CHAPTER 396: 396 POWER SURGE

[Fury from Bei Gui; +1+1+1+1...]

...

The Magpie Bridge transported over a pile of scattered limbs and severed arms.

After canceling the Skills, each of the scattered parts returned to its original position. The Body of the War God had a huge hole in its chest, a large chunk was missing from its waist, and it was also missing a leg.

The devouring power of the God of Darkness was not to be underestimated. Lin Bai thought he had separated the parts quickly enough, but he still couldn’t escape the God of Darkness’s erosion.

If the God of Darkness hadn’t stopped his erosion upon seeing Lin Bai suddenly attack the Thunder Heavenly King, the Body of the War God would have been lucky to retain even two heads.

...

"Darling, how did Xingtian become like this?" Xu Longyun was startled by the gruesome state of the Body of the War God and hurriedly fished for Pill Medicine from her Storage Bracelet.

Lin Bai’s face was pale. The recent wave of man-made DDOS attacks had almost drained all his mental power. He couldn’t afford to pay attention to Xu Longyun, nor did he have the energy for the Body of the War God. Instead, he lay on the ground and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Awesome!

The Thunder Heavenly King and the God of Darkness are too powerful, not something I can currently handle. Especially the Thunder Heavenly King, who is incredibly cunning and always shrouded in a layer of flowing lightning to prevent the Absolute Suppression of the Cooking God System.

I originally thought that the Super Villain System’s task of seizing Magic Artifacts could only be accomplished when my power had grown enough to defeat the Heavenly Kings.

Unexpectedly, by catching him off guard, I actually managed to snatch the hammer from him using such an outlandish method.

Indeed.

There are no useless Skills; it only depends on how one uses them.

Affected by the "Laugh When I See You" Skill, Xu Longyun couldn’t help but follow Lin Bai and burst into laughter. Her dignified image was completely shattered. However, as Lin Bai’s woman, her mental fortitude had already been tempered to be strong enough that she didn’t feel overly embarrassed.

She tried to put the healing Pill Medicine into the mouth of the Body of the War God but couldn’t, because even the battered Body of the War God was laughing wildly, looking both bizarre and terrifying.

Xu Longyun had dark lines forming on her forehead as she watched Lin Bai with exasperation, but she didn’t interrupt him, waiting for his laughter to subside.

Ever since Lin Bai entered the Fairy World, it has been a long time since he laughed so happily. I’ll just let him laugh for a while!

However, in the process of laughing, Xu Longyun’s mood inexplicably brightened as well.

...

Strong mental power meant a rapid recovery rate. Within moments, Lin Bai had recovered.

A new mission from the Super Villain System appeared: [You are truly the most outstanding villain in the world! You’ve already seized one, so why not seize them all? A true supervillain wouldn’t allow such treasures to remain scattered. Seize all the Law Holy Artifacts from the Nine Heavenly Kings! Reward: Backup (Prerequisite: Possess the original. Effect: You can perfectly duplicate anything.)]

Backup?

Lin Bai’s heart pounded. Players have infinite lives, and gods possess Undying Bodies. Only I am this fragile, liable to be turned to ash at any moment in the struggles against these titans.

Previously, I left heads everywhere, precisely for a chance to resurrect in the future.

If I obtained the ’Backup’ Skill, I could perfectly clone my own body. Then, if I were to die, wouldn’t performing Body Snatching on myself be completely unobstructed...

The Super Villain System truly understands my desires.

Although seizing the Holy Artifacts from all Nine Heavenly Kings will be difficult, I must obtain this reward. When the time comes, I’ll not only back myself up but also everyone around me.

...

Finally, Lin Bai stopped laughing. Xu Longyun glanced at him, shook her head, and walked over to the Body of the War God. She fed it the Pill Medicine from her hand, then turned back to ask, "Darling, what made you so happy?"

"I snatched the Thunder Heavenly King’s hammer!" Lin Bai said, eager to share the good news, and showed Xu Longyun the Card in his hand.

The Card depicted a dense array of heads and hands, one of which held a sparking hammer.

Looking at the Card, Xu Longyun held her breath. "A Law Holy Artifact?"

"Mhm." Lin Bai examined the Card in his hand, the corners of his mouth turning up again. No matter when I think about it, snatching that hammer always brings me such joy!

"How did you manage to snatch it?" Xu Longyun asked.

"I caught him off guard, snatched it, and ran. And just like that, I got it!" Lin Bai couldn’t suppress another burst of laughter. He shook the Card, releasing the hammer.

Any item absorbed into the Card is forcibly restored to its original state. Even restrictive enchantments are nullified, so there’s no need to worry about backlash.

Holding the Thunder Hammer in his hand, Lin Bai observed it carefully.

The hammer was an octagonal war mace with an ancient, unadorned style. Its faces were smooth, black, and seemed to gleam, with occasional sparks dancing across their surface.

As he held the hammer, information about it and a list of its Skills flooded Lin Bai’s mind:

Thunder Hammer: Law Holy Artifact.

Equip Level: 0

Durability: Permanent

Unique, Cannot be Upgraded, Cannot be Inlaid

Attached Skills:

Thunder Strike: Damage 10,000, Armor Break 10,000; Proficiency: 0

Series of Lightning: Damage 10,000, Armor Break 10,000; Damage gradually weakens as the number of enemies increases; Proficiency: 0

Electric Field: Deterrence 30,000, Reflection 30,000; Proficiency: 0

Thunder Bind: Control lightning to bind the target; Proficiency: 0

...

Summon Thunder Spirit (Requires max proficiency in Nine Heavens Divine Thunder); Soul Devour: Quantity: (0); Armor Break: Quantity (0); Thunder Cloud: Quantity (0); ...

Break the Boundary (Requires summoning 8 Thunder Spirits): Impact 1–???, dependent on stored lightning energy;

Control Thunder (Requires summoning 8 Thunder Spirits): Can recall all lightning released in the vicinity;

...

Thor’s Advent (Requires max proficiency in Basic Thunder Techniques, summon 81 Thunder Spirits): Empty all Spiritual Power within the body, summon the Dharma Idol of the Thunder God, launch a world-destroying strike, ignores opponent’s defense, duration three minutes (Cooldown: twenty-four hours);

...

Looking at the properties of the Thunder Hammer, Lin Bai sighed inwardly. This is definitely a Divine Artifact from a game!

Unfortunately, the Skills attached to the hammer require proficiency. To use the hammer as skillfully as the Thunder Heavenly King, I’ll have to constantly use it to strike enemies.

It’s far less convenient than Game Skills. System-provided rewards are max level upon task completion.

However, enemies are everywhere, and future battles will be plentiful.

Presumably, proficiency will increase rapidly.

To think that the Thunder Heavenly King had trained all the Skills of this Divine Artifact to their peak, yet when fighting the God of Darkness, he didn’t even get to use his ultimate move, Thor’s Advent.

And as a result... the hammer was lost!

Lin Bai couldn’t help but chuckle again.

From now on, Bei Gui shouldn’t be called the Thunder Heavenly King anymore. He should be called the Hammerless Thunder Heavenly King!

...

Thor’s Advent ignoring defenses served as a reminder for Lin Bai. Since the Thunder Heavenly King had such an ultimate trump card, the other eight Heavenly Kings undoubtedly had theirs too. When fighting them in the future, I must guard against them making desperate moves. Until I get the Backup reward, I must be extremely cautious...

When he thought about how the Super Villain System’s Backup Skill required snatching all nine Holy Artifacts before being granted, Lin Bai felt a bit exasperated. Snatching all nine Holy Artifacts would mean I’m already invincible. What damn use would Backup be then?!

"Can one comprehend the Laws with this Thunder Hammer?" Xu Longyun asked.

Lin Bai casually handed the hammer to her.

Xu Longyun took the hammer and froze on the spot. After a long moment, she looked at Lin Bai in astonishment and stammered, "This hammer... it’s too overpowered! Even a three-year-old child could easily wield it. There’s no need for any comprehension at all! Given enough time, anyone could become a Thunder God!

"Your Way of Love, the Heavenly Dao... they all have so many restrictions. Mortals, even geniuses, couldn’t defeat these beings even after ten thousand years of cultivation! This... this... it’s too unfair!"

Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun and fell silent.

Alright then.

If we’re talking about unfairness, my System is also unfair.

Encountering cheaters like them is truly a tragedy for ordinary people. How can anyone compete? Even risking their lives wouldn’t be enough!

"It’s unfair! Far too unfair!" Xu Longyun was utterly disheartened. After witnessing the attributes of the Thunder Hammer, her convictions began to crumble, and tears streamed down her face unknowingly. "Darling, why? Why would the heavens create such monsters? Why? Tell me, why? We are people too, living beings! Are we destined to be their playthings?"

Lin Bai sighed, gently taking Xu Longyun’s hand. He comforted her softly, "That’s precisely why the founder of the Righteous Door couldn’t bear to watch any longer and sent me here. I’m here to shatter this unjust world, re-establish order, and ensure that everyone can control their own destiny."

"Mhm," Xu Longyun wiped the tears from her face. Gazing at the still-damaged Body of the War God, her eyes gradually filled with firm resolve. "Darling, I will help you. This heavy burden shouldn’t be yours to bear alone. Even if my strength is meager, I will do my part to fight against that game company. That company shouldn’t exist in this world! Darling, I finally understand why you’ve been so reluctant to cultivate the Way of Love. We were holding you back."

"It’s not about being held back or not. All paths of cultivation ultimately lead to the same destination. Xiao Yun, you must always firmly believe that humanity can conquer destiny. Besides, we’re not fighting alone. The ancestors of the Righteous Door are secretly helping us," Lin Bai said with a smile. "Xiao Yun, you won’t remain an ordinary person in the future. You’ve seen the hammer’s attributes. If I can snatch one Holy Artifact, I can snatch more. When that time comes, you can choose one and go to the Fairy World to become a Heavenly King too. To defeat our enemies, we must become stronger ourselves."

"Mhm." Xu Longyun smiled and nodded again, returning the hammer to Lin Bai. "Darling, I don’t believe in heaven; I only believe in you. Anyone can be sacrificed, but not you."

"No one will die." Lin Bai took back the hammer. He was about to test his newly acquired Skill, Shadow Following, when his gaze fell upon the Body of the War God.

In just a short while, the battered Body of the War God had automatically healed more than halfway. The hole in its chest was patched up, and the large chunk of missing waist muscle and internal organs was also slowly regenerating...

This was not an effect achievable by Pill Medicine or the Cultivation Techniques from Sky Demon Mountain.

Knowing the Body of the War God was so severely damaged, I had already prepared to seal it into a Card to recuperate, even if that might limit its development.

But looking at it now, that won’t be necessary at all.

As expected, a body granted by the System wouldn’t just be an ordinary celestial physique!

The Heart of Sky Demon is already so formidable; the Body of the War God must be even more incredible!

It possesses the potential for rapid growth and can self-repair after injury...

This is truly worthy of the title ’Body of the War God’!

Since it can self-repair, I can definitely use it for some... activities next.

"Is Xingtian’s vitality this potent?" Xu Longyun also noticed Xingtian’s abnormal recovery and asked in surprise.

"He is a Puppet of War God created by an ancestor of the Righteous Door. The ancestor likely used the characteristics of celestials and made some modifications," Lin Bai fabricated an explanation. Looking at Xu Longyun, he suddenly activated Shadow Following.

This time, he didn’t use Flash, yet he was already pressed against Xu Longyun’s back.

Feeling the warmth and breath from behind her, Xu Longyun’s face instantly turned red. She said in a soft, flustered voice, "Darling, don’t tease me! There are others outside!"

"Xiao Yun, while I was snatching things just now, I comprehended a new movement technique. I want to test it on you," Lin Bai said, his mind still preoccupied with the battle between the Thunder Heavenly King and the God of Darkness, completely oblivious to Xu Longyun’s strange reaction. He whispered in her ear, "I’m granting you the ability to teleport. You can go wherever you wish."

"..." Xu Longyun clenched her fists tightly. Despite her usual magnanimity, hearing such a remark while she was feeling amorous nearly made her snap. She was tempted to storm off and ignore Lin Bai, but then she recalled her recent bold declarations and sighed in resignation, nodding silently. "Alright."

Flash!

Xu Longyun appeared on the summit of Qingmu Peak without any warning.

Before she could steady herself, she again felt Lin Bai’s body right behind her, as if he had teleported clinging to her.

Slightly startled, she teleported again, this time deliberately choosing a shadowy corner. Yet, she still couldn’t shake Lin Bai off.

She changed locations again.

This time, Lin Bai didn’t follow immediately. Xu Longyun was wondering if Lin Bai’s Divine Skill had failed when, in the next second, his hand landed on her shoulder.

"Head to a Magpie Bridge."

There was unconcealed excitement in Lin Bai’s voice.

Obediently, Xu Longyun Flashed to a Magpie Bridge, found a bridge guardian, and had herself teleported to Zhen City.

Soon enough, Lin Bai was pressed against her again.

Ignoring the suggestive looks from bystanders regarding their intimate posture, Xu Longyun asked in astonishment, "Did you also come via a Magpie Bridge?"

Lin Bai shook his head with a smile and said, "Go to the mortal realm."

Stunned, Xu Longyun made several transfers through Magpie Bridges and arrived in the mortal realm.

Similarly, the moment she arrived in the mortal realm, Lin Bai was already there, pressed against her back.

She couldn’t help but shiver, suddenly realizing the terrifying potential of Lin Bai’s New Divine Power. This Skill is perfect for assassination; probably no one in the world could escape it!

Lin Bai, too, confirmed the applications of his new Skill.

It’s truly Shadow Following; it disregards distance and even ignores space.

As long as I wish, I can appear behind a target at any time. With only the Villain System, Shadow Following could only target those within my line of sight, making it a rather useless Divine Skill.

However, the Great Heavenly Sovereign System provides marking and tracking Skills.

Combined, theoretically, I can appear behind anyone I’ve ever marked.

Paired with the Absolute Suppression from the Cooking God System, I’m confident I can take down anyone. Add the Super Villain System’s extraction ability, and it’s even more perfect...

...

Having witnessed the battle between the Thunder Heavenly King and the God of Darkness, Lin Bai had felt there was still a huge gap between himself and the top-tier experts.

Now, he suddenly felt that the gap was narrowing rapidly.

Shadow Following is even more convenient than a Magpie Bridge. I can switch marks and escape anytime...

Unless someone can kill me instantly, no one in the world can harm me anymore.

With Shadow Following, snatching Magic Artifacts should be much easier now.

Life is truly full of surprises.

You never know which Skill might bring about a heaven-and-earth-shattering change in your strength...