I run a casino in the immortal realm.

You could hear a pin drop inside the main hall.

Ye Tianqiong walked back to the main seat and sat down. He looked at Zheng Yifei and said calmly, "If I take action, the nature of the situation will change. The sect leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect has crossed the line to kill a Nascent Soul elder of the Profound Heaven Sect. Even if Qin Cang doesn't want to fight, the elders of the Profound Heaven Sect will force him to start a war."

The Heavenly Demon Sect is not yet prepared for a full-scale war.

Zheng Yifei nodded. He understood this principle. With hundreds of thousands of troops stationed at the border between the two sects, a single move could affect the whole situation.

Ye Tianqiong raised his right hand, black light flashing in his palm.

A palm-sized black jade talisman appeared out of thin air. Its surface was covered with intricate dark red array patterns, radiating a chilling spiritual energy.

"Take it."

Ye Tianqiong flicked his wrist.

The jade talisman transformed into a black line and landed steadily on Zheng Yifei's chest.

Zheng Yifei reached out and caught it. The jade talisman was cold to the touch, its texture neither metal nor wood, and an extremely violent power was lurking within it.

"One of my clones is sealed inside."

Ye Tianqiong picked up the teacup on the table and stirred the tea leaves: "Inject spiritual power to activate it, and it can unleash the full power of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator."

Alternatively, it can transform into a defensive formation, blocking an attack from a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator for ten breaths, and from a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator for thirty breaths.

Zheng Yifei gripped the jade talisman tightly. This was more useful than Ye Tianqiong acting personally. With this trump card in his own hands, the initiative was in his own hands.

"This jade talisman was very expensive to make."

Zheng Yifei looked at the night sky.

Ye Tianqiong took a sip of tea. "Don't die at the Qingyun Sect. If you die, who am I supposed to ask for the spirit stones from the Xiaoyao Palace?"

Zheng Yifei put the jade talisman into his storage bag, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Sect Master, rest assured, we will be waiting for you at the cliff three days from now at midnight."

Zheng Yifei turned and walked out of the main hall.

The palace doors slowly closed.

The hall fell into darkness again.

From the shadows behind the main seat, a glimpse of a red skirt appeared. Yu Luocha stepped out with alluring gait and stopped beside Ye Tianqiong.

"Old Ye, you're being too polite to him."

Yu Luosha glanced at the tightly closed palace doors: "You spent three whole years refining that Heavenly Demon Jade Talisman, consuming the resources of three medium-sized spiritual veins, and you just gave it to him like that?"

Ye Tianqiong put down his teacup without saying a word.

"He led twenty greenhorns who had just formed their core to challenge the Qingyun Sect. Facing two Nascent Soul cultivators, without your clone, he would most likely have died inside."

Yu Luosha walked to the long table and traced the texture of the surface with his fingers: "Wouldn't it be better if he died? Xiaoyao Palace is now making a fortune every day, with a daily turnover comparable to that of a medium-sized sect."

"With Zheng Yifei dead, we can rightfully take over Xiaoyao Palace and swallow all 40% of the profits. Why keep him around to share the money?"

Ye Tianqiong raised his head and his gaze fell on Yu Luosha.

"You only saw the spirit stones of the Free and Unfettered Palace."

Night Sky's voice turned cold.

Jade Raksha paused.

"The reason why Xiaoyao Palace is in its current position is not because of the territory of Tianmo Sect, but because of what Zheng Yifei has in mind and the team under him."

Ye Tianqiong stood up and walked to the sand table in the center of the hall, where the terrain and power distribution of the Southern Wilderness were marked.

"Super casinos, logistics caravans, and those so-called 'slot machines.' The people of the Heavenly Demon Sect can't handle these things."

Ye Tianqiong pointed to the area representing Tianmo City: "Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is something only a fool would do. As long as Zheng Yifei is alive, he will keep coming up with new tricks to earn massive amounts of resources for the Tianmo Sect."

We don't need to do anything; we can reap 60% without lifting a finger. That's the long-term solution.

Yu Luosha walked to the opposite side of the sand table and looked at the densely packed city markings on it.

"Even if he can make money, there's no need to give him the Heavenly Demon Jade Talisman."

Yu Luosha insisted on his opinion: "His trip to Qingyun Sect this time was clearly a suicide mission."

"He won't die."

"If he returns alive, the Xuantian Sect's backyard will be completely engulfed in flames."

Ye Tianqiong reached out and pulled off the small blue flag representing the Qingyun Sect, replacing it with a black flag.

"The Xuantian Sect has been suffocating us for the past few years. Qin Cang is cunning and his border defenses are watertight. It would be too costly for us to break in from the front. But now, Zheng Yifei is the sharp knife that pierces through the Xuantian Sect from the inside."

Yu Luosha looked at the black flag, lost in thought.

"Zheng Yifei is returning with twenty Golden Core cultivators to seek revenge; the Hu family cannot stop him. The Xuantian Sect must send troops to suppress him."

Ye Tianqiong spoke faster: "The Qingyun Sect's territory is vast and rich in resources. If the Xuantian Sect wants to stabilize the situation there, it must draw manpower from the border. Once the border troops are depleted, our opportunity will come."

"Are you using him as bait?"

Jade Raksha understood.

"It's just a matter of mutual benefit. He wants revenge, and I want territory. The more chaos he causes in the Qingyun Sect, the more blood the Xuantian Sect will shed."

Yu Luosha looked at Ye Tianqiong, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes. The schemes of this first deputy sect master of the Heavenly Demon Sect were never about the city or the battlefield before him.

"That's not enough."

Ye Tianqiong turned around and walked back to the main seat: "Twenty Golden Core cultivators will only cause so much trouble. My plan is to help Zheng Yifei and Su Wanqing break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Yu Luosha suddenly looked up: "You want to help them form their Nascent Souls? Once outsiders break through to the Nascent Soul stage, they become uncontrollable. Zheng Yifei is a cunning man; what if he gains power and turns against us?"

"He won't."

Ye Tianqiong sat down, his tone resolute: "He cultivates the Five Elements Spiritual Root, and breaking through to the Golden Core stage cost him fifty million spirit stones. If he wants to form a Nascent Soul, the resources he needs will be astronomical."

Apart from the Heavenly Demon Sect, no other force in the entire Southern Wilderness Region could afford to support him; he was essentially tied to the Heavenly Demon Sect's chariot.

Ye Tianqiong paused for a moment, then continued, "As for Su Wanqing, she carries the deep-seated hatred of the blood feud of over 100,000 lives lost by the Su family. As long as Qin Cang lives, she will forever be the mortal enemy of the Xuantian Sect."

The hall fell silent once more.

Looking at the situation on the sand table, Yu Luosha gradually figured out the entire layout of Ye Tianqiong.

"Once the two of them break through to the Nascent Soul stage, together with Xu Tianyang, the Qingyun Sect will have three Nascent Soul cultivators. They will directly tear the Qingyun Sect off the Xuantian Sect's territory."

Yu Luosha's voice was deep: "At that time, Xuantian Sect will be attacked from both sides, and Qin Cang will be unable to defend himself from both ends."

A glint of fanaticism flashed in Ye Tianqiong's eyes: "At that time, it will be a nightmare for the Xuantian Sect. With the Heavenly Demon Sect's army pressing in, and combined with Zheng Yifei's internal uprising, we will be able to swallow up the entire Southern Wilderness Region in one fell swoop!"

Yu Luosha took a deep breath.

She finally understood why Ye Tianqiong was so lenient with Zheng Yifei, even going so far as to give him the Heavenly Demon Jade Talisman.

Zheng Yifei was not only a tool for accumulating wealth, but also the most important pawn in the Heavenly Demon Sect's domination of the Southern Wilderness.

"You will personally lead the team three days from now."

Ye Tianqiong issued the order: "Mobilize the Heavenly Demon Guards and launch an attack on the Xuantian Sect. Ensure that they pass through the defense line silently and enter the territory of the Qingyun Sect."

"clear."

Jade Raksha accepted the order.

"Go and make the arrangements."

Jade Raksha turned and left the main hall.

Ye Tianqiong sat alone in the main seat, looking at the empty sand table. His fingers tapped the armrests with a steady and powerful rhythm.

three days later.

child time.

Three hundred miles outside Tianmo City lies a precipice.

The night wind howled, and twenty-two figures stood atop the cliff.

Zheng Yifei and Su Chenyuan stood at the very front.

Su Wanqing stood beside them, her cyan longsword slung over her back. Chen San, Lin Bao, and fifteen other Qingyun Sect disciples, including Li Jianfeng, lined up behind her. Zhao Ling did not participate; she stayed at Xiaoyao Palace to continue refining pills.

Everyone kept their auras concealed and did not make a sound.

A deep dragon's roar echoed from the clouds.

A black dragon, nearly a hundred feet long, pierced through the clouds and hovered above the precipice. Its enormous shadow enveloped everyone.

Ye Tianqiong stood atop the dragon's head, his gaze lingering on Zheng Yifei for a moment before he beckoned.

Zheng Yifei leaped up and landed steadily on the back of the demonic dragon, with Su Wanqing and the others following closely behind.

Nineteen Golden Core cultivators silently boarded the Heavenly Demon Sect's most powerful combat vehicle.

Night Rakshasa raised his hand and cast a spell, causing a black light barrier to rise and completely isolate everyone's aura.

The demonic dragon turned its massive body around and plunged into the thick clouds, speeding towards the Xuan Tian Sect.