Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

The thirteenth day of the first month of the thirty-fourth year of the Chengtai era.

At noon, outside the outer city of Qi'an, on the seventh ring road.

"You lost the bet and you dare not pay? You want to die, kid?"

In a dark alley, four burly casino thugs surrounded a gambler who had lost everything, trapping him deep inside the alley.

The gambler, dressed in black and masked, with only her bony hands visible, was surrounded by four burly men, resembling a young virgin being violated by villains.

He appeared timid and submissive, just like any other cowardly gambler.

"Either pay us, or we'll chop off your left hand! The choice is yours!"

The thug leader pressed closer, his eyes filled with ferocity.

A vicious face was pressed tightly against the gambler's cheek, which was half covered by a black cloth, making the gambler tremble with fear.

"But... you look pretty pitiful, all skinny. I might as well give you a chance. I can spare your life first. Go back home, mortgage your house, and gamble a couple of times at the casino. Who knows, you might even win it back..."

After habitually uttering harsh words, the henchman skillfully adjusted his tone, using words to give the terrified gambler a glimmer of hope, tempting him to lose all his wealth in the casino.

—The point of running a casino is never to kill people.

When a person dies, their value disappears. To maximize profits, you have to give people hope, drive them with desire, and make them willingly throw everything they own into the casino.

The best approach is to use both kindness and severity. Unless absolutely necessary, one should not easily take lives before fully extracting all the value.

You should know that these down-on-their-luck gamblers are a kind of wealth in themselves. At the very least, they can be sold to the dealers in the city and get some money back.

Human life is as insignificant as grass, but if used properly, it can create unexpected value.

This is the principle that the leader of the Mountain Tiger Gang taught to his underlings, and it is also the foundation upon which the Mountain Tiger Gang was able to establish itself in the outer city of Qi'an City.

After the entire process was completed, the gang leader crossed his arms and, as usual, gave the gambler a little time to think.

They've scared them, given them hope, and now all they have to do is wait for the gambler to convince himself, and their gamble will be done.

Until one moment, a dark shadow seemed to flash across the alley where the sunlight couldn't reach.

"Boss! Watch out!"

The terrified expressions on the henchmen's faces were reflected in the leader's pupils. Before he could react, a sharp pain shot through his chest and abdomen.

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

The pungent smell of pig iron permeated the air, drifting into the narcotic's nostrils along with the barely perceptible cold wind.

He instinctively reached for his chest and abdomen, but what he touched was a wet, scarlet liquid.

At the last moment of his vision, the gang leader saw the frail gambler smile.

The gambler deliberately lifted the black cloth so that the gang leader could see his smile.

His face was both ferocious and radiant, and he still held the short knife that had pierced through his chest and abdomen in his hand.

Thump thump thump thump—

Four muffled thuds followed, and only the gambler remained standing in the dark alley.

The gambler walked calmly out of the alley, stepping over the corpses on the ground, a faint shadow gathering beneath his feet.

When he reached the middle of the alley, the gambler suddenly stopped.

"Have the Mountain Tiger Gang members all been dealt with?"

The voice came from the edge of the alley, carrying a hint of madness.

"Reporting to Protector, the Mountain Tiger Gang, totaling 2,372 people, has been completely dealt with. We are now just waiting for Protector to refine their essence before they can be incorporated into the great formation."

The gambler nodded slightly, casually pulled off his mask, revealing a young but pale face.

"Excellent! This time, our seven demonic sects must not lose face in this joint operation!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another laughing voice came from another direction.

"Prestigious? Wei Yang, are you out of your mind...? That monster is right here in Qi'an City. Don't forget how the previous Wei Yang died."

This generation's Sheep Protector has slightly lowered eyebrows and eyes, with a fleeting hint of murderous intent in his pupils.

"The Ten Thousand Demons Extermination Formation has already been set up. Even if the Five Elements True Monarch is strong, what can he do? He's just one person. This time, with the combined efforts of nine terrestrial immortals, they might just show the Five Elements True Monarch what true power is!"

The alley suddenly fell silent, and after a long while, the hoarse female voice rang out again.

"Keep it up, I believe in you..."

The hoarse voice paused, then became gentle.

"The Crimson Flame Saint Lord has other tasks assigned to me, so I won't stay in Qi'an City any longer. Everything in the city is in your hands, Wei Yang. Do a good job, and I'll vote for you for the position of Vice Master."

The newly appointed Blood Robe Sect Protector Wei Yang snorted coldly, and only after the aura of the Snake completely dissipated did he spit on the corpse on the ground.

"Bah! A bunch of cowards! With so much useless trash like this, when will our Holy Church ever be able to rise again?"

A crimson halo emanated from the array, blocking out all sounds and smells in the alley.

……

In the courtyard separated by a wall, a new mother looked at her baby on the bed with a smile on her face.

The new father carefully brought over a bowl of hot soup. He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it repeatedly until it cooled down a bit, and then gently fed it to his wife who was leaning against the bed.

It looks like a peaceful and idyllic scene.

In the alley just a wall away, four corpses were dragged away by several Blood-Clad Cult members, leaving long trails of blood on the ground. Further away, nearly a hundred corpses were piled together, forming a small, blood-red mountain.

The lit runes blocked out all auras, and despite being separated by only a wall, the people inside the small house did not notice anything unusual.

Mottled blood-red patterns lit up on the walls of the courtyard, and wisps of blood-red energy drifted into the house with the cold wind, silently passing through the nasal cavity and entering the bodies of the family.

……

The hour of Xu (7-9 PM).

In the last moments before the sun set, men and women dressed in their finest attire linked arms and stepped into the territory of Qi'an City.

The moment they stepped into the city, countless voices of discussion arose.

What a handsome young man, what a graceful and aloof beauty.

The young master, dressed in white like snow, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, looked like a banished immortal.

The woman was stunningly beautiful, with delicate red lips and eyes that shone like stars.

He looked unlike an ordinary person.