Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

Not Sad's hand, which had been itching to move, suddenly stopped.

What did he mean? Fishing? But if it was fishing, and he told me so plainly, how could I still fall for it? Yet, if he was worried about me intervening, why torture the Cangming Sword Immortal so relentlessly? He clearly could have taken down the Cangming Sword Immortal long ago. What was Lin Bai waiting for? Did he say those words, deliberately revealing a flaw, to induce me to attack? So, the Cangming Sword Immortal wasn't the bait; those words were the real bait? What a cunning mind! Which statement was true?

Having roamed the mortal world for several hundred years, Not Sad had experienced many things, yet now, he found he couldn't see through Lin Bai.

Looking up at Lin Bai and the Cangming Sword Immortal in the sky, Not Sad hesitated repeatedly but ultimately did not make a move. To place himself in peril to save an unrelated person was exceedingly unwise.

[Resentment from Not Sad; +1+1+1]

Amidst rows of scrolling emotional feedback, Not Sad's resentment flashed past. Lin Bai's heart tightened. Hah, so that fellow really is on site...

The foremost figure of the Divinity Transformation Stage—regardless of how much exaggeration that title held—surely possessed extraordinary aspects. Capturing him would undoubtedly be more suitable than the Cangming Sword Immortal. But alas, the Cangming Sword Immortal was already on the verge of being successfully "conquered"!

Alas! These renowned magnates of the Cultivation World, every single one of them hiding in the shadows, shamelessly launching sneak attacks—it's simply too much! They have no martial virtue.

To be prepared for any eventuality, Lin Bai had the Red String ready. If Not Sad dared to make a move, Lin Bai wouldn't mind finding Master Li another companion...

The Arrow of Love could be guarded against, but the Matchmaker System's Red String was impossible to defend against.

"Cangming old dog, do you see? No one will help you. I told you long ago, the current Cultivation World is rotten from the roots up. Afraid that new things will interfere with their interests, they issued that ridiculous Righteous & Evil Killing Order without distinguishing right from wrong. With such a group of selfish individuals ruling the Cultivation World, do you think the people they cultivate would be noble? You're in such a miserable state, yet saving you brings them no benefit; on the contrary, it would place them in peril. They hide in the shadows, allowing you to be tormented by me, so they can observe more of my methods. This way, they'll have a better grasp when dealing with me in the future. That's what aligns with their interests!"

Lin Bai sneered mockingly, slandering Not Sad in the shadows with the utmost malice, further ravaging the Cangming Sword Immortal's already riddled heart.

The Cangming Sword Immortal's face turned deathly pale.

Veins throbbed on Not Sad's forehead, but he forcefully suppressed the urge to act. The more arrogant Lin Bai behaved, the more it proved this was a trap. If he allowed himself to be provoked, he would fall for Lin Bai's malicious trick.

"Brother Cangming, why sacrifice yourself for such a filthy world?" Lin Bai looked at the Cangming Sword Immortal with pity. "Look at the ideals of my Justice League: fair, just, and open. Everything we do is in service of all living beings. Everything we possess is obtained through our own efforts. We don't need to curry favor with anyone, nor do we rely on the rewards from this sect or that faction. We are untainted. Only by joining my Justice League can you truly realize your self-worth!"

Bah! All those who had been forced to join the Justice League spat inwardly in unison. You indeed get everything through your own efforts—you're ceaselessly striving to rob us of our things! How do you have the nerve to say such words?

"What exactly are you holding out for?" Lin Bai, dead set on completing the Card System's mission on the Cangming Sword Immortal, earnestly persuaded, "The longer you persist, the deeper your disappointment will become. You'll also suffer more torment: being defecated on by the Woo Bird, being forcibly paired by me using the Arrow of Love. The Beast Control Sect has all sorts of rare birds and exotic beasts. Would you prefer your lover to be a reckless brown bear, or a wild boar reeking of stench? The most terrifying part is, after enduring this whole round of torture, you'll still end up being sealed into my card?"

"Evil Spirit!" The Cangming Sword Immortal's lips trembled. "I will not let you have your way."

"I know you have a thousand ways to commit suicide, but as long as it's not an instantaneous death, I have a fifty percent chance of sealing you into a card. Care to make a bet?" Lin Bai saw through the Cangming Sword Immortal's intentions at a glance, twirling a blank gold card in his hand. "If you win the bet, your Divine Soul will be annihilated. If you lose, you'll be sealed into my card, and from then on, all the dirty and laborious tasks will be yours. I trust you can see that I am never soft-hearted towards my enemies."

So I'm doomed no matter what, is that it! The Cangming Sword Immortal glared furiously at Lin Bai.

"On one hand, you can willingly be sealed into my card, enjoying family happiness with your disciples and their descendants, occasionally coming out to fight and chat with old friends. In the future, when I attain the Heavenly Dao, those around me will ascend as well; you might regain your freedom or perhaps be enfeoffed by me as some deity. On the other hand, after suffering all kinds of torture and humiliation, death would be the best outcome, and you might even be vilified in my 'Justice Weekly,' becoming a laughingstock for the world..." Lin Bai persuaded him patiently, his words like a glib lotus, pushing the Cangming Sword Immortal step by step to the edge of a cliff.

"Enough!" the Cangming Sword Immortal snapped.

"Not enough. Brother Cangming, think of your hundreds of years of arduous cultivation. Was it all just for this one spectacular death? Ask your heart, is it worth it? Are you worthy of it?" Lin Bai looked at him with pity, his words like knives, stabbing fiercely at his heart.

The will to die in the Cangming Sword Immortal's eyes gradually receded.

"To take a step back, even if you're unwilling to live the wonderful life I described, staying in the Justice League and watching me torture others—isn't that a kind of pleasure in itself?" Lin Bai smiled, a demonic smile. "To take yet another step back, if you become my puppet, you could be like Dao Xu, occasionally messing with my mood on the battlefield. What if one day you get to see a powerful enemy I can't handle? Witnessing my sorry state, or even my death—wouldn't that be a delightful thing?"

The Cangming Sword Immortal froze, staring blankly at Lin Bai, momentarily at a loss for words.

Dao Xu closed his eyes in anguish. It's over. The Cangming Sword Immortal is completely finished; there's no turning back for him now.

High above, Long Lin's mouth felt parched. He suddenly felt that surrendering was a foolish idea. The dignified Cangming Sword Immortal had been pushed to this extent. If he leaked the Shape-altering Pill Formula, who knew what kind of torture Lin Bai would inflict on him? The Transformation Pill would go to the Beast Taming Sect, but he would have to endure Lin Bai's endless and bottomless torture. Was exchanging his own tragic fate for the rise of the Beast Taming Sect worth it?

Not Sad looked up at Lin Bai in the sky, his heart growing icy cold. This man stops at nothing to achieve his goals. An Evil Spirit, an absolute, bona fide Evil Spirit loose in the world, no doubt about it! If he's allowed to continue, he will undoubtedly bring chaos to the world! But... can I take him down? Even after being trapped in the Spiritual World Gap for ten years, Not Sad, whose Dao heart had remained steadfast, now, facing Lin Bai whose cultivation was clearly inferior to his, felt panic and hesitation for the first time... He was daunted!

The senior brother from the Heavenly Sword Sect wore an unprecedentedly solemn expression as he squinted at Lin Bai, all traces of his earlier flippancy gone.

The junior brother's hand, gripping his sword, trembled uncontrollably, sweat pouring down his forehead. He stammered, "Senior Brother, I... I'm afraid I can't bring myself to draw my sword against Lin Bai. He's too terrifying! I don't want to end up like the Cangming Sword Immortal. You were right; the only person to be hunted by the Righteous & Evil Killing Order in the past ten thousand years is not someone to be trifled with. He's not human, he's a devil..."

"Sword Nineteen," the senior brother said, turning to look at him. "Keep your Heart of Sword clear and bright. Don't be deluded by his words. Everyone has a flaw. Once you find his, he'll be vulnerable. Lin Bai walks the path of evil; you must firmly believe that evil cannot triumph over righteousness."

"But in his words, it is we, the Seven Righteous Sects, who are the selfish ones." The junior brother's pupils seemed to lose focus as he said blankly, "We stood by and watched the Cangming Sword Immortal suffer, yet we did nothing. We didn't, Not Sad didn't... Lin Bai is an Evil Spirit, but are we truly righteous? For a sword cultivator, if one cannot advance unflinchingly, how can one ever hope to glimpse the Sword Dao..."

The senior brother's expression changed drastically. "Junior Brother, quickly wake up!" he exclaimed in horror. "You're experiencing Qi Deviation!"

"Senior Brother, I can't figure it out!"

SPURT!

A mouthful of blood erupted from the junior brother's mouth, and he tumbled backward out of the sky.

Seeing this, the senior brother could no longer bother with concealing his presence. He caught his falling junior brother, and his entire body transformed into a streak of sword light, smashing through the Justice League members and fleeing into the distance.

The Justice League members were all pursuing Lin Bai upwards and were caught off guard, allowing him to break through their encirclement in the blink of an eye.

Lin Bai frowned slightly as he watched the escaping sword light. Not Sad?

Although Rush Moon could not be used against a single target, he still subconsciously activated the skill towards the fleeing sword light.

With Rush Moon activated, the Heavenly Sword Sect brothers were forcibly separated.

The unconscious junior brother plummeted towards the earth like a falling star.

The senior brother, his body involuntarily rushing towards the moon, shot skyward like a swift arrow.

Members of the Justice League had already rushed over to investigate.

Only by experiencing it firsthand could one understand the terror of Rush Moon. The senior brother tried everything he could, but he was unable to alter his body's trajectory. Greatly alarmed, he mustered his full Cultivation Level and, with a WHOOSH, shot to the apex of Rush Moon's arc.

Even so, the Blacksmith's Six-Piece Set that abruptly materialized beside him smashed the treasured sword he valued as his own life into scrap, and his protective vestment robe was hammered into ordinary clothes by the blacksmith's hammer.

Lin Bai was never lenient with his enemies; he struck as swiftly as possible.

It was just that the opponent was too far away, making the Arrow of Love difficult to control after launch. Without clearly identifying the opponent, rashly using the Matchmaker System's Red String would not be worth the potential cost.

After all, he only had four Red Strings left. The recent rewards from the Matchmaker System had all been Skills, and he didn't know when a new Red String task would appear.

Therefore, these few Red Strings had to be used at critical junctures and couldn't be wasted on some nameless nobody.

Besides, if that fellow had been confident of defeating him, he wouldn't have fled.

Lin Bai couldn't abandon a nearly completed mission to chase an unidentified individual. What if it was a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain? Although he was aggressive, he never overreached out of greed for merit.

Little did Lin Bai know, the Heavenly Sword Sect's senior brother was on the verge of a mental collapse after losing his junior brother and having his Magic Treasure destroyed.

After all, throughout the entire battle, he hadn't even revealed his face. He had merely probed the situation a little, yet suffered such a great loss.

It was too damn unjust! Lin Bai's mastery of laws was simply too perverse...

When Rush Moon reached its zenith, the senior brother didn't dare to descend and rescue his junior brother.

Nevertheless, he still blurted out an unwilling threat, "Lin Bai, if you dare touch a single hair on my junior brother, the Heavenly Sword Sect will undoubtedly tear you to pieces!"

With that said, fearing Lin Bai would hit him with Rush Moon again, the senior brother from the Heavenly Sword Sect, his Magic Treasure now destroyed, uttered his harsh words, then transformed his body into a sword. Like a meteor streaking across the sky, he vanished without a trace in an instant.

"So it was the Heavenly Sword Sect, skulking around and hiding their faces. Typical of the Seven Righteous Sects." Lin Bai sneered disdainfully. As if the Heavenly Sword Sect would let me go even if I didn't touch your junior brother? He retracted the Blacksmith's Six-Piece Set and looked at the Cangming Sword Immortal. "Brother Daoist, it turns out it wasn't just Not Sad. The Heavenly Sword Sect was also lurking in the shadows. Yet, no one was willing to come out and save you. Do you still harbor any illusions about such Seven Righteous Sects?"

The sudden appearance and subsequent flight of the Heavenly Sword Sect brothers became the final straw that broke the Cangming Sword Immortal.

After all, the Morning Yuan Sword Sect was a subordinate sect of the Heavenly Sword Sect. It might be excusable for Not Sad not to save him, but the Heavenly Sword Sect were his own people!

He looked at Lin Bai, a forced smile on his face filled with endless self-mockery. "Enough. Seal me! This world is indeed full of shameless scoundrels and needs to be cleansed with thunderous methods. I am tired. Come on! I will not resist..."

[Despair from the Cangming Sword Immortal; +1 +1 +1]

Lin Bai waved his hand, tossing out a card, and smiled. "Rest assured, I won't disappoint you. The terms I promised still stand!"

A golden light flashed, and the Cangming Sword Immortal was easily sealed into the card.

Witnessing this, Not Sad closed his eyes in anguish, a sense of desolation filling his heart. He no longer dared to act rashly. He had seen what became of the Heavenly Sword Sect brothers. At this moment, time, place, and popular support were all on the side of Lin Bai's Justice League. If he were to show himself now, how would it be any different from willingly walking into a trap?

Not Sad was full of resentment towards the Heavenly Sword Sect brothers. If they had joined forces just now, then no matter how skillful Lin Bai's rhetoric, how could he possibly have handled all four of them at once?

Could it be true, as Lin Bai said, that everyone in the Seven Righteous Sects, top to bottom, was selfish and only looked out for themselves? On reflection, it seemed plausible. Those who could be mobilized by the Righteous & Evil Killing Order—who among them wasn't after the generous rewards? How lamentable!

[Seal the opponent in battle (Completed); Reward: Five gold cards (Issued)]

[A Card Master possesses endless possibilities. When the cards in hand cannot seal an enemy, must the Card Master simply surrender? Please seal an enemy's techniques during battle; Reward: 5 Silver Cards, 10 Blank Cards]

[Win the current War (Completed) (Hundred Battles, Hundred Victories achievement 1%); Reward: Body strength doubled (Issued)]

[Keep up the good work! Initiate a larger-scale War; Reward: Strength doubled]

The instant the Cangming Sword Immortal was sealed into the card, a series of mission notifications sounded in Lin Bai's mind, confirming that this battle had indeed concluded.

The Beast Control Sect shouldn't be able to cause any more trouble now.

Lin Bai breathed a sigh of relief and tossed a Spirit Fruit into his mouth to alleviate his fatigue. Sealing an opponent amidst battle is truly not a job fit for humans. It's far less convenient than beating them to death and then sealing them. In the future, unless I have an abundance of cards, I'm never playing this way again.

However, what Lin Bai didn't realize was that his actions of tormenting the Cangming Sword Immortal had thoroughly intimidated everyone, both above and below.

After all, there was a world of difference in effect between sealing someone on the brink of death into a card and forcibly breaking someone's will to make them submit to being sealed.

He hadn't just destroyed the Cangming Sword Immortal's Dao Heart.

The people from the Beast Control Sect trembled, devoid of any thought of resistance. Even Long Lin had long since abandoned any notion of trying to deceive Lin Bai for the Shape-altering Pill Formula.

Suddenly, he felt that truly surrendering to the Justice League might not be a bad idea after all. If Lin Bai were to fail in the future and his Sect questioned him, he could just say he hadn't managed to trick Lin Bai out of the Shape-altering Pill Formula.

As for the members of the Justice League, their feelings were even more complex. They had gained a new understanding of their Alliance Hierarch. So, the Alliance Hierarch truly didn't need them on the front lines! But, was it really okay to be useless and continually freeload off the Alliance Hierarch? The Cangming Sword Immortal, Not Sad, and the people from the Heavenly Sword Sect had all infiltrated their ranks, yet they had been completely oblivious. Wasn't this a dereliction of their duty? Xin Shang and the others exchanged glances, each feeling a sense of self-reproach. Perhaps it was time to make a change! The members of the Justice League absolutely could not be reduced to mere lackeys...