Chapter 402: Mercy Does Not Command Troops

"It makes sense, but I heard the Lingjie Fengxi won't open for seven years—no, six years. Six years from now, Lin Bai might have already unified the Immortal World, and we'll be playing for nothing."

"Just because we can't open the Lingjie Fengxi doesn't mean the Heavenly Kings can't. After all, they are top-tier BOSSes."

"Correction: they are top-tier players."

"Whatever they are, it's certain their levels are higher than Lin Bai's. Lin Bai has at least two ways to enter the Lingjie Fengxi: one is the Magpie Bridge, the other is the Reporter ID. Surely the Heavenly Kings aren't without even one method! If they don't even have that, then there's no point in fighting Lin Bai; might as well wash up and go to sleep. Once the Magpie Bridge is sealed, Lin Bai is invincible."

"Brothers, stop discussing how to deal with Lin Bai here; our home has been raided."

"What home?"

"Justice Weekly posted a video on the forum of Lin Bai forcibly dragging players out of their Game Capsules, saying that if anyone targets ordinary citizens or public welfare projects, Lin Bai will carry out humanitarian extermination on them."

A moment of silence.

Then.

The players around them vanished in a flurry, all logging off to check the latest news.

In a short while.

Players logged back on one after another, their faces ugly, filled with righteous indignation.

……

"I knew Lin Bai wouldn't be that easy to deal with; he can even bypass the Game Capsule."

"It's just a game; it's not worth losing your life over. Lin Bai said he wouldn't target civilians, so he won't attack our bodies in the Real World, but our lives are in his hands. If we cross his bottom line, he can strike whenever he wants."

"Are we still taking missions?"

"The Game Company can't even guarantee our lives, so why bother with missions? I've already gone to the forum to protest to the Game Company."

"I said long ago that Lin Bai couldn't be left alone. Yet, the first batch of players to enter the game actually idolized him; their brains are as stupid as pigs."

"Actually, it's not that we can't take missions. First, players are relatively scattered, and it takes time for Lin Bai to find and identify the players targeting him; second, Lin Bai may not have the time to go to the Real World to clean us up. After all, compared to the Nine Heavenly Kings of the Immortal World and the gods of Shenmo Dalu, we aren't that important; third, as long as more people protest to the Game Company, maybe the Game Company will continue to increase the game quota. The more people playing, the safer we are."

"That's right, we need the cooperation of the Nine Heavenly Kings. With our lives threatened, those rewards are no longer enough."

"Someone is already analyzing Lin Bai's video of cracking the Game Capsule frame by frame; maybe we can find a remedy."

"Does that even need analysis? The simplest method is to move the Game Capsule to a place Lin Bai can't find..."

……

Nine Heavenly Kings chat group.

Lightning Heavenly King said: "Lin Bai has taken people and hidden in Shenmo Dalu; our method worked."

Xiao Huomiao said: "Some players are asking me for a Magic Tool to enter the Lingjie Fengxi, wanting to sneak into Shenmo Dalu that way. I have already had people start crafting Boundary Break drills."

Xingkong said: "Lin Bai didn't have anyone close the Magpie Bridge between the Immortal World and Shenmo Dalu. I don't know what these players are worried about; why not just go through the Magpie Bridge? This generation of players is too timid; not straightforward at all."

Shumu said: "They are afraid of their bodies in the Real World being damaged."

A ball of light said: "I really want to tell them that their bodies in the Real World aren't that important. We reign supreme in the game and live so freely; what do we need bodies in the Real World for?"

Shanshi said: "They're just a bunch of players; we aren't counting on them to actually handle Lin Bai. Cooperating with them is far less reliable than finding gods from other worlds."

Xingkong said: "There isn't a single smart person among this wave of players. They actually think they'll have a way out once Lin Bai dies! Under heavy rewards, there will be brave men; increase the rewards, and there will be plenty of players willing to risk it for the mission."

At this moment.

A pitch-black avatar flickered a few times: "Enough with the nonsense. Lightning, Shui, Huo, follow me to Shenmo Dalu. The rest of you stay behind to guard the Immortal World. Lin Bai has high mobility, and the Immortal World is full of his eyes and ears. We must prevent Lin Bai from raiding our home and also prevent those gods from Shenmo Dalu from coming over to cause trouble. We must resolve the hidden danger as soon as possible; the situation must be kept under our control."

Xiao Huomiao said: "Yes, Meng Laoda."

A ball of light said: "With the boss taking action, it's a sure thing. We'll just wait in the Immortal World for the boss's good news."

Lightning Heavenly King said hurriedly: "Meng Laoda, remember my Hammer."

……

Over a million Cultivators arrived at Shenmo Dalu, and a large number of players followed along.

The sudden appearance of so many people made the native residents of Shenmo Dalu tremble, thinking that another world had truly launched a large-scale invasion against them.

The uninformed public hid in their homes and prayed to the gods.

Armies of various countries assembled, and the honor guards of various sects quickly entered a state of combat readiness.

Snow-like letters of distress were sent to various temples.

However.

The Cultivator groups did not offend the native residents of Shenmo Dalu, but instead sought out a vast wilderness and stationed themselves by sect.

Even the lowest-ranked Cultivator has physical strength and combat power superior to ordinary people, so there were no problems with survival in the wild.

Moreover, they brought a large amount of supplies, so even if the Spirit Qi ratio of the two worlds is different, there is no problem with short-term cultivation.

The only problem currently troubling the Cultivators is language.

However, most Cultivators did not take learning the language seriously.

No one wanted to leave their homes; they preferred to believe this was a temporary refuge.

Once Lin Bai resolves the issues in the Immortal World, everyone will return to their original homes, or even enter the Spirit Qi-rich Immortal World.

……

The sect leaders and those in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm were settling in their members. There was no need to worry about the Heavenly Tribulation; those in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm could act freely here, their expressions even more relaxed than in the Xianxia World.

Lin Bai and his Xu Longyun stood on a Sword Boat, overlooking the chaotic situation below.

On the adjacent Sword Boat, players moved in and out, summarizing intelligence from all sides and organizing the important parts to report to Xu Longyun.

Nowadays, the territory of the Justice Alliance encompasses several worlds and involves economics, war, and more. Lin Bai couldn't handle it all alone, so Xu Longyun established a specialized staff department to collect intelligence and organize the optimal solutions amidst the chaos.

……

"Husband, the players are very panicked now. A large number of people are protesting on the forum, demanding that the Game Company patch the vulnerabilities in the Game Capsule to ensure their personal safety. There are players from both the Eastern Continent and the Western Continent." Xu Longyun stood beside Lin Bai, habitually stuffing a Spirit Fruit into her mouth to replenish her exhausted Spirit.

"Don't worry about the players; they can't stir up much trouble." Lin Bai waved his hand and said, "Tell me something useful. Our current targets are the gods and the Heavenly Kings. Once we deal with them, handling the players will be as easy as turning over one's hand."

Xu Longyun nodded and said, "Since we started relocating, 10,317 Celestials have come to Shenmo Dalu through the Magpie Bridge, their realms unknown. In the later stages of the migration, the number of Celestials passing through the Magpie Bridge was particularly frequent. Half an hour ago, players could still see the Heavenly Kings, but fifteen minutes ago, Shui Tianwang and Huo Tianwang stopped meeting with players. The staff department speculates that there is a 70% chance they have come to Shenmo Dalu."

"Two have come?" Lin Bai muttered.

"Jin Tianwang and Meng Tianwang have never had any interaction with players from the start," Xu Longyun continued, "Meng Tianwang has not concerned himself with worldly affairs for over a thousand years, and his whereabouts cannot be determined. But Jin Tianwang, at the very least, arrived in Shenmo Dalu two days ago. Therefore, there are at least three Heavenly Kings currently in Shenmo Dalu."

"Water, Fire, Gold." Lin Bai nodded, "Are there any others? What is the movement of the gods here in Shenmo Dalu?"

"Intelligence cannot penetrate," Xu Longyun said, "The players in Shenmo Dalu are too low-level and have no qualifications to come into contact with the divine hierarchy. The Justice Alliance has gathered quite a few players from Shenmo Dalu, but almost no useful intelligence can be obtained from them. However, there are not many natives from Shenmo Dalu heading to the Immortal World, only a few hundred. They chose to dress the same as players, and those who mixed with players to pass through the Magpie Bridge were likely there to scout for intelligence."

The Magpie Bridge belongs to Lin Bai; it is very easy for him to collect customer data through the Magpie Bridge. But likewise, it is also very easy for top-tier gods to deceive the bridge keeper, just like the God of Curses from before, or even the lich who mixed into his wedding. Therefore, this data can only be used for reference; it is enough just to know that the two worlds have dealings with each other.

Lin Bai nodded and changed the subject, asking, "What about Ye Song and the others?"

"They have gathered a portion of the dark believers, but the number is not large. The time has been too short, and they have not gained the trust of the dark believers," Xu Longyun said, "Moreover, our sudden arrival in Shenmo Dalu has attracted more attention, which will also affect their development of their own Faith."

"Tu Yan from the Real World has gained many believers. Many people and players in the Western Continent are happy to follow him, build careers in the game, and have spontaneously established the Dark Religion. The believers have established a clear division of labor among themselves. Nowadays, his Dark Domain can cover an area of about fifty miles in radius."

"Fifty miles in radius, still too small." Lin Bai sighed and shook his head.

Xu Longyun glanced at Lin Bai and said softly, "Husband, your requirements for them are too high. It has been less than a day, and with the Heavenly Kings from the Immortal World stirring up trouble, they have already done quite well. Not everyone is as much of a genius as you, Husband."

Lin Bai shook his head and said helplessly, "It is not that I am anxious; it is that if they do not grow up quickly, I will have no use for them."

"..." Xu Longyun was speechless for a moment, but thinking about the current situation, three of the Nine Heavenly Kings had been dispatched; it was impossible for the gods of Shenmo Dalu to have no reaction. By the time Lin Bai defeated the three Heavenly Kings, he probably really would not need their help.

Suddenly.

Xu Longyun froze. She looked at the dense crowd of Cultivators in the mountains and fields, as if she understood something, and asked with a trembling voice, "Husband, is what we are doing a bit too risky?"

"You understand?" Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun with a smile and said, "That's right, they are bait. In such a short time, with the language barrier, how could they possibly learn Magic? If I wanted to save them, I could easily send them into the Real World and then cut off the Magpie Bridge. The Heavenly Kings couldn't get through, and the gods of Shenmo Dalu couldn't get through either. Any one of those choices would be better than the current one, wouldn't it?"

"But they are over a million Cultivators!" Xu Longyun stammered.

"Xiaoyun, benevolence does not command an army. I am only one person, and the enemies are two worlds. If I don't use some extreme measures, the longer it drags on, the more unfavorable it is for us." Lin Bai's expression was calm, his tone indifferent, "You have also seen that the Nine Heavenly Kings have already begun mobilizing players to disrupt the world. The Cultivators of the twelve sects add up to no more than a million; even if you add the armies of several countries, at most it is four or five million. But the players? A full ten million, and they have the Undying Body. Once they grow up, which world could withstand their ravages?"

"But can't you pull them out of their Game Capsules?" Xu Longyun said.

"So, you also approve of me going on a killing spree in the other world?" Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun and asked in return, "What if the Game Company throws everyone into Game Capsules?"

Xu Longyun opened her mouth, speechless.

"Xiaoyun, with my ability, I could indeed easily create a disaster in the Real World, or even destroy that world. But the Heavenly Kings of the Immortal World would be unaffected, and the Game Company would be unaffected. Yet I would become a great demon who has slaughtered fields of people."

Lin Bai said, "When that time comes, do you believe that everyone will hate me to the bone, including these Cultivators and the ordinary people of the world? They will not be grateful that I saved them; instead, they will be afraid, alienated, and then find ways to kill me so that they can live in peace."

"..." Xu Longyun frowned.

"Incredible, right!" Lin Bai chuckled, "But this is human nature! Therefore, sometimes, I would rather have them believe that I am trying to save everyone and that it was just a decision-making error. That way, even if some people are lost, I will still win everyone's trust, gain greater benefits, and lead things in the best direction."

"I understand." Xu Longyun gave a difficult smile and nodded, half-understanding, "Perhaps this is what is called the Heavenly Dao!"

"No, the Heavenly Dao is much more ruthless than I am." Lin Bai said, "I have deviated from the Heavenly Dao for a long time; at least I truly want to save these worlds." He looked at Xu Longyun and smiled gently, "Besides, they won't necessarily die. I will find a way to protect them."

Inside the Zhanshendian.

"God of War, the God of Darkness has indeed fallen." The God of Holy Light and the Goddess of the Moon stood side by side; they were the man and woman who had previously observed the battlefield between the Heavenly King of Lightning and the God of Darkness.

"Our world is facing an unprecedented catastrophe." The Goddess of the Moon, Afula, said, "God of War, we should cast aside our previous grudges and join forces again, just like we did when fighting the evil races before. Only in this way can we defeat those invaders."

The God of War was a giant five meters tall. He was shirtless, with only a piece of gray armor protecting his chest; the rest of his body was covered in bulging muscles. On his left hand was a black Sword, and on his right hand was a round shield carved with patterns of Fierce Beasts. He listened to the two narrate without expression, stood up, gripped the Sword at his side, and frowned as he looked into the infinite distance: "They are indeed invading our world. Let's go, find the other gods and drive these outsiders out."

The direction he was looking was exactly where the Cultivators were stationed.

(End of this chapter)