Chapter 333: Dreamlike Reality

Ascension!

The players' private messages reminded Lin Bai; he had only been focused on finding a way to undergo Tribulation Transcendence and hadn't considered this issue.

Does the Immortal World count as a new map?

But this world hasn't been unified yet!

Besides, heaven knows what the situation is like in the Immortal World. He had finally managed to become the number one person in the world; before he could even enjoy life, he would have to enter the Immortal World and start struggling all over again?

I don't want to ascend at all!

His strength comes from cards; at worst, he can just put away his Tribulation Transcendence Stage cards and continue to throw his weight around and act as a tyrant in this world...

If he is to ascend, it should be when he wants to; as for undergoing the lightning tribulation again, having had the experience of this mass tribulation, is there anything to fear from undergoing a small, personal lightning tribulation once more?

After a unanimous discussion by the conglomerates, Lin Bai was suddenly no longer an enemy threatening them.

The players' attitude toward Lin Bai shifted once again, and they began to mine the remaining value in him.

Having received a mission from the Group, Bu Zhan Er Kuang came to Lin Bai's side and said, "Master, the Seven Righteous Sects and the Demonic Five Sects are acting very provocatively outside, suppressing the Justice Alliance everywhere and forcing the Heavenly Descended to leave the Alliance. Should we issue a threat to them to help out Uncle-Master Si Bai?"

Although they didn't say it, Lin Bai saw through their thoughts at a glance and asked, "Did Lin Sibai ask you to find me?"

Bu Zhan Er Kuang said, "Yes, Uncle-Master Si Bai is indeed in a difficult situation."

Slap!

A ruler appeared out of thin air in Lin Bai's hand.

The next instant.

Bu Zhan Er Kuang had already extended his left hand, and the ruler landed heavily on his palm.

Ow!

A shrill, inhuman scream rang out.

Bu Zhan Er Kuang jumped three feet high, clutching his left hand and trembling incessantly. His expression was twisted, and as he looked at the ruler in Lin Bai's hand, his eyes were filled with terror.

"What happened?" Kuai Le Hao Wu Liu Bao hurriedly sent a private message to Bu Zhan Er Kuang.

"It hurts!" Bu Zhan Er Kuang said, "Lin Bai's ruler hits people, and it really hurts. It's a pain that comes from the bone marrow; it's simply unbearable."

"You're joking, right!" Yi Zhi Li Xing De Mao said, "We are players. We don't even frown when we're chopped in half by a blade, so how could there be physical pain?"

"Do you think I have nothing better to do than mess with you?" Bu Zhan Er Kuang's eyes welled with tears, and he glared angrily at Yi Zhi Li Xing De Mao. "Why don't you let him hit you and see? That hellish ruler definitely has a problem—no, this game has a problem. I'm going to file a complaint with the game officials..."

"Really?" Kuai Le Hao Wu Liu Bao still couldn't believe it.

Lin Bai heard their private messages and snorted. I have already used Soul Possession to enter the Real World; what else is impossible?

However.

These secrets cannot be told to the players; the act must still be performed!

"Do you know you were wrong?" Lin Bai looked at Bu Zhan Er Kuang expressionlessly and asked.

"What the hell did I do wrong?" Bu Zhan Er Kuang said as a conditioned reflex.

Slap!

The ruler fell again.

In the incredulous eyes of Kuai Le Hao Wu Liu Bao and the others, Bu Zhan Er Kuang flew up, raised his left hand before Lin Bai, and was forced to take a hit from the ruler.

Another scream followed, even more intense than the last.

Kuai Le Hao Wu Liu Bao and the others were horrified. When they watched Lin Bai hit others, they just thought it was fun, but when the punishment fell on them, that sense of fun and pleasure vanished instantly. Especially since Lin Bai's ruler could actually make people feel pain, it was even more terrifying...

"F*** you!" Bu Zhan Er Kuang cursed with red eyes. Unable to bear the pain, the moment he escaped the ruler's control, he chose to log off immediately and vanished before Lin Bai.

On Kuai Le Hao Wu Liu Bao's livestream screen, barrages from the conglomerate executives suddenly increased:

"What's the situation?"

"The ruler can make players feel pain?"

"Contact Bu Zhan Er Kuang and ask him what exactly is going on. If he goes to the forums to complain, suppress it first. This matter is somewhat abnormal..."

"Bypassing the server to directly harm the player's physical body—if this is verified, our safety will no longer be guaranteed. The possibility that this is a real world is greater than ninety percent. Originally, cultivation methods couldn't do anything to players, but the Fazhe Zhidao that Lin Bai promotes targets the players themselves."

"From cultivation to Fazhe, this is the antivirus program undergoing an upgrade!"

"Before, the romance between Lao Mi and the City Lord already showed signs, and now, Lin Bai's ruler can make players feel pain. Soul Possession might also be Lin Bai's counter-attack experiment targeting players; the moment Lin Bai's Fazhe Zhidao can kill people in reality through their bodies in the game, that will be the truly terrifying major event."

"Isn't that too absurd?"

"We must make this preparation. Assuming these are two real worlds, if we can invade through the Game Company, then it is normal for this world to counter-attack us. Caution is never a mistake."

"Kuai Le, you ask Lin Bai the reason for his sudden attack, and find a way to make him tap you with the ruler."

"Make him tap me with the ruler?" Kuai Le Hao Wu Liu Bao asked in astonishment. "Didn't you see Bu Zhan Er Kuang get tapped until he logged off? It must be very painful..."

"Figuring out the power of the ruler is very important to us," the barrage from Ru Ri Zhong Tian flew past.

"I need extra pay." Kuai Le Hao Wu Liu Bao was silent for a moment and said, "Taking a hit from the ruler should be extremely painful; I can't take that hit for nothing."

"Thirty thousand. Describe truthfully what it feels like to be hit by the ruler," Ru Ri Zhong Tian said.

At the same time.

Yi Zhi Li Xing De Mao and Neng Dong Shou Jiu Bie Bi Bi both received the same mission; since they were going to conduct an experiment, they should require diversity in their samples.

For the sake of money, the three players reluctantly agreed to the bizarre mission of provoking Lin Bai and taking a beating.

Lin Bai couldn't see their barrages, but he could hear their private messages, and he also heard their bizarre demands. The look in his eyes as he turned toward them was inevitably somewhat strange.

"Master, why did you suddenly hit Junior Brother Bu Zhan Er Kuang?" Kuai Le Hao Wu Liu Bao asked.

"He deceived his master," Lin Bai said.

"This Disciple does not understand," Kuaile Haowu Liuliu said.

"When Uncle-Master Si Bai left the mountain, I naturally knew the Seven Righteous Sects and the Demonic Five Sects would make things difficult for him. But in just a few short days, your Uncle-Master Si Bai hasn't even met the Seven Righteous Sects or the Demonic Five Sects, and he would absolutely not ask for my assistance. After all, Uncle-Master Si Bai has mastered the Fazhe Zhidao; even if his methods are inferior to mine, it would not be easy for the Seven Righteous Sects and the Demonic Five Sects to make things difficult for him. Since Buzhan Erkuang asked me to help Uncle-Master Si Bai without a fight, who is instigating him? Who is the one he truly wants to help?"

Lin Bai said, "Enjoying the benefits of being my Disciple while eating from the inside out, thinking of plotting against me. With such poor virtue, if I don't beat him, who should I beat?"

"..." Kuaile Haowu Liuliu was speechless and sent a private message, "The Soul Possession already failed, and he's still so confident!"

"Deceiving your master is only the first point; secondly, as your master, I can currently only contact the outside world through the few of you. If you pass false information to me and lead me to make a mistake, that would be a regret too late to mend." Lin Bai scanned them and taught them, "As the saying goes, filial children are raised under the stick. If I don't correct your virtue, the one who suffers in the end will surely be your master. Yet after only hitting his palm twice, that brat actually cried and cursed your master. It was still too light; when he comes again, he will inevitably have to endure a few more strikes of the ruler."

"Damn!" Yizhi Lixing De Mao cursed in a private message, "Lin Bai is too cunning. He's simply beating the grass to scare the snake, afraid that we might pass him false information."

"Lin Bai is cunning—is that the first day you've known? Without this brain, how could he play the people of the world in the palm of his hand?" Kuaile Haowu Liuliu sighed and said, "This time, since he knows the ruler is effective, he might intensify his efforts in the future."

"You few must not learn from him. Disciples of the Righteous Gate value virtue above all else, and respecting one's master is the first of these virtues. Deng Li Buduo is a cautionary tale, and it is fine for now, but if you do something in the future that lets your master down, even if you have enjoyed great benefits here with me, I will recover it all with interest when the time comes." With nothing else to do, Lin Bai teased them.

"He put it so clearly. If we provoke him again, will he really get angry and expel us from the sect?" Lin Bai had blocked all paths with a few words, and Kuaile Haowu Liuliu asked his companions in a private message.

"Probably not," Yizhi Lixing De Mao said. "There are only a few of us in the Shengji Sect. If he loses us, he loses his source of information from the outside world. Therefore, at most, he will hit our palms once or twice; he won't drive us away. Lin Bai needs him more than we do."

"Master, I would like to experience what the ruler feels like, to take it as a warning," Neng Dongshou Jiu Bie Bibi glanced at the two, bowed respectfully to Lin Bai, and said.

"..." The other two were stunned at the same time. This guy was also cunning enough; it was clearly a movie for three people, why did he have to perform alone? Couldn't he have brought us along?

"Junior Brother Buzhan Erkuang made a mistake, and we also have responsibility. Please punish us together, Master." Kuaile Haowu Liuliu gave Yizhi Lixing De Mao a wink, and the two obediently stretched out their left hands and said in unison.

Kuaile Haowu Liuliu, Yizhi Lixing De Mao, and Neng Dongshou Jiu Bie Bibi's Virtue Value increased, and the Spiritual Power feedback value increased by five percent.

Lin Bai looked at the three palms stretched out in front of him and was stunned in surprise. There was a harvest even from this? Damn, the system really only looks at the surface!

"To have such disciples, my heart is greatly comforted." Lin Bai laughed, "I hope you can remember today's brotherly friendship and respect for your master; this is virtue! Good, good, good. Your master shall reward each of you with one strike of the ruler to complete your brotherly bond."

"Many thanks, Master." The three were overjoyed and said in unison.

Before the words had even faded.

Three screams merged into one line, identical to the expression of Buzhan Erkuang. They were not Ye Song or Qingyun, who had strong willpower; they were ordinary people who worked nine-to-five and played games occasionally. How could they withstand such bone-piercing pain when they were suddenly subjected to it?

As the ruler fell, each of them wished they could chop off their own hands. They would never be willing to endure such a beating a second time, even if they were killed.

At this moment.

They understood why Buzhan Erkuang had cursed Lin Bai and logged off so quickly. Enduring such a beating was truly not something a human could handle; the thirty thousand was a loss.

At the thought of being Lin Bai's disciple and potentially suffering such a ruler at any time without being able to resist, the three players didn't even want to log into the game anymore...

Yuanjian Zhiying was right to be worried; Lin Bai's Fazhe Zhidao absolutely must not be spread. That would simply be the end of the world for players!

"Do you still want to experience it?" Lin Bai asked kindly.

"No need." The three retreated in terror, waving their hands repeatedly, not even daring to look at the bullet comments.

"You have already experienced the pain of the ruler. From now on, when you speak to your master, you should think thrice before acting, can you do that?" Lin Bai asked.

"We obey the master's command." The three secretly groaned. In the future, they would probably really have to think thrice before acting on the financial group's orders. Lin Bai was too suspicious, and he would hit them with the board at every turn—who could stand that?

"Facts prove that Lin Bai's ruler can indeed hurt players, and it is an unbearable kind of pain. I have suppressed the news; without my permission, no one is allowed to spread it to avoid causing panic." Yuanjian Zhiying held an emergency meeting to inform the senior management of the situation. "From this, we can infer that this is absolutely not a game; this is a real world. We must hurry to advance the game's progress. Only by grasping power can we deal with all potential crises."

"Lin Bai's Fazhe can threaten our lives. Shouldn't we quit the game and reconsider?" Minjie Zhi Bao said.

"Opportunities are often accompanied by dangers. The Game Company might be a higher-level civilization; this is a chance for the Group to take flight." Yuanjian Zhiying said, "After all, the Game Company has such powerful technology; whether it is invading our world or destroying our world, it would be as easy as turning over one's hand. Why go to the trouble of creating such a game? I speculate that this is very likely a test of our civilization by a higher civilization. Those who pass the test can obtain prizes, and those who don't will be abandoned."

"Longevity, higher-level technology—no matter which one it is, it is enough to make the world go crazy!" Zhenshan Zhi Hu said, "A higher civilization can indeed do whatever it wants."

"There is no way around it; who told us to be backward?" Yuanjian Zhiying smiled bitterly, "This is the price of growth. I don't know what is at the end of the road, but I hope everyone here can persist with me to eventually get the prize or find out the truth."

At the same time.

Xinlong Group secretly restarted the investigation into Zheng Tong, and everything regarding Zheng Tong was placed under secret surveillance.

The ruler can hurt players, so Lin Bai's Soul Possession must not be without a target.

"Old Jing, Lin Bai's ruler can directly break through the game's settings and hurt players. Did you inherit his 'Way of the Master'?" Haiqun Zhi Ma found Lin Sibai and asked in a private message.

"No, I didn't inherit any of the welfare-type Fazhe, including the 'Way of the Master' and the 'Way of Faith'." Lin Sibai looked at him and said, "What I inherited are all attack-type Fazhe. It's probably a restriction of the game on players!"

"Aren't you at all surprised that the ruler can hurt players?" Haiqun Zhi Ma asked calmly.

"Not surprised at all!" A sense of vigilance arose in Lin Sibai's heart, and he smiled, "Lao Mi can fall in love with the City Lord, so it's very normal for the ruler to hurt players!"

"That's true." Haiqun Zhi Ma was forced to smile, "Old Jing, you don't have Lin Bai's Puppetry. Do you have confidence in this attack on the Beast Taming Sect? I feel it's still a bit risky. When Lin Bai attacked the Blood Sect back then, he had more than a dozen high-end combatants at the Great Vehicle Realm by his side..."

"... President Jin, when Jingshi Zhi Sun was holding a meeting with people at the Blood Sect, the computer in the room where he was located had frequent data exchanges. In the past three days, similar things have happened several times. At the time, Jingshi Zhi Sun was in the game and was interacting with the people around him..."

"... On the day of Lin Bai's Soul Possession, a cleaner named Lu Yanhong resigned, and her attitude toward resigning was very firm. According to her colleagues, she thought the apartment was haunted. We investigated the reason afterward; the time she said it was haunted overlaps with the time of Zheng Tong's first phone call with you. Specifically, she would open her mouth but could not make any sound!"

As soon as these words were spoken.

President Jin's face suddenly turned pale. He stood up abruptly and took the report from the investigator's hand: "Okay, I know. Find the cleaner and don't let her publicize it. This matter is strictly confidential; it is not allowed to be spread to a third person. Also, closely monitor all movements in Zheng Tong's room; do not alert him."

After speaking.

President Jin hurried out of the office.

When leaving the office, his shoulder hit the door frame hard, and he didn't even stop to rub it.

(End of chapter)