Lin Bai appeared in the Dark Temple.

At that moment, Ye Song was confronting a group of believers of the God of Darkness. The sudden resurrection of the God of Darkness had caused a serious trust crisis between its believers and their new god.

"Who exactly are you, and why are you impersonating our god?" The leader of the challenge was a Player named "Heart of Darkness," who had followed the God of Darkness from the beginning.

Behind him were other Players, but more numerous were the Dark Creatures living in the darkness: Wolf-men, Nightmare Beasts, members of the Night Demon Clan, Goblins, and more.

These entities varied in strength.

The most powerful being exuded an aura that rivaled those in the Crossing Tribulation Realm, holding its own against Ye Song.

The human followers formed the outer circle. They held magic wands and wore black robes, their faces hidden in the shadows. A cold, sinister aura spilled from them, making the area feel like a field of negative energy—oppressive and stifling.

The Dark Creatures were closing in on Ye Song and his Disciple Nan Rong. Among them, powerful Demon Beasts glared at Ye Song, their eyes filled with fury.

Both sides were at daggers drawn, ready to clash at any moment.

Ye Song and Nan Rong were somewhat at a loss under these circumstances.

After all, they didn't possess Lin Bai's abilities. Nan Rong only had a Magpie Bridge, granted by Lin Bai, meant to ensure their survival.

Ye Song's Dark Space, in its initial state, was roughly the size of a football field.

After arriving on the Continent of Gods and Demons, Ye Song had rallied many original followers of the God of Darkness, thanks to the public opinion shaped by "Justice Weekly," and his Divine Power had grown explosively. Everything was developing promisingly until news spread of the Thunder Heavenly King suddenly appearing with the God of Darkness. A riot among his followers ensued, instantly bringing him back to his original state.

A God of Darkness possessing an initial Divine Status wasn't necessarily much stronger than the Demon Beasts that had grown under the God of Darkness's rule for countless years.

Not to mention, there were just too many Demon Beasts.

Others might not know the inside story, but Ye Song and Nan Rong were well aware. The God of Darkness had long been turned into a Puppet by Lin Bai, and the so-called Thunder Heavenly King was Lin Bai himself.

Lin Bai had given them hope and then immediately pulled the rug out from under them. Ye Song and Nan Rong were completely baffled. What is Master playing at?

The key point was that they didn't even know how to cooperate with Lin Bai. They were completely in the dark.

「...」

"You don't know how to answer?" Heart of Darkness questioned loudly. He glanced at Ye Song and Nan Rong, then turned to a Wolf-man and a member of the Night Demon Clan beside him and bowed respectfully. "Honorable elders, I request that you seize them and extract the secret of the Divine Status. Our great God of Darkness has become a Puppet. The new God of Darkness should arise from among us, not be impersonated by a few despicable foreigners."

"Seize them!"

"Seize them!"

The Dark Believers waved their arms, shouting loudly.

They took step after step, closing in on Ye Song and Nan Rong, ready to pounce.

"Who dares make a move?" Lin Bai, disguised as the Thunder Heavenly King, suddenly emerged from behind Ye Song. He then released the legitimate God of Darkness.

The sight of the real God of Darkness and the Thunder Heavenly King startled all the Demon Beasts, causing them to retreat in unison.

"Don't reveal my identity. Treat me as your enemy," Lin Bai promptly transmitted to them.

Ye Song and Nan Rong understood, pretending to be shocked. "Thunder Heavenly King?"

Lin Bai glanced at them, and in an instant, two Lightning Cages trapped them. "I deliberately left behind a Divine Status for Lin Bai to find. It's laughable that he takes it seriously."

"You…" Ye Song, channeling his inner actor, exclaimed, "So it was you! What do you want?"

"Naturally, I want to make the whole world submit and turn all the gods into Puppets," Lin Bai looked at Heart of Darkness and snorted coldly. "Player?"

"Honorable Heavenly King, I am indeed a Player," Heart of Darkness glanced surreptitiously at the God of Darkness he used to worship. Seeing him standing behind the Thunder Heavenly King like a servant, he sighed quietly and bowed to the Thunder Heavenly King. "What commands do you have for me?"

"I know you have a livestreaming function. Broadcast everything happening here. I want to declare war on all the gods on behalf of the Fairy World," Lin Bai said. "Tell those gods who are hesitating that this is their final ultimatum. Soon, my companions will arrive. I'm giving them a chance to join forces. If they don't come, we'll attack their lairs one by one, just as we did with the God of Darkness."

The last time the Thunder Heavenly King managed to escape death, Lin Bai had already marked him.

Therefore, the movements of the Thunder Heavenly King and his group had always been within Lin Bai's grasp.

Since he appeared on the Continent of Gods and Demons, the mark had always been moving towards the Misty Forest. How could Lin Bai not discern their intent?

That's why he provoked the Undead Lord and set the battleground here.

The laws of the Heavenly Kings and the gods were too unusual; Lin Bai didn't know what their true killing moves were.

The Abyss Lord and the Earth Goddess could deploy troops at any time. Defeating them separately was always tantamount to fighting a group battle.

So, he decided to simply gather everyone together for a free-for-all.

This was what was most beneficial for Lin Bai.

Lin Bai now possessed Thor's Hammer and shared the Divine Power of the God of Darkness. In theory, he was already one of the few at the pinnacle. But why risk it when he could get others to do the work?

Since the Heavenly Kings are powerful, it's best to ally with Wu to resist Wei.

Besides, Lin Bai's ambitions had always been grand.

The War God System missions required him to conquer the False Gods on the Continent of Gods and Demons. The Matchmaker System wanted him to facilitate a marriage between two powerful individuals. The Great Heavenly Sovereign System wanted him to conquer the current lands. The Villain System encouraged him to seize Magic Artifacts. And placing himself in danger would activate a mission from the Extreme Reflection System...

These tasks could take much time and effort to complete one by one, so why not consolidate them and do them all at once?

No matter which he completed, he would profit.

"Yes, Heavenly King," Heart of Darkness replied respectfully.

As a member of the Anti-Linbai Alliance, his once revered God of Darkness had been defeated by the man standing before him. He didn't mind following a stronger individual; besides, livestreaming a big shot always reaped rewards.

"Great God, have you really become his Puppet?" The tall and strong Wolf-man looked at his former god with a sorrowful gaze.

As Dark Believers, their faith was loyalty. They wouldn't be as duplicitous as the Players.

"Indeed, I serve a greater entity," admitted the God of Darkness ruefully, glancing at Lin Bai's back.

"God, we're willing to fight for you!" Both the Wolf King and the Night Demon turned their hateful gazes on Lin Bai, their auras flaring menacingly.

"Stop! Anyone who lays a finger on my master becomes my enemy!" The God of Darkness, startled by their aggressive stance, hurriedly shouted, "You should submit to him. My master is your master!"

"We fight only for the God of Darkness!" the Night Demon looked bitterly at the God of Darkness and roared. "Our god cannot become someone else's servant!"

"Follow me, and I will be an even more powerful God of Darkness." Lin Bai extended his hand, and a Dark Divine Seal appeared in his palm.

Meanwhile, the Dark Space unfolded, enveloping all the Dark Creatures.

Boundless darkness obscured the vision of all Players. However, as believers of the God of Darkness, they could see each other in the Dark Space.

Seeing the sudden appearance of the Dark Divine Seal in Lin Bai's hand and the familiar sensation of the Dark Space, all the Dark Creatures were perplexed.

They didn't understand. Why did the God of Darkness still exist when the Divine Status was extracted?

They didn't understand why the Thunder Heavenly King, despite having no Dark Believers, could control the Dark Space.

"The fall of an old god signifies the birth of a new one. We possess complete God Glyph Extraction Technique and mass production technology. If you wish, everyone can become a God of Darkness," Lin Bai announced, looking down at the Dark Creatures below, dropping a bombshell.

It's over! Ye Song's vision went black. He felt the Dark Divine Seal inside him instantly become worthless. If I had known Master was going to pull such a stunt, I would have focused on practicing his Dao of Laws!

「...」

The numerous Dark Creatures were collectively shocked.

What did that mean? Could everyone possess a Dark Divine Seal?

"Of course. The prerequisite is that you pledge loyalty to me and help us defeat more gods," Lin Bai's voice was like a devil's. "Then, whoever makes the greatest contribution can obtain a Dark Divine Seal from me. Naturally, if you don't desire a Dark Divine Seal, the Divine Statuses of other gods are also available."

... Heart of Darkness's heart pounded. At that moment, he found his future path.

Lin Bai secretly messaged Ye Song.

With a silent sigh, Ye Song knelt in the Lightning Cage. "Heavenly King, may I pledge my allegiance to you? I aspire to possess a true Divine Status, not a False God's!"

"Of course. I would be delighted to see Lin Bai infuriated by your submission," Lin Bai said arrogantly. "Confronting the Fairy World is the biggest mistake he has ever made."

「...」

"God Glyph Extraction Technique? Damn, the Players in the Fairy World are too powerful! No wonder they're fearless and want to conquer the Continent of Gods and Demons. They've become so powerful they can create gods at will!"

"If everyone is a god, who will be the believers?"

"It doesn't matter if there are no believers; the Divine Status possesses basic Divine Power."

"Poor Lin Bai. I feel his chances of winning are dwindling."

"It's not just him; we also stand no chance. How much do Players need to grow to defeat such a Heavenly King? Even with Lin Bai, it won't be enough! I'm filled with despair for the future..."

"Perhaps only Lin Bai's Dao of Laws can contend with the Heavenly King."

「...」

"Twilight of the Gods: Where Will They Go?"

"If Everyone Becomes a God, Will Faith Still Exist in the Future?"

"Can Lin Bai's Dao of Laws Constrain the Heavenly King?"

"The Clash of Two Generations of Players: Older Players Seem to Have the Upper Hand"

「...」

Justice Weekly published a series of reports and commentaries, broadcasting Lin Bai's "everyone can become a god" statement to the natives of other worlds who hadn't seen the livestream, expressing various concerns about the future.

They strove to stir up panic and anxiety among everyone.

「...」

"Damn it! Now you know who the real enemy is!" The War God's knuckles turned white as he clenched his Longsword, his eyes blazing with intense flames. "If we are defeated, gods will cease to exist in this world!"

"The Twilight of the Gods... it is indeed the Twilight of the Gods." The God of Holy Light was chalk-white. "This is outrageous!"

"Even if we don't fight them, once word spreads that everyone can possess a Divine Status and become a god, our believers will decrease significantly. Then, our Divine Power will also wane," the Wisdom Goddess, who had joined the alliance later, saw through the crux of the problem at a glance. "We must end this battle quickly and re-establish the majesty of the gods."

"Drive them out of our world!" the Forest Goddess gritted her teeth.

"Lin Bai is fanning the flames from behind the scenes," the Goddess of the Moon said. "He's no good either."

"He's forcing us to act," the Wisdom Goddess said, shaking the copy of Justice Weekly in her hand. "He and the Heavenly King are also enemies, but our stance is unclear. So, he wants to use this opportunity to make us recognize the truth. He wants to form an alliance with us..."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I said before that we should ally with Lin Bai and invade the Fairy World. Only then can we maintain our current status," the War God said.

"Enough talk. Unite all the gods! We'll go to the Misty Forest right now," the Earth Goddess declared. "It's time to teach them a lesson!"

「...」

「The Abyss.」

The Undead Overlord was discussing with the Abyss Lord the irregularities of the Thunder Heavenly King and God of Darkness's challenge. They also discussed how to obtain the greatest benefits in the upcoming War, preferably by using the Heavenly King to weaken some of the righteous gods.

Then, they received the terrifying news that Divine Statuses could be seized.

The two greatest gods of the evil faction fell silent simultaneously.

The Abyss Lord lifted his head, his gaze seemingly penetrating the thick fog, looking towards the Misty Forest. "Pluto, we have no choice. They must die."

「...」

「Mountain God Temple.」

The Gold Heavenly King looked at the copy of Justice Weekly that the Mountain God had thrown before him. After flipping through its contents, he looked at the enraged Mountain God in astonishment. "Mountain God, if I told you we don't possess such abilities, would you believe me? I genuinely came to befriend you with sincerity."

"And then turn a friend into a Puppet and seize his Divine Status?" The Mountain God stared blankly at the Gold Heavenly King. His body suddenly swelled, transforming into a colossal stone giant, ten thousand meters tall.

Then, he threw a heavy punch at the Gold Heavenly King.

The Gold Heavenly King dodged by shifting his body.

Several tall walls erupted from the ground, rapidly converging on the Gold Heavenly King like a cage, threatening to crush him into paste.

What the hell is this? He's clearly framing me, and they can't even see it? the Gold Heavenly King grumbled as a Longsword suddenly appeared in his hand.

Myriad sharp sword energies shattered the stone prison. The Gold Heavenly King merged with his sword and darted away, his voice drifting back from afar, "Mountain God, I'm heading to the Misty Forest to uncover the truth. I'll return to you later!"

「...」

"Boss Dream, Lin Bai's move was truly ruthless," the Fire Heavenly King said, looking at the Justice Weekly in his hand. "He pushed us to the opposite side of the Continent of Gods and Demons all at once. It's hard to explain this in just a few words."

"We've underestimated him," the Water Heavenly King sighed. "Perhaps Lin Bai started laying the groundwork when he set up the Magpie Bridge between the Fairy World and the Continent of Gods and Demons, allowing people from both realms to travel freely. We've been led by the nose all along. Now I believe he's not from the game company. Boss, we never truly knew his real power, and I suspect these Players don't either..."

"He's a formidable enemy." The Dream Heavenly King opened his eyes, which reflected his soaring battle spirit. "It's been a long time since we encountered an enemy that forced us to go all out. Life has become meaningful again."