CHAPTER 398: 398 LIN BAI WANTS TO ASCEND TO GODHOOD

"Of course."

With a smile, Lin Bai skillfully used Extraction Skills.

Dark Magic Bomb: Use the dark element to form an exploding bomb.

After extracting the first skill, he proceeded to disembowel the God of Darkness.

Unlike Bei Gui, whose spiritual power was completely drained, the God of Darkness had a detailed origin in the information Garnett provided. He was born from darkness itself. Wherever darkness and shadows loomed, he was immortal and possessed endless power.

Therefore, Lin Bai didn’t intend to release him but planned to seal him within a card for slow torture.

"What are you doing?" The God of Darkness watched in disbelief as Lin Bai’s knife cut open his belly. "Although you can manifest me, you can’t kill me. Torturing me is meaningless."

"The Thunder Heavenly King thought much the same as you. And his outcome? You saw it." Lin Bai didn’t waste words on him. He continued his work with the knife while stepping onto the Magpie Bridge.

The God of Darkness and the Thunder Heavenly King had caused a huge commotion. Such a disturbance might attract unwanted attention, and Lin Bai didn’t want any surprise attacks right now.

Better safe than sorry.

Capturing the prey and taking it home to prepare slowly was naturally the safest approach.

Absolute Suppression is a divine technique. Once the immortal God of Darkness became an ’ingredient,’ all his divine power was suppressed.

His Undying Body was likewise imprisoned.

He meticulously dissected his ’ingredient,’ reducing it to a near-death state, then sealed it onto a card. The God of Darkness from the Continent of Gods and Demons thus became Lin Bai’s personal property.

Indeed, good fortune comes with great risk.

If he had lost the Body of the War God to the Thunder Heavenly King and escaped through the Magpie Bridge, how could he have profited like this?

After skillfully defeating his puppet several times, Lin Bai successfully extracted the Divine Status from the God of Darkness.

Then, Lin Bai discovered something pleasantly surprising.

After the Divine Status of the God of Darkness, who was sealed in the card, was extracted, the card automatically restored the Divine Status.

This meant he could mass-produce Gods of Darkness and various other deities...

But the power of the gods and spirits on the Continent of Gods and Demons depended on the number of their believers.

A Divine Status for everyone meant no one would be truly powerful.

It was unreasonable for everyone to have a Divine Status and still believe in you. Even more so for me, as the God of Darkness, to believe in you, a War God.

The only advantage of a Divine Status was that it could bring ordinary cultivators and Players to the same level.

After all, to a certain extent, most deities could now possess an Undying Body.

Considering practical benefits, possessing a few powerful Divine Statuses was the optimal choice for strengthening his team.

"Who wishes to become the God of Darkness?"

Lin Bai called his disciples together. In his hands, he held six Divine Statuses derived from the God of Darkness, the result of half an hour’s work.

After three rebellious disciples were expelled by Lin Bai, including his wife and pets, Lin Bai now had thirty-three disciples, their loyalty at one hundred percent.

Having Lin Bai as their master was undoubtedly a blessing, as he would smooth out all paths for them. The leak of the Nine Heavenly Kings’ files had made them feel their futures were bleak and uncertain. They didn’t know when they would enter the Fairy World again!

Then, Lin Bai suddenly produced a plethora of Divine Statuses, leveling the gap between them and the Immortals.

"Master, how many Divine Statuses can one person have?" Little White Fox asked.

"One," Lin Bai replied. "Once a Divine Status is bound to you, it can’t be changed. So, think carefully and choose a Divine Status that suits you. Moreover, Divine Statuses need faith to grow stronger. After you have a Divine Status, you will need to find ways to cultivate your own believers."

Holding the data on all the gods from the Continent of Gods and Demons, Tuohai and the others whispered among themselves.

There were many original gods on the Continent of Gods and Demons, including the God of Holy Light, War God, Sun God, Earth Goddess, God of Forest, Moon God, War Goddess, Wisdom Goddess, Lord of the Abyss, Flame God, God of Fear, Cupid, Sea God, Mountain God, and so on, covering various domains.

"Master, can you get more Divine Statuses?" Nan Rong asked.

"Of course," Lin Bai replied. "The gods on the Continent of Gods and Demons are not friendly. Expecting their cooperation is too difficult. Instead of the thankless task of negotiating with them for cooperation, it’s better to defeat them, take their Divine Statuses, and make them our own."

"I think the War God is more suitable for me," Nan Rong said.

"Brother Nan, the strength of a Divine Status doesn’t depend on whether the name sounds good, but on the number of believers, which in turn depends on the populace. The War God isn’t suitable for you. To date, you haven’t even fought a single prominent battle. The Divine Status of the War God should be given to me. After all, the Heavenly Sword Sect excels at offense. As long as I slay a few more Immortals and fight some exciting battles, I can definitely make the Divine Status of the War God shine," the Purple-clothed Ancestor said.

"No matter how exciting, can you outshine Master? I think developmental-type Divine Statuses, like the Forest Goddess or Cupid, would more easily attract believers," Mingyan from the Holy Extreme Sect said. "They are more down-to-earth."

"You can’t expect a grown man like me to become the Forest Goddess!" Nan Rong exclaimed. "I’d die of embarrassment."

"I’ll do it. Master, I am willing to become the God of Darkness," Ye Song said, stepping forward and interrupting the others’ discussion.

"Are you sure?" Lin Bai asked.

"Yes," Ye Song responded. "The type of Divine Status is secondary; the key is time. Master’s pace is too fast. If we don’t mature quickly, are we really going to let Master conquer all the worlds alone? Even as the God of Darkness, I am confident I can foster the Divine Status in a short period."

As soon as he spoke, all discussion about Divine Statuses abruptly ceased. Everyone cast admiring eyes at Ye Song. That was some top-tier bootlicking! How come we didn’t think of that?!

Lin Bai chuckled and tossed one of the Divine Statuses to him.

Ye Song examined the Divine Status for a moment, then absorbed it into his body without hesitation. He felt the changes the Divine Status brought. His handsome form suddenly dispersed, transforming into an irregular black mist.

The black mist spread, enveloping the entire meeting hall.

Inside the hall, everyone was instantly plunged into endless darkness.

"What’s happening?"

"I can’t see anything!"

"Even our Divine Senses are suppressed! Is this the domain of the God of Darkness?"

"It’s so powerful!"

Ye Song, not wanting to show off excessively, withdrew the Dark Space as soon as their voices rose in discussion.

When they saw light again, their perception of him had drastically changed.

"How does it feel?" Lin Bai asked.

"The Divine Power is too weak. The Dark Space can only cover the meeting hall; any larger and it’s beyond its capacity," Ye Song said. "But within the Dark Space, I feel omnipotent."

"When the Thunder Heavenly King fought the God of Darkness, his Dark Space covered the entire Misty Forest, at least ten thousand square kilometers," Lin Bai said, looking at Ye Song. "Find ways to get more believers, and your power will naturally increase. I can’t help you with this, but you can use the resources of the Justice League as you wish..."

"Master, can I develop believers in the real world and on the Continent of Gods and Demons?" Ye Song asked, looking at Lin Bai. "Your reputation is like the midday sun; competing with you for believers here is too difficult."

"Of course," Lin Bai nodded with a smile. "As long as you can grow quickly, it doesn’t matter which world you go to. You can even feign betrayal, recruit those who dislike me as your believers. Perhaps your recruitment speed will be even faster that way..."

"Master, I, Ye Song, will never betray you in this life!" Ye Song hastened to declare.

"A feigned betrayal, of course," Lin Bai glanced at him. "As my disciple, you must learn to be flexible and adaptable, using any means to strengthen yourself quickly. I remember you used to be quite astute. Why have you become so rigid lately?"

"Perhaps it’s from witnessing too many overwhelmingly powerful entities!" Ye Song shook his head, glanced at Ye Lan beside him, and said, "If I hadn’t been fortunate enough to be accepted as Master’s disciple and learn the truth of the Fairy World, I might have already chosen a life of seclusion."

"Nonsense about seclusion. Since you’ve become my disciples, you must naturally aim for the pinnacle of the world." Lin Bai looked at everyone and laughed, "Aren’t you going to help me? With so many worlds, do you expect me to manage them all by myself?"

"This disciple is willing to charge into enemy lines for Master!" Tuohai declared.

"This disciple is willing to charge into enemy lines for Master!" everyone chorused.

"Who else wants a Dark Divine Seal?" Lin Bai smiled and asked again.

"Master, Brother Ye already possesses a Dark Divine Seal. Would it be inappropriate for us to also use one?" Tu Yan asked.

"There’s nothing inappropriate. With so many worlds, one God of Darkness is too few. Besides, if Ye Song is called the Dark God, you can call yourselves the God of Darkness, the God of Shadows, the God of Night Color—aren’t the names up to you?" Lin Bai said. "It’s too slow for one person to develop.

"Although I said I wouldn’t help you, I suddenly had a brilliant idea. We can publicize that the God of Darkness perished while battling the invading Thunder Heavenly King, and his essence split into six parts that you obtained. This way, you can absorb the followers and assets of the original God of Darkness at an incredible speed. It will also attract the covetous attention of gods like the God of Holy Light and the Sun God. When they make a move, we can strike and seize their Divine Statuses as well."

Lin Bai grew more excited as he spoke, "I’ve even thought of the promotional theme for Justice Weekly: ’The Post-Deity Era’."

As soon as Lin Bai finished speaking, several more disciples stood up.

"This disciple is willing to become the God of Shadows."

"This disciple is willing to be the God of Darkness."

Soon, six Dark Divine Seals were distributed.

Everyone withdrew, discussing how they would go to the Continent of Gods and Demons to receive the followers of the God of Darkness.

They were bound together in prosperity and adversity.

Lin Bai always kept his word. Since he intended to seize the Divine Statuses of the Continent of Gods and Demons, he would surely succeed, and everyone would receive their share.

Unable to cultivate in the Fairy World, their cultivation in the Mortal World was heavily restricted. They didn’t even dare to use powerful techniques, as any significant move would attract Heavenly Tribulation. As Lin Bai’s disciples, they had been quite disheartened these past few days. But now, they had found new hope.

"Master, I want to be the War Goddess," Little White Fox said, looking eagerly at Lin Bai after everyone else had left.

"No problem." Lin Bai nodded and asked, "And the rest of you?"

"I think the Forest Goddess suits me," Qing Yun said.

"I want to be Cupid," Jiang Qingqin said.

"I want to be the Mountain God," Hu He said.

Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun.

Xu Longyun chuckled, "The Earth Goddess, then!"

"Alright, it’s settled!" Lin Bai laughed heartily. "You’ll get whatever you ask for. All deities should belong to our family."

Having simultaneously dealt with the Thunder Heavenly King and the God of Darkness, and having found a bug to farm Divine Statuses, Lin Bai’s confidence swelled once more.

「Above the Misty Forest.」

A man and a woman appeared at the site where the Thunder Heavenly King and the God of Darkness had fought. Looking at the Misty Forest, devastated by lightning, their expressions were very grave.

The man quietly sensed the lingering aura in the air, then looked towards the Dark Temple, destroyed by lightning, and said, "Darkness has fallen."

"The Thunder Heavenly King is too powerful," the woman said, her heart still palpitating with lingering fear as she recalled the nearly three-thousand-meter-tall Thunder God. "The Lightning Giant he summoned could easily shatter the Dark Space."

"Their battle lasted only half an hour," the man stated. "And there are eight more such terrifying invaders. Afra, we must find allies. If this continues, all deities will fall. If word of the God of Darkness’s fall spreads, our believers will diminish, perhaps even vanish. Only by winning this war can we maintain our Divine Power."

"That detestable Lin Bai! He’s the one who caused this disaster," Afra said. "If only we could kill him."

"He has also brought us opportunities for external expansion," the man said, looking towards the Magpie Bridge. "We need more intelligence from the outside world."

「Fairy World.」

The Thunder Heavenly King’s figure emerged from the Heavenly King’s Palace. Staring at the rows of grayed-out skills in his list, he felt like crying but had no tears.

The lost levels didn’t mean much to him, but without recovering the Thunder Hammer, his lost skills could never be relearned. To make matters worse, his ’Thor’s Advent’ had also been erased by Lin Bai. This was a cataclysmic disaster for him.

After hesitating for a long time, he opened the group chat that had just ended. The chat’s content was still focused on their discussion about Lin Bai and the new Players.

Seeing the name "Lin Bai," the Thunder Heavenly King found it particularly jarring. He clenched his teeth and typed, "Anyone here?"

A small flame avatar pulsed: "Old Lei, died and came back?"

A verdant tree avatar quickly followed: "A bit quick, weren’t you?"

Then, a light ball avatar: "How’s the world over there? Interesting? If I don’t find some amusement soon, this lifeless Fairy World will drive me insane."

A dark, starry sky avatar added: "Old Jin also sneaked over."

Little Flame typed: "The game company made a big move this time, actually bringing in another group of Players."

Looking at the flood of messages, the Thunder Heavenly King finally couldn’t hold it in anymore: "I’ve been defeated."

Little Flame sent a surprised emoji: "Killed and sent back? Damn, are the deities over there that strong? I can’t wait to go meet them."

Starry Sky asked: "What happened? Which deity took you out? I’ll go avenge you."

Little Flame sighed: "It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted defeat. Encountering a challenging BOSS, even dying once, is worth it."

Tree commented: "Looks like we don’t have to wait for Lin Bai to mature."

The Thunder Heavenly King was stung by the name "Lin Bai" again: "Lin Bai has already matured! We were deceived by the intel. That guy is extremely insidious; he’s far more powerful than we imagined."

Little Flame: "?"

Starry Sky: "?"

Tree asked: "What’s the situation? Tell us in detail."

The Thunder Heavenly King took a deep breath: "We thought Lin Bai was a special BOSS character the game company added to the game, but that’s not it at all..."

In the briefest terms, the Thunder Heavenly King recounted his ordeal.

Then, the group chat instantly exploded.

Little Flame: "Holy crap, the Thunder Hammer was stolen too? Seriously?"

Starry Sky: "He can erase skills too?"

Tree: "Do you guys think... he might have been sent by the game company to eliminate us...?"

With that one sentence, the group chat suddenly fell silent.