I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Xuantian Sect, Qingfeng Cliff.

The Grand Elder's Dojo.

Zhou Hong hunched over, his hands clasped in front of him, his head almost touching his chest. His Taoist robe was disheveled, and his breathing was unsteady.

In the center of the main hall, Qin Cang sat on a large rosewood chair. He held two dark golden walnuts in his hands, which made a monotonous "crackling" sound when rubbed together.

Hu Xiaotian stood to Qin Cang's left, wearing the white robe of a direct disciple of the Xuantian Sect. His hands were clenched into fists, his nails digging into his flesh, and blood dripped from between his fingers onto the bluestone floor tiles.

"Hu Lie is dead. Hu Pengfei is dead too."

Zhou Hong swallowed hard, his voice hoarse: "The main peak of the Qingyun Sect was destroyed, the market stronghold was uprooted, and none of the Hu family members who remained in the Qingyun Mountains survived."

A deathly silence fell over the main hall. Only the sound of walnuts being rubbed echoed.

"Who did it?"

Hu Xiaotian suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot and red.

"Xu Tianyang and his son, and... the twenty Golden Cores that Zheng Yifei brought."

Zhou Hong answered in a low voice.

"Xu Tianyang, Zheng Yifei!"

Hu Xiaotian let out a roar. The bronze table in front of him was kicked over, and the spiritual fruits were scattered all over the ground.

He gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist with his other hand, and the longsword was drawn half an inch from its sheath. The crimson fire-attribute spiritual energy instantly ignited his sleeve.

"I'm going down the mountain! I'm going to chop them into mincemeat!"

Hu Xiaotian turned around and rushed out of the hall.

"stop."

Qin Cang stopped playing with the walnuts.

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power.

Hu Xiaotian continued walking without stopping, saying, "Master, my father and my son are both dead! The Hu family line is over! I can't swallow this!"

Qin Cang raised his right hand and pointed his index finger in the air.

An immense pressure descended from the sky, pressing down directly on Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian's legs went weak, and he fell to his knees with a thud, his knees smashing two cracks into the bluestone floor tiles.

He desperately tried to rouse his spiritual energy to stand up, but under the pressure of the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he couldn't even move a finger.

"madness."

Hu Xiaotian gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead: "Then please ask Master to take action! Please ask the sect elders to take action! Wipe out those bastards!"

"Shut up."

Qin Cang withdrew his finger.

Hu Xiaotian was panting heavily, unable to get up from the ground.

Qin Cang turned to Zhou Hong: "How badly is Zhou Changming injured?"

"Seventy percent of his meridians are broken, and his golden core was almost shattered. He will need to recuperate in seclusion for at least thirty years," Zhou Hong replied.

A cold glint flashed in Qin Cang's eyes. Thirty years is not a long time for a Nascent Soul cultivator, but at this critical juncture of the confrontation between the two sects, losing a Nascent Soul cultivator is a tremendous loss.

"Night Sky's clone jade talisman..."

Qin Cang tapped his fingers lightly on the table, the rhythm slowing down.

Zhou Hong broke out in a cold sweat: "Elder, I really didn't expect that. That was the Heavenly Demon Sect Master's clone jade talisman, which was extremely expensive to make. It required several medium-sized spiritual veins and several years to complete. Ye Tianqiong actually gave such a life-saving trump card to Zheng Yifei, who had just formed his core."

"He wasn't saving Zheng Yifei's life; he was setting rules for the Xuantian Sect."

Qin Cang spoke calmly.

Zhou Hong was taken aback.

Qin Cang stood up, walked to the entrance of the main hall, and looked at the sea of ​​clouds outside.

"Ye Tianqiong made a brilliant move. He didn't send any Nascent Soul elders from the Heavenly Demon Sect to cross the border, nor did he use the Heavenly Demon Guards. He only sent twenty former members of the Azure Cloud Sect back to seek revenge."

Zheng Yifei crushed the jade talisman; that was the activation of a magical artifact, not the descent of Ye Tianqiong's true form. According to the unspoken rules of our two sects, Nascent Soul cultivators are not allowed to directly participate in the struggles of their subordinate forces. Ye Tianqiong was caught on that red line.

Zhou Hong understood. If the Xuantian Sect used this as an excuse to send a Nascent Soul army into the territory of the Heavenly Demon Sect, it would be tantamount to actively provoking a full-scale war.

"The sect leader is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. It's reached the most crucial moment."

Qin Cang turned around and looked at Zhou Hong: "At this time, the Xuantian Sect cannot be thrown into chaos. The border defenses cannot be withdrawn, and a full-scale war cannot be waged. We can only swallow this bitter pill."

"But Elder, are you just going to watch Qingyun Sect fall into Xu Tianyang's hands?"

Zhou Hong was unwilling to accept this.

"The Qingyun Sect is now in ruins."

Qin Cang walked back to the main seat and sat down: "Xu Tianyang has broken through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and that is the biggest problem. He will not rebuild the sect, but will instead lead his people into hiding in the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

"If a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is determined to wage guerrilla warfare, even if we send ten late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators to search the mountain, we won't find him."

The terrain of the Ten Thousand Mountains is complex and teeming with monsters. Xu Tianyang is familiar with every inch of the land there. As long as he hides, he can come out and bite the Xuan Tian Sect at any time.

"He will definitely come out."

Zhou Hong raised his head, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

Qin Cang looked at him and said, "Go on."

Zhou Hong quickly organized his thoughts and said, "Xu Tianyang and his son need massive resources to cultivate and seek revenge. The things in the Qingyun Sect's treasury won't last long."

In the eastern part of the Southern Wilderness, we have hundreds of affiliated sects under our jurisdiction. According to regulations, these sects are required to pay their annual tribute to the Xuantian Sect at the beginning of next month.

Qin Cang narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The tribute caravan's route is fixed, making them extremely conspicuous. Xu Tianyang is short of resources, and he definitely can't resist this lucrative opportunity; he will surely try to seize it."

"Bait".

Qin Cang gave his evaluation.

Zhou Hong nodded: "Elder, we can turn the tables on him. On the surface, we'll only send two Golden Core elders to escort him, but secretly, we'll hide the Nascent Soul elder in the convoy. As soon as Xu Tianyang dares to show himself, we'll immediately close in and kill him on the spot!"

The hall fell silent once more.

Qin Cang was fiddling with the walnuts, quickly analyzing the feasibility of the plan in his mind.

Xu Tianyang is at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and his combat strength should not be underestimated. To ensure absolute success, we must deploy an overwhelming force.

"Four."

Qin Cang stopped eating the walnuts.

Zhou Hong looked up.

Qin Cang issued the order: "Arrange four Nascent Soul cultivators, carrying the 'Dragon Trapping Formation' array plate, to conceal their auras and disguise themselves as miscellaneous disciples escorting the carriage. As soon as Xu Tianyang enters the array's range, immediately seal off the space, regardless of whether he lives or dies."

Four Nascent Soul cultivators against one mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator—this is a sure-kill situation.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhou Hong was greatly encouraged.

"Master!"

Hu Xiaotian, who was lying on the ground, struggled to raise his head: "Let me go! I want to cut off Xu Tianyang's head with my own hands!"

Qin Cang gave him a cold look.

"Going there in your current state will only make things worse. Xu Tianyang can see the murderous intent in you at a glance, and the plan will be exposed."

Qin Cang waved his hand: "Go back to your cave and go into seclusion. You are not allowed to step out of your cave until you reach the Nascent Soul stage."

Hu Xiaotian gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

But he dared not disobey Qin Cang's orders, so he could only kowtow heavily, stand up unsteadily, and stumble out of the main hall.

Zhou Hong watched Hu Xiaotian's retreating figure without saying a word.

"Go and make the arrangements. Spread the word that the tribute caravan will depart on time on the third day of next month, and the route will take us through Sunset Valley."

Qin Cang picked up the walnut again.

"I understand. The Luoxia Valley is long and narrow, making it ideal for an ambush. Xu Tianyang will definitely choose that place to make his move."

Zhou Hong bowed respectfully and left the main hall.

The main hall doors slowly closed.

Qin Cang sat alone in the shadows. His gaze pierced through the clouds, looking towards the direction of the Heavenly Demon City.

"Ye Tianqiong, you think you can disrupt my rear by finding a useful pawn? After I deal with Xu Tianyang, I'll slowly take care of Zheng Yifei."