I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Su Wanqing fell silent.

She finally understood the weight in her husband's heart.

"Therefore, I must go to the capital."

Zheng Yifei turned around, his gaze resolute: "Becoming an official and climbing the ranks is the only way I can access the Imperial Library. I give dividends to the Zhu, Liu, and Pan families so that they can pave the way for me in the capital."

But now, the Third Prince has interfered and blocked my path.

Su Wanqing stepped forward and took his hand: "So what should we do now?"

"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself."

Zheng Yifei grasped her hand in return: "The Ministry of Personnel is holding me back because my cultivation is insufficient. Well then, I will improve my cultivation. Starting tomorrow, I will go into seclusion and will not emerge until I break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

"Alright, you can go into seclusion without worry. I'll take care of things outside."

Su Wanqing nodded solemnly.

Zheng Yifei's seclusion plan was interrupted on the third day by a piercing alarm bell.

"Clang—clang—clang—"

The urgent tolling of the bell resounded throughout the entire city of Tanzhou. This was the highest-level alarm bell that would only be rung when facing annihilation.

Zheng Yifei suddenly opened his eyes and forcibly stopped the flow of his cultivation technique.

He pushed open the stone door to the secret chamber and saw Night Owl waiting outside, his face ashen.

"My lord, something terrible has happened."

The owl spoke rapidly: "A sea monster tide has erupted in the East China Sea! It's not a few hundred or a few thousand, it's tens of millions of sea monsters! Seawater is overflowing, and ten coastal counties have already been flooded!"

Zheng Yifei's pupils contracted: "What about Liuhua County?"

"Liuhua County was the first to be hit. The city walls of the county town have been trampled flat by sea monsters, and the seawater has submerged half of the urban area."

Night Owl handed over a blood-stained battle report: "Yuanyang Prefecture is the most severely affected, with all six counties under its jurisdiction falling. There are now more than 20 million refugees fleeing inland like madmen, with countless deaths and injuries along the way."

Zheng Yifei grabbed the battle report, glanced at it quickly, and his heart sank.

Sea monster tides are not uncommon in the Eastern Divine Continent, but in the past they were all small-scale disturbances that could be dealt with by the local garrisons.

But this time it was different. The battle report clearly stated that a large number of fifth and sixth-order great demons, equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage or even the Void Refinement stage, appeared in the sea beast tide.

This was an organized invasion.

"Prepare the horses, we're going to the prefect's residence."

Zheng Yifei gave the order in a deep voice.

When Zheng Yifei arrived at the prefectural governor's mansion, the main hall was already packed with people. All the civil and military officials of Tanzhou Prefecture were present, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Zhu Zhenbang, dressed in heavy armor, stood in front of the huge sand table, his face ashen.

"Gentlemen, you all know the situation."

Zhu Zhenbang's voice carried a chilling aura: "Prefect Liu Zhengyi of Yuanyang Prefecture just sent a flying sword requesting reinforcements. Yuanyang Prefecture is already surrounded by seawater, and sea beasts are attacking the city. If Yuanyang Prefecture falls, the eastern gate of the entire Tanzhou Prefecture will be completely open."

"I have already ordered that 50,000 troops be transferred from the garrison of the prefecture city to Yuanyang immediately. All the patrol offices and local militias in the counties should also move towards Yuanyang Prefecture. The imperial court will also send troops to reinforce the area."

Zhu Zhenbang raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before finally landing on Zheng Yifei.

"Zheng Yifei".

"Your humble servant is here."

Zheng Yifei stepped forward.

"The entire Anti-Smuggling Team of the Criminal Investigation Department consists of Nascent Soul cultivators, making them formidable in combat."

Zhu Zhenbang stared at him: "I order you to immediately lead the anti-smuggling team as the vanguard to reinforce Yuanyang Prefecture. You do not need to defend the city. Your mission is to cut off the command center of the sea beasts like a sharp knife, kill those high-level demons, and relieve the pressure on Yuanyang Prefecture. Can you do it?"

"Your humble servant obeys! If Yuanyang Prefecture falls, I will bring you my head!"

Zheng Yifei clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice resounding.

"Okay! Go ahead!"

At the western suburbs camp of the Criminal Investigation Department, four hundred anti-smuggling officers assembled within half an hour.

Without further ado, Zheng Yifei gave the order, and multiple flying boats soared into the sky, rushing towards Yuanyang Prefecture in the east like a meteor shower.

An hour later, Zheng Yifei led his men to Yuanyang Prefecture.

The view from mid-air was horrific.

The once bustling plains have been transformed into a vast ocean. The murky waters are teeming with enormous sea beasts, covered in hard scales and sharp fangs, which are frantically ramming against the defensive array of Yuanyang City.

The light of the great formation had dimmed, and on the city wall, the defenders were desperately fighting back with spirit crossbows and spells.

Without hesitation, Zheng Yifei led four hundred Nascent Soul cultivators to cut directly from the rear of the sea beast army.

Four hundred Nascent Soul cultivators attacked simultaneously, and their violent spiritual energy instantly disrupted the sea beast's offensive.

As he rushed into the city, Liu Zhengyi, who had recently been promoted to prefect, greeted him covered in blood, carrying a long sword with a dull blade, clearly having already personally led the charge in battle.

"Yifei, you've arrived just in time."

Liu Zhengyi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lord Liu, we can discuss the handover of defense duties later. I need to meet with a few people first."

After exchanging a few words with Liu Zhengyi, Zheng Yifei quickly walked towards a large commercial compound in the south of the city.

This is the headquarters of the Southern Wilderness Trading Company in Yuanyang Prefecture.

In the courtyard, Xu Tianyang, Xu Zhenghai, and Xu Muyao, father and sons, had been waiting for a long time.

They had been in charge of the business in Yuanyang, and with the accumulation of massive resources over the years, the three of them, father and sons, had all entered the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Besides them, there were more than two hundred cultivators in the courtyard, led by Ouyang Tian and Murong Hao.

"Take off!"

When Ouyang Tian saw Zheng Yifei, he strode forward.

"Sect Leader Ouyang, Sect Leader Murong, what are you both doing here?"

Zheng Yifei was somewhat surprised.

"Liuhua County was flooded by the sea, and all our shops and warehouses were destroyed."

Ouyang Tian sighed, then a glint of light flashed in his eyes: "But the people are alright. These two hundred-plus brothers are all from Liuhua County that I brought here."

Zheng Yifei glanced at the two hundred-plus people and found that half of them were unfamiliar faces, but their auras were not weak. Most of them were in the early stage of Nascent Soul, and there were more than a dozen in the early stage of Deity Transformation.

"These are..."

"From the Southern Wilderness Region."

Ouyang Tian lowered his voice, a hint of pride on his face: "In the past few years, my cultivation has reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and my array formation skills have also broken through to the sixth level. I have re-engraved and upgraded the teleportation arrays in the Southern Wilderness Region and Liuhua County."

Now, any cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core stage or the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage can withstand the pressure of the spatial tearing and be safely teleported here.

Zheng Yifei's eyes lit up. This was absolutely fantastic news.

The spiritual energy in the Southern Wilderness is depleted, but those who can cultivate to the Golden Core stage and the Nascent Soul stage in that environment are all people with strong willpower.

Once you reach the Eastern Divine Continent, with just a little bit of resources, you can quickly break through.

"here you go!"

With the addition of the 400 members of the anti-smuggling team, Zheng Yifei now commands a fighting force of over 600 men.

Among them, there were more than 450 people at the Nascent Soul stage, and the remaining 150 were all elites at the early Nascent Soul stage or above.

This is a terrifying force capable of changing the course of a local war.

Zheng Yifei immediately hung up a map in the lobby of the business and summoned everyone for a pre-battle military meeting.

"As you can see from the situation outside, there are too many sea monsters; we can't kill them all."

Zheng Yifei pointed to the dense red dots on the map: "To catch the thief, you must first catch the leader. The sea monster tide can attack the city in such an organized way, there must be a high-level monster commanding it. Our goal is to find it and kill it."

He turned to Night Owl: "Night Owl, your men are masters of stealth. You will not participate in direct combat; all of you should disperse. I need to know the location, number, and troop distribution of the high-level sea beasts."

I need the first intelligence report within half an hour.

"clear!"

The owl obeyed and left.

Zheng Yifei then looked at Xu Tianyang and his son: "Uncle Xu, Brother Zheng Hai. You and your son should take the 150 Nascent Soul cultivators and 50 Deity Transformation cultivators brought by Sect Master Ouyang and divide them into two groups. Since you do not have official positions in the imperial court, you cannot wear the uniforms of the Chief Justice. Instead, you should wear the clothes of independent cultivators and serve as a mobile surprise force."

"Yifei, what do you mean?"

Xu Tianyang asked.

"The city is defended by the prefectural army, and I will lead the frontal assault. Your mission is to hunt."

A cold glint flashed in Zheng Yifei's eyes: "Once Night Owl discovers the weak points of the high-level sea beasts, you will flank them like nails, disrupt their formation, and then retreat without lingering."

"Okay, leave it to us."

Xu Tianyang and Xu Zhenghai nodded solemnly.

Finally, Zheng Yifei's gaze fell on Li Jianfeng, Ouyang Zhan, and Wang Changsheng.

These three were fierce warriors who fought alongside him all the way from the Southern Wilderness Region, and now they were all at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

"Sword's Edge, Longevity, Ouyang Zhan."

Zheng Yifei drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist and slammed the blade down on the map at the location of the sea beast camp directly east of Yuanyang Prefecture.

"The three of you will each lead one hundred Nascent Soul stage anti-smuggling officers, divided into three groups: left, center, and right."

Zheng Yifei's voice was filled with intense killing intent: "Put on heavy armor, form a wedge formation. Follow me, and we'll break in from the front!"

"We must be like a sharp dagger, piercing straight through the heart of the sea beasts. If we encounter any sea beast of the fifth rank or higher, we must stop at nothing to cut them down!"

"Yes, sir!" the three roared in unison, their fighting spirit soaring to the heavens.

Zheng Yifei sheathed his sword and strode out of the store's lobby.

Outside the gate, six hundred cultivators had already formed a battle array.

Zheng Yifei flipped and leaped onto a high platform, his gaze sweeping over every resolute face.

"Brothers!"

Zheng Yifei took a deep breath and spoke, his voice carrying throughout the entire area under the influence of spiritual energy: "In the past few years, we have been cracking down on smuggled salt and running gambling dens in Tanzhou County, living a peaceful life. But today, the sea has flooded in, monsters have slaughtered the city, our shops have been destroyed, and our source of income has been cut off."

"It doesn't matter if the imperial court blocks my official position; it doesn't matter if powerful figures sabotage me behind my back; but it won't do if these beasts try to take away our livelihoods and kill our people!"

Zheng Yifei suddenly drew his long sword and pointed it at the towering waves outside the city.

"Open the city gates! Follow me to slay the demons!"

Six hundred roars converged into a thunderclap, shattering the dark clouds that filled the sky.

The heavy city gates slowly opened, and Zheng Yifei took the lead, transforming into a black lightning bolt, leading this steel torrent composed of cultivators from the Southern Wilderness into the endless army of sea beasts.