The resurrection point was overcrowded.

The Lonely Old Man watched the huddled disciples of the Beggar Gang around him, clenched his fist, and slammed it hard on the ground. "Damn."

"Old Lonely, what should we do now?" Beside him, a regular player named Wanderer of the Mortal World asked with a frown. "Won't we be late even if we rush over from the resurrection point now?"

"What's the bloody point of rushing over there, just to die again?" Lumberjack No.1 jostled his way over.

The Lonely Old Man inhaled deeply, trying to calm his agitated mood. My mistake, he thought. He had naturally considered the same problems as the live audience. It all depended on whether Lin, the Storekeeper, could turn the tides. Otherwise, after this battle, the Beggar Gang's reputation would surely take a nosedive. If Lin Bai died, the Beggar Gang was practically disbanded. Their mistake this time was considering Lin, the Storekeeper's strength as their own and underestimating the Golden Core Masters of this world. You can't always take shortcuts!

"Brother Lonely, do we have any other methods?" Crispy Rice came to the Lonely Old Man, asking in a private message.

The mass extermination of the 3,000 Beggar Gang disciples had greatly demoralized them.

The Lonely Old Man pondered for a moment and said, "Instruct all Beggar Gang disciples to disguise themselves as ordinary civilians and blend into the population of Qian City. Notify Daluo Golden Immortal and others to contact Lin, the Storekeeper, and lure the people of Return to Dragon View to Qian City. We will hide in the crowd and recite tongue twisters. When the time comes, use Palm Thunder to kill them one by one. Isn't Return to Dragon View self-proclaimed as upright and reputable? I want to see if they dare to conduct a massacre in the city."

"…" Crispy Rice paused. "This doesn't sound like a good idea. If we accidentally harm the civilians, the City Lord won't spare us. Then, the Beggar Gang would really become the enemy of the world."

"If we don't defeat Return to Dragon View, the Beggar Gang is finished." The Lonely Old Man looked at him, his face livid, and said coldly, "They are just NPCs. Besides, if the City Lord does want to hold someone accountable, he should target Return to Dragon View. We, the Beggar Gang, are operating peacefully in Qian City and have contributed significantly to its economic growth. It is Return to Dragon View who came all this way to kill us. No matter where this dispute was judged in the world, we would still be in the right. The rules shouldn't only be used to constrain the good guys!"

「 ... 」

With the Beggar Gang disciples wiped out, Lin Bai's greatest advantage was gone, especially considering the hundred Golden Core Masters' attack patterns offered almost no blind spots and covered everything.

I'll be sent to my death if I go up there, Lin Bai thought.

His first thought was to retreat. Even if Palm Thunder is strong, how many can I kill? The duration of Morning Flight is almost over; I won't be able to escape even if I want to.

"Lin Bai, are these people who fell from the sky your only support?" Daoist Qingyu felt refreshed after sweeping out all the Beggar Gang disciples. "What 'person chosen by heaven'? You're just a clown. This day next year will mark the anniversary of your death. Fellow disciples, let's kill him together."

Before he even finished his words, he sent a wave of sword energy towards Lin Bai from the Hidden Dragon Sword in his hand.

Lin Bai dodged it with Curve Body Single Shadow. With a blink, he silently conjured an Anvil above Qingyu's head. Qingyu, already on guard, deftly moved aside the moment the Anvil appeared.

"Master, what should we do?" Little White Fox was a bit flustered.

"Don't worry about anything else, just recite the tongue twisters," Lin Bai glanced at Dragon Breath and the others among the Taoists. He then looked back in the direction of Qian City and couldn't help but frown.

He didn't know when some of the Return to Dragon View Taoists had circled to his rear, blocking his path back to the city.

Lin Bai raised his spiritual power to its peak, surveyed the entire battlefield, and pondered where to break through.

There was less than an hour left for Morning Flight's effect, enough for him to run a great distance.

It's a shame those two Card characters are wasted, he thought.

Meanwhile, a Taoist launched an attack, various shadowy phantoms of horsetail whisks and sword energies smashing towards Lin Bai.

Lan Nuotian and Daoist Qingling coordinated their positions, blocking part of the attack for Lin Bai.

Relying on his familiarity with Return to Dragon View's techniques, Lin Bai used Curve Body Single Shadow to narrowly escape the attack's coverage.

He hurled his Blacksmith's six-piece set at the Taoists obstructing his path. Then, using his cleaver, he executed a White Rainbow Pierce the Sun, a technique from Return to Dragon View, breaching the blockade of several Taoists. With another Curve Body Single Shadow, Lin Bai shot out of the encirclement like a meteor.

The speed of Curve Body Single Shadow was too fast.

Return to Dragon View was not known for its agility; their Wind Control skill couldn't stop Lin Bai.

Lin Bai looked back at Daoist Qingyu and threw his Blacksmith's six-piece set towards him, disrupting his command.

He decided to abandon his two Card bodyguards, withdraw his left hand, leave the battlefield, loop back to Qian City, regroup with the Beggar Gang, and then reassess their plan.

But just as he withdrew his left hand, DING.

A new system suddenly appeared in Lin Bai's mind:

"Extreme Kill-Back System: Heroes reveal their true mettle in moments of crisis; turning the tide against the odds is the essence of a thrilling life."

[Detected that the host is currently in a predicament. Please win this war under these dire circumstances. Reward: Agility +30]

What the hell! Extreme Kill-Back! This damn system is pushing me to my death! Lin Bai cursed internally. If you want me to make an extreme kill-back, why not give me the reward first? Still... agility and physical constitution should be basic attributes, right? Should I take it? Thirty points! That's even higher than the physical constitution reward from the God Doctor System!

Once more, Lin Bai leaped forward a great distance using Curve Body Single Shadow and looked back at the battlefield.

In that short time, Daoist Qingling and Lan Nuotian, besieged by a group of Golden Core Taoists, had blocked most of the killing blows aimed at him. They were now in critical condition, unable to mount any offense, and looked like they were about to fall.

The Little White Fox, nervous, stammered through the tongue twisters, frequently messing up and unable to complete a full sentence for a long time.

Daoist Qingyu, expressionless, rode Wind Control, pursuing him relentlessly, an air about him that vowed not to stop until Lin Bai was dead.

Fight! Lin Bai made up his mind in an instant.

Indeed, Morning Flight could help me escape. However, considering Return to Dragon View's stance, even if I returned to Qian City, the Beggar Gang disciples might not be much help. Once the Beggar Gang is wiped out again, the enterprise I painstakingly built for my elder brother would certainly collapse, and rebuilding it would probably be incredibly difficult. The dissolution of the Beggar Gang would mean the Everything has Shortcomings System would stagnate. Although the Idol System isn't particularly useful, my image would be damaged, and it would likely collapse as well. The Card System would also lose two characters. And more importantly... I've not only offended Return to Dragon View, but also five Evil Sects. If news of my defeat by Return to Dragon View gets out... and the five Evil Sects come to besiege me in the same way, would I just keep running? Escaping is easier in the morning, but once morning passes, relying on Wind Control, running away would probably be difficult! Therefore... I must fight, and I must win! I have to keep winning to ensure things go smoothly. Otherwise, the foundation I've painstakingly built will crumble. Starting over from scratch, who knows how many hands will be trying to hold me down!

Realizing this, Lin Bai broke out in a cold sweat. Good thing I didn't retreat; otherwise, I'd really be finished!

「 ... 」

POOF! POOF!

Two crisp sounds rang out as, unable to withstand any longer, Daoist Qingling and Lan Nuotian turned into fine powder amidst the torrent of sword shadows, completely vanishing from the world.

Dragon Breath, Daluo Golden Immortal, and the others looked at each other and sighed.

"Up to now, Lin, the Storekeeper, hasn't organized a single effective attack!" Dragon Breath said.

"Return to Dragon View has too many people, and Lin, the Storekeeper's Palm Thunder has too long a wind-up," Mountain Tiger said, looking at the barrage of comments on the screen. "If I were being chased by this many people, I wouldn't have time to recite a full tongue twister either."

"Old Lonely asked us to inform Lin, the Storekeeper, to head towards Qian City; the Beggar Gang will support him in a group fight there," Daluo Golden Immortal said. "How are we going to inform him?"

「 ... 」

Dragon Breath and the others fell silent. Looking at Lin Bai and the Return to Dragon View Taoists two or three miles away, they all shook their heads.

No one had a solution.

Their Inner Strength wasn't enough to project their voices that far across the noisy battlefield.

And even if they did shout... the Return to Dragon View Taoists supposedly protecting them would definitely attack them first.

They weren't afraid of death, but if they died, there would be no one left to stream the fight, and the Beggar Gang's losses would be even greater.

Even though the advertisers' banners were destroyed, as long as they could present the whole battle to the audience, win or lose, the Beggar Gang wouldn't be in breach of contract.

Advertisements needed traffic, not the outcome of the war.

When the Lonely Old Man and the others returned to the resurrection point, almost all the viewers had flocked to their live streams.

Now, their stream rooms were exploding with viewers.

Everyone was waiting for a result.

If they disconnected at this time, the Beggar Gang would truly have no way to recover.

"This was all your lousy ideas!" Dragon Breath said leisurely to those around him. "Let's just keep quiet. If Lin Bai really gets killed, the Beggar Gang will be finished. We might as well take the opportunity to join Return to Dragon View. With the merit we've accrued, we won't lose out."

Several Beggar Gang players nodded silently, agreeing with Dragon Breath's plan. If Lin Bai died, what was the point of staying in the Beggar Gang? Joining Return to Dragon View wasn't a bad option.

"Lin, the Storekeeper, is highly intelligent. He might guess that the Beggar Gang disciples are waiting in Qian City to coordinate with him!" Daluo Golden Immortal looked at the isolated Lin Bai, finding a reason to console himself.

All things considered, Lin, the Storekeeper, was screwed over by us players this time. We didn't provide any help and even put him in this dangerous situation...

"What is Lin, the Storekeeper, up to? Why isn't he leaving, and why has he summoned Lady Hua Xi?" Mountain Tiger's eyes widened in shock. "He isn't still thinking of a counter-attack, is he?"

On the live stream screen, the chat was filled with messages like "666," "Lin, the Storekeeper is mighty," and "If Lin, the Storekeeper can counter-attack Return to Dragon View, I'll eat poop while standing on my head."

Admittedly, the moment Lin Bai summoned Lady Hua Xi, the viewers' enthusiasm was reignited.

Compared to Return to Dragon View, the viewers from the real world clearly had a deeper emotional connection to Lin Bai.

Although the Beggar Gang he led was quite annoying, no one wanted Lin Bai's story to end like this.

A segment of players even hoped that Lin Bai would ultimately fall at the hands of players, not be destroyed by Return to Dragon View...

Everyone was hoping Lin, the Storekeeper, could make a comeback.

「 ... 」

After Daoist Qingling and Lan Nuotian perished, Lin Bai decisively summoned his only Silver Edge Card, Lady Hua Xi. Then, he immediately used the red string awarded by the Matchmaker System to bind Daoist Qingyu and Lady Hua Xi together.

He then issued Lady Hua Xi the command to protect him.

The red string flashed and vanished.

Unbeknownst to them, the fates of Daoist Qingyu and Lady Hua Xi were now intertwined.

Thanks to the exceptionally high mental power from the Spirit Fruit, Lin Bai's combat intuition was incredibly sharp once he truly engaged in battle.

"Qingyu, you claim I colluded with the Blood Shadow Sect, but it looks like you and Lady Hua Xi are the real pair!" Lin Bai, holding the Little White Fox and hiding behind Lady Hua Xi, gathered his Inner Strength and laughingly provoked, "Your lover is right here; can you bear to see her reduced to ashes?"

"You Devil's Head! Even at death's door, you dare to tarnish the reputation of my Return to Dragon View! Today, I will tear you to pieces to avenge my two junior brothers!"

Charging at the forefront was Qingyu's junior brother, Qingshan. He had a rugged and muscular build. Despite his Taoist robe, he had a coarse, beefy face and a full beard.

He looked more like a butcher than a Taoist.

Qingshan, also at Golden Core Peak cultivation, wielded a Blue Dragon Sword. His moves were ferocious and sharp, executed with Grand Opening and Closing. As he spoke, he slashed out, and a sword qi like a bolt of white silk shot towards Lady Hua Xi, who stood before Lin Bai.

Qingshan had assumed Lady Hua Xi would be shattered by his sword strike, just like Lan Nuotian.

But before the sword qi could reach Lady Hua Xi, a talisman shot out from behind Qingyu, transforming into a transparent protective shield in front of Lady Hua Xi.

The silk-like sword qi shattered like a firework upon impact with the shield.

Daoist Qingyu's figure flashed forward. "Stop, Junior Brother! Kill Lin Bai, but do not harm Hua Xi!"

This sudden turn of events stunned all the Taoists.

"Senior Brother!" Qingshan stared at his senior brother in disbelief, his eyes wide as saucers. "You... you and her..."

"I... I have no relationship with her." Daoist Qingyu, blushing, struggled for a long moment before collecting his thoughts. "Lady Hua Xi is innocent. The true culprit is Lin Bai. If we kill Lin Bai, we might be able to learn the secret of the Righteous Door's card seals from Lady Hua Xi."

As he spoke, Qingyu's eyes kept darting towards Lady Hua Xi.

He knew his behavior was off, but for some reason, Lady Hua Xi merely standing there—her features, her graceful figure—stirred the most primal protective urge within him.

It felt as if he had spent his entire life waiting for her to appear.

To lose her would be to miss her for a lifetime.

Qingyu would absolutely not allow anyone to harm Lady Hua Xi, even if she was Lin Bai's Puppet...

「 ... 」

The Return to Dragon View Taoists stared at their acting Sect Leader, collectively dumbfounded.

That lame excuse is worse than just admitting you've fallen for her! Qingling was one of ours from Return to Dragon View, and he was shattered! We didn't hear you say a word then! You're practically drooling! So damn embarrassing!

「 ... 」

"Master!?" The Little White Fox was also stunned.

"Don't ask, just recite the tongue twister." Lin Bai smirked at the newly formed couple on the battlefield, absorbing the negative emotions supplied by the numerous Return to Dragon View Taoists, and in doing so, received another green string from the Matchmaker.

[Matchmaker's Green String: If either person in a couple is tied to a third party with this string, a love triangle can be created.]

This Matchmaker is definitely not a serious one. Judging by this green string's description, it's damn effective!

Daoist Qingshan glanced at his senior brother, who couldn't stop sneaking peeks at Lady Hua Xi. Frowning slightly, he suppressed his anger and declared loudly, "Senior Brother Qingyu has been bewitched by the fiend Lin Bai! Don't take his words seriously! Fellow junior brothers, eliminate Lin Bai and rescue our senior brother! Kill!"

With that, he slashed out with his sword again.

This time, Qingyu acted even more outrageously. He flew forward, raised his Hidden Dragon Sword, and blocked his junior brother's sword attack for Lady Hua Xi.

"Senior Brother, are you insane?" Qingshan cried out in alarm.

"Don't kill Lady Hua Xi. Consider this a favor I owe you, Junior Brother." Daoist Qingyu's face flushed crimson. "Fellow junior brothers, kill Lin Bai first!"

Saying this, he led by example, swinging his sword towards Lin Bai.

"Kill Lin Bai!" Daoist Qingshan shot a resentful glare at Qingyu, then also turned his blade, slashing towards Lin Bai, who was hiding behind Lady Hua Xi.

However, under the 'protect' command, Lady Hua Xi automatically intercepted all attacks aimed at Lin Bai. With a clap of her hands, her blue Magic Artifact gloves conjured dozens of ice spikes, blocking Qingshan's sword shadow, while her other hand moved to block Qingyu's attack.

"Hua Xi!" Qingyu hastily retracted his move. For a moment, his true qi went awry, causing a sharp pain in his chest. With great effort, he managed to redirect the sword qi he had launched, making it narrowly graze past Lady Hua Xi's side.

Daoist Qingyu's actions completely dumbfounded the Return to Dragon View Taoists. At this point, if anyone said he wasn't under a Charm, no one would believe it.

"Fiend!"

"Devil's Head!"

"Die!"

The Return to Dragon View Taoists, filled with righteous indignation, glared angrily at Lin Bai. They all unleashed their strongest techniques, aiming for Lady Hua Xi.

In their eyes, if they killed Lady Hua Xi, their Eldest Senior Brother would surely return to normal.

"No!"

Just as Lady Hua Xi was about to meet her demise, Daoist Qingyu cried out, turning to shield her with his own body.

He threw out a talisman, blocking all attacks directed at Lady Hua Xi.

Meanwhile, Lin Bai leisurely began reciting a tongue twister: "There's Cui Thick Leg before the mountain, there's Cui Leg Thick behind the mountain…"

The Little White Fox, though unsure why Qingyu had suddenly gone mad, understood that the situation had turned in their favor. She quickly joined in: "There's Cui Thick Leg before the mountain…"

Two voices, one coarse and one fine, echoed through the mountain forest like a death knell, causing all the Taoists to panic and intensify their attacks.

"Senior Brother, get out of the way! Stop being so stubborn!"

"Kill Lin Bai!"

"Don't let him unleash his Palm Thunder!"

「 ... 」

The Taoists grew increasingly anxious, launching preemptive strikes one after another.

But any attack aimed at Lin Bai would be intercepted by Lady Hua Xi. Daoist Qingyu, fearing Lady Hua Xi would be harmed, would then step in to shield her.

The Return to Dragon View Taoists, afraid of harming their Eldest Senior Brother, would alter their attacks mid-course whenever they were about to strike him.

Various sword qi and phantoms from their horsetail whisks all missed their mark.

What had started as a righteous battle against a Devil's Head took a bizarre turn after Lin Bai's intervention.

The sounds of tongue twisters, pleas for mercy, curses, and rebukes merged into a cacophony…

The chaotic battlefield left the onlooking Dragon Breath and the others dumbfounded.

"What's going on?" Daluo Golden Immortal swallowed hard. "How did Qingyu and Lady Hua Xi suddenly get involved? This looks like they're ready to live and die together!"

"This has to be Spoken Law Follows!" Mountain Tiger said in a daze. "So Spoken Law Follows is actually real…"

"Thank goodness I didn't give up and join Return to Dragon View prematurely. Lin, the Storekeeper, is indeed trustworthy," Iron-Headed Immortal sighed in relief. "He truly is the man favored by the game planners! His skills are insane!"

"Damn!"

"This love story is so cringey!"

"They actually turned the tide!"

"The cheat the planners gave Lin, the Storekeeper, is too overpowered, isn't it?"

"I told you Lin, the Storekeeper, wouldn't die…"

「 ... 」

Before the disbelieving eyes of all the live stream viewers, Lin Bai and the Little White Fox finished their tongue twisters almost simultaneously.

CRACK! CRACK!

Two streaks of lightning suddenly shot upwards from the forest floor beneath the Taoists' feet. Instantly, two unsuspecting Taoists in the crowd were electrocuted to a crisp, billowing black smoke as they fell into the woods…