Immortal Road.

Upon hearing this, Xing Shuzi glared at him!
I can guess what you're thinking, kid. You're definitely eyeing my family heirloom.

Why didn't we take Lin Shan with us when we ran away from Yunzhou? It was because we were afraid he would follow us. But that kid is like a leech, sticking to us like glue, impossible to shake off.

Now they're trying to find out where he is, they just want to dig for treasure, how can we let them have their way?
"Ahem. I'll get off at the final stop, don't worry, I'll definitely take you with me this time."

"Brother, is what you're saying true?"

"Naturally, it is true."

He said that, but he didn't really think so.

Lin Shan was also full of wicked ideas and didn't believe his nonsense at all.

Get off at the last stop? They're probably just trying to lull me into a false sense of security. They might just jump ship at any stop along the way, and then who would they be looking for in the vast starry sky?

He appeared to be polite and cooperative on the surface, but in reality he was keeping a close eye on Xing Shuzi's movements to prevent him from escaping right under his nose.

Both Haosheng Sanren and Xiongpi Jushi explicitly stated that they also wanted to be under the main star of Beishi Star.

While the group chatted and laughed, the caravan from Yibaolou outside finished their business on Xiaolin Star, returned to their ship, and set off to continue their journey to the next destination.

In addition, some locals pay to take a boat to other stars.

The starry sky is vast, and there are at least several days' journeys between any two stars. To save energy, no one wants to travel alone.

Because the road is fraught with danger, and you might encounter all sorts of strange and wonderful demon races, some of which hunt in large groups and could easily become your prey, it's safer to stick with the main group.

During that time, they did encounter two groups of demons, all of which were star-sky races, including Dark Night Ravens and Luo Suo Flying Fish, numbering in the tens of thousands.

Fortunately, the Yi Bao Lou merchant ship had a large number of people and great strength, and with everyone working together, they easily broke through.

According to caravans and locals, the shipping routes are generally relatively safe, and they avoid the activity range of the demon horde. Encounters are only occasional, which is a matter of probability.

"When you come to the starry sky, remember one thing: do not go to places where no one lives, do not wander into dark places that are not under the jurisdiction of the main star, and do not cross the border to the wild star fields outside."

"Although the habitat of the demons has been further squeezed in recent years, a considerable number of them still operate in the depths of darkness. The desolate star field is an undeveloped wilderness where demon tides attack from time to time."

"It's easy to smuggle yourself across the border, but once you're outside, your life or death is uncertain, and no one can save you!"

Everyone remembered these words.

The Xuanwu Starfield has a vast border region. With each star serving as a fulcrum, star lords from various regions mobilize to jointly defend the area, thus maintaining stability within the region.

But the Wild Starfield is different. Many people are willing to risk going out to search for treasure, but most of them never return. The number of people who die there every year is simply too many to count.

The Luofu Star Region belongs to the Frontier Star Region, and the Beishi Star Region is even more of a border area, where it is said to have bred space pirate groups.

"These bandit cultivators are said to be getting more and more rampant. Relying on the fact that the new Northern Star Lord is weak and powerless and can't do anything about them, they dare to come in from outside the pass. Recently, they have even robbed many merchant ships, causing panic among the people in the area."

Upon hearing this, the Yi Bao Lou caravan immediately inquired about the situation from the locals.

It turns out that the previous Star Lord of the Northern Normal University was recently promoted and went to the Star Court to take up his post. No sooner had he left than a new Star Lord arrived.

This Northern Star Lord bought his position, yet his cultivation level is only at the Void Transformation stage!
Even the old ministers in their own star palace couldn't control it, let alone the bloodthirsty cultivators outside. Upon hearing the news, they all returned to block the road and robbed people, making a mess of the area around Beishi Star.

It's said that the news has already spread to the neighboring star sector, and everyone is laughing at them.

"What? You can buy your way into becoming a Star Lord just by reaching the Void Realm stage?"

Lin Shan's focus was different from everyone else's. Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up. Was the threshold for becoming a Star Lord really that low?

Everyone chimed in with their own answers.

"That's now. Back then, at the very least, you had to be a True Immortal to hold the position. After the Star Court fought against the Wild Star Domain and lost too many Star Lords, they introduced the system of buying official positions due to a shortage of personnel and pay."

"Yes, at first we thought it was just a temporary measure, but who would have thought it would get out of control and the system of buying official positions would continue and develop into a source of income, becoming a goldmine for Xingting."

"Doesn't he know his own limitations, being only at the Void Refinement stage? He could have just bought a minor official position for fun, but he insisted on taking the throne of a Star Lord! He's caused chaos throughout his jurisdiction. Who's going to compensate everyone for their losses?"

"Hey, they're rich, what right do you have to tell them what official positions they want to buy? It's just that we lower-class people suffer."

"Hmph, in my opinion, all these rich playboys should be thrown out to feed the demon tide. Once they're eaten, we can just hire a new immortal to be our star lord!"

"No need to rush. The trouble under his jurisdiction has already been reported to the Luofu Star Region. Luofu Star Lord is a third-rank official, and he will definitely report it to the Star Court for punishment. He will suffer the consequences."

These people are quite knowledgeable; they revealed a lot of key information during the conversation.

Especially after you've bought your official position, if you fail to perform your duties and cause problems in your territory, you're likely to be held accountable by your superiors. Not only will you lose your newly acquired official hat, but you might even be imprisoned and punished!

Lin Shan's excitement was immediately dampened.

It seems there are hidden dangers to buying official positions.

If they don't govern well, they'll go to jail. I told you it wouldn't be that easy!
But these locals then started complaining, lamenting that the Star Court was now corrupt and in complete disarray, with nearly half of the 108,000 stars lacking the cultivation of a true immortal!
The position of Star Lord has become a training ground for young masters and noblemen!

"The second generation of immortals have no shortage of thugs. As long as they have money and connections, why would they be afraid of not being able to hire experts to handle the security of their territory?"

"Besides, the battle on the front lines is intense, and fires are breaking out everywhere in the rear. It's chaotic and impossible to manage. Many people are trying to make a quick buck and then run away. Where is the law?"

"The Star Court's prestige has declined significantly, which is not a good thing."

"That's just how the world is. Even the immortal realm is in chaos. We can only blame ourselves for not having the strength. Otherwise, if I had the money, I would buy my way into the position of a star lord!"

"Oh, by the way, I heard the other day that your junior brother's brother-in-law went to work as an outer ring inspector on some planet. Is that true?"

"No, you're mistaken, it's an inner ring road inspection."

Lin Shan only half understood what they were saying, and like a curious child, he would occasionally interject to ask what all those random job titles were for.

After some preliminary understanding, I learned that although each of these star lords has a jurisdiction of varying sizes, they all have star palaces and officials, making them small but complete.

He holds supreme power over all matters concerning the star domain, including criminal law, star affairs, star troops, sacrifices, land reclamation and education; he controls the star seal, mobilizes star troops, judges star prisons, submits memorials to the star court, and coordinates all matters, large and small, of the entire star.

The officials were further divided into four categories: staff officers, assistants, subordinate officials, and generals, with civil and military officials governed separately and their responsibilities clearly defined.

For example, the Inner Ring Patrol is a branch patrol under a military general system. It is responsible for guarding the suburbs of the main star, the outer three thousand miles of star land, maintaining order in the suburbs, capturing troublemakers, leading teams to capture escaped star prisoners, and patrolling the palace walls and magic arrays on a daily basis.

The outer ring patrol has been expanded to cover the entire Starry Sky jurisdiction area, traveling along the edge of the territory's starry sky, greatly increasing the risk factor.

This local junior brother's brother-in-law only had the cultivation of the Nascent Soul stage, and he also bought his way into the position of Inner Ring Inspector. Everyone shook their heads when they heard this.

"These days, even those at the Nascent Soul stage can be patrol inspectors? Can someone with that level of cultivation even fight off criminals? That's ridiculous!"

"This is ridiculous! With inspectors like this, who would be willing to abide by the law? Wouldn't the Star Lord's territory be in complete chaos?"

"Then I can do it too!"

"You're a penniless wretch, what are you going to bring?"

"Actually, patrolling the inner ring is alright, but if you go to patrol the outer ring, your head will be ripped off by space pirates the next day!"

Listening to their free-flowing conversation, I realized that compared to the celestial realm, the starry sky was truly bizarre. However, one thing was certain: the Star Court wasn't incapable of managing it, but rather unwilling to.

Here, as long as you have money, you can buy power and status!
During the journey, they arrived at another transit point, a very small star. Many people jumped off the ship, while some passengers paid to board.

Lin Shan kept a close eye on Xing Shuzi the whole time, to prevent the guy from slipping away right under his nose.

Another half month passed just like that.

Xing Shuzi was quite frustrated. He discovered that Lin Shan was watching him the whole time, following him wherever he went, and he couldn't take his eyes off him at all. He was plotting how to shake off this guy.

As we passed each of the intermediate stops, only the main star of Beishi Star remained. If we didn't leave now, it would be too late.

Suddenly, the ship swayed slightly during its journey.

The group stumbled and lost their balance, swaying and cursing as they leaned against the wall, all looking out the window.

The starry sky suddenly changed!
In the darkness, wave after wave crashed in, and a strange whistling sound seeped into the cabin, everywhere. There was a dense, rustling friction, as if something was drilling inside.

Someone with sharp eyes noticed something and quickly pointed it out to ask the others.

"Look, what are those white things on the crests of the waves?"

"Oh no, it's a starship! We've encountered space pirates!"

This statement caused an immediate uproar!

Without saying a word, the Yi Bao Lou caravan immediately began packing their belongings and whispering among themselves as they transferred their assets, presumably because they had been robbed before.

At the same time, he instructed the guards on the ship to be on guard and intercept them.

These massive waves crashing in the starry sky are a type of conventional, functional star array used for containment and interception, and they also carry out stellar magnetic interference.

The offensive continued unabated, like waves crashing higher and higher!
Before we were even ready, tiny red ants, the size of grains of rice, crawled in from all over the ship's cabins, burrowing in and out of every little corner, quickly leaving the interior of the ship riddled with holes.

The rustling sound just now came from these insects.

"Destroy them!"

Passengers and crew alike on board used various methods to strangle them.

But these things are impossible to kill completely. They keep appearing and increasing in number. Soon, the ceiling, door cracks, and window sills were covered with them. Some even climbed up to the foot of Linshan Mountain!
"."

Lin Shanshun stomped on the ground and looked outside to investigate the enemy's situation.

Actually, he was born with bad luck and was used to trouble wherever he went, so it was no surprise that he encountered a robbery when he first arrived.

It would be strange if nothing went wrong!
Looking at the dozen or so small boats outside, it was impossible to guess the cultivation level of those people. Under the cover of the star array, they were rapidly approaching. The ships were equipped with giant crossbows with spirit patterns and stone cannons, but none of them hit the enemy.

"Hurry, hurry up!"

The people at Yibaolou were still fiddling with the goods, not urging people to resist quickly, but racing against time to transfer assets.

This left the people in the cabin somewhat at a loss: should they resist or not?

If you're going to resist, then organize everyone; if you're not going to resist, then just open the escape routes and run. What's going on here?

Soon, the outsiders stormed the ship, a full dozen Void Transformation stage cultivators plus a hundred Nascent Soul stage cultivators!
The leaders were three peak Void Realm experts!

"The Three Wolves of Beijing Normal University?"

Someone on the field quickly recognized the group and urged everyone not to resist to avoid misunderstandings.

The warships alone couldn't stop so many people, allowing them to break through smoothly.

"Don't resist. The Three Wolves of Beishi are a notorious gang of robbers on Beishi Star. As long as you hand over your valuables, they won't kill you."

After some investigation, it was learned that the cultivator they encountered was quite famous on Beishi Star, a household name. Because he had always played the long game and never took advantage of others, everyone remained relatively calm.

There's no need to risk your life for something that can be settled with money.

Thud~~~
The cabin door was kicked open, and the other party entered one after another, confronting the people on the ship face to face.

"We three brothers know the ship of the Immortal Realm Treasure Pavilion. We're all old acquaintances. Manager Lie, hurry up and do our accounts."

The caravan leader of Yibaolou was surnamed Lie, and was probably related to Lie Yunsheng. Upon hearing this, he gave a wry smile.

"Wolves, I only come here once every ten years or so. It's a long journey of hundreds of millions of miles. If you rob me, I'm afraid I'll lose money."

"Hahaha, Manager Lie, you're really joking. We only ever take a toll and make a small profit. The brothers are just following me to earn a living. Who would want you to suffer a loss?"

The burly man leading the group laughed heartily, looking nothing like a robber but rather like a chivalrous hero who had stood up for justice.

The two leaders beside him were quite impatient and told him to stop dawdling.

"Enough talk, get the goods and ledgers out now, we need to settle our commission!"

"Okay, okay, okay."

Manager Lie had no intention of getting into a conflict with them, because a real fight would undoubtedly result in greater losses. Besides, the tourists on the ship were scattered in small groups, and he couldn't rely on them at all. That's why he didn't resist and obediently handed over his storage bags one by one.

Fortunately, they had made plans in advance and hoped to get away with it.

The three wolves from Beijing Normal University took it, quickly checked the accounts, and returned it after confirming there were no problems.

"Alright, just draw according to the instructions. You don't need much, 30% is enough!"

"Thirty percent? Why don't you just rob someone?"

Some Yi Bao Lou cultivators were indignant and shouted their grievances on the spot, but the team leader immediately pulled them back and told them not to shout.

The bandit leader wasn't angry; instead, he smiled and asked in return.

"What, new here?"

The team leader quickly smiled apologetically, ordered someone to hand over the prepared money, and hurriedly explained.

“The younger generation of the family came out to gain experience, and the adults asked me to help guide them. They don’t know the rules, so please don’t take offense.”

"Don't worry, I'm a man of principle. Since Manager Lie has paid, everything will be smooth sailing."

The leader took the money, then turned around and pointed at the group of passengers in the cabin.

"The caravan is done. Now it's your turn."

Lin Shan and the others were completely dumbfounded.

us?

Do we have to pay money too? (End of Chapter)