Chapter 229: The Natives Don't Care About Public Opinion

"The truth behind the Righteous and Evil Joint Execution Order: whose interests did Lin Bai, the public enemy of the world, infringe upon?"

"Terror spreads as the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects join forces; is there still a path for upward mobility in this new civilization?"

"Ordinary people are not livestock raised by the Cultivation World!"

"Is it a heinous crime to let the common people enjoy the benefits of cultivators?"

"The confrontation between the Fazhe Zhidao and the old cultivation hegemony—which side are you on?"

"What is the cornerstone of social development: the common people or the cultivators?"

……

The fifth issue of *Justice Weekly* was released on time. Article after article analyzed the irrationality of the Righteous and Evil Joint Execution Order from various perspectives, denounced the tyranny of the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects, and delivered sharp accusations that struck at the heart, stripping away the hypocritical masks of the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects to expose their shameless conduct.

The editorial department of *Justice Weekly* was in Qian City. The 【Number One Paparazzi of the Xianxia World】 naturally knew about the changes in the Beggar Sect, but his goal was clear: to build *Justice Weekly* into the number one media outlet in the Xianxia World.

Therefore.

He did not care at all about who became the Chief Beggar, as long as it did not interfere with his business.

He even wanted to detach *Justice Weekly* from the Beggar Sect and run it independently, so that the revenue from the weekly's operations would all be his, without having to share profits with anyone, but he dared not do so.

After all.

Once he put his heart into the media, the people in the editorial department had no time to level up; if he detached it to run independently, he would not be able to protect it, so it was better to just do media work safely and steadily as he was doing now.

The fifth issue planned by the 【Number One Paparazzi of the Xianxia World】 was originally intended to revolve around the Incomplete Dao to compete with *Heavenly Dao Review*, but the sudden appearance of the Righteous and Evil Joint Execution Order made him smell an opportunity for a rise.

Thus, he immediately overturned the original manuscripts and called on all editors to work through the night to produce a special feature on the Execution Order.

Creating hot topics—how could that compare to catching eyes with a real hot topic!

Moreover, such a sharp topic even gave the 【Number One Paparazzi of the Xianxia World】 a sense of achievement in truly doing journalism, commenting on current politics, pointing out the direction of the country, and dancing on the edge of life and death.

*Heavenly Dao Review* was defined as gossip news, and no matter how one looked at it, it could not steal his heat.

This wave, he was sure to win...

As for the ban on *Justice Weekly* by the Seven Righteous Sects, the 【Number One Paparazzi of the Xianxia World】 did not take it to heart at all; blocking the mouths of the people is more dangerous than blocking a river.

As long as there were players, and as long as people in the Cultivation World were still interested in Lin Bai, *Justice Weekly* could not be banned...

At the same time.

*Heavenly Dao Review* also released its first issue.

【Huangye Lang】 introduced the purpose of *Heavenly Dao Review*, and in his opening, he commented on the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects.

"How much fluff is there really in the Heavenly Dao Sect, the leader of the Seven Righteous Sects?"

"Why is the Heavenly Sword Sect a ten-thousand-year runner-up, and what is the number one Sword Art in the world actually lacking?"

"Evil cannot suppress righteousness; how does the number one Demon Sect, the Shengji Sect, justify its name?"

"What does the bottom-ranked Moon Spirit Sect actually treat its female cultivators as?"

……

More than a dozen articles provided a detailed analysis of the high-and-mighty sects.

The headlines were quite eye-catching.

It looked like reviews, but the content was all about sowing discord.

The Heavenly Dao Sect's number one status was not what it seemed;

Didn't the Heavenly Sword Sect feel stifled after being the runner-up for ten thousand years?

As the number one Demon Sect, the Shengji Sect had no ambition and followed the orders of the Heavenly Dao Sect, making it inherently three parts weaker, and it would never surpass the Heavenly Dao Sect even in another ten thousand years;

The female cultivators of the Moon Spirit Sect were described by *Heavenly Dao Review* as socialites, treating female cultivators as goods and relying on their looks to secure their position among the Seven Righteous Sects...

……

Each article was as insulting as possible, wishing that the sect cultivators who finished reading the reviews would tear each other apart on the spot and re-establish the rankings to prove themselves;

And 【Huangye Lang】 even ingeniously included a prize-winning quiz at the end of the issue: Which sect will be conquered by Lin Bai next ( )?

……

The players did not care about any bans; they loved to watch the chaos and wished the world were even more chaotic, not to mention there were distribution advertising fees.

Distributors in various places worked through the night to typeset and print, and the two publications were launched simultaneously in various regions, delivered to readers at the first opportunity, quickly stirring up a huge uproar at all levels of society.

……

In a tavern.

A scholar looked at the *Justice Weekly* in his hand, slapped the table, and cursed: "Utterly shameless! I once thought that cultivators were high-and-mighty and free of desires, but I never expected them to be just like commoners, doing such filthy things."

"Indeed! The Justice Alliance just wanted to let us commoners enjoy the convenience of cultivation, but I never expected them to be uprooted and slaughtered by them. Truly covering the sky with one hand, unable to tolerate anyone challenging their authority!" someone nearby echoed. "This sentence is well said: civilization serves the majority and should not be a privilege in the hands of a few."

"What's the use? Can you fight against those high-and-mighty cultivators for the sake of the Justice Alliance? They come and go in the air; they might blow you into dust with a single breath," someone said with disdain. "I don't think much of Lin Bai and his Justice Alliance."

"You can't say it like that. Do you even know what cultivators have done for the world?" In the corner, a down-and-out old Daoist shook the wine pot in his hand and said drunkenly, "If the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects hadn't kept each other in check for ten thousand years and set down various rules, given the nature of Demon Sect cultivators, they would have likely slaughtered people in the human world, causing misery and suffering. Where would you get such a peaceful life now? If the Cultivation World hadn't curbed the development of the Demon Race, great demons would have come out of the mountains and forests to eat people wantonly; who among you could have stopped them?"

"You old Daoist, you speak for the cultivators everywhere; are you not a cultivator yourself?" The scholar slapped the table, glanced sideways at the old Daoist, and argued, "Even if they have merit, what mistake did the Justice Alliance make to be targeted by them everywhere? Can't we common mortals take pills?"

The old Daoist was stunned, shook his head, and said: "Alchemists are rare, and pills are difficult to refine; wanting to popularize them is easier said than done! It's just wishful thinking!"

The scholar said: "If you don't try to find a way, it will never be solved. Why does Lin Bai's Justice Alliance dare to speak and act? Why are the Seven Righteous Sects afraid of the rise of the Justice Alliance? Old Daoist, it's just that the Justice Alliance hasn't arrived yet. If they come, I will be the first to join the Justice Alliance and be a small soldier waving the flag and shouting. To resist this unfair world, from this moment on, I will cultivate that Fazhe Zhidao. If Lin Bai falls, I will pick up his banner and continue to fight the Seven Righteous Sects on behalf of the Justice Alliance."

The old Daoist scanned him with drunken, hazy eyes, sighed, and stopped arguing with him.

It was impossible to reason these things out with these common mortals.

In his view, the Fazhe Zhidao published by Lin Bai was the truly demonic path; if it spread, he did not know how much of the national economy and people's livelihood would be ruined.

"Bewitching the hearts of the people and manipulating public opinion—this is the path of the Great Heavenly Demon. To say he is heinous is not an exaggeration at all. If this child is not eliminated, the world will be in danger."

The old Daoist tilted his head and poured a mouthful of wine into his mouth.

The next instant.

He had already disappeared from the tavern.

……

Qinglong Cheng.

Inside an inconspicuous Sword Sect, two young men in white robes were playing a game of chess.

"Senior Brother, what do you think?" The one holding the black pieces asked distractedly, dropping a casual piece onto the board.

"I think while sitting." The Senior Brother sat on the couch in a slouching, improper posture, flipping through the *Justice Weekly* in his hand with great interest. With a flick of his finger, a chess piece landed on the board. He clicked his tongue, his eyes filled with envy, "Stirring up the winds and clouds of the world, this Lin Bai is the true Heaven's Pride!"

"Senior Brother, is there any need to be this excited? He is our enemy, after all!" The Junior Brother had black lines on his forehead, "Besides, the Heavenly Descended under him called our Sword Sect the 'ten-thousand-year runner-up'; aren't you even a little angry?"

"Why should I be angry? Is he wrong?" The Senior Brother laughed dismissively, "In all the years of the Heaven's Pride Tournament, how many times have we beaten the Heavenly Dao Sect?"

"That is because the competition restricts our performance. In a real life-or-death struggle, how many of those stinking Daoists from the Heavenly Dao Sect would be our match?" The Junior Brother said, unconvinced.

"Do you know why there can't be a life-or-death struggle?" The Senior Brother put down the *Justice Weekly* and shook his head with a smile, "Because the rules were set by the Heavenly Dao Sect! Why were the rules set by the Heavenly Dao Sect? Because we are the ten-thousand-year runner-up! We keep saying we want to be the number one of the Seven Righteous Sects, shouting it for thousands of years, yet we haven't taken a single substantive action. We aren't even as good as a twenty-something-year-old brat; is it really unjust to be called the ten-thousand-year runner-up?"

The Junior Brother was speechless.

The Senior Brother put down the *Justice Weekly* and glanced at the chessboard: "Junior Brother, you lost. Your heart is not at peace."

"I..." The Junior Brother opened his mouth, then gritted his teeth and said, "Senior Brother, I want to go to Qian City and kill Lin Bai."

"Then go!" The Senior Brother stood up to his full height and said, "I will take you to witness Lin Bai's Fazhe Zhidao. The Justice Alliance has come up with so many interesting Fazhe, I just don't know if there is a Jian Dao Fazhe. I think there should be; otherwise, he wouldn't have said such heroic lines as 'a single Sword to slash away the sun, moon, and stars'."

"Senior Brother, I always feel like you are boosting Lin Bai's morale and dampening our own," the Junior Brother said, unwilling to accept it. "He is only at the Spirit Transformation realm; perhaps he will already be dead by the time we get there."

"Junior Brother, dare to make a bet with me?" the Senior Brother asked.

"What bet?" the Junior Brother asked.

"Let's bet that Lin Bai can survive for more than a year under the Righteous and Evil Kill Order and be perfectly fine," the Senior Brother said.

"Impossible," the Junior Brother said. "He isn't a Tribulation Transcendence True Person. I have already studied his information. Those Fazhe are all crooked paths and don't possess any lethality at all. Maybe he couldn't even withstand one of my Sword strikes."

"Are we betting or not?" the Senior Brother asked with a smile.

"Bet," the Junior Brother said.

"Good. If I win, when we return to the Heavenly Sword Sect, you go and steal the Junior Sister's bodice," the Senior Brother laughed. "If you win, I will go steal the bodice, how about that!"

The Junior Brother looked at his Senior Brother gloomily, then suddenly smiled: "Fine, I'll bet with you. Once I reach Qian City, I will challenge Lin Bai and hack him to death with a single Sword from afar. Don't try to welch on the bet then."

Illusion Valley.

On the seat of the Valley Master sat a young girl who looked only sixteen or seventeen. Her almond eyes were wide with anger, and with a light tap of her finger, the *Heavenly Dao Review* and *Justice Weekly* turned into powder in her hand. She gritted her silver teeth: "Despicable brat, to actually insult my Moon Spirit Sect like this."

"Luo Tianjiao is right. That Lin Bai is truly detestable, but with you presiding over Illusion Valley, Lin Bai will surely never return," the Valley Master of Illusion Valley said carefully, accompanying her with a smile.

After the news of the Chaoyuan Sword Sect arrived, they had been living in constant fear, terrified that Lin Bai would run over to attack them the next second.

Who could have expected that the Righteous and Evil Kill Order would suddenly be issued? Even if it was issued, they were no match for Lin Bai.

Naturally, they didn't dare to provoke him. Who knew that on that very day, Luo Xue, the Heaven's Pride of the Moon Spirit Sect, would come knocking, wanting to borrow their assistance to take down Lin Bai in one fell swoop.

The Seven Righteous Sects produced Heaven's Pride after Heaven's Pride, and everyone crowned with the name of Heaven's Pride was a peerless genius; challenging those of a higher level was a daily occurrence.

Once Luo Xue arrived, everyone in Illusion Valley felt as if they had taken a reassurance pill. They put their hearts completely at ease and couldn't wait to set out immediately to crusade against Lin Bai.

The rewards for the Righteous and Evil Kill Order were generous. Even if they couldn't get the lion's share, assisting from the sidelines would be enough to take Illusion Valley to the next level.

Luo Xue rolled her eyes a few times and said: "That's right. How many Nascent Soul cultivators does Illusion Valley have? Go and find them all. To avoid long delays, we will set out immediately to find Lin Bai. I have been training in Zhen City, which is closest to Lin Bai. If someone else gets there first, it would be a waste of this good luck. As long as I can be the first to kill Lin Bai, let's see if those Heavenly Descended dare to randomly rank us again! I want to give the guys who write the *Heavenly Dao Review* a sound thrashing, and then make them restore the reputation of the Moon Spirit Sect..."

"Luo Tianjiao, Lin Bai's Fazhe are unfathomable. Is it a bit arrogant to only bring Nascent Soul experts?" the Valley Master of Illusion Valley hesitated and said.

"You don't believe in my strength?" Luo Xue swept a glance at them and said, "If it weren't for the fact that I need you to distract Lin Bai, Nascent Soul cultivators would be a burden to me. Stop talking nonsense and do as I say. You sects simply don't understand what it means to be a Heaven's Pride!"

The same scene was happening in every sect. Whether it was Zhen City or Kun City, all the surrounding sects were no longer thinking about defense, but rather how to kill Lin Bai in the fastest way possible.

To them, *Justice Weekly* and *Heavenly Dao Review* were just grandstanding; apart from having a little influence among the common people, they had no effect at all.

Every Cultivator was focused on the rewards behind the Righteous and Evil Kill Order.

Although Lin Bai didn't care for them.

But it had to be said, the rewards of the Righteous and Evil Kill Order were too tempting for ordinary Cultivators; it was an opportunity to ascend to the heavens in a single step.

Not to mention anything else.

Just being able to become a personal Disciple of a Valley Master of the Seven Righteous Sects was worth a gamble for everyone.

Wealth and honor are sought in danger.

What if Lin Bai fell into their hands!

On the surface, he was just a Spirit Transformation realm Cultivator!

The players had only been in the game for a little over two months, and the real chaos had only been going on for these past few days. Most of the native Cultivators had not yet woken up from their traditional methods of combat.

They simply disdained psychological warfare and public opinion warfare, nor did they know how to play that game. No one cared about the opinions of a group of mortals. They were more willing to use their own strength to cleanly and efficiently finish off Lin Bai and his Justice Alliance...

(End of chapter)