Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players-Chapter 417: Surrendering without a fight

"Alea, you've been defeated by me," Lin Bai said, his kitchen knife held at Alea's throat, asking earnestly.

Alea paused, looked at Lin Bai in confusion, and nodded blankly.

Extract—Love's Confusion.

"Alea, you've been defeated by me once again." Lin Bai moved his kitchen knife to a different position.

Alea realized her Skills had vanished, and her face changed slightly. "Lin, my…"

"Don't speak. Just acknowledge your defeat," Lin Bai sent a telepathic message to Alea. "Your Skills won't disappear. They'll all come back."

One must bow to circumstances. Alea sighed lightly and nodded once more.

Extract—Chains of Love.

On one hand, there was Lin Bai's threat; on the other, the grim truth the Players had shared with them.

During the mechanical wedding, the gods faced painful choices. They knew they had to fight, but the consequences of losing were unthinkable.

Then, they witnessed Lin Bai's bizarre behavior.

What exactly was he doing?

Playing house with a beautiful goddess after the wedding?

Even if he was bored, wouldn't this childish game be too much?

He must be insane, right!?

But very quickly, they found out what Lin Bai was doing.

Because not long after, Lin Bai had acquired a shiny, heart-shaped Divine Status...

Is this how one acquired Divine Status?

This was too childish!

The gods' expressions changed repeatedly as they suddenly envisaged a terrible future where Divine Statuses were worth less than dirt and gods were everywhere!

Lin Bai was faithfully executing his plan.

After acquiring a Divine Status, none of them would willingly continue being mere worshippers.

As soon as more gods started vying for faith on the Continent of Gods and Demons, their painstakingly built system of belief would crumble in no time.

They had a choice: surrender and lose their freedom, or refuse to surrender, slowly weaken, and eventually lose their freedom anyway...

Lin Bai had pushed them to a dead end; despair spread among the gods. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Was this the twilight of the gods?

But the speed of their downfall was too fast!

After returning Alea to her Card to recover, Lin Bai brandished his kitchen knife at Thales a few times, succeeding in obtaining a Star God Divine Status.

Witnessing this brutal scene, the male gods at the wedding were on the verge of a breakdown. Even if they were being treated differently, did it have to be so obvious?

Lin Bai ignored them and continued extracting Divine Statuses.

Within half an hour, he had accumulated over a dozen Cupid and Star God Divine Statuses, all shining brilliantly.

By this time, Thales was already covered in cuts and bruises from Lin Bai's attacks.

Of course, the injuries caused by the kitchen knife were superficial; they could be healed by returning him to his Card. But the psychological trauma inflicted on the other male gods was profound!

Finally, the Mountain God was the first to break. "Alliance Hierarch Lin, if one surrenders voluntarily, can they recover their senses?"

"Of course." Lin Bai, having achieved his objective, stopped extracting Divine Statuses. He looked at the Mountain God with a smile. "The Righteous Door abhors bloodshed and killing. Resolving disputes through peaceful means is what I dream of. Ovid, there's a saying: 'A thousand taels for a horse's bones.' Those who surrender voluntarily will naturally receive the best treatment. Just as I am willing to spend a fortune to buy the bones of a swift horse, this represents my sincerity. When other swift horses hear this news, they will naturally flock to me..."

Shameless! The other male gods cursed Lin Bai in their hearts. You're clearly using the most brutal means to threaten us, yet you still have the audacity to talk about resolving disputes peacefully?

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, I wish to voluntarily join the Righteous Door and become a member of the Investiture of the Gods," the Mountain God declared, disregarding the others. "I only ask one thing of you, Alliance Hierarch Lin: let me regain my senses, like Alea."

"Ovid, with the Righteous Door and all the ancestors as my witness, I make this promise: although your wedding will not be the first to conclude, I accept your surrender," Lin Bai said gently, looking down at the Mountain God. "However, I must clarify one thing. If the Card fails to seal you, you will suffer a punishment like a torrential thunderstorm and lose your freedom forever."

"I agree," Mountain God Ovid replied crisply, breathing a sigh of relief.

Ovid's surrender was like a breach in a mighty dam during a torrential storm, triggering a chain reaction.

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, I also wish to surrender," the God of Truth, Blaa, declared immediately after. "Truth and justice are born together; I was made for the Righteous Door!"

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, I also wish to surrender," the Sky-supporting God said. "I am willing to follow you, Alliance Hierarch Lin, and strike down any gods who oppose you."

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, I also wish to surrender," the Craft God said. "I am not skilled in combat and was brought here against my will. I wish to dedicate my lifelong skills to the Righteous Door."

"Alliance Hierarch Lin, I also wish to surrender..."

One voice echoed after another.

Seeing such widespread betrayal, the Players and goddesses who had instigated the revolt grew desperate.

"You fools! Do you even understand what surrendering to Lin Bai means?" shouted Child of the Wind, his face flushed red. "He'll play you until you're dead!"

"Sisters, men can no longer be relied upon! If we unite, we can still oppose Lin Bai," the War Goddess declared. "Mother Earth is the most powerful deity. As long as she stands, victory is still on our side!"

"Ovid, I am so disappointed in you! You are a coward!" the Goddess of Wisdom shouted loudly from across another wedding ceremony at Mountain God Ovid.

Ovid turned a deaf ear.

"There are not many Enlightenment Pills left. I'm giving you the last five minutes, so please make your decisions quickly." Lin Bai looked at the noisy scene below and said leisurely, "River God Bolo, Spring Goddess Kabol, a friendly reminder: your wedding ceremony is going to end first."

"I wish to surrender!" two voices cried out simultaneously.

After Spring Goddess Kabol finished speaking, she blushed and apologized to the Earth Goddess. "Byleth, I'm sorry. My Divine Power is not as strong as yours. I don't want to become a mindless Puppet. Please forgive my decision."

The Earth Goddess remained silent, but a feeling of powerlessness surged uncontrollably within her.

At this moment, she finally realized how terrifying the man above truly was.

The first pair to finish their wedding ceremony would be the weak River God and the Spring Goddess, one of the goddesses of the Four Seasons. This must have been within his calculations.

No matter whether Bolo and Kabol chose to fight or submit, it would deal a devastating blow to their alliance...

"A wise choice." Lin Bai smiled with satisfaction, turning his gaze to Atis. "Goddess of Wisdom, I detest your supposed cleverness. Even if you surrender now, I will not accept it. You are unworthy of the title 'Wisdom.' Becoming a mindless Puppet is the best fate for you. However, do not lament. I will choose a truly wise person for your Divine Status, someone to inherit the position of God of Wisdom."

The Goddess of Wisdom's face turned deathly pale.

Only when the danger truly fell upon her did she realize how foolish she had been. She knew Lin Bai was using her to establish his dominance and warn the other hesitating goddesses, but she could do nothing to change it.

From the very beginning, she was no match for that man!

As expected, after Lin Bai pronounced Atis's "death sentence," the Forest Goddess, Goddess of Summer, Goddess of Art, and Goddess of Order successively defected, choosing to join the Righteous Door.

The number of gods resisting Lin Bai was dwindling.

"You traitors! You are the shame of the Continent of Gods and Demons!" the War Goddess gritted her teeth.

Her dignity would not allow her to surrender. Besides, she and the Earth Goddess were in the same wedding ceremony; she believed the Earth Goddess's Divine Power could protect her completely. At worst, they could escape.

As long as they escaped, they still had a chance.

"It's easy for you to say, Nunu! The catastrophe hasn't befallen you yet. When my lord captures you, I hope you can remain as composed as you are now," the Forest Goddess mocked. "In the future, Divine Statuses will be as cheap as cabbage. This is our last chance."

"That's right. Everyone is entitled to their own choice. We are independent gods; you cannot interfere with us." As more people surrendered, Spring Goddess Kabol's guilt vanished. She rationalized her decision: "The world is in peril. We need a wise leader to guide us in fighting the true mastermind behind this global turmoil, not those who would plunge the world into even deeper chaos..."

"Yes, I will lead you to delve deeper into the dao of laws. Your future achievements will be limitless. Success belongs to the clever who adapt to the times," Lin Bai fanned the flames from above.

Only at this moment did he truly feel the security of being the King of all Gods. Having gathered these deities, even if the Nine Heavenly Kings—no, the Eight Heavenly Kings—joined forces, he would fear nothing.

The Players had fallen silent.

Lin Bai had already gained complete dominance; whatever they said now would be useless.

The high-ranking members of the Anti-Linbai Alliance watched as the alliance of gods disintegrated before their eyes, a profound sorrow spreading among them.

Behind their screens, everyone was despondent.

Too terrifying!

That man is too horrifying.

He actually managed to turn the tide all by himself...

Now, their only hope lay with Dream Heavenly King!

So far, Dream Heavenly King's team was the only one that had managed to retreat completely unscathed from Lin Bai's grasp.

How ridiculous!

In the end, the Players could only rely on other Players.

And they had once thought that the Nine Heavenly Kings, who hindered their growth, were also targets to be eliminated.

"Guys, don't be so dejected. This might be good news for us. It proves the natives are unreliable; only Players can deal with Lin Bai, just like Dream Heavenly King and his team."

"Yes, so far, aside from threatening our physical bodies in the real world, Lin Bai doesn't have any truly effective methods to deal with us."

"If only we didn't have physical bodies in reality."

"Perhaps it's really possible. The game pods don't need an external power source. The deep sea, volcanoes, underground—we can hide the game pods where Lin Bai can't find them. Unless Lin Bai destroys our planet, we'll be invulnerable."

"But that means we can never log out."

"With an immortal body, why would we want to log out? The real world is so chaotic, and it's only going to get worse. Why log out?"

"Maybe that's what the Nine Heavenly Kings did."

"Should we really do this? It means there's no turning back. Do we really need to fight Lin Bai to the bitter end? Is it worth it?"

"Lin Bai has eliminated all unstable factors in the world. Who do you think he'll target next? Who are the game company's pawns? Isn't it us?"

"Yes, Lin Bai won't allow us to grow. Once he's free to act, the first ones he'll deal with are the Players."

"I quit. You guys can play on your own; you're all mad! Even if Lin Bai targets Players, he won't eradicate them completely. At worst, we'll just go back to our old lives. I have a beautiful wife and lovely children. I'm not going to join your madness and do something as foolish as sinking my game pod into the sea!"

"Suit yourself. The Anti-Linbai Alliance requires courage, after all. Time will prove that what we're doing is right..."

"You're insane! You're just a bunch of lunatics!"

"No, we're fighting for a beautiful new world! Civilization needs pioneers like us, willing to make sacrifices..."

"The game company will see our determination."

"Before that, we need to go to the forums and explain the situation to the game company. We believe they won't just sit back and watch Lin Bai become too powerful."

"...Dream Heavenly King, this is the last chance! Once Lin Bai subjugates all the gods, his Divine Power will be endless. He will become an undefeatable monster, combining the strengths of all deities. Currently, the wedding ceremonies haven't ended. The gods who surrendered haven't truly been subjugated by Lin Bai yet. As long as you give them hope, they will join your forces to fight against Lin Bai after the ceremonies conclude..."

A Player named Bow Warrior Rode stood before Dream Heavenly King, persuading him earnestly, "Your Majesty, all we need is for you to make a move! No one wants to lose their freedom, and no one wants an evil, tyrannical leader. As long as they resist, they will forever stand in opposition to Lin Bai."

Dream Heavenly King fell silent.

The Skill Lin Bai had used to forcibly drag him into the wedding ceremony within his dream realm still unnerved him.

Since obtaining the Dream Ruyi, it was the first time he had experienced the utter helplessness of having his destiny controlled by another.

Until now, he had always been the one manipulating the destinies of others.

If possible, he truly wished to avoid provoking such an unpredictable enemy as Lin Bai ever again.

"GMs?" Dream Heavenly King murmured, looking at the Player before him. "What happened in the Fairy World?"

"Light King and the others have decided to join forces with the War God to eliminate Lin Bai's Dark Divine Seal. We are actively promoting this," Bow Warrior Rode said. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Players have already entered the Spiritual World Gap, exploring a path to the Continent of Gods and Demons. Even if we lose the Magpie Bridge in the future, we can still ensure a connection between the two worlds."

"How many gods not yet controlled by Lin Bai are left?" Dream Heavenly King asked.

"Over ten. The God of Fear, the God of Recklessness, the God of Destruction, the God of Misfortune... They are all dark-affiliated deities. We are also persuading them to join us in the war against Lin Bai," Bow Warrior Rode replied. "This is the final battle that will determine the fate of both worlds. We believe no one will refuse."

"Have you contacted the other three Heavenly Kings?" Dream Heavenly King asked again.

"We have," replied Bow Warrior Rode. "They haven't acted on their own and are awaiting your instructions. You need only give the command; we can relay your messages, ensuring they are transmitted accurately and without distortion. This is also our last chance."

"Have those gods gather in the Misty Forest. We can no longer prevent what's happening outside Free City. Besides, Lin Bai has likely set a trap there. We will go to the Misty Forest and wait, ambushing a weary enemy. As long as the Abyss Lord has not been subjugated by Lin Bai, we still have a chance."

After closing his eyes and pondering for a moment, Dream Heavenly King said, "The wedding ceremony of the Abyss Lord and the Lord of the Dead is scheduled earlier than those of the gods outside Free City. Lin Bai won't wait until the ceremonies outside Free City conclude to subjugate them. By then, he won't have had enough time to bring all the gods of the righteous faction under his control. We must stall Lin Bai. When the gods outside Free City emerge from their ceremonies, we will have more reinforcements..."