I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Before Xu Zhengkun could finish speaking, a dark crack suddenly tore open in the night sky behind Zeng Feng.

A figure dressed in a gray robe appeared out of thin air; it was none other than Qin Cang, the Grand Elder of the Xuantian Sect.

Instead of using the flying boat, he teleported directly to the gap in the formation.

Xu Zhengkun's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart sank. He was about to ask a question when Qin Cang didn't even glance at him. He simply raised his right hand and pressed it down.

There was no unnecessary talk, and no charges were handed down.

A tangible surge of Nascent Soul Perfection spiritual power transformed into a gigantic handprint, instantly enveloping Xu Zhengkun and the four elders behind him.

"Sect Master, retreat immediately!"

The Second Elder only had time to let out a roar.

"Bang!"

A muffled explosion rang out, and Xu Zhengkun and the four Golden Core stage elders didn't even have time to unleash their magical artifacts before their bodies instantly collapsed under the absolute power suppression, turning into five crimson blood mists that drifted away on the square in the wind.

The highest level of the Qingyun Sect was completely wiped out by this palm strike.

Qin Cang remained calm, as if he had merely crushed a few ants. He pressed down slightly with his palm, and the giant hand of spiritual energy, still possessing considerable force, slammed heavily onto the main hall of the Qingyun Sect.

With a deafening roar, the main hall of the Qingyun Sect, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, collapsed and turned into ruins.

Countless disciples who were patrolling and guarding the area near the main hall, as well as elders who were in seclusion, were caught in the aftershocks of the collapsed building and the overflowing spiritual energy, and died on the spot.

The screams shattered the tranquility of the night.

Meanwhile, deep within a secluded cave dwelling in the back mountains of the Qingyun Sect.

Xu Tianyang, the former sect master of Qingyun Sect, who was in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes. He had only recently broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, but at this moment he felt a suffocating chill.

"Nascent Soul Grand Perfection... Qin Cang!"

Xu Tianyang's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He released his divine sense and immediately perceived the tragic scene on the main peak. Xu Zhengkun's aura had completely disappeared, and several core elders had also perished.

Grief and anger welled up inside him, but Xu Tianyang gritted his teeth and did not rush out.

He knew very well that he, at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, wouldn't last more than three moves against Qin Cang. If he rushed out now, not only would he fail to avenge himself, but he would also destroy the last hope of the Qingyun Sect.

"Zhengkun... I'm sorry, Father."

Xu Tianyang's eyes were red-rimmed. He decisively took out a high-level directional teleportation talisman from his storage ring, glanced one last time in the direction of Qingyun Sect, crushed the talisman, and with a flash of white light, his figure disappeared into the cave.

On the main peak square, the protective array's light screen began to flicker violently because it had lost its host.

Zeng Feng looked at the mess on the ground, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes. He turned his head and made a gesture towards the night sky outside the formation.

The black warship hidden in the clouds descended rapidly, and five hundred fully armed Law Enforcement Hall assassins surged into the Qingyun Sect like a black tide.

"Leave no one alive."

Qin Cang issued the order in a detached tone.

"kill!"

Zeng Feng drew his longsword and charged into the crowd first.

The Qingyun Sect's high-end combat force had been wiped out by Qin Cang in one blow, leaving only some Foundation Establishment stage deacons and Qi Refining stage disciples. Facing Zeng Feng, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and five hundred well-trained Foundation Establishment team members, this was a one-sided massacre.

Sword light flashed, and blood stained the stone steps of the Qingyun Sect.

Zeng Feng moved like lightning, specifically targeting Foundation Establishment stage deacons who attempted to organize resistance. He killed them one by one with his sword, showing no mercy. In less than half an hour, the Qingyun Sect headquarters was transformed into a battlefield of carnage.

The top floor of a mirage, a hundred miles away from the headquarters of the Qingyun Sect.

The spiritual energy here is enhanced by a special formation, making it several times more concentrated than that of the elders' dojo of the Qingyun Sect.

Fifth Elder Su Chenyuan was sitting cross-legged in the secret room, circulating his internal energy to heal his injuries. He had been brought here by his granddaughter Su Wanqing to recuperate.

On the jade plate beside him were several top-grade pills emitting a medicinal fragrance. These were all refined by Zhao Ling. With these pills, his broken meridians were rapidly healing.

Suddenly, the door to the secret room was pushed open.

Su Wanqing walked in quickly. She was usually calm and composed, but at this moment her face was pale and her breathing was rapid.

"Grandpa, something's happened!"

Su Wanqing quickly walked up to Su Chenyuan: "A huge fluctuation of spiritual energy came from the sect, and the sensing jade tablet of the sect's protective formation shattered."

Su Chenyuan suddenly opened his eyes, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood. He grabbed Su Wanqing's wrist: "What did you say? The sect's protective formation is broken?"

"There may be a Nascent Soul cultivator attacking the sect, and the sect leader and several elders may be in danger."

Su Wanqing's voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm.

Su Chenyuan was struck dumb, frozen in place. A Nascent Soul cultivator had launched a surprise attack?

"It's the Xuantian Sect! Qin Cang must have done it!"

Su Chenyuan's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to his feet: "I want to go back! I'm going to fight them!"

"Grandpa, calm down!"

Su Wanqing forcefully pressed Su Chenyuan back onto the prayer mat, her tone stern: "The one who made the move was definitely Qin Cang, a Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage. Going back now will only be a pointless death!"

Su Chenyuan's eyes were bloodshot, and his hands gripped the ground so tightly that his fingernails cracked and bled.

He knew his granddaughter was right, but he couldn't accept that the Qingyun Sect was destroyed like this.

"Zheng Yifei instructed us before he left that if Xuantian Sect broke off relations, we must carry out the final contingency plan."

Su Wanqing quickly said, "As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. Our primary task now is to protect the resources of the mirage and we absolutely cannot let Qin Cang get his hands on them."

Su Wanqing stood up and took out a communication jade slip: "Zhang Biao, immediately activate the highest level of defense formation of the Mirage, evacuate the gamblers, and notify all core management personnel to immediately assemble in the underground secret room to prepare for evacuation."

"clear."

Zhang Biao's calm voice came through, and he also sensed the commotion from the sect.

After arranging things for Zhang Biao, Su Wanqing turned to Su Chenyuan and said, "Grandpa, you go to the underground secret room and wait for me. I'm going to the vault."

Without giving Su Chenyuan a chance to refute, Su Wanqing quickly walked out of the room and headed straight for the core vault of the mirage.

The vault was located at the deepest part of the building and was protected by multiple arrays. Su Wanqing used her authority jade token to open the heavy black iron gate.

Inside the vault, mountains of low-grade spirit stones, neatly arranged mid-grade spirit stones, and various rare spiritual herbs and high-level magic treasures radiated an alluring glow. This was the vast majority of the wealth that Mirage had accumulated over the past two years.

Without pausing, Su Wanqing pulled out more than a dozen specially made high-grade storage bags from her bosom. These storage bags were extremely spacious and were specifically prepared to deal with emergencies.

She formed hand seals, and her spiritual power transformed into a whirlwind, sweeping up piles of spirit stones and continuously filling her storage bag.

Elixirs, magical artifacts, ledgers—everything of value was looted by her in the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Looking at the empty vault, Su Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief. She carefully put the storage bag away, then took out a black array plate from her storage ring.

The array plate was covered with intricate blood-red runes, exuding an aura of destruction.

This is the control hub of the "Nine Netherworld Annihilation Array".

When Zheng Yifei foresaw that the Xuantian Sect might forcibly annex the Mirage, he secretly sought Elder Wan's help to set up this self-destructing formation under the foundation of the Mirage.

Once the formation is activated, not only will the entire building be reduced to ashes, but the spiritual energy within a ten-mile radius will also instantly become chaotic, enough to make anyone who tries to seize it pay a heavy price.

"Qin Cang, you want a mirage, but I'll leave you with nothing but ruins."

A resolute glint flashed in Su Wanqing's eyes.

Holding the array plate, she quickly walked out of the vault, preparing to go to the underground secret room to meet Zhang Biao and Su Chenyuan, then evacuate through the underground passage, and finally detonate the array at a safe distance.

Outside the mirage, the night was deep.

The independent cultivators in the market were unaware of the changes at the Qingyun Sect headquarters. The mirage suddenly activated its defensive formation and dispersed the customers, causing some commotion, but Zhang Biao and his men handled the situation swiftly, quickly clearing away all the bystanders.

Su Wanqing had just passed through two corridors and was still dozens of steps away from the entrance to the underground secret room.

Just then, an extremely terrifying pressure descended upon the mirage as if the sky had collapsed.

"Click—"

The highest-level defensive array that the mirage had just activated was as fragile as paper in the face of this pressure, emitting a teeth-grinding cracking sound, and the light screen was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

Su Wanqing felt her knees buckle and she almost collapsed to the ground. The flow of spiritual energy within her body instantly stopped, and her breathing became extremely difficult.

"They arrived so quickly..."

Su Wanqing bit her tongue, using the intense pain to force herself to steady herself, and looked up at the ceiling.

Above the mirage, Qin Cang and Zeng Feng stood suspended in mid-air.

Qin Cang's gray robe fluttered in the night wind.

He had just failed to find Xu Tianyang at the Qingyun Sect headquarters. Although he had found the Qingyun Sect's treasury, the spirit stone reserves were not large. He immediately realized that the Qingyun Sect's wealth was likely concentrated in the mirage.

So he didn't linger and rushed over at full speed with Zeng Feng.