Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

A large number of Skyfall People entering the world should have caused a certain level of chaos, but as soon as they appeared in Basic City, they were taken away by Cultivators. Therefore, the lives of ordinary people were not greatly affected.

The biggest excitement still came from the confrontation between the Justice League and the Righteous Seven.

「The day after the Skyfall People arrived.」

Centered around Zhen City and Qian City, the Justice League's bookstore released a manga called "The Legend of Lin Bai."

The manga had only one scene, titled "Lin Bai Enters the World," which briefly told the story of Lin Bai, who, after living at the Righteous Door for more than ten years, left on his master's orders and was sent to Jiamucheng to make a living.

The story began with Lin Bai cleverly borrowing two hundred taels of silver from Luo Congwen and ended abruptly when he was deceived by the Tooth Line into buying a haunted shop. Interspersed were instances of the Skyfall People causing mischief in the city.

The story was not long, only a little more than ten pages.

Everyone had already learned about Lin Bai's past experiences from "Justice Weekly," so the story of "The Legend of Lin Bai" could only be considered a rehash.

What was new to everyone was the storytelling format: each page was filled with exaggerated images supplemented by dramatic and concise text, making readers feel as if they were there, completely engrossed. Especially, the delineation of realms and combat power within it was quite refreshing.

As soon as it hit the market, it sparked a buying frenzy. Especially, the Justice League's Tool Refining Workshop also simultaneously released some Lin Bai-themed small protective trinkets and some super cute Lin Bai figurines.

For a time, Lin Bai, whose limelight had been stolen by more than ten Great Cheng Realm ancestors, made a strong return to the hot search spotlight.

People talked about Lin Bai constantly.

Children were proud to own a Lin Bai figurine, often exclaiming, "I am Lin Bai from the Righteous Door..."

Even young women who rarely left home were willing to buy a cute Lin Bai figurine to hold and play with when bored.

The number of Lin Bai's fans was increasing at a visible pace.

If it were not for the lack of color printers in other towns, and if ordinary woodblock printing had been suitable for manga, the "Super Idol: One Hundred Thousand Fans" task might have been completed then and there.

「...」

「Meanwhile.」

The "Heavenly Path Journal" published an article titled "Lin Bai, Who Claims to Save the World, Is the True Invader."

The article elaborated from various angles on the argument that Lin Bai came from another world, listing several points raised by the corporate players: different laws of nature, the untraceable Righteous Door, Lin Bai's strange methods, and his use of tape recorders, digital cameras, and color printers.

The article attempted to incite popular opposition against the Justice League, fundamentally discrediting Lin Bai and even comparing him to an extraterritorial demon.

But unfortunately, the manga version of "The Legend of Lin Bai" was more compelling.

With first impressions already set, people no longer cared whether Lin Bai was an invader.

Moreover, nowadays there were Skyfall People everywhere; invaders were a dime a dozen, so what did one more Lin Bai matter?

Furthermore, in the public's eyes, Lin Bai, this outsider, seemed more down-to-earth and had accomplished more than the entire Cultivation World had in ten thousand years.

Comparing the two, they were more inclined to favor the Justice League.

In the new round of the public opinion war, the Righteous Seven once again suffered a major defeat.

「...」

「Qian City, Beggar Gang.」

A few Players gathered, each holding a copy of "The Legend of Lin Bai," eagerly discussing the game's future.

"I never thought I'd be chasing manga in a game," No Wine Today said.

"What's even more absurd is that this is an Immortal World game," Likes Being Passive said.

"The game company really has a knack for realism; you never know where the world situation will take a turn..." Dead Dog One said.

"The design around Lin Bai is becoming clearer. The game officials are positioning Lin Bai as an alternative Player, or perhaps a transmigrator. He manipulates public opinion, cultivates fans... Aside from the unexplainable Laws, he's incredibly skilled with real-world tactics..." Manhole Cover said.

"If he's a transmigrator, he must be the most successful one, completely overshadowing the Players," No Wine Today said.

"If your dad was the game company's boss, you'd overshadow everyone too," Dead Dog One commented.

"I wonder if there's someone pulling Lin Bai's strings. If not, his AI is too advanced. The Righteous Seven Sects and the Five Demon Sects simply can't keep up," Manhole Cover remarked.

"Transmigrators have the knowledge of an entire world backing them. It's normal for the natives to fall behind. The sad part is, we're falling behind too. We're also transmigrators, yet Lin Bai is leading every trend," No Wine Today added.

"Do you think Lin Bai really has a whole world behind him?" Dead Dog One asked.

"Who knows? I've been gaming so much, I can hardly tell reality from the game anymore. The game company created the Immortal World and the Continent of Gods and Demons; it wouldn't be a stretch for them to create another world for Lin Bai. If they have a program for generating derivative worlds, they could create a new one, set the parameters, and let it evolve on its own..." Likes Being Passive conjectured.

"The consortiums have entered the game. I wonder what big moves they'll make. Hopefully, they won't be like Mountain Deer—all thunder, no rain, achieving nothing and becoming a joke," Manhole Cover said sarcastically.

"That's normal. Some of those large consortiums can't even manage operations in a different country, let alone across worlds. It's quite normal for them to be unacclimatized; struggling with the rules of a game world is to be expected."

「...」

「On the Levitation Talisman.」

Hearing of Lin Bai's audacious maneuvers, Far Vision Eagle sighed and said to Zhang the Truth-Seeker, "You are once again behind Lin Bai. He's already started building his personal brand—comics, figurines, the Justice League... As long as Lin Bai can establish a multifaceted public image, even if it's not perfect, as long as it's deeply ingrained in people's minds, any slander you throw at him will be futile."

"Then how should we respond?" Zhang the Truth-Seeker asked.

"Either go all out and defeat him with lightning speed," Far Vision Eagle advised, "or take a pragmatic approach, rely on your strong foundations to take root among the common people, and compete with Lin Bai's Justice League for their hearts and minds."

"Can we promote our own idols?" Zhang the Truth-Seeker asked. "The Heavenly Dao Sect has its Daozi, and the Heavenly Sword Sect has its Jian Zi. Their cultivation advances by leaps and bounds, and their images are hardly inferior to Lin Bai's."

"Do they have legendary experiences like Lin Bai's?" Far Vision Eagle questioned back.

"Do the auspicious signs at their birth count?" Zhang the Truth-Seeker queried.

"Things like that can be fabricated; no one would believe them," Far Vision Eagle replied with a chuckle. "Zhang the Truth-Seeker, it seems you've realized Lin Bai won't be easy to take down. Actually, your line of thinking isn't bad. How about this: cooperate with our group. We provide the strategy, you provide the resources, and together we can take on Lin Bai's Justice League in a head-to-head contest. When it comes to operational strategies, I'm confident I'm not much worse than Lin Bai. Only an outsider can defeat an outsider."

Zhang the Truth-Seeker glanced at Far Vision Eagle and said, "Communicating through Skyfall People isn't convenient. We'll arrive at the Heavenly Dao Sect tomorrow. You should discuss these matters with the Sect Master. I'm just a humble Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator; I have no authority in such major affairs, nor can I speak on them."

"Very well," Far Vision Eagle said with a genial smile, then casually asked, "Zhang the Truth-Seeker, I wonder what kind of person the Sect Master is? The Heavenly Dao Sect is the leader of the Righteous Seven Sects; he must have cultivated for a very long time to be able to manage it."

"The Sect Master is at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage. If not for having to deal with the catastrophe triggered by the Skyfall People, he could have undergone his tribulation and ascended long ago," Zhang the Truth-Seeker answered. "You say the Sect Master cultivated for a long time—that is an underestimation. He was once the prodigy of his generation. While handling the various affairs of the Heavenly Dao Sect, he cultivated and reached the Crossing Tribulation Realm in just over eight hundred years..."

"To reach the Transcendance Tribulation Stage in just over eight hundred years! The Heavenly Dao Sect must have many at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage then!" Far Vision Eagle commented, looking up at the sky.

"Keeping you Skyfall People in check isn't a problem," Zhang the Truth-Seeker glanced at Far Vision Eagle with a light laugh and said. "It's only because Lin Bai and his Righteous Door have caused such a huge stir; otherwise, Skyfall People like you wouldn't even be allowed into the Heavenly Dao Sect. You once said that in your world, your consortium is comparable to the Heavenly Dao Sect. Yet, looking at your cultivation, you seem no different from an ordinary Skyfall Person..."

"It is not our true bodies that have entered this world," Far Vision Eagle said dismissively. "Therefore, no matter how much damage we suffer in this world, it will not affect us in any way."

「...」

Similar scenes were unfolding within the contingents of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Holy Extreme Sect, Pill and Spirit Sect, Valley of Thousand Souls, and others. The elites from the large consortiums were using their own methods to understand the internal structures of the sects in the Immortal World.

They operated from a high-level strategic perspective.

Lin Bai and his Justice League were expanding aggressively and rapidly, using methods from the real world.

If these elites wanted to defeat Lin Bai and gain influence in this world, they couldn't just continue their slow and steady cultivation. Cooperating with the major sects was the quickest way.

Of course, before any cooperation could be negotiated, Lin Bai and his Justice League absolutely could not be allowed to fall.

Therefore, when these consortium elites offered advice to the Righteous Seven Sects or the Five Demon Sects, they were restrained and didn't immediately resort to any annihilation tactics.

Until they themselves had developed, they needed the Justice League and the Righteous Seven Sects to remain in prolonged conflict.

The Righteous Seven Sects, on their part, were also probing this new batch of Skyfall People.

Although they hoped to learn about the real world from these consortium elites, they remained deeply wary of the Skyfall People and didn't trust everything they said.

Besides, they had also dispatched Great Cheng Realm experts to assassinate Lin Bai and were awaiting the outcome.

If Lin Bai were to die and the Righteous Door did not emerge, these Skyfall People would immediately become targets. No Sect would allow a group of such exceptionally talented Skyfall People to grow.

There was only one Lin Bai, but there were thousands upon thousands of Skyfall People.

Currently, Lin Bai was the primary threat; but in the long run, the Skyfall People would become an even greater one.

They could still distinguish the lesser of two evils.