Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

It was always Lin Bai who launched a blitzkrieg against others. Unexpectedly, this time he was on the receiving end. Moreover, it was a suppressive attack from a significantly higher cultivation level. Local gangs truly have no sense of propriety, he thought.

Rush Moon and Cards failed. However, Zhou Zhu's abrupt attack didn't cause Lin Bai excessive worry. He was never a rigid person; when battling one-on-one, the Red Line was his ultimate trump card. If he truly couldn't defeat Zhou Zhu, unleashing a Red Line would instantly resolve the problem. All along, Lin Bai had only pursued the maximization of benefits. Only when the Red Line exerted its greatest effect could he complete more missions and obtain greater rewards. When one's life is threatened, survival naturally takes precedence.

Xu Longyun asked, "How can we help?"

"The Chaos Jade and Thousand Miles Talisman you gave me have already been a great help," Lin Bai said, looking at Xu Longyun with a gentle gaze.

Jiuzu had already laid the groundwork; he couldn't just let the girl be the only one invested. Otherwise, if he remained aloof for too long, this life of being supported would eventually end. So, when it was time to make a move, he had to make a move...

Lin Bai wasn't lying. The two Magic Treasures Xu Longyun had given him truly bolstered his confidence. With the six-piece Blacksmith set, his enemies' weapons and Magic Artifacts would be rendered useless before him. Having Magic Treasures against an opponent who had none, he held the advantage no matter how one looked at it!

Lin Bai's intense gaze made Xu Longyun's pretty face flush slightly. She blinked a few times, then said evasively, "The old man is too stingy. He hoped you and the Righteous Door would cripple each other so he could reap the benefits. Now that the Seven Righteous Sects are searching everywhere for those chosen by Heaven, the old man must be regretting it immensely! Master, if you can defeat Zhou Zhu, you can make any demands you wish of the Taiyi Country."

What an incredibly filial daughter! Lin Bai thought.

"Xiao Yun, I won't make demands of anyone," Lin Bai said with a dismissive laugh. "I'll wait for them to come to me."

Xu Longyun smiled involuntarily. She turned her head to look at Lin Bai's profile, and in an instant, her heart pounded. This was the man she had chosen; there was no one more outstanding in the entire world.

"If our love is destined to last, why must we be together day and night?" The words Lin Bai had once written flashed into Xu Longyun's mind again. She gathered her scattered thoughts and asked, "Master, how do you plan to respond?"

"First, we build up public opinion!" Lin Bai gave a mysterious smile, his eyes profound. "It's not often I get to fight someone from the Great cheng. I must draw out all his potential..."

Xu Longyun was stunned. A smile still graced her lips, but in her heart, she began to mourn for Zhou Zhu. The slight worry she had felt earlier had long since vanished.

The news outlets were buzzing:

"Zhou Zhu, Are You That Impatient to Prove Yourself?"

"Chan Master Forget: Zhou Zhu, Don't Chicken Out! No, Zhou Zhu, Don't Throw It!"

"Perhaps the Ranking of the Twelve Great chengs Is Wrong; Chan Master Forget Is All Bark and No Bite, While Buddha's Son's Words Betray His Insecurity."

"Justice League Alliance Hierarch Lin Bai States He Will Personally Verify the Strength of the Great chengs in Battle and Provide the Most Accurate Ranking for Them."

"Can the Heavenly Dao Sect, Number One on the Righteous Path, Withstand Its First Defeat?"

That day, Heavenly Review published several articles targeting Zhou Zhu. Each one struck at the core, attacking the very things Zhou Zhu cared about most. Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to the news.

The common people were merely watching for entertainment. The Seven Righteous Sects, the Five Demonic Sects, and nations like Taiyi and Taichu, however, were all waiting for one thing: a result. An opportunity to re-evaluate Lin Bai's strength. An opportunity to verify just how powerful the Righteous Door truly was! Whether Lin Bai won or lost would change their attitude towards the Righteous Door.

In comparison, the Players were much more optimistic. Not a single Player believed Lin Bai would be defeated by a mere Zhou Zhu...

「Chen Earth City.」

The young boy, Bright Moon, abandoned by the Purple Robed Elder, had bloodshot eyes. Beside him lay a stack of Justice Weekly and the comic 'The Legend of Lear'. At this moment, Bright Moon wasn't trying to get passersby to practice Spoken Law Follows with him; instead, he sat cross-legged on a street corner.

A scornful smile touched his lips as he murmured to himself, "A crowd of foolish mortals. Lin Bai represents the Way of Law. He will not be defeated; if he were, the Way of Law would completely collapse. He possesses a heart of utmost sincerity, which is why he advances by leaps and bounds in his Cultivation of Rules. I failed because I am not pure enough. I should be cultivating the laws of my own accord, not following my master's orders. My master used me as an experiment; his inner doubts about the laws mean he is destined to make no progress in the Way of Law for his entire life..."

「Somewhere thousands of miles away from Chen Mucheng, the Heavenly Sword Sect's caravan was on the move.」

The Purple Robed Elder had abandoned three of his disciples, instructing them to verify Spoken Law Follows, the Way of Love, and the Way of Incompleteness, respectively. However, it was impossible to see results in a short time, and he hadn't expected any quick outcomes either.

Upon suddenly receiving the news that Zhou Zhu had arrived in Zhen City, an idea struck the Purple Robed Elder, and he had an epiphany. What could be a better way to validate the Way of Law than watching Lin Bai's battle in person?

"I'll go on ahead; you follow later." Leaving these words behind, the Purple Robed Elder transformed into a streak of sword light that pierced the heavens in an instant, vanishing from sight.

The many Hollow Realm cultivators on the Sword Boat simultaneously sighed in relief. The Old Ancestor kept saying he didn't take Lin Bai seriously, yet he researched the Way of Law with an obsessive fervor, as if possessed. If he hadn't left, we'd all have been driven mad by him.

「Zhen City.」

Ye Song of the Holy Extreme Sect had reverted to the appearance of a young man in his twenties. He was handsome, with bright, spirited eyes that immediately gave the impression of cleverness. To conceal one's identity, one must do it thoroughly. His previous appearance was merely to fool that adorably silly disciple of his.

Ye Song had just cooked a dish at the cooking competition registration, easily passing the preliminaries and securing his qualification. Currently, he was in the Justice League's Alchemy Workshop, selecting a kitchen knife.

Hearing that Zhou Zhu was about to arrive, he curled his lip disdainfully and muttered, "He's even slower than me, yet he has the audacity to claim he's the fastest? Pah!"

Casually picking up one of Lin Bai's model toys from a nearby shelf, Ye Song asked the Player selling goods with a naive look, "Brother, how can I meet the Alliance Hierarch? I buy every issue of Justice Weekly. The Way of Cooking practiced by Alliance Hierarch Lin Bai is a godsend for us chefs..."

The Player running the store, named [Cross River Dragon], glanced amusedly at the naive-looking young chef. "Want to see him? That's not hard. In two hours, he's dueling Zhou Zhu, a Great cheng cultivator. You'll at least be able to catch a glimpse from afar. If you really want to talk to him, you'll need to reach the semi-finals of the cooking competition. If your culinary skills are good enough, you might even become his disciple!"

"Hehe! Then I'll take that as a good omen." Ye Song placed the kitchen knife and the Lin Bai figurine on the counter. "I'll take both of these. It's said the Alliance Hierarch is protected by supreme Qi Yun. Competing with his likeness by my side might just bless me to overcome all obstacles and become his disciple."

"You've got a good head on your shoulders!" [Cross River Dragon]'s eyes lit up. He took another kitchen knife from a nearby shelf. "I also have an exclusive kitchen knife here, personally inscribed by Lin, the Storekeeper. It's only ten taels of silver more than the one you're holding. Blessed with Qi Yun, it'll guarantee you win the championship."

Ye Song compared the two kitchen knives. He looked at the flamboyant 'Bai' character carved on one, then at the incongruous nicks on the blade of the other. After a moment's hesitation, he set the ordinary knife aside. "Alright, I'll take the one inscribed by Lin, the Storekeeper. Friend, you're truly considerate. Once I become Alliance Hierarch Lin's disciple, I'll definitely come back to thank you properly."

"You will, you will." [Cross River Dragon] eagerly escorted Ye Song out of the Tool Refining Workshop. Then, he turned back, found a wooden board, and wrote on it: "Kitchen Knives Personally Forged by Alliance Hierarch Lin! +10 Qi Yun, +10 Sharpness, +10 Flavor Enhancement! Essential for Cooking Competition Contestants! Limited Quantity, Buy Now While Stocks Last!"

"Master, should we hurry to Zhen City? You clearly never said such things, yet they published them! It's infuriating!" The Little Novice Monk took Justice Weekly from Chan Master Forget's hand, his bright eyes wide as he asked indignantly, "Master, a villain like him, do you still wish to guide him into Buddhism?"

Chan Master Forget twirled his Prayer Beads and smiled faintly. "It is precisely because Lin Bai is such a villain that he needs to be guided into Buddhism for reformation!"

"Oh." The Little Novice Monk nodded, only half-understanding. "Master, then do you think Zhou Zhu can win?"

Chan Master Forget closed his eyes and shook his head. "Everyone else remained still, yet he was the first to make a move. Even though he has achieved Mahayana, Perfected Being Zhou's temperament hasn't matured. It will be difficult for him to win! That Lin Bai is most adept at shattering a person's Dao heart. The Heavenly Dao Sect is likely to lose significant face this time. Apprentice, summon one of the Heaven-Descended Players in. I need to be constantly updated on the battle's progress."

The Great cheng cultivators from factions like the Beast Control Sect, the Valley of Thousand Souls, and the Moon Spirit Sect, upon hearing the news about Zhou Zhu, merely scoffed before quickening their pace. When no Great cheng cultivators were involved, they could travel leisurely, content to wait for others to make the first move. However, once someone intervened, regardless of whether Lin Bai won or lost, it would signal the beginning of a chaotic battle. Even if they chose not to engage Lin Bai, they had to ensure they were closest to him.

「Zhen City. Outside the west city wall.」

Lin Bai hovered in the air, flanked by several Divinity Transformation Realm Puppets: Perfected Li, Sword Ten, Sword Nineteen, and Not Sad. Puppets below the Nascent Soul Realm, like Dao Xu and Pei Yanzong, would be useless in this battle, so he hadn't deployed them.

Little White Fox, Jiang Qingqin, Xu Longyun, and the Sect Leaders of various factions were also gathered near Lin Bai, looking at him, none of them knowing what to say. Members of the various sects hovered around the city walls, some whispering, others silent, all looking exceptionally tense. Admittedly, the pressure from a Great cheng expert was immense.

The gates of Zhen City had long been closed. From each of the four corners of the city walls, a parabolic beam of light ascended, converging above the city center to form a transparent defensive shield that enveloped the entire city. The City Guard Army stood in formation on the city towers, manning cannons aimed outside the city.

Feng Jing stood on a city tower, observing the chaotic scene outside and sighing incessantly. "What a dreadful waste! So many Spirit Stones consumed for no reason, all because of one madman! Such a pity!"

The most relaxed were the Players. Players from the Beggar Gang and the Alliance Army were busily stringing up various advertising banners on their Sword Boats, Hundred Flowers Shuttles, Levitation Talismans, and other flying contraptions. They never missed an opportunity to make money, and Lin Bai always provided them with pleasant surprises.

The eight-thousand-strong Supporting Group was divided into four teams, all in uniform, waving various well-made signs. The signs read: "Lin Bai for the Win!" "Lin Bai is the Best!" "A King Descends, Utterly Invincible!" "Punch a Great cheng, Kick a Transcendance Tribulation Stage!" "Lin Bai, Lin Bai, His Laws Are Invincible!"...

With their flashy fonts and synchronized chants, the Supporting Group, making their debut, managed to capture everyone's attention, even overshadowing the Beggar Gang's advertisements.

"Master," Little White Fox couldn't help but call out, looking at Lin Bai.

But as soon as she spoke, Xu Longyun pulled her back. Xu Longyun shook her head at her. "Don't disturb him. Before a battle, he needs to concentrate fully."

Little White Fox pouted. "Sister Yun, I used to always be in Master's arms, fighting by his side."

Xu Longyun said, "This time is different. The opponent is a Great cheng expert. Taking you along will only distract him. Just obediently follow his arrangements."

"Mm-hm." Little White Fox nodded timidly and fell silent.

Lin Bai, holding the Bow of Love, was making final calculations in his mind. His brain, like a supercomputer, analyzed every potential eventuality. Zhou Zhu is a Great cheng expert. No one around him can help. In this battle, he can only rely on himself.

Lin Bai stuffed Spirit Fruits and Temperament Fruits into his mouth one after another. By now, Spirit Fruits had a negligible effect on his improvement, but any increase in Divine Soul power, no matter how small, was welcome. If he truly slipped up and perished, a powerful Divine Soul might allow him to perform Body Snatching on a Player, directly enter the real world, and escape the control of this bizarre game world. He had access to the Cultivation Techniques of many people. Every Sect had methods for Body Snatching. Although the success rate was very low, it was practically an essential skill for those in the Divinity Transformation Realm. From this, it was clear that accomplished cultivators were generally not good people! Lin Bai had never considered performing Body Snatching on a native of this world. What was the point of changing bodies if he still had to struggle for survival in this chaotic mess? If he truly died, he might as well gamble on seeing the real world... Of course, this was just a contingency plan. Lin Bai wouldn't resort to it unless absolutely necessary. After all, he was an anomaly. He had no idea what kind of entity the company controlling the Players was. From any angle, a game company wasn't something a mere mortal like him could contend with. His only gamble was on the shadowy figure behind the System!

Lin Bai touched the Chaos Jade at his waist. The six-piece Blacksmith set could increase the success rate of crafting Magic Artifacts. When he first obtained the Chaos Jade, he had considered upgrading it. However, the God of Craftsmen System had only rewarded him with the theory for intermediate-grade Magic Treasures. He couldn't even comprehend the Chaos Jade's structure and formations, let alone upgrade it. Ultimately, Lin Bai's time in this world had been too short—so short that he hadn't had time to upgrade all his Systems to their maximum levels. His Systems weren't maxed out, yet he was encountering top-tier enemies. In the end, it was all because he'd been forced into these situations by all sorts of inexplicable tasks. Last time he faced danger, it had triggered the Extreme Kill-Back System. This time, fighting an opponent two major cultivation realms above him, he wondered if it would trigger a new System. The mission from the Extreme Kill-Back System was still incomplete, proving that the danger to him hadn't been resolved. Defeating Zhou Zhu might be the key to breaking this deadlock...

In the distance, a small black dot appeared, moving at lightning speed. Before anyone could react, Lin Bai's eyes widened, and he whispered, "He's here."

Meanwhile, on the city tower, Ye Song, who had blended in with the City Guard Army, also narrowed his eyes. He watched the rapidly approaching Zhou Zhu, his previously lazy gaze instantly turning incredibly sharp. The corner of his eye swept towards Lin Bai, who was hovering in the air, separate from his group. At such a close distance, he mused, if he were to launch a sneak attack on Lin Bai, he should be able to kill him in a single strike! In Ye Song's eyes, Lin Bai's cultivation was merely at the Divinity Transformation Realm, and his entire stance was riddled with openings. The Puppets around Lin Bai moved sluggishly; their strength had diminished by at least thirty to fifty percent compared to when they were alive. Of course, even at full strength, these few Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators wouldn't be enough for a Great cheng expert to deal with using just one hand. If Lin Bai hadn't truly destroyed the forest in a hundred-li radius with a single strike, Ye Song would have dismissed him as a fraud. Even now, he couldn't figure out how Lin Bai expected to defeat Zhou Zhu.

Zhou Zhu's eyesight was equally formidable. The moment Lin Bai saw him, he saw Lin Bai as well—and, of course, the Justice League's advertisements and the Supporting Group's various insulting banners.

Zhou Zhu snorted contemptuously and channeled his Spiritual Power. "Grandstanding clown! Lin Bai, today is the day you die!"

As he spoke, his aura locked onto Lin Bai. He was preparing to strike from dozens of miles away.

The instant his aura locked onto Lin Bai, a HUM resonated in Zhou Zhu's mind, and an elderly figure with an air of immortal grace suddenly appeared, declaring, "Zhou Zhu, do you take my Righteous Door to be defenseless?"