The Immortal's Abode's Bet

Under the cover of night, the Immortal's Abode was even more lively than any other place during the day.

This was Tianfeng City's largest casino.

It was also a Golden Slough, a tomb for heroes.

Countless people became rich overnight here, and countless others lost everything they owned.

The massive casino was divided into three floors.

The first floor was the general hall, a melting pot of people from all walks of life. Dice, Pai Gow, betting on big or small – all sorts of gambling games were available.

The air was thick with the mingled scents of sweat, alcohol, and desire.

Innumerable gamblers, their eyes red with desperation, roared and cursed at the top of their lungs, displaying the most primal greed and madness of human nature in its entirety.

Chen Chen changed into a plain grey cloth robe, removed his bamboo hat, and used the Breath Concealment Art to disguise his cultivation as that of an unremarkable martial artist at the Fifth Level of Body Tempering.

He walked into the noisy hall without attracting anyone's attention.

His gaze swept across the hall, but he couldn't find Lin Feng's figure.

The Shadow Tower's intelligence reported that Liang Feng was a regular here, but given his status as the young master of the Liang Family, he likely wouldn't be playing in this general hall.

Chen Chen approached the counter for exchanging chips.

"I want to exchange for chips."

"How much would you like to exchange, honored guest?"

"One thousand Spirit Stones," Chen Chen said calmly, tossing a Storage Bag over.

The attendant responsible for exchanging chips was stunned for a moment, then his face broke into a wide smile.

One thousand Spirit Stones in one go – this was a big customer!

Soon, a pile of chips made of special jade, engraved with different denominations, was placed before Chen Chen.

Chen Chen didn't head for the noisy gambling tables but walked directly towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Please wait, honored guest."

At the entrance to the stairs, two guards with imposing auras, whose cultivation had reached the Third Level of Qi Condensation, extended their hands to stop him.

"The second floor is the VIP area. You need to have assets of three thousand Spirit Stones or possess a VIP token from the Immortal's Abode to enter."

Chen Chen didn't speak. He merely casually waved the pile of chips, worth one thousand Spirit Stones, in front of them.

Then, he activated the Nine Nether Soul Refining Art.

A surge of majestic soul power, like an invisible tidal wave, slammed fiercely towards the two guards!

The two guards felt a "buzz" in their heads, as if struck by an invisible sledgehammer. Their faces instantly turned pale, and they staggered back several steps before managing to regain their footing.

They looked at Chen Chen before them in horror, their eyes filled with fear and disbelief!

What... what was going on?

How could a martial artist at the Fifth Level of Body Tempering possess such terrifying soul power?

This pressure was even more formidable than that of the late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators they had encountered!

How could they dare to stop him any further?

"Pre... senior, please proceed!"

The two men quickly bowed and cleared the way, their attitude extremely respectful.

Chen Chen retracted his soul pressure and walked onto the second floor without changing his expression.

He knew that in a place like the Immortal's Abode, one needed to display sufficient strength to gain respect.

Sometimes, the power of the soul was even more intimidating than the pressure of cultivation.

The arrangement on the second floor was much more elegant than the first.

Individual gambling areas, separated by screens, had groups of cultivators gathered around, playing more high-stakes games.

Although the atmosphere here was also tense, it was far from the boisterousness of the first floor.

Chen Chen's gaze quickly locked onto the liveliest gambling game in a corner.

About a dozen people were gathered there.

In the center, surrounded by the crowd, was a young man dressed in a white brocade robe, handsome in appearance, but his face was somewhat pale from losing money.

Beside him stood two stern-faced middle-aged guards with bulging temples.

It was Liang Feng!

At this moment, he was staring intently at the gambling table in front of him, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Roll! Roll quickly!" he urged hoarsely.

The dealer, expressionless, lifted the dice cup.

"One, two, three, six. Small."

"Damn it!"

Liang Feng let out an angry curse and slammed his hand on the table, pushing the last few chips in front of him forward.

"Lost again!"

"Young Master Liang, your luck isn't good today."

"Yeah, you've lost over a dozen hands in a row, haven't you?"

A chorus of schadenfreude erupted from the people around him.

Liang Feng's face turned from green to white, looking extremely grim.

He turned and growled at the guards behind him, "Go! Get me another two thousand Spirit Stones in chips!"

The two guards looked troubled.

"Young Master... the Family Head instructed that your monthly allowance for this month has already been used up..."

"Nonsense!" Liang Feng yelled. "My father is my father, and I am me! I told you to go, so go! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"

"But, Young Master..."

"Get lost!"

Liang Feng shoved the guards away and stared at the casino manager with bloodshot eyes.

"Steward Wang! Lend me another two thousand Spirit Stones! I'll pay you back double tomorrow!"

A middle-aged fat man in luxurious clothing, with a bulging belly, walked over with a smile.

"Young Master Liang, it's not that we at the Immortal's Abode don't give you face. It's just that you still owe ten thousand Spirit Stones from last month, and you haven't paid them back. This... it's against the rules."

"I..." Liang Feng's face turned the color of pig liver.

He, the dignified eldest young master of the Liang Family, was being lectured to this extent. It was a complete humiliation.

However, just as he was about to lash out.

A calm voice came from outside the crowd.

"Young Master Liang, since you're out of money, why don't we bet on something else?"

Everyone turned their heads.

They saw a young man in gray clothes, who had appeared by the gambling table at some point.

It was Chen Chen.

He casually threw his one thousand Spirit Stone chips onto the table.

"What do you want to bet on?" Liang Feng asked impatiently, frowning at this guy who had suddenly appeared.

"Let's bet on... the most valuable thing you possess," Chen Chen's voice carried a hint of inexplicable temptation.

"The most valuable thing I possess?" Liang Feng was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "Kid, you've got some nerve! Do you know that any single accessory I wear could be enough for a pauper like you to work a lifetime for?"

"I'm not talking about those common things."

Chen Chen shook his head, his gaze fixed on Liang Feng.

"I'm talking about... that Azure Cloud Token, the one that can let you ascend to the heavens and join the Azure Cloud Sect!"

BOOM!

As soon as the words "Azure Cloud Token" were uttered, the entire second floor fell into absolute silence!

All eyes were fixed on Liang Feng, filled with shock, greed, and jealousy!

Liang Feng's face instantly turned deathly pale!

He exclaimed in disbelief, "You... How do you know?!"

The Azure Cloud Token was his biggest secret, his last trump card!

Besides his father and a few people closest to him, no one else knew about it!

Who exactly was this person in front of him?!

How could he know this secret?!

"How I know is not important," Chen Chen said calmly. "What's important is, Young Master Liang, do you dare to bet?"

"If you win, all my one thousand Spirit Stone chips are yours."

"If you lose..."

"Your Azure Cloud Token belongs to me!"

Liang Feng's breathing became rapid.

His mind was in turmoil.

Reason told him that this was definitely a trap. The other party's origins were unknown, yet they knew his secrets so well; they must have ulterior motives.

But the temptation of one thousand Spirit Stones, coupled with the gambler's mentality of refusing to admit defeat, whispered like a demon in his ear.

"Bet! If I win this hand, I can get my money back!"

"What's there to be afraid of! This is the Immortal's Abode! He wouldn't dare play any tricks!"

In the end, greed triumphed over reason.

"Alright!" Liang Feng slammed the table, his eyes flashing with a crazy bloodshot glint. "I'll bet with you!"

"However, we won't play these flashy games."

"We'll bet on the simplest thing, high or low!"

"One round decides the winner!"

From his embrace, he carefully took out a token, entirely azure in color and engraved with an auspicious cloud pattern.

It was the Azure Cloud Token!

He placed the token heavily on the gambling table!

"Come on!"

"Today, I'll show you what a true... God of Gamblers is!"