Chapter 612 - 611: Why You Have No Friends

Chapter 612: Chapter 611: Why You Have No Friends

Jiang Zuo strolled along the Starry Road.

After passing through the entrance, he found himself on a Starry Road.

This road led to the true Celestial Star Cave Mansion.

The Celestial Star Cave Mansion was located in a corner of the universe.

Under normal circumstances, it would be unrealistic to try and fly there without mastering Spatial Abilities.

The Starry Road was divided into two parts. The first part was, naturally, the one Jiang Zuo was currently on.

This section of the Starry Road had no problems, nor any obstacles.

One could truly just walk across it casually.

The latter half was the path of the Reverse Star River. Simply put, the land route turned into a water route. There were obstacles, but the danger wasn’t significant.

At least in Jiang Zuo’s opinion, even if those people were only Tier Four, they wouldn’t drown as long as they weren’t reckless.

Right now, Jiang Zuo was walking very slowly. He didn’t care about other things; even seizing the first-mover advantage was unimportant to him.

What he wanted was information, not some opportunity or great fortune.

Whether he obtained these things was fundamentally irrelevant to him.

However, just because Jiang Zuo didn’t value these things didn’t mean others felt the same. Seizing the initiative was like taking a huge step closer to opportunity.

Take Demon Cultivator Nan Xuan, who entered after Jiang Zuo, for example.

Unlike Jiang Zuo, she moved very quickly on the Starry Road and soon overtook him.

Jiang Zuo didn’t look at her, and she merely glanced at him before paying him no further mind.

Everyone’s cultivation was currently capped at Tier Four. As a former Tier Seven Daoist, she naturally wouldn’t pay too much attention to others who were also at Tier Four.

This was a difficult mindset to change, one she shared with Jiang Zuo.

In a way, it was a form of self-confidence.

After Demon Cultivator Nan Xuan came a large group of people, the vast majority of whom were Tier Four.

Everyone was rushing, hoping to enter the Celestial Star Cave Mansion as quickly as possible.

Many people overtook Jiang Zuo, but he remained unconcerned.

’What’s the use of being fast?’

’Does that guarantee they’ll be the first to reach the Celestial Star Cave Mansion?’

’The Starry Road isn’t that easy to travel. This isn’t some normal road.’

The Starry Road was similar to a form of teleportation, or perhaps a spatial tunnel.

However, it was a solidified spatial tunnel, which allowed them to travel along it to reach the Celestial Star Cave Mansion deep in the universe.

Soon, another person appeared beside Jiang Zuo. It was the Black-robed Demon Cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, long time no see," the Black-robed Demon Cultivator said to Jiang Zuo.

Jiang Zuo glanced at him but said nothing.

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator, in turn, quietly followed behind Po Xiao.

’When entering a Secret Realm, you have to latch onto someone powerful.’ To him, Po Xiao was a much better person to cling to than his own master.

Po Xiao was just too strange; you couldn’t judge him by his superficial Cultivation.

Otherwise, you would suffer a great loss.

Afterward, Blade Master Hai Bian and Chi Xue Child also found Po Xiao. It was worth noting that with the Mist around him, Po Xiao had a very low presence.

It wasn’t easy to find him.

Chi Xue Child asked, "Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, did you come alone?"

Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but glance at Chi Xue Child. ’What does he mean by that?’

’Did he expect two of me instead of one?’

’Right, these people know my wife is at the Holy Land.’

"..."

’This is really bad news.’

After that, Jiang Zuo ignored him. As long as these people didn’t cause him any trouble, it would be fine.

Blade Master Hai Bian asked the Black-robed Demon Cultivator, "Fellow Daoist, did your junior sister catch Mo Yan?"

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator shook his head. "I don’t know, but my junior sister didn’t come this time either."

Chi Xue Child said, "Will Fairy Dan Xue beat Mo Yan half to death? The kind of beating that’ll keep him down for a few years would be best."

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator’s brow twitched. "Calling her a ’Fairy’ like that... why does it feel so awkward?

But if you want to know, I can tell you. For just one First-Grade Spirit Stone."

Chi Xue Child was speechless. "You’re going to lose all your friends acting like this."

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator said, "I don’t have any friends to begin with. But I did have some in the past."

Blade Master Hai Bian was curious. "Did your friends leave you because you charge money just to talk to them?"

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator shook his head. "Because he tried to borrow money from me."

Chi Xue Child: "..."

Blade Master Hai Bian: "..."

Even Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but say, "You’re doing even worse than Mo Yan."

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator: "..."

’Do these people not even ask for the details? They just assume it’s my fault?’

"Do you all think it was my fault? I was different back then. I hadn’t started doing business yet," the Black-robed Demon Cultivator said.

Chi Xue Child asked, "So he borrowed money from you and didn’t pay it back?"

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator shook his head. "No. I was still young back then, so I told her the truth: I had no money.

But she didn’t believe me. She said I was the head disciple of a great senior, so how could I possibly be short on money? She told me to just say so if I didn’t want to lend it.

And then we weren’t friends anymore."

Blade Master Hai Bian and Chi Xue Child fell silent. So that was what happened.

Even Jiang Zuo was surprised.

Then the Black-robed Demon Cultivator continued, "After that, I was determined to make money. At the very least, I wanted to have money on hand when a friend needed to borrow some.

Later, I made a lot of money and finally made another friend.

That friend also asked to borrow money from me."

Blade Master Hai Bian said, "You lent it to him? Did he not pay you back?"

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator shook his head. "No. I felt I should lend him the money, but I needed him to use his Magical Treasure as collateral. After all, I had to control the risk.

I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that, but my friend said I should’ve just said no if I didn’t want to lend him the money. He questioned why I would ask for a Magical Treasure as collateral, saying that given our relationship, I shouldn’t even need collateral.

In the end, we stopped talking."

Chi Xue Child: "..."

Blade Master Hai Bian: "..."

Jiang Zuo: "..."

They were speechless.

"So I discovered a truth: doing business lets a person see the world clearly and understand all its truths," the Black-robed Demon Cultivator said.

Jiang Zuo and the others were at a loss for words. ’His train of thought sure takes some sharp turns.’

But on second thought, it was quite true. Back when the Black-robed Demon Cultivator did business with Po Xiao, he had truly and thoroughly understood what kind of existence Po Xiao was.

Chi Xue Child said, "So you’re seeking the truth of the world?"

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator shook his head again. "No, that was just a fleeting sentiment from my youth. Now, of course, making money is what’s important."

"..."

Just then, Jiang Zuo saw a large crowd of people up ahead. They seemed to be blocked by something.

Blade Master Hai Bian was surprised. "Did something happen up ahead?"

Jiang Zuo said, "It’s the Reverse Star River. Only by crossing it can you reach the Celestial Star and then enter the Celestial Star Cave Mansion."

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator silently made a mental note. ’This information can be sold for money.’

"The Reverse Star River? Is it hard to cross?" Blade Master Hai Bian asked.

Many Tier Five and Six seniors had suppressed their Cultivation to enter this place, and even they were stuck here, unable to advance. It was clearly not an easy crossing.

Jiang Zuo said, "It’s quite easy to cross."

The three of them were stunned for a moment.

How should one put it? Sometimes when Po Xiao said something was easy, it really was easy.

But other times, what he called easy was far from what they would consider easy.

For example, to Po Xiao, a Tier Six Array could be controlled as soon as he said so.

That was indeed quite easy.

But for anyone else—forget not being Tier Six, even a true Tier Six cultivator with no research into Arrays would be completely lost.

To put it more simply, it was like a complex calculus problem. To a genius student, it’s very simple.

But give it to a failing student, and they might never solve it in their lifetime.

Therefore, when it came to Po Xiao’s words, it was best to take them with a grain of salt.

As long as he didn’t say it was "a bit difficult," there was generally a solution.

Soon, they too arrived before the Reverse Star River.

What came into view was a brilliant Star River Road. Starlight flowed continuously and was incredibly dense.

It was like a river with raging rapids.

"Forge ahead against the rapids, or fall behind," Blade Master Hai Bian said.

That was indeed the case. There was a path of retreat here, but moving forward could be dangerous, just as was happening now.

On the path across the Reverse Star River, many people were already standing within it.

It was just that their progress was agonizingly slow.

Some people lost their footing, fell into the star river, and were then swept away by the current, their whereabouts unknown.

Disappearing on the Star River Road was not something anyone felt optimistic about.

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator asked Jiang Zuo, "Fellow Daoist, if someone falls into the star river, where will they be taken?"

Jiang Zuo took a step forward and said casually, "Why don’t you go find out for yourself?"

In reality, Jiang Zuo wasn’t sure where they would go, but it was one of two possibilities.

One, they would be torn apart by space. Two, they would be dropped into the vast universe.

The first meant certain death; the second meant their fate would be uncertain.

In short, it was best not to fall in.

As Jiang Zuo stepped out, Chi Xue Child and Blade Master Hai Bian immediately followed.

The Black-robed Demon Cultivator didn’t fall behind either.

There was one clear benefit to following Po Xiao: whether it was an Array or some other dangerous area, as long as they stayed behind him, they would usually be safe.

This was a lesson learned from following Po Xiao over a long period.

As expected, the Star River Road that others found impossible to traverse was like level ground for Po Xiao. For Chi Xue Child and the others, it was at worst a mountain path, posing no problem at all.

Many people looked over at Po Xiao’s group with astonishment, wondering if that side was easier to walk on.

Soon, some of them tried to follow.

In the end, they discovered it was exactly the same as where they were before.

Left with no choice, they could only retreat.

Jiang Zuo’s group wasn’t walking fast, but compared to the others on the Star River Road, they were already moving at high speed.

Before long, they began to take the lead.

And after taking the lead, Jiang Zuo saw a woman.

It was the beautiful woman who had surpassed him at the beginning.

However, Jiang Zuo paid her no mind and continued walking forward on his own.

"Master, what a coincidence." The Black-robed Demon Cultivator greeted Demon Cultivator Nan Xuan as he passed her.

Demon Cultivator Nan Xuan was taken aback for a moment, but she showed no expression.

She just stood there, watching Jiang Zuo’s steps.

At first, she was a little confused, then she seemed to have a moment of realization, and finally, she looked shocked.

Immediately after, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She even suspected she might have seen it wrong.

She was no ordinary expert. Even if her Cultivation had been weakened, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her insight.

Through her eyes, she could see that the man wasn’t just taking ordinary steps.

His every step landed on the apex nodes of the Star River.

It was like stepping on the crest of a surging ocean wave with every stride. Because he was treading on such crests, he was able to walk normally.

And because the crests were being stepped on, the Star River became stable, allowing the others to follow behind him normally.

But all of this was much easier said than done.

With her abilities, at least, she couldn’t see the crests of the Star River at all.

If one couldn’t see the crests of the Star River, then the theory would forever remain just a theory.

But that person had not only seen them but had also stepped on them casually. This was what she found so hard to believe.