Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players

Did she realize that the Path of Laws was false?

Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun and nodded at her. To be honest, by now, he wasn't as concerned about the dark side of the game or the System.

Having struggled to this point, he had progressed from initiating momentum to being swept away by the situation. If he didn't advance, he would die. But Lin Bai had long since come to enjoy this feeling. To look down upon the world, to manipulate everyone's fate—even if he managed things perfectly on Earth, he would never enjoy such honor, status, and position.

The Path of Laws? When he unifies the world and reaches the highest position, its truth or falsehood will no longer matter. At that time, he could choose to be the Sky Demon or the Heavenly Dao...

...

"Master, I want to eat the roasted meat you make." After aligning herself with Xu Longyun, the Little White Fox pursed her lips and said shyly, "I want to learn the Way of Cooking."

Xu Longyun's and Jiang Qingqin's eyes flickered, and their faces suddenly reddened.

"Alright, we'll find a secluded spot, and I'll roast it for you," Lin Bai readily agreed.

Honestly, he was also curious about what food made by the Cooking God System would taste like. Without experiencing it himself, he always felt something was missing in life.

...

Qing Yu and Flower Stream were separated, with one placed a hundred li away. Then, they rapidly traversed the distance using the Magpie Bridge. After repeating this several times, Lin Bai and his disciples had already left Zhen City and arrived in an uninhabited area.

Undoubtedly, using a Puppet and the Magpie Bridge for travel was convenient and incredibly fast, far exceeding a Sword Boat and even the burst speed of a Great Cheng realm cultivator.

Lin Bai felt that he probably could use the Magpie Bridge to launch a surprise attack without waiting for it to cover the whole country.

...

The food made by the Way of Cooking could cause people to temporarily lose their senses. Even with several Great Cheng realm Puppets for protection, Lin Bai didn't want to put himself in danger. Of course, he also didn't want outsiders to see the captivating charm of Xu Longyun and the others. His own disciples were for his appreciation alone.

There were still some ingredients left from before, but Lin Bai refused to use any that weren't perfectly fresh. He released the sealed Demon Beast from its Card, cut off its wings, then recalled it into the Card to recover slowly. After deploying several Great Cheng realm Puppets to guard the surroundings, Lin Bai calmly began preparing the food.

Watching Lin Bai cook was a feast for the eyes. The moment the roasted Flying Dragon wings were done, golden light filled the sky, and an intoxicating aroma spread.

After a moment of dazed confusion, Little White Fox, Jiang Qingqin, and Xu Longyun scrambled to stuff the roasted meat into their mouths.

No one could resist the allure of such delicacies. Besides, in front of Lin Bai, there was nothing to be reserved about. Apart from the Little White Fox, who was driven by pure gluttony, the other two were eager to display their graceful figures for Lin Bai.

As a result, Lin Bai appreciated the most beautiful scenery he had ever witnessed. Even with his extraordinary self-control, he almost lost his composure. While the women were lost in blissful delirium, Lin Bai also tasted a piece of roasted meat, personally experiencing its intoxicating flavor.

Normally, he ate Spirit Fruits like candy, and his mental strength had long since become incredibly profound. Yet, even so, he was unable to resist the ultimate pleasure brought by the delicious food.

However, with high mental strength came high resistance. When Lin Bai came to his senses, the women were still immersed in their own worlds; Little White Fox and Hu He had already reverted to their original forms.

Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin lay on the grass, involuntarily murmuring, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

Seeing this, Lin Bai took out his recording device to capture the beautiful scene while secretly vowing never to eat any food he made himself unless he was absolutely sure of his safety.

Though the period of losing himself was brief, he had completely lost his judgment of the external world, as if he had handed his life over to someone else. Moreover, prolonged indulgence in the pleasures of food and beauty from the Cooking God System would surely corrode his strong will. He absolutely could not allow himself such indulgence before completing his great undertaking. The Spirit Fruits surprisingly offered no resistance to the food made by the Cooking God System. The Cooking God System was too terrifying.

...

When Xu Longyun and the others awakened, they hastily arranged their messy clothes. Their faces were flushed, and they didn't dare to look at Lin Bai. When they met his gaze, their own eyes would flicker, and they couldn't hold his look.

Only Little White Fox boldly rushed over, grabbed another piece of roast meat, and devoured it. "Master, it's so delicious! Just now, I felt like I was lying in Master's arms, and your big hand was stroking my fur. It was so comfortable, comfortable deep down to my bones! Master, can we eat this roasted meat every day from now on?"

"Sure, whenever I have time, I'll make it for you," Lin Bai promised with a smile.

At his words, Xu Longyun's and Jiang Qingqin's faces turned even redder.

Lin Bai tore off two pieces of roasted meat and handed them over, saying, "Eat up, don't waste it. After the first bite, that miraculous feeling won't come again. You can enjoy the delicacy with peace of mind."

Saying this, he also released Qing Yu and Flower Stream, allowing them to taste the delicious roasted meat as well. As his travel tools, it wouldn't be fair to only make them work without letting them enjoy the rewards. Lin Bai didn't consider himself a heartless boss.

After everyone finished their meal, Xu Longyun used the Linglong Pearl to return directly to Prince Zhen Guo's house. Then, she took the Magpie Bridge in Kyoto back to Zhen City. The return trip was even quicker than their departure.

Given this, Lin Bai decided to store the Cards of Pei Yanzong and Master Li separately: one in Zhen City and the other he would carry with him. In a critical moment, he could activate the Card and then the Magpie Bridge, effectively giving him his own private Magpie Bridge escape route. Trash is just treasure in the wrong place. Although their cultivation levels couldn't keep up with the current battles, he shouldn't waste the sincere effort he'd put into arranging their fortuitous connections.

...

「After returning to the city.」

Everyone got busy with their own tasks. The Justice League had much to rebuild, and everyone's role was important; there wasn't much free time.

Lin Bai, on the other hand, attempted to practice the Cultivation Technique of Sky Demon Mountain. The Sky Demon Mountain technique excelled in recovery, making it a life-saving method, which was Lin Bai's top priority.

Undoubtedly, after the enhancement of his aptitude, Lin Bai's cultivation speed had indeed increased substantially, but it still lagged considerably behind that of the Players.

Moreover, cultivating truly consumed a lot of time; circulating Spiritual Power for a few Zhou Heavenly Cycles could take several hours. In Lin Bai's view, this was a complete waste of life, far less efficient than focusing on System tasks for improvement.

Therefore, after sorting out his ongoing tasks, he once again abandoned cultivation. He then mixed with the Players and started his daily eavesdropping routine.

Compared to NPCs, Players' private chats always brought him more timely information, enabling him to make more accurate judgments about the situations both inside and outside the game. Lin Bai relied on this information even more than his tasks.

Thus, he learned about "A Brave Man's" new strategy, which directly opposed his method of promoting the Path of Laws, attempting to limit his development.

Lin Bai knew that this "A Brave Man" was the new account of "Lonely Old Man," but he was still astounded by his deductive ability. The man was just one step away from guessing the existence of the System Lin Bai carried!

However, Lin Bai didn't take his plan too seriously. Two months ago, if someone had targeted him in such a way, it might have indeed hindered his development. But now, his momentum was established; obstructing him would be no easy feat.

Lin Bai didn't hold a grudge against "Lonely Old Man" for this. After all, without his meddling, his own power wouldn't have grown so quickly, right? Sometimes, a qualified enemy often plays a bigger role than a friend.

...

Of course, Lin Bai, who now possessed more remarkable Skills, no longer limited himself to eavesdropping on others' conversations.

When he heard about Players persistently practicing the "Spoken Law Follows" method, he decisively used his Mind Reading Ability to help them accelerate their progress.

Then, news spread quickly through the forums that a Player had reached the second stage of "Spoken Law Follows," causing a huge uproar among the Players. Nothing could have been more exciting than this. With a successful example, many Players who had long given up on the Cultivation Rules were motivated to start again.

...

「Early the next morning.」

Players such as Silver and Wild Wolf approached Lin Bai.

Lin Bai asked, "What's the matter?"

Silver bowed to Lin Bai, saying, "Alliance Hierarch, the Heavenly Dao Sect wishes to negotiate with you through us."

"Through you?" Lin Bai laughed. "That's quite an idea they've come up with!"

"Alliance Hierarch, the Justice League has always been a unified entity, and we usually sort out our matters privately," Silver said with a smile. "However, the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demonic Sects are far apart and lack cohesion. Therefore, to relay information, they rely more on the Players, who can travel much faster than they can."

Wild Wolf chuckled, "Our Alliance Hierarch possesses vast Divine Skills; they wouldn't dare come to negotiate in person."

"Are they judging a gentleman by their own petty standards? In a conflict between states, envoys are not harmed. Would I really turn negotiators into Puppets?" Lin Bai sneered. "With such a narrow-minded attitude, they're inherently weaker than the Justice League!"

"The Alliance Hierarch is right," Silver and the others offered timely compliments, then asked, "Alliance Hierarch, shall we negotiate with them?"

"Of course, we'll talk," Lin Bai laughed. "We need to see what they're planning."

...

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, I am Yan Qing, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect. We've seen the information you published in the 'Justice Weekly,' and I regret to say we cannot accept it."

Upon learning that Lin Bai had agreed to negotiate, Yan Qing, after carefully considering his words, said to the Player before him, "I admit that the Path of Laws is indeed magical. Due to our carelessness, we suffered losses and allowed the Alliance Hierarch to gain some advantage. However, fundamentally, the overall situation in the world still favors us. Therefore, I urge Alliance Hierarch Lin to consider his actions carefully."

"What about war reparations?" Lin Bai inquired.

"The Cultivators from the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demonic Sects were captured by you, Alliance Hierarch, and forced to serve you. For you to demand war reparations on top of that is rather overbearing," Yan Qing responded. "In my view, Alliance Hierarch Lin, you should release the captured Cultivators in exchange for the Justice League's peace."

"So, no reparations then." Lin Bai smiled. "Old Sect Master, you initiated these negotiations, yet you start by ordering me around with such arrogance. If you have no sincerity, what's the point of this charade? We can just continue fighting. Others may fear you, but I certainly do not."

[Anger from Yan Qing; +1 +1 +1...]

Not long after Lin Bai spoke, negative emotions from Yan Qing flashed in his mind.

A moment later, Silver brought Yan Qing's response: "Is Alliance Hierarch Lin truly going to be so aggressive? Currently, the Players are causing chaos in the world, and you, Alliance Hierarch, bear the responsibility of spreading the Path of Laws. The Justice League constantly advocates that cultivation should serve the people's livelihood. Yet, Alliance Hierarch Lin, your actions seem rather selfish, completely disregarding the common people. If you actually incite a war, how many can you protect? Our Seven Righteous Sects have a hundred times more Great Cheng realm Cultivators than you, not to mention Patriarchs at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage presiding. Do you genuinely believe that your so-called 'base swap' plan can succeed?"

"Then why did you seek me out for negotiations?" Lin Bai's every word struck a nerve. "Old Sect Master, I, for one, detest beating around the bush. With Players everywhere, there are no secrets in this world. As for my demands, you've had an entire night to discuss them. So, why not just tell me your decision directly? Gaining an upper hand in words is meaningless, and besides, we're not even acquainted..."

A long silence ensued.

Then, Yan Qing said, "First, there will absolutely be no war reparations. Second, Chi Lian and Song Yaoqing from the Poison Sect and Blood Sect will certainly not be handed over to you. Third, you must release the several Great Cheng realm Cultivators who were forced to surrender, including the Puppets you sealed. Fourth, the Justice League must issue a formal apology to the Seven Righteous Sects. Fifth, retract the promotion of the patent law. Sixth, the use of the Magpie Bridge must be supervised by personnel sent by the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demonic Sects..."

"And then?" Lin Bai quietly waited for him to finish before saying, "You've stated your demands. Shouldn't you say something that benefits me now?"

Yan Qing continued, "If Alliance Hierarch Lin can agree to the above points, the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demonic Sects will withdraw the Wen and Evil Decree against you, allow the Justice League to establish itself and spread the Path of Laws in the world. The past transgressions of Alliance Hierarch Lin and the Taiyi Country will be forgiven by the Seven Righteous Sects..."

"Well, well!" Lin Bai guffawed. "I call you Sect Master, and you really think you're someone important. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the ones winning. What makes you think the Justice League needs your recognition? Congratulations, you've successfully infuriated this Alliance Hierarch! Let's dispense with the talk. We'll settle this on the battlefield!"

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, the above are merely our proposals. If there's anything you're dissatisfied with, you can bring it up for discussion. Cultivation is not easy, and resorting to war benefits no one," Yan Qing reasoned.

"Enough talk. Let's continue fighting. You think my base swap tactic won't work? Let's test that on the battlefield. War reparations? If you're unwilling to give them, I'll take them myself. The two main culprits, Chi Lian and Song Yaoqing? If you won't hand them over, I'll capture them personally. The Justice League built its foundation through warfare. For the Alliance, war means wealth. You think you can just call it off?" Lin Bai retorted nonchalantly. "Sect Master, just yesterday I invented a new method of travel, even faster than Great Cheng realm speed. Instead of wasting your time trying to outsmart me, why don't you try guessing who I'll target next?"