Sect troops to leave their camp and form ranks to brave the Demonic Sect's killing formation, resulting in the breach of the defensive formation."

He died in battle because of his own incompetence, so why should the blame be placed on the Qingyun Sect?

Zeng Feng, the head of the Enforcement Hall, slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Wan Tianxiang! How dare you slander my brother?"

"The facts are undeniable!"

Wan Tianxiang refused to back down: "Seventh Elder Qin Lie personally examined him. Seventy percent of Su Chenyuan's meridians were broken, and his golden core was almost shattered. He was only kept alive by the Heart-Protecting Pill. The Qingyun Sect fought desperately and was almost completely wiped out. How can you say he deserted in the face of battle?"

Wan Tianxiang turned to the other elders and said earnestly, "Gentlemen, the Qingyun Sect is the strongest affiliated sect under my Xuantian Sect. They have shed enough blood in the past two years. The loss of the mine is due to the miscommand of the supervisory team."

If we severely punish the Qingyun Sect now, or even force them to their deaths, what will the subordinate sects think? It will surely chill the hearts of the people! Internal order will be disrupted, and who will dare to risk their lives for the Xuantian Sect then?

A murmur of discussion arose inside the hall.

Several neutral elders nodded slightly.

Wan Tianxiang's words hit the nail on the head. The Xuantian Sect was able to maintain its position as the leader of the righteous path in the Southern Wilderness because of the group of affiliated sects that charged into battle. If they went too far, it would definitely cause internal turmoil. The most urgent task was to quickly dispatch the elite inner sect members to reclaim the mines.

Qin Cang tapped his fingers lightly on the rosewood armrest.

Wan Tianxiang was a tough nut to crack, and he had a very high reputation among the lower-level sects and independent cultivators. It would indeed be easy for him to give others a reason to criticize him for killing Su Chenyuan's remnants after the defeat.

However, his real purpose was not those two thousand remnants.

"The Tenth Elder is right."

Qin Cang suddenly spoke, his tone softening.

Zeng Feng was taken aback: "Elder..."

Qin Cang raised his hand to interrupt him: "Zeng Ming was greedy for merit and acted rashly, causing the war to collapse. He has already paid the price with his life. The Qingyun Sect has indeed fought hard for two years and suffered heavy losses. In that case, I allow Su Chenyuan to lead his remaining troops to withdraw from Luoyan Forest immediately and return to the Qingyun Sect to rest and regroup."

Wan Tianxiang frowned slightly. Qin Cang had backed down too quickly, which was not in line with his usual ruthless style.

As expected, Qin Cang changed the subject.

"but."

Qin Cang leaned forward, an invisible pressure enveloping the entire area: "The Yunya Mine was ultimately lost within the Qingyun Sect's defense zone. The loss of the defense zone is an indisputable fact. The Xuantian Sect has strict laws, rewarding merit and punishing wrongdoing."

Qin Cang held up two fingers.

"First, retaking the mine requires a large number of troops. The Qingyun Sect is ordered to conscript another 3,000 elite soldiers to the front line within half a month. Among them, no fewer than 1,000 must be Foundation Establishment cultivators and five must be Golden Core elders."

A collective gasp rippled through the main hall.

Three thousand elite troops! One thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators! Five Golden Core cultivators!

In the past two years, the Qingyun Sect has already filled the Blood Soul Valley with 5,000 people. If so many more high-level combatants are transferred out, the foundation of the Qingyun Sect will be completely drained.

"second."

Qin Cang didn't pause, a greedy glint in his eyes. "War is about resources. The Listening Wind Tower has sent an urgent report that the Heavenly Demon Sect has built the Carefree Palace, earning tens of millions of spirit stones a day, and their arrogance is extremely overbearing. The Profound Heaven Sect must immediately expand its military."

The Qingyun Sect has made a fortune from its mirages in the past two years, and has been ordered to hand over 2 billion low-grade spirit stones to the sect's war reserve.

Two billion!

Wan Tianxiang's eyes widened, his anger rising to his head.

"Qin Cang! This is blatant robbery!"

Wan Tianxiang even stopped addressing Qin Cang as the Grand Elder, pointing at him and angrily rebuking, "Twenty billion spirit stones? You couldn't raise that much cash even if you sold the entire Qingyun Sect! You're cutting off the Qingyun Sect's lifeline!"

Qin Cang's eyes were cold: "Elder Wan, be careful what you say. When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? If the Heavenly Demon Sect attacks, will the Azure Cloud Sect keep those spirit stones to buy coffins? This is for the sake of the greater good of the righteous path in the Southern Wilderness."

"What nonsense about the big picture! You're clearly just jealous of the mirage's profits and using this as an excuse to make trouble! You're killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!"

"presumptuous!"

Qin Cang slammed his hand on the table.

The terrifying pressure of the Nascent Soul Great Perfection Realm descended upon Wan Tianxiang like a landslide and a tsunami.

Wan Tianxiang groaned, staggered back three steps, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.

Qin Cang stood up, looking down at the crowd: "Who supports these two resolutions, and who opposes them?"

Zeng Feng was the first to stand up: "The Enforcement Hall seconds this! The Qingyun Sect enjoys the protection of the sect and should contribute its efforts and money."

The Second Elder nodded: "I second that. The mines must be reclaimed. The military budget is severely short, and the Qingyun Sect should set an example."

The Third Elder and the Fourth Elder both expressed their agreement: "We second that proposal."

In the blink of an eye, nine out of the eleven elders agreed.

Although the neutral elders felt the conditions were extremely harsh, they all chose to remain silent in the face of the temptation of two billion spirit stones.

Once this huge sum of money enters the war reserve, each faction can get a share. It's better to sacrifice a friend than myself. Sacrificing the Qingyun Sect will fill everyone's pockets. Why not?

Wan Tianxiang stood alone, looking at the greedy faces of his colleagues, feeling a deep sense of sorrow.

"Okay, very good."

Wan Tianxiang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, coldly surveying the crowd. "You will regret this. Pushing someone into a corner will backfire!"

After saying this, Wan Tianxiang turned and left, striding out of the Lingxiao Palace.

Qin Cang stared at Wan Tianxiang's retreating figure, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"The resolution has been passed."

Qin Cang sat down again, his tone icy, "Zeng Feng, immediately draft a decree and send it to the Qingyun Sect headquarters. If no one and no spirit stones are found within half a month, the Enforcement Hall will take over all of the Qingyun Sect's assets."

"Yes, sir!"

Zeng Feng accepted the order.

The meeting adjourned.

Qin Cang was the only one left in the main hall.

He took out a communication jade slip and contacted Blood Butcher, who was far away in Blood Soul Valley.

"Blood Slaughter, the Zheng family is all dead, but Zheng Yifei is still living freely in the Heavenly Demon Sect. You lead your men to cross the defense line, infiltrate Heavenly Demon City, and bring back Zheng Yifei's head no matter the cost."

The jade slip flickered, and the command was transmitted.

Qin Cang leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

He will drain the blood of the Qingyun Sect dry; he will also take Zheng Yifei's life.