Chapter 400: Game Rhythm

Xiao Huomiao said, "I knew it, this day would come sooner or later."

Xingkong said, "The tides of fortune turn. The Game Company has already shifted its focus to new players."

Shumu said, "But shouldn't it be the new players clearing us as bosses? Why let an NPC clean us up? What is the meaning of this?"

Guangtouxiang said, "If they can erase Skills, they aren't an NPC; they're a GM."

Xingkong said, "Has the Game Company finally stopped following the game rules and torn off the mask to enter the field themselves?"

Shuihua, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Lin Bai is definitely not a GM. I have studied his past experiences; he single-handedly threw the new game's progress into complete chaos. The new game has been open for less than a year, yet the rookies who just entered the game have already reached the Immortal World. To them, any Heavenly Being is more powerful than the top bosses of the lower realms. Such an environment is comparable to hell; it is impossible to develop in. I am more inclined to believe that Lin Bai was sent by the Game Company's rivals to cause destruction."

Xiao Huomiao said, "I know, it's the Justice Alliance. Just like the Game Company, they never enter the field themselves, and Lin Bai is their agent."

Xingkong said, "Why don't you think this is a new type of gameplay developed by the Game Company? Placing a catfish among the NPCs and players to increase the game's difficulty and fun."

Thunder Heavenly King: "Don't you think you've strayed from the topic? My Hammer was snatched, my Skills were erased; is it meaningful to discuss his origins instead of how to kill Lin Bai? Do you want to be picked off one by one and eventually lose the power in your hands?"

Xiao Huomiao said, "Although sitting in the position of a Heavenly King for so long is indeed a bit boring, I certainly don't want to lose the power in my hands. Besides, a new map has opened, and there are new players; the unchanging life has already become interesting."

Thunder Heavenly King said, "Then there you go. Who cares if he's a GM or a saboteur? We must kill him first to maintain our power. Lin Bai cannot cover the sky with one hand. This time it was my carelessness, fighting with the Darkness Divinity and both sides suffering, otherwise, he wouldn't have had a single chance."

Shumu said, "Kill him, but what about the Magpie Bridge? I still want to go see other worlds!"

Xiao Huomiao said, "Then don't kill him. Beat him into submission, make him serve as our driver, or get the method of using the Magpie Bridge out of his mouth, then kill him."

Xingkong said, "That makes sense, but the premise is to lure him to the Immortal World first. That guy has the Magpie Bridge and can slip away at any time; that part is quite troublesome."

Shuihua said, "Find Old Meng, let Old Meng trap him. That guy has a way with brainwashing; he should be able to handle Lin Bai."

Thunder Heavenly King said, "I must get my Hammer back first. In case he manages to cultivate Thunder God Descent, he will be hard to deal with."

Xingkong said, "We must discuss a foolproof plan. If you learn more about Lin Bai's past, you will know that his control over the human heart is extremely precise; his intelligence level should not be weaker than ours."

Thunder Heavenly King recalled his own encounter and really wanted to warn everyone not to take it lightly, but in the end, he swallowed his words. He would rather admit his own negligence than admit that his intelligence was lower than Lin Bai's!

Moreover, he felt that a few people holding holy artifacts should have no problem taking down one Lin Bai.

After all, Lin Bai is only in the Star Brilliance Realm and knows some opportunistic tricks. If he had the ability to fight head-on, why bother provoking him and the Darkness Divinity into a mutual defeat before making a move?

……

The players' reactions were fast enough, but they still felt they couldn't keep up with Lin Bai's rhythm.

It had only been one day since Lin Bai's grand wedding was held.

But now, it felt to the players as if a year had passed. Explosive information like the Anti-Lin Bai Alliance and the Heavenly Kings being players kept popping up one after another, gradually overshadowing Lin Bai's wedding.

In the internet age, people already feel that the pace of life has accelerated; often, when a hot topic breaks, it is swept into the trash can within a few days.

But after entering the game, the rhythm was like riding a rocket.

Every few hours, the game would break a big news story.

This rhythm is actually very "game-like," but after combining it with reality, it made the players feel the pace was excessively fast, and they couldn't react in time.

Players had to pay attention to the content of every issue of "Justice Weekly." The content of "Justice Weekly" was authorized by Lin Bai and represented the new direction of the game.

……

"Printing several issues a day, this can no longer be called 'Justice Weekly,' it should be called 'Justice Hourly.'" 【Visionary Eagle】 patted the stack of "Justice Weekly" beside his hand and said helplessly to the players next to him.

They were the people in charge of the Consortium game, but now the number of players was surging, and it was connecting with reality.

They were gradually becoming unable to cope with various emergencies and were being marginalized bit by bit.

Of course, this marginalization wasn't because their abilities were lacking, but because the main Group had begun to restrict them.

The integration of game and reality had become an established fact. The leaders of the main Group clearly did not want to see this group of player-employees who mastered surreal powers grow too large; reducing their external support and reclaiming power was a normal phenomenon.

"In the post-deity era, Lin Bai is going to shift his focus to Shenmo Dalu!" 【As Sun in the Sky】 said, "The Darkness Divinity is one of the Main Gods of Shenmo Dalu, yet he was taken out by the Thunder Heavenly King in a one-on-one fight. I have to say, top players are truly strong!"

"You can't look at the surface of things." 【Visionary Eagle】 shook his head and said, "If the Darkness Divinity was taken out by the Thunder Heavenly King, why was the information about the scattered Divinity released by 'Justice Weekly'? Many things we don't know must have happened here. One thing is certain: Lin Bai gained a huge advantage from it; the scattered Divinity has everything to do with him."

"The Anti-Lin Bai Alliance is causing trouble in the Immortal World, what should we do?" 【Chengfeng】 said, "The Group is clearly going to give us the cold shoulder, pulling away the players under our command to cultivate their own direct subordinates."

"Ask the Group for instructions and go explore Shenmo Dalu!" 【Visionary Eagle】 said, "Following the Group now doesn't necessarily mean there's meat to eat, but following Lin Bai will definitely get us soup. Haven't you all realized it yet? In the game world, the role of the Group is weakening. In the end, it still comes down to individual ability. We also need to change our thinking."

"The Nine Great Heavenly Kings?" 【As Sun in the Sky】 said.

"Yes, the Nine Great Heavenly Kings, who have suppressed the Immortal World for tens of thousands of years." 【Visionary Eagle】 said, "Calling them emperors is about right; that is the peak of players and the direction of the future."

"Lin Bai won't allow us to grow up." 【Chengfeng】 said.

"Lin Bai is very good to his fans; he doesn't restrict the development of his fans and even provides support." 【Visionary Eagle】 shook the "Justice Weekly" in his hand, "【Immortal Hero First Paparazzi】 and the others were unknown before, but they were forcibly propped up by Lin Bai and hold countless resources. The leaders of the Real World have to cooperate with the decisions they make. Isn't that enough? Our abilities are surely stronger than theirs!"

"Lin Bai has a set of procedures to identify his fans. I can't unconditionally be superstitious about Lin Bai, let alone become his fan." 【As Sun in the Sky】 gave a bitter smile.

"If you imagine Lin Bai as a person in reality and compare him with corporate CEOs—no, compare him with real-world figures like stock gods or financial tycoons—you will find that he is truly excellent and can be worshipped as an idol." 【Visionary Eagle】 said, "My previous idol was the stock god Joseph, but these days, after comparing Joseph's experiences with Lin Bai's, I gradually discovered that Joseph isn't even fit to carry Lin Bai's shoes. Joseph could never have taken such a large territory single-handedly in less than a year. Throughout history, no emperor could..."

The surroundings were silent, and everyone looked at 【Visionary Eagle】 with a hint of strangeness.

"President Yuan, you are a bit ruthless to yourself." 【Chengfeng】 sighed.

"President Cheng, the general trend is unstoppable. We have already been marginalized by the Group, and if we are marginalized by the Justice Alliance again, what will we rely on to survive in this chaotic world?" 【Visionary Eagle】 said, "Right now, the Justice Alliance still allows players to join at will. The further we go, the more Lin Bai's confidants will occupy high positions. Ever since we knew the Nine Great Heavenly Kings were players, the Group and such have already become a thing of the past."

"Have you ever thought about why there are only nine players in the vast Immortal World?" 【As Sun in the Sky】 suddenly asked, "If the situation in the Immortal World was similar to ours back then, why were there only nine players left in the end? Where did the other players go? Is the Game Company selecting the strongest? Without figuring out this question, there is no point in defecting to Lin Bai too early."

"President Ru, you are thinking too far ahead. Unless you can learn the truth from the Heavenly Kings, how can it be easy to investigate the truth when the Immortal World has existed for tens of thousands of years?" 【Visionary Eagle】 shook his head, "Life is short, seize the day."

……

Western Continent.

"Council President, after the war between the Thunder Heavenly King and the Darkness Divinity, Lin Bai did indeed disappear from my body." John said to the group of high-ranking officials, "He must have been caught in the crossfire during the war."

"What about the scattered Darkness Divinity?" Mandeline asked, "Do you not have a single memory left of that battle?"

"Ms. Mandeline, it was me being possessed by Lin Bai, not me possessing him; how could I possibly keep his memories?" John looked helpless, "Not just memories, I didn't keep any of his magical Skills, and because of death, my level even dropped by one."

"We are indeed people not favored by the gods." The Council President said in a daze, "Lin Bai abandoned us in the end."

"Council President, is there a possibility that he never took us seriously from the beginning, and his goal was always Shenmo Dalu." General Joseph said.

The sentence silenced the room.

A sense of frustration began to spread through the meeting.

Their modern weapons, which they were so proud of, had been utterly defeated in the battle with the other world. Losing Lin Bai's support, they couldn't imagine how they could win a place for themselves in this game competition.

After all.

Shenmo Dalu did not have Lin Bai at the beginning, and the players' levels were generally low; even with ten million players entering the game, they could not stir up any waves in the game world.

What's more, their total population could not compare to the Eastern Continent, and once the game became popular among the entire population, they would also be at a disadvantage in terms of player numbers.

"What should we do next? Continue to seek help from Lin Bai?" Mandeline asked.

Another silence followed.

"He won't pay attention to us; we have no use to him," Johnson said.

"I am tired and have decided to resign from the position of Council President." The Council President looked at everyone and suddenly said this shocking sentence, then he walked out on his own, "This damn world, it just annoys me to death. If possible, I would rather go into the game and be an ordinary player."

"..." Everyone was stunned, but no one stopped the Council President, because they also did not know how to resolve the current awkward situation.

"Clearly, Lin Bai's focus is on Shenmo Dalu. Send someone to find Lin Bai! At the very least, our familiarity with the game is higher than that group of Easterners," Joseph said. "Tell Lin Bai that we will do our utmost to cooperate with him to end this damn game as soon as possible and let the world return to the right track."

Ye Song and the others officially arrived at Shenmo Dalu. They were endowed by Lin Bai with the languages of the Western Continent, which allowed them to communicate with the natives of Shenmo Dalu without barriers. Correspondingly, they also lost the other Skills Lin Bai had endowed them with, and Tuohai and the others had to accompany them to be responsible for coordinating with them.

And *Justice Weekly* also cooperated with them, launching a vigorous publicity campaign in Shenmo Dalu.

The God of Darkness could appear in the form of thick fog, which, combined with the languages of the Western Continent, could perfectly help them hide their original identities.

The identity of Lin Bai's Disciple was somewhat sensitive and would likely be resisted by the original believers of the God of Darkness; letting them think that the Darkness Divinity had fallen into the hands of their own people would make it easier for them to accept.

Thus.

The God of Shadows, the God of Darkness, the God of Night, the God of Dark Shadows, and the God of Dark Night appeared one after another at the Darkness Palace in various places, lit the Sacred Darkness Fire, gathered the scattered believers of the God of Darkness, and through various methods, propagated their new doctrines, mostly centered on revenge...

However.

Not everyone appeared as a native of Shenmo Dalu.

After Joseph and the others contacted Lin Bai through Xu Longyun and expressed their willingness to submit, Lin Bai received them cordially and told them that he had also snatched a portion of the Darkness Divinity and needed to spread the Darkness Faith in their country, using the power of Faith from the Real World to annex the other five scattered pieces of Divinity and re-condense into the complete God of Darkness, asking them to unite the players to cooperate with the propaganda.

Falsehood and reality, truth and deception—this is the true essence of military strategy!

On one side are the natives of Shenmo Dalu, and on the other side are the players. Once the information that one must annex the other to obtain the complete Divinity is spread, there will definitely be players who join the Darkness God of the Real World to confront the natives...

The confrontation between players and natives is the theme of all games.

Where there is confrontation, new Faith will emerge.

The most critical point.

Lin Bai revealed a new piece of information: after the Divinity is shattered, it can be inherited by players.

He promised that as long as the players of the Western Continent were willing to cooperate with the God of Darkness to crusade against other gods, after defeating the other gods, the Justice Alliance would be willing to randomly distribute the shattered Divinity to the players, allowing gods to be born among the players as well.

After this news was released, most of the players in the Western Continent fell into a frenzy, even including many members of the Anti-Lin Bai Alliance.

Unlike the Western Continent Parliament, which felt abandoned by Lin Bai, they had finally waited for Lin Bai to come to Shenmo Dalu to stir up trouble.

Because having Lin Bai meant massive resources, and meant levels rising rapidly...

(End of this chapter)