Chapter 119: Borrowing the Tiger's Skin to Make a Great Banner

A threat?

Lin Bai hadn't even shown his face, yet he had already been manipulated by the Heavenly Descended under his command!

Zhao Ang was so angry his complexion turned green, and the hand gripping his Sword trembled incessantly.

He did not understand; clearly, the Heavenly Descended were the outsiders, and he could wipe out a large group of them with a single strike of his Sword, so why was it that he was the one feeling stifled?

Even when people from the Canyang Sect intercepted large numbers of Heavenly Descended from his hands, he had only thought that he was outnumbered, and had not felt stifled at all!

It was Lin Bai.

The scene of meeting Lin Bai that afternoon flashed through Zhao Ang's mind; the sense of powerlessness he felt then was exactly the same as now, unable to unleash his martial prowess.

It was all Lin Bai's doing!

If not for him, the Heavenly Descended would absolutely not have turned into this state!

"Interesting." Peng Ze cast a meaningful glance at Lao Mi, then turned to smile at Qingming Daozhang, "Daoist, there won't be a fight, let's sit and have a cup of tea!"

As he spoke.

Without waiting for Qingming Daozhang to respond, he sat down on his own at the side of Jiang Qingqin; a Beggar Sect Disciple poured him hot tea. Although Qingming Daozhang was a Golden Core True Person, he had no authority over Medicine King Valley.

Qingming Daozhang remained silent for a moment, flicked his horsetail whisk, and without any visible movement, also sat around the square table.

The Heavenly Descended were Undying and Indestructible; using force to threaten them was useless, so it was better to calm down and watch what they did. He could not bear the responsibility of pushing the Heavenly Descended toward the evil sects and villains.

Sun Lie of the Spirit Tool Pavilion cupped his hands toward Lao Mi and sat down gracefully in the last empty seat at the square table.

Of the five people who came to challenge the sect, in the blink of an eye, only Zhao Ang was left standing there alone holding his Sword, his face livid, unable to leave or stay.

The four seats at the square table were occupied by Qingming Daozhang and the others; no matter whose side he sat next to, it would look out of place, and sitting at a side table would be even more awkward.

Damn it!

What kind of people are these!

Zhao Ang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot; he closed his eyes in frustration, everything was going against him!

"That's more like it!" Lao Mi laughed, "If you have something to say, say it; fighting and killing is so harmful to harmony..."

"Shopkeeper Lin, you've watched enough of the excitement, it's time to come out." Qingming Daozhang glanced at Lao Mi and called toward the backyard, "Rest assured, with this poor Daoist here, there will be no fighting. Since the Beggar Sect was established by the Heavenly Descended, Shopkeeper Lin naturally does not count as having violated the rules of the Seven Orthodox Sects. Since the Heavenly Dao allows the Heavenly Descended to enter the world, we will not go against the heavens and forcibly interfere with their fate, otherwise, how would we be any different from the evil paths?"

"That Zhao Xiansheng over there looks very fierce." Lao Mi said, "Shopkeeper Lin is an honored guest of our Beggar Sect; if something were to happen on our turf, we wouldn't know how to answer to the Justice Sect."

"Junior Brother Zhao, put your Sword away!" Qingming Daozhang looked at Zhao Ang and said indifferently, "This time it was indeed us who were rude first; continuing to be aggressive would only make us a laughingstock. Since Shopkeeper Lin can be on good terms with the Heavenly Descended, we should ask him for guidance."

"I wouldn't dare accept the title of guidance." Lin Bai's hearty voice came from the backyard, "Those who cultivate the Dao are one family; everyone should help each other and maintain social stability together, that is the true great righteousness..."

【Resentment from Zhao Ang, Qingming Daozhang, Sun Lie, and Peng Ze; +1+1+1】

【Guilt from Jiang Qingqin; +1+1+1】

The moment Lin Bai appeared, the five-person challenge group accurately fed back their respective emotions to him.

Lin Bai smiled at everyone, walked over slowly, and stood beside Lao Mi.

To be honest.

The players' performance was somewhat beyond Lin Bai's expectations.

However, this was also within reason; although the players didn't understand those sects while with him, they understood what their goals were.

But looking at Qingming Daozhang's side, although the players had already arrived in this world for nearly twenty days, they clearly still did not understand their code of conduct.

One side was unscrupulous, while the other was full of concerns.

This was originally an unfair negotiation...

Unless the Seven Orthodox Sects and the Taiyi Kingdom could harden their hearts, drive the players to extinction, and leave them with not a shred of game experience, otherwise, they were destined to be held in check by the players...

But thinking about it, that was also impossible; not to mention the threat of Heavenly Thunder to Jichu Cheng.

The infighting between them was already too much.

Once the Seven Orthodox Sects went all out against the players, it would give the villains an opportunity...

Furthermore.

On the continent, there was not only the Taiyi Kingdom.

As long as there was someone on the continent who could tolerate the existence of players.

Then, the sects or kingdoms that took action against the players would surely suffer a catastrophic disaster.

Players with infinite growth potential were too much of a BUG; they were a double-edged sword, it just depended on who could use them well.

Up to now, only he, who neither belonged to this world, understood the players, and carried a bunch of inexplicable systems, had barely managed to gain a slight upper hand in the struggle with the players; of course, he had also attracted more hatred...

But in the future, once the NPCs adapted to the players' style, his advantage would no longer exist.

Qingming Daozhang looked to be in his thirties, sitting there, calm and composed, as if everything was under his control, but the moment Lin Bai came out, his eyebrows still involuntarily twitched upward.

The young man on his left had an Alchemy Furnace embroidered on his Daoist robe; he should be an alchemist from Medicine King Valley.

The middle-aged man on his right had a dark complexion and was full of the aura of fireworks; he should be from the Weapon Refinement Sect...

Lin Bai swept his gaze over them and already understood their identities. He cupped his hands: "The World Walker of the Justice Sect greets Qingming Daozhang, Senior Brother Peng Ze, Senior Brother Sun Lie, Senior Brother Zhao Ang, and Jiang Shimei..."

With a round of greetings, he accurately called out everyone's names.

Except for Zhao Ang and Qingming Daozhang, Peng Ze and Sun Lie were both stunned at the same time.

Peng Ze asked: "You recognize us?"

"First time meeting." Lin Bai smiled, "Hasn't Jiang Shimei told you? The Justice Sect has the divine ability of Deducing Heavenly Secrets. Although I haven't learned it fully, I can still calculate names upon meeting."

"Is that so?" Sun Lie looked at Jiang Qingqin, seeking confirmation.

"Senior Brother Lin does indeed possess this divine ability." Jiang Qingqin nodded, "Previously, when we were arrayed against the Blood Shadow Sect, Senior Brother Lin also called out their names in one breath."

"Deducing Heavenly Secrets, is that for real?" 【Fengzi Nan】 asked in the team voice chat.

"It should be true, unless Shopkeeper Lin could know everyone's names beforehand, but if that were the case, the Justice Sect would be even more terrifying." 【Gugao Laoren】's eyes were bright and piercing; the more awesome the Justice Sect was, the brighter their future would be!

"I suspect Shopkeeper Lin doesn't just possess the Divination Technique for guessing names; he should also have a certain ability for Deducing Heavenly Secrets," 【Bitter Melon Vine】 said. "Don't forget that time we besieged him; I asked around afterward, and no one leaked our plan. Yet Shopkeeper Lin was crystal clear about all our arrangements. That was when I suspected Shopkeeper Lin had the ability to foresee the future."

"Holy crap, he can even calculate the players' plans? How did he do that? Is the smart AI already this terrifying?" 【Jingbuyi】 said.

"Terrifying my ass! For a game, calculating the players' movements is too easy," 【Jiang bu jiangjiu】 said with disdain. "All our conversations are recorded in the backend. As long as the server is willing, leaking everyone's conversation records to Lin Bai is what they call the Divination Technique; it has nothing to do with intelligence! It can only be said that Lin Bai is the developer's own son."

"Holy crap, I've really latched onto a big shot this time," 【Silver】 swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Let's observe a moment of silence for those who are enemies with Lin Bai!" 【Madman】 said. "They have no idea how many cheats the dog planner has enabled for Shopkeeper Lin."

"I'm just afraid that Shopkeeper Lin will suddenly transform into the final BOSS!" 【Lao Mi】 couldn't help but interject.

In an instant.

The crowd of players fell silent.

……

F*ck!

I teach you Martial Art and lead you to make money!

And you spend all day thinking about pushing me over!

A bunch of ungrateful wretches!

Listening to the players' discussions, Lin Bai engaged in some Belly-Defamation, yet on the surface, he remained calm and composed. A person's ability is limited after all; he had to constantly enrich his Justice Sect, even if it was a fake Justice Sect, he had to make them wary of the consequences...

"Deducing Heavenly Secrets?" Peng Ze repeated subconsciously, frowning as he looked at Lin Bai. "Shopkeeper Lin, forgive my bluntness, but Medicine King Valley has a heritage of ten thousand years; why have we never heard of the deeds of the Justice Sect?"

"I don't know about that," Lin Bai smiled. "I hadn't finished my studies when my master pushed me out of the mountain gate. He said that as a Heavenly Descended, I should enter the world to face the calamity of this era, but he never told me about the past of the Justice Sect. And since I entered the mortal world, even the location of my own mountain gate has become blurred. If the world doesn't know the Justice Sect, it is likely because the ancestors of the sect used the technique of Interfering with Heavenly Secrets!"

Facing the calamity?

Interfering with Heavenly Secrets!

With the two terms Lin Bai threw out one after another, the minds of Qingming Daoren and the others were shaken violently.

They were unwilling to acknowledge the existence of the Justice Sect, but Lin Bai's words seemed to carry a natural charm that made them unable to help but choose to believe.

In reality.

The moment Lin Bai walked out of the backyard.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily focused on him, to the point that even the Heavenly Descended who had been making a big scene just now were ignored.

Lin Bai was calm and composed, with a white fox squatting on his shoulder. At a glance, he looked like a disciple of a prominent sect, just like a direct descendant truly coming out of the Seven Profound Sects, ethereal as an immortal, with an outstanding Temperament.

A disciple from an ordinary small sect would definitely not have his kind of Temperament.

The moment he saw Lin Bai, Zhao Ang, who was full of anger, had intended to draw his Sword regardless of anything else.

But the moment Lin Bai came out.

He actually seemed to see a halo on Lin Bai, causing a moment of hesitation. By the time he came to his senses and wanted to draw his Sword, he could no longer make up his mind.

Peng Ze looked at Elder Qingming, his fingers tapping lightly on the table to hide his unease. Their judgment of the Heavenly Descended, Lin Bai, and the Justice Sect seemed to be entirely wrong.

And Elder Qingming looked at Jiang Qingqin with dissatisfaction in his eyes. All the information about Lin Bai was provided by Jiang Qingqin, and now it seemed the deviation was too great.

Jiang Qingqin felt nothing. She had known Lin Bai the longest, and the impact of Lin Bai's changes on her was the greatest; she even thought Lin Bai had been replaced.

Is this his true face?

Jiang Qingqin's heart was pounding. The Justice Sect truly exists, and the practice of "words following the law" must also be real...

"Interfering with Heavenly Secrets is an immortal art; Shopkeeper Lin's words are a bit grandiose!" Zhao Ang said unconvinced. "If the Justice Sect can really Deduce Heavenly Secrets, why would they send out someone like Shopkeeper Lin, who hasn't even formed a Golden Core, to walk the world? If Shopkeeper Lin meets with an accident, wouldn't all the Justice Sect's plans be reduced to ashes?"

The more he spoke, the more confident he became. Zhao Ang's eyes shone brighter and brighter, as if he had exposed Lin Bai's true colors.

"Master naturally has his intentions. Does Brother Zhao insist on splitting hairs with me?" Lin Bai smiled faintly. "Brother Zhao, do you know? Since the creation of the world, the mortal world has experienced countless calamities. In every calamity, countless people have fallen. Similarly, several Heavenly Mandate Persons will appear accordingly to save the world from disaster. They may not be the most powerful people, but they have a unified title: Heavenly Mandate Person."

"What does that mean?"

"There isn't just one person to face the calamity?"

"Heavenly Mandate Person?"

Sun Lie, Peng Ze, and Daoist Qingming asked at the same time.

"A Heavenly Mandate Person encounters auspiciousness in the face of disaster and turns bad luck into good." Lin Bai puffed out his chest, as if at that moment, he was the protagonist of the world.

Gulp!

Jiang Qingqin swallowed a mouthful of saliva gently.

……

After Lin Bai said these words, the Beggar Sect Disciples and the audience watching the live stream exploded simultaneously, and the barrage flew by:

"Holy crap, a big secret"

"This must be the main plot of the game"

"Shopkeeper Lin is indeed a plot NPC"

"If he is a Heavenly Mandate Person, what are the players? Villains?"

"For the game world, players are indeed villains who will make the world restless"

"In other words, the players will eventually clash with the Heavenly Mandate Person"

"You think they haven't clashed yet? How many people are thinking of entering the game to kill Lin Bai? Now they have even more reason"

"There's no reason at all. If Lin Bai is truly a plot NPC, then he won't be killed no matter what."

"Yeah! At the critical moment, the system will lock his health; it will be as disgusting as it gets"

"We have to try anyway. Players destroy the world, the Heavenly Mandate Person protects the world; that is likely the main plot of this game"

"The game's main plot is quite dark. There is no BOSS that cannot be pushed over. If the Heavenly Mandate Person is pushed over, it means the world is occupied by players. For the native NPCs, what a tragic thing that is"

"Does the Game Company dare to let the players not achieve the final victory?"

"What an epic plot. I'm looking forward to the story behind it more and more. It feels even more exciting than watching a blockbuster movie. The dog planner has worked hard"

"F*ck, when will the public beta actually start! Not being able to personally participate in this epic-level game is a lifelong regret"

……

"Senior Brother Lin, are you the Heavenly Mandate Person?" Jiang Qingqin asked.

"Perhaps I am!" Lin Bai smiled, neither admitting nor denying it, "I actually am not very clear about it myself..."

"Why?" Jiang Qingqin asked, "You clearly said just now..."

"Shopkeeper Lin, please elaborate," Qingming Daozhang interrupted Jiang Qingqin and asked.

Lin Bai sighed and said, "Fate is impermanent; no one knows how the future will develop. Every catastrophe is a cycle, a way for heaven and earth to reorganize order and push the world forward.

To deal with a catastrophe, there is naturally more than one Heavenly Mandate Person.

Whenever a great catastrophe of heaven and earth occurs, those destined to face it will surely enter the world. They carry their own missions; in the end, they might help each other, or they might be hostile toward one another, but ultimately, they will grow step by step, finally causing the catastrophe to vanish into nothingness and returning peace to the world.

It is just like the end of a dynasty, when heroes rise together, but in the end, only one True Mandate Son will be born. In the course of history, those who were teachers, friends, or enemies to the True Mandate Son were all indispensable, so the Heavenly Mandate Person naturally cannot be the only one."

He looked around at the players and said, "My master even once told me a possibility: the true Heavenly Mandate Son might also be born from among the Heavenly Descended."

(End of chapter)