I run a casino in the immortal realm.

The next day at midnight.

Forbidden area in the back mountain of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

The usually desolate and silent valley was now filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the air had reached an unbelievable level, even condensing into wisps of white mist visible to the naked eye in mid-air.

Zheng Yifei, along with Su Wanqing, Zhao Ling, Li Jianfeng, and Wang Changsheng, arrived at the valley entrance on time.

More than a hundred people have already gathered in the valley.

None of these people made a sound; they all sat cross-legged on the ground, closing their eyes and regulating their breathing.

Zheng Yifei's gaze swept over them, and he was secretly surprised. Among these hundred-plus people, the lowest level was Golden Core stage cultivation, and there were even twenty or thirty of them with auras as deep as an abyss, who were clearly great cultivators in the early stage of Nascent Soul.

The true strength of the Heavenly Demon Sect was revealed at this moment.

At the very front of the crowd, Zheng Yifei spotted a familiar face: Ye Tianqiong's youngest son, Ye Xiao.

Night Owl was dressed in a close-fitting black soft armor, with a dark red longsword lying across his knee. He seemed to sense Zheng Yifei's gaze, opened his eyes, and nodded slightly as a greeting.

Night Owl is the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the Heavenly Demon Sect, and this time he has clearly made another step forward.

Ye Tianqiong's voice rang in everyone's ears. He wasn't wearing his usual ornate robes, but rather a close-fitting outfit, and walked solemnly to the front of the crowd.

"Vice Sect Master."

Everyone stood up and bowed.

Ye Tianqiong waved his hand, indicating that everyone should dispense with formalities. His gaze swept over the 150 absolute elites of the Heavenly Demon Sect, and he said in a deep voice, "You all already know why I've gathered you here tonight."

"The sect leader is about to undergo the Nascent Soul Tribulation, the greatest event in the Heavenly Demon Sect's history of thousands of years, and the greatest opportunity you will ever encounter in your lives."

A suppressed breathing sound came from the crowd.

Zheng Yifei noticed that all those present were cultivators at the early stages of the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realms. The usually aloof vice sect leaders, elders, and even Ye Tianqiong himself had no intention of participating in this cultivation session.

Seemingly noticing the confusion of some people, Ye Tianqiong explained, "Some of you may be wondering why, with such a great opportunity, we old guys don't personally participate, but instead give our positions to you."

He raised his head and glanced at the huge purple vortex that was slowly forming in the sky. A hint of awe flashed in his eyes: "Because when we reach our level, the late stage or perfect stage of the Nascent Soul realm, the spiritual power in our bodies has reached its limit, and there is no way to advance further."

To cross that insurmountable barrier and achieve the Divine Transformation stage, one no longer relies on accumulating spiritual energy, but on comprehending the fundamental rules of the universe.

"The spiritual energy tide triggered by this heavenly tribulation, although extremely pure, is like pouring water into a tank that is already full of water for us—it's meaningless."

Only you, those at the Golden Core stage need to shatter your core to form your nascent soul, and those at the early Nascent Soul stage need to broaden your meridians and stabilize your primordial spirit; this raging spiritual energy is the tonic you need most.

Ye Tianqiong withdrew his gaze and looked at everyone: "Opportunities come with risks. I'll give you one last reminder: the process of spiritual energy tides impacting your meridians is extremely painful. Once you lose your composure, going into qi deviation is the least of your worries; it's not uncommon to explode on the spot."

Especially for those who are at the peak of the Golden Core stage and preparing to use this opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, have they prepared their Breakthrough Pills?

Upon hearing the words "Breakthrough Pill," many people in the crowd subconsciously touched the storage bags at their waists.

Zheng Yifei turned to look at Zhao Ling.

Zhao Ling understood immediately and took out four exquisite jade bottles from her storage ring, placing them into the hands of Zheng Yifei, Su Wanqing, Li Jianfeng, and Wang Changsheng respectively.

"This is the top-grade Breakthrough Pill that I've been working overtime to refine these past few days."

Zhao Ling lowered her voice and said, "It contains a 300-year-old Mind-Concentrating Grass, which not only increases the chance of a breakthrough, but also protects the heart meridian at critical moments and prevents spiritual energy backlash."

"Well done."

Zheng Yifei carefully put the jade bottle away from his body.

Li Jianfeng and Wang Changsheng were even more excited. The top-grade Breakthrough Pill was a priceless treasure. With it, their chances of breaking through would increase by at least 30%.

"It's almost time, come with me."

Ye Tianqiong turned around and led 150 people into the depths of the valley.

The further in he went, the thicker the air became. Zheng Yifei felt as if he were wading through mercury, each step requiring a great deal of energy. His five golden cores were spontaneously accelerating their circulation within his body, resisting the external pressure.

After passing through a dead forest, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

This was an extremely open plain, spanning several miles in circumference. The rocks on the ground had an eerie, charred black color, and not a single blade of grass grew there.

In the very center of the flat ground, sat a gaunt old man, his legs crossed.

The old man was wearing a gray-white Taoist robe, his beard and hair were all white, and his eyes were closed.

There was no fluctuation of life force on his body, not even a trace of spiritual energy leaking out; he was like a piece of dead wood.

But Zheng Yifei knew that this was the pillar of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the sect leader Ouyang Tian, ​​who had secluded himself for thirty years and finally touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage.

Directly above Ouyang Tian's head was a huge purple vortex of spiritual energy, and the center of the vortex, the "eye of the spiritual wind," was directly aimed at the top of Ouyang Tian's head.

The violent spiritual energy squeezed and rubbed against each other in the vortex, producing a deep rumbling sound.

"A circle is formed with the sect leader at the center, and a hundred meters away."

Ye Tianqiong stopped and pointed ahead.

One hundred and fifty people quickly dispersed, forming a large circle evenly about one hundred meters away from Ouyang Tian, ​​according to their respective cultivation levels and skill attributes.

Zheng Yifei led the four of them to a seat at the back.

As soon as he sat down, he felt the underground spiritual veins throbbing violently, as if an ancient behemoth was awakening.

"I heard you clearly."

Ye Tianqiong stood outside the circle, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears through spiritual power: "You are currently at the edge of the Spirit Wind Eye. This distance allows you to absorb the pure spiritual energy that has been baptized by the Heavenly Tribulation to the greatest extent, while avoiding the most destructive force of the Heavenly Tribulation."

"However, don't think that sitting here guarantees safety. Heavenly tribulations are indiscriminate, and when lightning strikes, no one can guarantee that it will definitely hit the sect leader."

If the tribulation lightning goes astray, even if it's just a single arc of lightning striking you, if you can't withstand it, you'll die a horrible death, your very soul will be reduced to ashes!

A commotion broke out in the crowd, and many people turned pale.

"Of course, if you are lucky enough to withstand that arc of electricity, the destructive and regenerative power contained in the tribulation will cause a qualitative leap in your physical body and cultivation, and it is not impossible for you to directly increase your cultivation level by one realm."

Ye Tianqiong paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides the lightning tribulation, you also need to be careful of the dangers of the eye of the storm itself. The spiritual energy tides are unstable, and they fluctuate depending on the strength of the tribulation."

Once the tide deviates from its original trajectory and sweeps into your location, the violent spatial tearing is enough to instantly grind a Golden Core cultivator into mincemeat.

"The entire tribulation process will last forty-nine days."

Ye Tianqiong glanced at the sky, where dark red lightning had begun to dance within the purple vortex: "In these forty-nine days, no one can help you. Whether you transform from a cocoon into a butterfly or perish and vanish, it all depends on your own destiny."

"Good luck to you."

After saying those four words, Ye Tianqiong flashed and retreated to a mountain peak several miles away, watching the scene from afar.