Chapter 317: 317 Who says you can’t control the situation in the Heavenly Tribulation?
"There’s plenty of fruit to go around, enough to fill you up. Next time, remember to call me Master." Lin Bai tirelessly corrected Qing Yun’s form of address. Even though he was determined to seal her, he needed to exhaust her potential before sealing her in order to maximize the benefits.
The more feedback he could get from the ’Path of the Master’ during the intervals of the Heavenly Tribulation, the better.
"Throw the fruits on my main body," Qing Yun said disdainfully. She had reluctantly addressed him as ’Master’ when she was forced to do so. Now that she was in control, why would she still do as Lin Bai wished?
Lin Bai was not overly demanding, sprinkling a big handful of Spirit Fruits onto Qingmu’s main body.
The Spirit Fruits turned into nourishment once they touched the wood.
In the sky, Qing Yun couldn’t help but let out a soft, alluring ’HMMMN’. Her soft voice instantly attracted the attention of all the male cultivators around her.
"Master, give me more. These fruits can compensate for my innate deficiencies. If I have enough, I can pass the Heavenly Tribulation," Qing Yun urged anxiously.
In order to taste the fruits, she had given up pretending to be aloof.
Every time she addressed him as Master, the value of his virtues increased, and the Spiritual Power Feedback from the Master’s System reached 3%.
"Remember to use respectful language when asking your Master for something." Lin Bai threw out another handful of Spirit Fruits, continuing to educate his disciple.
Situations presented opportunities and risks simultaneously.
Once this Heavenly Tribulation was safely passed, he would have a great harvest, and he could practically do whatever he wanted in this world.
Ye Song and the others were shocked to see how liberally Lin Bai was distributing Spirit Fruits.
Were the Spirit Condensing Fruit of the Righteous Door really endless? The Holy Extreme Sect had been sustained by Qingmu for tens of thousands of years, but the resources of the Righteous Door were hardly any less impressive!
"MMMH~ Master, I still need more!" Qing Yun’s voice was becoming increasingly urgent, and the Qingmu was shaking incessantly.
Xu Longyun glanced at Lin Bai, resentment in her eyes. She felt that the madwoman in the sky was deliberately seductive. With such a charming voice and being Lin Bai’s disciple, she hoped Qing Yun wouldn’t lure Lin Bai away from her. She had to think of a way to prevent this. Otherwise, with Qing Yun’s profound cultivation level, if she managed to monopolize Lin Bai, there wouldn’t be any place for her.
"Use respectful language." Qing Yun’s voice made Lin Bai’s heart flutter. But in front of his several disciples, he had to maintain the dignity of a master.
So, he pretended that nothing had happened, and experimentally changed the Spirit Fruits to Temperament Fruits, and continued to teach Qing Yun.
Qing Yun’s main body was the Qingmu tree.
In Lin Bai’s mind, there were two trees, one producing Spirit Fruits and the other Temperament Fruits. They were probably higher in level than the Qingmu. He wondered about their origins. If he had known that Qingmu needed these, he would have taken out the fruits earlier to win her over, instead of having to intimidate her!
"HMM?!"
Another involuntary moan escaped from Qing Yun as she looked at Lin Bai, filled with gratitude. The old immortal was right, Lin Bai was her chance. Whether she could pass the Heavenly Tribulation or not depended on him. What about pride? What about being aloof? All of that was thrown to the back of Qing Yun’s mind.
Switching to a softer tone without any hesitation, she spoke in a respectful manner, "Master, bless your disciple with more Spirit Fruits... the more the merrier..."
...
Players secretly chatted with each other in the hidden live stream.
"Holy crap, that voice... Those who can see would know Lin Bai is feeding her Spirit Fruits. Those who don’t would think they were doing something... intimate. This is a damn Heavenly Tribulation, but it feels like they’re being all lovey-dovey..."
"I wish I had a tree spirit like Qingmu not for the sake of having her fight for me, but just to hear her act coy when there’s nothing better to do."
"From a loli Little White Fox, to an arrogant Commandery Princess, to an ample-breasted fairy, and now to a tree spirit who makes those soft, alluring sounds all the time. The favors the game bestows on Lin Bai just keep getting better."
"Don’t forget, he also has a supporting group of thousands of players who are all his die-hard fans..."
"Damn it! I’m so jealous. Lin Bai must die."
"He’s probably not going to die. The fruits in Lin Bai’s possession are getting Qingyun more and more hyped up. There’s a chance that he might actually be able to get across this Heavenly Tribulation..."
...
Lin Bai heard the secret chat amongst the players but couldn’t be bothered to entertain them.
He needed these people to broadcast his deeds to the outside world.
The players from the Beggar Gang were struck by lightning and respawned at the Blood Sect’s Resurrection Point.
In order to ensure the survival of the romantic pair that the Matchmaker’s mission assigned him to wed, he removed the Magpie Bridge linking the Holy Extreme Sect to the Blood Sect. Now, the players from the Beggar Gang couldn’t make their way over even if they wanted to.
With the Heavenly Tribulation looming overhead, Lin Bai wouldn’t go out of his way to set up a bridge just to give the Beggar Gang’s players the chance to profit from live streaming.
Qingyun was akin to a large umbrella, shielding everyone from the descending lightning. Little White Fox’s anxiety eased up slightly, and she stuffed a Spirit Fruit into her mouth, "Master, as long as Sister Qingyun is here, we will surely cross this Heavenly Tribulation, right?"
"We’ve prepared so much. There’s bound to be no issues." Lin Bai tossed another handful of Spirit Fruits onto Qingmu, nodding with confidence.
"Alliance Hierarch, we mustn’t be careless," Old Man Tuohai said, twisting his waist and looking worriedly towards the dense, dark Tribulation Clouds that covered who knew how many miles in the sky. "When ordinary cultivators undergo their Tribulation, the Tribulation Clouds typically cover no more than five to ten miles, and they only need to endure for three days.
"Underneath the Tribulation Clouds, each wave of Tribulation Lightning is stronger than the last. The final set of Tribulation Lightning is at least a hundred times more powerful than the first bolt.
"Even so, the odds of ascending don’t exceed two to three out of ten. Nearly seventy percent of those at the Tribulation Crossing Realm will fall to the Heavenly Tribulation, without even the chance of Body Snatching to cultivate again. This is also the reason why cultivators at the Tribulation Crossing Realm, without complete certainty, would rather remain in the world and not rashly attempt to cross the Tribulation.
"Now, there are more than ten thousand of us crossing the tribulation at the same time, including a veteran like Elder Qingyun, who had been hiding god knows how many years. Our Heavenly Tribulation is much stronger than an ordinary Heavenly Tribulation. Right now, it looks easy for Elder Qingyun because the Tribulation Clouds haven’t fully powered up yet. Once it powers up and becomes too much for Qingyun to bear, that will be when we face our real test."
"So, if one person faces tribulation for three days, does this mean that for over ten thousand of us, it will take more than thirty thousand days?" Little White Fox’s eyes widened in surprise.
"It shouldn’t be up to thirty thousand days. Historically, no one has ever spent a hundred years undergoing tribulation. The number nine is the limit, so I guess our Tribulation should last no more than 81 days," Old Man Tuohai postulated.
"That long?" Xu Longyun frowned, instinctively looking at Lin Bai, and asked worriedly, "Master, what about Taiyi Country?"
Taiyi Country was peaceful because of Lin Bai’s deterrence. If a tribulation trapped Lin Bai, she couldn’t imagine what would happen. So much could happen in three months.
"At this point, why should we concern ourselves with others? How to survive through this tough ordeal should be our prime concern..." Old Man Tuohai raised his right hand and twirled around on his tiptoes, occasionally producing an ’OOH OOH’ sound.
Now, he was dancing willingly within the Phoenix Seeking Phoenix Group, even finding a slight sense of pleasure in it. Being able to ensure his own safety amidst the Heavenly Tribulation, he would gladly dance for three more years.
"Don’t worry, we’re only crossing the tribulation, we’re not dead." Lin Bai glanced in the direction of the players and laughed, "The Justice League has the Magpie Bridge, if anyone dares to lay a hand on the Justice League’s cake, we will bring the tribulation cloud to them and have a heart-to-heart talk.
"There are already tens of thousands amidst the Heavenly Tribulation. If you shepherd one sheep, you might as well shepherd a flock, it doesn’t matter if more are drawn in.
"Maybe if all the people in the world are drawn in, the Heavenly Tribulation would automatically stop. The Heavenly Tribulation is an ordeal for individuals to ascend, I don’t think its intention is to Destroy the World...!"
"..."
Everyone was dumbstruck.
Even Peach Ancestor halted his cursing.
All were frozen by Lin Bai’s mad idea.
Even the Heavenly Tribulation can be used to his advantage, are you still human? And you say you’re not an Evil Spirit!
...
Lin Bai was trapped by the tribulation cloud.
The Seven Righteous Sects and Five Demon Sects were busy discussing how to restore the world order that Lin Bai had disrupted.
Then, they heard Lin Bai’s arrogant remarks from the players.
And so, everyone was frozen.
After a long while, Yan Qing, the grandmaster, came back to his senses. His mouth twitched a few times and he angrily said, "How can a person be this shameless? Is he not afraid that the tribulation will slaughter everyone on earth?"
Frost Cold Sword Saint solemnly said, "He’s not afraid at all. Lin Bai may die at any moment. What does a dead person have to fear? Besides, counting it all together, we are still his enemies. If I were on my deathbed, I’d want to take my enemies with me."
"We can’t do anything to him on the outside, and now we’re being coerced by him in the tribulation. Is Lin Bai really our nemesis?" Yi Wuji said angrily, "If he can’t cross the tribulation and becomes a ghost, will he still be against us?"
Everyone glared at him.
Knowing he misspoke, Yi Wuji awkwardly smiled at everyone and said no more.
Qiu Shuichen of the Moon Spirit Sect was silent a while before saying, "Fellow Daoists, Lin Bai has control over Qingmu of the Holy Extreme Sect, and Qingmu has the resource support of the Righteous Door. Is it possible that he can really survive the tribulation?"
"A tribulation that involves tens of thousands of people, if he can cross it easily, he deserves to be the best in the world. We should stop thinking about opposing him, just prepare ourselves respectfully and surrender to his Righteous Door, then we won’t face any trouble," the elder of the Beast Taming Sect, Octavio, said.
The sect masters of the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect glanced at the elder from the Beast Taming Sect, but didn’t respond. They had Daozi and Heart of Sword. Even if Lin Bai were alive, they would have hope, but the Beast Taming Sect had nothing...
"Qingmu and Lin Bai were forcibly drawn into the tribulation without any preparation, and this tribulation is unprecedentedly strong. If they can cross the tribulation, I’ll read my name backward," Ancient Sorrow disdainfully said.
"Enough with these useless discussions," Grandmaster Yan Qing lightly coughed, saying weakly, "Send word to the Five Demon Sects. During Lin Bai’s tribulation, try as much as possible to appease him. Do not anger him and invite disaster to the world."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Grandmaster Yan Qing glanced at Ancient Sorrow and said, "The laws of the Righteous Door are mysterious. Moreover, with Lin Bai in trouble, some old ancestor of the Righteous Door may intervene to save him. If he manages to survive the Heavenly Tribulation, it would be our disaster. We must remain vigilant. We should keep a constant eye on the situation of the Heavenly Tribulation, and not neglect the cultivation of those dispatched by heaven. We must prepare for all possibilities after Lin Bai gets out of his predicament."
...
「Meanwhile.」
The top management of financial consortiums such as Xinlong, Jing Ke, Fengda, etc., also urgently convened a meeting to discuss two sets of plans for whether Lin Bai could survive the Heavenly Tribulation.
"Lin Bai’s tribulation will at least last for eighty-one days. During this period, the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects are threatened by Lin Bai and dare not act rashly. This is our best opportunity. If we can’t seize this opportunity to rise, whether Lin Bai dies or lives, we’ll be oppressed—by the Seven Righteous Sects if he dies, or by the Justice League if he survives. In this game world, we will never have a chance to rise," said Far Vision Eagle.
"We’ve invested heavily in the early stages. It’s time to see the returns," typed The Bright Sun in the chat.
"I suggest," Wind Rider said, "that on one hand, we concentrate all our resources to strive for a group of players to reach the Transcendance Tribulation Stage within three months. That way we’ll have a nuclear weapon to deter the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects. On the other hand, we should send our players to infiltrate the Seven Righteous Sects, the Five Demon Sects, and all the nations on the continent. Establish our brand culture and industrial chain. Economically control the nations inside the game, do our best to make the natives adapt and accept us..."
"The facts have proven that there is no plot in the game world. The Magpie Bridge teleportation stops whenever it wants, and Lin Bai’s dispute with the Seven Righteous Sects is more fantastic than the real world, with no pattern to speak of. The game company’s background is still a mystery. Now we should forsake our selfishness, exert united efforts to invade this world, and discuss how to divide the cake after we have a firm foothold," said Far Vision Eagle, "You heard correctly, I used the words ’invade’. From now on, I hope everyone doesn’t regard it as a game anymore. Instead, treat it as a real world. Only then can we strive to do our best."
"We are businessmen, and profit is the bottom line," said The Bright Sun. "There will come a day when the game company won’t stop after going through so much trouble. In the future, even more accounts will be issued, and more people will enter this world. Everyone’s lives will be divided into two. Half in reality and half here. Everyone here is well aware of how much profit this entails. So we must win this battle."
"If Lin Bai dies, we’ll take his place," said Wind Rider. "If the Seven Righteous Sects become our enemies, we’ll destroy this world. Lin Bai may not dare wreak havoc on this world with Heavenly Tribulation, but we do. Even if it turns into ruins, a world with players only is still of great value. By then, the story and mode of the game will be up to us to decide."
Far Vision Eagle said, "The situation is roughly as stated. If anyone has good suggestions, please post them on the screen for us to discuss feasibility..."
...
「Blood Sect.」
Resurrected Silver, Wild Wolf, and the rest gathered together, all silent.
Silver sighed, breaking the silence, "Lin Bai’s tribulation will last for eighty-one days. From now on, the Beggar Gang has no more support, and we can only rely on ourselves."
Crispy Rice looked around, "We can also rely on the financial consortiums. The people of Xinlong Group have contacted me. They want to use the territory of the Blood Sect to cultivate players. I didn’t agree. I wanted to hear what you guys think."
I’m Not an Alt Account said, "We can collaborate. Lin Bai is trapped in the Heavenly Tribulation, and the business of the Beggar Gang is basically paralyzed. The finance route of the Beggar Gang is cut off. If the salaries that have kept the Beggar Gang members comfortable cease to be disbursed, the gang will eventually collapse. Working with the financial consortiums may be a way out."
Wild Wolf contemplated for a moment, "Aren’t we going a bit too far if we do this? Shopkeeper Lin treated us well. Even being trapped in the Heavenly Tribulation, he still didn’t forget to safeguard us. How will he see us if he knows that we are cooperating with the people of the financial consortiums?"
"Old Wolf, he’s just an NPC after all. It’s doubtful whether he can survive the Heavenly Tribulation. You really take his view seriously," said Lord, "Even if he can make it, should we just wait for him for eighty-one days? Be realistic. Without a leader, how could our cohesion possibly unite so many members of the Beggar Gang based on just the few of us?"
Dragon Breath nodded, "Lord is right. Wake up. After all, we and Lin Bai are people from two different worlds. The financial consortiums are still discussing with us now. Once they lose patience and invest a large amount of money, it’s possible for us to get killed out of the game..."
Lord kept silent. Dragon Breath was right. Their status was not because they were strong, but because Lin Bai had put them in this position. Without Lin Bai, it would be easy for the people below to overthrow them.
Crispy Rice looked around at everyone, "Since everyone has no objections, then I will reply to the financial consortium. Don’t worry, everyone. I will ask them to keep our current positions..."