In the battle of experts, every second counts.

This is why The Curse God is seen as the weakest deity; his curses require him to be present, but what formidable entity would give him the chance to finish uttering his spells?

「...」

Watching the second Shi Biao appear, Tang Hao momentarily froze.

The same appearance, the same aura—having fought side by side for so many years, his senses wouldn't betray him.

Which Shi Biao is real?

Not every person is cold by nature; even rational individuals would find it hard to strike down their old friends readily.

Old friends were in danger.

Most people's first reaction is to try to save them, much like how Peng Lang reflexively retracted his moves when he saw Shi Biao.

In this moment of hesitation, Lin Bai's Prosecution had already been launched.

With the various enhancements that the System provides, such as Agility, Spirit, Physical Constitution, etc., the Skills he shares from the Puppets are often at least twice as powerful as the original owner's, not to mention they were used for an ambush.

Just like that, Tang Hao was caught off guard and, wailing, he fell from the sky, much like Peng Lang.

However, the reactions of Starshine Realm powerhouses were swift.

He launched a counter-attack whilst heavily wounded.

In the instant of his fall, he launched the Purple Flame Heavenly Thunder at Lin Bai.

The Heavenly Thunder didn't inflict much damage on Lin Bai, but the flames followed its course, burning down from his head. Excruciating pain instantly spread from his head throughout his entire body.

However, Lin Bai's reaction was even faster.

The Art of Separation!

Three Heads Six Arms!

The burning head was instantly detached, and three new heads grew out.

Those who command lightning are rather single-minded, always choosing to strike from the head down. This afforded Lin Bai an opportunity: just toss the burning head away and grow new ones.

Hit by Prosecution, Tang Hao was given no chance by Lin Bai to launch a second strike. Lin Bai Flashed to his side and, executing Absolute Suppression, restrained him.

The moment he had him subdued, the Magpie Bridge appeared beneath them. Lin Bai had already returned to the Holy Extreme Sect with his captive.

Fei Shang was stunned.

Shi Biao, struck by Fei Shang's Synchronous Thunder, was paralyzed and couldn't move. Filled with grief and indignation, he cried out, "Old Fei, run! We're no match for him! Go find a Heavenly King! Only a Heavenly King can deal with him!"

In just a few rounds, three out of four were eliminated. Fei Shang knew full well the consequences of staying. He quickly descended to grab Peng Lang, who was under the effect of Prosecution, and prepared to flee.

But in that brief moment, Lin Bai had already returned to the fight, with the dazed Tang Hao before him.

Prosecution! Purple Flame Heavenly Thunder!

Fei Shang's spirit and body were struck simultaneously. With Lin Bai also coordinating the attacks through Tang Hao, just as Fei Shang's Synchronous Thunder enveloped Lin Bai, Fei Shang himself lost consciousness...

[...Current crisis solved; Reward: Critical Hit (already awarded)]

Having defeated the four, Lin Bai completed the Extreme Kill-Back System's task and received his reward. He sealed the remaining two into Cards and unleashed the Thunderbolt Spear at an empty space.

If the original black spears were merely a torrent, then amplified a hundredfold, they became a vast ocean. Countless black spears tore through the ground that had just been pulverized by sound waves, plowing it anew.

Shi Biao, who had been immersed in sorrow seeing his three comrades turned into Puppets, was startled by such a powerful technique.

Lin Bai used this move earlier, but it wasn't this powerful! Is the enhancement from the Starshine Realm really this potent for him? If he could have used this move earlier, it would have been impossible for the four of us to retreat unscathed... This man is too formidable! He definitely has the makings of a Heavenly King! No, with his wicked combat talent, perhaps he won't even need to wait for the future! This is bad! The Thunder Heavenly King is in danger!

「...」

In this short time, some Players had already resurrected.

They weren't aware that those besieging Lin Bai were at the Starshine Realm. However, seeing Lin Bai effortlessly defeat four opponents and then unleash such a ferocious final technique, they were left dumbfounded.

"Lin Bai is too strong! It was only a few minutes, one against four, and he completely crushed them!"

"Watching Lin Bai's Sound Wave Technique in videos doesn't do it justice. Experiencing it firsthand, you realize how terrifying it is! He wouldn't need to do anything else; if he just shouted a few times in a major city in the real world, we'd all go extinct. I now understand why countries don't dare to make an enemy of Lin Bai."

"Those Anti-Linbai Alliance Players are all idiots! They'll bring disaster to the world!"

"They're not afraid. The game pods grant immunity to any external physical harm. Even if the world ended, they'd be fine."

"A bunch of selfish bastards."

"You can't stop people from thinking what they want; the game company gave them ambition..."

"What good is ambition? Forget the Sound Wave Technique; just that last move Lin Bai unleashed—how many Players could withstand that?"

「...」

The high-ranking members of the Anti-Linbai Alliance, who knew the true identities of Shi Biao and the others, fell silent as they watched the live broadcast.

"We underestimated Lin Bai's strength. We never expected him to defeat four Starshine Realm practitioners so easily."

"I'm afraid only a Heavenly King can deal with him now."

"The Thunder Heavenly King was too foolish this time. We warned him to use his full strength against Lin Bai, but he delegated the task to his subordinates and went off to the Continent of Gods and Demons himself. Now he's effectively exiled himself and can't return even if he wants to."

"Perhaps provoking Lin Bai was a mistake. He's growing too quickly."

"What's there to fear? We can't die anyway; the game company will back us up. Besides, hasn't Lin Bai acknowledged our position? It proves our threats worked. Lin Bai doesn't want the world to be destroyed. As long as we're more ruthless than he is, he can't touch us."

"Let's hope so."

"What we need to do now is create more enemies for Lin Bai, so he's too busy to deal with us. If even one enemy can take him down, we win. If not, and Lin Bai continues to grow stronger, we can also pressure the game company to release more game pods. Once everyone in the world is in a game pod, we'll be an invincible, undying torrent, and we will conquer everything!"

"What's our next move?"

"Spread the news of Lin Bai's battle results. Make more Heavenly People and Gods and Demons feel threatened. We need to keep Lin Bai constantly in the spotlight. It's a pity the Thunder Heavenly King can't return for a while; otherwise, Lin Bai would probably have to face a Heavenly King directly..."

There was no need for the Anti-Linbai Alliance's propaganda. After Lin Bai returned to the Holy Extreme Sect, he immediately dispatched reporters from Justice Weekly. They extracted key battle footage from his personal follow-cam recording device and instantly broadcast his achievements to every corner of the world.

Justice Weekly, being akin to an official media outlet and possessing firsthand battle data, was far more efficient in its publicity than any efforts by the Anti-Linbai Alliance.

The Power of Laws was incredibly useful, second only to System Skills. Having discovered new features of the Card System twice in a row, Lin Bai had accumulated a significant number of Cards. I need to take down more Starshine Realm opponents to increase my strength, he thought. Quantity leads to a qualitative change. The more laws I master, the better my chances will be against the Heavenly Kings in the future.

「...」

Although Justice Weekly acknowledged the legitimacy of the Anti-Linbai Alliance, real-world authorities did not encourage their actions and didn't even have Xu Longyun contact them.

Simultaneously, official media outlets in various countries urged the Anti-Linbai Alliance to remain rational. They labeled its members as potential criminals. Once their identities were verified, their access to all real-world resources would be restricted, and it would also affect the social credit of their immediate families.

If their actions provoked Lin Bai and led to severe consequences, they would be charged with crimes against humanity, hunted down, and convicted in all worlds...

「...」

The Players acted without considering the consequences, but the authorities dared not.

The Eastern Continent, in particular, knew Lin Bai had ways to deal with Players even inside their game pods.

The game pods couldn't be their sanctuary. However, since Lin Bai had demanded they keep it secret, they didn't dare reveal this information. They could only clean up the mess made by these foolish individuals through other means.

Lin Bai's personal strength was growing at a visible rate. Moreover, he could directly threaten their safety while also guaranteeing their power.

Meanwhile, the game company consistently lagged behind and seemed to have no effective countermeasures against Lin Bai.

The higher-ups in the real world knew very well on which side to place their bets.

「...」

「Thunder Heavenly King Temple」

Over a dozen Heavenly People of the Starshine Realm were gathered.

One of them, clad in black armor, asked, "Supervisor Meng, Old Shi and the others have been captured by Lin Bai. What should we do?"

Supervisor Meng, wearing a red robe, was sprawled lazily in a chair, his cheek resting in one hand. He replied languidly, "The Heavenly King said that if the four of them failed, unless Lin Bai comes knocking on our door, we are to just watch the show and wait for his return."

"Lin Bai has opened the Magpie Bridge to the Continent of Gods and Demons. Can't we go find the Heavenly King?" another Heavenly Person asked.

"Since when do you question the Heavenly King's actions?" Supervisor Meng shot him a glance. "Just do as the Heavenly King instructed. The other Heavenly Kings won't just sit by and watch Lin Bai wreak havoc in the Fairy World."

「...」

「Golden Heavenly King Palace」

A young man in a blue robe was leafing through an issue of Justice Weekly. Seeing the depiction of Lin Bai's imposing might with his Three Heads Six Arms, he chuckled. "Interesting. But at this level, he's not much of a thrill to play with! Little mice need to grow bigger to be truly delicious!"

Before his words faded...

His figure vanished from the throne.

The next moment...

He appeared in the council chamber.

The council chamber's supervisor hurriedly greeted him.

The Gold Heavenly King waved his hand dismissively. "Da Hai, I'm heading to the Continent of Gods and Demons to experience some different opponents. Find ten Starshine Realm experts and take down Lin Bai."

The supervisor, Da Hai, hesitated for a moment. "My King, Lin Bai easily defeated four of the Thunder Heavenly King's Starshine Realm fighters. I fear ten Starshine Realm experts might not be enough to capture him."

"Then send twenty," the Gold Heavenly King said. "The Thunder Heavenly King hasn't even made a move against him. If I were to act personally, wouldn't I lose face? You are fully in charge of this matter. If you can capture or kill Lin Bai before the other Heavenly Kings do, I'll reward you with some amusing things."

"Yes, Heavenly King," Da Hai responded. "Lin Bai has constructed the Magpie Bridge, allowing Heavenly People to travel to the Continent of Gods and Demons. City Lords from various places report that many Heavenly People are secretly crossing over. Should we manage this?"

"No need." The Gold Heavenly King waved his hand. "Even I've grown tired of being cooped up in this little patch of land for so long. Now that there's a fresh world, let them go if they wish. No need to interfere."

Similar scenes were unfolding in other Heavenly King Palaces as well.

Unlike the anxious Starshine Realm individuals, the Heavenly Kings were very relaxed about the Lin Bai situation, completely delegating authority to their subordinates. This was especially true for the Dream Heavenly King, who had been in seclusion; his subordinates hadn't even seen him throughout this entire period.

Instead, several Heavenly Kings were quite intrigued by the Continent of Gods and Demons on the other side of the Magpie Bridge.

Each of them was eager to venture into the Continent of Gods and Demons immediately, unafraid that Lin Bai might destroy the Magpie Bridge and prevent their return.

Regarding this, the Heavenly People below could only surmise: Perhaps the Heavenly Kings simply disdained to act personally against Lin Bai, who was of a lower Level than them.

「...」

「Misty Forest」

「The Dark Castle of the God of Darkness」

"Great God of Darkness, we've analyzed the Thunder Heavenly King's route. He's heading straight for the Misty Forest. This must be the result of despicable instigation by those followers of Holy Light. We hope you will make preparations," a Player named [Dark Heart] said, standing in the middle of the grand hall and reporting to the God of Darkness on the throne. "The Thunder Heavenly King is one of the nine rulers of the Fairy World. He appears extremely powerful. Only by defeating him can we protect our world from invasion by these foreign gods..."

On the throne was a swirling mass of dense fog, its human form indiscernible. A hoarse voice emerged from it: "I'm more interested in Lin Bai's recent situation. If possible, I'd like to meet him. His Magpie Bridge, capable of breaking world barriers, is quite intriguing..."

"Great God of Darkness, Lin Bai just finished a battle in the Fairy World, defeating four enemies similar to terrifying Mages," [Dark Heart] reported. "He uses the Magpie Bridge to connect two worlds and is full of hostility towards our world. Every expert he encounters is turned into a Puppet by him. His actions are more evil than those of the Master of the Abyss. God of Darkness, he can never be your friend. Killing him is the best choice; there's no possibility of him becoming your subordinate..."

"That is my affair." The fog of the God of Darkness churned. "I only need you to convey the message."

"Alright, I will convey it for you. But the immediate priority is dealing with the Thunder Heavenly King, who is practically at your doorstep," [Dark Heart] said. "He certainly doesn't look like he's here for a friendly chat."

"Darkness is eternal. No one can harm me, not even thunderbolts." After uttering these words, the dense fog on the throne suddenly dispersed and vanished.

In the Dark Temple, only the Player [Dark Heart] remained. He stood stunned for a moment, then bowed piously towards the empty throne, respectfully seeing off the God of Darkness.

However, in his private chat channel, his self-muttering tone was filled with disdain and mockery: Bullshit God of Darkness! If my Divine Power didn't come from you, why the hell would I bother serving you? It would be best if you both ended up crippled! That's our only chance to seize your Divine Status! This is the perfect opportunity. No one can stop the rise of the future King of Darkness!

「...」

「Outskirts of the Misty Forest」

The Thunder Heavenly King stopped. He squinted, sensing the aura emanating from the dark forest, his eyes filled with fervor. "A powerful enemy! It's been a long time since I've encountered one! I like this new world."

He spoke in the pure language of the Western Continent.

It had to be said, every powerhouse at the apex possessed incredible abilities. During his journey with John, the Thunder Heavenly King had already learned the language of the Western Continent, speaking it so fluently, without any accent, that he sounded like a native deity.

The Body of the War God, hidden within the Lightning Cage, was also observing the Misty Forest. However, apart from a sinister, treacherous aura, he couldn't sense anything else; his Bronze Realm Level was still too low.

Suddenly, the Thunder Heavenly King turned to John and smiled. "John, you've told me many things along our journey, but I've yet to see you smile. I like smiles. As the great battle is about to begin, why not offer me one? Wish me a victorious start!"