The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 733 - 241: Sooner or later, I’ll show you the power of words
"Alliance?"
Tai Bai’s profound gaze rested on Lin Yun, his lips curling into a scornful smile.
"What qualifications do you have to ally with Us?"
Lin Yun: "..."
Very well, woman, you’ve succeeded in capturing my attention.
In all this time dominating the romantic arena, Lin Yun had never once stumbled.
Most women were beguiled at first sight by his charming visage, then subsequently subdued by his cunning tactics.
See, even the goddess Qian Qian had fallen into the sweet trap?
Tai Bai was the first to dismiss him with such disdain and ridicule.
I, Lin Yun, enjoy taking on those who are full of themselves.
"Isn’t my presence enough?"
Qian Qian couldn’t stand to see Lin Yun being belittled by Tai Bai, so she stood up for him.
Tai Bai looked at her haughtily, shook his head, and said coldly, "In the absence of the Fierce Tiger, the monkey proclaims itself king."
Qian Qian: "..."
That’s so infuriating!
But she had no way to refute it.
Indeed, in the absence of the Fierce Tiger, she, the monkey, dared not proclaim herself king, for too many chickens had perished.
Hey, wait, I’m not a monkey!
I am a goddess incarnate of wisdom and strength!
Qian Qian internally ranted, but wary of Tai Bai’s power, she didn’t dare to turn against him.
Tai Bai was already a legend, and clashing with him in her own Divine Country was far too risky.
Seeing Qian Qian stand up for him but get bluntly shut down by Tai Bai, Lin Yun naturally couldn’t just sit by and watch.
However, haste was futile in this moment.
Lin Yun held his anger inside, noting this down, but very calmly pulled Qian Qian behind him and said indifferently, "The Child of Heavenly Mandate is my wife, isn’t that enough?"
In his heart, Lin Yun silently added the words "one of" to his statement, and that spoke the truth.
Although Zhen Li was bound by her position, this didn’t prevent Lin Yun from flaunting her name as a banner.
Seeking out Tai Bai was also to save Zhen Li, so there was certainly no need for guilt.
Upon hearing Lin Yun’s words, Tai Bai also showed surprise and looked at Lin Yun with a rather peculiar gaze.
We have never seen such a shamelessly brazen person!
Directly boasting that his wife is the Child of Heavenly Mandate was truly audacious, and it even left Tai Bai at a loss for words.
One must admit, the Child of Heavenly Mandate was indeed very useful to them.
"It seems you have some understanding of us. Do you know that if we were to find the Child of Heavenly Mandate, our first course of action would be to kill her?"
Tai Bai’s gaze toward Lin Yun also held a hint of murderous intent.
According to Yu Jiaolong, Lin Yun was the Child of Heavenly Mandate, and Lin Yun stating that the Child of Heavenly Mandate was his wife was not contradictory. It was quite normal for the Child of Heavenly Mandate to have two or even more such individuals, and for this pair to become husband and wife, that was considered favored by fate.
But, perhaps Lin Yun was unaware that he himself was also a Child of Heavenly Mandate?
If it weren’t for his connection with Canglan, he would already be a corpse by now.
Lin Yun was particularly sensitive to the malice of others and instantly understood, Tai Bai harbored thoughts of killing him.
He added another mark to his little notebook, and his contempt for Tai Bai’s vision grew by several notches.
Everyone has a common enemy, a matter of life and death, yet you’re still worried about your tiny plot of land at home, too small, the vision is too narrow!
If he weren’t here seeking cooperation and didn’t currently have the strength to stand up against Tai Bai, he would’ve certainly shown her true colors, teaching her what red is, what white is.
"May I ask Your Majesty, why must you kill the Child of Heavenly Mandate?"
"Bearing the Heavenly Mandate means being the chosen of the Heavenly Dao’s will. We cultivators defy the heavens, and upon seeing the Child of Heavenly Mandate, we naturally have to kill."
Tai Bai’s aura was formidable; she looked like a sharp sword, exuding a frosty chill even sheathed, and resembled a prowling Fierce Tiger, whose intimidating gaze alone could instill fear and trepidation.
Yet Lin Yun was far from afraid, he chuckled lightly with a hint of mockery, "I had heard of your great renown and thought you were a rare hero of our times. But it seems the rumors are greatly exaggerated."
This barb wasn’t particularly cutting, but still it caused ripples of irritation in Tai Bai’s heart.
As a high and mighty Divine Spirit, she was always respected and revered. Even peers of her level would humbly bow their heads and honor her presence.
Yet today, she was looked down upon by a mortal, being told the rumors about her were false, how could she not be enraged?
Blasphemers tread but one path – the path to death!
Tai Bai’s Sword Intent surged menacingly around her; it was the Sword Intent of a Divine Spirit which far surpassed the Sword Intent understood by mortals like Lin Yu. She had yet to make a move, yet Lin Yun felt as if his body was pierced by numerous holes.
"You wish to kill me; could it be that you, Your Majesty, can only tolerate flattery and praise, yet cannot bear to hear the truth?"
Tai Bai had never before encountered a man so adept at verbal sparring. In her era, everything depended solely on strength – the strong were the truth, and the weak had no right to speak.
It was still the same now, but Tai Bai felt that simply killing Lin Yun directly would make her very upset.
Especially since she prided herself on being wise and just. If she killed Lin Yun without clarifying the truth, would she not be playing right into Lin Yun’s hands?
Suppressing the murder within, Tai Bai coldly said, "Do you know that blaspheming a Divine Spirit is punishable by death? I could flay and dismember you, even imprison your soul eternally, never to turn over anew!"
"So what if you could? You, a Divine Spirit, killing a mortal in your Divine Country, does not prove your strength, only your cowardice, feebleness, and barbarism."
Lin Yun’s address became increasingly impolite, and the words he spoke ever more direct.
Qian Qian was panicking on the side.
Brother, that’s enough, Tai Bai’s face is turning black, look!
Qian Qian was already prepared to flee.
Even then, she wasn’t sure if she could successfully escape with Lin Yun from the wrathful state of Tai Bai.
In her fury, Tai Bai might chase them relentlessly. When that time came, she might be alright, but Lin Yun would probably be chopped into mincemeat by an irate Tai Bai.
Tai Bai’s complexion was now ashen, never had someone dared speak to her in such a manner. She lifted her hand, ready to unleash her Sword Qi, yet she forcibly held back.
Killing a mortal was easy for her, but not having Lin Yun submit was something that she could not let go of that easily.
The death penalty could be spared, but he would not escape the living punishment.
Tai Bai unleashed several beams of Sword Qi, which instantaneously passed through Lin Yun’s body, blossoming into sprays of blood. Qian Qian wanted to intervene but was too late to react.
The Sword Qi was too fast; it was nothing she could fend off.
"I shall ask you, on what basis do you say I am not a hero?"
Tai Bai looked down at the blood-soaked Lin Yun with satisfaction, overseeing him from above, waiting for his response.
However, even with sword blades transfixing his body, Lin Yun’s expression remained unaltered, his demeanor even more proud.
"I originally thought that you, Your Majesty, daring to contend with the heavens and having survived nine calamities without perishing, maintaining your original heart through ten thousand lifetimes, were a paragon for the Divine Beings and an exemplar for all beings, worthy of the title ’the greatest saint of past and present, the most virtuous under heaven and earth.’"
Qian Qian: "..."
This must be what cultured people call ’flowery flattery’!
If it were her, she would probably only say things like ’amazing,’ ’powerful’—how could she flatter someone as symmetrically as Lin Yun did?
But, having offended Tai Bai so terribly before, did flattery still serve any purpose now?
The answer was yes.
Lin Yun’s words tickled Tai Bai’s heart like a feather, gently scratching an itch within.
Lin Yun’s flattery made her somewhat embarrassed.
Yet Tai Bai somewhat agreed, for she also believed herself to be extremely powerful and excellent.
The fact that Lin Yun could utter such words showed that he really understood her quite well.
However, it was all just Lin Yun’s tactics.
And as the saying goes, to praise before critique, exaggerated flattery would be no different from courting death.
Not only would it fail to cause an emotional impact on Tai Bai, but it would also completely infuriate her, risking a swift demise.
But like now, first belittling and then praising could arouse Tai Bai’s curiosity.
How had his opinion of her changed?
Even though she was furious, she would definitely want to know the reason.
Then, Lin Yun would explain his reasons, express his high expectations for her, and his disappointment with the current situation, which would inevitably make Tai Bai feel ashamed.
In this way, during their conversation, Lin Yun would take the dominant position.
This was the power of rhetoric.
Up to this point, everything was within Lin Yun’s expectations.
So, in Tai Bai’s slightly softened gaze, Lin Yun continued, "I had thought Your Excellency a great hero, who, faced with today’s chaos, would surely have profound insights. Yet, unexpectedly, you’ve uttered such absurd words.
Is what you call ’defying heaven’ merely killing the favored of the Heavenly Dao? Is this defiance, or jealousy of another’s fortune?"
Before Tai Bai could retort, Lin Yun, dragging his injured body, continued with impassioned rhetoric: "The strong, when angry, raise their swords against the stronger; the weak, when angry, raise their swords against the weaker. As a Divine Spirit who defies heaven, you should challenge the lofty Heavenly Dao, not strike at a Mortal who is far beneath you.
How can such actions be called heroic?"
Lin Yun’s words did make some sense.
But these few sentences alone were not enough to make Tai Bai concede.
"To contend with heaven, one must not be the least bit careless. Killing one Mortal can weaken the power of the Heavenly Dao—why would I not do it? Defying heaven is not about showing reckless courage, but about unscrupulously doing whatever it takes, for the greater good, why bother with the trivialities?"
Tai Bai was no fool, although she still followed Lin Yun’s lead, shifting from physical to verbal combat; she had clear logic. Lin Yun attacked her morals, but she quickly took the moral high ground.
Unfortunately for her, Lin Yun might not excel in physical combat, but he had never lost in a war of words. Moreover, with Tai Bai caught in his pace, her defeat was only a matter of time.
"May I ask, what constitutes the greater good, and what are the trivialities?"
Tai Bai answered straightforwardly, "Defying heaven is the greater good, the lives of a few Mortals are but trivialities."
"What is the object of defying heaven?"
"Heaven is unkind, treating all beings as disposable, exalted above all, using living creatures as pawns, frequently unleashing killing intent, causing disasters, and calamities. We defy heaven only to seek liberation for all under heaven, not to be enslaved by the Heavenly Dao."
Tai Bai was wary that Lin Yun might try to morally coerce her again, so she set her definition a notch higher.
I am not defying heaven for myself; I am defying heaven for the sake of all living beings under heaven.
Such a declaration was fitting for her saintly divine stature.
How about it, Lin Yun, are you awed by my magnanimity?
Tai Bai had already reached a conclusion in her heart.
If Lin Yun admitted his fault, she could pardon him from the death penalty, after all, his relationship with Canglan was not shallow.
Tai Bai looked at Lin Yun with expectation, yet what she saw was still his confident and composed demeanor.
"For the sake of the common people of the world, is it necessary to kill the innocent? Don’t those who are killed also count as the common people?"
"Killing one person might save thousands, even millions. Why not do it?"
Tai Bai followed Lin Yun’s lead and answered promptly and swiftly, without much thought, and now she had finally fallen into the trap.
"Do you think life can be weighed? Is the life of one person lighter than that of thousands?"
"Of course."
"Then, is Your Majesty’s life also lighter than that of thousands?"
"I am a God, how could I be compared with mortals."
Tai Bai had a vague feeling that something was not right, faced with Lin Yun’s aggressive questioning, she hardly had time to think and could only speak what was on her mind.
"So, Your Majesty, you too are high above, controlling the lives of mortals. To save the world by killing one person, you strike at an innocent weakling, dominating the fate of the weak with your own strength, masking it with righteous words. How are you any different from the uncompassionate Heavenly Dao you speak of?"
Lin Yun’s last statement was like an arrow that pierced through Tai Bai’s chest.
She really never expected that after all these twists and turns, Lin Yun would come to the conclusion that she was no different from the uncompassionate Heavenly Dao.
According to what Lin Yun said, she couldn’t deny it.
Tai Bai considered admitting it outright, since the strong naturally have absolute power to speak.
But remembering her earlier definition, that she acted for the greater good rather than dwell on trifles, if she admitted it now, it would appear that she acted for personal gain.
In just a few words, she had been backed into a corner by Lin Yun. She could argue, but if she did, she would have to deny her previous words, which would easily give Lin Yun another opportunity to find flaws.
"Quite the sharp-tongued fellow, but do you think this is the place for you to show off your rhetoric?"
As she was speaking, Tai Bai was about to take action against Lin Yun.
"Turning to violence when you can’t win the argument, is this the pride of the ancient Divine Spirits? Today has truly been eye-opening. I am but a nineteen-year-old mortal, while Your Majesty is a Divine Spirit who has lived for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. If you can’t out-reason me, how can you expect me to respect you?"
Tai Bai: "..."
Now she really felt too embarrassed to strike. Lin Yun was right; losing to him was indeed humiliating, and attacking now would only make it worse.
But Lin Yun stood resolute, as if ready to face death, and said calmly, "You can kill me today, but in the future, please do not pretend to be a saint."
Qian Qian: "..."
Alright, that’s enough. Isn’t it good enough to win the argument? If you keep going, aren’t you afraid they will kill you and cover it up as if this conversation never happened?
To be honest, Tai Bai had actually considered it.
But even if she could kill Lin Yun, she couldn’t change the fact that she had indeed lost the debate to him.
She only admitted losing the debate, not that her principles were wrong.
It was merely that Lin Yun was eloquent and had laid a trap for her, and she disdained to continue the verbal sparring.
A God arguing with a mortal, what would that look like?
Lin Yun, too, was getting excited. He had offended the Gods numerous times, almost forgetting his own curse of "Nineteen and on the brink of divine fury."
Given his reckless behavior, he should have succumbed to divine fury long ago; it made no sense for him to have lasted until now...
