I run a casino in the immortal realm.

The dragon traveled through the clouds.

Zheng Yifei and the other four lay on the dragon's back, the cold wind making it hard to open their eyes.

"The boundary of the Xuantian Sect's Nine Dragons Sealing Heaven Formation is 800 li ahead."

Ye Tianqiong's voice came from ahead: "I will go around from high altitude. The array's perception range is up to 20,000 zhang. If I fly 30,000 zhang, they won't be able to detect me."

Su Wanqing kept her eyes closed, her long hair fluttering in the wind, her right hand always resting on the hilt of her sword.

Li Jianfeng lay on the back of the dragon's back, glanced back at the direction of Tianmo City that was gradually disappearing into the night, and whispered, "I hope I can still see those lights when I come back."

"Stop saying discouraging things."

Chen San kicked him.

Half an hour later, the dragon began to descend.

"We've arrived. Xuantian Market is just 500 li ahead."

Ye Tianqiong controlled the demonic dragon to hover above a desolate mountain: "I can only take you this far. If we go any further, the Xuan Tian Sect's patrol boats will detect something amiss."

The five people jumped off the dragon's back one by one.

After landing, Zheng Yifei looked up at Ye Tianqiong, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Sect Master Ye, come to pick me up in three months."

Ye Tianqiong looked down at him, hesitated, and finally uttered only two words: "Live."

The dragon flapped its wings, disappeared into the night, and vanished in an instant.

Zheng Yifei took out five masks from his storage ring.

This is a disguise mask specially made by the Heavenly Demon Sect. Once it fits the face, it can change one's bone structure and temperament. Unless a Nascent Soul cultivator deliberately uses their divine sense to scan deeply, they will not be able to see any flaws.

"Face swap".

The five men each put on a mask. Zheng Yifei became a middle-aged businessman with an ordinary appearance and a short beard; Su Wanqing became a young female cultivator with an ordinary face; Li Jianfeng dressed as a guard; and Chen San and Lin Bao were typical errand runners.

Their auras were also manipulated. Su Wanqing and Li Jianfeng each used secret techniques to suppress their cultivation to the late Golden Core stage, while Zheng Yifei went even further, directly sealing all five elements of his Nascent Soul and suppressing his cultivation to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

"Walk."

They covered the 500-mile journey in less than an hour, thanks to their stamina.

Xuantian Market.

It is more prosperous than Tianmo City. Here, there are white walls and green tiles everywhere, the streets are wide and clean, and most of the cultivators who come and go wear light-colored Taoist robes, looking dignified and respectable.

But Zheng Yifei's eyes didn't see any of that.

He observed the frequency of spirit stone transactions at street stalls, the speed at which storage bags were transferred from one hand to the other, and the subtle expression on the cultivators' faces that suggested they had money but were feeling stifled and had nowhere to spend it.

The Xuantian Sect plundered a large amount of resources from the Tianmo Sect some time ago. The higher-ups got the lion's share, while the lower-level disciples got the scraps. The monthly allowances for the lower-level disciples increased significantly.

With more money, consumerism increases, and the market becomes more prosperous than before.

This is a good sign; the more money one has, the greater the gambling instinct becomes.

As the five entered Jubaoge at the entrance of Liushu Hutong, Tiefeng was behind the counter, working on his abacus. Seeing Zheng Yifei's unfamiliar face, he paused, until Zheng Yifei removed his mask, waved it, and then put it back on. Tiefeng's abacus beads clattered to the ground.

"Yifei, young master?"

Tie Feng's voice was very low, but his eyes were wide open like copper bells.

"Let's go inside and talk."

The backyard was a secluded room with its doors and windows tightly shut.

Tie Feng poured tea for the five people, his hands trembling. Not from fear, but from excitement.

"Yifei, why are you here at this hour? Things are very tense outside right now; the Xuantian Sect is searching everywhere for spies from the Tianmo Sect..."

Zheng Yifei picked up his teacup and took a sip: "We came here to make money. Tiefeng, what's our cultivation level now?"

Su Wanqing and the others released their cultivation levels, leaving Tie Feng speechless with astonishment: "Nascent Soul? Chen San, Lin Bao, you've also broken through to the Golden Core stage? How is this possible?"

"The three of us have a special connection, while Chen San and Lin Bao achieved their Core Formation normally."

As Zheng Yifei spoke, he took out two jade bottles from his storage ring and pushed them in front of Tie Feng.

"One top-grade Golden Core Pill, and one Barrier Breakthrough Pill."

Tie Feng's hand froze in mid-air, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

Top-grade Golden Core Pill? That's something that's priceless and unavailable. In the entire Xuan Tian Market, the best pills you can find are only of the upper grade.

The Supreme Barrier-Breaking Pill was unheard of; just from the name, one could tell what it was used for.

"Young master, this... is far too precious."

"Take it."

Zheng Yifei's tone left no room for doubt, "You've been stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage for so many years, your foundation is solid enough. Take these two pills, find a place to go into seclusion, and you will definitely become a Golden Core cultivator within a month."

"You've been operating in Xuantian Market for three years; you have a wide network of connections. Finding a safe secluded training spot shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Tie Feng nodded emphatically: "Xuantian Sect has special secluded cultivation places for independent cultivators. You can rent one for ten days for five thousand spirit stones. The array is very tight and no one will disturb you."

"Then go. Come back to me after you break through. There's big work to be done."

Tie Feng accepted the jade bottle with both hands, and Zheng Yifei noticed that his fingertips were trembling slightly.

"Young master, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

"Alright, enough with the fluff. Before you go, tell me the latest situation regarding the mirage. Have you been there before?"

Tie Feng immediately became serious: "I've been there, no less than twenty times, specifically to scout out the location for you."

"explain."

"The mirage is located in the eastern part of the market. It covers a vast area, three times larger than our original mirage. However, its basic structure is a replica of our gambling den. After the Xuantian Sect's successful surprise attack on the Tianmo Sect, the number of people in the gambling den increased dramatically, and the Xuantian Sect made a fortune."

"How do you play?"

"It mainly features dice and baccarat, supplemented by spirit beast battles, talisman cards, and auction guessing games. It's basically a copy of the Xiaoyao Palace, even the layout of the gambling tables is similar. When I first went in, I thought I had gone to the wrong place."

Zheng Yifei chuckled.

"What about risk control?"

"I've observed that."

Tie Feng lowered his voice, "There's no risk control. As long as they don't detect cheating, they can take away whatever they win."

Zheng Yifei nodded; he knew how to play.

"That's enough, go into seclusion."

After Tie Feng left, Zheng Yifei said to the remaining four people, "Rest for a day, we'll go in tomorrow."

The next day, at 9:00 AM.

Mirage.

A nine-story pavilion stands on the shore of Fuxian Lake, a hundred miles east of Xuantian Market. At the entrance are two golden Pixiu statues with their mouths wide open, symbolizing that only inflows and no outflows.

Zheng Yifei looked at the two Pixiu statues and chuckled inwardly—only taking in but not giving out? That depends on who comes in.

He entered through the main gate as a rogue cultivator. The lobby on the first floor was bustling with noise, with hundreds of cultivators gathered around various gambling tables, the sounds of spirit stones clashing and cheers rising and falling.

Su Wanqing, Li Jianfeng, Chen San, and Lin Bao entered separately, each returning 10,000 spirit stones as chips.

Zheng Yifei didn't stay on the first floor, but went straight to the third floor.

The third floor was much quieter and more luxuriously decorated, with rosewood floors, jade chandeliers, and a faint, calming fragrance in the air.

The gambling tables were spaced far apart, and two Golden Core stage guards stood beside each table.

Zheng Yifei scanned the area.

There are about forty gambling tables on the third floor, all for playing dice, with more than two thousand people.

He walked to the counter and took out 10,000 low-grade spirit stones.