Chapter 312: All Beings Are Equal

The Holy Son, the Dao Son, and other heaven-gifted prodigies have comprehended new divine abilities, reigniting the confidence of numerous sects.

The players suddenly discovered that their treatment had improved significantly; cultivation arts that were previously refused were now being taught to them, and medicinal pills that were previously withheld were now being used on them...

The players were overjoyed, feeling even more grateful toward Lin Bai, who was stirring up trouble everywhere.

The sect's confidentiality work was very thorough; the upper echelons of the consortium realized that something might have happened, but under conditions of information asymmetry, even with all their speculation and various probes, they could not obtain any useful information.

However.

Because they had a common enemy in Lin Bai, both sides were temporarily in a honeymoon period, and minor secrets did not affect their relationship.

There were too many secrets in the game; the players did not care at all about one or two more.

The Blood Sect was destroyed too quickly, and its resources were not transferred at all; the Spirit Stones, medicinal pills, various Magic Tools, secret manuals, and so on, accumulated over tens of thousands of years, were successfully inherited by the Justice Alliance.

The supplies of the Justice Alliance had never been so abundant; everyone in the alliance felt as if it were the New Year, and the smiles on their faces never ceased.

Lin Bai always recruited members by accepting entire sects and factions, from the sect leader down to the ordinary Disciples, all complete; therefore, in one day, the Blood Sect was organized and straightened out by them, becoming a branch of the Justice Alliance and returning to an orderly state.

Unlike Lin Bai, who was obsessed with completing quests and did not even know what to do next himself, the members of the Justice Alliance sincerely hoped that the alliance could develop and grow, eventually unifying the world, or becoming a super sect like the Seven Righteous Sects and the Demonic Five Sects.

Only then would they have a sense of security, and not end up like mountain bandits and outlaws, burning, killing, and looting everywhere, with no fixed place to live.

Their sect leader, who pursued the Heavenly Dao, looked quite unreliable; when it came to building the sect, they could only rely on themselves.

Several Magpie Bridges were sent out from the Blood Sect, connecting to various major towns in the Taiyi Kingdom.

The "Justice Weekly" resumed operation, and in less than half an hour, the news that Lin Bai had conquered the Blood Sect—one of the Demonic Five Sects—spread throughout the Taiyi Kingdom.

Lin Bai's new divine abilities, Fengqiuhuang and Butterfly Transformation, once again caused a sensation, and the fame of the Love Dao became even more resounding.

The Tribulation Transcendence Realm and Great Vehicle Realm cultivators of the Blood Sect, relying on the absolute protection of Fengqiuhuang, changed their strategy.

Knowing that Lin Bai would not let them go for the time being, these fellows broke the jar to smash it; after discussing it, they began to curse Lin Bai incessantly, attempting to enrage him and make him do something irrational in a moment of impulse...

Lin Bai would not fall for their tricks, but those curses were somewhat annoying after all.

Thus, taking advantage of the time when the alliance members were organizing the Blood Sect, Lin Bai specifically took Cen Qing, leading her large group of followers, and traveled across the Magpie Bridge to swing by the Zhen City branch of the Justice Alliance.

When the Fengqiuhuang Group appeared in the sky over Zhen City.

Even though they had already witnessed the spectacular scenes of the Heavenly River spreading out and the Binding Immortal, the commoners of Zhen City still exploded with excitement.

After all.

Fengqiuhuang appeared with talent shows, which were far more interesting than the Heavenly River and the Binding Immortal.

Almost everyone ran out of their homes, pointing at the sky and expressing their opinions, commenting on who sang well and who danced well...

The commoners did not know that the cultivators of the Seven Righteous Sects were lurking right beside them, ready to take their lives at any moment.

They only knew that Lin Bai of the Justice Alliance was protecting them and bringing them joy and benefits.

And after several wars that occurred in Zhen City, the cultivators had long since fallen from their high pedestals into the dust, and the commoners' sense of awe toward them no longer existed.

Ancestor Tuohai and the others did not expect that Lin Bai would actually dare to parade them through the streets.

They were sharp-eared and keen-eyed; the mocking sounds from the once-ants were endless, and the critiques of them went from start to finish.

The cultivators' faces turned red with shame; they wanted to stop their performances but could not, each of them embarrassed to the extreme, so they simply closed their eyes and continued to curse Lin Bai to vent the dissatisfaction in their hearts:

"You brat, stop being so arrogant; one day, you will suffer retribution."

"To humiliate the cultivators of the world like this, you will surely become a public enemy of the world..."

"Repeating the same two sentences over and over, aren't you tired? If you have that energy, you might as well think about how to please me, join the Justice Alliance, drag more people into the water, and suffer together with you..."

Lin Bai stood beside Cen Qing and said leisurely, "Otherwise, I will take you to parade through more towns and let you become a beautiful landscape in the sky."

As he spoke, Lin Bai's Spiritual Sense covered the entire Zhen City below.

He took the Fengqiuhuang Group to parade through the streets not only to retaliate against them for using foul language to curse him, but also to dampen the arrogance of the Blood Sect cultivators;

There was also the purpose of wanting to lure out the enemies hiding in Zhen City, or rather, to deter the cultivators hiding in the shadows.

Hearing is not as good as seeing.

Only by letting them see how terrifying Fengqiuhuang was would they have some misgivings when causing trouble on his turf.

Lin Bai saw Xu Longyun's worry; this was a reassurance pill given to her.

At this moment.

Ancestor Yuan Qing and Yi Wuji were still in Zhen City; when Great Vehicle Realm cultivators wanted to hide their tracks, even those in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm could not discover them.

With the fall of the Blood Sect and the appearance of Fengqiuhuang, they had already made up their minds to use the Demonic Five Sects to delay the pace of the Justice Alliance and then find a way to deal with Lin Bai.

And the fact that the Dao Son and others suddenly comprehended divine abilities further solidified their thoughts.

However.

They did not withdraw their arrangements in Zhen City; just like the Demonic Five Sects, the Seven Righteous Sects also wanted to leave enough time for their own prodigies to grow.

Most importantly, they were also harboring a fluke mentality.

What if they could beat Lin Bai to death?

But Lin Bai suddenly appearing from the Magpie Bridge with the Blood Sect cultivators to parade through the streets immediately made Ancestor Yuan Qing and the others abandon the idea of ambushing Lin Bai.

Fengqiuhuang, it actually has this kind of performance method?

Ancestor Yuan Qing and Yi Wuji looked at each other and tacitly did not mention taking action; unless Lin Bai really took the Justice Alliance to attack their sects, otherwise, it was better to let the Demonic Five Sects fight a war of attrition with Lin Bai!

Ancestor Yuan Qing had once worried that the Demonic Five Sects would break the jar to smash it and directly defect to the Justice Alliance.

Now, the appearance of the divine abilities of the Dao Son and other prodigies completely put his heart at ease; as long as there was even a one-percent hope of a comeback, the Demonic Five Sects would not merge into the Justice Alliance.

What they had to guard against now was the Demonic Five Sects, in order to leave time for their own prodigies to grow, diverting the disaster to others and leading Lin Bai toward the territory of the Seven Righteous Sects.

No cultivators popped out to fight Cen Qing or save these Blood Sect cultivators, which left Lin Bai quite disappointed; he took the Fengqiuhuang Group back to the Blood Sect, looked at everyone, shook his head, and said, "I was still counting on using you as bait, but who knew that not even one fellow could be tricked out; you people are too much of a failure."

"Knowing it's a trap, who would come out? Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?" Ancestor Nan Rong said while doing a somersault; having left the noisy environment of Zhen City, his mood had calmed down a lot.

"As stupid as me?" Lin Bai smiled. "Dragging you all out for a walk was just to scare people. Now that the goal has been achieved, how am I stupid?"

Everyone was forced to smile, glaring at him with rage.

Ancestor Nan Rong suppressed the anger in his heart and asked, "Lin Bai, do you really intend to keep us trapped with Phoenix Seeks Phoenix forever? Do you know that the longer you torture us, the less you will trust us, and the more impossible it will be to reach an end..."

"I naturally know, but am I not currently riding a tiger and unable to get off?" Lin Bai glanced at them and said sincerely, "However, I have already thought of a new idea: attack one sect, and swap in one person to use Phoenix Seeks Phoenix. In this way, you can compete with each other; whoever surrenders first, I will release."

"You..." Ancestor Tuohai choked on his breath, gritting his teeth as he said, "Despicable."

Cen Qing let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Lin Bai with gratitude; as long as she wasn't the only one being humiliated, it was fine.

To tell the truth, dragging a group of people around to parade in the streets put her under immense pressure.

"Lin Bai, how can we prove that we have won your trust?" Ancestor Nan Rong suddenly asked.

"Nan Rong!" Ancestor Tuohai looked at Nan Rong in astonishment, unable to believe he would ask such a thing.

"Brother Tuohai, things have to be resolved eventually; Lin Bai is too wicked." Ancestor Nan Rong smiled bitterly. "You are only dancing, but I have already done over eight thousand somersaults; my internal organs feel like they are about to pop out of my throat..."

Tu Yan and the others were expressionless, also waiting for an answer. The stimulation Lin Bai gave them by taking them to parade in the streets was too intense; no one wanted to experience it a second time.

"That is a good question." Lin Bai looked at Nan Rong. "However, what I said just now was indeed the truth; I really am riding a tiger and unable to get off. The most difficult part about releasing you is that I don't know how to trust you. Moreover, for you to surrender, everyone must surrender; otherwise, if even a few among you have ill intentions and drag my Justice Alliance down with them, I cannot afford such a loss."

"There must be a way!" Ancestor Nan Rong's old face darkened. "Forgive others when you can; trapping us to death does you no good either."

"It's not that there's no way." Lin Bai smiled and said, "When there is no one around, you can persuade each other. For example, Fellow Daoist Nan Rong, you can do somersaults while whispering sweet nothings in Ancestor Tuohai's ear, reasoning with him and appealing to his emotions, and speaking well of me more often. Perhaps it could change his mind. After all, you are currently in a state of collective punishment; you suffer together and prosper together."

"Dream on. I would rather die than surrender to a despicable villain like you." Ancestor Tuohai's laughter was laced with anger.

Lin Bai ignored him and continued, "The second step is to hypnotize yourself, forgetting the harm I have caused you and the unpleasantness I have brought upon you."

"For instance, I use Phoenix Seeks Phoenix to control you and subdue the Blood Sect. You can comfort yourselves by thinking that I specifically used Phoenix Seeks Phoenix to temper your Dao Heart, to lead you to comprehend a deeper Fazhe Zhidao, and that it is for your own good. Thinking along these lines and hypnotizing yourself, over time, when you no longer hate me and willingly believe that I am doing this for your own good, that I am righteous, and let me feel your sincerity, you will regain your freedom."

"..." The Blood Sect cultivators were dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long while. Their chests heaved, and their expressions were ferocious. How could anyone be so shameless and brazen as to say such things!

Cen Qing looked at Lin Bai with resentment, silently providing him with grievances from the side. Once upon a time, Lin Bai had said the same thing to her—that Phoenix Seeks Phoenix was to temper her Dao Heart and raise her reputation. Now it seemed that was purely him fooling her!

The Alliance Leader is truly not a human being.

"Why is there such a shameless person as you in this world?" Tu Yan finally couldn't help it, his face trembling with anger. "Thief Lin, you are simply trampling on our dignity..."

"This is not trampling on your dignity; this is my path of Faith." Lin Bai looked at everyone and said solemnly, "Becoming my believer is not without benefits; it can increase your combat power by ten percent. Moreover, I am the world's number one in Fazhe Zhidao, a man who can wipe out a sect alone. Is such a powerful God of War not worth your worship?"

Ptooey!

Ancestor Tuohai spat fiercely, expressing his opinion of Lin Bai.

Lin Bai smiled and continued, "I know it is very difficult to do these things, so I have thought of an adaptation method for you."

"What method?" Ancestor Nan Rong and Cen Qing Fairy asked in unison.

"When I am in battle, my support group usually wears a uniform, clothes printed with my portrait, holding placards with my name written on them, and shouting slogans like 'Lin Bai, Lin Bai, you are the best' or 'Lin Bai, Lin Bai, I love you.' They don't feel ashamed; rather, it comes from their hearts, and they believe it is a matter of course." Lin Bai said, "You can do the same, tempering yourselves from the outside in. First shout the slogans, then little by little believe that I am right, that I am your god..."

"Lin Bai, don't go too far. Even if you beat me to death, I won't shout such slogans." Ancestor Nan Rong's old face darkened, and he said angrily, "You are not solving the problem at all; you are just making fun of us."

"No, I am indeed solving the problem." Lin Bai shook his head and said sternly, "I know you can't shout the support group's slogans. I have prepared another set of slogans for you."

"What slogans?" A Great Vehicle Realm cultivator asked.

"When I go on an expedition, you can shout, 'Lin Bai, Lin Bai, your magic power is boundless, invincible in attack, and victorious in every battle.' When I encounter enemies, you can shout, 'Lin Bai, Lin Bai, your divine abilities are vast; the clowns are vulnerable to a single blow.' When I am victorious, you can shout, 'Justice Alliance, dominating the nine heavens, for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations, unifying the Jianghu'..." Lin Bai recalled the spectacle of Ding Chunqiu and casually made up a few sets of lines.

Cen Qing Fairy's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but turn her head to the side, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. She felt ashamed just hearing these words. Could it be that people who cultivate the Heavenly Dao are all this shameless?

This is just too... too...

Unconscionable!

"Thief Lin, we are negotiating with you in good faith, yet you are finding ways to make fun of us. Is this interesting?" Ancestor Nan Rong's face turned blue with anger, and he said, trembling.

"Heh!" Lin Bai sneered. "If I don't do this, how can you turn yourselves into mud, how can you draw a line with your original sects, and how can I dare to trust you? Only when you turn yourselves into a joke, so that even if you are freed, you have no face to return to your original sects, can I dare to boldly employ you!"

"I would rather dance until I die than shout such slogans." Ancestor Tuohai's face was ashen, and he said through gritted teeth.

"Is dancing and doing somersaults much more noble than shouting slogans?" Lin Bai chuckled and said, "It's just that you think dancing and somersaulting are forced, but will others think so? If you dance, you dance; if you sing, you sing. When others talk about you behind your backs, they won't care if you were forced or not! Only by making everyone the same as you can you possibly be truly liberated from Phoenix Seeks Phoenix. I release you, and that is physical liberation, but letting everyone go through Phoenix Seeks Phoenix and come out again, with all living beings equal—that is spiritual liberation. I have said all I have to say; you should think about it carefully!"

(End of this chapter)