Seeing the Justice League Army return to the Magpie Bridge, Grandmaster Yan Qing asked Far Vision Eagle, "What's happened with the Blood Sect?"
Far Vision Eagle's expression was gloomy. "Lin Bai used a sonic attack that blew apart a hundred miles of the Sea of Blood and destroyed the Blood Sect's mountain gate, wiping out all cultivators below the Divinity Transformation Realm."
After a brief blackout, the Blood Sect players resurrected and reconnected. The news that came through was horrifying.
The barrage of messages swirling through Far Vision Eagle's consciousness confused him. His mind was no longer on the present. Lin Bai's sonic attack was powerful and domineering. It was stronger than a nuclear explosion. Even if modern technological weapons were brought over, would they really work against Lin Bai? The destruction of the Blood Sect signified that Lin Bai now had the capability to confront the top seven orthodox sects head-on. Given Lin Bai's personality, suppressing the top seven orthodox sects and the five heretic sects was just a matter of course, wasn't it? If Lin Bai monopolized power, what would the consortium do? Even the top seven orthodox and the five heretic sects knew to limit the players, but Lin Bai constantly called the players harbingers of disaster. Betting on him not making a move against players was downright delusional... An NPC this dominant—how could players enjoy the game? Looking towards Lin Bai's supporting group, Far Vision Eagle frowned slightly. Are they expecting players to hide obediently within the game world, to be dogs for the NPCs? What about competitiveness and balance? The game's story up to this point felt increasingly irrational... If the NPCs were too intelligent, did it mean the game's story was spiraling out of control? Is this really just a game world? How on earth could the consortium possibly profit from this? As various questions scrolled across the in-game chat, Far Vision Eagle's mind was a mess. He had once led the Xinlong Group to carve out a significant presence in the world of commerce, yet his present situation deeply unsettled him and filled him with a sense of powerlessness. At this moment, he could fully understand what it felt like for the top seven orthodox sects to confront Lin Bai's rules—it was as if both sides were playing entirely different games.
"A sonic attack destroyed the Blood Sect's mountain gate?" Grandmaster Yan Qing shivered, his eyes wide as he repeated the words in a daze.
Although Lin Bai had been active for many days and often relied on his rules to oppress people, he had never been bloodthirsty. Hearing the news of the massacre of everyone below the Divinity Transformation Realm was hard for Yan Qing to believe.
He knew the power of the Sea of Blood and how many cultivators of the Great Cheng Realm and Transcendence Tribulation Stage were stationed within the Blood Sect.
In such a short time, across the Sea of Blood and under the watchful eyes of many Great Cheng cultivators, he had annihilated tens of thousands of the Blood Sect's Golden Core Monks with a single blow—was this still the same Lin Bai?
"Now we can definitively label Lin Bai a Devil's Head!" Yi Wuji muttered, his face pale as he looked at the Magpie Bridge connecting Zhen City and the Blood Sect. "We were planning to clip Lin Bai's wings, but he struck first..."
"Who would care?" Far Vision Eagle glanced at him and, composing himself, said, "You have no popular support. To most people, you're virtually strangers. Thanks to the propaganda from 'Justice Weekly,' the image of your selfishness, resource monopolization, and hindrance to civilization's development is now deeply ingrained in the public's mind."
He shook his head, ignoring the displeased expressions of the two Sect Masters, and continued, "Preconceptions are not so easily overturned with a few rebuttals in a publication. Just a few days ago, you hindered the construction of the Magpie Bridge, a project beneficial to the people's livelihoods. Moreover, nations like Taihao, Taichu, and Taiyi are constantly looking for ways to resist you. Under these circumstances, do you really think labeling Lin Bai as the Devil's Head would be effective? Perhaps when this news spreads, the public might even applaud Lin Bai's actions, eagerly hoping for more casualties on your side. Classifying Lin Bai as the Devil's Head is just your way of comforting yourselves, much like the previous Wen and Evil Decree."
"Wasn't it you who devised the strategy of using rules to hinder the Justice League's development?" Grandmaster Yan Qing retorted, his face grim.
"If not for the groundwork we laid, your image among the common people would be far worse," Far Vision Eagle countered sharply. "What exactly have you accomplished in all these tens of thousands of years of stewardship?"
Grandmaster Yan Qing snorted. "Cultivation has nothing to do with ordinary people. Lin Bai is merely feigning sympathy to win over hearts..."
"But he's far more successful at it than you are," Far Vision Eagle stated.
"Arguing about this is pointless now," Yi Wuji said. "The pressing issue is how to deal with Lin Bai. His sonic attack is potent enough to sever the very foundations of the Cultivation World. Our previous strategies against him are likely all useless now. Even if we managed to clip all his wings, Lin Bai acting alone could still harass any sect to its breaking point."
Far Vision Eagle looked at the two, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let's wait for the outcome of the battle between the Blood Sect and Lin Bai. If Lin Bai loses, we can seize the opportunity to kill him. If he wins, the best course of action would be to have your sects join the Justice League, gain Lin Bai's trust, and then bide your time to strike..."
Before he could finish, Grandmaster Yan Qing interrupted him, "Impossible."
Far Vision Eagle glanced at him and continued, "Then only the second option remains: mobilize all resources and wage a bloody war against Lin Bai to the bitter end, even if it means plunging the entire world into chaos. Alternatively, the sects could disband and scatter among the common people, using the Justice League's current tactics to contend with Lin Bai until a way to defeat him is found, or until Lin Bai compromises and a non-aggression pact is established..."
Even in the most difficult times, he never gave up on creating opportunities and conditions for the players to make a comeback.
Grandmaster Yan Qing's brows furrowed deeper; neither solution was to his liking.
Finally, he sighed. "Let's wait and see the outcome of the battle with the Blood Sect! Lin Bai may not be as powerful as you claim. By the way, what is Lin Bai doing now?"
"Drawing aggro," Far Vision Eagle replied concisely, glancing at the bullet comments.
"..." Grandmaster Yan Qing.
"..." Yi Wuji.
「...」
The Justice League Army arrived at their end of the Magpie Bridge, and the sight of utter devastation stunned everyone.
Dirt thrown high into the air still fluttered down. Everyone stared blankly at the scene; no one could believe that in mere moments, Lin Bai had ravaged a lush forest into this hellscape, as if dozens of Great Cheng cultivators had waged a fierce battle here.
"Master, which sonic attack did you use this time?" Ye Song asked, dumbfounded.
Xiao Yu and the others watched Lin Bai, their mouths dry, feeling incredibly fortunate that Lin Bai had clearly shown them mercy back then.
"Just yelled." Lin Bai's vision gradually cleared. He surveyed the space now filled with swirling blood aura, paying no mind to the others' reactions. "Everyone, prepare for battle."
With that, he took a deep breath and shouted towards the churning Sea of Blood, "Fellow Daoists of the Blood Sect, what skill is there in hiding and skulking? How about a decisive battle outside the Sea of Blood? You had the guts to harbor war criminals, but not the courage to come out? I know you're all cowering in the Sea of Blood..."
The sonic waves pushed back the Sea of Blood, allowing Lin Bai to pinpoint the Blood Sect cultivators' positions.
He went full taunt, drawing the monsters out.
"...I don't know if you're dumb or just plain stupid! You should have waited for the Justice League to enter before activating the Sea of Blood! Then, none of us could have escaped, and we'd all be doomed. But no, you were all so eager to activate it first. Do you really think we're as idiotic as you? Now look! You still have to come out obediently and fight us outside. None of you can escape, and the Sea of Blood is completely useless. Utterly moronic..."
At that moment, they were nearly a hundred miles from the Blood Sect. It took about three minutes for his voice to carry. The taunting couldn't stop, so Lin Bai had to maintain his chatterbox mode at an extremely high volume.
It felt as if a barrage of howitzer shells was constantly exploding by their ears. The surrounding people were so shaken their heads buzzed, and they had to circulate their cultivation to protect themselves.
They had grown accustomed to Lin Bai's frequent outbursts; whatever nonsense he spouted no longer surprised them. Occasionally, they would even diligently take notes.
After all, one never knew when such phrases might be useful for cultivating Spoken Law Follows.
Suddenly, the blood aura before them surged, and thousands of cultivators wreathed in it poured out of the Sea of Blood, charging towards Lin Bai.
Seeing the Blood Sect cultivators rush out, the memory of the encounter outside Zhen City resurfaced in the minds of Xiao Yu and the others. A sense of desolation filled their hearts, and they even felt a flicker of sympathy for the Blood Sect cultivators. Fighting Lin Bai, things like favorable terrain, weather, or unity were all utter nonsense!
"Fairy Cen, please hold on a little longer this time," Lin Bai said politely to Cen Qing, stopping his taunts. Then, before the charging cultivators could react, he unleashed waves of his Phoenix Seeks Phoenix skill.
Phoenix Seeks Phoenix: designates males to display their talents to a female.
Theoretically, Lin Bai could target many individuals on both sides, but managing multiple targets was too complex and difficult to control. Lin Bai wasn't capable of such precise micromanagement. After some thought, he decided he could only trouble Fairy Cen Qing.
Leading the charge were eight Transcendence Tribulation Stage cultivators.
The eight old men hadn't yet grasped why they had suddenly charged out of the Sea of Blood when, in the next instant, they had already turned around, shed their blood aura, and rushed to Cen Qing to perform their talents.
Ancient Tuohai twisted his limbs, performing a shamanistic blessing dance;
Ancient Nan Rong struck poses, performing backflips in front of Cen Qing;
Ancient Xin Gong opened his mouth, singing opera with theatrical mouth movements;
Ancient Wei Ying, on the other hand, performed Vocal Techniques, chirping and chattering like birds...
Following them were Tu Yan and more than thirty other Great Cheng cultivators, both men and women. The men were either singing or dancing.
The seven or eight female Great Cheng cultivators, however, stood frozen in place, staring dumbly at the disgraceful antics of the Transcendence Tribulation Stage Ancestors. They were so stunned they forgot to attack or defend.
Behind them came the Hollow Realm cultivators, and then the Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators...
The crowd in front of Cen Qing swelled visibly, and in a short time, it filled the sky—a vast, chaotic, and motley crew.
There were those singing songs, singing opera, dancing, doing somersaults, performing headstands, doing magic tricks... There were even some who, lacking any discernible talent, stood in the crowd barking like dogs, and so on and so forth.
The Blood Sect's cultivators had just been ravaged by Lin Bai's sonic attack. Many had their clothes torn and hadn't had time to change; the tattered rags hung loosely on their bodies. Without the concealment of their blood aura, everything was exposed—a chaotic and unsightly mess...
Setting aside those singing, performing opera, or vocal techniques for a moment, those who were dancing, doing somersaults, or performing headstands had already started shouting questions and curses...
In no time, the sky became livelier than a marketplace.
「...」
Watching the suddenly exploding bullet comments, Silver sighed in satisfaction. "Finally, I can live broadcast again! I've been cooped up these past few days, just waiting for this moment!"
Wild Wolf said, "Indeed! I just wonder what expressions those old geezers from the top seven orthodox sects will have when they learn about the Blood Sect's fate."
"What the hell is this?!"
"Is this Lin Bai's new skill?"
"The previous sonic attack was somewhat normal, but how did this huge pile of monsters suddenly appear?"
"No wonder Lin Bai dares to challenge the Blood Sect alone. He's practically invincible in this world!"
"Total crowd control! Absolutely badass!"
"Such a great game, but ever since Lin Bai appeared, it's become increasingly unwatchable. It's been completely ruined."
"The balance is utterly shattered. I've completely lost faith in this game..."
"Setting aside the game's plot, have any of you noticed that the dances performed by the Blood Sect's old men are in a class of their own? They have significant inspirational value for the real world!"
"Kudos to the programmers for creating so many bizarre dances! Cultural icons, come forth and learn..."
"Damn, there's even someone in the crowd performing sword swallowing..."
"Host, may I ask, what's the name of Lin, the Storekeeper's new rule?"
「...」
The moment Phoenix Seeks Phoenix was unleashed, it was like a depth charge had exploded both inside and outside the game, throwing everything into an uproar. No one could remain calm.
「...」
A fierce wind suddenly swept past the cultivators from the Valley of Thousand Souls who had come to offer support. The wind whipped their clothes about, and a loud voice carried on it: "Fellow Daoists of the Blood Sect, distinguished guests have arrived. What is the meaning of avoiding them?"
Ning Wenlin, the Vice Sect Master leading the Valley of Thousand Souls contingent, saw his expression change. "Is this the power of the sonic attack? It can travel this far?"
The player [Master of Illusion] aboard the Soul Boat, acting as a commentator, saw the dwindling bullet comments on the live screen and the viewer count collapsing like an ebbing tide. His expression also changed. Ignoring Ning Wenlin's exclamation, he quickly said, "Ancestor, something major must have happened at the Blood Sect. Please wait a moment. Allow me to go down and investigate, then I'll report back to you."
Ning Wenlin was startled and quickly asked, "What happened?"
"The entire Blood Sect might have been controlled by Lin Bai. I have too few people here; I need to go down there to find out what happened," [Master of Illusion] said hurriedly. "Ancestor, it's best not to proceed rashly. Something truly terrible might have really occurred..."
Ning Wenlin hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand to halt the contingent. The next second, one after another, all the Heaven Descending players in the team logged off, leaving the group of Valley of Thousand Souls cultivators staring at each other in bewilderment. No one knew what had happened!
In the past, such a situation would have been inconsequential. But now, accustomed to the real-time commentary from the Heaven Descending players, they suddenly felt lost. They were unsure how to proceed and certainly didn't dare to continue their journey without them. Their hearts felt empty, and an unsettling feeling crept over them, making them hesitant to do anything.
To make all the Heaven Descending players log off simultaneously... it seemed something truly major had indeed happened at the Blood Sect.
「...」
It wasn't just the Valley of Thousand Souls.
Online live-streaming players in Zhen City, Qian City, and the nations of Taichu, Taihao, and others once again logged off en masse to watch the spectacular live broadcast from the outskirts of the Blood Sect.
After all, such spectacular scenes were a rare treat, and watching a replay later would diminish the excitement by more than half. Besides, their live broadcast rooms were already deserted, making it inconvenient even to act as commentators. Why stay online?
Lin Bai had once again triggered a mass exodus within the game, on an even larger scale than before. Nearly all players had logged off to watch the live broadcast.
The local cultivators in various places abruptly became deaf and blind, anxiously scratching their heads, completely unaware of what had transpired. They couldn't even contact their fellow sect members.
In Zhen City, Grandmaster Yan Qing and Yi Wuji looked at each other, completely baffled. They were closest to the Magpie Bridge and knew the battlefield lay just on the other side. Yet, with no one to guide them, the Magpie Bridge was like an insurmountable natural barrier...
Grandmaster Yan Qing looked at the Magpie Bridges leading to various places, then at the bewildered populace confused by the disappearance of the Heaven Descending players. He sighed dejectedly, "Brother Yi, I'm afraid we can never return to the world we once knew."