Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

Lin Bai's speech was broadcast live by Players, simultaneously reaching the ears of all the natives.

The Sects with a genius like Wash Flower Valley could handle it. Other Sects, with at most one cultivator at the Divinity Transformation Realm, were living on tenterhooks, urgently discussing countermeasures. Lin Bai's ruthless tactics left them at a loss.

They wanted to rebel, but how? On one side was the Wen and Evil Decree, and on the other was Lin Bai, who could attack their Sect at any time.

Panic was spreading. The Sect Leaders around Kun City, Zhen City, and Xun City were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. They had originally planned to form an Alliance Army for mutual protection. But the articles in Heavenly Review were sowing seeds of discord among them.

Who should be first, who second? Whose reputation exceeds their ability? If they form an alliance, who should lead, and whose Sect should they guard? If someone else leads, would that imply they're inferior? If they take the lead, will others follow?

Even the Sects near Wash Flower Valley, knowing a genius was at its helm, were reluctant to seek help.

After all, that genius belongs to someone else's Sect; what would their own genius think if they sought help?

Heaven-sent people were everywhere; there were no secrets left in the world. Lin Bai, seizing every opportunity, wouldn't miss the chance to humiliate them. Once Justice Weekly propagated it, even if they defeated Lin Bai in the future, their superior Sects wouldn't give them a chance to survive. The Sect was important, but face was even more important!

...

These Sects hadn't originally thought Heavenly Review would be of any use. Defeat Lin Bai, and public opinion about us will naturally dissipate, they had believed. But they only realized when the crisis hit that those articles had long since become thorns lodged in their hearts, turning them into isolated islands.

At this moment, they wanted to start their own publication to counter Lin Bai, but it was too late; the mud had already been slung, and it was hard to wash it off completely...

As for slandering Lin Bai's Justice League? From the start, the Justice League had cultivated public support, deeply rooting itself among the common people. Alchemy Rooms and Tool Refining Workshops had been established, only to be forcibly shut down by us. Due to preconceived notions, our attempts at slander would likely backfire...

Previously planned tactics, such as raiding Lin Bai's base, had also proven ineffective.

You want to steal? Go ahead. Obviously, Lin Bai doesn't care. All his possessions were plundered in a short time. He wouldn't fret if he lost some, but we can't afford such losses. No matter how we calculate it, we'll be the ones at a disadvantage… Why did such a thorny villain like Lin Bai have to appear in the Cultivation World!

Letters of distress were sent via Players to the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects. At present, they could only hope that the geniuses and mighty figures from superior powers would arrive sooner, at least to give them someone to rely on.

Naturally, they were hoping even more that Lin Bai would attack other Sects first, letting their allied Sects delay his advance. At this critical juncture, the survival of their Sects seemed to be purely a matter of luck. Assets were relocated. Magic Treasures, weapons, and Pill Medicines they were usually reluctant to distribute were now given wholesale to the elite Disciples within their Sects. It's better for our own to use them than to leave them for the enemy!

...

Because of Lin Bai's pre-war mobilization, the Sects the Players had joined were thrown into chaos, as if doomsday had arrived early. The Players were extremely disappointed.

Indeed, there was only one Lin Bai in this world; it was practically impossible to count on these mediocre individuals to eliminate him. However, compared to the NPCs in their own Sects, the Players also didn't know how to continue the game.

Is our fate to be absorbed into the Justice League, becoming low-level Players, even lower-ranked than the Beggar Gang Disciples, merely cheering for Lin Bai in the game and struggling to develop? This isn't the gaming life we want! Damn the game officials! The plot design is completely unreasonable and so unfriendly to us!

No Players bothered protesting on the forums anymore. No matter what they said, the game officials ignored them. Instead of wasting their effort, they might as well try to find a way to resolve their current predicament.

The Players from Taichu Country and Taihao Country were basically just watching the show. After all, Lin Bai was too far from them. Even if he conquered Taiyi Country at top speed, it would take at least two or three months to travel to their territories. By then, they would have already developed significantly.

In this game, there were no Techniques like Teleportation Portals. Travel relied on one's own Techniques or Magic Treasures. Lin Bai might travel quickly alone, but escorting a large entourage, his speed would be, at best, that of a Golden Core cultivator.

The enthusiastic xianxia player community offered advice to those around Qian City. Setting aside various miscellaneous suggestions, the most reasonable was a single word: "Wait."

Wait for the geniuses of the Seven Righteous Sects to intervene, eliminate Lin Bai, or push the war into a stalemate. Or, they could preemptively embroider the Justice League's flag. Then, once Lin Bai conquered their Sects, they could join the Justice League, enjoy its benefits like the Beggar Gang Players, and use every opportunity while Lin Bai was campaigning to grind Levels and practice their cultivation. After growing stronger, they could then raise the banner of rebellion and overthrow the rule of the Great Demon Lin Bai.

Apart from this, there was no more suitable method.

Of course, the Players around Qian City, though in a precarious situation, had also benefited from this war that had captured everyone's attention. As one of the warring parties, they too gained the opportunity to make profits from advertisements and live broadcasts. Even if they couldn't match the lavish advertising campaign of the Beggar Gang, it was a vast improvement over their previous situation. It was a bittersweet experience.

The only ones truly displeased were likely the Deer Mountain Group from Yinmu City. They had initially planned to gradually gain influence within various Sects and Taiyi Country through economic means and by placing their employees within these Sects. However, Lin Bai's disruptions had rendered all their previous arrangements and invested capital utterly useless. All the natives' attention was focused on Lin Bai, and the Deer Mountain Group's employees found themselves marginalized almost overnight. In the face of Lin Bai's absolute power, any suggestions they offered to the Sects were completely ignored. They had also considered finding a genius similar to Lin Bai to be the centerpiece of their strategies, but it now seemed that no genius could compare to Lin Bai!

Most crucially, the Deer Mountain Group was also worried about being absorbed by the Justice League. It didn't matter if individual Players were assimilated, but they were a corporation—heralded as the first major group to enter the game, and they had enjoyed considerable fame on the game forums for a while. If they were to be ignominiously acquired by the Justice League and reduced to the same status as the Beggar Gang, their corporate prestige would be utterly shattered. At this very moment, the higher-ups at the Deer Mountain Group were even more desperate to see Lin Bai eliminated than the natives themselves.

...

Meanwhile, Lin Bai and his Justice League Army were leisurely strolling along, eating hotpot and singing songs. They headed directly for the Beast Control Sect, taking a shortcut.

Lin Bai couldn't care less about some challenge from a Wash Flower Valley genius! In my eyes, everyone around here is an enemy, Lin Bai thought. I just need to crush them one by one. Skipping nearby Sects out of some misplaced sense of honor just to challenge some so-called genius? That would be sheer foolishness. I've awakened the War God System, and every local conflict increases my strength. That being the case, why not pick the easier targets first?

On the way, they passed the Blood Shadow Sect, the Waning Sun Gate, and the Profound Darkness Sect. After the Wen and Evil Decree was issued, these Sects had unilaterally announced their dissociation from their own Disciples who had joined the Justice League. But once Lin Bai's massive army arrived, even without him lifting a finger, these opportunists quickly offered up a few scapegoats, raised the banner of the Justice League, and, bringing their assets, joined the Justice League Army's Expedition Army, further bolstering its strength.

Distant water can't quench a pressing thirst. In a life-or-death situation, to hell with the Wen and Evil Decree!

The City Lord of Fiore City was another one who knew how to adapt to circumstances. He had originally shut down all of the Beggar Gang's businesses, quietly waiting for Lin Bai's demise. However, when the massive army arrived at his doorstep, the old City Lord, in a conspicuous display before the entire city, swiftly reversed his position. After "friendly negotiations" with Lin Bai, he signed an agreement to reopen the Beggar Gang's businesses. He even had the "honor" of participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Lin Bai, all while maintaining a smile in full view of the populace.

This was because Lin Bai's forces included many Alchemists and Artifact Refiners. That same day, the newly opened Justice League's Pill Medicine Dispensaries and Tool Refining Workshops were stocked full of goods. Furthermore, they held a grand opening sale, providing substantial benefits to the people of Fiore City. Regardless of how the Cultivation World viewed Lin Bai, the Justice League Army received overwhelmingly positive reception among the common folk...

...

That day, a supplementary section of Justice Weekly provided a detailed report on the new Justice League establishments opening in Fiore City. The City Lord of Fiore City's disheveled hair, his forced smile, and the genuine, simple smiles of the surrounding populace formed a stark contrast. The article detailed how the Justice League Army was beloved by the common people, how the old City Lord of Fiore City had supposedly seen the error of his ways and promptly corrected his mistakes, and how Alliance Hierarch Lin Bai had magnanimously let bygones be bygones, among other things. The lively but serious title read, "The Justice League Enters Fiore City, Bringing Cultivation Resources to Millions of Homes."

Seeing the plight of Fiore City's City Lord, and understanding that immediate authority trumps distant directives, Yimucheng and Dinghuo City promptly reopened the Beggar Gang businesses they had previously shut down. Unless a powerful individual could restrain Lin Bai, they had no intention of concerning themselves with the so-called Wen and Evil Decree.

They had figured it out. The so-called Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects simply couldn't keep up with Lin Bai's tempo. In an era of complete information transparency, continuing to operate in the traditional mode would only result in being led around by the nose by Lin Bai...

If they were serious about the Wen and Evil Decree, they should have issued it secretly, keeping it from the Heaven-sent individuals, dispatched troops covertly, and ambushed Lin Bai when his guard was down to capture him in one fell swoop. How could it be like the current situation, where a mere piece of paper—the Wen and Evil Decree—failed to intimidate Lin Bai, and instead only made the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects appear incompetent, constantly being led by the nose by him?

...

「During this time.」

Lin Bai seized the opportunity to complete the "Conciseness" task from the Great Language System, acquiring the new Skill: "Silence." Everyone around him was an ally. Everyone was counting on Lin Bai's Cultivation Level to advance further. When Lin Bai mentioned he was working on a task to enhance his "Spoken Law Follows" ability, everyone readily cooperated. After all, every bit of improvement in Lin Bai's abilities increased their chances of victory proportionally.

Afterward, the Great Language System issued a new task:

[Task: The Art of Holding Up]

Description: The purpose of language is communication. You must appropriately leave opportunities for others to express themselves, be a listener, and use suitable phrases to pick up on what they are saying, making them feel very comfortable and harmonious when conversing with you.

Reward: Skill - Provocation (Effect: When this Skill is used, whatever you say will cause the target to become hostile towards you).

Never mind how bizarre the task itself is... The reward for this new task looks quite attractive! Provocation? Isn't that just a weaker version of Taunt? In any game, taunting to draw aggro is a standard Skill for any team. Used effectively, it can completely determine the outcome of a battle. However, if I'm the one drawing all the aggro, that's not so wonderful! My HP is too low! If only this Skill could be transferred to a Puppet, it would be much more useful!