Holding five voice recorders, Lin Bai felt extremely satisfied.

By now, the Way of Incompleteness that he had propagated was being cultivated by countless people. For every item they made incomplete, he gained an additional day of Inner Strength. One could say Lin Bai's Inner Strength was constantly increasing. Coupled with the Cultivation Level shared via player cards, he wasn't afraid of depleting his energy from using Palm Thunder recklessly.

Palm Thunder was voice-activated. With his voice recorders, he didn't even need players anymore. With a voice recorder in hand, he himself was a massive weapon. The recorders could hold recordings of 10 voices, suitable for small team battles, or 100 voices, suitable for mid-scale battles.

What excited Lin Bai the most was that he had five voice recorders. If he used them all simultaneously, excluding any mispronounced incantations, he could release over 2,000 lightning strikes at once. Apart from Nascent Soul experts, which Sect could withstand such a bombardment?

Players liked to discuss matters in private chats, and through them, Lin Bai could stay updated on all the latest developments from the outside world. He naturally learned about the official propaganda stating that NPCs could be killed, and also knew that 200,000 new players would be entering the game in three days.

Players from the Beggar Gang, to protect their vested interests, privately discussed how to deal with the anticipated attacks on Lin Bai from other players. But Lin Bai's heart, contrary to what one might expect, had calmed down. This composure wasn't due to the voice recorders making him overconfident. The main reason was the clear indication that the game officials had no intention of dealing with him directly. To him, this was the best possible news.

After all, the game officials, to protect players during their initial phase, had specifically ordered Novice Villages not to target players without cause, threatening city-wide annihilation by thunderstorm otherwise. If the officials decided to act against him, a few sudden Heavenly Tribulations would be more than he could handle!

As for players and other NPCs? Lin Bai, with his integrated System, feared nothing. The synergy between Systems was like a chemical reaction, always bringing him surprising new advantages. For instance, during the recent fight against the Evil Five Sects, he had worried that a Taoist from Return to Dragon View might betray him, causing his efforts to fail. Who would have thought that a spur-of-the-moment plan would activate the Media System, drastically boosting his combat power on the spot and resolving most of the potential threats?

Dao Xu was in a gloomy mood. Since his "love affair" with Lin Bai had ended, they had grown to detest each other, and life felt meaningless to him. He had originally intended to use the Evil Five Sects to eliminate Lin Bai, or perhaps let the Evil Five Sects eliminate him, thereby freeing himself from the Card's control. Then he could dissipate from the mortal world and end his miserable existence.

However, when Lin Bai obtained that voice recorder, a Magic Treasure, Dao Xu knew his hopes were dashed. Lei Fa was renowned as the most difficult type of Spell to cultivate, yet Lin Bai wielded it effortlessly. Its power was comparable to a Heavenly Tribulation, and he seemed to expend minimal energy. Such methods were more than enough to flatten the Evil Five Sects.

Around Qian City, whether orthodox or unorthodox, the various Sects were actually quite similar in strength. Unless a Divinity Transformation Realm expert like his own master intervened, how could the Sects, with their current power, possibly hope to defeat Lin Bai? Taking down Lin Bai would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Dao Xu even suspected that cultivators at the Realm of Soul Transformation might not be a match for Lin Bai either.

His only hope now was that news of Lin Bai's disruptive activities around Qian City would spread quickly, prompting more accomplished and righteous experts to come and eliminate this menace. Otherwise, if Lin Bai were given more time to grow, Dao Xu feared he would throw even the Seven Major Righteous Sects into utter chaos.

Sigh! Dao Xu heaved a long sigh. This is a calamity! Where, oh where, is the way out of this predicament?

「Nearing Qian City.」

Lin Bai learned from the players that Sects like Hundred Flower Valley had only just set off to attend his "Qian City Cup," clearly just going through the motions to placate him. However, with his strength having soared, Lin Bai no longer cared about them. It would be better if they didn't come at all.

If his own strength weren't still inferior, he might have considered, after dealing with the Evil Five Sects, taking over Hundred Flower Valley and the other Sects in one fell swoop. But Lin Bai knew he couldn't act so recklessly. Until the Beggar Gang players had matured, he couldn't afford to make enemies everywhere; he still needed some allies, at least on the surface.

After all, the game officials themselves had stated that all NPCs could be killed. There was no telling when some player might decide to provoke him. It's a big world, full of all kinds of people. He didn't yet possess the strength to dominate everything. Being too arrogant could lead to an early demise...

"Only to kill Lin Bai! Honored friends of Return to Dragon View, please stand aside!"

"Lin Bai dies, Return to Dragon View returns to its rightful place!"

"Assisting Lin Bai will meet with no mercy!"

"Lin Bai's wrongs need not be borne by the People of Heavenly Descent!"

"Follow Lin Bai, and your light will forever be obscured by his!"

"You think he's helping you? In reality, he's exploiting you!"

"Observe patiently; perhaps you'll find a better path!"

Above the forest outside Qian City, various banners emblazoned with these psychologically disruptive slogans fluttered in the wind. They caught Lin Bai's eye even from a distance. He smirked.

Well, now, aren't they keeping up with the times! Using slogans to sow discord... no doubt this was another player-concocted scheme. It's just a pity they're missing advertising sponsors; that takes away a lot of the flavor.

Before Lin Bai could look away from the slogans, a dense, blood-colored fog suddenly billowed up from the forest beneath his feet. Simultaneously, a mass of grey mist spread out above, obscuring the brilliant sunshine.

"Sect Leader, this is the Blood Mist of the Blood Shadow Sect and the Sky Canopy of the Magic Spirit Sect," Qing Yu explained immediately, sighing. "It's a shame the Qiankun Mirror was destroyed by you, Sect Leader; otherwise, it would have been their perfect counter. Disciples, form the array! Protect the People of Heavenly Descent!"

The Blood Mist: within its range, unless one practices the Blood Shadow Sect's cultivation technique, inhaling more of it causes one to slow down.

The Sky Canopy: it blocks sunlight and impairs the enemy's vision, while evil spirits can move freely within it, unhindered. This is a secret technique of the Magic Spirit Sect.

One by one, protective talismans were activated, emitting a soft glow. They shielded the Taoists, temporarily dispersing the fog immediately around them, but their visibility was still restricted to within ten meters. The fog roiled and surged, and dark figures flitted through it, accompanied by bloodcurdling screams.

Lin Bai had already deployed his seven Card characters. Together with Dao Xu, Qing Yu, and Lady Hua Xi, they formed a small protective detail around him. This was a mission from the Card System; although Lin Bai likely didn't need their protection, missions had to be completed.

It had to be said, the Evil Five Sects' preparations were far more thorough than those of Return to Dragon View, unlike Dao Xu, who had foolishly tried to confront him head-on. This ambush was clearly the result of meticulous planning. The fog obscured Lin Bai's vision, limiting the effectiveness of his Palm Thunder.

At that very moment, the Extreme Kill-Back System activated, issuing a new task: [Host detected in a new predicament. Please achieve victory in this situation. Reward: Agility +30]

"Friends from Return to Dragon View, are you truly so obstinate? Do you insist on aiding the very thief who plundered your Sect?" an eerie voice drifted from the fog. "If so, then we shall show no mercy."

Before Lin Bai could speak, Dao Xu's voice rang out, "Retreat at once! Lin Bai's Cultivation Level has advanced; he has reached the Avatar Realm! You are no match for him! Flee back to your Evil Five Sects and call for reinforcements—that is your wisest course!"

After saying this, he shot Lin Bai a smug glance, gritting his teeth. "Lin Bai, you can control my body, but can you control my mouth?"

"Dao Xu, it's useless. I've told you before, your little schemes don't work," Lin Bai scoffed, discreetly pressing the play button on a voice recorder. "Their formation is already set. How could a few words from you possibly scare them away now?"

"You—!" Dao Xu choked, his qi and blood surging with anger. "Don't you dare slander me! When did I ever concoct a scheme with you?"

"Master, stop making trouble!" Qing Yu admonished Dao Xu, exasperated. "We must unite and face the external enemy together! If you just said a little less, why would Sect Leader Lin constantly pick on you? Have some self-respect!"

"Silence, all of you!" a female voice interjected sharply. "Disciples of the Magic Spirit Sect, heed my command! Eliminate the People of Heavenly Descent first! Do not allow them to chant the Palm Thunder Spell—"

"It's no use!" Dao Xu's expression changed drastically. Ignoring Qing Yu, he frantically shouted another warning to the enemy, "Lin Bai has voice recorders! You must destroy his Magic Artifacts first!"

But it was too late.

Unable to see his targets clearly, Lin Bai simply chose the recording of five hundred Palm Thunder Spells.

The instant the recording finished playing, Lin Bai's left hand plunged into the fog, his left eye simultaneously piercing through the gloom. Streaks of lightning rained down like a torrential downpour, striking all around the players' Levitation Talismans in an indiscriminate, frenzied bombardment.

The brilliant flashes of lightning tore through the dense fog. Agonized screams erupted as the dark figures hidden in the mist, who had been ambushing the players, were struck. Like snowflakes meeting burning coals, they were instantly obliterated!