CHAPTER 361: 361 RISING THREE LEVELS

「Guiding Pool.」

Watching the Body of the War God emerge from the Magpie Bridge, Qing Yun and the others gathered around, chattering, "War God, what happened at Master’s side?"

The Body of the War God said, "The Alliance Hierarch has the City Lord of Pine stone city under control at the other end of the Magpie Bridge. I am going to Pine stone city to lead people over. Qing Yun, Tuohai, divide your men in half; prepare to go there to fight the Celestials and familiarize yourselves with the application of the Laws. The remaining half will continue to guard the Guiding Pool." He glanced at Far Vision Eagle and the other Players. "As for how exactly to fight, the Alliance Hierarch will tell you when you get there."

Far Vision Eagle quickly asked, "War God, can we go too? We can livestream to the world, promote the Alliance Hierarch’s prestige, and learn about the Celestials’ fighting methods."

"Your Levels are not high enough; you don’t need to go for now." The Body of the War God glanced at them. "Moreover, the Fairy World is different from the Mortal World. Until we are completely certain, the Alliance Hierarch’s combat methods against the Celestials should not be overly exposed."

The Players were disappointed. They exchanged glances, understanding that Lin Bai was being wary of them, so they retreated to the side and said no more.

Qing Yun and the others enthusiastically divided into two teams, passed through the Magpie Bridge, and headed straight for Lin Bai.

The Body of the War God rested at the Guiding Pool for a moment before flying towards Pine stone city. The Magpie Bridge detours through the Mortal World and returns to the Guiding Pool in an instant. In terms of travel, it’s much faster than the Celestials’ Flash. Returning too quickly could easily arouse the suspicion of the Celestials in Pine stone city... Lin Bai had always been someone who paid attention to details.

「...」

Submerged in water and continuously scrubbed by Lin Bai, Nan Lingtian finally realized something was amiss. "How long are you going to wash me?"

"Until your loyal subordinates arrive." Lin Bai, with part of his attention on the Body of the War God elsewhere, seemed somewhat absent-minded.

"No, you shaved off all my hair and you’re constantly washing me. What are you trying to do?" Nan Lingtian asked in horror. He was a Celestial; they had no gender. Initially, he had been too nervous and scared to think much of it. But after the Body of the War God left, he inexplicably recalled some of the tortures Celestials inflicted on Ascenders and suddenly became alert.

"All bare like this, what do you think I could do to you?" Lin Bai gave him an odd look. "Don’t flatter yourself. This is just a necessary step for cooking..."

Nan Lingtian, the most powerful fighter in Pine stone city, had already been subdued by him. As for the two "transition tools" who would soon arrive, Lin Bai paid them no mind. He doubted the Silver Realm and Gold Realm cultivators could be any more difficult to handle than this Star of Platinum, Nan Lingtian. Since Nan Lingtian was destined to become a Puppet, Lin Bai’s attitude towards him became much more perfunctory.

"Cooking?" Nan Lingtian was stunned, then began to struggle violently. "You want to cook me? You want to eat me? No! You promised to cooperate with me earlier. Were you deceiving me?"

"How could that be?" Lin Bai smiled faintly. "You said it yourself: without you, I could hardly move an inch in the Fairy World. How could I deceive you? We will definitely cooperate. Cooking is just a personal hobby of mine."

The Cooking God System’s new task required him to use his cooking skills in battle to defeat enemies of the same level. He had first battled White Maple, then Nan Lingtian, who was even two levels higher, and he had used ingredients from the Cooking God System to suppress them all. Yet, the task still hadn’t registered as complete. Lin Bai didn’t know what the problem was.

Perhaps he really had to cook the enemy into a dish to complete the task, he now suspected.

Even though Celestials were genderless, they still looked human. Washing, scrubbing, and shaving them bare was one thing, but to actually cook them into a dish... he couldn’t overcome that mental block.

[Fear from Nan Lingtian; +1 +1 +1...]

"If you cook me into a dish, how can we even talk about cooperation? Damn it! You tricked my subordinates into coming here to deal with them too, didn’t you?" Nan Lingtian struggled futilely a few times, then shouted desperately, "Fool! Don’t you know? If a City Lord disappears, what awaits you will be absolute annihilation!"

The Magpie Bridge flashed, and Qing Yun and the others appeared.

Nan Lingtian’s voice stopped abruptly. He glanced at Qing Yun and the others, then said in amazement, "You can’t be planning to seize Pine stone city with this bunch of trash, can you? I thought you were smart, but it turns out you’re an idiot too..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the Little White Fox teleported to Lin Bai’s side and slapped Nan Lingtian on his bald head. "Who are you calling an idiot?"

"Master." Qing Yun, Tuohai, and the others saluted Lin Bai one by one. Seeing the City Lord being incessantly scrubbed in the water, they found it entirely unsurprising.

They had been endowed with the Power of Laws, so they naturally knew that all of Lin Bai’s seemingly bizarre actions were just standard procedure for him. Moreover, the Celestials had been playing tricks and manipulating them for so many years that they had no fondness for Celestials whatsoever.

Lin Bai looked around at everyone. "You all know why you’re here, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Celestials are powerful. Even I, your Master, despite possessing the full set of the Power of Laws, had to expend considerable effort to subdue this so-called Star of Platinum." Lin Bai pointed to the surroundings destroyed by Nan Lingtian. "In a one-on-one fight, I am not his match."

"Good that you know," Nan Lingtian scoffed proudly. "Relying on yourself alone, you’ll never become the tenth Heavenly King in the Fairy World. I advise you to cooperate with me honestly; only then can you ensure everyone’s safety..."

Qing Yun and the others glanced at Nan Lingtian as if he were a fool.

It’s one thing for Master to be modest, but this guy actually took him seriously? If Master really couldn’t beat him, Master would be the one stripped bare and soaking in the water right now!

Seeing their dismissive expressions, Lin Bai said seriously, "I’m not joking. You are different from the Players. One wrong move, and all your cultivation will be gone. You’ll have to reincarnate as butterflies and start over. A Celestial in the Platinum Realm can even evade Bind the Immortal. Xiao Bai, your Flash might allow you to dodge White Maple. But against this one, his Flash is faster and covers more distance than yours, and his attack range is vast. You wouldn’t even be able to escape..."

The Little White Fox was stunned.

Only then did the expressions of the group turn serious.

Qing Yun said, "Master, please instruct us."

"Celestials are fast, and their attacks deal high damage. The Divine Skills from the Lower Realm can hardly harm them. Separation of Love and Milky Way also lose their effectiveness. The most useful ones remaining are Taunt, Dazzling Cooking, and Absolute Suppression. However, they are too fast. When you use these abilities, you must maintain distance and unleash your Law techniques at the critical moment..."

Twelve disciples had come this time. These twelve had the highest cultivation among his followers and were sufficiently loyal. Lin Bai looked around at them and explained in detail the peculiar combat method he and the Body of the War God had used to twist Nan Lingtian’s neck. He even showed them Nan Lingtian’s neck, which remained limp and floppy after being twisted.

Everyone marveled at it, exclaiming, "So it can be done like that!"

Tuohai and the others felt a wave of relief. Thankfully, Lin Bai hadn’t used such methods back in the Blood Sect; otherwise, they feared none of them would have survived.

"Despicable! You truly harbor ill intentions! There are millions of Celestials in Pine stone city. Without my cooperation, do you seriously think you can slaughter millions of Celestials with this rabble?" Nan Lingtian roared hysterically.

Lin Bai pushed him under the water with his hand.

GLUG GLUG.

Nan Lingtian gulped down large mouthfuls of water, blowing bubbles.

Lin Bai continued, "Celestials have high cultivation and regenerate extremely quickly. The Laws you’ve grasped are singular; you can’t switch between them, so you can’t handle Celestials one-on-one. However, if you pair up and spread out, with one using Taunt and the other Dazzling Cooking, switching back and forth should make their heads rotate a full circle, perhaps even two. Even with the Celestials’ powerful regenerative abilities, they wouldn’t survive their necks being twisted two full rotations. Until your cultivation improves, I’m afraid this combat method will have to be your staple for a long time. Therefore, you must master it..."

Their eyes lit up, each one eager to try it. This novel combat method, defeating the strong by exploiting weaknesses, sounded very interesting.

Tuohai rubbed his hands together. "Master, we can set up ambushes and lay traps beforehand as you said. But if the Celestials are truly as formidable as you say, should we encounter them head-on, I’m afraid we won’t have time to surround them, right?"

"Then we’ll incorporate the Magpie Bridge," Lin Bai mused for a moment, then sighed. "Ultimately, your cultivation levels are still too low. That’s why I brought you out here: to train your teamwork and coordination through live combat. However, this combat method is temporary. Once my cultivation increases and I master higher-level Laws, battles shouldn’t be this troublesome."

After explaining some more combat details and re-endowing them with the Power of Laws, the twelve disciples dispersed, each seeking a hiding place.

「...」

Nan Lingtian listened to Lin Bai’s entire plan, his blood running cold. The thought that his own fate would befall his loyal subordinates—subordinates who had been lured here in his name—filled him with a bone-deep hatred for Lin Bai. He gritted his teeth. "Madman! Do you know what you’re doing? You have no idea of the consequences! You’ll bring disaster upon all mortals who have ascended to the Fairy World..."

"If no one knows what happened here, no disaster will occur," Lin Bai chuckled. "General Nan, have you ever heard of the tactic ’besieging a point to strike reinforcements’?"

"What ’besieging a point to strike reinforcements’?" Nan Lingtian forced a smile.

"Just like now: using you as bait, I can lure your subordinates to their deaths," Lin Bai said. "Once your subordinates are eliminated, no Celestial in Pine stone city will be my match. After I take Pine stone city, I can use the same tactic again..."

"A million Celestials in Pine stone city! Even I wouldn’t dare claim I could take them all down. You think you can?" Nan Lingtian interrupted disdainfully.

"My disciples will be stationed around Pine stone city. By activating the Power of Laws, the necks of a million people can be twisted off with ease," Lin Bai said calmly.

"Impossible! Their cultivation is limited; they can’t control a million people simultaneously," Nan Lingtian retorted.

"Then we’ll lure them out in batches and deal with them one by one. Eventually, they’ll all be taken care of." Lin Bai didn’t bother explaining the might of his System skills, merely smiling.

Nan Lingtian’s expression changed drastically. "You can’t do that! Those Celestials are innocent!"

"And the Ascenders who endured countless hardships to enter the Fairy World, were they not innocent? For tens of thousands of years, how many Ascenders have you Celestials tortured to death? Now that the slaughter knife is at your own neck, you have the gall to speak of innocence?" Lin Bai countered. "General Nan, you were the one who tried to kill us for our treasures when we entered the Black Stone Mountain Range, weren’t you? If I hadn’t been more skilled, the War God and I would likely have met an obscure end there! For that reason alone, why should I cooperate with you? Just because you’re a Celestial?"

"..." Nan Lingtian opened his mouth, paused for a moment, then said, "But what’s the point of doing this? You vent your anger, but you expose yourself and bring utter catastrophe upon everyone. Weren’t you just saying you wanted to become the tenth Heavenly King? What kind of Heavenly King acts so recklessly, without regard for the consequences?"

"There will be one soon enough," Lin Bai chuckled. "You’re about to find out what absolute control means..."

Nan Lingtian froze. His gaze fell upon the dozen or so Celestial Puppets standing blankly nearby. He then recalled the sluggish reactions of the Body of the War God after Lin Bai had appeared. A sudden, horrifying realization dawned on him, his smile tinged with terror. "You... You’re going to turn me into one of them?"

"You’re finally catching on." Lin Bai looked at Nan Lingtian with approval. "I told you before, we would cooperate. Do you believe me now?"

"No, you can’t do this! You don’t have to turn me into a Puppet! You don’t have to give me the Holy Artifact of Laws! We can still cooperate!" Nan Lingtian struggled again. "You know I’m telling the truth! I’m being completely sincere..."

Before his words had even faded, streaks of light flashed in the distance. Three figures suddenly broke into the encirclement: the Body of the War God and the two transitional individuals—one Silver Realm, one Golden Realm—he had lured over.

The two Celestials’ senses were incredibly sharp. The moment they stopped, they spotted Lin Bai and the stripped-bare Nan Lingtian on the ground.

"A mortal!"

"City Lord!"

They both exclaimed simultaneously.

"Run!" Nan Lingtian screamed hysterically.

The two Celestials froze, before they could react.

"Too late to run," a voice suddenly sounded behind them.

The two Celestials involuntarily Flashed towards the source of the voice.

But they had only Flashed once when their heads violently snapped backward, their shrill screams merging into a single, horrifying cry.

Lin Bai and Nan Lingtian were not spared either; both involuntarily looked in the direction the Celestials’ heads had turned. There, Tuohai was preparing a piece of Poison Dragon Meat.

Damn it! Lin Bai cursed inwardly. This Dazzling Cooking is too damn potent! To think that even I, the skill’s owner, am not exempt!

Agony filled Nan Lingtian’s heart. He wanted to close his eyes but found he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. Two streams of clear tears trickled involuntarily down his cheeks...

"Look here!" Another voice called out from the opposite direction.

The Celestials, whose necks had already been forcibly twisted, were compelled to turn again.

Simultaneously, a sense of alarm flared in Lin Bai’s heart.

Not good!

Two instances of Dazzling Cooking!

The thought had barely formed in his mind when his eyeballs involuntarily darted in two different directions, the strain so intense it felt as if they would tear from their sockets.

Lin Bai swiftly canceled Tuohai’s Dazzling Cooking, saving his own eyes.

But even those two quick wrenches had taken their toll. His subordinate, Tuohai—his eyeballs were torn, and his previously broken cervical vertebrae had twisted another full circle. He was visibly gasping, on the verge of death!

The two Celestials in the air fared no better. Their necks forcibly rotated a full 360 degrees, they spiraled towards the ground, unable to use any skills. Even as they fell, their eyes remained fixed on the direction where Nan Rong was cooking...

Lin Bai ignored the dying Nan Lingtian. He swiftly Flashed before the two falling Celestials. Two Gold cards flew out, collecting the Silver one first, then the Gold one. After sealing them into the cards, he produced another Gold card and turned the dying Nan Lingtian into a Puppet as well...

Releasing the three individuals from the cards, Lin Bai ascended three Realms in a row, leaping directly into the Platinum Realm!