"Hold on! Are you people even reasonable?"
Seeing the two immortal soldiers trying to arrest Jiang Yuan, the hamster Pudding immediately shouted in panic and quickly stepped in front of Jiang Yuan.
"Lord Yuling, it was clearly this guy who abused his power and set up an illegal checkpoint first. Jiang Yuan just taught him a lesson."
The hamster Pudding quickly explained to Yuling, the captain of the Immortal Realm Security Squad.
"That's right, he was the one trying to extort us!"
After Pudding finished, Wen Ding Cang Sheng, Ding Ye, and the others immediately chimed in, accusing the two of deliberately setting up the checkpoint to demand immortal crystals.
"Wang Miao, is what they said true?"
Hearing the accusations from Wen Ding Cang Sheng and the others, Yuling glanced at Wang Miao beside him and asked.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, it's not true at all. My brother and I were just collecting the standard teleportation fee. It's these riffraff who've been causing trouble and refusing to pay."
Facing Yuling's interrogation, Wang Miao immediately began to quibble, twisting the truth with all his might.
"Pudding, Brother Cang Sheng, Brother Yong, all of you stop talking."
Jiang Yuan suddenly had an idea and quickly said to the hamster Pudding and the others, then frantically winked at them.
"Lord Yuling, it's true that I struck Jia Lang first, and I'm willing to accept your judgment! But I have one small request."
After stopping the hamster Pudding and the others with his eyes, Jiang Yuan immediately spoke to Yuling.
"Oh? What request? Let's hear it."
Yuling raised an eyebrow, looking at Jiang Yuan as he asked.
"I hope Your Excellency will take us to the North Heavenly Gate. Once there, I'll accept whatever punishment you see fit."
Jiang Yuan gripped the token of the North Star Lord in his hand and smiled slightly at Yuling.
"Men, tie this guy up. The rest of you, follow me!"
How could Yuling know what Jiang Yuan was up to? Seeing that the other party was willing to submit, he immediately ordered his men to bind Jiang Yuan tightly.
"Wang Miao, you stay here and continue guarding the Ascension Platform. Men, bring Jia Lang along too."
Yuling said to Wang Miao, then had someone grab the half-dead Jia Lang lying on the ground and headed toward the teleportation array.
And so, Jiang Yuan led the hamster Pudding and the group of newly ascended players to the North Heavenly Gate of the Immortal Realm without spending a single coin.
Looking at the towering and majestic North Gate of the Immortal Realm, Jiang Yuan secretly rejoiced!
"Lord Yuling, what brings you here today?"
An immortal soldier guarding the North Heavenly Gate, seeing the massive procession, immediately bowed to the leader Yuling and asked.
"A few newly ascended mortals caused trouble at the Ascension Platform, and I caught them. They insisted on being punished here at the North Heavenly Gate. I don't know why either."
Yuling explained, then waved for his men to bring the tightly bound Jiang Yuan to the front of the North Heavenly Gate. With a forceful push, Jiang Yuan fell to his knees with a thud.
Seeing that Yuling intended to hold court here, the immortal soldier guarding the North Heavenly Gate quickly and tactfully brought a chair, helping Yuling sit down with a fawning expression.
"Mortal rogue immortal, state your name at once!"
Yuling sat casually in the chair, resting his hands on the backrest as he shouted at Jiang Yuan.
"My name is Jiang Yuan, and I've just ascended to the Immortal Realm today."
Jiang Yuan barely suppressed his laughter, fully cooperating with Yuling as they put on a good show!
"Rogue immortal Jiang Yuan, you've committed the offense of a subordinate attacking a superior by assaulting an Immortal Realm official. Do you know the penalty?"
Yuling, full of authority, pointed at Jiang Yuan and scolded.
"I do not."
Jiang Yuan shook his head cooperatively, quietly waiting for Yuling's next words.
"According to Immortal Realm law, a subordinate attacking a superior warrants thirty strokes of the rod! Assaulting an Immortal Realm official warrants one hundred strokes! Combined, that's one hundred and thirty strokes! Men!"
Yuling had the Immortal Realm laws memorized by heart. He promptly laid out the punishment for Jiang Yuan, then immediately called out to his men. Jiang Yuan saw two immortal soldiers each carrying a red-and-black punishment club approaching him.
"Hold on!"
Just as the two immortal soldiers raised their clubs, ready to strike hard, Jiang Yuan quickly shouted, stopping them.
"Rogue immortal Jiang Yuan, do you have something else to say?"
Yuling looked at Jiang Yuan, his face full of impatience as he asked.
"May I ask, Lord Yuling, if Jia Lang had extorted a superior official, what would his punishment be?"
Jiang Yuan calmly looked at Yuling, then added, "For example, officials like the Five Direction Star Lords or the Southern Dipper Star Lord."
"Rogue immortal, don't slander me! When did I ever extort Lord Southern Dipper or Lord Five Directions? Lord Yuling, don't listen to this troublemaker. Please order the punishment immediately!"
Jia Lang, the petty clerk in black robes, had mostly recovered from his injuries thanks to the immortal qi nourishment. Hearing Jiang Yuan falsely accuse him, he trembled with rage and quickly bowed to Yuling.
"Please, Your Excellency, answer my question first. Then you can beat me!"
Jiang Yuan, pinned to the ground, struggled to lift his head and looked at Yuling with a smile.
"The Five Direction Star Lords and the Southern Dipper Star Lord are sixth-rank officials in the Immortal Realm. Even I must address them as 'Your Excellency.' Unless Jia Lang had the audacity of a bear's heart and a leopard's gall to extort a sixth-rank official, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to save him!"
Yuling glanced at Jia Lang and said mockingly.
"Your Excellency speaks truly! Even if I had the heavens' boldness, I wouldn't dare be disrespectful to those lords!"
Though Yuling had been mocking him, Jia Lang still shot him a grateful look and bowed respectfully.
"Enough, I've answered your question. Stop causing trouble. Proceed with the punishment!"
Yuling looked at Jiang Yuan and waved at the immortal soldiers holding the clubs on either side of him. The two soldiers understood and were about to strike when Jiang Yuan shouted again.
"Hold on!"
"What now, you scoundrel?"
Interrupted again, a trace of anger appeared on Yuling's face as he said irritably.
"Lord Yuling, if you accidentally committed the offense of a subordinate attacking a superior, what would your punishment be?"
Jiang Yuan chuckled again, looking at Yuling as he asked.
"Bold rogue, how dare you mock me? Beat him hard!"
Hearing that Jiang Yuan was now making fun of him, Yuling flew into a rage. Without giving Jiang Yuan another chance to speak, he immediately ordered his men to begin the punishment!
"Ah!"
The club landed heavily on Jiang Yuan's backside. The sharp pain made him cry out, and he casually tossed the token he had been clutching in his hand toward the immortal soldier guarding the North Heavenly Gate!
"What's this?"
The soldier picked up the object that had hit his face and looked at it, immediately shuddering in shock!
"Heavens! It's Lord North Star's token!"
"What!"
Hearing the soldier's exclamation, Yuling rushed over, snatched the token, and examined it in his hand. He stood frozen, dumbfounded!