Lin Bai's sudden targeting of the Beggar Gang players ignited passionate discussions among the viewers in the live comments. Most were gloating. After all, everyone had long been envious of the Beggar Gang, wishing they could replace them.

The players at the scene finally grew tense. They suddenly realized Lin Bai was right; they could do all those disruptive things they usually did even with a level-one alt account. Even without players, the natives could replace them. The barrage of comments made them realize a strong sense of crisis: Lin Bai could replace them at any time, but without Lin Bai, they were nothing.

"Lonely Old Man, what should we do? Lin Bai is getting serious," Silver, still running his private live stream, asked Lonely Old Man for a plan of action.

"Let it be," Lonely Old Man replied.

"What?" Silver asked, puzzled.

"The Beggar Gang's disorderly expansion following Lin Bai's lead was bound to face this situation sooner or later. Players are accustomed to freedom and laxity. In reality, they work under the constraints of laws and company regulations, and most will abide by them. But in a game, how can you expect them to follow rules? It's just a game. Isn't playing the most important thing? If they're unhappy, they can just go elsewhere! Players' mindsets won't change without a major setback."

Lonely Old Man temporarily abandoned his thoughts about Lin Bai's identity and analyzed the current situation with Silver in the live chat. "We united the Beggar Gang players with money. For money's sake, they might temporarily obey our orders. But what if we start losing money one day? What if large corporations try to poach them? In such a scenario, the Beggar Gang is bound to fall apart. Ultimately, most players don't truly respect our leadership. And Lin Bai expanded his operations too quickly, leaving us no time to consolidate the Beggar Gang. So, the current situation isn't surprising at all."

"Ultimately, we overextended ourselves," Crazy Man commented. "If we had led the players to this point, we would have gained genuine prestige. Unfortunately, we didn't. To most, we're just a group of lucky individuals who entered the game early and met Lin Bai."

"I just want to know what to do now," Silver asked.

"We do whatever Lin Bai does," Lonely Old Man stated. "They don't understand that the core cohesion of the Beggar Gang isn't the players, but Lin Bai. We're not their nannies; we don't need to clean up their messes."

"If we ignore them, who will listen to us in the future?" Silver questioned. "We were the ones who asked them to recite the advertisement slogans. They did it to help the Beggar Gang fulfill its advertising contracts."

"You're overthinking it. As long as Lin Bai is around, people will listen to us," Lonely Old Man said. "This is an opportunity for us—a chance to purify the Beggar Gang and unify its members. Lin Bai is actually helping us."

Looking at the final payment confirmation in his inbox, Lonely Old Man struggled for a long time before making his decision; he couldn't resist the lure of enormous profits.

After a brief pause, he continued typing on the screen: "Old Bai, don't dwell on it. If you're not ruthless, you won't stand firm. The Justice League is already established. If we want to continue playing in this game, we must humble ourselves at this stage and see ourselves as Lin Bai's lackeys, not as players with our own consciousness. As long as Lin Bai still considers us the higher-ups in the Beggar Gang, we are. Lin Bai can't possibly manage everything himself. If we get those below us used to obeying our orders, our prestige will naturally be established."

"...To say you heaven-sent individuals are special is an overstatement. In my eyes, you're just a bunch of leeches clinging to me," Lin Bai mocked. "My original intention in establishing the Beggar Gang was for it to be my Righteous Gang. Are you qualified?"

The players complained in their private chats, but on the surface, they remained silent. Lin Bai was furious, and anyone who dared to speak out now would be courting death. They were the type to not shed a tear until they saw the coffin.

Listening to the players' private chats, Lin Bai sneered inwardly. "Silver, Bitter Melon Vine, Deng Li Duo, I'm Not a Smurf... you few, step out."

Those he named were the senior members of the Beggar Gang accompanying him on this expedition. More than a dozen players stepped forward, standing at the front of the ranks, their hearts pounding with anxiety, unsure of what awaited them.

"Considering this is your first offense, stand aside. You are pardoned," Lin Bai said, glancing at them.

"What?"

Silver and the others were stunned, exchanging bewildered looks, doubting if they had heard correctly.

Lin Bai ignored their reactions and turned to the main group. "As for the rest of you, don't say I didn't give you a chance. In the Sword-fighting Field, you will fight each other. The half who survive can remain in the Beggar Gang. As for those who fall, after resurrecting, you will be killed twenty more times and then sent to the Black Iron Mine to labor for three months. Your performance during those three months will determine if you can rejoin the Beggar Gang."

A violent commotion swept through the players. They had been chosen to accompany Lin Bai on this expedition, meaning they were among the highest-level players.

Dying twenty times meant losing twenty levels, effectively kicking them out of the top tier.

And then mining for three months.

What was the point of playing the game anymore!

Lonely Old Man might compensate them. But what about after three months? Who knew how many other players would rise during that time.

By then, even if they returned to the Beggar Gang after three months of mining, what would their status be?

Lin Bai's decision had essentially destroyed their prospects in the game, ruining everything they had worked for.

"Lin, the Storekeeper, I refuse to accept this!" Iron-Headed Immortal shouted, his face dark. "We only did what we were supposed to do, for the benefit of the Beggar Gang! Why do we deserve such a severe punishment?"

"The benefit of the Beggar Gang?" Lin Bai glanced at him. "From the very beginning, I told you all: the Beggar Gang is my Righteous Gang, and everything it does is to serve me. To the Beggar Gang, I am heaven. When I am wronged, you are to seek revenge for me. When I wish to bully others, you are the blade in my hand. You only have 'benefits' when your actions do not affect me. To interfere with my affairs for your own benefit, to turn my own blade against me... giving you three months to rectify your mistakes is already an act of great mercy on my part."

"Even if what you say is reasonable," Mountain Tiger said, "and we were the ones who broke the rules first, the orders came from Silver and the others. Why are they not punished?"

"Exactly, exactly!" the players chimed in one after another.

People can endure scarcity, but not inequality. Lin Bai's decision to absolve Silver and the others before delivering the judgment felt profoundly unfair to them.

Silver and the others felt their mouths go dry, not daring to face the players' towering rage. Lin Bai had seemingly pardoned them, but he had also thrown them to the wolves.

Never mind the half who would be sent to mine; even the remaining half would likely view them as thorns in their sides.

With this one move, Lin Bai had thoroughly driven a wedge between the senior members and the rank-and-file players.

"Because I need them; they are more useful than you," Lin Bai stated. "Just as per the rule I set for you: in the Martial Arts Field, only the strongest will survive the battle. My selection method is the fairest. I only want the strong, the useful, and those who will not betray me. The strong possess the right to be forgiven. Of course, those who remain only have this one chance. If they make the same mistake again, they will face a similar judgment. Now, have I made myself clear enough?"

"Clear enough," Mountain Tiger said, glaring fiercely at Lin Bai. "Then I choose to quit the Beggar Gang."

"You may. But return what you have learned from my Beggar Gang," Lin Bai said, glancing at him before turning to He Qin beside him. "Send two men to cripple his cultivation. These heaven-sent individuals do not fear death, but death has its price. Kill them repeatedly until they can no longer use their Cultivation Techniques or other Techniques."

"..." Mountain Tiger's face turned deathly pale.

The faces of many other disciples who had intended to quit the Beggar Gang also changed. Being killed back to Novice Village was a far harsher punishment than being sent to the mines.

This was practically forcing them to delete their accounts!

The scene fell into an unnerving silence.

Even the private chats went quiet. The players' arrogant demeanor was completely suppressed.

Deleting an account at the beginning of the game was no big deal, but after two months of progress, the loss was too great.

Why go this far?

Wasn't it just breaking the rules once?

Did he really need to be so absolute?

Offending your customers to this extent—doesn't your game company want to make money anymore?

"Lin, the Storekeeper, is there no room for negotiation?" Mountain Tiger asked, his voice strained.

"Without rules, nothing can be accomplished," Lin Bai said coolly, absorbing the torrent of negative emotions flooding his mind.

As soon as these words were spoken, the players erupted once more.

Mountain Tiger, bracing himself, retorted, "Lin, the Storekeeper, you pardon whomever you wish and punish whomever you wish. You call that having rules?"

"I am the rules," Lin Bai stated, looking at him. "My lifelong goal of cultivation is the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao constitutes the rules of the world. My Spoken Law Follows, so whatever I say, is."

What an incredibly domineering Evil Spirit-like demeanor!

He Qin and the others frequently glanced sideways, sighing inwardly. If someone like you truly achieves the Heavenly Dao, it will be a catastrophe for all living beings! Since ancient times, evil has never triumphed over good. The fate of an Evil Spirit king like Lin Bai is surely to be destroyed, right? When that time comes, their own fates, as minions of this demon king, probably won't be much better. What sins had they committed to deserve this!

"Before I descended the mountain, my master told me that the heaven-sent individuals are the root of chaos in troubled times and will bring about a great catastrophe in this world. His mission for me was to drive away these heaven-sent individuals and protect the peace of the world," Lin Bai said, looking at the indignant players. "But I didn't believe him. I believe that since Heaven and Earth allowed your arrival, there must be a reason for your existence. In Jiamucheng, I secretly observed many heaven-sent individuals. Although your behavior is erratic, in my view, your conscience is not entirely lost. Therefore, for my Righteous Gang, I chose you. I believe that under my influence, you can gradually integrate with the people of this world and eventually become a part of it..."

Conscience? Look at all the things you've done! Which one of them shows any conscience? the players thought, their faces a mixture of grief and indignation.

The natives were even more silent. Is he kidding? He himself isn't righteous; how could he possibly influence others to be good?

"All along, you have done quite well. Your fresh and unconventional ideas have brought many changes to this stagnant world, and I am pleased. I believed that under my guidance, and with our collective efforts, the Justice League would sweep across the world, eventually coexisting peacefully with everyone. But you have truly disappointed me. Even when you are this weak, you dare to act presumptuously on the battlefield and challenge my authority."

Lin Bai looked at the players, filled with a sense of deep regret. "In the future, when you grow stronger, who will be able to control you? I know you feel wronged, that your actions didn't cause significant losses. But rules are rules. Have you heard the idiom 'kill the chicken to warn the monkey'? If the monkey disobeys, you kill a chicken in front of it as a warning. Unfortunately, you are the chickens being made an example of for the monkeys..."

What kind of logic is this? 'I can be bad, but you must be good people!'

This is utterly unreasonable!

Damn it! I can't even find a reason to refute him.

Seriously, Lin, the Storekeeper is so frank he even provides a grandiose justification for torturing people.

He cultivates Spoken Law Follows and has a pure heart; he wouldn't lie. If he says it, he means it.

But I still feel incredibly wronged. This is so damn infuriating!

"Although I cultivate the Heavenly Dao, which views all beings as equal, I still cannot achieve true selflessness. I am still swayed by the kindness deep within my heart. That is why, when I established the Justice League, I mostly avoided killing. I would subdue if I could, and guide if I could."

Lin Bai looked up at the sky, as if lamenting his own imperfections. "Therefore, this time, I have given half of you a chance. The other half can still return to the Beggar Gang after three months. You are talented; three months will not have a major impact on you. A few days of diligent cultivation will make up for it.

I have said all I need to. Cherish this hard-won opportunity!

In the future, when my Spoken Law Follows is perfected, and I treat all things as straw dogs, I fear I will no longer possess so much compassion.

Begin!

If there is no result after one incense stick has burned, then all of you will go mining!"

[Resentment from Xin Shang, Ge Feiyun, He Qin... +1+1+1]

[Resentment from Dao Xu, Pei Yanzong... +1+1+1]

[Despair from Jiang Qingqin, Xiao Bai, Hu He... +1+1+1]

Lin Bai's words sent a profound shock through everyone.

"A psychopath isn't scary; what's scary is a psychopath with grand ambitions!"

"If what Lin, the Storekeeper does can be called 'kind,' then there are no evil people in the world."

"Even the natives' faces have changed! These poor fellows must be terrified by Lin, the Storekeeper!"

"Compared to Lin, the Storekeeper, people like Xin Shang are unworthy of their title as the Evil Five Sects; they aren't even fit to carry his shoes."

"From Lin Bai's perspective, he hasn't done anything wrong. In fact, he has shown considerable restraint. Villains in movies and TV shows aren't like him."

"The scariest part is that he doesn't see himself as a villain; rather, he believes that what he's doing is right."

"I think Lin Bai is correct. Why can't others cultivate Spoken Law Follows? Because others have thoughts, reservations, and a sense of shame. But Lin Bai does it effortlessly, like a robot, cultivating for the sake of cultivation. I suspect that Spoken Law Follows is gradually annihilating Lin, the Storekeeper's conscience, eventually transforming him into a Heavenly Dao that cannot distinguish between good and evil. Although Lin Bai is spreading its principles, Spoken Law Follows might be Lin Bai's exclusive Cultivation Technique..."

"Players will not listen to Lin, the Storekeeper indefinitely. His attempts to change them are bound to lead to repeated disappointments. When he reaches his breaking point, he will inevitably embark on the path of eliminating players. This is bound to happen. Players and Lin, the Storekeeper are destined to be adversaries. Lin Bai is undoubtedly the ultimate BOSS!"