Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players-Chapter 434: Strike swiftly with speed

"What method?" Xu Longyun asked excitedly.

"You'll find out when the time comes." Lin Bai broke into a smile.

Indeed, the Everything has shortcomings system was truly one of the first four systems to emerge. The moment he used the Great Deficiency Art, Lin Bai suddenly understood how to use the Skill. If the Earth Deficiency Art was an amplified version of the Beiming Divine Skill, then the Great Deficiency Art was simply the divine skill among divine Skills. It took from what was abundant to supplement what was deficient. If there was a gap between the two designated parties, the resources of the abundant party could be infinitely poured into the deficient party. This was not limited to Cultivation Level but also included Physical Constitution, spirit, life force, and more. This was different from the Wedding Domain, which forcibly leveled all differences. The Great Deficiency Art truly achieved equality among all beings. With this divine Skill, Players were no longer just Players, and NPCs were no longer NPCs! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Lin Bai didn't specify the method, so Xu Longyun didn't press him further. However, her mood had greatly improved. Lin Bai rarely made empty promises; if he committed to something, he would definitely achieve it.

「 」

"Is this Lin Bai's Skill? Isn't it a bit too outrageous?"

"Completely overwhelming, no blind spots! The bosses this round are getting more and more ridiculous."

"Old Lu, didn't you snatch a Divine Artifact? Use it!"

"I fucking want to, but I need a free hand! Shit, dropped a Level again."

"Why didn't you use it just now?"

"My Level is so low, what if the Divine Artifact gets snatched? Besides, I'm not the only one with a Divine Artifact; I haven't seen anyone else use theirs either!"

"Damn, a bunch of idiots."

"We can't take down Lin Bai today. Let's sprint with all our might! When Separation of Love reaches its end in a bit, everyone unleash your ultimate Skills! Let's secure our Levels first..."

During their Rush Moon journey, many Celestial Players complained to each other. However, while complaining, they had already agreed on a countermeasure. With their Spiritual Power rapidly depleting, no one wanted to confront Lin Bai head-on under these circumstances. The Celestials were only thinking of escaping to level up first. Having suddenly transformed from NPCs into Players, the Celestials hadn't adapted yet; teams and guilds hadn't been established, and they were still like scattered sand.

No sooner said than done. In the blink of an eye, a group of Celestials rushed to the end of Rush Moon. Before they could unleash their ultimate Skills, Lin Bai had already manifested his Three Heads Six Arms avatar, its three heads simultaneously shouting, "Get back here!"

The Provocation Skill activated. The Celestials, who had been preparing to attack each other, instantly had their eyes fixed only on Lin Bai again. They turned and charged towards him once more. Lin Bai didn't wait for them. The moment they rushed at him, he activated a teleportation Skill, gathered everyone, and transferred them to another town. The innate Skill of the Earth Goddess allowed unlimited teleportation as long as there was land within her domain. The provoked Celestials, pinned down by the taunt, couldn't escape even if they wanted to. After teleporting them through several towns, the Celestials within Lin Bai's domain were packed shoulder to shoulder, a crowd so dense it likely numbered in the tens of millions.

It wasn't that no Celestials thought of using the Divine Artifacts they had snatched from Players to attack Lin Bai. But Lin Bai gave them no such opportunity. The Celestials he gathered were either on Rush Moon, under the Provocation Skill, or directly affected by Shared Anger of Man and God. Influenced by rage, they would indiscriminately attack those around them, instantly exposing any Divine Artifacts they possessed.

The Celestials were right: when Lin Bai fully activated his Skills, he was a Super BOSS with no blind spots, giving them no chance to strike.

While the Celestials had no chance to act, Lin Bai managed to snatch a few more Divine Artifacts for himself. These included an Immortal Binding Rope that automatically ensnared enemies when thrown, a Golden Light Banner that obscured the sky when unfurled, and an Immortal Slaying Saber that automatically attacked foes upon release.

These Magic Treasures each possessed unique, wondrous attributes. Even if not comparable to the Holy Artifacts of the Nine Heavenly Kings, they weren't much weaker. If used by someone at Lin Bai's level, they might have caused him some trouble. But in the hands of these weaklings, they were merely delivering themselves to him.

Below the Nine Heavenly Kings, the highest Level for Immortals was merely the Star-glowing Realm. Lin Bai shared the Divine Power and Skills of so many deities. With Three Heads Six Arms and hands full of Holy Artifacts, it was impossible to kill him merely by superior numbers. Most crucially, the Earth Deficiency Art constantly devoured Spiritual Power from the Celestials. This Spiritual Power wasn't shared; it directly converted into Lin Bai's own.

Compared to other Systems, the Everything has shortcomings system was truly on his side. It had rewarded him with Inner Strength at the beginning, and now it directly plundered others' Spiritual Power for him, completely compensating for his weaknesses. Only making others deficient, never oneself—what else could this be if not an excellent System?

Having plundered so much Spiritual Power from the Celestials, the total Spiritual Power within Lin Bai's body had long surpassed that of the original Nine Heavenly Kings by an unknown amount, practically forming a sea of Spiritual Power. With such immense Spiritual Power, Lin Bai reckoned that even if he continuously used Thor's Advent, it might not drain him completely. Moreover, a key characteristic was that the greater the disparity between him and his target, the faster the absorption speed. With Lin Bai's current Cultivation Level, using the Earth Deficiency Art against a single Bronze Realm cultivator could drain them to an empty slate in the blink of an eye.

Xu Longyun and the others also reaped the benefits of the Everything has shortcomings system. The three women weren't even prodigies; their talent was mediocre, and their current achievements were entirely due to Lin Bai essentially providing them with cheats. Even Little White Fox's Realm had been boosted by Lin Bai using potions. But in just this short while, the Realms of all three skyrocketed, and their individual strengths had long since reached the Heavenly King Realm.

Feeling her strength surge, Little White Fox's face flushed red, and she exclaimed repeatedly, "Master, my Level has increased again! In the future, I can really fight alongside you and won't be a burden anymore!"

"Good. Keep it up and become even stronger," Lin Bai said, looking indulgently at Little White Fox. "You should also practice the Skills of your Staff to raise your proficiency. Otherwise, having abundant Spiritual Power but no combat Skills won't be much help to me."

"I understand!" Little White Fox nodded excitedly, raised the Staff of Fire in her hand, and aimed at the vast expanse of Celestials below. "Heavenly Fire Consume the World!"

Raging Heavenly Fire descended from the sky, sweeping towards the densely packed Celestials. As the Heavenly Fire rained down, the Celestials didn't panic; instead, they erupted in cheers. Being held by Lin Bai, having their Cultivation Levels drained, and watching their Levels drop—that was true despair. Being burned to death by Heavenly Fire, at least, allowed them to preserve their Levels and escape this torment worse than death.

"You two do the same. Increase your proficiency with the Holy Artifacts in your hands. No need to be polite with them. Killing them is a liberation. They use ordinary people to level up; we'll use them to level up. Everyone plays a game to play, right?" Lin Bai laughed, then turned to Xu Longyun and Jiang Qingqin. "Don't worry about Cultivation Level; there are plenty of Celestials. I can grab a batch for you to use as batteries anytime. We need to become the nightmare of these Players, to make them tremble at the mere mention of the word 'game'."

"Mm," Jiang Qingqin nodded and, activating the Skills of her Sacred Sword, slashed at the Celestials.

Xu Longyun waved the Jade Ruyi in her hand towards Lin Bai. Lin Bai chuckled, handed her the Thunder Hammer, and said, "In this kind of situation, the Ruyi isn't very practical. Here, take this hammer and be a Female Thor!"

「Continent of Gods and Demons.」

The battle between the gods and the Celestials was in a stalemate. After all, the Celestials were numerous and high-Leveled. Ordinary Mages and Knight Corps were no match for them, and the gods' Divine Guards were limited in number, unable to cover the entire Continent.

What's more, the Celestials had looted many powerful items from the Players, such as the Sword of Victory, capable of decapitating enemies from thousands of miles away, and the Flame Spear, which could unleash demonic flames. Even a swarm of ants can kill an elephant. Divine envoys like the Twelve-winged Angels, when confronted by swarms of Celestials, couldn't hold out for long before being slain and converted into experience points for the Players.

The gods of the righteous faction, led by the Earth Goddess, could suppress the Celestials with their Divine Power. However, their domain coverage was limited, and their compassion often led them to rescue civilians on the Continent while fighting the Celestials, diminishing their overall impact on the War.

The only beings capable of contending with the Celestials were the Abyss creatures from the Abyss. Most Abyss creatures possessed innate talents that debuffed various attributes. When they appeared, the attributes of opposing Celestials would be drastically lowered, allowing for a more even fight. However, the Players' undying attribute, in turn, became the bane of the Abyss creatures.

With Necromancy, dead Abyss creatures could be transformed into undead creatures of the same level. However, their attributes and intelligence would correspondingly decrease, making them no match for the Celestials. The Lord of the Abyss, the God of Destruction, and other such deities were the true main force slaughtering the Celestials. Ordinary Celestials who encountered them faced almost certain instant death.

The chaos on the Continent of Gods and Demons persisted until Players from the real world entered the game. With log-in bonuses and "one-slash-999" power, the stalemate on the battlefield was reversed in a short time. These real-world Players, wielding Divine Artifacts received upon logging in, leveled up by killing ordinary people, rapidly closing the Level gap with the Celestials. But when they besieged the Celestials, they were often killed in return, and their Divine Artifacts changed hands.

Within an hour, Divine Artifacts were flying everywhere across the Continent of Gods and Demons: the Eternal Sword, whose wounds would not heal; the Golden Arrow, which automatically pursued enemies; the Witch's Eye, which petrified anyone it gazed upon; the Wind Chariot, capable of traversing thousands of miles in an instant. There were all sorts of Divine Artifacts—only things one couldn't imagine, not things the game company couldn't produce. The proliferation of Divine Artifacts ultimately led to the armies commanded by the gods suffering successive defeats.

Relatively weaker deities like the River God and the Mountain God were caught off guard, ambushed by Divine Artifacts, and fell. Lin Bai's Divided God on this Continent couldn't escape this fate either. After all, there were too many battlefronts. Lin Bai also had to dedicate a portion of his attention to controlling his Divided God undergoing Heavenly Tribulation in the Immortal World, making it difficult to manage everything. The destruction of a Divided God was also one reason for a deity's true demise, as they could no longer be retrieved into their Card.

Fortunately, Lin Bai's Disciples, who had been granted the Earth Deficiency Art, managed to stabilize part of the situation. They continuously devoured the Celestials' Spiritual Power to strengthen themselves, and some even managed to snatch a Divine Artifact or two for protection. However, in a world where Divine Artifacts flew everywhere, they were unable to launch a counterattack. If they dared to strike, a stray arrow or a sudden beam of light could petrify or instantly kill them. The very reason Divine Artifacts were so named was their intrinsic attribute of ignoring Realm and Level differences.

Gradually, with the Earth Goddess facilitating their retreat, many Disciples and gods protected the surviving civilians on the Continent, falling back to its westernmost point to confront the Celestials. The Celestials, meanwhile, seized control of the eastern part of the Continent of Gods and Demons, simultaneously destroying the world and engaging in fierce battles with the Players from the real world. These real-world Players managed to stall the Celestials' advance, thus indirectly aiding the gods.

After leveling up with "one-slash-999" power, killing unarmed civilians held little appeal for the Players. Moreover, the Celestials' initial actions of slaughtering them and snatching Divine Artifacts had violated Player taboos. It became a matter of pride. Both sides possessed Undying Bodies, so naturally, grievances were repaid and feuds settled; besides, killing Celestials was a faster way to level up. Once true animosity flared, they only wanted to fight to the death, leaving no room for negotiation.

From the moment the game company restored the Celestials' consciousness and released the "one-slash-999" game update, the Wars across several worlds had not ceased. This was especially true after news spread of Lin Bai torturing the Celestials in the Fairy World. The Celestials on the Continent of Gods and Demons became even more frenzied. They wanted only to level up as quickly as possible, hoping to have the strength to protect themselves if they ever encountered Lin Bai in the future.

「 」

"Alliance Hierarch, the Celestials are accumulating more and more Divine Artifacts. If we're not careful, many gods might fall," the Earth Goddess said to Lin Bai's Divided God beside her. "If this continues, no one will survive. Why don't you use the Magpie Bridge to transfer the surviving ordinary people to the real world? If we send them away, we'll have no more restraints and can fight a decisive battle with the Celestials."

"Byleth, there's no need for such trouble," Lin Bai's Divided God replied, its eyes glinting with newfound animation. Though its main consciousness wasn't focused on the Continent of Gods and Demons, it had a general understanding of events there. "I have newly comprehended a Divine Skill that can turn ordinary people into great warriors."

This particular Divided God had fused with the Divine Status of the Sun God, and its entire body radiated a holy light. The Divided God slowly ascended, looking down from the sky at the dust-covered, vacant-eyed populace. In an instant, it marked everyone and, using the Oracle and Sophistry Skills, projected its consciousness directly into their minds. "I am Lin Bai, Lord of the Three Realms. You likely know of my deeds. Next, I will grant you Divine Power. Are you willing to follow me, to fight alongside me, to quell this catastrophe and reclaim your lost homes? To revive your fallen relatives?"

The sudden disaster had dealt these ordinary people a grievous blow. Facing a powerful enemy, they had no means to fight back, forced to watch as their homes were destroyed, their loved ones slaughtered, and the gods who protected them fell one by one, leaving them with only numb hearts. Lin Bai's ascent hadn't even caught their attention. But when his gentle voice entered their minds, it was as if vitality had been injected into their spirits, reigniting their will to fight.

The people raised their heads, gazing at Lin Bai in the sky. Whether standing or sitting, one after another, they turned towards Lin Bai and devoutly knelt.

"I am willing!"

"King of all Gods, we are willing!"

"We are willing! As long as we can reclaim our homeland, we are prepared to sacrifice our lives!"

First, one or two voices called out, then more and more joined, coalescing into a deafening torrent of sound.

Seeing the ordinary people inflamed with such intense fighting spirit, the Earth Goddess grew immediately anxious. She flashed to the side of another of Lin Bai's Divided Gods, tugged at its sleeve, and whispered, "Alliance Hierarch, you can't do this! They are unarmed civilians whom we've struggled so hard to protect. You can't send them to their deaths!"