CHAPTER 362: 362 PERSUADING NAN LINGTIAN

The Body of the War God departed once again, heading back to Pine Stone City for reinforcements. Lin Bai had many low-level Cards which were a waste to keep, so he might as well use them to weaken the enemy and enhance his own strength.

The disciples gathered together once more.

Little White Fox circled around the three new Puppets, voicing her regret, "Master, it wasn’t that difficult. Those two fellas died after a few hits. I haven’t even made my move yet!"

The rest of them didn’t say a word, their relaxed faces seeming to say, ’Immortals are nothing more than this.’

Lin Bai observed everyone’s expressions and asked, "Do you think the victory was easy?"

"Master, the Power of Laws is really useful. The Immortals were no match for us," Tuohai said, not arguing with Lin Bai but rebutting in a tactful manner.

Lin Bai shook his head. "Just now, I possessed Nan Lingtian’s strength. Let’s try again under the same circumstances."

The crowd was stunned.

Qing Yun stated, "Master, we will not underestimate the enemy. There’s no need for the exercise; it would be bad if you got hurt."

Lin Bai laughed. "With your current abilities, you cannot hurt me. Enough chitchat. Get back to your positions, let’s start! We have nothing better to do anyway, so practicing more will increase our combat experience."

Lin Bai was adept in the Art of Separation; he had unknowingly hidden many ’heads’ all over the world, so he didn’t fear the neck-twisting strategy at all.

However, this time, he didn’t rely on the Art of Separation. Instead, he wanted to experience for himself just how powerful the Platinum Realm Immortals were.

Unable to dissuade Lin Bai, Qing Yun and the others had no choice but to return to their positions for another round.

Everyone agreed that if Lin Bai were harmed, they would stop immediately. Lin Bai had guided them through the Heavenly Tribulation and, disregarding past grudges, helped them increase their Cultivation Levels. This had quickly won them over, and their loyalty to him had long since reached one hundred percent. They were the kind to risk their lives for Lin Bai in critical moments; none of them would ever want to harm him.

...

Just like before, the moment Lin Bai was in position, Tuohai initiated a provocation.

This was the first time Lin Bai experienced System Skills from an enemy’s perspective.

He was not immune to the provocation.

The moment Tuohai spoke, an inexplicable rage surged in Lin Bai’s heart. His eyes reflected only Tuohai, and a single thought consumed his mind: Rush over and kill him.

In an instant, all Spiritual Power within Lin Bai was mobilized.

Nan Lingtian’s skill—Teleportation.

When Lin Bai and the Body of the War God cooperated, their attention was divided, but they were essentially one. This allowed their skill use to be seamless.

However, Tuohai and Qing Yun standing behind him couldn’t achieve such a level of tacit understanding. Most importantly, their mental power still fell short compared to Lin Bai’s.

Even so, using their skills in coordination, they could unexpectedly twist Lin Bai’s neck.

But Lin Bai had just completed a task, adding 300 points to his Agility. Provoked into a blind rage, he had completely forgotten his intention to experience the Platinum Realm and brazenly unleashed his full power.

Agility combined with long-distance teleportation, when stacked, was far more potent than a simple one-plus-one-equals-two effect.

Tuohai had just started his provocation when Lin Bai vanished from his sight.

The next moment, Lin Bai was right in front of him.

In his shock, Tuohai abruptly fell silent.

The provocation ended.

By then, Lin Bai’s hand was already on his head.

However, the moment the provocation stopped, Lin Bai instantly regained his senses. He secretly thought, That was a close call! With a surge of his Spiritual Power, he sealed Tuohai’s Spiritual Power and quickly placed a restriction on Tu Yan, who was cooperating nearby.

Lin Bai took them both and Flash-stepped before Qing Yun.

Qing Yun silently put down the food ingredients she was holding and said gloomily, "Master, I’ve lost."

The disciples gathered again, all looking despondent, a stark contrast to their earlier ease.

Dispirited, Tuohai asked, "Master, is this the power of the Platinum Realm?"

"Roughly," Lin Bai said, concealing the fact that his own strength had been amplified by the provocation. "Platinum Realm cultivators can perform long-range attacks. If not for the provocation causing a loss of reason, he could have attacked you from fifty miles away."

"The teleportation distance is too great," Qing Yun said. "The Platinum Realm is already so tricky; how formidable must the topmost Heavenly Kings be?"

"Heavenly Kings and Starlights have mastered the Laws..." Surveying the crowd, Lin Bai shared the information he had acquired from Nan Lingtian word for word, "...This means that in the Fairy World, everyone has the potential to comprehend the Laws. As long as your understanding of the Laws is deep enough, if you defeat the highest Heavenly King and obtain the Instrument of Rules they control, you can inherit their Law through this instrument and become the new Heavenly King!"

"The Rule of Wood?" Qing Yun considered her own circumstances. In the Lower Realm, consuming many Spirit Fruits had brought me to the verge of understanding the Rule of Wood. But after being sealed as a Puppet, no matter how much I cultivate, my strength hasn’t improved at all, let alone my comprehension of any Law.

Although Qing Yun was still the most powerful among her fellow disciples, it was hard not to feel disheartened seeing their strength increase rapidly while hers remained stagnant.

"Qing Yun, your situation is unique. I will find a way to free you from the Puppet form," Lin Bai said apologetically. "I will snatch the Holy Artifact of Mu Tianwang for you. It may be of some help."

"Yes, thank you, Master." Qing Yun gave a slight smile and bowed to Lin Bai.

"Master, since the Heavenly Kings have mastered Laws and you have also mastered Laws, whose Laws are more powerful?" Little White Fox asked.

"How would I know without comparing?" Lin Bai glanced at the little fox. "Besides, my Laws aren’t fully cultivated yet, so I probably can’t compare to those Heavenly Kings for now."

"I think Master’s Laws are more powerful! Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth sound so ordinary. How can they compare to Master’s Great Path of Love or ’Spoken Law Follows’?" Little White Fox said. "When Master cultivates the Heavenly Dao in the future, he’ll be able to erase all their Laws with a single sentence..."

"Yes, that day will come. Now that you’ve witnessed the gap between yourselves and the Immortals, you should understand that Laws are not omnipotent. Only by raising your own cultivation level and then combining it with Laws can you be truly invincible."

Lin Bai reached out and ruffled Little White Fox’s head, thinking, Her rank needs to be raised. Ascenders from the Mortal World cultivate too slowly. With so many Demon Beasts in the Fairy World, it’s a waste not to utilize them. I only have one Transformation Pill left, and the Enlightenment Pills are being consumed quickly; I’m running low.

Tuohai and the others weren’t as naive as Little White Fox. Lin Bai’s Path of Laws had proven genuine. However, even though Lin Bai had bestowed Laws upon them, allowing them to use these powers with ease, they didn’t understand the underlying principles. They had no clue how to gain any true insight from them. The Immortals’ Laws form the foundation of the world’s operation and can be cultivated by anyone; perhaps those are more suitable for ignorant people like us.

...

「Next,」

the Body of the War God continued to bring people from Pine Stone City.

Tuohai and the others rotated with the disciples from the Guiding Pool, practicing their use of Laws on the Immortals and gaining combat experience.

With Lin Bai providing support, their methods against the Immortals were no longer limited to provocation and Dazzling Cooking. They creatively incorporated skills like Flash, Phoenix Seeks Phoenix, Separation of Love, and Bind the Immortal. Some of these skills were used on themselves, others on the enemy. Their tactics were ever-changing. With the element of surprise, they achieved considerable success.

For instance, while in the invincible state protected by Phoenix Seeks Phoenix, they could provoke an enemy and draw them closer. Then, they would use Rush Moon. During Rush Moon, Qing Yun, being the fastest, could use Food Control on the affected Immortals, easily subduing them.

And they did so decisively.

Qing Yun, having originated from plants and lived for over a hundred thousand years, had experienced far too much; her will was much stronger than Lin Bai’s.

Lin Bai couldn’t bear to turn humanoid beings into dishes, but she had no such qualms.

A kitchen knife danced up and down. In moments, she had sliced the Immortals caught by Rush Moon into thin pieces, beyond the salvation of any Blank Card.

However, the disciples gained more from these battles than Lin Bai did.

Lin Bai fought without holding back, his Blacksmith six-piece set capable of smashing any Magic Treasure to pieces. In contrast, Qing Yun and the others lacked this set, so most Magic Treasures from captured Immortals were preserved.

As a result, after several battles, they had obtained more than ten Storage Magical Artifacts.

Storage Magical Artifacts, rare in the Mortal World, were actually possessed by everyone above the Silver Realm in the Fairy World.

The storage rings contained various Pill Medicines, Spirit Stones, weapons, and so on, making the Ascenders from the Lower Realm green with envy.

Material possessions stimulate desire. Realizing that the Fairy World was full of treasures, they became even more eager to conquer it.

...

Storage Magical Artifacts had restrictions, but these were no obstacle for Lin Bai, who shared Nan Lingtian’s Cultivation Level.

As a Puppet, Lin Bai wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, so he violently erased the restrictions on the Storage Magical Artifacts. He kept a mega Storage Bracelet for himself—thirty meters in length, width, and height—replacing his original small Storage Bag, and distributed the remaining artifacts.

The disciples were overjoyed.

...

After dealing with nearly half of the mid-to-high-level personnel in Pine Stone City, Lin Bai stopped the luring operation and stuffed an Enlightenment Pill into Nan Lingtian’s mouth.

The groggy Nan Lingtian regained his senses. Seeing the familiar faces standing beside Lin Bai, his facial muscles twitched. He wanted to rush over and attack Lin Bai but found he couldn’t even control his own body.

Lin Bai gave him a faint smile and issued a command to attack the Poison Dragon’s corpse. Nan Lingtian unwillingly unleashed a powerful attack, destroying hundreds of feet of the Poison Dragon’s corpse. Then, he stood there, stunned.

"Understand now?" Lin Bai stood before him, smiling as he asked.

"Is this the Control Law?" Nan Lingtian’s mouth twitched as he forced a smile.

"As long as I wish, all your actions will be dictated by me," Lin Bai smiled. "General Nan, now we can discuss cooperation."

"Impossible," Nan Lingtian sneered, gritting his teeth. "You can control my body, but not my mind. I will never cooperate with a villain like you again. I will watch with my own eyes as you and this bunch of filthy mortals are wiped out by the Immortals."

"General Nan, don’t be so extreme." Lin Bai looked at him and shook his head. "Do you know why I had you attack the Poison Dragon’s corpse just now?"

"Isn’t it just to show me I’m under your control?" Nan Lingtian said disdainfully.

"No. I’m telling you that if I can make you attack the Poison Dragon, I can also make you lead your former subordinates on a massacre in Pine Stone City." Lin Bai spoke slowly. "You are Platinum Realm. These Immortals here include Silver Realm and Golden Realm cultivators. You all represent some of the highest cultivation in Pine Stone City. I’m not saying you could slaughter all one million Immortals in Pine Stone City, but taking them by surprise, wiping out a significant portion shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

Nan Lingtian was stunned. "So what? If I can speak, even if it means sacrificing a hundred thousand Immortals from Pine Stone City, as long as I can get the message out and have higher-level Immortals come to kill you, I will still be a hero to the Fairy World and die with honor."

Lin Bai said, "What if, while you’re killing people, news about the new mother body and the Law of the Tenth Heavenly King spreads simultaneously?"

Nan Lingtian replied, "If that gets out, you’ll die even faster."

Lin Bai glanced at him. "General Nan, what if the Law of the Tenth Heavenly King that spreads is the Path of Slaughter, and the mother body’s Lawful Holy Artifact ends up in your possession? Who do you think they would believe—you, or me?"

Nan Lingtian stared at Lin Bai, his eyes wide, his voice trembling, "You... How can you be so despicable? If the Path of Slaughter spreads, it will incite more Immortals to cultivate it, and the Fairy World will descend into chaos!"

"For me, the more chaotic the Fairy World, the better," Lin Bai said leisurely. "Throughout history, so many Ascenders have been tortured and toyed with by your kind. We are already mortal enemies. In the Fairy World, no matter what atrocities I commit against you, it’s all justified."

"But you won’t escape either," Nan Lingtian retorted.

Lin Bai grabbed Nan Lingtian’s collar and stepped onto the Magpie Bridge.

「The next second, they were already in the Mortal World—at the Holy Extreme Sect.」

The one who had built the Magpie Bridge with him was Jiang Qingqin. Seeing Lin Bai, her face lit up. "Master, you’ve captured another Immortal! Is the situation up there resolved?"

"It will be soon," Lin Bai said, nodding at Jiang Qingqin with a smile.

Nan Lingtian looked around, then at the Magpie Bridge connecting to the sky, his face filled with disbelief. "This is the Mortal World?"

"Correct. We can retreat to the Mortal World at any time. We can advance to attack or retreat to defend," Lin Bai said calmly.

As he spoke, he suddenly raised the kitchen knife in his hand and swung it at Nan Lingtian’s right hand. The hand fell to the ground.

Nan Lingtian screamed, "What are you doing?"

Before he could finish, Lin Bai recalled him into a Card. He chatted with Jiang Qingqin, asking about the situation in the Mortal World, waiting until Nan Lingtian’s left hand on the Card was restored before releasing him again.

Nan Lingtian looked at his regenerated right hand, then at Lin Bai, who held the still-dripping severed right hand. He didn’t understand what had happened.

"Once controlled by me, you become undying and immortal. No matter how severe the injury, you will recover afterward," Lin Bai said. "Taking advantage of this characteristic, I will take you on a slaughtering spree through various towns in the Fairy World. The Path of Slaughter will inevitably spread. And undoubtedly, no one will believe you are being controlled. They will only see you killing relentlessly, unharmed no matter the injury, further affirming the existence of the Path of Slaughter. At that time, you won’t be a hero of the Fairy World; you’ll become a Demon that everyone wants to crush."

GLUG! Nan Lingtian swallowed. "You can’t do this! Ascenders are few, and most Immortals have never even encountered them. They are innocent..."

"Cooperate with me, and none of this will happen." Lin Bai tossed the severed right hand aside like trash, nodded to Jiang Qingqin, then grabbed Nan Lingtian and returned to the Fairy World, demonstrating the convenience of the Magpie Bridge.

"How do we cooperate?" Nan Lingtian asked.

"Simple. Help me become the Tenth Heavenly King of the Fairy World," Lin Bai said, looking at Nan Lingtian. "General Nan, I am a peace-loving person. As long as you fulfill my wish, allowing me to gradually gain influence in the Fairy World and create a living space for people from the Lower Realm, there naturally won’t be so much slaughter."

Peace? Nan Lingtian scoffed inwardly. The methods you just proposed are a million miles from peace! Given his straightforward nature and recognizing Lin Bai’s power, he didn’t dare to contradict him openly, so he stammered, "You are a mortal. Immortals are inherently repulsed by you. The moment you show your face, you’ll be detected."

The Body of the War God flashed over. Looking at Nan Lingtian, it said with a laugh, "He can’t, but I should be fine, right?"

Nan Lingtian looked at Lin Bai, then at the Body of the War God, and nodded with difficulty. "You should be."

Lin Bai smiled faintly, painting a grand picture. "General Nan, don’t be discouraged. Once I become the Tenth Heavenly King, the power you’ll wield will be far greater than that of a mere City Lord of Pine Stone City. By then, you will be a true Star of Platinum."