Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

Sword Nineteen's heart pounded violently.

Once before, witnessing Lin Bai tame the Cangming Sword Immortal was what caused me to succumb to demonic deviation and end up in this wretched state. Now, history is repeating itself! Lin Bai's eloquence and unconventional thinking… if he masters Spoken Law Follows, it will be a catastrophe for the entire world!

Damn it! Are you using me as a tool, or is this really for my own good? Zhou Zhu's blood surged, and he felt the urge to vomit blood again.

He stared at Lin Bai, who was more than ten miles away. After pondering for a moment, he decided to continue lulling Lin Bai into a false sense of security. Once closer, he would take him out in one decisive blow.

The first time the puppet got close, Zhou Zhu was caught off guard and sent flying by Rush Moon. But the second time, he had a clear opportunity to destroy the puppet the instant it approached. After all, the puppet only possessed Golden Core cultivation, yet Zhou Zhu forcibly restrained himself from acting. My target is Lin Bai. Destroying one or two puppets is meaningless; it would only alert Lin Bai and make him change tactics. With the Ninth Ancestor of the Righteous Door constantly stirring up trouble in my mind, Lin Bai hasn't even used his Mahayana Realm cultivation from the start… Two against one. I'm at a disadvantage. When at a disadvantage, feigning weakness becomes a viable battle strategy.

Evidently, his feigned weakness was successful. Lin Bai already seemed convinced of his victory, acting as if he had Zhou Zhu completely in his grasp, thereby falling into his trap.

After years of overt and covert struggles against Zen Master Forget, cultivating from the Golden Core to the Mahayana Realm, I've experienced countless battles. How could my combat experience be comparable to that of a young brat in his twenties? What does it matter if I endure more humiliation in battle? The one who survives until the end is the true victor.

"During the Heaven's Chosen competition, I was slightly inferior due to the rules. After the competition, he provoked me verbally. I was young and hot-headed then, and I attacked in a fit of anger, only to fall into his ambush. He despicably used external forces to shake my Dao-heart, nearly converting me to the Zen Sect. Afterward, he humiliated me further, claiming my first place in the Heaven's Chosen competition was undeserved…

"Roused by shame, I dedicated myself to cultivation and entered the Hollow Realm before him. I sought to avenge my previous humiliation, but I wouldn't take advantage of him when he was weak. I waited until he reached the Guan Xin Realm before challenging him. Within three rounds, he was defeated by my hand. At that time, we had agreed that the outcome would determine life or death. However, Zen Master Forget, fearing death, actually knelt and begged for mercy, weeping profusely. He exchanged a Bodhi Fruit for his life and promised to avoid me whenever he saw me in the future…

"I thought our enmity would be resolved then. Who would have thought that a mere ten years later, Forget, that old scoundrel, would tear up our agreement and refuse to admit his defeat…"

Having been entangled with Zen Master Forget for a lifetime, Zhou Zhu could recount the incidents between them effortlessly. Just as Lin Bai had said, he was already in such a miserable state, why not drag Zen Master Forget down with him? Seizing the momentary lull from Rush Moon's attacks, Zhou Zhu decided to lay bare all his past dealings with Zen Master Forget.

Zen Master Forget's overly competitive nature and despicably fickle behavior were completely exposed, in far greater detail than in the Heavenly Review. The fig leaf of a renowned monk of his generation was thoroughly torn away.

Inside and outside Zhen City, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Under the Truth-telling Technique, Zhou Zhu could not lie. Once his words got out, Zen Master Forget, no matter how steadfast his mind, would undoubtedly direct his anger towards Zhou Zhu. At that point, even if they weren't mortal enemies before, they would be now.

During a pause in Zhou Zhu's account, Lin Bai turned towards the players and announced loudly, "Editors of the Heavenly Review and Justice Weekly, news demands timeliness! Quickly dispatch people to spread Master Zhou's revelations. We must expose Zen Master Forget's despicable nature to the world and have his ranking removed from the Tao of Heaven Review. We absolutely will not allow such a contemptible villain to occupy the top position on the Tao of Heaven Review charts!"

Wild Wolf and the others acknowledged the order. Some players departed the Sword Boat, returning to Qian City to handle the publication matters.

On the city wall, Ye Song frowned slightly. This doesn't seem as simple as it appears on the surface. If it's merely to sow discord between Zhou Zhu and Zen Master Forget, isn't that a bit too childish? After all, they are already like fire and water; Lin Bai doesn't need to drive a further wedge between them. If he intends to use this incident to provoke conflict between the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Buddha Spirit Sect, it probably won't have much effect either. Those two sects wouldn't go to war over such trivial matters, would they? What exactly is Lin Bai trying to achieve? Ye Song was bewildered. Ever since he arrived in Qian City, everything Lin Bai did had been beyond his expectations. Moreover, how exactly did the Ninth Ancestor of the Righteous Door manage to influence Zhou Zhu? I really wish I could go up and ask him myself…

"Master Zhou, now that you've publicly exposed Zen Master Forget's actions, I'm afraid he'll pursue you relentlessly!" Lin Bai said with a smile, watching Zhou Zhu draw nearer.

"I'm already in a life-and-death struggle with him. Why would I care about exposing a few more minor incidents?" Zhou Zhu stated coldly. As Rush Moon reached its apex, he assessed his distance from Lin Bai, calculating the optimal moment to strike.

It seemed that to allow him to narrate his grievances with Zen Master Forget, the Ninth Ancestor of the Righteous Door had stopped its harassment in his mind. Zhou Zhu became even more convinced that his display of weakness had worked.

[Resentment from Zen Master Forget +1+1+1]

With the rewards for the fifth batch of players distributed, most natives' attention was drawn to the players, and they were no longer providing Lin Bai with emotional feedback. The members of the Justice League, however, were currently generating more positive emotions for him than negative ones. Thus, Lin Bai easily spotted Zen Master Forget's emotional feedback amidst the flood of notifications.

It worked! Lin Bai's heart leaped with joy. The moment he saw Zen Master Forget's emotional feedback, he was certain: their status as sworn enemies was sealed. Just as expected, other Mahayana Realm experts are secretly watching my first battle with Zhou Zhu. Thankfully, the Beggar Gang players are live-streaming it. NPCs have long grown accustomed to learning about real-time battle situations through players. Zhou Zhu's major revelations, coupled with the publicity I had Wild Wolf generate, reaching Zen Master Forget's ears would be enough to ignite his fury and make him hate Zhou Zhu to the bone.

"Everyone, you have witnessed the power of Separation of Love. Even a Mahayana Realm cultivator like Master Zhou cannot avoid it. However, cultivating the Law of Love is arduous, and many still harbor doubts about the Laws." Lin Bai, while controlling Zhou Zhu's aerial maneuvers, raised his voice slightly, addressing the surrounding crowd, "Next, I will demonstrate the true might of the Love Principle, allowing you all to genuinely experience the profundity of the Path of Laws, thereby strengthening your confidence in the Cultivation of Rules."

"Lin Bai, what are you trying to do? Don't you dare use Love's Arrow on me!" A sense of foreboding arose in Zhou Zhu's heart. His nerves tensed, ready to close his eyes at any moment.

"Master Zhou, why would I do something so childish? You underestimate me, and you greatly underestimate the Law of Love," Lin Bai said, shaking his head with a smile. "As the saying goes, it's better to bind enemies than to reconcile them. You have just personally elucidated to the world the irreconcilable conflict between yourself and Zen Master Forget. Moments ago, you exposed Zen Master Forget's shameful deeds before everyone. Once word spreads, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call you mortal enemies. But next, I will use the Great Path of Love to dissolve the hatred between you, to make you develop affection for each other, to turn hostility into friendship, and through the two of you, demonstrate the greatness of the Law of Love to the world."

"What are you planning?" Zhou Zhu's ominous feeling intensified, and he asked in horror.

"Everyone, the conflict between my Justice League and the Seven Righteous Sects is equally irreconcilable. Master Zhou came here to kill me. Surely, none of you believe I've hired him as a stooge, do you?" Lin Bai ignored Zhou Zhu, looked towards Zhen City, and asked with a smile.

"No way!" The first to respond was Lin Bai's Supporting Group, their clear voices merging into a vibrant, uplifting chorus.

"No way!" The scattered voices of the city's inhabitants chimed in.

"If Master Zhou is your stooge, I'll eat my family's grindstone for dinner!"

"Shopkeeper Lin, quickly demonstrate your Law of Love! We can't wait any longer!"

BUZZ!

Ye Song's mind went blank for an instant. At that moment, he finally understood Lin Bai's true intention. He stated it clearly from the beginning: Zhou Zhu is his tool to demonstrate the Laws to the world. But not to demonstrate Separation of Love, rather, a higher Love Principle. But… is that even possible?

"Today is a momentous day, a fortunate day! You will witness the awesome power of the Love Principle with your own eyes. Today, everyone will behold a great miracle, see how the Love Principle transforms a pair of mortal enemies into lovers…" Lin Bai's voice was sonorous and profound, as sacred as a priest officiating a wedding. "Master Zhou, I wish you and Zen Master Forget happiness."

A red thread silently flew out. Unbeknownst to Zhou Zhu, one end tied itself to his ankle, while the other traversed space and time, attaching to the ankle of Zen Master Forget, who was countless miles away.

A match made across a thousand li, bound by a single thread. The Matchmaker's red thread was even more domineering than Cupid's Arrow. In Earth's mythology, couples bound by the Matchmaker's red thread would find each other even across life and death, let alone a mere few thousand miles.

[Turn a Pair of Hateful Enemies into a Couple (Completed); Reward: Milky Way (Temporarily create a river to separate two lovers, preventing them from meeting) (Dispensed)]

[Love Must Endure Trials: Create a challenge for a couple you've formed and ensure their story becomes widely known; Reward: Magpie Bridge (Summon a bridge made of magpies, allowing lovers to cross to each other regardless of distance)]

The notification of task completion from the Matchmaker System arrived, immediately followed by a new task. Lin Bai glanced at the new task and set it aside. A formidable enemy is right before me. The red thread has bound Zhou Zhu and Zen Master Forget, making them a couple. But unlike previous instances, both individuals bound are my enemies. If I can't handle at least one of them now, I might face a pair, their bond stronger than gold, united against me next time. That would not be good for me at all!

Apart from Lin Bai, no one else could see the red thread. Everyone was eagerly anticipating Lin Bai's demonstration of the Great Path of Love, to transform Zhou Zhu and Zen Master Forget into a couple. Of course, most were just there for the spectacle. After all, it was quite an extraordinary affair! This included Xu Longyun, Jiang Qingqin, and numerous players. They all stared at Zhou Zhu, their eyes unblinking.

However, after Lin Bai finished speaking, Zhou Zhu continued to hop towards him like a flea, showing no discernible change.

Consequently, the crowd's gaze shifted from Zhou Zhu to Lin Bai, their eyes filled with puzzlement.

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, begin!" a voice called out from the crowd.

"It's already done," Lin Bai replied with a smile.

WHOOSH!

The crowd erupted once more.

"There's nothing there!"

"This so-called Great Path of Love… I knew it was impossible."

"Alliance Hierarch Lin didn't even draw his Bow of Love. This is probably just a tactic to break Master Zhou's will!"

"If one could truly turn enemies into lovers, then this Love Principle would be too terrifying! Who would dare challenge Alliance Hierarch Lin then?"

Ye Song quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, nothing happened. Otherwise, I really wouldn't dare provoke Lin Bai.

"Master Zhou, do you still hate Zen Master Forget?" Lin Bai chuckled and suddenly asked.

"..." Zhou Zhu clenched his jaw, remaining silent.

At that moment, his mind was flooded with memories of Zen Master Forget. Those past, sordid incidents… now seem so beautiful in retrospect. Back at the Heaven's Chosen competition, when I sent Zen Master Forget flying with a palm strike, the way he looked at me while coughing up blood… it was so gentle, clearly brimming with infinite love… Privately, when Zen Master Forget attacked my Dao-heart with the Vajra Overcoming Demons, his words, 'Zhou Zhu, the Heavenly Dao Sect will no longer have a place for you. Join my Buddhist sect,' were clearly a domineering declaration of love! And in the Hollow Realm, when Zen Master Forget knelt before me, begging for mercy, that sorrowful gaze as he looked up… he was clearly upset at my inability to understand his romantic feelings… Scene after scene of our entanglements… it was all Zen Master Forget expressing his love for me! Heavens! How could I have been so foolish as to think we were mortal enemies? What have I done? I slandered my beloved in front of the entire world, disregarding his reputation… If Zen Master Forget finds out what happened today, he'll surely be heartbroken! It's all Lin Bai's fault! All his fault! I can't speak anymore. If I say more, I'll fall for Lin Bai's scheme, and both Zen Master Forget and I will be utterly disgraced…

Zhou Zhu was overwhelmed with remorse, his eyes red as he glared angrily at Lin Bai. His Divine Skills are too terrifying. Only by killing him can I preserve Zen Master Forget's innocence, and only then can Zen Master Forget and I live out the rest of our lives in peace… After I kill Lin Bai, I'll go to Zen Master Forget and confess my feelings. Then, we'll live in obscurity, never again meddling in the affairs of the martial world…

"Master Zhou, do you still hate Zen Master Forget?" Lin Bai asked again.

"Lin Bai, today, either you die, or I do!" Zhou Zhu, his face dark, no longer answered Lin Bai's question directly and instead snapped.

"You yourself said that Zen Master Forget is a despicable villain. If you submit to my Justice League, I will help you ruin Zen Master Forget completely…" Lin Bai said, looking at Zhou Zhu, prodding him.

"Shut up! You are the despicable villain! I will not allow you to speak of Zen Master Forget that way! You are not worthy to even utter his name!" With his beloved being slandered, Zhou Zhu could no longer maintain his composure and retorted furiously, "It was I who was bewitched by you, you Evil Spirit, and thus harmed Zen Master Forget! He treated me that way because he had no other choice! It's all my fault! Today, I must kill you to avenge the humiliation you've inflicted upon me!"

WHOOSH!

Within and outside Zhen City, an uproar ensued.

"Damn, it actually worked! Master Zhou is like a completely different person! How did Alliance Hierarch Lin do it?"

"Is this the Great Path of Love?"

"I don't believe it. It's probably just an illusion. Don't forget, that unseen Ninth Ancestor has been secretly influencing Master Zhou. Maybe Master Zhou was already controlled by the Ninth Ancestor, which is why he said those things."

"I'll only believe it if Zen Master Forget shows up right now and admits he's with Master Zhou."

"Exactly, exactly! There are too many deceptive arts in the Cultivation World."

In the Buddha Spirit Sect's contingent:

Zen Master Forget was listening to a player relaying the live report. When he heard that Zhou Zhu was being tormented by Lin Bai, a faint, detached smile played on his lips, an expression suggesting it was only to be expected.

Later, as Zhou Zhu, guided by Lin Bai, began to publicly divulge their past, Zen Master Forget's calm smile vanished abruptly, and the temperature around him seemed to plummet.

"King of Scrolls, there's no need to relay the slanderous remarks," the Little Novice Monk beside him chided the player, whose name was King of Scrolls, serving as the "telephone."

"No, let him say whatever is said. This will help me understand Lin Bai's methods," Zen Master Forget quickly regained his composure and said gently, "Hui Tong, Zhou Zhu and I were never on good terms, and I am an enemy to Lin Bai. If even you recognize it as slander, how could the world not? It doesn't matter how they slander me. Schemes and trickery cannot survive in the light of day. Time will reveal everything."

"Zen Master Forget, Lin Bai says he's going to make you and Master Zhou a couple, to prove the existence of the Love Principle to the world," King of Scrolls, who had gone offline to watch the stream and then logged back in, reported, looking at the old monk with a peculiar expression.

"Just grandstanding. Probably some kind of illusion," Zen Master Forget said, shaking his head with a chuckle. But in the next instant, his expression changed dramatically. He shot to his feet and exclaimed in alarm, "This is bad! Zhou Zhu is likely no match for Lin Bai! I must go and lend him a hand…"

Having said that, his figure flickered and vanished from the Lotus Boat.

King of Scrolls, who had been cut off mid-sentence, was left standing there stunned. Damn, don't tell me it actually worked!

The two Little Novice Monks attending Zen Master Forget exchanged glances, their faces instantly turning exceptionally grim. Hui Tong swallowed hard and said falteringly, "King of Scrolls, continue… what happened next?"