CHAPTER 405: EVE OF THE GREAT BATTLE 405

After igniting the fuse, Lin Bai left behind a Soul Split of the God of Darkness, embedded with a Dark Divine Seal, in the Misty Forest as an anchor. He then silently led his many disciples out of the Continent of Gods and Demons and into the real world.

This was a crucial battle; Divided Gods like Lin Si Bai, Lin Wu Bai, and others were all on standby.

Lin Bai had to focus all his attention on the upcoming chaotic battle.

"I don’t know why, but something doesn’t feel right."

"Yeah! What the Thunder Heavenly King is doing seems thoughtless. Even if they have the ability to extract and replicate Divine Status, there’s no need to be so conspicuous. They could simply conquer one god after another, just like they did with the God of Darkness, instead of provoking all the gods at once."

"They’ve only been in the Continent of Gods and Demons for a few days, without any deep understanding or investigation of those gods. Even the stupidest Player wouldn’t act like they do."

"No, they would. Stupid Players don’t prepare at all when facing bosses."

"But such Players will never become top Players."

"There’s an invisible hand behind the scenes manipulating the development of the entire event."

"You might as well just say Lin Bai’s name."

"Whoever benefits is the culprit. Why can’t these old beings, who have lived for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, understand this?"

"Who knows? Maybe they’re under some kind of intelligence-lowering aura."

"First, these gods are powerful beings, mostly dormant. Second, when they encounter problems, they usually resolve them quickly with brute force. ’Use it or lose it,’ as they say; relying on strength for too long naturally erodes their wisdom. Dinosaurs were huge, but their brain capacity was pitifully small. Throughout history, only the weak have relied on wisdom to solve problems."

"You’re missing the point. The Nine Heavenly Kings are Players—we don’t know their societal backgrounds, so let’s set them aside. But before we Players arrived, these gods didn’t even know the definition of a ’Player,’ much like primitive people wouldn’t recognize a gun. They try to solve new problems with old experiences, inevitably leading to deviations. Their only way to learn about new things is through us. If Lin Bai arranged for Players to misguide them, it’s perfectly normal for them to make wrong decisions."

"I don’t believe Lin Bai can set such a big trap."

"Why not? Lin Bai isn’t alone. His fan club consists of all kinds of people. Moreover, he has long been in collusion with the higher-ups of the real world. Their interests are aligned. The current trade wars, cultural wars, various infiltrations—these petty tricks are second nature to them."

"Lin Bai himself is also an exceptional individual. If you study his growth, you’ll find that everything he does has a deeper meaning. Furthermore, he has the powerful Righteous Door supporting him. Otherwise, how could he form such a massive group all by himself in such a short period?"

"The post above is clearly from a Lin Bai admirer. You’re just drawing the target after Lin Bai shoots the arrow, so of course, you think everything he does has deep meaning. I believe the key to Lin Bai’s victory is ’speed’—he’s so fast that no one can react in time. By the time they do, it’s too late. If one doesn’t respond promptly, things can spiral out of control very quickly. Lin Bai has always been leading everyone by the nose at a rapid pace. This haste can lead to mistakes, but as long as Lin Bai capitalizes on a tiny mistake and strikes accurately, he can secure his victory. In the past, the pace of the Players and the natives on the Eastern Continent was disrupted by Lin Bai, leading to the current situation. As long as Lin Bai stays one step ahead, even if he makes mistakes, he has time to correct them."

"As for Lin Bai’s enemies, they just need to slow down. Even if it means sacrificing some current interests, as long as they do things at their own pace, all the troubles Lin Bai creates can be resolved. But Lin Bai is too good at causing trouble..."

"That’s right, Lin Bai has always been using Blitzkrieg tactics. While a Blitzkrieg can easily expand victories, it inherently has a weak foundation. To pick up the pace, Lin Bai even interrupted the growth of the God of Darkness he created. This is his weakness. In the future, he will undoubtedly lose due to this weak foundation."

"Why isn’t anyone warning the gods of the Continent of Gods and Demons?"

"Those directly involved are often the most blind. Divine Status can be mass-produced; Lin Bai is shaking their faith. What good would a warning do? A sense of crisis will compel them to act anyway..."

"The Thunder Heavenly King and the others are Players. Dying once won’t be a significant loss—Lin Bai is simply trying to make them lose a Level; it’s not worth such effort. However, if the Heavenly Kings win and acquire more Divine Statuses, Lin Bai will be in a more passive position. I don’t see what benefits Lin Bai can gain from this scenario."

"Let’s wait and see! We can’t fathom the thoughts of such significant figures. Right now, I only hope that Players can endure this war for a longer time, allowing us to get a preliminary understanding of the gods’ abilities. We can’t end up like the battle between the Thunder Heavenly King and the God of Darkness, not knowing the result in the end."

"Yes! This war determines everyone’s future—the gods, the Fairy World, and us..."

"The Players’ faction is too weak. What’s the point of just watching from the sidelines in such a major event without the slightest bit of participation?"

Lin Bai and Xu Longyun were browsing posts on the forum.

Since the officials couldn’t interfere with the game company’s forum, it had effectively become an information hub.

The forum contained various event analyses, and everyone could express their opinions. Here, one could find anything they wanted, as long as they looked for it.

"Darling, are they right?" Xu Longyun asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked at the posts praising Lin Bai.

"We got married four days ago, and three days ago, I just dealt with the God of Darkness. How could I have so much energy to do so many things?" Lin Bai chuckled, shaking his head. "I just nudged things along according to my ideas, quietly waited for them to ferment, and then, I achieved my goal. If there must be an explanation, then I suppose I’m the Son of Destiny. In the unseen, heaven itself is helping me."

Xu Longyun recalled the Merit Bodyguard during the Heavenly Tribulation and had almost no doubt about Lin Bai’s statement.

What could be more joyous than one’s husband being the Son of Destiny!

Usually, the Son of Destiny appears to deal with great calamities. She looked at Lin Bai and nodded affirmatively. "That must be it."

"Indeed! Those prodigies from the sects aren’t even worthy of holding your shoes, Darling," Jiang Qingqin agreed. "Darling, you’ve come all this way and faced so many hardships. Although some parts were thrilling, you’ve overcome them smoothly every time."

Hardships? All along, it’s him who has brought hardships to others, right? The Son of Destiny brings peace to the world. Wherever Lin Bai goes, chaos and war follow. How does that have anything to do with the Son of Destiny? Claiming he is the Son of the Devil is much more fitting, Tu Yan thought, speechless.

He couldn’t help but ask, "Master, what if things don’t develop as you expect?"

"If they don’t, they don’t. I have nothing to lose," Lin Bai said, his face radiating confidence. "If it doesn’t work the first time, we try a second. They’ll fall for it eventually."

"..." Tu Yan was speechless again. He really is the damn Son of Destiny!

At this moment, Tuohai walked in.

He placed a screen showing the live stream of a Player named ’Spirit Heart’ in front of Lin Bai. "Master, the gods of the Continent of Gods and Demons want to talk to you through the Players."

Lin Bai looked at the screen.

On the screen, gods like the Earth Goddess, Forest Goddess, and War God appeared together, each with their unique characteristics.

As the most powerful being among the gods, the Earth Goddess occupied the central position, looking directly at the Player, seemingly addressing Lin Bai, "Lin Bai, now that things have come to this point, it’s meaningless to argue about who’s right or wrong.

"But right now, our interests should align. The Heavenly Kings of the Fairy World wish to conquer our world, and they’ve also been encroaching on the interests of your world.

"You alone cannot conquer the Fairy World, and we don’t possess the ability to reach the Fairy World. If we cooperate, we can perfectly cover each other’s weaknesses.

"We come with sincerity. Next, we will launch an assault on the three Heavenly Kings in the Misty Forest. After this battle, I hope to discuss the future development of our two worlds with you in person..."

"Master, do you plan to use their power to conquer the Fairy World?" Tuohai asked.

"How can someone else’s power be as reassuring as one’s own?" Lin Bai chuckled. "Others might not know what I’ve done, but don’t you? Fight alongside them, only for them to stab us in the back later?"

"..." Tu Yan silently twitched the corner of his mouth. Our master might be the most shameless Son of Destiny in history.

Tuohai opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. Like those uninformed masses on the forum, he couldn’t understand the significance of his master’s actions.

Even if they killed a few Heavenly Kings and made them lose a Level, the Heavenly Kings were confined to the Fairy World; they wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

The same applied to the Continent of Gods and Demons. Once those gods came to their senses, they would undoubtedly see his master as an enemy. It seemed like a loss no matter how one looked at it.

Shaking his head, Tuohai cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and asked, "Master, the Players are begging you to use the Magpie Bridge to transport them to observe the battle. Should we agree?"

"No need for such useless efforts. The Players’ meager abilities mean they’d die instantly on a battlefield of gods. They wouldn’t see anything even if they got there..."

Stroking the Little White Fox in his arms, Lin Bai silently memorized the appearances of all the gods in the live video, contemplating how to handle the marriage alliance task later.

「Misty Forest.」

The Divided God possessing the Dark Divine Seal wore Disguise Glasses and transformed into the likeness of the Thunder Heavenly King. Behind him stood the genuine God of Darkness.

Their Dark Spaces unfurled, and a thick darkness covered the entire Misty Forest. Demon Beasts merged themselves into the Dark Space, contributing their power to their god.

On the Continent of Gods and Demons, believers could lend their power to their gods, but the Dark Space didn’t expand due to their contributions.

After all, the upper limit of the God of Darkness’s power was locked by a Card. He wouldn’t gain extra Divine Power from an increase in believers, nor would he lose Divine Power due to a decrease.

Lin Bai’s Soul Split relied on his own fans, so naturally, he couldn’t borrow the power of the Dark Believers.

Therefore, those Dark Creatures, excited to achieve meritorious deeds in the upcoming battle of the gods, didn’t realize their efforts were in vain...

With two live targets standing there, continuously livestreaming, others naturally wouldn’t change their objective.

The first to arrive were the Dream Heavenly King and his two companions. When Lin Bai had left, they were already close to the Misty Forest. Ignoring everything else and rushing at full speed, they were naturally the fastest.

"They’re here!" Heart of Darkness and his team, hiding atop the Dark Temple and responsible for the live broadcast, felt their eyes light up. They focused the stream on the suddenly appearing Fire Heavenly King and his two companions. Up to this point, no other Players had arrived; they might be the only ones on site recording this divine war. They had set their broadcast location in the Dark Temple, so even if they died, they could respawn there immediately.

A large number of viewers flooded their stream.

On the bullet screen, messages scrolled by in the languages of both continents, most of them variations of "Hang in there!"

Although they claimed to feel no sense of participation in the battle of the gods, most Players were still drawn to this divine war.

After all, this was the best opportunity to understand the Skills of Lin Bai, the Heavenly Kings, and the gods.

Players firmly believed that one day, they too would stand on this stage and become its main characters.

Large gifts and monetary donations flew across the stream:

"Bro, hang in there! It doesn’t matter how many Levels you drop. Afterward, we’ll help you grind them back!"

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, we are your most loyal fans! Requesting Magpie Bridge support!"

"We are willing to fight for the Justice League! We just ask you to send us to the battlefield!"

"Lin Bai, you bastard! How dare you impersonate me?" The Thunder Heavenly King fumed when he saw his own image floating in the Dark Space. "Give me back my hammer!"

Three? There’s an error in the information! The red one is Fire, the blue one is Water. The other Heavenly Kings are staying in the Fairy World. Who is the remaining person? Is it the Golden Heavenly King or the always elusive Dream Heavenly King? Lin Bai frowned slightly, pondering the third person’s identity, but his voice was leisurely. "Brother, the gods have taken the bait. There’s no need to keep up the act. Let’s just calmly wait for them to fall into our trap."

"Lin Bai, you truly are shameless! You stop at nothing to frame and entrap others, always resorting to the most despicable means! Do you think you’re acting like a king?" The Thunder Heavenly King’s negative emotions boiled over.

"Brother, there’s no need to frame Lin Bai at this point," the Divided God said with a helpless expression.

"Dream Boss, Little Fire, Water, the gods haven’t arrived yet! If not now, when? Get my hammer back so I can lend you a hand!" The Thunder Heavenly King pointed at Lin Bai, exasperated. "He’s full of tricks! Once we start fighting, who knows what kind of schemes he’ll pull!"

Before his voice had even faded, a black vortex nearly a thousand meters high suddenly appeared on the left side of the Misty Forest. From it poured a torrent of Abyss creatures: a sky-blotting Black Dragon, grotesque horned Demons, and succubi with crimson wings and provocative figures, all exuding the unique, malevolent aura of their kind.

Following closely were the Bone Dragon, Lich, Dark Knight, and the Skeleton Legion, among other troops of the Undead Army.

The Lord of the Abyss, wreathed in flames and riding a Nine-headed Snake, and the Lich King, his body concealed within a black cloak, were the last to appear.

The Lord of the Abyss had a pair of unfurled red wings and wielded a Longsword. His flowing white hair made him look impeccably handsome. However, upon his appearance, an overwhelming evil aura forcibly pushed the Dark Space aside...

Lin Bai’s Divided God subconsciously looked at the Lord of the Abyss and was startled to find that the aura he exuded was remarkably similar to that of the Heart of Sky Demon—a pure manifestation of evil.