CHAPTER 401: 401: KINDNESS DOES NOT CONTROL TROOPS

"It makes sense, but I’ve heard that the Spiritual World Gap only opens every seven, no, six years. In six years, Lin Bai might have unified the Fairy World. What’s the point then?"

"Just because we can’t open the Spiritual World Gap doesn’t mean the Heavenly Kings can’t. After all, they are top-level BOSSes."

"Correction, they’re top-level players."

"Regardless, their level is definitely higher than Lin Bai’s. Lin Bai has at least two ways to enter the Spiritual World Gap: one is through the Magpie Bridge, the other is with a press pass. Surely, the Heavenly Kings can’t be without a single method! If they lack even that, what’s the point of fighting Lin Bai? They might as well wash up and go to bed. If he seals the Magpie Bridge, Lin Bai is unbeatable."

"Guys, stop discussing how to deal with Lin Bai. Our home has been stolen."

"What do you mean, our home?"

"’Justice Weekly’ has released a video on the forum showing Lin Bai forcibly pulling players out of their game pods, stating that anyone who targets civilians or civilian infrastructure will be annihilated by Lin Bai."

A moment of silence passed, then the surrounding players quickly melted away, logging off to check the latest news.

In a little while, the players logged back on one after another, their faces grim, filled with righteous indignation.

...

"I knew Lin Bai wouldn’t be so easy to deal with; he can even breach the game pods."

"It’s just a game. If it means risking our lives, it’s not worth it. Lin Bai claimed he won’t target civilians, that he won’t hurt our real-world bodies, but our lives are in his hands. If we cross his bottom line, he could strike whenever he pleases."

"Are you still taking missions?"

"The game company can’t even guarantee our lives, so screw the missions. I’ve already gone to the forums to protest to the game company."

"I said it before, Lin Bai shouldn’t have been left unchecked. But that initial batch of players actually idolized him. They’re as dumb as pigs."

"Actually, it isn’t totally impossible to take on missions. Firstly, players are relatively scattered. It will take time for Lin Bai to find and identify the players targeting him. Secondly, Lin Bai might not have time to deal with us in the real world. After all, compared to the Nine Heavenly Kings in the Fairy World and the Divine Spirits on the Continent of Gods and Demons, we aren’t very important. Thirdly, if more people protest to the game company, they might increase the game quota. The more people playing, the safer we are."

"Exactly. We need the cooperation of the Nine Heavenly Kings. With our lives at stake, the current rewards aren’t enough."

"Some people are already analyzing the video of Lin Bai hacking the game pods frame by frame; maybe they can find a solution."

"Does that even need analysis? The simplest method is to move the game pods to a location Lin Bai can’t find."

...

The Nine Heavenly Kings chat group.

The Thunder Heavenly King said, "Lin Bai has taken people and hidden on the Continent of Gods and Demons. Our methods worked."

Little Flame said, "Some players requested Magic Artifacts to enter the Spiritual World Gap, wanting to sneak into the Continent of Gods and Demons that way. I’ve already ordered the production of a Dimensional Breaking Awl."

Starry Sky said, "Lin Bai didn’t have anyone close the Magpie Bridge between the Fairy World and the Continent of Gods and Demons. I don’t know what these players are worried about; they could just go through the Magpie Bridge. This generation of players is too timid, not bold at all."

Tree said, "They’re afraid their real-world bodies will be harmed."

Light Ball said, "I really want to tell them their real bodies aren’t that important. We reign supreme in the game, living such carefree lives. What do we need our physical bodies for?"

Mountain Stone said, "They’re just a bunch of players; we’re not expecting them to actually handle Lin Bai. Cooperating with them is far less reliable than finding Divine Spirits from other worlds."

Starry Sky said, "There isn’t a single clever one in this batch of players. They actually think they’ll have a way out once Lin Bai is dead! Hefty rewards always attract brave individuals. Increase the rewards, and plenty of players will risk taking on the mission."

At this time, a dark avatar flickered a few times. "Enough with the nonsense. Thunder, Water, Fire, follow me to the Continent of Gods and Demons. The rest of you stay and guard the Fairy World. Lin Bai has high mobility and eyes and ears everywhere in the Fairy World. We need to prevent Lin Bai from launching a sneak attack on our base, and also prevent the Divine Spirits from the Continent of Gods and Demons from causing trouble over here. We must resolve these hidden dangers as soon as possible; the situation must be under our control."

Little Flame said, "Yes, Boss Dream."

Light Ball said, "With Boss Dream taking action, success is virtually guaranteed. We’ll just wait in the Fairy World for Boss Dream’s good news."

The Thunder Heavenly King hurriedly said, "Boss Dream, remember my hammer."

...

Over a million cultivators arrived on the Continent of Gods and Demons, followed by a large number of players.

The sudden appearance of so many people made the native inhabitants of the Continent of Gods and Demons tremble in fear, believing that another world had truly launched a large-scale invasion against them.

The unsuspecting local population hid in their homes, praying to their gods.

Armies of various nations assembled, and the Guard Armies of various Sects quickly entered a state of combat readiness.

A snowstorm of pleas for help was sent to the various Temples.

However, the contingent of cultivators did not offend the local populace of the Continent of Gods and Demons. Instead, they found a vast, mountainous wilderness and set up camp according to their respective Sects.

Even the lowest-ranked cultivator had greater physical strength and combat prowess than an ordinary person; they had no problems surviving in the wild.

Besides, they had brought a large quantity of supplies. Even though the Spiritual Energy composition of the two worlds was different, short-term cultivation wouldn’t be an issue.

The only problem currently troubling the cultivators was the language barrier.

However, most cultivators didn’t treat learning the language as a major concern.

No one wanted to be displaced from their homes; they preferred to believe this was a temporary refuge.

Once Lin Bai resolved the issues in the Fairy World, everyone would return to their original homes, and perhaps even enter the Spiritually-rich Fairy World.

...

Sect Leaders and those in the Crossing Tribulation Realm were settling their Sect members. Not having to worry about Heavenly Tribulations here, those in the Crossing Tribulation Realm could act freely, appearing even more relaxed than they were in the Immortal World.

Lin Bai and his Xu Longyun stood on a Sword Boat, overlooking the chaotic situation below.

On an adjacent Sword Boat, players bustled in and out, gathering intelligence from various sources, then summarizing the important information to report to Xu Longyun.

Now, the territories of the Justice League encompassed several worlds and involved matters of economy, war, and more. Lin Bai alone could not manage it all. Thus, Xu Longyun had established a dedicated advisory department to gather intelligence and formulate optimal solutions amid the chaos.

...

"My lord, the players are currently in a panic. A large number of them are protesting on the forums, demanding that the game company fix the game pod vulnerabilities and ensure their personal safety. This includes players from both the Eastern and Western Continents." Xu Longyun stood beside Lin Bai, habitually popping Spirit Fruits into her mouth to replenish her exhausted mind.

"Don’t bother with the players; they can’t cause much trouble." Lin Bai waved his hand. "Let’s talk about something useful. Our current targets are the Divine Spirits and the Heavenly Kings. Once they’re dealt with, handling the players will be child’s play."

Xu Longyun nodded and said, "Since our relocation began, 10,317 Heavenly Beings have arrived on the Continent of Gods and Demons via the Magpie Bridge. Their Realms were unknown. During the later stages of the migration, the frequency of Heavenly Beings crossing the Magpie Bridge increased significantly. An hour ago, players could still see the Heavenly Kings, but fifteen minutes ago, the Water Heavenly King and Fire Heavenly King stopped receiving players. The advisory department speculated that there was a 70% chance they had come to the Continent of Gods and Demons."

"Two of them came?" Lin Bai muttered.

"The Gold Heavenly King and Dream Heavenly King had never interacted with players from the start." Xu Longyun continued, "The Dream Heavenly King has ignored worldly affairs for a thousand years; his whereabouts cannot be determined. However, the Gold Heavenly King arrived on the Continent of Gods and Demons at least two days ago. So, at least three Heavenly Kings are currently on the Continent of Gods and Demons."

"Water, Fire, Gold." Lin Bai nodded. "Anyone else? What are the Divine Spirits on the Continent of Gods and Demons up to?"

"Our intelligence can’t penetrate their circles." Xu Longyun said. "The Player Levels on the Continent of Gods and Demons were too low; they had no qualifications to come into contact with the Divine Spirit echelon. The Justice League has recruited many players from the Continent of Gods and Demons, but we’ve obtained almost no useful information from them. However, not many natives from the Continent of Gods and Demons went to the Fairy World, only a few hundred. They dressed like players and mingled with them to cross the Magpie Bridge, presumably to scout for information."

The Magpie Bridge was Lin Bai’s, so it was easy for him to collect information on its users. However, top-tier Divine Spirits could easily deceive the bridge guards, like the Curse God before them, or even the Lich who managed to sneak into his wedding. Therefore, this information could only be used as a reference. It was enough to know that the two worlds had mutual dealings.

Lin Bai nodded, then changed the subject, "What about Ye Song and the others?"

"They’ve rallied some Dark Believers, but the numbers aren’t high. There hasn’t been enough time, so they haven’t earned the trust of the Dark Believers yet." Xu Longyun said, "Moreover, our sudden arrival on the Continent of Gods and Demons has drawn more attention, which will also affect their efforts to develop their faith. Tu Yan in the real world, however, has gained many followers. Many citizens and players on the Western Continent are willing to follow him, seeking to achieve great things in the game. They’ve spontaneously established the Dark God’s Religion, with clear divisions of labor among the believers. By now, his Dark Domain can cover an area with a radius of roughly fifty miles."

"A radius of fifty miles is still too small." Lin Bai sighed, shaking his head.

Xu Longyun glanced at Lin Bai and said softly, "My lord, you’re asking too much of them. It hasn’t even been a day, and with the Heavenly Kings from the Fairy World stirring up trouble, they’ve already done very well. Not everyone is a genius like you, my lord."

Lin Bai shook his head helplessly. "It’s not that I’m impatient; it’s that if they don’t mature quickly, I’ll no longer have a use for them."

"..." Xu Longyun was speechless for a moment, but considering the current situation—three of the Nine Heavenly Kings had mobilized, and the Divine Spirits of the Continent of Gods and Demons couldn’t possibly remain idle—once Lin Bai defeated those three Heavenly Kings, their help might indeed be unnecessary.

Suddenly, Xu Longyun froze. She looked at the dense masses of cultivators in the wilderness, a look of realization dawning on her. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Husband, isn’t what we’re doing a bit too risky?"

"You’ve figured it out?" Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun with a smile and said, "That’s right. They are the bait. In such a short time, with the language barrier, how could they possibly learn magic? If I wanted to save them, I could have sent them to the real world and then severed the Magpie Bridge. Neither the Heavenly Kings nor the Divine Spirits of the Continent of Gods and Demons could cross. Any other option would be better than this, wouldn’t it?"

"But they are over a million cultivators!" Xu Longyun stammered.

"Xiao Yun, a benevolent commander cannot lead troops. I am only one person, and my enemies span two worlds. If I don’t resort to some extraordinary measures, the longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us." Lin Bai’s expression was calm, his tone light. "You’ve seen it yourself. The Nine Heavenly Kings have already begun mobilizing players to destabilize the world. The cultivators from the twelve sects number just over a million. Even if you add the armies of several nations, it’s four million at most. But the players? A full ten million, and they have Undying Bodies. Once they mature, what world could withstand their turmoil?"

"But can’t you just pull them out of their game pods?" Xu Longyun asked.

"So, you also approve of me committing a massacre in the other world?" Lin Bai countered, looking at Xu Longyun. "What if the game company forced everyone into the game pods?"

Xu Longyun opened her mouth but was speechless.

"Xiao Yun, with my abilities, I could indeed easily create a catastrophe in the real world, even destroy that world. But the Heavenly Kings of the Fairy World would remain unaffected, as would the game company. And I would become a monstrous murderer, a devil who has slaughtered countless innocents." Lin Bai continued, "At that point, believe it or not, everyone would hate me to the core—including these cultivators and the ordinary people of that world. They wouldn’t be grateful that I saved them; they would be terrified, distance themselves, and then try to eliminate me so they could live in peace."

"..." Xu Longyun frowned.

"It’s quite unbelievable, isn’t it?" Lin Bai chuckled softly. "But that’s human nature! So, sometimes, I’d rather they believe I was trying to save everyone but simply made a strategic error. That way, even if some are lost, I would still win everyone’s trust, gain greater benefits, and ultimately steer things in the best direction."

"I understand." Xu Longyun managed a difficult smile and nodded, though not fully comprehending. "Perhaps this is the so-called Heavenly Dao."

"No, the Heavenly Dao is far more ruthless than I." Lin Bai said, "I deviated from the Heavenly Dao long ago. At least I genuinely want to save these worlds." He looked at Xu Longyun and smiled gently. "Besides, they won’t necessarily die. I’ll find ways to protect them."

...

「In the Temple of War God.」

"War God, the God of Darkness has indeed fallen." The God of Holy Light and the Goddess of the Moon stood side by side; they were the man and woman who had previously observed the battle between the Thunder Heavenly King and the God of Darkness.

"Our world is facing an unprecedented catastrophe." Afra, the Goddess of the Moon, said, "War God, we should put aside our past grievances and unite once more, just as we did when we fought the evil races. Only then can we defeat these invaders."

The War God was a five-meter-tall giant. He was bare-chested, with only a grey breastplate protecting his heart; the rest of his torso rippled with corded muscles. At his left side lay a black Longsword, and at his right, a Round Shield engraved with patterns of fierce Beasts. He listened to their account without expression, then rose, grasping his Longsword. He frowned, gazing into the infinite distance. "They are indeed invading our world. Let’s go. We’ll find the other Divine Spirits and drive these outsiders out."

His gaze was fixed on the place where the cultivators were stationed.