Chapter 280: Love God Lin Bai

The Immortal-Extinguishing Cannons and Lu-Xian Cannons were set up around Zhen City, their pitch-black muzzles facing outward, radiating a daunting aura.

A massive amount of Spirit Stones was fed into the defense array at the center of Zhen City, and the defensive shield that shot into the sky flashed and vanished; this was the Zhenbei Army performing the final calibration of Zhen City's defense system.

Dozens of Magpie Bridges spanned tens of thousands of miles from Zhen City, connecting to the Capital of the Taiyi Kingdom; the Magpie Bridges were completely unaffected by the defense array, demonstrating the formidable power of the Law of Love.

Along the way, cultivators from the Seven Righteous Sects used various methods to try and destroy the Magpie Bridges, yet they could not even intercept the cultivators transporting supplies; the transmission speed of the Magpie Bridges was simply too fast.

The iron-clad facts increasingly proved the existence of the Law.

Speaking through battle records, the radiance of the Law of Love crushingly overshadowed "Words Follow the Law" and the Incomplete Dao.

The Heavenly Dao is ethereal and elusive, and heaven knows if one can succeed, but the Love Dao already has practical examples, and this point alone is enough to attract everyone.

High-level cultivators above the Spirit Transformation Realm, hindered by the Heavenly River mastered by Lin Bai, mostly thought of practicing the Love Dao only after Lin Bai died;

A small portion of high-level cultivators believed that the Heavenly River was not a punishment for those in love, but a tempering and promotion of the Love Dao. They believed that if one's sincerity was absolute, even metal and stone would open; even if afflicted by Lin Bai's Heavenly River, by comprehending a deeper level of the Love Dao, one could certainly break through the Heavenly River and advance further in the cultivation of the Love Dao, or master the Heavenly River for their own use...

Low-level cultivators did not care about all that; for them, as long as there was a glimmer of hope to climb upward, even if there were some drawbacks, they had to climb; Lin Bai's level was too high, so he would not strike them down.

The thoughts of ordinary commoners were the simplest; what they valued was the functionality of the Magpie Bridges. "Justice Weekly" stated that cultivation laws required comprehension, but as long as one was in love, one was qualified to manage a Magpie Bridge and had the possibility of getting a share of money when transporting supplies; for them, this had no difficulty at all.

The Justice Alliance promoted bringing cultivation to the common people, but the commoners just watched for fun; a regular kitchen knife and a kitchen knife forged by a weapon refiner were both for cutting vegetables, with no great difference; as for pills that cured diseases, even if the price dropped, they wouldn't be given away for free, and besides, who would eat medicine for no reason!

The Magpie Bridges could earn money and tangibly change their lives; this point alone was enough for them to unconditionally support Lin Bai and hope he would achieve victory in this war against the Seven Righteous Sects.

Married commoners were even more affectionate.

Unmarried young men and women broke through family obstacles and took the initiative to come together, and couple after couple quickly emerged...

The commoners hoped even more for Lin Bai to become the Love God.

After all, only he was truly and sincerely doing things for the commoners; if cultivators from the Seven Righteous Sects or the Demonic Five Sects mastered the Magpie Bridges, the Magpie Bridges would once again become the exclusive property of practitioners.

Therefore, under the deliberate propaganda and guidance of "Justice Weekly" and the Taiyi Kingdom, the calls for Lin Bai to be the Love God grew louder and louder among the people.

Meanwhile.

The exclusive interview with the Duke of the State reported by "Heavenly Dao Review," which exposed the strength of the Taiyi Kingdom, also caused a huge uproar among the people.

Just as Lin Bai had anticipated, the moment the monarchs of countries like Taichu and Taihao learned the news, they immediately cursed at the Justice Alliance and the Taiyi Kingdom...

On the back of a Flying Dragon.

A Void Refinement Realm disciple came to report the situation to Elder Qiu, his expression looking rather grim: "Master, Senior Brother Hu Qing and Senior Brother Huang Yun have both been taken as puppets by Lin Bai."

"Hmm." Elder Qiu gazed into the distance toward Zhen City and nodded faintly.

"Senior Brother Hu Qing has become a puppet, and Lin Bai is now on guard; I fear it won't be so easy to obtain the Transformation Pill anymore," the Void Refinement Realm disciple said. "The Heavenly Descended are colluding, and any strategy will be laid out in the open. Master, what should we do?"

"What is the situation with Wanhun Valley and Tianmo Mountain?" Elder Qiu asked.

"They are holding their ground," the Void Refinement Realm disciple said. "Everyone is waiting for others to make the first move, I suppose!"

"Xie Long, what do you think is Lin Bai's weakness?" Elder Qiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"His few lovers, I suppose!" The Void Refinement Realm disciple glanced at Elder Qiu and said, "Lin Bai's cultivation of the Love Dao is the most advanced, and the Law of Love is powerful, but its shortcomings are equally obvious. If we could capture any one of Xu Longyun, Jiang Qingqin, or the little white fox, Lin Bai would certainly come to die for them, just like how Zen Master Wuwang once disregarded everything to save Zhou Zu. I feel that Lin Bai newly comprehending the Magpie Bridges was precisely to protect his lovers at any time."

"That is what I think as well." Elder Qiu nodded. "However, we can see this weakness, and others can see it too. Xie Long, avoid the Heavenly Descended, and notify your fellow disciples: once the great war begins, ignore everything else and exhaust every means to snatch the little white fox."

"Why her?" Xie Long asked in surprise.

"Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin are too big of targets and will certainly become the focus of more people's attacks; Lin Bai will also surely give them more protection. The little white fox is the easiest to get," Elder Qiu said. "Since a Magpie Bridge can also be established between Lin Bai and the little white fox, he certainly won't abandon her. Moreover, she is the ruler of the Demon Kingdom he designated; both in terms of emotion and reason, Lin Bai will come to save her. At that time, we will use the little white fox to exchange with him for the Transformation Pill Recipe..."

"Master, have you ever thought about what if Lin Bai dies in this battle?" Xie Long asked.

"The little white fox was transformed by the Transformation Pill; the elders in the sect might be able to reverse-engineer the mysteries of the Transformation Pill from her," Elder Qiu said after a moment of silence. "This can also count as a backup plan."

"..." Xie Long was stunned for a moment. "Master, you are still the one who considers things thoroughly. When shall we attack?"

"During the cooking competition," Elder Qiu said. "With troops at the city gates, Lin Bai still insists on finishing the cooking competition; I fear it is not just as simple as a show of force to us. Perhaps he is comprehending some new Law again. The people above will not allow Lin Bai to continue strengthening his own power."

Elder Qiu guessed correctly; just as he finished speaking, the player responsible for acting as a messenger had already sent news that other sect infiltrators had already snuck into Zhen City in advance. They would kill the Magpie Bridge guardians during the final of the cooking competition, and the other sects would take the opportunity to attack, trapping Lin Bai in Zhen City.

The cooking competition venue.

The fragrance of food overflowed.

Lin Bai, Xu Longyun, Jiang Qingqin, the little white fox, the Duke of the State, City Lord Feng Jing, and the core members of the Justice Alliance sat on the viewing platform, watching the chefs below stir-frying with great enthusiasm.

In the audience seats.

It was packed with the Lin Bai Support Group and the Heavenly Descended of the Justice Alliance, waving all sorts of advertisements and light boards supporting Lin Bai.

The Zhenbei Army was patrolling the sky above the competition venue in troop boats, which were equipped with small Lu-Xian Cannons aimed at the venue, ready to fire at any moment.

At this time, there were not many people left in the competition venue.

Some infiltrating cultivators had been cleared out by Ye Song, and many more chefs had voluntarily withdrawn from the competition; the Zhenbei Army was deploying extensively within the city, while outside, cultivators from the Seven Righteous Sects and the Demonic Five Sects were eyeing them covetously, ready to break in at any time.

In the wars of practitioners, commoners are just cannon fodder.

As a reward for the cooking competition, the status of being Lin Bai's disciple was no longer so desirable in the face of war. On the contrary, one might even lose their life for being involved with Lin Bai.

In fact, as early as when the Zhenbei Army arrived, many commoners in Zhen City had already been sent to the Capital to take refuge in batches via the Magpie Bridges, enjoying the convenience of the Magpie Bridges in advance.

At this time, Zhen City was practically an empty city.

Under such heavy pressure, those who remained in the venue to stir-fry were all stubborn people.

"Two junior sisters, let me tell you an unfortunate piece of news: the Master and I can also connect a Magpie Bridge!" The little white fox seemed not to feel the heavy atmosphere around her, still shaking the Positioning Ring on her wrist and showing off triumphantly to Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin.

Neither Xu Longyun nor Jiang Qingqin paid her any mind; this was already within their expectations. With the great war about to start, one more lover meant one more Magpie Bridge, and Lin Bai's safety would have one more layer of security.

Only the Duke of the State snorted with dissatisfaction, not knowing if it was directed at Lin Bai's promiscuity or his dissatisfaction with him still not attending to proper business and holding a cooking competition before the war.

"Master, the Poison Sect and the Blood Sect launched a surprise attack on the Beggar Sect in Qian City, instigated by a Heavenly Descended named 【One High Person, Bold Heart】. According to intelligence department news, 【One High Person, Bold Heart】 is the former Deputy Leader of the Beggar Sect, 【Gugao Laoren】. All the strategies of the Seven Righteous Sects and the Demonic Five Sects against the Justice Alliance originate from his planning," Xu Longyun said. "This is a person who seeks revenge for the slightest grievance; after this war is won, we should find a way to punish him to prevent similar things from happening again."

"Gugao Laoren? That is indeed a talent." In front of Lin Bai was a large wok; he toyed with the kitchen knife that had been upgraded several times using the Blacksmith Six-Piece Set, looked at the people stir-frying below, and said, "However, there is no need to take him to heart. The Heavenly Descended are undying and indestructible; no matter how you torture him, it is of no consequence. The best way to deal with them is to integrate the environment and let them blend into this world just like ordinary commoners. These are all subsequent matters; do not consider so far ahead, the road must be walked one step at a time..."

The two were just talking.

A messenger landed on the viewing platform and saluted the Duke of the State: "Marshal, the Tianmo Mountain and other teams surrounding Zhen City have suddenly mobilized and are rushing toward Zhen City; it is estimated they will arrive in at most one hour. Through the Heavenly Descended, they claim they are responding to Alliance Leader Lin's invitation to observe the cooking competition, and they demand that we open up the defenses of Zhen City..."

【Resentment from Xu Zhongcheng; +1 +1 +1...】

The Duke of the State glanced at Lin Bai with resentment and said, "Times have changed. Just let them watch the ceremony outside the city; there is no need for them to enter."

Lin Bai nodded and said, "Tell them that the final dish I am preparing will be cooked outside the city..."

Before he could finish speaking.

A notification that a Yuelao System task had been completed suddenly appeared in Lin Bai's mind:

【Under your influence, more couples have been born in the world, and the name of the Love God has taken root in people's hearts; Reward: Rope Binding (already issued)】

【The influence of the Love God cannot be limited to humans; let more species believe in love, create cross-species couples, and make their stories widely spread; Reward: Butterfly Transformation (loving couples can turn into butterflies after death)】

Whoosh!

Lin Bai let out a long breath; it had finally arrived. Ignoring the subsequent task, he turned to the Duke of the State and said, "Duke, I must trouble you to look after the cooking competition. I have just comprehended a new Dao Method and need to find a quiet place to verify it."

"You've comprehended another Dao Method?" Xu Longyun looked at Lin Bai in disbelief.

"Yes, pressure creates motivation. The plan my master had in sending me down the mountain was to use this sense of pressure to force me to break through!" Lin Bai said with a smile.

"Is it related to the Love Dao?" Xu Longyun pressed.

"Yes." Lin Bai nodded.

"Good, go ahead." The Duke of the State was forced to put on a smile, but this time, he was not angry; he was eager for Lin Bai to comprehend more laws. If he could become a god on the spot, that would be the best result.

"I will go with you," Xu Longyun said.

"I'll go too."

"I'll go too," Jiang Qingqin and the little white fox said in unison; at this moment, no one was willing to be separated from Lin Bai.

Lin Bai's expression was somewhat strange; he had originally wanted to find a place to test Rope Binding.

The visual impact of this Dao Method was too great and easily misunderstood, but since they insisted on following, explaining would be a waste of time. Lin Bai simply didn't bother to stop them; in any case, it would have to be used on the battlefield eventually, so it was fine to let them see it in advance.

On the competition field.

Ye Song, who was focused on stir-frying, had his ears twitch slightly. He was quite curious about the new law Lin Bai had comprehended and felt an itch he couldn't scratch, wanting to follow and take a look. However, having hidden his strength until now, it really wasn't worth it for the sake of one Dao Method.

It was extremely difficult for others to comprehend laws, yet for Lin Bai, comprehending laws was as simple as eating and drinking. It would be strange if there weren't a trick to it. If one wanted to learn laws, joining the Righteous Gate was the only proper path...

The conference hall behind the competition field was empty.

Lin Bai and the three women—two adults and one small one—arrived here.

Looking at the expectant gazes of the three women, Lin Bai ultimately could not bring himself to use Rope Binding on them, so he released the newly obtained Puppet, Hu Qing.

He silently used Rope Binding on him.

But after using the Skill, there was no movement at all, and a prompt appeared in his mind: "You need to designate a rope."

Lin Bai froze.

Damn it!

Does the system not even provide the rope?

That's too low!

"Master, what is the new Dao Method you comprehended? Is it powerful?" the little fox asked, blinking her eyes.

"Extremely powerful." Lin Bai scanned the surroundings and looked at Hu Qing's belt.

【Designating rope length: 1.8 meters, suitable for high-level back-binding】

The next instant.

Hu Qing's belt suddenly flew off and, with lightning speed, completed the simplest high-level back-binding on Hu Qing's body...

【Resentment from Hu Qing; +1 +1 +1】

"..." Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin.

"..." Xu Longyun looked at Hu Qing, who was suspended in mid-air, and the strange binding posture. Her face turned bright red in an instant, and she asked stammeringly, "Is... is this the Dao Method you just comprehended? This is just too... too..."

"Ahem!" Lin Bai coughed dryly and said, "The law said it could enhance the feelings between lovers; I didn't know it would have this effect!"

"It certainly can increase the feelings between lovers..." Xu Longyun looked at Lin Bai helplessly and warned, "But I absolutely do not allow this thing to be used on me."

"It can be used on me," Jiang Qingqin said, stunned for a moment before looking at Xu Longyun and saying with a red face.

"You..." Xu Longyun glared at Jiang Qingqin and scolded, "Shameless."

"..." Lin Bai, is this also a competition?

"Why would you want to use this on yourselves?" the little white fox asked, looking at the two of them strangely. "Isn't this used to tie up enemies?"

Lin Bai chuckled: "Xiaobai is right; it was originally meant to tie up enemies."

Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin's faces turned bright red instantly.

【Shame and anger from Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin; +1 +1 +1】

Hu Qing looked at the group with resentment and said helplessly, "Alliance Leader Lin, can you let me down?"

"Of course," Lin Bai said. Then, he silently recited the release in his heart, but Hu Qing did not move at all. His expression changed involuntarily; was it manual release?

Hu Qing looked at Lin Bai and struggled hard, and the belt binding him instantly snapped open.

Watching Hu Qing break free on his own, Lin Bai's expression became even uglier, and he muttered, "To hell with it, I have to get some sturdy rope."

(End of chapter)