Chapter 261: A Marriage of a Thousand Miles Linked by a Single Thread

Jian Shijiu's little heart gave a violent jolt.

Once upon a time, he had witnessed the process of Lin Bai taming the Cangming Sword Immortal, which led to his own cultivation deviation and current plight.

Now this scene was repeating itself; if Lin Bai were to master the ability to make his words reality with such eloquence and unconventional thinking, it would surely be a disaster for the entire world!

……

F*ck!

Are you using me as a tool, or is this for my own good?

Zhou Zu's blood and Qi surged, and he felt the urge to vomit blood again.

He looked at Lin Bai, who was over ten miles away, pondered for a moment, and decided to continue feigning weakness to lower his guard, intending to take him out in one go once he got close.

The first time the Puppet got in his face, Zhou Zu was caught off guard and sent flying into the sky by Benyue;

but the second time the Puppet got in his face, he had every opportunity to kill the Puppet the moment it approached.

After all, the Puppet only had the cultivation of a Golden Core, but Zhou Zu forcibly restrained himself and did not do so.

His target was Lin Bai; killing one or two puppets was meaningless and would only make Lin Bai wary and cause him to change his tactics.

With a Nine Ancestor in his mind constantly causing trouble, Lin Bai had not used his Great Vehicle Realm cultivation from start to finish……

Two against one.

He was at a disadvantage.

When at a disadvantage, showing weakness to the enemy becomes a combat tactic.

Clearly, his feigned weakness was very successful; Lin Bai already thought he had the victory in the bag, looking as if he had him cornered, and had fallen into his trap……

Having fought with Wuwang Chanshi for so many years, cultivating from Golden Core to the Great Vehicle Realm, and having experienced countless battles, how could his combat experience be compared to that of a twenty-something-year-old brat?

What did enduring a little humiliation in battle matter?

The one who lives to the end is the winner.

……

"During the Heaven's Pride Tournament, due to the rules, Wuwang was a step behind me; after the tournament, he provoked me with his words. I was young and hot-headed at the time, so I attacked in anger, only to be ambushed by him. He shamelessly used external forces to shake my Dao Heart and nearly converted me into the Buddha Spirit Sect. Afterwards, he even humiliated me, saying that my first place in the Heaven's Pride Tournament was unearned……"

"This old man learned from shame and strove for improvement, cultivating diligently, and stepped into the Void Refinement Realm before him. Although I wanted to wash away the disgrace, I would not take advantage of someone in a precarious position. I only challenged him to a duel after Wuwang entered the Mind Observation Stage; he was defeated by my hand within three rounds. At that time, we agreed to decide the winner and settle life and death. In the end, Wuwang was cowardly and afraid of death; he actually knelt and begged for mercy, weeping bitterly, and exchanged a Bodhi Fruit for his life, promising to take a detour whenever he saw me in the future……"

"This old man originally thought the grievances between us were over. Who would have expected that just ten years later, the old thief Wuwang would tear up the agreement and refuse to admit that he had been defeated……"

……

Having been entangled with Wuwang for a lifetime, Zhou Zu could recount the events between them at the drop of a hat.

Just as Lin Bai said, since he was already so miserable, why not drag Wuwang down with him?

Taking advantage of the gap provided by Benyue, Zhou Zu simply told the whole story of his past with Wuwang from beginning to end……

Wuwang Chanshi's competitive, fickle, and despicable behavior was completely exposed, far more detailed than the *Heavenly Dao Review*, and the mask of the high-ranking monk was completely torn off……

Inside and outside Zhen City, the crowd was in an uproar.

……

Under the True Word Art, Zhou Zu could not lie.

Once what he said was exposed, no matter how firm Wuwang Chanshi's state of mind was, he would definitely vent his anger on Zhou Zu.

At that point, even if they weren't enemies before, they would be now.

During a pause in Zhou Zu's speech, Lin Bai turned to the players and said loudly: "Editors of *Heavenly Dao Review* and *Justice Weekly*, news requires timeliness. Immediately send people to spread Zhou Real Person's revelations. We must expose Wuwang Chanshi's despicableness to the world and remove his ranking from the *Heavenly Dao Review*. We absolutely will not allow such a despicable and shameless villain to occupy the top spot on the *Heavenly Dao Review*……"

Huangye Lang and the others responded.

Some players left the Sword Boat and returned to Qian City to handle the publication matters.

Ye Song on the city wall frowned slightly, feeling that things were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

If it were just to sow discord between Zhou Zu and Wuwang, wouldn't that be a bit too childish?

After all.

The two were already at daggers drawn; there was no need for Lin Bai to drive a wedge between them……

If he wanted to use this to incite conflict between the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Buddha Spirit Sect, it probably wouldn't have much effect; the two sects wouldn't go to war over such trivial matters.

What exactly did Lin Bai want to do?

Ye Song was confused; ever since he arrived in Qian City, everything Lin Bai did was beyond his expectations.

Furthermore.

How exactly did the Justice Sect's Nine Ancestor influence Zhou Zu?

He really wanted to go up and ask him personally……

……

"Zhou Zu Real Person, you have made Wuwang Chanshi's deeds public; he is likely to be at odds with you until the end!" Lin Bai looked at Zhou Zu, who was getting closer, and asked with a smile.

"This old man was already at odds with him until the end; why would I care about mentioning one or two more small things?" Zhou Zu said coldly. Taking advantage of the moment Benyue reached its peak, he observed the distance between himself and Lin Bai, thinking about the best time to strike.

As if to let him narrate his grievances with Wuwang, the Justice Sect's Nine Ancestor stopped harassing his mind.

Zhou Zu became even more certain that his feigned weakness had worked.

……

【Resentment from Wuwang Chanshi; +1 +1 +1】

The fifth batch of players had arrived, and most of the natives' energy was attracted by the players, no longer providing him with emotions.

The people of the Justice Alliance were providing him with more Positive Emotion than Negative Emotion at this moment.

Therefore.

Lin Bai easily found Wuwang Chanshi's emotions among the many emotions floating on the screen.

Success.

Lin Bai felt a surge of joy in his heart.

The moment he saw Wuwang Chanshi's emotions,

he confirmed that the relationship between the two as enemies was set in stone.

Sure enough, during his first battle with Zhou Zu, the other Great Vehicle Realm cultivators were watching in secret.

Thanks to the Beggar Sect players conducting a live broadcast, the NPCs had long been accustomed to understanding the real-time battle situation through the players.

Zhou Zu's major revelations, combined with the publicity he let 【Huangye Lang】 spread to Wuwang Chanshi's ears, were enough to detonate his emotions and make him hate Zhou Zu to the bone.

……

"Everyone, you have already seen the power of Love Separation; even a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator like Zhou Zu cannot avoid it. But Law Cultivation is difficult, and many people are still skeptical about the Law." Lin Bai, while controlling Zhou Zu's flight, slightly raised his volume and said to the people around him, "Next, I will demonstrate to you the true power of the Love Dao, let you truly feel the profoundness of the Fazhe Zhidao, and help strengthen your confidence in Law Cultivation."

"Lin Bai, what do you want to do? Don't even think about using the Love Bow on me." A bad premonition arose in Zhou Zu's heart; his nerves tightened, and he was ready to close his eyes at any moment.

"Real Person Zhou, how could I do such a childish thing? You underestimate me, and you underestimate the Law of Love." Lin Bai shook his head with a smile, "It is said that it is better to resolve grievances than to keep them. You just clarified to the world the irreconcilable conflict between you and Wuwang Chanshi. Having exposed Wuwang's scandals in front of everyone, if it spreads, it would be no exaggeration to say you are mortal enemies. But next, I will use the Great Dao of Love to resolve the hatred between you, make you develop love for each other, turn hostility into friendship, and use the two of you to demonstrate the greatness of the Law of Love to the world."

"What do you want to do?" Zhou Zu asked in horror, his bad premonition growing stronger.

"Everyone, the conflict between my Justice Alliance and the Seven Orthodox Sects is equally irreconcilable. Real Person Zhou came here to kill me; surely you don't think I would find him to be a shill!" Lin Bai stopped paying attention to Zhou Zu, looked toward the direction of Zhen City, and asked with a smile.

"We don't." The first to respond was Lin Bai's support group; their clear, beautiful voices joined together, giving people a feeling of vigor and upward momentum.

"We don't." The uneven voices of the people in the city rang out.

"If Zhou Zu is your shill, I'll eat the stone mill in my house."

"Shopkeeper Lin, hurry up and demonstrate your Law of Love; we can't wait any longer."

……

Hum!

Ye Song's mind went blank in an instant.

At this moment.

He understood Lin Bai's intention.

No, he had always stated it clearly: Zhou Zu was a tool for him to demonstrate the Law to the world. But it wasn't to demonstrate Love Separation, but the higher Love Dao.

But, is it possible?

……

"Today is a great day, and also a lucky day. You will witness the great power of the Love Dao with your own eyes. Today, everyone will witness a great miracle with their own eyes, witnessing how the Love Dao turns a pair of enemies into lovers..." Lin Bai's voice was impassioned and sonorous, as sacred as a priest presiding over a wedding, "Real Person Zhou, I wish you and Wuwang Chanshi happiness."

A Red Thread flew out silently.

Without Zhou Zu noticing, one end was tied to his ankle, while the other end traversed time and space and tied to the ankle of Wuwang Chanshi, who was an unknown number of miles away.

A marriage of a thousand miles tied by a single thread.

The Moon Elder Red Thread is even more overbearing than Cupid's Love Bow.

In Earth mythology, lovers bound by the Moon Elder Red Thread will stay together even if they cross life and death, let alone here, where it is only a distance of a few thousand miles.

……

【Turn a pair of people who hate each other into a CP (Completed); Reward: Heavenly River (Temporarily draws a river to separate two people in love, making them unable to see each other) (Issued)】

【Love must experience hardships; set a test for a certain CP created for you, and make their story widely spread; Reward: Magpie Bridge (Summons a bridge made of magpies; no matter how far apart, people in love can use the Magpie Bridge to rush to each other)】

The task success notification from the Yuelao System arrived, followed immediately by a new task.

Lin Bai glanced at the new task and put it aside.

A formidable enemy was right in front of him.

The Red Thread bound Zhou Zu and Wuwang Chanshi, making them a couple.

But unlike the previous Red Thread, the two people bound were both his own enemies.

If he couldn't handle one of them, next time, he might very well face the two of them joining forces with a love stronger than gold.

This was certainly not a good thing for Lin Bai!

……

Except for Lin Bai, no one else could see the Red Thread.

Everyone was looking forward to Lin Bai demonstrating the Great Dao of Love and turning Zhou Zu and Wuwang Chanshi into lovers; of course, most people just wanted to watch the show.

After all.

This matter was quite rare!

Including Xu Longyun, Jiang Qingqin, and others, as well as numerous players.

One by one, they watched Zhou Zu without even blinking...

……

But after Lin Bai finished speaking, Zhou Zu still hopped toward Lin Bai like a flea, without any abnormalities.

Consequently.

The crowd's gaze on Zhou Zu turned toward Lin Bai, their eyes full of confusion!

"Alliance Leader Lin, start!" A voice came from the crowd.

"It has already succeeded," Lin Bai replied with a smile.

Wow!

The crowd exploded again.

"There's nothing at all!"

"What Great Dao of Love; I knew it was impossible."

"Alliance Leader Lin's Love Bow wasn't even drawn; I'm afraid this is just a means for Alliance Leader Lin to destroy Zhou Zu's will!"

"If one could turn enemies into lovers, then this Love Dao would be too terrifying. Who would still dare to fight Alliance Leader Lin?"

……

Ye Song quietly breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, nothing happened, otherwise, he really wouldn't dare to provoke Lin Bai.

"True Person Zhou, do you still hate Wuwang Chanshi?" Lin Bai smiled and suddenly asked.

"..." Zhou Zu gritted his teeth and said nothing.

At this moment.

His mind was filled with memories of Wuwang Chanshi; those sordid events of the past now seemed so beautiful in retrospect.

Back then, at the Heaven's Pride Tournament, he had struck Wuwang Chanshi away with a single palm; the look in Wuwang Chanshi's eyes as he vomited blood was so gentle, clearly brimming with infinite love...

In private.

When Wuwang Chanshi used the Vajra to crack his Dao Heart and said, "Zhou Zu, from now on the Heavenly Dao Sect can no longer tolerate you; join my Buddha sect," it was clearly a domineering declaration of love.

In the Void Refinement Realm, when Wuwang Chanshi knelt before him to beg for mercy, the sorrowful gaze he lifted was clearly him being annoyed at his lack of romantic understanding...

The grievances and entanglements between the two were, scene by scene, actually Wuwang Chanshi expressing his love for him.

Heavens!

How foolish was he to think that the two of them were mortal enemies!

What had he done? In front of the whole world, he had slandered his lover and disregarded his lover's reputation...

If Wuwang were to learn of today's events, he would surely be heartbroken!

It was all Lin Bai's fault!

It was all his fault!

He could not speak anymore; if he spoke again, he would be playing into Lin Bai's hands, and both he and Wuwang Chanshi would be ruined...

Zhou Zu was filled with extreme annoyance and looked at Lin Bai with red, angry eyes.

His divine ability was too terrifying.

Only by killing him could he preserve Wuwang's innocence, and only then could he and Wuwang Chanshi spend the rest of their lives in peace...

After killing Lin Bai, he would go and express his heart to Wuwang Chanshi, and then the two of them would live in seclusion, never again concerning themselves with the rights and wrongs of the cultivation world...

"True Person Zhou, do you still hate Wuwang Chanshi?" Lin Bai asked again.

"Lin Bai, today either you die or I perish." Zhou Zu no longer answered Lin Bai's question directly and scolded him with a dark face.

"Say it yourself, that Wuwang Chanshi is a despicable and shameless villain; submit to my Justice Alliance, and I will help you ruin Wuwang Chanshi's reputation..." Lin Bai looked at Zhou Zu and provoked him.

"Shut up, you are the despicable and shameless villain! I will not allow you to speak of Wuwang like that; you are not worthy of mentioning his name." With his lover being slandered, Zhou Zu could no longer remain calm and retorted angrily, "It was I who was bewitched by you, a demonic obstacle, which harmed Wuwang. He treated me that way because he had no other choice. It is all my fault. Today, I must kill you to wash away the shame of today's insults..."

Whoosh!

Inside and outside Zhen City, there was an uproar.

"Holy crap, it actually worked. Zhou Zu is like a different person; how did Alliance Leader Lin manage that?"

"Is this the Love Dao?"

"I don't believe it. Maybe it's just an illusion. Don't forget, that invisible Nine Ancestor has been influencing Zhou Zu from the shadows; perhaps Zhou Zu was already controlled by the Nine Ancestor, which is why he said these things."

"I will only believe it if Wuwang Chanshi appears in person and admits to being with Zhou Zu."

"Exactly, exactly. There are too many smoke screens in the Cultivation World."

The Buddha Spirit Sect's team.

Wuwang Chanshi was listening to a player relaying a real-time report; when he heard that Zhou Zu was being tormented by Lin Bai, his face still carried a calm smile, an expression that suggested it was only to be expected.

Later.

As Zhou Zu, under Lin Bai's guidance, began to make his past public, his calm smile vanished instantly, and even the temperature around him dropped.

"Scroll King, there is no need to relay the slanderous parts," the little novice monk beside him scolded the player acting as a telephone, who was called 【Scroll King】.

"No need. Say whatever there is to say; this helps me understand Lin Bai's methods. Huitong, Zhou Zu and I were never on good terms, and I am in a hostile relationship with Lin Bai. Even you know it is slander, so how could the world not know? No matter how they slander me, it is not excessive." Wuwang Chanshi quickly regained his composure and said gently, "Conspiracies and tricks cannot survive in the sunlight; time will prove everything."

"Wuwang Chanshi, Lin Bai wants to pair you and Zhou Zu as a couple to prove the existence of the Love Dao to the world." 【Scroll King】 went offline to watch the livestream and then came back online, looking at the old monk before him with a strange expression as he relayed what he had seen.

"Grandstanding, it must be some kind of smoke screen!" Wuwang Chanshi shook his head and laughed, but in an instant, his expression changed drastically. He stood up abruptly and said in a panic, "Not good, I fear Zhou Zu is no match for Lin Bai; I must go and lend him a hand..."

After speaking.

His figure flashed and he had already vanished from the lotus boat.

Leaving behind 【Scroll King】, who had only finished half his sentence, stunned on the spot: "Holy crap, it wouldn't actually be real, would it!"

The two little novice monks serving Wuwang Chanshi looked at each other, their expressions turning exceptionally ugly in an instant.

Huitong swallowed his saliva and said sheepishly, "Scroll King, continue—what happened next?"

(End of this chapter)