Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

If Lin Bai had only conquered the Beast Control Sect, it wouldn't have been such a significant event. Although the Beast Control Sect's individual power was strong, it could not rival the combined forces of the Morning Yuan Sword Sect's three constituent sects. However, the situation changed with the involvement of Not Sad and the two prodigies from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Not Sad was hailed as the foremost individual in the Realm of Soul Transformation, with a record of slaying cultivators in the Void Piercing Stage despite being in a lower realm. Furthermore, to become a prodigy of the Heavenly Sword Sect, one's minimum cultivation had to be at the Divinity Transformation Realm. As key individuals nurtured by their sects, prodigies often mastered many unique killing techniques and possessed powerful Magic Treasures. Adding the Cangming Sword Immortal to their ranks meant Lin Bai faced four Divinity Transformation cultivators simultaneously. Moreover, the combat prowess of Not Sad and the Heavenly Sword Sect prodigies far surpassed others of the same Divinity Transformation Realm.

And the result? The Cangming Sword Immortal was captured, Not Sad escaped, Sword Ten abandoned the injured Sword Nineteen and fled alone, while Lin Bai remained unscathed.

Although *Justice Weekly* portrayed the few Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators as despicable cowards who only knew how to launch sneak attacks, the uncovered facts also proved that these Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators had merely gathered by chance and had no connection with each other. But the outcome spoke for itself.

Indeed, the Seven Righteous Sects did scheme against each other, turn a blind eye to death, and even engage in betrayal and abandonment. Any justification was powerless in the face of such facts; attempting to whitewash the situation would be futile. Judging purely from the descriptions in *Justice Weekly*, the Seven Righteous Sects were rotten to the core. For such a group to maintain the Cultivation World was a disgrace to the very notion of cultivation. The public's perception of the Seven Righteous Sects instantly plummeted to an all-time low.

Not Sad and Sword Ten found themselves in an intractable position. Firstly, the official channels of the Seven Righteous Sects offered no statements. Secondly, they had genuinely fled, without even drawing their swords against Lin Bai. They knew that escaping at that moment was their best option, but this was an action they could take but not speak of. As for slandering Lin Bai against their conscience, neither could bring themselves to do it; after all, countless eyes had witnessed the events. If we had known it would come to this, we might as well have fought Lin Bai to the death back then!

「Outside Zhen City.」

Not Sad's eyes were bloodshot as he fiercely gulped down wine. Around him lay a large expanse of felled trees. After three hundred years of cultivating his mind in the mortal world, he had believed his willpower was incredibly strong. But after Lin Bai's machinations, he realized all his previous trials were mere child's play. Heartbreak? Inability to break through to the Hollow Realm in this lifetime? Compared to what Lin Bai did, those were nothing! He and Lin Bai hadn't even met formally, yet Lin Bai, with a single casual article, had nailed him to the pillar of shame, crushing him so thoroughly he could barely breathe and saw no way to redeem himself. Even if he were to kill Lin Bai in the future, this stain of shame would be hard to erase. The title 'Not Sad' was utterly ruined.

"Evil Spirit! If I don't kill you, the world will fall into chaos!" Not Sad cursed through gritted teeth. The beautiful figure that had lingered in his heart for three hundred years had long since been replaced by Lin Bai.

Sword Ten's situation was hardly better than Not Sad's. He had always been one to strategize meticulously and act only after careful planning. He never imagined that a moment of oversight would brand him a disgrace to the Heavenly Sword Sect, becoming a vulnerability for Lin Bai to exploit against them. Ever since obtaining the title Sword Ten, though outwardly modest, he had never truly respected anyone in the world. He had warned Sword Nineteen that Lin Bai, being hunted under the Wen and Evil Decree, must possess extraordinary abilities. Yet, in truth, he hadn't taken Lin Bai seriously, even planning to use Lin Bai as a stepping stone—to kill him and achieve widespread fame. But Lin Bai's casual strike shattered his companion sword, Tianchen, and also shattered his Heart of Sword, plunging him into a quagmire from which he could not escape.

Only then did Sword Ten understand why Lin Bai was on the Wen and Evil Decree. Lin Bai's mastery of Laws and his Martial Power were but one aspect; the true reason was his ability to shake the world's major affairs with his every move, unsettling the very foundations built by the righteous and evil paths over tens of thousands of years. He was not Lin Bai's opponent, nor was Sword One, nor were those veteran prodigies. Lin Bai's true adversaries had always been his Sect—no, all the Sects in the world.

Luo Xue of Wash Flower Valley flipped through the latest issue of *Justice Weekly*, silent for a long time.

"Luo Tianjiao, what should we do?" the Valley Master of Wash Flower Valley asked, completely at a loss.

It had only been two days since the Beast Control Sect's matter, and already the Heavenly Sword Sect's prodigies, along with Not Sad, had been utterly crushed by Lin Bai. Her sect, Wash Flower Valley, had only one prodigy. If they encountered Lin Bai, they'd likely be suppressed before they could even make a ripple. Most critically, they had actively provoked Lin Bai, an act no different from courting death!

"Let me consult with the Sect first. Help me find an Outworlder," Luo Xue said, glancing at the Valley Master while struggling to maintain her composure.

After news of the Beast Control Sect incident spread, the Seven Righteous Sects were indeed in a tight spot. Undeniably, Lin Bai was too adept at stirring up trouble. Moreover, the influence of *Justice Weekly* was far more problematic than they had initially perceived.

Originally, the leaders of the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects were more focused on the world behind the Outworlders. After all, an entire world of people, all with their meridians open, immortal and undying, capable of invading their world at will—the implications were self-evident. Not only had nations like Taiyi Country received an Oracle, but the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects, representing the world's peak combat forces, had also received the Oracle. They were forbidden from massively interfering in the Outworlders' lives during their early stages of growth, and certainly not allowed to use military force for large-scale suppression of the Outworlders, lest they face punishment. Therefore, in the months since the Outworlders' arrival, they could only observe quietly and test the waters cautiously, daring not to take any large-scale actions against them.

It wasn't until Lin Bai and his Righteous Door appeared, massively integrating Players and wantonly destroying the rules they had established, that they realized something was amiss. The path of Laws proposed by Lin Bai completely subverted existing cultivation rules and formed its own coherent system. Crucially, the Righteous Door was also unheard of; no one could find any trace of its origins. Lin Bai, like the Outworlders, seemed to have appeared out of thin air, yet what he displayed clearly told the world that a formidable Righteous Door indeed stood behind him. The Outworlders had the Oracle's protection, so they couldn't be touched for the time being, but Lin Bai did not. At this time of chaos brought by the Outworlders, the Righteous Door, under the pretext of responding to the calamity, was brazenly carving up their cake. This was intolerable.

The Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects conferred and subsequently issued the Wen and Evil Decree. Initially, their purpose in issuing the Wen and Evil Decree was not solely to eliminate Lin Bai. After all, though Lin Bai seemed active, his range of activity was limited to a few small basic cities, and the strength he displayed was, at most, at the Divinity Transformation Stage. A Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator might be considered an expert among the sects near the basic cities, but to the Seven Righteous Sects, with their tens of thousands of years of heritage, such strength was insignificant. Take the Heavenly Sword Sect alone: a batch of thirty prodigies every ten years. Even after discounting those who had perished or those who were stuck in bottlenecks with no progress in their cultivation, the sheer number of cultivators they had amassed was colossal. The primary reason for issuing the Wen and Evil Decree was, in fact, to target the Outworlders. With a suitable pretext, they could dispatch large numbers of elite disciples into the mortal world to make early contact with the Outworlders, interfere with their activities, and incidentally investigate the Righteous Door. To allow Lin Bai to cause a stir for a while longer, they even sent only prodigies of comparable strength to him and responded perfunctorily to calls for help from sects around Qian City.

Who knew that Lin Bai and the Outworlders would team up to create such a massive commotion, catching the Seven Righteous Sects completely off guard? If he were allowed to continue his antics, never mind the vast territories they would lose, just recovering the face Lin Bai had cost them would take an unknown amount of time. Moreover, countries like Taiyi Country and Taichu Country, upon realizing that the Righteous Door might overturn their dominion over the Cultivation World, began to stir restlessly, wanting to make some covert moves. The Outworlders, the Righteous Door, nations like Taiyi Country—if these factions united, they could very well trigger a great calamity, causing irreparable harm to the Cultivation World. After all, the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects were never of one mind; even among the Seven Righteous Sects themselves, disputes over rankings occasionally arose. This time, the Beast Taming Sect's secret scheming to defraud Lin Bai of his Transformation Pills was a perfect example, and it had already alerted sects like the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Consequently, after the Beast Control Sect incident, the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects swiftly adjusted their strategy. They decided to bypass the Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators entirely. Experts of the Mahayana Realm would directly lead Hollow Realm masters to extinguish Lin Bai and his Justice League in its infancy. By eliminating this disruptive force, they could then free up their hands to properly consider how to deal with the Outworlders. At least nominally, all sects set out under the banner of eliminating Lin Bai and the Justice League.

Of course, knowing they couldn't stop the spread of *Justice Weekly*, and to prevent Lin Bai and his Justice League from causing greater panic, the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects successively published their own periodicals through the Outworlders, conveying their own narratives. These included the Heavenly Dao Sect's *Heavenly Path Journey*, the Heavenly Sword Sect's *Sword Sect*, the Tool Refining Sect's *Vessel as Heaven*, and the Holy Extreme Sect's *Saintly Periodical*, among others. Once these were released, the periodicals previously self-published by subordinate sects scattered in various places were quickly banned, and distribution was unified under their respective main Sects' publications.

Periodicals like *Heavenly Path Journey* primarily focused their inaugural articles on legitimizing their names, dedicating substantial portions to recounting the origins of the Heavenly Dao Sect and their roles in several major wars between the righteous and evil paths. These narratives included establishing basic cities, protecting human civilization from extinction, restricting the growth of Demon Beasts, and so forth. Naturally, while promoting their own positive image, they didn't forget to slander the Righteous Door and its policies. For instance, headlines included:

*When the Seven Righteous Sects Silently Guarded the Mortal Realm for Ten Thousand Years, Where Was the Righteous Door?*

*Who Is Truly Destabilizing Society?*

*What Is the Truth Concealed by the Seven Righteous Sects?*

*If Calamity Strikes, Who Will Suffer?*

*The Perpetrators Who Incite War in the Name of Peace.*

*Are They Laws, or Demonic Techniques to Wreak Havoc Upon the World?*

Article after article, also penned by Players, directly countered *Justice Weekly* and were released concurrently. Public discourse reached an unprecedented level of fervor. It must be said that every issue has two sides. The thoughts of the common people are the most easily swayed, and furthermore, the actions of the Seven Righteous Sects over the past ten thousand years were also factual. For a time, public opinion fractured into several camps.

Some supported Lin Bai and his Justice League, believing they were indeed overthrowing a decadent Cultivation World and bringing new hope to the mortal realm. Some supported the Seven Righteous Sects, believing Lin Bai was inciting global turmoil for personal gain, and if war erupted, the common folk would be the ones to suffer. Others believed both sides were at fault and should sit down to negotiate a peaceful resolution and find a suitable compromise. Still others felt the world needed a war, arguing that only war could advance societal progress and lead to more policies beneficial to the common people. They felt that the once lofty Cultivation World now seemed much closer, something unimaginable in the past.

The periodicals from the Five Demon Sects, on the other hand, recounted their grievances over the past ten thousand years, as well as the slander and suppression they faced from the Seven Righteous Sects. They argued more along the lines that the use of a Cultivation Technique depends on the person: a sword can kill, and so can the Path of Blood. One cannot deem the sword righteous simply because killing with it appears cleaner than killing with blood. When cultivated properly, the Path of Blood could also save lives. The Five Demon Sects didn't wish to debate *Justice Weekly*; they weren't the world's protagonists. However, the emergence of public opinion offered them a chance to break free from the Seven Righteous Sects' oppression and turn the tables. Therefore, the periodicals published by several Evil Door sects were more focused on seizing the opportunity to whitewash themselves. In short, opinions abounded, and the world's discourse was no longer dominated by Lin Bai's voice alone.

The Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects also didn't forget to appease the sects trembling under the iron fist of the Justice League. Through their own authoritative publications, they informed everyone that before the experts from the major Sects arrived, those sects that had been coerced into joining the Justice League would not be held accountable for their past actions. After all, once speed reached a certain limit, it couldn't increase much further. Mahayana Realm experts might possess movement techniques that could overwhelm lower-level cultivators in battle, but for long-distance travel, Mahayana Realm experts were not much faster than Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators. They too needed time and couldn't arrive instantaneously. Otherwise, Mahayana Realm experts could do whatever they pleased in this world.

This "legal surrender" could both appease the sects unable to defeat Lin Bai—preventing them from panicking due to being forced into the Justice League and subsequently serving Lin Bai wholeheartedly out of desperation—and plant a spy within Lin Bai's Justice League, making it impossible for him to discern whether new members were genuine or feigning allegiance.

In this war of public opinion, Players were still the most sought after. The advertising world was finally no longer monopolized by the Beggar Gang. Backed by these colossal powers, Players finally had a voice. At this moment, all Players finally found the game's balance. Although it was only in the realm of public opinion, it was at least a good start. More fortunate individuals were directly recruited into the headquarters of the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects for intensive training.

The Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects possessed ample resources. Normally, cultivating a prodigy to the Spirit Transformation Realm typically required about ten years. But cultivating Outworlders might only take a few months, or a year or two. They had no choice but to do so. The Beast Taming Sect's affair served as a wake-up call to everyone: some might not wish to see Lin Bai dead. If they could obtain the vast resources he controlled, it could still alter the current landscape of the Cultivation World. Lin Bai's growth rate was too rapid; sacrificing prodigies' lives to deal with him was somewhat uneconomical. After all, prodigies, cultivated by their Sects, possessed sufficient loyalty. However, these quickly cultivated Outworlder pseudo-prodigies, apart from their strength, generally had no emotional attachment to the sects. If the resources of the Righteous Door were to trigger a world war that escalated beyond control, the cultivated Outworlders would become consumables in that war. Everyone was bracing for unexpected developments.