Chapter 330: Lin Bai, who can influence the world situation at any time, 330
"I’ve said it before: Lin Bai separating his Divine Soul cannot possibly be well-intentioned. We must prepare countermeasures. None of you took the Divine Soul seriously, and now look! He has performed Body Snatching on a Heavenly Descent, not only mastering the Rules of Law but also acquiring an Undying Body. How are we supposed to deal with this?" The Holy Extreme Sect’s Sect Master had bloodshot eyes and was in a state of extreme agitation.
Qu Chaoan, Nightfall, and the other sect masters looked at each other, speechless. No one had expected the situation to escalate so quickly, catching everyone completely off guard.
"There are rumors among the Heavenly Descents that Lin Bai’s Body Snatching was unsuccessful, that his Divine Soul was devoured by that Heavenly Descent. Now, the Heavenly Descent is merely acting under Lin Bai’s name," the Demon Master said.
"What’s the difference?" Lu Wei retorted. "All along, the terrifying part wasn’t Lin Bai himself, but his Way of Rules of Law."
"There is a difference. If Lin Bai knew his Body Snatching plan had failed, do you think he would bring a Heavenly Tribulation to destroy his own Divine Soul?" the Demon Master countered.
"Demon Master, the Heavenly Descents possess an Undying Body. Previously, a Heavenly Descent who died in a Heavenly Tribulation was resurrected completely unscathed. Even if Lin Bai brought a Heavenly Tribulation to the Heavenly Descent he Body Snatched, it would only kill that Heavenly Descent once. Moreover, Lin Bai never relies on Spiritual Power when he fights," Qu Chaoan replied. "The Rules of Law, combined with the Undying Body of the Heavenly Descent, has already compensated for the weaknesses of the Body-Snatched Heavenly Descent. If we had known this earlier, we shouldn’t have trapped Lin Bai in the Heavenly Tribulation in the first place."
Prodigies like the Saint Heir and Demon’s Son had long fallen silent. Faced with a nearly immortal Lin Bai, their Heavenly Descent Divine Skills offered no effective countermeasures.
"Are Heavenly Descents easier to perform Body Snatching on?" Lu Wei proposed his idea. "Heavenly Descents are immortal and indestructible, and all their meridians are open. If we could perform Body Snatching on them, even if it means cultivating anew, it would still be worth it!"
At those words, all eyes turned to Lu Wei, looking at him as if he were a fool.
"There are Heavenly Descents right outside; Sect Master Lu is welcome to try," Nightfall mocked.
"..." Lu Wei fell silent.
"Since ancient times, Body Snatching has always been a last resort. Consider Lin Bai; as courageous as he is, being trapped in the Heavenly Tribulation, he had no choice but to split his Divine Soul for Body Snatching to survive the Tribulation. Who, under normal circumstances, would risk so much to perform Body Snatching on another, not to mention losing all cultivation? If it fails, one is doomed beyond recovery," the Sect Master said. "Unless one could, like Lin Bai, cultivate the Divine Skill of creating a Divided God. Then, even if the Body Snatching fails, there would be no loss to the original self."
"He actually succeeded in Body Snatching with a mere Divided God! It’s utterly preposterous!" Qu Chaoan said indignantly.
"First, we were helpless against Lin Bai. Now, his Divided God has performed Body Snatching on a Heavenly Descent, and we’re helpless again? Has all the Qi Yun of the world converged upon him?" the Demon’s Son said unhappily. "Could it really be as Lin Bai said, that the fate of the Cultivation World is truly at its end?"
"Some of it is also with us; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been granted Heavenly Descent Divine Skills," Blood Child said, glancing at the Demon’s Son, trying to bolster his own confidence and persuade the others. "Lin Bai’s Body Snatching might not have been without cost. He didn’t bring out his Cards for sealing Puppets, nor his blacksmith tools for ruining Magic Treasures. Without the Puppets, his own Cultivation Level is at most the Divinity Transformation Realm, significantly weaker than before. Despite having an Undying Body, when a Heavenly Descent dies once, its Cultivation Level will drop significantly. We may still have a chance."
"Blood Child has a point. If we can’t kill him in one go, we kill him multiple times. Once he degenerates to a mortal body, and his Spiritual Power reactions can’t keep up, even if he has mastered the Rules of Law, he won’t be able to do anything to us," the Demon’s Son agreed. "Perhaps by casually crafting a Magic Treasure, a single Void Cultivator could kill him so thoroughly he’d never recover."
Poison Child’s thoughts were also stimulated, and he said, "Before we kill him, we must first eliminate the Heavenly Descents around him. If his cultivation can’t keep up, and we also remove the assistance he gets from other Heavenly Descents, controlling him would be as easy as flipping one’s hand."
"Right now, the Heavenly Descents cannot be trusted. We must first join forces with the Seven Righteous Sects and unify our stance." After a round of analysis, the Sect Master’s uneasy heart finally settled. "We must agree on a consistent strategy. We can no longer afford to act independently, only to be defeated one by one by Lin Bai and his allied Heavenly Descents."
"The Sect Master speaks reasonably," Nightfall said.
"It would be even better if we knew the Heavenly Descent Divine Skills of Daozi and the others," Qu Chaoan said, glancing at Blood Child beside him. "Ultimately, the fate of our sects still rests upon the prodigies of our respective sects."
"Lin Bai in the Heavenly Tribulation has the Magpie Bridge; we shouldn’t attack him prematurely. Let the Body-Snatched Lin Bai act arrogantly for a few days. Once the Heavenly Tribulation annihilates Lin Bai’s original body, we will launch a sudden, fatal strike against him," the Demon Master declared. "And completely eradicate the Heavenly Descents."
"The Demon Master speaks reasonably," Qu Chaoan said. "Speaking of which, Lin Bai building Magpie Bridges everywhere is, for us, entirely beneficial and not harmful in the slightest."
The Sect Master finally made the decision, saying, "Leave some people to deal with Lin Bai’s cooking competition. Find some cultivators willing to perform Body Snatching on Heavenly Descents and test if it’s possible. Sect Master Qu and I will go seek an alliance with the Seven Righteous Sects. Presumably, the people of the Righteous Faction won’t make things difficult for us at a time like this."
「Holy Extreme Sect.」
A refreshed Lin Bai returned to the crowd. Before he could speak, Hold Nothing Back in Happiness eagerly approached him, smiling, "Congratulations Master! Uncle Master has already succeeded in Body Snatching."
Is he trying to fish for information?
Lin Bai glanced at him and said, "That’s normal. I, your Master, am a Son of Destiny. Si Bai shared a portion of my Qi Yun; it would be strange if his Body Snatching failed."
"Uncle Master Si Bai successfully performed Body Snatching?" Ye Kai asked in surprise.
"Yes, he should have succeeded. I can vaguely sense his presence; he already has a physical body." Lin Bai naturally played along to reinforce his own narrative, solidifying the claim that there was no connection between Lin Si Bai and himself. He looked at the few Players. "Disciples, who did your Uncle Master Si Bai perform Body Snatching on? What did he do after succeeding? Tell me in detail."
Hold Nothing Back in Happiness and the others exchanged glances before replying, "Master, we only know that Uncle Master Si Bai successfully performed Body Snatching on a Heavenly Descent. We don’t know anything else. Perhaps the Heavenly Descents outside have become wary of us because we pledged allegiance to you!"
"It’s normal for them to be afraid I’ll go out and learn things they’d rather I didn’t know," Lin Bai said with a smile, looking at him. "But I know you all have the ability to leave this world and communicate in your own. You can take some time to return to your world, gather all the information about Uncle Master Si Bai, and then inform me. Whatever he plans to do, I can coordinate from here so he won’t be in too passive a position..."
"It was my oversight, disciple. Master, I will log off immediately and gather news about Uncle Master." Hold Nothing Back in Happiness cursed inwardly, grumbled to Madness Without Battle and the others, then chose to log off, disappearing from Lin Bai’s sight.
Far Vision Eagle, who was closely monitoring the live broadcast, couldn’t help but sigh in relief. With these words from Lin Bai, their plan was set.
"Madness, inform the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects. Tell them to cooperate with Uncle Master Si Bai as much as possible. Otherwise, they will face my wrath," Lin Bai then turned to Madness Without Battle and instructed.
"I will, Master," Madness Without Battle responded.
Lin Bai nodded. "Si Bai has mastered the Way of Rules of Law, so we don’t need to worry about matters in the outside world. For the remaining time, we should focus all our efforts on dealing with the Heavenly Tribulation. We must strive to pass the Heavenly Tribulation as soon as possible and go to the outside world to lend Si Bai a hand."
"We obey the Alliance Hierarch’s command!" everyone responded in unison, but their voices clearly lacked conviction.
To confidently lead everyone to face the Tribulation on one hand, while on the other, having already sent his backup plan away—as a leader, saying one thing and doing another was truly demoralizing.
「Just then, the Heavenly Tribulation ceased.」
Qing Yun descended from the sky, her aura somewhat unstable. She quickly took a moment to regulate her breathing, then looked at Lin Bai. "Master, if we cannot pass the Heavenly Tribulation, please inform me, your disciple, early so I can make other plans. There’s no need for me to continue struggling in the sky, needlessly wasting my energy."
Seeing Lin Bai frown, she gave a bitter laugh. "Previously, I thought I could hold out for twenty days. But looking at the scale of this Heavenly Tribulation, I can protect the people below for three days at most!"
Upon hearing this, an uproar went through the crowd. Everyone instinctively looked at the so-called Faraday Cage.
The cage was less than half-built.
It was impossible to complete it in three days!
Could it be that their doom would arrive in three days?
No wonder!
No wonder Lin Bai had arranged to send Lin Si Bai away...
Ye Song and the others’ faces changed instantly. Even someone with Qing Yun’s Cultivation Level could only last a little over ten days.
Their Cultivation Levels were far inferior to Qing Yun’s.
Even if they could endure under the Heavenly Tribulation for a short while, they’d likely still die!
Zuo Lan stopped forging the Faraday Cage and looked at Lin Bai. Three days was simply not enough time to complete this so-called Faraday Cage. And once the Heavenly Tribulation descended upon them, who would have the presence of mind to forge Magic Artifacts?
"Alliance Hierarch, let us use Phoenix Seeks Phoenix again!" a low-level cultivator pleaded.
"Every extra moment we can live is precious! I don’t want to die yet!" another cultivator wailed, tears streaming down his face.
"Zuo Lan, continue refining the Faraday Cage. Do not stop," Lin Bai said, frowning slightly as he looked at Zuo Lan, his voice stern.
Zuo Lan reluctantly picked up his hammer again. However, as he resumed forging the equipotential connectors, his mind was clearly elsewhere, and he ended up ruining several of them.
Lin Bai took out a Ruler, turned to the few Players, and said, "What comes next is of utmost importance. Cut off all your connections with the outside world. Do not let any of this get out."
The eyes of the few Players lit up, and they privately messaged each other:
HOLY SHIT! Big news is about to drop.
This time it might be real insider information.
You’re not even paying us, and you expect us to listen to you? Dream on!
The Players whispered among themselves but still immediately cupped their fists. "Master, please rest assured. We have already been abandoned by the Heavenly Descents outside, and we have received much grace from you. We will absolutely not leak any information."
Lin Bai knew this was just for show and that they wouldn’t stop their live broadcast. He nodded at them, pretending to believe them, then turned back to the clamoring crowd and asked, "Everyone, why do you think I sent Lin Si Bai out? Was it to find an escape route for myself?"
Isn’t that the case?
The crowd was dead silent.
"Alas, I, Lin, intend to cultivate the Heavenly Dao, which is the fairest of all. I didn’t expect to be seen as selfish at a time like this. If I were selfish, why would I have shared the methods for cultivating the Rules of Law with the world?" Lin Bai looked at the crowd with disappointment. "The matter of the Soul Split—the reason I didn’t announce it beforehand was to bolster everyone’s confidence, to have everyone work together to pass the Heavenly Tribulation. After all, that would result in the least loss for us.
"I never expected that sending Lin Si Bai out would be counterproductive. Since everyone believes we cannot pass the Heavenly Tribulation and has lost all faith, let me make things clear!
"Lin Si Bai masters the Butterfly Transformation Technique. Even if I cannot pass the Heavenly Tribulation, Si Bai is out there. Even if I die, I can be reborn through Metamorphosis Butterfly, to say nothing of all of you. So, instead of pleading here, you can use these three days to find a suitable partner. If we fail, you can be reborn through Metamorphosis Butterfly just like me. Lin Si Bai, in truth, is the escape route I prepared for everyone."
WHOOSH!
The clamor rose again.
The Emotion Value surged positively.
People looked at Lin Bai with gratitude, finally understanding his profound intentions. His Soul Splitting Technique was actually an escape route for everyone...
"Thank you, Alliance Hierarch!"
"The Alliance Hierarch’s grace in giving us this chance at rebirth is like that of our own parents. If I can be reborn through Metamorphosis Butterfly, I, your subordinate, will definitely follow the Alliance Hierarch, never leaving his side!"
...
A chorus of flattery arose.
"Sigh!" Lin Bai sighed and shook his head. "I really don’t want it to come to that! After all, if everyone undergoes Metamorphosis Butterfly rebirth, it also means our collective strength will fall to its weakest point.
"At that time, if Lin Si Bai hasn’t managed to consolidate the forces in the outside world, we’ll still be in grave danger if we’re besieged.
"I sent Si Bai out precisely so he could hurry and expand the Justice League’s power, to strike at the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects, so that when we cannot pass the Heavenly Tribulation, we will have a stable environment for our rebirth. I didn’t want to tell you beforehand because I wanted Lin Si Bai to be able to act without too much resistance. After all, the longer we hold out in the Heavenly Tribulation, the more time Si Bai will have. But you all..."
At these words, all the cultivators fell silent, then simultaneously turned their eyes towards the three Heavenly Descents.
The weight of a thousand accusing fingers can crush a person without a single blow.
Even though they were Players, Madness Without Battle and the others were scared into taking a few steps back by the fierce glares. When they recovered, they quickly put on apologetic smiles. "Don’t look at us! The news really didn’t get out. No matter what, we’ve been accepted as Master’s disciples; we wouldn’t betray him."
At the same time, he privately messaged Rational Cat: Damn, so that was Lin Bai’s purpose for sending out his Divided God! I totally didn’t expect that. He hid it too deep.
Rational Cat replied disdainfully: What’s the use of planning so far ahead? Didn’t the Body Snatching fail in the end anyway?
Action Over Words said: This time, the consortium can rest easy. Lin Bai’s Body Snatching failed, and we’ve cut off his backup plan. He’s truly in dire straits this time; he won’t survive.
Madness Without Battle suddenly thought of something, his expression changing. Damn it, with the global live broadcast we started, surely no Player would be reckless enough to leak the matter to the NPCs, right?
Rational Cat said: No one could be that stupid, could they? If it leaks, the Player pretending to be Lin Bai’s Divided God will definitely be hunted down by the Seven Righteous Sects. The natives will use every means to suppress the Justice League and absolutely prevent it from growing. Then, it won’t be us leveraging Lin Bai’s fame, but us taking the blame for him.
Madness Without Battle said: I hope no one is that foolish. Players forming their own factions is what makes the game more fun!
「Offline.」
Far-Sighted Hawk and others, who were always monitoring the live broadcasts, had obviously realized this problem as well. They immediately mobilized all their personnel to post on the forums, urging all Players not to reveal Lin Bai’s plan to the NPCs.
Whoever revealed Lin Bai’s true plan to the NPCs would become the public enemy of all Players.
But clearly, they underestimated the inherent perversity of some Players.
After all, the consortium couldn’t control over thirty Players.
Many Players had their own agendas.
Moreover, with the consortium being so large in the real world, it inevitably had enemies who delighted in tripping them up.
So, not long after the Players received the news, the natives in the game world also learned Lin Si Bai’s true purpose.
All plans to bide their time and wait for Lin Bai to die during the Tribulation were rendered useless.
Both the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects made the same decision: to strike the Justice League with all their might and absolutely not give Lin Si Bai the chance to save Lin Bai.
They could not bear the cost of Lin Bai’s Metamorphosis Butterfly rebirth.
They especially couldn’t bear Lin Bai joining forces with his Divided God that had possessed a Heavenly Descent...
Upon learning of the cultivators’ movements, the top executives of the consortium cursed vehemently, yet they couldn’t say much.
Because everything Lin Bai did was perfectly logical and faultless; the situation was entirely of their own making. If they had known this would happen, they should have given Madness Without Battle more money to prevent them from starting a global live broadcast...
「On the Qingmu.」
Cultivators who already had partners breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief, while those without partners instantly panicked.
Tuohai hesitated for a moment, then teleported in front of Cen Qing, an obsequious smile on his face. "Fairy Cen, I have also performed my talents before you. This old man is the Blood Sect’s foremost Crossing Tribulation Realm expert. Why don’t we two become Daoist partners?"
Grand Ancestor Nan Rong also flew over, glanced at Tuohai, and declared, not to be outdone, "Fairy Cen, my Cultivation Level may not be as high as Elder Brother Tuohai’s, but I dare say I understand love better than he does. I, Nan, swear that when the Heavenly Tribulation arrives, I will undoubtedly protect you, Fairy, with my life, and I shall perish before you do. It is more appropriate for us two to become Daoist partners..."
There were far more men than women.
There simply weren’t enough female cultivators to go around.
Watching the female cultivator being courted by several Crossing Tribulation Realm experts, Zuo Lan, who was in the middle of Artifact Refining, hesitated for a moment. He looked at Xiao Yu, who was assisting him, and said, "Brother Xiao Dao, the two of us are quite familiar, having shared trials and tribulations. How about we temporarily become Daoist partners?"
Xiao Yu was silent for a moment. He looked at the few high-quality women surrounding Lin Bai, his gaze lingering on Hu He for a moment, but ultimately, he lacked the courage to become Lin Bai’s father-in-law. He sighed inwardly and said, "Agreed!"
The top of the Qingmu had suddenly turned into a matchmaking venue. Qing Yun was stunned for a moment, then looked at Lin Bai. "Master, you have this penchant for forming marital alliances with your disciples. You wouldn’t mind adding me to the list, would you?"
Feeling two invisible, murderous stares at his back, Lin Bai helplessly shook his head. "Qing Yun, do even you lack the confidence to pass the Heavenly Tribulation? Metamorphosis Butterfly rebirth means your tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation will be completely wasted. That is a measure of last resort. If one can pass the Heavenly Tribulation, one should still endeavor to do so. If you truly cannot pass it, I will take you into a Card. That is more suitable than Metamorphosis Butterfly."