Chapter 269: The Dilemma of the Justice Alliance

"Shopkeeper Lin is proficient in martial arts, immortal arts, pill refinement, weapon refinement... and now he has displayed excellent eloquence, involving all sorts of modern knowledge in his debates. I ask you, how could a young man of barely twenty-something years old learn so many skills at once? Only an NPC, only a program, could have so much knowledge and skill instilled into him so quickly! If anyone says that over there is a real person, please come out and get slapped in the face..."

"It absolutely cannot be a real person. To be honest, Shopkeeper Lin's 'a white horse is not a horse' at the beginning almost made me dizzy; it took me a long time to figure it out."

"This game is truly awesome; the plot is always unexpected. Thumbs up to the officials. Although Shopkeeper Lin isn't a real person, he has indeed been played to the hilt by the game officials. Facing such a powerful Shopkeeper Lin, I wonder how the conglomerates will break the deadlock?"

"The foundation of the Justice Alliance has already stabilized. Given the current strength of the players, going head-to-head is definitely not a match for Lin Bai; they can only win through wit."

"The conglomerates never intended to be enemies with Shopkeeper Lin. The current strategy of several conglomerates is already clear: stabilize the situation first and buy themselves time to develop. If players don't build their own forces, they will never have a say in the game; they'll either be used as guns for others or as dogs for others."

"I suspect the person above is hinting at the Beggar Sect..."

"No need to hint. Shopkeeper Lin's control is getting stronger and stronger, and the Beggar Sect's sense of presence is becoming increasingly weak. The Justice Alliance Army that Lin Bai later organized, the demon kingdom of Xiaobai, and the support group led by Jiang Qingqin are all tools Lin Bai uses to keep the Beggar Sect in check. Once these forces develop, the Beggar Sect can be discarded as soon as he wants. The dividend period where the Beggar Sect could make money while lying down has passed. Without their own characteristics and strength, their days ahead will certainly not be easy."

"Looking forward to the conglomerates putting in some effort; I don't want to see Lin Bai continue to jump around. Players should have their own say in the game..."

"You guys are lucky enough. It's only because of the special existence of Lin Bai in the game that you've been able to come into contact with the top rulers of the game in just two months. In our Shenmo Dalu, players are suppressed to death by NPCs and can't develop even if they want to. You should thank Lin Bai; he has created a chaotic world for you, a wonderful opportunity for development..."

"Is the person above from Shenmo Dalu? How high is the maximum level over there?"

"Level 51. It's a Saint Knight named Arthur, equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator on our side. There are videos on the internet; Western players are living very miserably, basically just tools in front of NPCs. All players are under the surveillance of NPCs. They have had a few riots, but they were all suppressed by the Religious Knights. It's depressing to play. Compared to them, the players on our side are indeed more at ease."

"I've seen the videos too. Players over there wanted to learn from our side and advertise in the game, but they were treated as heretics and burned alive more than thirty times, burned until their accounts were deleted. The players in Shenmo Dalu have protested more times than we have. From this, it can be seen that Lin Bai, this troublemaker, is indeed our happiness."

"The players in Shenmo Dalu have already changed their strategy. It is said they want to learn from our Shopkeeper Lin, stir up conflicts between the various forces in Shenmo Dalu, and then profit from it."

"Do you think there will be a national war in the future?"

"God knows. The NPCs of the Xianxia World and Shenmo Dalu don't even know of each other's existence. Those at the Great Vehicle Realm can already fly through the sky and burrow into the earth; it's unreasonable that they haven't discovered each other's existence in tens of thousands of years. If they can't find each other, what's there to talk about regarding a national war?"

"It's very reasonable. Remember the cosmic background when the Nine Ancestors were projected? Perhaps Shenmo Dalu and the Xianxia Continent are not on the same planet; this would explain why both sides haven't known of each other's existence for tens of thousands of years. Developing according to this trend, what happens in the future might not be a national war, but an interstellar war. Our perspective was too small."

"Holy crap, once you put it that way, it immediately makes sense. 'Grass snakes and gray lines, hidden pulses for a thousand miles'—you saw the future in a simple background. You really hit the nail on the head; I'm willing to call you the Emperor of Prophecy."

Lin Bai always leads the public opinion trend on the forum.

Inside and outside the game, he has always occupied the top of the hot searches, and players and viewers are happy to speculate on the game's trends through Lin Bai; this has already become a kind of fun.

After all.

The Xianxia World is currently the hottest game.

In just over two months, the Game Company has released more than 300,000 accounts, which has temporarily silenced the voices begging for an open beta.

At this rate, an open beta is simply a matter of time.

Moreover, the Game Company can't hear the voices on the forum, and there's nothing they can do even if they are anxious.

Furthermore, everyone has realized that in this game full of unknowns, there isn't much difference between entering the game early or late; each has its own advantages, and in the end, it still comes down to one's own ability.

Nowadays, the recruitment advertisements of major groups on the forum have begun to shift toward professional talent; the primitive method of grinding levels by moving bricks is clearly not suitable for this new type of game...

【Lao Mi】, 【Baiyin】, 【Kuguateng】, and other power-holders of the Beggar Sect pay close attention to the trends of the game and naturally know that the development of the Beggar Sect has reached a bottleneck.

If they don't transform, even if they aren't eliminated by Shopkeeper Lin, they will be eliminated by players who have joined the Seven Righteous Sects and the Demonic Five Sects.

The world's top sects have resources and techniques far superior to the Beggar Sect.

And the Justice Alliance is composed of bottom-tier sects; even if the pills and techniques from Medicine King Valley and the Justice Alliance Patent Bureau are open to them, the backward techniques and pills will still make the gap between them and other players grow larger and larger.

Yet, Shopkeeper Lin's Fazhe Zhidao lacks universality; no player can learn it at all...

Moreover, with the entry of large groups, the issue of game advertising conversion rates is becoming increasingly prominent.

Nowadays, it is becoming harder and harder to attract advertisements, and coupled with Xu Longyun taking control of the Beggar Sect's financial power, the lives of Beggar Sect players are far less comfortable than before.

Currently, the Beggar Sect still has savings to support them. Once there is no money in the future, no player will be willing to continue being a lackey who cheers for Shopkeeper Lin!

To attract players, the prices offered by various conglomerates have become higher and higher.

【Baiyin】, 【Kuguateng】, and others have actually been contacted privately by the HR of conglomerates, but having grown accustomed to earning money freely, they are actually not willing to turn around and work for the conglomerates...

After all.

Lin Bai and the Justice Alliance are still leading in the game, and the Beggar Sect belongs to the first tier; there is no reason to admit defeat before this battle has even begun.

Through Xu Longyun's intelligence department and the private chats of players, Lin Bai quickly figured out the current situation.

"The Poison Sect and the Blood Sect have united and stopped at Yimu City; the Danling Sect and the Weapon Refinement Sect have joined together; Wanhun Valley and Tianmo Mountain have united; the Beast Taming Pavilion is now in Binghuo Cheng..." Xu Longyun integrated the current intelligence. "These teams led by Great Vehicle Realm cultivators are all stationed in the Basic City around Zhen City. Although they haven't attacked, they have tacitly formed a siege. Once they decide to launch an attack, they can reach Zhen City in half a day at the fastest, or a day at the slowest. We have to be on guard."

"Alliance Leader, the locations they are staying in are all the territory of the Justice Alliance. They haven't touched the industries of the Justice Alliance, but to be honest, it already counts as invading our territory. If we don't respond, I'm afraid they will push for more." 【Baiyin】 fears the world won't be chaotic enough.

The Beggar Sect is precarious, and the players don't want Lin Bai to hold any cooking competitions at all; they would rather he go out and expand his territory.

This time, in the battle at Zhen City against Zhou Zu and Wuwang Chanshi, although the players made money through advertisements, in their view, it was a losing business.

After all, Lin Bai let Zhou Zu and Wuwang go; he neither turned them into Puppets nor kept their techniques...

"Exactly, the Poison Sect and the Blood Sect are already secretly recruiting our Disciples left behind in Yimu City. Quite a few Disciples have been attracted by their techniques and chose to defect. Those who didn't defect are no match for them either. If this continues, the industries we worked so hard to spread out will be suppressed again." 【Kuguateng】 said, "Now many businesses can't be developed either."

"Alliance Leader, it seems like we are always winning, but the foundation hasn't been guarded. In the long run, if we can't absorb fresh blood, I'm afraid the Justice Alliance will be trapped and die." 【Huangye Lang】 is standing on the same front as 【Baiyin】 this time.

"Alliance Leader, Jiamu City is the foundation of the Beggar Sect. Once the Poison Sect and the Blood Sect send people to control Jiamu City, we will be compressed into Zhen City." 【Baiyin】 said, "【Lao Mi】 and more than half of the Beggar Sect Disciples are in Qian City. They have no ability to resist the Great Vehicle Realm. Once they make a move on the Beggar Sect headquarters, we won't be able to rescue them in time."

"There is also one most critical problem. This time, a large number of Heavenly Descended were taken away directly by the Seven Righteous Sects and the Demonic Five Sects for training. Once they form combat effectiveness, I'm afraid neither the Beggar Sect nor the Justice Alliance Army will be their match. After all, our techniques and pills simply cannot compare to the Seven Righteous Sects." 【Kuguateng】 said, "Alliance Leader, you know the talent of the Heavenly Descended. It won't be long before an army that isn't afraid of death might come over. You can't let the Alliance Leader do everything personally!"

【Longxi】 said: "Alliance Leader, forgive my bluntness, the growth potential of He Qin and the others has already been set; they cannot improve their combat effectiveness in a short time. The main force of the future battlefield should be us. The Alliance should spend more effort on us and let us become the blade in the Alliance Leader's hand..."

The players spoke one after another about the current situation, completely taking the initiative in this post-war meeting.

He Qin and the others could basically not get a word in.

Although they were unwilling to admit it, what the players said was indeed the truth. Don't look at them as the main members of the Justice Alliance; in front of enemies at the Great Vehicle Realm, they are simply of no use.

Just like the occupied Yimu City and Binghuo Cheng, if Lin Bai sent them out to recover them, who would dare to guarantee they could take them down? Going there would just be serving themselves up as food.

The current predicament of the Justice Alliance is the lack of high-end combat power. They can't hold the territory they take down. Just like now, if Lin Bai goes on an expedition, Zhen City might be lost again...

If this continues, the Justice Alliance will always be an isolated army, and in the long run, it will eventually be worn down to death.

After the players finished speaking, Xu Longyun looked at Lin Bai: "Master, they are right. We do need a territory to cultivate talent. If we want to develop, guerrilla warfare is not a long-term solution. The most critical point is that if this continues, resources will become less and less as we fight, and there will always be a day when we can't support it."

Lin Bai was silent.

The Extreme Counter-Kill System's mission to "carve out a path of survival for oneself" had still not prompted completion, proving that his current crisis had not yet been resolved.

The battle between Zhou Zu and Wuwang was not enough to intimidate the Seven Righteous Sects.

Lin Bai asked, "How are the preparations for the cooking competition coming along?"

Everyone was stunned.

Xin Shang said, "Alliance Leader, with the Great Vehicle Realm forces at our gates, I feel the matter of the cooking competition can be pushed back for now. Let us stabilize our foundation first. Why don't we set out immediately to defeat another two Great Vehicle Realm experts..."

"The cooking competition is for the purpose of promoting the Way of Cooking; it is no small matter." Lin Bai interrupted him, "Sect Leader Xin, the original intention of establishing the Justice Alliance has always been to promote the laws, not to fight over territory or seize land. Letting more people lean toward us through the laws is our true success; occasionally losing one or two cities is not worth worrying about. Setting out to campaign at this time would instead make it look like we fear them. We shall do our work step by step and meet all changes with constancy."

Xin Shang smacked his lips and said nothing more.

Xu Longyun said, "The chefs from Geng Metal City, Jiamu City, Dinghuo City, and Xu Earth City are still on the road and will not arrive until at least the day after tomorrow. If we do not wait for them, the cooking competition could be held tomorrow, but to wait for everyone to arrive, it will take until at least the day after tomorrow to start. According to the Beggar Sect's competition standards, the entire event will take at least two days from start to finish."

"Starting tomorrow, let those who have arrived first conduct the preliminary rounds." Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun and said, "There is no need to waste time verifying their identities. Keep it simple and start the competition directly; no one can assassinate me at the cooking competition."

"Very well." Xu Longyun nodded. She only concerned herself with carrying out Lin Bai's requirements and would not impose her own will upon him.

Facts had proven that Lin Bai's ability was far above hers, and since she did not understand the Fazhe Zhidao, listening to him was the right thing to do.

"Bai Yin, Huangye Lang, get *Justice Weekly* and *Heavenly Dao Review* moving. Spread the word about what happened today and let more people know about the power of the Law of Love. The faster, the better." Lin Bai looked at the whispering players and said, "Do not worry about the face of Zhou Zu and Zen Master Wuwang. Explain directly to the world that they turned from enemies into lovers in an instant because they were struck by this Alliance Leader's Way of Love. Elaborate more on their ignorance..."

"Is the Alliance Leader trying to force them to lean toward the Justice Alliance?" Huangye Lang asked.

"Correct. No one can offend the Justice Alliance and expect to walk away unscathed." Lin Bai nodded affirmatively, "While you're at it, tell those Great Vehicle Realm experts outside and ask them if they are prepared to accept a new marriage. *Heavenly Dao Review* can conduct a survey to see who the common people would most like to see together."

"Understood." Huangye Lang responded with high spirits. A Shopkeeper Lin who was willing to stir up trouble was a good shopkeeper; he only feared that Shopkeeper Lin would not attend to his proper duties!

Lin Bai pondered for a moment and said, "Also, send out invitations and invite those Great Vehicle Realm experts to observe the cooking competition."

Hiss!

A sound of gasping filled the air all around.

Xu Longyun looked at Lin Bai with concern: "Master, are you confident in dealing with ten Great Vehicle Realm experts at once? Why don't we play it safe and not do something this risky!"

She could not help but worry.

After all.

Although Lin Bai appeared to have the upper hand against Zhou Zu, he was basically in a position of being passively beaten once Zhou Zu attacked, and Xu Longyun had seen with her own eyes that the Hunyuan Jade had been triggered several times.

"What is there to fear? The Nine Ancestors are watching from above; I will be fine." Lin Bai revealed a confident smile, "I only fear they won't dare to come!"

(End of this chapter)