Chapter 322: 322 Raise flag
Lin Bai led the Justice League through the Magpie Bridge.
Setting up a Magpie Bridge required couple cards, and with the limited number Lin Bai possessed, he certainly wouldn’t give them to his Divine Soul Avatars. Moreover, the Divine Soul Avatars didn’t need to lead many people; using the Flash skill was sufficient. Apart from its short range, Flash had no restrictions. Without the steps of placing and retrieving cards, a single person using Flash traveled even faster than via a Magpie Bridge.
Lin Bai’s Divine Soul Avatars were no different from the natives of this world. Traveling at night posed no problem, but as soon as day broke and the sun peeked out, the two Divine Soul Avatars weakened at a visible rate. They melted faster than snowmen in the sun. At this pace, the avatars would vanish by noon at the latest. Lin Bai promptly commanded the Divine Soul Avatars to retreat into the shadows, narrowly avoiding the tragic fate of perishing before their mission even truly began.
At this point, Lin Bai finally understood why the negative emotions from the outside world hadn’t significantly increased when the Divine Soul Avatars delivered the Heavenly Tribulation: without the protection of a physical body, a Divine Soul was too fragile. Cultivators simply didn’t take the Divine Soul Avatars seriously. No wonder that while methods of Body Snatching for rebirth exist in the Cultivation World, I’ve never heard of any Cultivator willing to focus on it. Most Cultivators turn pale at the mere mention of a Divine Soul leaving the body.
Back then, Xiao Yu from the Valley of Thousand Souls had launched an attack outside Zhen City, preemptively creating dark clouds suitable for souls to inhabit. Lin Bai’s Divine Soul lacked the Spiritual Power to control Magic Artifacts and couldn’t create a suitable environment for itself. This forced it to travel only at night, which indirectly lengthened the time the Divine Soul Avatars spent on the road.
Lin Bai shifted his attention away from the Divine Soul Avatars. They were either traveling or hiding in the shade of a tree, with no one to talk to. It was quite monotonous and didn’t require much of his mental energy.
Perhaps finding two bodies for the Divided Gods would be the best way to utilize them to their full potential. If the possession failed, it wouldn’t matter; for Lin Bai, creating Divided Gods incurred minimal losses.
「On the seventh day.」
Ancestor Yan Qing informed him, via messages from the Players, that the cooking competition in Taiyi Country was nearing its end, and the runner-up had been selected.
Lin Bai took out his kitchenware, found some ingredients on Qingmu, and casually prepared a dish. The Taiyi Country’s cooking competition declared him the champion. Thanks to everyone’s collective efforts, the Cooking God System’s mission was completed with ease. Lin Bai obtained a new skill—Dazzling Cooking: when cooking, it will attract everyone’s attention.
On Qingmu, Lin Bai tested the new skill. As the skill description stated, when he began cooking, everyone around, regardless of what they were doing, was forced to turn and watch him. Even Qing Yun, who was battling the Heavenly Tribulation in the sky, was no exception.
This is a strong control skill.
The moment Qing Yun turned her head to watch him cook, she was caught off guard and struck by a bolt of lightning. Lin Bai had nearly caused a catastrophe. He quickly stopped cooking, releasing Qing Yun from his skill’s effect. Despite this, he still accrued a string of negative emotions from Qing Yun.
A super strong control skill, similar to Provocation but not as good. That was Lin Bai’s assessment of the new skill. A bit underwhelming!
However, when the Cooking God System issued a new mission, Lin Bai suddenly changed his view on Dazzling Cooking.
The new mission was: [Host a world-class cooking competition and earn the title of Food God in the competition. Reward: Absolute Suppression (When you are cooking, you have absolute control over the ingredients)].
The mission was much as he had anticipated, though the requirement was the title of Food God, not merely champion. The reward, however, exceeded his expectations.
The definition of "ingredients" is too broad! This is a truly powerful control ability. Paired with Flash, it’s practically invincible...
"Tell Ancestor Yan Qing that the international cooking competition must be planned within seven days. My culinary skills are now unmatched in the world. I don’t need the champion title; I want to become the Food God." Qing Yun could still hold on alone for more than ten days. Lin Bai calculated the time and then instructed the Player who was live-streaming.
Hold Nothing Back in Happiness nodded. After a moment, he said, "Alliance Hierarch, Ancestor Yan Qing agreed. The compensation materials promised by the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects have been transported to a location 120 li north of Qingmu. Please, Alliance Hierarch, go and inspect them."
As soon as his words fell, DING! A sound echoed in Lin Bai’s mind, and the Super Sect Leader System sent a task completion prompt.
[...Retrieve what belongs to you, restore the dignity of the Righteous Door Sect Leader (Completed). Reward: Merit 500 (Distributed)].
[In the name of the Righteous Door, host a sect conference, invite other sects to participate, and successfully be elected as the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch. Reward: Nine Tripods (Merit Magic Treasure, suppresses Qi Yun)].
Host a sect conference? Not even a ghost would show up! This Super Sect Leader System... an Alliance Hierarch of the Justice League is no longer enough to satisfy its appetite. It’s definitely trying to push me to become the sovereign of the world! However, after I overcome this Heavenly Tribulation, I’ll be the undisputed number one in the world. Who would need this damned system then!
Lin Bai grumbled internally, dismissed the Sect Leader System’s mission, and said to Hold Nothing Back in Happiness, "Alright, I understand."
Hold Nothing Back in Happiness glanced at the live stream’s bullet comments and said, "Alliance Hierarch, Ancestor Yan Qing agreed. However, he mentioned that organizing a world-class cooking competition within seven days might not be feasible. Leaving other issues aside, there simply isn’t enough time."
"Not enough time?" Lin Bai frowned slightly. "Tell them to prepare more couples. My junior brother, Lin Sanbai, will go help them set up the Magpie Bridges. I can grant an extension of three days. It must be completed within ten days."
After a moment, Hold Nothing Back in Happiness said, "Ancestor Yan Qing has agreed. He said he will dispatch the Heaven-sent individuals to await Martial Uncle Lin Sanbai in Zhen City to assist him in constructing the Magpie Bridges."
Lin Bai curled his lip disdainfully. "He’s even afraid of a mere Divine Soul Avatar. That fellow only has that much backbone."
After setting up the Magpie Bridge and taking advantage of a lull in the Heavenly Tribulation, Lin Bai led the Justice League out of the tribulation cloud. They arrived at the deposit point for the compensation materials and retrieved all of them. The materials were unguarded. They had likely been placed there long ago, and Lin Bai was only notified after everyone had departed. In the short time it took to retrieve the materials, the tribulation cloud quickly reformed overhead, barely giving Lin Bai a chance to breathe.
Lin Bai was now like a walking calamity; no native dared to be drawn into his Heavenly Tribulation. Everyone cautiously avoided any contact with him.
The compensation from the twelve Sects was indeed generous. Every low-level Cultivator trapped in the Heavenly Tribulation received a large share of resources, and these elated individuals quickly immersed themselves in a new round of cultivation. There’s an adaptation process for everything; after hearing the thunder so often, they gradually grew accustomed to it.
These resources were not of much help to those in the Mahayana Realm or the Crossing Tribulation Realm. The only things useful to them were Lin Bai’s Spirit Fruit and Temperament Fruit, but only his Disciples were eligible to enjoy these.
The Divine Soul Avatars were still en route; the most pressing matter remained the Heavenly Tribulation.
While Qing Yun could still provide shelter, Lin Bai explained the principle of the Faraday Cage to Zuo Lan. He gathered all the Mahayana Realm and Crossing Tribulation Realm Cultivators to help him construct a massive cage capable of withstanding at least one hundred million volts.
The thunderstorm intensified, with each bolt of lightning falling from the sky as thick as a water bucket. Lin Bai suspected that an ordinary Faraday Cage wouldn’t withstand such high voltage. He therefore instructed Zuo Lan to make the Faraday Cage’s conductivity as high as possible. Even if it only lasted a day before being breached, it was better than passively awaiting their doom. Besides, they were idle anyway...
"The Righteous Door is truly a Technology Sect, as expected. The principle of the Faraday Cage is almost identical to Maxwell’s theory in our world."
"Handcrafting equipotential bodies demands a high level of Artifact Refining. Besides, judging by the scale of the lightning, the voltage is at least over a hundred million volts. His so-called Faraday Cage will probably be breached instantly. Instead of messing with that contraption, he should focus on upgrading his Laws!"
"Lin Bai’s resorting to Maxwell’s theory. He must be truly desperate this time."
"Lin Bai’s Laws rely on external forces. Even organizing a cooking competition required going through the Seven Righteous Sects. Trying to upgrade now probably won’t help him. Haven’t you noticed Shopkeeper Lin is mostly just dazed on the live stream? This Heavenly Tribulation might genuinely be his final performance."
"Perhaps the game officials will give him a buff. After all, he’s been the protagonist lately, strongly dictating the world’s pace."
"It’s precisely because he set the pace that the world became a mess! The past few days he’s been gone, the world has been so peaceful. Maybe the game officials realized this and decided to use special means to erase this troublesome NPC and correct the plot. Lin Bai’s mission to spread the Laws is complete; it’s like he’s been killed by the plot."
"But his Magpie Bridge isn’t finished yet."
"Didn’t he dispatch two Divine Soul Avatars to help build the Magpie Bridge? That Divine Skill ’One Qi Becomes Three Purities’ he suddenly comprehended was probably the officials patching a loophole, giving him an excuse to complete his unfinished tasks."
"What about his fan group? Are they just going to ignore this?"
"Lin Bai’s existence has seriously unbalanced the game! Fan group or not, he has to be eliminated. Otherwise, what’s the point of us playing?"
"You’re talking nonsense! Shopkeeper Lin will definitely survive the Heavenly Tribulation! The day he emerges will be the day you heretics meet your doom!"
"Praying for Shopkeeper Lin."
"Praying for Shopkeeper Lin +1"
"Shopkeeper Lin, hang in there! We’re waiting for your return in the Blood Sect!"
"Brother Lin, please don’t blame us for being out of touch these past few days. The sisters have been working together in the Blood Sect, making nine hundred and ninety-nine Blessing Lamps for you. We just released them into the sky. If the heavens have eyes, they will surely see our devotion!"
"Brother Lin, hang in there! The sisters have already gone to the forums to protest! How could those despicable game officials dare to strike you with lightning for over eighty days?"
"I wish I could join you in the Heavenly Tribulation, sharing your trials and tribulations!"
"Brother Lin, you must persist! The Supporting Group is doing everything possible to save you. We will always be your steadfast rock!"
"Praying for Brother."
"Praying for Brother."
On the Players’ live screens, the discussion had initially been a normal one about the Faraday Cage. But in the blink of an eye, the bullet comments were flooded by fans from the Lin Bai Support Group. The screen was filled with messages like "Praying for Shopkeeper Lin" and "Praying for Brother," completely obscuring any normal discussion.
The frenzy of Lin Bai’s Fan Group intensified the aversion normal Players felt towards him. Consequently, Lin Bai’s negative Emotion Value soared.
Lin Bai learned what his fans were doing from a few private chats with Players, but he didn’t pay it much mind. Unless his Divine Soul Avatars could directly contact the fans, relying on these few insincere Players, his intentions would never reach his fans’ ears, let alone allow him to leverage their combat strength.
Ultimately, whether it’s the Beggar Gang or the Justice League, only the fans are truly his own people! Unfortunately, their levels are too low.
「Five more days passed.」
The Faraday Cage, designed to accommodate tens of thousands of people, was still not complete. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Tribulation grew even more ferocious. Sheet lightning, bolt lightning, ball lightning—all sorts of electrical discharges rained down incessantly on Qing Yun. It no longer gave Qing Yun any respite. Qing Yun had long since stopped speaking, focusing all her energy on dealing with the Heavenly Tribulation.
Watching the increasingly fierce Heavenly Tribulation, Lin Bai’s ominous premonition grew stronger. He doubted Qing Yun could hold out for twenty days at this rate.
At some point, Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin had both come to Lin Bai’s side. Xu Longyun looked at Lin Bai’s profile and asked gently, "Lin Lang, we can get through this Heavenly Tribulation, right?"
"Of course," Lin Bai replied reassuringly, taking both their hands. "So many days have passed, and not a single lightning bolt from the Heavenly Tribulation has actually landed on us. The rest shouldn’t be a problem. Ever since I can remember, my master told me I am destined to become a man of the Heavenly Dao, so I cannot perish here."
The Little White Fox and her siblings had been playing with the dazed Lin Erbai. Seeing Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin approach Lin Bai, the Little White Fox immediately reverted to her original form and with a few leaps, jumped into Lin Bai’s arms, as if declaring her sovereignty.
"Yes, I believe you," Xu Longyun smiled faintly, looking at Qing Yun in the sky. "Junior Sister Qing Yun is working so hard to protect us. If possible, we should avoid turning her into a Puppet."
"Alright, I’ll try my best." Lin Bai looked up at Qing Yun, who resembled a Thunder God as she blocked most of the lightning, and nodded. "I don’t want to turn her into a Puppet either. But if she can’t hold on, using her power is the only way to protect more people and ensure her own survival!"
"Master, don’t listen to her! If you need to turn me into a Puppet, then do it. I am willing," Qing Yun’s voice came from the sky. "I want to live. Only by living can I qualify to grow into a Divine Wood."
Lin Bai smiled and said to Xu Longyun, "Xiao Yun, your Junior Sister Qing Yun is much more rational than you!"
Xu Longyun managed a smile. "I am not her equal." She gently leaned her head on Lin Bai’s shoulder and said softly, "Lin Lang, if there is a chance, please live. Don’t worry about me, and don’t turn me into a butterfly. These days with you have made me incredibly happy."
Jiang Qingqin watched Xu Longyun with admiration. She subconsciously started to pull her hand away from Lin Bai’s, but before she could, he tightened his grip.
"Why say such disheartening things?" Lin Bai spread his arms and embraced them both. "I said we can overcome this Heavenly Tribulation, and we absolutely will! After we get through this, I’m going to hold a magnificent wedding for you both!"
"Really?" Jiang Qingqin’s eyes lit up.
"Of course," Lin Bai nodded solemnly. Tasks from the Matchmaker System and the Super Sect Leader System flashed through his mind. "An absolutely unforgettable, super wedding, one where the leaders of the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects must all attend and offer their congratulatory gifts..."
Lin Bai spoke with a confident air. Xu Longyun smiled faintly, but a quiet sigh escaped her heart as bitterness spread. Lin Bai was even making promises like a wedding. This Heavenly Tribulation... it seems we really won’t make it through this time! Still, to hear his promise of a wedding before dying... this life has been worth it!