"Are you thinking of luring me to the outside world, severing the Magpie Bridge, so I cannot return?" The Thunder Heavenly King looked at the Body of the War God, a cryptic smile on his face.

"How could that be? If the Heavenly King wishes to return, I can send you back anytime." The Body of the War God forced a smile, saying mournfully, "Heavenly King, I am a Celestial. My Holy Artifact was stolen by Lin Bai. I'm only feigning compliance with him to reclaim my Holy Artifact. If not for that, who would willingly associate with an outsider? Those not of our kind are sure to have different allegiances..."

A familiar scene made Nan Lingtian's eyelid twitch involuntarily. Once upon a time, he too had been duped just like this!

"As far as I know, you only appeared after Lin Bai entered the Fairy World. And before your appearance, Lin Bai already possessed a Holy Artifact," the Thunder Heavenly King chuckled. "The so-called new mother entity, the talk of a tenth Heavenly King—all this emerged only after he came to the Fairy World. And the New Celestials spreading throughout the Fairy World call themselves Players, not beings born from any new mother entity. How do you explain that?"

"Heavenly King, I am not clear about the New Celestials, but I was indeed born from the mother entity. The new mother entity was spoken of in the Mortal World, so as soon as I was born, I faced the suppression of the Heavenly Tribulation. Consequently, Lin Bai interfered during my Tribulation. I failed to pass it, fell into a coma, and was extremely weakened. That was when Lin Bai seized the opportunity to steal my Holy Artifact. Afterward, he sealed me, and I only regained my freedom upon entering the Fairy World." Recalling these events, the Body of the War God looked utterly bewildered. "The mother entity's mutation, the New Celestials—Lin Bai told me all of this. The actual truth, the current state of the mother entity that birthed me... I don't know any of it."

Good heavens! Another version!

Seeing Xingtian spin a tale that completely absolved himself of responsibility, Nan Lingtian couldn't help but offer a silent, sarcastic acknowledgment. If he hadn't been tricked before, he would likely fall for it again.

The Thunder Heavenly King waited for the Body of the War God to finish before nodding noncommittally. "Mm, I understand. Let's go!"

What does he mean? Is he truly unconcerned, or just pretending to be? Is he not afraid of being exiled to another world, unable to return? No. There must be something I've overlooked. Or perhaps, it's not an oversight, but my lack of understanding of the Fairy World. It's likely that neither Nan Lingtian nor Long Tianxi know the Heavenly King's true secret... Lin Bai, who had been keenly observing the Thunder Heavenly King's expression, was baffled by his attitude.

...

After a moment of contemplation, the Body of the War God asked, "Where are we going?"

"If I said I was going to find Lin Bai, would you take me?" The Thunder Heavenly King chuckled softly. "You've fabricated such a tragic backstory for yourself. Why not just lead me directly to Lin Bai? I can help you get your revenge."

"Heavenly King, of course, I want revenge on Lin Bai, but I cannot actively contact him." The Body of the War God showed no embarrassment at being exposed. He sighed and said, "No Puppet has ever been able to control its master in reverse. I can't even take you to the Mortal World."

"Then that settles it. Just take me wherever you can," the Thunder Heavenly King said.

"Let's go to the Continent of Gods and Demons. Lin Bai hasn't conquered that place yet, and my authority only allows me to send you there," the Body of the War God replied.

"Go." The Thunder Heavenly King nodded perfunctorily.

Inside Pine Stone City, the Body of the War God found the Magpie Bridge Guard who had previously been stationed there to maintain the passage to the Continent of Gods and Demons and activated the Magpie Bridge connected to him.

The Magpie Bridge flew out from beneath the Bridge Guard's feet, soaring straight into the depths of the sky.

Watching the Magpie Bridge suddenly appear, the Thunder Heavenly King commented approvingly, "Other laws aside, this Magpie Bridge certainly has its merits! Let's go!"

"Heavenly King, you can go by yourself. Teleportation via the Magpie Bridge requires contact with the Bridge Protector. You have me in this Lightning Cage; I can't go even if I wanted to," the Body of the War God said.

The Thunder Heavenly King glanced at the Body of the War God, and the Lightning Cage vanished.

The Bridge Protector was a Cultivator from the Justice League. Under the Thunder Heavenly King's oppressive aura, his face was deathly pale. He occasionally stole glances at the Body of the War God, not daring to speak.

The Body of the War God reached out and placed a hand on the Bridge Protector's shoulder, then turned to gesture to the Thunder Heavenly King. "Heavenly King, let's go!"

The Thunder Heavenly King looked at his hand, then placed his own on the Bridge Protector's other shoulder. "Xingtian, I see your intentions clearly. Don't try any petty tricks in front of me again."

"The Heavenly King worries too much." The Body of the War God unconcernedly withdrew his hand and gave an innocently foolish smile. "With my meager abilities, how could I possibly harm the Heavenly King!"

He recalled being sent flying by lightning just moments ago. It wasn't that Absolute Suppression had failed. Rather, he had been blasted away by lightning before he could even touch the Thunder Heavenly King's skin. It seemed an invisible electric current constantly flowed around the Heavenly King's body. This meant if he could penetrate that defensive current, Absolute Suppression could directly affect the Heavenly King.

With his shoulders gripped by the two imposing figures, cold sweat dripped from the Bridge Protector. He stood rooted to the spot, afraid to move.

The Body of the War God said, "Let's go. The illustrious Thunder Heavenly King of the Fairy World wouldn't trouble a small fry like you. He still plans on using your Magpie Bridge to return, you know!" He then looked at the Thunder Heavenly King and asked with a smile, "Just the few of us are going? Aren't we bringing any guards?"

The Thunder Heavenly King forced a smile and shot an irritated glance at the Body of the War God. "Speak if you want to, but don't smile at me in the future. Don't meddle in matters I haven't instructed you on."

"..." The Body of the War God smiled again, his expression fawning. "Heavenly King, this is a sycophantic smile; I can't help it."

The Thunder Heavenly King was compelled to mirror the fawning smile. Only after the Body of the War God composed his expression did the Heavenly King glare fiercely at him.

[Resentment from Beigui +1, +1, +1...]

Beigui? Is that the Thunder Heavenly King's name? Knowing a name is useless. Even The Curse God can't curse someone just by knowing their name, and I don't have the ability to provoke someone across worlds. Otherwise, I could even exploit a bug in the Card System to neutralize him.

The Bridge Protector also wore a strained smile as he led the two onto the Magpie Bridge.

「In an instant.」

The three of them arrived on the Continent of Gods and Demons.

The moment they stepped off the Magpie Bridge, the Lightning Cage reappeared around the Body of the War God.

The Body of the War God said helplessly, "Heavenly King, there's no need to be so cautious! I can't escape. Carrying this huge Lightning Cage makes me too conspicuous."

"It truly is a completely new world!" The Thunder Heavenly King ignored the Body of the War God, instead surveying the scenery of the Continent of Gods and Demons. He then suddenly asked, "Who is the strongest in this world? Take me to him. I want to talk to him."

At the Holy Extreme Sect, Lin Bai sighed. So damn arrogant! Does a Heavenly King from the Fairy World really have that much confidence, just challenging the world's strongest like that, without a care for anything else?

"The strongest in this world are probably the gods. I've never been to this world before, so I don't know who their strongest is or where they reside. We can ask someone."

Although Lin Bai was eager for the Thunder Heavenly King to immediately fight some God of Holy Light or War God until both sides were crippled so he could reap the benefits, it wasn't feasible yet. His strength was insufficient; the Card System couldn't bypass two Realms to seal a Heavenly King. He needed to at least seal someone at the Star-glowing Realm first.

"Very well." The Body of the War God nodded, took a step, and instantly appeared above Free City. Countless bolts of lightning fanned out from behind him, forming an electric net that enveloped the entire city—confusingly, the text references Pine Stone City here, but the context implies Free City, which is where they are. Assuming it's Free City. He stood at the center of the electric web, gazing down imperiously at the city below, and boomed, "Whoever is in charge of this city, come out and meet me!"

Damn! Is this the Law of Thunder? This guy is practically carrying a mobile Heavenly Tribulation!

Witnessing this, the Body of the War God's eyes widened involuntarily. Lightning itself freezes at his command! How can anyone fight that? Compared to such an incredibly cool law, the System skills I've mastered seem far too basic; none of them are truly presentable.

The Missile barrage had wiped out the Third Legion of Priests, and a Four-winged Angel had decimated many modern military units. Furthermore, Lin Bai's wedding had led to the severing of all Magpie Bridges. With John mediating, Free City was experiencing unprecedented calm, as both sides maintained rationality and restraint.

The sudden appearance of the Lightning Cage above Free City terrified its inhabitants. The countless intertwining bolts of lightning were more frightening than missiles. Many citizens involuntarily fell to their knees, praying to their gods.

The Players from the Western Continent pointed at the Thunder Heavenly King in the sky and whispered among themselves, speculating about his origin. Ever since those officials in the Parliament, their heads full of maggots, had extended the Magpie Bridge to the Continent of Gods and Demons and rashly initiated war, things had spun increasingly out of control. All the fun of playing the game is gone! If we're not mistaken, that powerful man in the sky controlling the lightning must have been brought here by Lin Bai again... He just got married; why isn't he at home enjoying time with his wife instead of causing all this trouble?!

...

City Lord Sandley was about to lose his mind. For several days now, his Free City had been plagued by one disaster after another. He couldn't understand why these powerful outsiders had all chosen his small town.

"My God." Bishop Garnett looked at the Thunder Heavenly King above, his heart filled with despair. He turned to John for help. "Mr. John, who is that powerful man?"

"A Thunder God from another world." John glanced at Garnett and said grimly, "He wants to duel your god. Perhaps you should tell him where your God of Holy Light resides. This fellow seems to have a bad temper. If he's displeased, he might just massacre the city."

"..." Garnett's face grew even paler. He stammered, "Mr. John, I... I don't understand his language. You are currently the most powerful person in this city. Perhaps you could liaise with him?"

"Are you sure?" John looked at Garnett in surprise, a glint in his eyes.

Garnett looked at John, his heart thumping violently. He ventured, "Mr. John, perhaps we could lead him to the Misty Forest of the God of Darkness..."

"An excellent idea. In fact, that's what I was thinking. If you had actually asked me to go up, I would have led him straight to the Temple of Holy Light." John snapped his fingers, smiling at Garnett. "Bishop, you're not being honest, are you? I waited for you for two days, and you didn't reveal any information about the gods. But as soon as that lightning-wielder appeared, you suddenly know everything. You're not being honest!"

Sweat streamed down Garnett's face. "Mr. John, you never asked me!"

I was busy with my wedding night; who the hell has time to care about your gods... Lin Bai cursed inwardly, then said, "Give me the information you've gathered on the gods. I'll deal with the fellow hovering above you."

Garnett sighed, turned, and left. A moment later, he returned with a Parchment Scroll. "Mr. John, these Parchment Scrolls contain all the information about the gods of the Continent of Gods and Demons that I've transcribed over the past two days. However, this is merely an overview; higher-level secrets are in the hands of the Pope. So much has happened in Free City recently that I haven't had a chance to contact the Pope."

John reached for the Parchment Scroll.

Garnett pulled his hand back. "Mr. John, this information was originally prepared for Alliance Hierarch Lin. You may look at it first, but I hope you will honor your promise and lead the Thunder God from the other world to the God of Darkness, not to the Temple of Holy Light."

"No problem." John readily agreed, taking the Parchment Scrolls from Garnett's hand and scanning through them rapidly.

At the Holy Extreme Sect, Lin Bai committed all the information to memory; his formidable spiritual power had long granted him an eidetic memory. As he reviewed the data on the gods, a rudimentary plan began to form in his mind. When one's strength is inferior, it's best to act as a master strategist.

"The one in charge, come out and see me! Otherwise, I will annihilate this town!" the Thunder Heavenly King roared. As his roar echoed, the lightning bolts accompanying him struck the city's buildings and tall trees. Buildings were obliterated by the lightning, and trees, once struck, turned to charred husks, spewing thick black smoke. The city filled with wails of terror.

The Thunder Heavenly King's act of unleashing lightning to destroy parts of the city lent credence to Lin Bai's earlier assessment. Hearing the cries from outside, Garnett urged anxiously, "Mr. John, please hurry! That Devil God is already enraged!"

「At this moment.」

Lin Bai had finished reviewing all the information on the gods. Dividing his attention, he controlled John's body, using Levitation Magic to fly towards the Thunder Heavenly King in the sky.

He did not reveal that he could Flash.

As John flew, he called out, "Great Heavenly King, please calm your Wrath of Thunder! The people of this city do not understand your language. They have sent me to receive your instructions."

"Who are you?" the Thunder Heavenly King asked. "And how do you know I am a Heavenly King?"

"I am a Player, and my name is John," the Divided God replied. "Lin Bai of the Justice League has publicly released a great deal of information about the Fairy World. I recognized at a glance that you are a Celestial from the Fairy World. With such immense power, you must be a Heavenly King among Celestials."

"A Player, eh!" The Thunder Heavenly King looked at John and suddenly smiled. "Since you're a Player, you must have some understanding of this world."

"I haven't been in the game long, so I'm not very familiar with its background. However, just now, by leveraging your might, I obtained a list of the gods from the City Lord." John waved the Parchment Scroll in his hand and bowed slightly to the Thunder Heavenly King. "The gods rule this world; they are its kings. With your power, you should challenge the gods directly. I am willing to guide you and help translate between your languages. All I ask is that after you defeat these gods, you grant me a small share of the spoils. That would be satisfaction enough for me."