Lin Bai received private messages from Players, and Duke Zhenguo communicated non-stop with Xu Longyun, giving Lin Bai a clear understanding of the surrounding situation.
But he no longer cared.
Lin Bai even declined Duke Zhenguo's plea for help, refusing to use the Magpie Bridge to aid Taiyi Country. Once he provided aid, it would certainly drag the Justice League into the quagmire of war, putting out fires everywhere. It would be better to take down the Blood Sect in one fell swoop, using it as a base to extend the Magpie Bridge. At that time, he would have the upper hand.
Consider others' perspectives.
Lin Bai firmly believed that once the battle began, all actions targeting him would stop. The control of Phoenix Seeks Phoenix was too strong.
As for the Players, Lin Bai no longer paid them much mind. He was on the verge of controlling the entire world. No matter how formidable the Players were, even with their Undying Bodies, what kind of ripples could they create? Facts proved that even skills rewarded by the System did not grant Players immunity. Once he pacified the world, his next step would be to suppress the Players; whoever dared to stand out would be pushed down. If one wished to play in this world, the rules of the game had to be established by him.
Ye Song pointed to the boundless, surging blood-red qi before them and said, "Alliance Hierarch, that's the Sea of Blood ahead. Within the Sea of Blood, the Spiritual Power consumption for Blood Sect Cultivators is reduced by fifty percent. The Sea of Blood also suppresses external Cultivators in all aspects, impeding their speed and their ability to mobilize Spiritual Energy. This is why most sects are reluctant to attack other sects. The territorial advantage is too immense."
Looking ahead, about fifty li away, was a sea of crimson. A faint scent of blood tinged the air around Lin Bai's nostrils. The closer he advanced, the stronger the scent became, and it was impossible to discern what lay within the blood-red qi.
He signaled for everyone to halt and asked those around him, "How large an area does the Sea of Blood cover?"
Ye Song shook his head. "The Blood Sect hasn't activated the Sea of Blood in countless years. No one knows how extensive an area it covers once activated."
Xiao Yu observed the roiling blood-red qi before her, then scanned the surroundings. "Alliance Hierarch, over a decade ago, I visited the Blood Sect. The blood-red qi covered an area extending approximately a hundred li from the Blood Sect's core."
A hundred li?
Lin Bai pondered, gazing at the Sea of Blood. He finally understood why the Seven Righteous Sects and the five Demonic Sects had endured for ten thousand years. The locations their sects occupied were too uniquely advantageous. It was impossible to conquer them relying purely on cultivation level.
The accompanying Players stared, stunned, at the churning Sea of Blood before them. Their private chats were almost entirely filled with shock at the potent visual effects and the sect's power. They were also lamenting; how many Levels would Players need to grind to conquer such a massive sect?
"Alliance Hierarch, should we enter the Sea of Blood?" Xiao Yu asked.
"Knowing it will weaken us, why should we enter?" Lin Bai glanced at her, then activated Pei Yanzong, who was stationed at the Justice League headquarters in Zhen City. The next moment, he released Master Li. "Everyone return to Zhen City! Wait for me to breach the Sea of Blood before us, then come back to deal with the Blood Sect's remnants."
Everyone was taken aback.
Xu Longyun looked at Lin Bai with a puzzled expression and asked worriedly, "Master, are you going to stay here alone?"
"No, a part of me will stay here." As Lin Bai spoke, an eye and a mouth abruptly jutted out from his face, startling Xu Longyun.
The next moment, Lin Bai had already grabbed Xu Longyun's hand. Xu Longyun, in turn, grabbed Jiang Qingqin's, who then grabbed Little White Fox. The members of the Justice League held hands, skillfully linking up, with Lin Bai leading the dazed Master Li as he stepped onto the Magpie Bridge.
In the blink of an eye, the Justice League's contingent had returned to Zhen City.
The sudden return of the Justice League Army startled the numerous Cultivators of the Seven Righteous Sects hidden within Zhen City.
Currently in Zhen City were Grandmaster Yan Qing of the Heavenly Dao Sect and Sect Master Yi Wuji of the Tool Refining Sect.
Yi Wuji glanced at Lin Bai and his group at the Justice League headquarters, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Brother Yan Qing, should we activate Sky Kill now?"
The members of the Seven Righteous Sects had thoroughly analyzed Lin Bai's methods and laid countless fatal traps for him. The Tool Refining Sect's Magic Treasure, Sky Kill, was one such trap. Sky Kill was currently set up at the Justice League headquarters, waiting only for Lin Bai to return via the Magpie Bridge before initiating its deadly attack. Sky Kill was a wide-area offensive Magic Artifact; any Cultivator caught within its attack range would find their movements restricted. Once the killing array descended, those below the Hollow Realm would be virtually defenseless, and even those in the Great Cheng Realm would suffer grievous injuries.
However, Lin Bai possessed the Blacksmith's six-piece set, which could break any Magic Artifact in the world. In reality, Sky Kill could only be used once. Deploying Sky Kill—a Magic Treasure refined over countless years—outside the Justice League headquarters meant it would be destroyed after a single use, a fact that deeply pained Yi Wuji. But when he thought of Lin Bai's Blacksmith's six-piece set completely neutralizing their Tool Refining Sect, Yi Wuji's distress vanished. To kill Lin Bai, exhausting the Tool Refining Sect's entire treasury, let alone a single Sky Kill, would be worth it.
Grandmaster Yan Qing looked at the Far Vision Eagle responsible for relaying messages. The Far Vision Eagle glanced at the scrolling comments before him, shook his head, and said, "Sect Master, the Justice League Army stopped outside the Sea of Blood and did not attack. Their sudden construction of the Magpie Bridge to return to Zhen City likely means Lin Bai prepared a retreat route in advance. The forces from the Valley of Thousand Souls and the Holy Extreme Sect are still five thousand li away; they will need at least an hour to form an encirclement around the Justice League."
"Let's wait a bit longer." Grandmaster Yan Qing nodded and said to Yi Wuji, "Brother Yi, if we activate Sky Kill now, it will draw Lin Bai's attention to Zhen City. We have neither natural defenses nor topographical advantages here. Engaging Lin Bai in this location would be too disadvantageous; the Blood Sect is the main battlefield.
"We should wait until Lin Bai and the forces of the five Demonic Sects have worn each other down. When Lin Bai retreats to Zhen City, that's when activating Sky Kill will achieve a truly astonishing effect. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Lin Bai prepared a retreat route before the battle, but he would never imagine we'd be waiting for him in Zhen City. If we can kill Lin Bai this time, the Tool Refining Sect will be credited with great merit."
"..." Yi Wuji glanced at Grandmaster Yan Qing and said, "If Sky Kill fails to eliminate Lin Bai in one strike, we will need Grandmaster Yan Qing to take control of the overall situation. We cannot allow that little thief Lin Bai to escape again."
「Blood Sect.」
Numerous Cultivators had made their final war preparations and were hidden within the Sea of Blood, everyone poised for battle. However, the Justice League Army had only just appeared when a Magpie Bridge was cast out, and then they departed from the outskirts of the Sea of Blood, leaving everyone stunned and confused about what had transpired.
No one noticed that one of Lin Bai's eyes and one of his mouths had remained behind. Separated by a distance of a hundred li, a single eyeball and a mouth were too small a target to spot.
"Senior Brother Tu Yan, could Lin Bai have been scared off by the Sea of Blood?" a Cultivator named Zhang Guanghong asked doubtfully.
"Impossible." Tu Yan frowned. "Lin Bai has always been arrogant; he wouldn't retreat without making a single move. Besides, he can deploy the Magpie Bridge at any time. Even if he entered the Sea of Blood, he could retreat with ease. He wouldn't be so terrified as to not even dare enter the Sea of Blood. He's likely plotting some new scheme. Everyone, heighten your vigilance and do not let your guard down! Stick to the original plan: as soon as the Justice League enters the Sea of Blood, we will first eliminate the puppets accompanying Lin Bai."
"'The Magpie Bridge indeed has its unique aspects,' remarked Tuohai, a Transcendence Tribulation Stage Ancestor hidden in the shadows, as he gazed at the Magpie Bridge stretching far into the sky. 'Previously, I thought Laws were merely an alternative form of Divine Skill or Technique. But if a Technique could achieve effects like the Magpie Bridge, calling it a Law wouldn't be an exaggeration.'"
"What Brother Tuohai says is true. To transport several thousand people simultaneously with no discernible Spiritual Power fluctuations is truly miraculous..." another Ancestor chimed in.
He had only spoken half his sentence when the blood-red qi before them suddenly started to surge. Then, an earth-shattering sound pierced their eardrums: "Friends of the Blood Sect, esteemed guests have arrived at your doorstep. What is the meaning of hiding and not greeting them?"
The Blood Sect was isolated from the mundane world, and the Sea of Blood obstructed vision; Lin Bai couldn't even find a proper target for his taunts. If he recklessly entered the Sea of Blood, he might escape unharmed, but those with him could suffer innumerable casualties. Moreover, under the cover of the blood-red qi, the Phoenix Seeks Phoenix effect could not be perfectly deployed. Lin Bai, deciding to go all in, resorted to a powerful weapon he rarely had the chance to use—a sonic attack.
If there was to be a battle, it had to be a resounding, perfect victory. A mere narrow win, anything that gave other sects a glimmer of hope that they could defeat him, would lead to endless future troubles for him.
The Magpie Bridge had already spirited his people away. This time, Lin Bai poured all his strength into the sonic attack.
The moment the first word left his mouth, a colossal shockwave materialized before him.
A violent wind arose. The blood-red qi rolled back with the shockwave, rapidly compressing in the direction the sound propagated, revealing the land that had been covered. Countless towering trees, which had grown there for an unknown number of years, were instantly torn to shreds. Massive tree trunks were ripped apart again and again, then swept up by the sonic boom, shooting out like sharp arrows at supersonic speeds.
The ground nearest to Lin Bai was blasted open, forming an immense, deep crater. Soil and debris flew thousands of meters into the air. An immeasurable expanse of land was overturned. Rivers on the ground were forced to flow backward. Mountain ranges that had blocked the soundwaves quaked and crumbled under the sonic assault; enormous boulders rumbled as they tumbled down the slopes.
When the sonic shockwave reached the Blood Sect, its mountain gate collapsed, walls and houses toppled, and tiles were sent flying.
For Cultivators below the Divinity Transformation Realm, their protective Cultivation Techniques offered no defense at all. First, their eardrums ruptured, then their clothes were shredded, and then they lapsed into unconsciousness, falling from the sky one after another like dumplings dropped into a boiling pot. Cultivators below the Golden Core Realm, caught by the sonic wave, had no time to mount any resistance before being torn to pieces by the powerful attack, their remains merging into the Sea of Blood.
Players of even lower Levels had their health bars instantly depleted the moment the sonic wave hit them and were forcibly ejected from the game; one live stream after another went dark.
Only Cultivators at or above the Divinity Transformation Realm could withstand the sonic attack, and this was only after the attack's power had diminished over its hundred-li journey and because they themselves benefited from the Blood Sea Blessing. Even so, their eardrums ruptured, their blood churned violently, and their Body-Protecting Law Clothing was ripped to tatters by the sonic wave, losing all protective function. The Spiritual Power within their bodies was also rapidly depleting.
Those at the Hollow Realm and above fared slightly better, but some unprepared Cultivators still had their eardrums shattered and their clothes torn by the sonic wave.
Amidst the sonic attack, those at the Great Cheng Realm, representing the world's peak combat power, experienced almost no depletion, thanks to the Sea of Blood replenishing their Spiritual Power.
Nevertheless, witnessing the catastrophic state of their sect, the expressions of Tu Yan and the others turned hideous in an instant, their eyes immediately becoming bloodshot. They knew Lin Bai possessed a sonic attack, but his previous use of it had only affected an area within a hundred li radius, with the most severe damage concentrated at the epicenter. The Sea of Blood extended for a hundred li. They had assumed that even if Lin Bai used his sonic attack, it would be weakened by the Sea of Blood and wouldn't cause significant damage by the time it reached the sect. They had never imagined Lin Bai's sonic attack would be several times more powerful than described in the Justice Weekly. Shouting a single sentence from a hundred li away had still managed to destroy their mountain gate and even push the blood-red qi of the Sea of Blood back over a hundred li.
Ancestor Tuohai's face became extremely grim. He narrowed his eyes and, with a wave of his hand, shot a stream of blood-red qi towards the eye and mouth Lin Bai had left behind.
But in the next instant, Lin Bai's mouth and eye had already flown onto the Magpie Bridge, instantly returning to his body. Tuohai's attack hit nothing.
Ancestor Tuohai's expression was grave. "Tu Yan, is this Lin Bai truly at the Great Cheng Realm?"
"Ancestor, it is absolutely true," Tu Yan replied. "His cultivation base comes from his puppets. The highest cultivation realm his puppets can possess is the Great Cheng Realm, so his own cultivation base cannot exceed that. Esteemed Uncles, we speculate that if we destroy his puppets, his cultivation base will also drop..."
After the sonic wave passed, the blood-red qi began to spread again, re-covering its previous territory.
Ancestor Tuohai, looking at the scene before him, said, "A single shout forced back the blood-red qi for a hundred li. Such a Divine Skill, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas, is almost comparable to the Transcendence Tribulation Stage! Even if I were to exert my full power, I might not cause such widespread destruction. How could he achieve this with merely the Great Cheng Realm?"
"It might be the Power of Laws!" Tu Yan said. He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Lin Bai's attack was successful; he will surely return. I implore the Ancestors to lend us disciples a hand! With this one strike, the lower-ranking disciples of our Blood Sect have been all but wiped out. If Lin Bai is not eliminated, our Blood Sect is in grave danger!"
"The Power of Laws... it doesn't trigger a Heavenly Tribulation?" Ancestor Tuohai seemed not to have heard Tu Yan's words, still gazing at the destruction Lin Bai had wrought, his brow deeply furrowed as he muttered to himself.
Lin Bai's detached eye and mouth returned to their original places on his face, startling Xu Longyun. She flashed to Lin Bai's side and asked with concern, "Master, who injured you?"
Little White Fox and Jiang Qingqin also gathered around, looking at Lin Bai anxiously, tears welling up in their eyes. Lin Bai's left eye was shattered, resembling a cracked glass marble, continuously oozing dark red blood. His lips were in no better condition, torn and mangled, the flesh turned outwards, the skin itself barely visible, dripping blood that trickled down from the corners of his mouth.
However, what slightly eased their tension was the sight of Lin Bai's lips and eyeball healing at a visible rate.
Seeing Lin Bai's wretched state, Ye Song and the others were also shocked. In their memory, Lin Bai had never sustained such severe injuries. Was he besieged by Great Cheng Realm experts?
Lin Bai popped a healing Pill Medicine into his mouth, wiped the blood from his eyeball, and grimaced slightly. His voice was hoarse as he said with difficulty, "Let's go. Time to fight. The Blood Sect is vulnerable now."
Honestly, he hadn't expected that a full-force shout, just a few words, would create a reflective shock wave that almost destroyed his eye and mouth. It's noteworthy that he shared Wen Ba's Heavenly Devil Skill and ten times the recovery power! The impact of the sonic attack was too terrible! It was a classic case of inflicting a thousand injuries on the enemy while suffering eight hundred yourself. If it weren't for the Great Demon Solution Book from the Incomplete System and the Magpie Bridge from the Matchmaker System, using such a sonic attack would truly mean injuring the enemy by a thousand and destroying oneself by a thousand! The members of the Justice League at the center of the storm, except for those in the Great Cheng Realm, would not have survived. His eyeball went from clear to blind in the time it took to utter that one sentence. Lin Bai hadn't even seen Tuohai's blood-red qi attack aimed at him. After shouting that sentence, he had immediately fled onto the Magpie Bridge. Given the state of his two organs at that moment, uttering even one more word would have been impossible. However, realizing the formidable power of the doubled decibel level, Lin Bai's desire for the Three Heads Six Arms technique grew even more urgent.
"Master, let's wait a little. Your injuries..." Xu Longyun said, her heart aching as she gently wiped the blood trickling from the corner of Lin Bai's mouth.
"It's alright. They'll be mostly healed by the time we get there. We need to strike fast and decisively to prevent further complications." Lin Bai spat out a mouthful of blood, a grim smile on his face. In that short time, his hoarse voice had already recovered. He looked around at everyone. "Alright, listen to my commands. Phoenix Seeks Phoenix is ineffective against female Cultivators. Elder Sister Cen, you will keep all the male Cultivators occupied. The rest of you, strive to defeat the female Cultivators and turn them into puppets in the shortest time possible. This time, the Blood Sect will truly fight us to the death..."