CHAPTER 369: 369 TERRIFYING LUCKY ACCOUNT NUMBER

After leaving the Continent of Gods and Demons, Lin Bai had opened more than a dozen Magpie Bridges for the Western Continent. The Council provided couples from the real world and also Players. The moment the Magpie Bridges were opened, the United States Army, which had been on standby, swiftly crossed over and established a bridgehead outside Free City.

The Western Continent strongly believed that only Martial Power held sway. They had full confidence in modern weapons and did not want to rely completely on Lin Bai. Only by forcibly taking a nation could one have confidence when speaking. They wouldn’t be like those in the Eastern Continent, obeying Lin Bai in everything and constructing infrastructure in the Immortal World. Looting, only looting, could make them stronger. This was their creed. The key point was their more than ten million undying Player-soldiers, who were their main reliance. Initially, the number of Players in Free City was not large, but they also did not need to face so many enemies at once. Expanding their territory bit by bit, they would eventually gather all the Players under their banner... The worst outcome would be their failure in this war of invasion. However, even if it came to that point, Lin Bai would be their backing. At most, they would end up like the Eastern Continent, becoming Lin Bai’s puppets; either way, they wouldn’t lose out.

Lin Bai saw everything the Western Continent did. After being Body Snatched, John, perhaps worried that Lin Bai would do some indescribable things with his girlfriend using John’s body if he entered the game, completely abandoned his in-game Holy Knight body. Instead, he began navigating the game world in his real body, restarting his Holy Knight training. The training process was slow, but in John’s words, "Anything cultivated from my own body is mine, and no one can take it away."

In fact, not only John but every soldier who entered the otherworld was also training; it was their guarantee of safety. Who knew how long they would live in this otherworld? Similar to Spiritual Energy in the Immortal World, Magic Power could also be stored in the body. Even if they couldn’t replenish Magic Power after returning to the real world, if they had the chance to become a great Mage, the amount of Magic Power stored in their bodies would be terrifying, making them superhuman in the real world. Besides, on the Continent of Gods and Demons, there were Magic Artifacts capable of storing Magic Power.

The engineering teams that entered the Immortal World were also training. These teams weren’t chosen through company bidding; every worker was strictly screened and could be converted into a soldier at any time. In the gamble of this chaotic era, every faction had its own agenda. No one truly trusted anyone else, except for Lin Bai, his fans, and his 100% loyal Disciples.

Lin Bai didn’t care how the people from the Western Continent were causing trouble on the Continent of Gods and Demons; in truth, he couldn’t manage it all anyway. After all, he had no trusted followers there. Once they’ve bashed each other’s brains out, they’ll naturally remember his good deeds. Moreover, Lin Bai needed to use this widespread conflict to lure down the deities of the Continent of Gods and Demons. This would allow him to gauge their strength and, incidentally, recruit them. Once he controlled the highest echelons, dealing with matters below would become much easier.

Thus, Lin Bai used John’s Holy Knight account to wander the world, expanding the map and familiarizing himself with its layout. He also selected couples among the Players to prepare for more Magpie Bridges. The war outside Free City was just one part of the conflict between the natives and the Players. Outside many cities on the Continent of Gods and Demons, wars raged between locals and Players. However, as large quantities of munitions were transported from the real world, the Players began to withdraw from these battles and started moving towards Free City to regroup with their main forces.

After Cheng Xunyun asked Lin Bai for permission, the Players from the Immortal World also traveled to the Continent of Gods and Demons via the Magpie Bridges to explore and expand. Lin Bai was never afraid of chaos; the more chaotic things became, the more opportunities arose for him. What he needed was information. The more information he possessed, the clearer his judgment of the overall situation would be. After all, the most important means of transportation was in his hands. If any situation threatened to spiral out of control, he could isolate that section of the map and deal with them decisively, like cornering dogs in a yard.

「Immortal World.」

More than thirty of his Disciples were distributed in various locations, helping Players cross their Tribulations. At this moment, only Xu Longyun, Qing Yun, Little White Fox, and Tuohai remained to hold the fort at the Guiding Pool. Disciples of the Crossing Tribulation Realm, Mahayana Realm, and some Players from various sects and schools were all diligently cultivating. As his enterprise grew larger, Lin Bai found himself running short on Disciple slots.

When they saw Lin Bai and Jiang Qingqin return, the group came up to greet them. Many Players also opened their eyes, looking curiously at Lin Bai, eager to make contact. These Players were all new faces—Lucky Accounts that had entered the game later, specifically coming to join the Justice League and study under Xu Longyun.

Lin Bai had gone to the Continent of Gods and Demons to stir things up. It seemed like he had done many things, but in reality, only a little over a day had passed. If he hadn’t taken Garnett on a tour to broaden his horizons, settling the war outside Free City alone wouldn’t even have taken half a day. Ever since he gained the ability to set up Magpie Bridges everywhere, the pace of operations both inside and outside the game seemed to have accelerated dramatically, as if launched by a rocket.

"Master, you’re back! Was that world fun?" Little White Fox chirped, hopping to Lin Bai’s side. She skillfully transformed back into her fox form and leaped into his arms.

"It was dirty and smelly. Besides, I couldn’t understand what they were saying. It wasn’t interesting at all," Jiang Qingqin pouted. "If it weren’t for setting up the Magpie Bridges, I’d rather have stayed here to cultivate!"

"Junior Sister Jiang, next time you don’t go, I’ll accompany Master!" Little White Fox poked her head out from Lin Bai’s embrace, glaring unhappily at Jiang Qingqin. "As long as I can be with Master, any place is a good place."

"Dream on," Jiang Qingqin suddenly smiled, her voice leisurely. "Master has high hopes for you. As the King of the Demon Country, you must concentrate on cultivating, and you’re burdened with a host of miscellaneous tasks. How could you possibly be as carefree as I am? The tiresome job of accompanying Master on trips naturally falls to an idler like me! Besides, I only said it was dirty and messy; I never said I wasn’t willing to go..."

Little White Fox bared her teeth at Jiang Qingqin.

Lin Bai stroked Little White Fox’s head, soothing her. He then briefly explained the situation on the Continent of Gods and Demons to everyone, "Currently, it’s all low-level warfare; we don’t need to get involved yet. Our time to act will be when the higher-ups on the Continent of Gods and Demons intervene. I estimate that will be in a few more days!"

"Master, do we need to learn their language?" Xu Longyun asked.

"Not for the time being," Lin Bai chuckled. "Right now, we’re the dominant party; they should be the ones learning our language. Enough about that. How are things here?"

The Justice League’s affairs were all coordinated and handled by Xu Longyun. Previously, the fan club was Jiang Qingqin’s responsibility. However, after the Heavenly Tribulation incident, the fan club and Jiang Qingqin became disassociated. Once the Disciples completed their task of achieving fame, Lin Bai, by his instruction, also placed the fan club under Xu Longyun’s management. Xu Longyun’s administrative skills were more efficient than Jiang Qingqin’s—the more capable one shoulders more responsibility.

Jiang Qingqin initially had some complaints. But when Lin Bai took her along to establish the Magpie Bridges, the unhappiness of her power being stripped away was instantly forgotten. Being by Lin Bai’s side was clearly more enjoyable for her than managing the fan club. Moreover, after all this time, she had long since acknowledged her inferiority to Xu Longyun.

"Everything is proceeding as normal," Xu Longyun reported. "In the Mortal World, we’ve organized for ten people to undergo their Tribulation. The solo Tribulation is the simplest form of Heavenly Tribulation, requiring three days. So, the earliest anyone can ascend is tomorrow night."

She glanced at Far-Sighted Hawk and the others, then added, "Before us, the corporate Players had already arranged for a few people to undergo Tribulation. By the time we found out, it was too late; none of them survived..."

Far-Sighted Hawk awkwardly explained, "Alliance Hierarch, it was their own decision. They wanted to experience the thrill of Tribulation. As you know, Players are intensely curious. We meant no harm..."

Lin Bai glanced at him. "Do I need to use the Truth-telling Technique on you?"

"..." Far-Sighted Hawk’s smile froze. Visibly panicked, he stammered, "Indeed, nothing escapes the Alliance Hierarch’s discerning eyes. It was our mistake. Please punish us, Alliance Hierarch."

"Don’t let it happen again." Lin Bai had already known about this and wasn’t going to make a fuss. Besides, with so much going on and multiple fronts opening up, he couldn’t be bothered with such minor details.

"Thank you, Alliance Hierarch," the corporate bosses sighed in relief.

Xu Longyun had only reported this to Lin Bai to admonish them. Her purpose achieved, she didn’t dwell on the matter and continued, "Master, when they were undergoing their Tribulation, there was no activity at the Guiding Pool here. Our conjecture seems correct: the Fairy World doesn’t have just one Guiding Pool."

Lin Bai chuckled and nodded. "Hmm, that’s even better. More strongholds mean the Magpie Bridges can be connected at any time, allowing us to blossom on multiple fronts and throw the entire Fairy World into turmoil."

"Alliance Hierarch, leave this to us. This is our forte," Far-Sighted Hawk said with an eager smile. "We understand your intentions. Rest assured, every Player will treat entering the Fairy World as an ultra-high-difficulty game. Trust in the Players’ ingenuity; if it’s a game, they’ll find a way to beat it."

Lin Bai looked at them, his thoughts drifting to the deities on the Continent of Gods and Demons. "War isn’t a necessity," he said. "You can use any method to infiltrate the Fairy World, but all information must be shared with me."

Far-Sighted Hawk and the others didn’t fully grasp Lin Bai’s thinking, but his instructions aligned with their own desires, so they readily agreed.

Almost instantly, the high-ranking members of several corporations began to speculate privately about Lin Bai’s motives. Ironclad facts had repeatedly proven that every seemingly casual decision Lin Bai made would trigger a chain of critical subsequent events. And then, somehow, things would invariably tilt in Lin Bai’s favor.

"There’s no movement in Pine Stone City," Xu Longyun continued with a sigh. "Junior Sister Qing Yun has scouted the area, and Nan Lingtian’s disappearance hasn’t caused much of a stir. Of course, there might be internal changes we’re unaware of. After all, it’s not convenient for our people to enter Pine Stone City. The inability to get timely intelligence from the Fairy World is a persistent vulnerability."

"Master, we’re on it!" Far-Sighted Hawk chimed in. "It won’t be long before the Fairy World is teeming with Players, and a massive information network will be established in an instant."

"I hope so," Xu Longyun said, pulling a paper filled with names from her robes and handing it to Lin Bai. "The remaining issue concerns those Lucky Accounts. They truly possess unique and extraordinary abilities, giving them immense advantages over regular Players."

Lin Bai took the paper.

Xu Longyun voiced her deep concern, "Master, the game company can grant Players these peculiar skills so easily; it’s almost equivalent to creating gods out of thin air. Are you truly confident you can handle them?"

Lin Bai looked down at the paper:

[Black Unicorn]: Earns 125% more experience than ordinary people in each battle.

[Silver Nightmare]: Archery mastery; can shoot Bow and Arrows ignoring obstacles. Each level up increases Bow and Arrow damage by 5%.

The first Player merely levels up faster than others, which doesn’t seem like a huge advantage. But the second Player’s skill is terrifying. It’s not just a flat 5% increase; the damage increases by 5% *with each level gained*. A Player at level eighty-plus is equivalent to the Divinity Transformation Realm. Extrapolating from this, by the time this Player reaches the Bronze Realm, a single arrow shot could likely instantly kill a Star of Platinum like Nan Lingtian. If they continue leveling up like this, they might eventually be able to shoot down the sun with a single arrow, just like Hou Yi...

The list continued with others: someone who could boost team morale, increasing allied Spiritual Power regeneration by 50% when grouped; someone with defense mastery, increasing their defense by 5% per level—this person could eventually fight monsters without taking any damage. There was also a healing specialist whose healing arts improved by 5% with each level...

Further down were abilities like Dynamic Vision, allowing one to perceive an opponent’s every subtle movement, breath, and heartbeat; and the Eye of Insight, which could see through an opponent’s techniques in battle and even learn their Skills.

The special abilities granted to the Lucky Accounts grew increasingly outrageous. No wonder Xu Longyun was worried. After all, no matter how talented the natives like them were, they were almost completely outmatched when facing these individuals with special abilities. Perhaps they could handle one or two. However, it was clear that many of these abilities could complement each other. Once their Skills were combined, they would become a virtually unstoppable force.

Maybe Lin Bai wasn’t afraid of them. But Lin Bai plus all his Disciples numbered only around thirty or forty. How could they possibly oversee the entire world? Over a hundred Lucky Accounts had already been attracted to the Justice League. What about those who chose not to join? They could completely conceal their abilities, cultivate slowly, and develop in secret. In just a few days, once the Magpie Bridges to the Fairy World were open, they too could infiltrate the Fairy World and grow rapidly. There were far too many Players; those managing the Magpie Bridges couldn’t possibly scrutinize everyone.

The most crucial point was that these special accounts were casually distributed by the game company. If they could release one batch, they could release a second. If Lin Bai hadn’t intended to use them against the Celestials, Xu Longyun, upon learning of their abilities, might have even felt the urge to destroy their physical bodies in reality, annihilating them completely. Letting such a group mature was too terrifying.

What made Xu Longyun even more grateful was Lin Bai’s presence in their world. His laws could restrain the Players, preventing them from becoming too outrageous. She couldn’t imagine what kind of devastation Players would wreak upon the world she depended on for survival if Lin Bai weren’t there.

Damn! Lin Bai also gasped internally. In that instant, a thought struck him: Could the shadowy figure who implanted the System in him really be a competitor of the game company? Some of these Lucky Accounts’ Skills were simply too powerful! Even he felt a twinge of envy. Some even overlapped with his System’s rewards or were outright stronger. For example, that Eye of Insight was immeasurably better than his own Eye of the Broken. He’d really gotten the short end of the stick!