Chapter 376: A Righteous Cause

Worlds are not the same as other worlds.

Celestials possess the appearance of humans, but in the final analysis, they and humans are two completely different species; if one must draw a comparison, the relationship between Celestials and humans is equivalent to that between humans and the Demon Race in the Mortal World.

Humans look down on the Demon Race, and the Beast Taming Studio once even tried every possible means to enslave Demon Beasts for tens of thousands of years, which they considered normal; yet, upon ascending to the Immortal World, they are in turn enslaved by Celestials—one has to say, it is truly ironic.

……

The nature of the Celestials' nameplates dictates that Lin Bai's human identity cannot infiltrate perfectly, not even with the God of War Physique.

Although the God of War Physique possesses all of Lin Bai's Skills, its own strength is too weak; in a one-on-one fight, he might not even be able to defeat Nan Lingtian.

Therefore, it is impossible for Lin Bai to obtain the greatest results with the minimum cost as he did in the Mortal World; only through victory and sacrifice can the barriers between the two species be broken, just as Lin Bai's forceful rise made the cultivators hold their noses and acknowledge the status of the Demon Race.

It is just that this time, Lin Bai stands on the weaker side.

This is a war, unrelated to justice; in this war, no one can remain aloof.

Even if they want to, Lin Bai will not allow it.

……

"Nuclear peace? What does Lin Bai mean?" 【Black Sheep】 asked.

"The meaning is very simple: he is no longer paving the way for us. If we want to fight for rights, we must take action ourselves," 【Sun at High Noon】 said.

"No, he is driving a wedge between us and the Celestials," 【Chengfeng】 said. "Once we take the initiative to launch a war against the Celestials, it will be basically impossible to continue profiting from both sides as we did before. He wants to use this method to cut off the possibility of us uniting with the Celestials..."

"That's too vicious," 【Wolf of War】 said. "Does Lin Bai know about our plan?"

"Whether he knows or not, it is normal for him to do this; we were never a community of shared interests to begin with," 【Eagle of Foresight】 said. "However, launching a war is not something the few of us can decide; let's see what those above think!"

……

Ending the private chat, 【Eagle of Foresight】 said: "Alliance Leader, we will convey your meaning to the leadership. Now, what about the players in Songshi City? They aren't just capturing players; they are provoking your bottom line!"

"Don't worry about Songshi City. Once I re-establish the laws, they will naturally release the players," Lin Bai smiled.

"Laws?" The players were stunned.

"Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. This is the territory of the Celestials. According to the rules of the Celestials, ascenders from the Mortal World are inherently lower-class; they have committed no fault in capturing the players. If I take action against them with this as my reason, how will I command respect in the future?" Lin Bai swept his gaze toward the dark-faced Crazy Wind Sword Idiot and the others, saying, "We are not mere passersby; it is impossible to slaughter every Celestial in the Immortal World. Since that is the case, we cannot act on impulse; otherwise, even if we conquer the Celestials, this world will fall into chaos and endless war, and no one will be able to survive."

……

"Damn! When has this guy ever followed the rules?" 【Black Sheep】 complained in the private chat channel. "Isn't all the chaos brought about by him? He single-handedly stirred up three worlds, and now he starts talking about rules left and right; it's truly maddening."

"Old Ma, you can't put it that way. Lin Bai is doing the right thing; every country at its inception does exactly this," 【Chengfeng】 said. "Throughout history, there have been so many rebellions. Those with rules and order survived; those without rules who acted recklessly were eventually eliminated."

"I understand that logic, but hearing it come out of Lin Bai's mouth just feels awkward," 【Black Sheep】 said. "He was just inciting us to launch a nuclear peace war a moment ago!"

"Launching a war and establishing rules do not conflict. Moreover, Lin Bai's rules are for others to see, and for others to follow." 【Eagle of Foresight】 looked at Lin Bai with eyes full of admiration and worship. "Lin Bai has never been a reckless brute; he has his own plan. He uses rules to restrain everyone, while he himself remains outside the rules, and can even change them at will. I have to say, his methods are more brilliant than anyone else's; such a person is the hardest to deal with! I understand more and more why the Righteous Gate sent him out..."

……

"Alliance Leader, all this time, the Celestials have never treated us as human beings." Crazy Wind Sword Idiot stood up abruptly and said angrily, "We wish we could peel their skin, eat their flesh, and kill every immortal in the Immortal World. Why should we be merciful to them?"

"Junior Uncle, say less; the Alliance Leader has his own arrangements." The Purple-Clad Ancestor kept signaling to Crazy Wind Sword Idiot.

"I don't accept this," Crazy Wind Sword Idiot said indignantly. "The Celestials are arrogant and cannot coexist with us; we must exterminate them..."

Slap!

A blur passed before everyone's eyes; Crazy Wind Sword Idiot was already standing before Lin Bai, raising his left hand, and after a crisp sound, he let out a shrill scream.

"Crazy Wind, considering this is your first offense, I will strike you with the ruler once as a warning," Lin Bai looked at him. "Later, you may ask your fellow brothers and sisters about the rules of the Righteous Gate; if you cannot accept them, you may leave the sect."

"..." Sweat poured down Crazy Wind Sword Idiot like rain. He looked at the ruler in Lin Bai's hand, and the trembling from the depths of his Soul awakened the fear deep in his heart. He lowered his head, forcibly controlling the hatred in his heart, and said tremblingly, "This Disciple knows his mistake."

Loyalty: 20 percent.

Seeing the encounter of Crazy Wind Sword Idiot, the Loyalty of Xuan Yun and the others also dropped by five points.

These guys had suffered long-term abuse, and their psyches were already twisted; the external manifestation was that they trusted no one, and if they felt even slightly uncomfortable, they would bristle like hedgehogs.

Lin Bai sympathized with their plight, but he would not indulge them, nor was he inclined to soothe them; there are so many people in the world, who isn't usable?

Why waste time on them?

Among those who ascend, there are always a few who can still recognize the situation in adversity; to be his Disciple, one must be sufficiently intelligent and sufficiently resilient...

"Violence is temporary, but order is permanent. The mission of the Righteous Gate is to break this old world and reorganize a new order. In the new world we build, no one must be high and mighty; all things and all beings are equal. This has always been the tenet I have insisted upon; it was so when I rescued the Demon Race, and it must be so when I challenge the hegemony of the Celestials."

Lin Bai ignored the few ascenders and said righteously, "Everyone must remember, we are not invading, nor are we seeking revenge for ascenders; we are educating and saving. We are the side of justice; no matter what we do, we must have a righteous cause. This is the belief of the Righteous Gate; only by upholding the justice in our hearts can we be invincible..."

……

"General Chen, do we really have to go to war with the Celestials?" Cheng Xunyun asked. "The number of professional soldiers among the players is too small to support a large-scale war. The combat power of the Celestials is equivalent to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, and their attack range is often over a hundred miles; many modern weapons cannot cause them any damage at all. Sending our soldiers into the battlefield—with their Physique, encountering Celestials would result in too many casualties. Moreover, the resources in the game world are enough for us to use; there is simply no need to send troops to the Immortal World..."

"Everyone knows this logic." General Chen glanced at Cheng Xunyun. "But Lin Bai wants an attitude, a stance that we must stand on the same front as him; therefore, regardless of whether we have interests or not, we must send troops."

"There is no need for ordinary people to go to the battlefield; select the soldiers from among the players, train them temporarily, and form assault squads to focus on breaking through at a single point. Whether it succeeds or not, Lin Bai will not blame us."

"But, once we are at odds with the Celestials, how do we keep Lin Bai in check?" Cheng Xunyun pondered for a moment and asked in a low voice.

"The Celestials are not that fragile, and we also need time to grow." General Chen said. "Moreover, if Lin Bai really has the ability to control several worlds, we have no need to be at odds with him, nor do we have the ability to scheme against him. Unless Lin Bai does something harmful to us, do not bring this matter up again. There are too many people who find Lin Bai an eyesore; it is not yet our turn to take the lead..."

"What if the players have their own ideas?" Cheng Xunyun said.

"If Lin Bai doesn't pursue it, then ignore it. If Lin Bai asks, give him the players' data." General Chen looked at Cheng Xunyun and said nonchalantly, "Everyone must be responsible for their own actions."

……

"The Tenth Heavenly King Law"

"First: Respect the Heavenly King above all; beneath the Heavenly King, all beings are equal. No one may defy the Heavenly King, and it is forbidden for anyone to undermine the principle of equality under any name;"

"Second: Under the rule of the Tenth Heavenly King, everything shall be governed by law; establish an Administrative Office, a Supervisory Office, a Judicial Office..."

"Third:..."

……

Lin Bai was very fast.

He summoned a group of legal experts from the lower-world nations like Taiyi and Taichu, and in just one hour, he concocted a set of laws with him at the pinnacle, based on the existing laws of the Mortal World.

In a world like this, he certainly wouldn't bother with "the prince who breaks the law is punished the same as the commoner"; what he wanted was privilege...

Once the laws were established, they were promulgated immediately through Nan Lingtian.

While the Celestials were still sneering at the new laws.

A joint law enforcement team composed of Disciples like Qingyun and Tuohai, along with Nan Lingtian, began precise searches and arrests within the city.

Players have a live-streaming function; no matter how deeply the Celestials hid, the joint law enforcement team could catch them every single time.

In chaotic times, use heavy codes.

The "Heavenly King Law" was created on the spot, but Lin Bai showed no mercy to the Celestials who violated the new laws; every Celestial caught was executed without exception, with no room for explanation.

The trend of human trafficking must be nipped in the bud.

Otherwise, once the name of Lin Bai as the new Heavenly King spread and more ascenders came to join him, and more Cultivators from the Mortal World with insufficient cultivation came to the Immortal World for advanced study, it would be fatal to his influence if these Celestials, who considered themselves high and mighty, were to capture and traffic them for amusement...

Currently, Lin Bai's base is not the players, but those Cultivators in the Mortal World who are caught in the cracks; he must first ensure the lives and interests of the Cultivators, and then select suitable spokespeople from the new forces to reach a new balance.

The sight of Long Tianxi being turned into a dish was too terrifying, and Nan Lingtian was so scared that he dared not harbor any crooked thoughts anymore, doing whatever Lin Bai told him to do.

When told to kill, he killed.

For a time, heads rolled in Songshi City...

Lin Bai controlling Songshi City as a mortal already made the Celestials resentful and unconvinced; now, he had even promulgated laws that made them pay with their lives just for catching a few "pigs," without even giving them room to argue...

The Celestials had never suffered such indignity, and for a time, they were both shocked and terrified.

Under the organization of the Chamber of Commerce of Golden Realm Celestials in the city, the Celestials began to storm the teleportation array on a large scale, wanting to flee Songshi City and seek help from the outside world.

The result.

Tuohai and the others took action, using Zhaofeng, Dazzling, and Love Separation in a flurry of operations.

Before everyone's eyes, the rebelling Celestials were tortured to the point of agony, and although the teleportation array was close at hand, they simply could not break through...

The Celestials were filled with despair; thinking that they would die if caught anyway, they simply turned around and, risking having their necks snapped, charged at Tuohai and the others, thinking they would take at least one down with them.

As a result, they couldn't even break through Nan Lingtian's defense, and they died one after another at Nan Lingtian's feet.

The powerful Celestial guards perfectly complemented the shortcomings of Lin Bai's Disciples' single-attribute Fazhe Zhidao.

Even the Celestials who were crazy enough to fight for their lives could not manage to perish together with them.

As more and more people died, the Celestials in Songshi City finally grew timid.

Some Celestials who had imprisoned players secretly released them, and some Celestials who controlled industries in Songshi City came to the City Lord's Mansion to present generous gifts to Lin Bai, showing their Loyalty.

In less than half a day, Lin Bai's reputation in Songshi City reached its peak.

Although the Celestials were still unconvinced, Songshi City could be considered under his control.

The Fazhe Zhidao of Tuohai and the others shocked Crazy Wind Sword Idiot and the others; watching these Disciples, whose cultivation was inferior to theirs, kill Celestials as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, they had accomplished an unprecedented feat for them, the senior practitioners, and those Celestials were even tortured before they died.

They finally realized that they were truly outdated; in Lin Bai's team, they were truly dispensable, and Lin Bai did not need the cultivation they were so proud of at all...

After learning about Lin Bai's feats in the Mortal World from the Ziyi Ancestor and others, Crazy Wind Sword Idiot and the others dared not act presumptuously again; the Loyalty that had just dropped was instantly maxed out, and then evolved into fanaticism.

They saw hope in Lin Bai; ascenders needed such a powerful leader to have a true foothold in the Immortal World!

What was Lu Ying, who killed the City Lord?

Only Lin Bai, who controlled a city, could be called truly brilliant and talented!

Having temporarily intimidated the Celestials of Songshi City with slaughter.

Lin Bai began to use soft tactics; he summoned all the wealthy merchants and controllers of various industries in Songshi City, introduced them to the new Celestials born from the New Mother Body, showed them the Magpie Bridge leading in all directions and the power of the Dao of Control, told them about the harsh world environment, promised them a bright future, invited them to join the Justice Alliance, and further won them over.

Upon entering the Immortal World, the Pill Refinement and Weapon Refinement techniques of the Mortal World were clearly lagging behind, playing a negligible role in the cultivation growth of Mortal World Cultivators; Lin Bai had to use the Celestials' industries to charge the Cultivators of the Justice Alliance, and also use them to open up the situation in the Immortal World...

Possessing Dihua, which could perceive their emotions, Lin Bai was steady in controlling people's hearts.

Meanwhile.

In the Real World, large quantities of modern weapons were shipped to the Shengji Sect.

On the forum, Cheng Xunyun launched a conscription order in Lin Bai's name, recruiting players who had served in the military to join the vanguard army for the war against the Immortal World.

The contest between technological weapons and immortal arts had always been a hot topic of discussion among players.

In the hearts of most players, even if modern weapons were not invincible, they would not be at a disadvantage in a confrontation with immortal arts; that time, using Infrared Ray equipment to severely damage Lin Bai's soul fragment had boosted their confidence even more.

But the series of events that followed gave them no chance to use modern weapons to fight against Cultivators.

Now, Lin Bai allowed them to establish a technological vanguard army to attack the Immortal World, which immediately mobilized everyone's enthusiasm.

Followers gathered, and many players rushed from all over to enthusiastically sign up for the vanguard army...

However.

Before the players of the Eastern Continent could start a war with the Celestials of the Immortal World, the United States of the West had already fired the first shot of the Real World invading another world.

(End of this chapter)