Chapter 329: 329 Overturning Hand Becomes Rain
The cultivation Realms of the Blood Sect’s natives were generally low, causing them to completely lose decision-making power within the Justice League; they were even unable to lend Lin Bai a hand.
At this point, Lin Bai’s focus had also shifted to the Players.
Therefore, he sent a voice transmission to Luo Xue and the others, asking them to have the natives focus on their cultivation.
Luo Xue and the others tactfully withdrew.
After a short while, only the high-ranking Players remained in the assembly hall.
「...」
Silver, Crispy Rice, and other former high-ranking members of the Beggar Gang looked at Sky Falcon, who sat in the foremost seat, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. They had followed Lin Bai for so long, so how did this fellow manage to grasp Lin Bai’s Laws?
This guy only met Lin Bai once! The world is truly unfair!
He scanned the crowd.
Lin Bai’s gaze lingered on Crispy Rice for a moment before turning to Black Sheep and other representatives of the consortiums. "Everyone, Justice Weekly represents the battlefield of public opinion. Previously, we needed stability, so the journal was suspended. Now, we must revive it."
Lin Bai smiled faintly.
Everyone chuckled.
The veteran Players of the Beggar Gang, like Silver, felt a shiver down their spines, inexplicably recalling the fear of being dominated by Lin Bai. They couldn’t help but glare at Sky Falcon and cursed inwardly in unison, Damn those Laws!
Black Sheep also found Sky Falcon an eyesore, but having received instructions from their consortium, their expressions betrayed nothing. He glanced at Lin Bai and said with a smile, "Old Falcon, waging a war of public opinion is the right move. But you mentioned earlier that the Laws obtained from Lin Bai are unreliable. Can they sustain an entire battle? The Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demonic Sects have always been extremely wary of Lin Bai. Once they learn that Lin Bai has performed Body Snatching on you, they will definitely send people to test you. We’ve only just stabilized the situation; are you sure you can handle it?"
"Old Horse, if it’s confirmed that Lin Bai performed Body Snatching on me and that I’ve mastered Lin Bai’s Laws, and at the same time, the original Lin Bai is constantly threatening them from within the Heavenly Tribulation, would the Seven Righteous Sects truly dare to test me?" Lin Bai (Sky Falcon) retorted. "Moreover, there’s an even more crucial point: after Body Snatching, I, as Lin Bai, possess a Player’s Undying Body. The Heavenly Tribulation they previously used against Lin Bai has also lost its effect..."
Black Sheep interrupted Sky Falcon, asking with a smile, "Why are you so certain Lin Bai will help you?"
"The Divided God is a contingency Lin Bai left for himself, carrying the Path of Laws. However, it and Lin Bai are distinct entities. Given Lin Bai’s confidence, he must be one hundred percent certain that the Body Snatching will succeed." Lin Bai calmly made a self-deprecating remark. "Currently, the precondition is that whatever the Divided God does must be consistent with Lin Bai’s established methods. Only then can it deceive Lin Bai himself, making him wholeheartedly help us threaten the Seven Righteous Sects..."
"Are you sure?" Ray Electrical asked.
"One hundred percent sure." Lin Bai looked at Ray Electrical, thinking about finding an opportunity to give him a hint and also secure a position within the Rich Reach Group. The major consortiums had united, and each had its own agent in the Blood Sect.
Black Sheep and the others exchanged glances.
Deepdiving Fish said, "If that’s the case, then we can indeed make some moves."
Sunset glanced at Sky Falcon and smiled. "The situation is changing rapidly. Previously, we hoped Lin Bai would die quickly. Now, we have to hope Lin Bai can last longer in the Heavenly Tribulation."
Ray Electrical shook his head and said, "It’s a pity. Lin Bai meticulously planned everything, only for it to benefit us in the end."
Silver, Wild Wolf, and the others watched the consortium members chat and laugh, while they themselves were gradually being marginalized. In such high-level meetings, they couldn’t even get a word in. A mix of emotions churned within them. Looking at Sky Falcon again, they almost wished he truly had undergone Body Snatching by Lin Bai’s Divided God.
"First, use Justice Weekly to build momentum. Pair it with some pictures of us being strung up by Bind the Immortal. Let the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demonic Sects be convinced that Lin Bai truly performed Body Snatching on a Player and has reclaimed leadership of the Blood Sect. Then, we can negotiate terms with them," Deepdiving Fish proposed.
"Have Players from the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demonic Sects spread some misinformation to confuse the Sect Masters of the various factions. Claim Lin Bai’s Body Snatching failed, inciting them to make a move. Letting outsiders see their resentment will, paradoxically, make them more likely to believe our narrative..." On the live broadcast screen, Far Vision Eagle also offered his suggestion. "If there’s only one voice in the world, it actually seems abnormal..."
"Previously, during the Heavenly Tribulation, Lin Bai mentioned wanting his Divided God to help Taichu Country and Taihao Country build the Magpie Bridge to facilitate the Kitchen God Contest. We need to make this happen. Besides, constructing the Magpie Bridge is most advantageous for us. Convenient transportation is indispensable for both the economy and War. When Lin Bai was caught in the Heavenly Tribulation, I thought the Magpie Bridge project would be canceled. I didn’t expect the game officials to have a backup plan..."
「...」
As they exchanged ideas one by one, refining the plan he had put forth, Lin Bai was filled with admiration. No wonder these people are business elites from another world! They’re accustomed to manipulative business warfare. The Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demonic Sects are all meatheads, used to suppressing others with force. They’re naive old fools who just bury their heads in cultivation for hundreds of years. If it weren’t for me, how could they possibly contend with these guys?
Seeing that Sky Falcon hadn’t spoken for a while, Black Sheep sneered inwardly, then chuckled and asked, "Sky Falcon, do you have anything to add?"
"Have everyone from the consortiums join the Beggar Gang!" Lin Bai (Sky Falcon) pondered for a moment, then looked at Crispy Rice and the others. "If we’re going to put on an act, we have to make it convincing. Lin Bai must have had profound reasons for establishing the Beggar Gang. Since we’re trying to build Lin Bai’s persona, we can’t leave any flaws. Lin Bai is a nostalgic person. The old-timers from the Beggar Gang, even if they’re just Puppets, must be utilized."
Silver, Wild Wolf, and the others, who initially thought this had nothing to do with them, suddenly heard these words and looked at Sky Falcon in disbelief.
For a moment, they were in a daze, finding it hard to tell if he had truly undergone Body Snatching or not.
Crispy Rice furrowed his brow and said, "Just give me enough coin, but don’t expect me to manage anything. My heart isn’t in the Beggar Gang anymore..."
Everyone knew clearly that ever since Crispy Rice had used the Staff of Love on City Lord Guo Yuan, he had been immersed in a sweet romance with the City Lord, even dumping his girlfriend, Sticky Rice.
He only surfaced when there was money to be made and barely paid any attention to the Beggar Gang’s affairs.
It wasn’t surprising that he said such things.
If Lin Bai hadn’t appointed him as Gang Leader, the consortium members would have replaced Crispy Rice long ago.
But to maintain Lin Bai’s perfect persona, even if Crispy Rice was utterly incompetent, the title of Gang Leader had to be his.
Lin Bai (the real one, through Sky Falcon) cared even less about this so-called "big brother."
After all, this ’big brother’ is just a tool for farming Qi Yun. If he actually tried to assert himself, it would only cause trouble, and who knows how many ridiculous quests he might saddle me with!
「...」
Lin Bai, using Sky Falcon’s identity, perfected the details of impersonating himself with the executives of the various consortiums.
To confirm that he truly mastered the Path of Laws, a group of Players spent two hours experiencing the power of the Laws.
The results satisfied them greatly, and they finally concluded: the Laws were uncounterable.
At least at their current stage, Players had no effective countermeasures against such unreasonable Laws...
Bind the Immortal, Rush Moon, Taunt...
These three Skills alone were enough to dismantle any attack combination the Players could devise.
What’s more, there was also the terrifying doubling of decibel values.
After understanding Sky Falcon’s true combat strength, the consortiums even entertained the idea of immediately launching a counterattack against the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demonic Sects. Ultimately, however, this idea was rejected.
If they did that, Sky Falcon would inevitably become the sole dominant power.
They did not want to cultivate another true Lin Bai in the game world.
But for now, the consortiums relied on Sky Falcon, and their regard for him had reached an extreme. They granted him the highest authority in the game, allowing him to mobilize any Player unconditionally, without needing to consult anyone.
Fengda and Jing Ke successively contacted Lin Bai in secret, also making him promises, wanting him to leave Xinlong Group and join their side. Lin Bai accepted all offers readily, perfectly embodying the image of an arrogant man flaunting his talents, a petty person who had found success...
「...」
The Players’ efficiency was extremely high, and they were spread across the world.
Once the new plan was finalized, Justice Weekly and Heavenly Review, which had been silent for a long time, went online simultaneously, publicizing the news that Lin Bai had successfully reincarnated by performing Body Snatching on a heaven-sent individual.
The publications refuted the slander against Lin Bai from Heavenly Path Journal and other periodicals one by one, and announced the Justice League’s upcoming plans to the world:
First, Lin Bai demanded compensation from the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demonic Sects because their publications had violated his right to his reputation. This was perfectly in line with Lin Bai’s style, and the Players also needed the resources that compensation from the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demonic Sects would provide.
The Players’ previous suggestion to blockade news about the Justice League was instantly rendered useless.
In just one night, Lin Bai had returned to everyone’s attention, dominating the day’s headlines and becoming the topic of conversation for all.
「...」
「The next day at noon.」
The Lin Bai Support Group departed from the Blood Sect, piloting the Hundred Flower Boat straight towards the Holy Extreme Sect.
Meanwhile, the fake Lin Bai, Sky Falcon, led numerous Players in a grand procession back to Taiyi Country, heading towards Taichu Country via the Magpie Bridge to fulfill the promise of laying its foundations.
The Cultivators from the Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demonic Sects who didn’t understand the situation quickly got out of the way, observing secretly, trying to determine if this Lin Bai, who had performed Body Snatching on a heaven-sent individual, was real or fake.
「...」
「Holy Extreme Sect.」
Lin Bai, having finally sorted everything out, received a notification in his mind that the mission was successful:
[...Big brother’s enterprise is back on the right track; Reward: Qi Yun 800]
[...The publication’s reputation has been restored; Reward: Video Projection Equipment (Disbursed)]