CHAPTER 363: 363 DIVERT TROUBLES ELSEWHERE

What genuine Star of Platinum? *I* am the Star of Platinum now.

The empty promises Lin Bai made didn’t fool Nan Lingtian. He glanced at the Body of the War God, still intending to maintain control. "If you want to become the tenth Heavenly King, you must listen to me."

"Oh?" Lin Bai looked at Nan Lingtian, whose loyalty was at thirty percent, smiled, and gestured for him to continue. "Tell me more."

"Remain hidden and bide your time. Wait until his or your realm ascends to Starlight before making a move," Nan Lingtian said. "Otherwise, there’s no better way. The method you used to frame me previously was based on the premise that I wouldn’t die. That could indeed temporarily stir chaos in the Fairy World and cause some damage to its stability. But eventually, it would be suppressed by the Heavenly Kings. A Heavenly King only needs to station one or two more Platinum Realm individuals in each town."

He paused before continuing, "In the Fairy World, even the highest-ranking Heavenly Kings can be replaced. So, everyone has a weakness; theoretically, there’s no such thing as an Undying Body."

"Continue," Lin Bai said. After all, he knew far too little about the Fairy World, so Nan Lingtian’s analysis held significant reference value.

"The Mother Body being in the Lower Realm might be your advantage," Nan Lingtian stated. "However, the spiritual energy in the Lower Realm is scarce. Mortals are restricted upon reaching the Bronze Realm. Forget about growth; even moving a single step will attract Heavenly Tribulation. This should be why you must become the tenth Heavenly King: you need to secure a place for the celestial beings born from the Mother Body to survive. In the Lower Realm, being a king who is restricted everywhere is meaningless."

He looked at Lin Bai and continued, "Besides, the Fairy World has long been divided among the Nine Heavenly Kings. Wanting to become a new Heavenly King means infringing upon their interests. No Heavenly King will allow a new one to arise. Even if your Holy Artifact of Rules has no effect on them, they will eliminate you at all costs, destroying or sealing the Instrument of Rules. Moreover, the Holy Artifact of Rules will attract the covetousness of all celestial beings. No matter how strong a person is, they cannot make an enemy of the entire Fairy World. Only by reaching Starlight will you have the power to protect yourself. Of course, it’s best to also have a group of powerful and loyal subordinates."

He glanced at Qing Yun and others. "Alliance Hierarch Lin, these disciples you have now are far from qualified. The cultivation speed of mortals is too slow. You should focus on nurturing the celestial beings born from the Mother Body..."

Plotting a long-term strategy? The players already know about the Fairy World and the method to ascend. They wish I would never ascend to the Fairy World! Moreover, the game company will also try to sabotage me! Not growing means waiting for death!

Lin Bai understood his situation very clearly. He shook his head. "General Nan, you may not fully understand the Control Law. Unlike other laws, the Control Law doesn’t require cultivation; it requires control. The more people I control, the stronger I become. Didn’t you notice? Before our battle, I was still at the Bronze Realm, but after fighting you, I’ve already reached the Platinum Realm. Quiet cultivation is not for me."

"..." Nan Lingtian paused, stunned, then said, "Does this mean you must constantly challenge people stronger than yourself to grow? If you want to become a Heavenly King, you must defeat and control a Heavenly King?"

"Correct," Lin Bai nodded.

"So, you are destined to walk a path of making enemies with the entire world?" Nan Lingtian frowned. "How could that possibly work?"

"General Nan, my goal isn’t actually to become the tenth Heavenly King, but the *only* Heavenly King of the Fairy World. If I can control one Heavenly King, why not control all nine?" A confident and arrogant light shone from Lin Bai’s face.

"Impossible! You can’t possibly achieve that." Nan Lingtian shook his head repeatedly. "You don’t know how powerful the Heavenly Kings are. You’ll lead everyone into the Abyss..."

"That is my mission," Lin Bai stated. "As you said, I cannot remain in the Lower Realm forever as a restricted Heavenly King in name only. Besides, you’re mistaken about one thing: immortality does exist. I indeed command a host of undying individuals."

"Impossible," Nan Lingtian insisted.

"Nothing is impossible. It’s time for you to witness my true trump card." Lin Bai chuckled, glanced at him, then recalled him into the Card. He stepped onto the Magpie Bridge and returned to the Holy Extreme Sect.

「After that.」

In front of Nan Lingtian, he gathered a group of players and, using Spirit Fruits as payment, demonstrated to him the meaning of being undying and indestructible.

The players swarmed like moths to a flame, eagerly vying to die.

Nan Lingtian was dumbfounded. "...How can there be so many undying beings in the Lower Realm? If they are immortal and indestructible, why have they been oppressed by celestial beings in the Fairy World for so many years?"

"It’s simple. They are the new celestial beings born from the Mother Body!" Lin Bai explained. "Just like you, they also have names above their heads. And, although they appear to have distinctions between male and female, they cannot reproduce like normal people."

"New celestial beings?" Nan Lingtian’s worldview suffered a severe shock. "They are born from the Mother Body in the Lower Realm? But the celestial being I saw before..."

"He’s rather special. After the Mother Body gave birth to him, she might have suddenly realized he wasn’t well-suited for this world, so she modified his parameters on her own and produced a new breed of celestial beings adapted to the Mortal World," Lin Bai explained. "Therefore, that celestial being who looks like you is unique and, in a way, defective. The absence of a Nameplate is likely due to this."

"But I didn’t see Nameplates above their heads either," Nan Lingtian said.

"They can see each other’s. Perhaps it’s because you and they are not part of the same System!" Lin Bai said with a smile.

Observing the active players, Nan Lingtian frowned and pondered for a moment, then a look of realization dawned on him. "I understand now! The Mother Body in the Lower Realm has no connection at all with the Mother Body in the Fairy World; it’s a completely new Mother Body! No wonder no new Mother Body has appeared in the Fairy World for so many years. Suddenly, one has emerged, and its laws are completely different from those of the Fairy World..."

Lin Bai shook his head. "With this batch of new celestial beings, are you still worried that I won’t be able to seize territory in the Fairy World?"

Nan Lingtian opened his mouth, hesitated, but finally couldn’t help asking, "Alliance Hierarch Lin, have you ever considered that these immortal people are the ultimate hidden danger? They will grow infinitely, eventually reaching a height where even you cannot control them. Moreover, if the Mother Body continuously gives birth to new celestial beings, not just the Fairy World, but any world could be ruled by them. Alliance Hierarch Lin, you are not a new celestial being, nor can you achieve immortality, correct?"

This fellow isn’t very bright, but his perception is quite sharp. He saw through the essence of the players at a glance!

Lin Bai chuckled. "General Nan, that’s not something you need to worry about. When I was merely in the Bronze Realm, I dared to point my sword at the Nine Heavenly Kings of the Fairy World. Do you think I’d be concerned about this group of celestial beings who haven’t even fully matured? Besides, do you think I haven’t recognized the danger they pose? Why do you think I wanted to seize the Holy Artifact of Rules?

"I did so because I was worried that if the Holy Artifact of Rules fell into their hands, they would eventually lose all restraint and become a calamity for all worlds.

"The Mother Body continuously gives birth to celestial beings. In truth, they don’t need to go through me; they can directly enter the Fairy World. You can guard against them for a time, but not for a lifetime. One day, when they have grown, the Fairy World will be devastated. However, if the Holy Artifact of Rules is in my hands, they can be restrained by me. This will prevent them from excessively harming the world, and that is precisely why I am determined to become the tenth Heavenly King!"

Why do these words suddenly sound so different? Has invading the Fairy World turned into saving the world?

Nan Lingtian felt his head spin, unable to process the turn of events. He remained silent for a long while.

"The new celestial beings are born in the Mortal World. You are aware of their growth rate and their undying nature. According to your reasoning, the Mortal World should have been destroyed by them by now. Yet, they coexist peacefully with mortals, and all of them acknowledge me as their leader."

Lin Bai gestured towards the bustling players and natives of the Holy Extreme Sect. "This is all my achievement. The Mortal World of today is the Fairy World of tomorrow. General Nan, don’t hesitate any longer. Let us join hands to save the Fairy World! You just said that a Heavenly King cannot cultivate a second law. Once we defeat the other Heavenly Kings and seize their Holy Artifacts of Rules, you can choose one from among them, become a new Heavenly King, and join me in restraining the new celestial beings. Whether for the greater good or personal benefit, we must do this, mustn’t we?"

Under Lin Bai’s Sophistry, Nan Lingtian’s imagination involuntarily ran wild. He wasn’t sure which point convinced him, but after pondering for a moment, he said, "Alright! Where should we begin?"

"Actually, you have a point. The stronger I am, the more it will help our cause. General Nan, do you have any good Star Diamond friends? You could lure them to Pine Stone City. Once I control one, I’ll possess Star Diamond Strength. If we remain undiscovered, we can then attract a Starlight Realm expert. Barring any accidents, it will be very simple for me to become a Starlight expert in a short time," Lin Bai said with full confidence. "Once I reach Starlight, we can make a move on the Heavenly Kings."

Nan Lingtian looked dumbfounded. "Alliance Hierarch Lin, isn’t this a bit too fast?"

"The faster, the better. After all, you don’t want these new celestial beings to grow too powerful, do you?" Lin Bai glanced at him. "Of course, I’m describing the best-case scenario. There are always various unexpected developments. Let’s proceed according to this plan for now. If special circumstances arise, we’ll adjust our strategy..."

"Hmm," Nan Lingtian nodded. "Alliance Hierarch, experts at the Star Diamond Realm don’t associate with those from lower realms. Those at the Starlight Realm either serve a Heavenly King or are in seclusion, comprehending laws and preparing to challenge for a Heavenly King’s position; they don’t concern themselves with worldly affairs. If we absolutely must find a Star Diamond expert, the only one I might be able to invite is my teacher, Long Tianxi. However, Teacher is a professor at the Prosperous World Academy, and I am merely one of his ordinary students..."

Just as Lin Bai was about to speak, suddenly, the players in the distance began to cause a commotion.

Lin Bai instinctively looked in that direction, and without him needing to exert much effort, the players’ private chats flooded into his ears.

...

"Damn, what a move! Ten million game slots! Are they planning to launch a full open beta?"

"I heard there are also lucky accounts that come with special attributes in the game. Damn it, suddenly feels like us Pioneers got ripped off..."

"This must be the game company’s response to Lin, the Storekeeper, extending the Magpie Bridge into reality, right?"

"Ten million game players! Even if only a tenth of them return to the real world via the Magpie Bridge, it would bring disaster to the real world."

"This is insane, truly insane! The real world and the game world just reached a peace agreement. Is everything about to collapse again?"

"I’m truly certain now, the game company has malicious intentions. They fundamentally want to completely destroy both worlds."

"With the government and Lin Bai around, the situation should be controllable, right? Lin Bai just needs to cut off the Magpie Bridge."

"Cutting off the Magpie Bridge won’t help. Ten million players! How many ’ten millions’ does a country even have? If ten million people enter the game, how can the real world continue to develop? This side is also a real world; ten million immortal people are enough to overthrow the nations within it! How many players can Lin Bai control by himself? Besides, Lin Bai has focused all his attention on the Fairy World."

"The lucky accounts are probably designed specifically to deal with Lin Bai."

"Greed knows no bounds. With over ten million people, there will always be some who refuse to be managed. After all, even if they lose, the worst that can happen is deleting their account, which isn’t a huge loss."

"To take a step back, even if the government and Lin Bai manage to stabilize the situation, what if the game company releases another ten million accounts? What if they let twenty million people in? A full open beta?"

"I used to think a full open beta was a good thing. Now, it seems like a full open beta is the precursor to world destruction..."

...

Damn it!

Lin Bai’s face turned extremely grim in an instant. Was it Nan Lingtian or me who’s the jinx? Speak of an accident, and an accident happens! Indeed, I thought too highly of the game company. My steps are fast, but the game company’s are just as quick! Even if my spiritual power is strong enough, suddenly encountering this situation makes my mind go blank. Can’t they just let a person enjoy the game?!

"Master, there’s trouble!" Xu Longyun rushed to Lin Bai’s side via the Magpie Bridge, her face equally grim and flustered, completely devoid of her previous composure.

「At the same time.」

Cheng Xunyun was frantically calling Lin Wu Bai in the real world.

The release of ten million game accounts had an immense impact.

With just one small move, the game company had shattered the stable situation Lin Bai had painstakingly built.

It wasn’t just the officials.

Even the consortiums that had entered the game early were baffled. Their financial power could influence tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, but not ten million people!

When the forest is large, it harbors all kinds of birds.

With ten million players, people with all sorts of ideas could exist. Unrestrained by laws and morals in the game, who could control them?

Moreover, there were also those damnable lucky accounts!

The higher-ups in the consortiums could no longer be bothered with any plans concerning the Fairy World or constraining Lin Bai. They urgently gathered via the Magpie Bridge to discuss countermeasures.

...

"What happened?"

Nan Lingtian sensed something was amiss, paused his calculations regarding his teacher, and asked.

Lin Bai glanced at him and decisively recalled him into the Card.

The commotion he had caused in the Fairy World wasn’t that significant; the City Lord of Pine Stone City disappearing for a day or two wasn’t a major issue.

With Nan Lingtian gone, Xu Longyun gasped, "Master, large numbers of players have flooded into all the basic cities! Coupled with the people from the real world who were previously engaged in infrastructure development, the cities are overwhelmed and in complete chaos! You must quickly think of a solution..."

"Calm down." Lin Bai opened his hand, took out a Spirit Fruit, and placed it in Xu Longyun’s mouth. He paced back and forth on Qingmu. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. He stopped and said, "Open the Magpie Bridge. Send them into the Fairy World!"

"Will that work?" Xu Longyun frowned. "The lowest-ranked celestial beings in the Fairy World are at the Bronze Realm. The players will find it impossible to take even a step up there. Besides, they can revive back here anytime!"

Lin Bai shook his head. "No, Xiao Yun. For players, it is indeed difficult to make progress in the Fairy World. However, the Fairy World has an advantage: its spiritual energy is countless times richer than in the Mortal World. It’s easy to go from thrift to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to thrift. Once they taste the super-fast cultivation speed, if you then ask them to return to the Mortal World and cultivate at a snail’s pace, most of them won’t be able to stand it. They would rather take risks and stay in the Fairy World. Sending the hardcore leveling fanatics into the Fairy World will make it much easier to manage the remaining peace-loving, lifestyle-oriented players..."