Honghuang: My understanding is beyond belief. I am the first immortal of Jiejiao.

"Can you please keep your voice down? You're making my ears go deaf."

I spoke slowly, my tone as relaxed as if I were chatting with an old friend.

All the gods and Buddhas in the heavens stared at me with wide eyes. The Jade Emperor, sitting on his dragon throne, had turned deathly pale.

I know what he's thinking. Things have blown up and are completely out of his control.

The golden body of the Buddha appeared behind him, bathed in radiant light, but his usually kind and benevolent face was now horribly distorted.

He stared intently at me, his voice low and menacing, as if it came from hell.

"Lin Zhu, hand over Jin Chanzi, or else..."

"Otherwise what?"

I interrupted him, giving him an innocent smile.

"Are you suggesting I'll be annihilated or thrown into the deepest hell? Please, I'm in charge of hell, okay?"

As soon as I said that, the entire Lingxiao Palace became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The whisk in Laozi's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," without him even noticing.

The Buddha's expression grew even uglier, and the light behind him began to flicker erratically, clearly indicating that he was extremely angry.

"Lin Zhu!"

He roared again.

"Jin Chanzi is an important disciple of our Buddhist sect. Do you know the consequences of kidnapping him?"

I shrugged, took out an oil paper package from my sleeve, and slowly opened it.

"I know, that's why I specially left you one leg."

I held up a cicada leg that was fried to a golden brown and crispy perfection.

"Would you like to try some? It tastes pretty good."

"hiss"

A collective gasp filled the hall.

The Jade Emperor slid off his dragon throne and was hurriedly helped up by Taibai Jinxing.

Bodhi Patriarch's face was deathly pale, and his fingers were constantly calculating something, clearly trying to confirm Jin Chanzi's life or death.

With a loud "boom," the golden body of the Buddha suddenly expanded, and the entire Lingxiao Palace was engulfed in Buddha's light.

Strangely, the Buddha's light dissipated automatically when it came within three feet of me.

"How dare you!"

The Buddha's voice was trembling with anger.

I sighed, wrapped the cicada legs up again, and put them away.

"If you don't want to eat, fine, but why are you being so fierce?"

Then I looked up, still wearing that harmless smile.

"But seriously, if you keep yelling like that, I might really blow up Jin Chanzi."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's heads.

The Buddhist bodhisattvas and arhats, who had been eager to make their move, all froze in place, not daring to even breathe.

The golden form of the Buddha slowly receded, but his expression grew even more somber.

I could see the veins throbbing on his temples; he was clearly trying his best to suppress his anger.

"Lin Zhu."

He practically gritted his teeth as he said my name.

"What do you want?"

I tilted my head and thought for a moment, then pulled out three lively cicadas from my other sleeve and held them in my palm.

"Buddha, did you drop this golden cicada, this silver cicada, or this ordinary cicada?"

The whole place was dead silent.

Laozi suddenly burst out laughing, but was immediately glared at by the Void Emperor Daojun and quickly covered his mouth.

The Buddha's face had turned from blue to black, and then from black to purple.

I could feel the Buddhist power surging wildly within him, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Lin Zhu!"

He finally couldn't hold back any longer, his voice filled with an unprecedented killing intent.

"I'll ask one last time, where is Jin Chanzi?!"

The smile on my face gradually disappeared, replaced by an eerie calm.

I slowly put away the three cicadas, and then took out a crystal-clear jade bottle from my pocket.

"it's here."

I whispered, raising the jade bottle so everyone could see the miniature human figure inside. It was Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit.

Bodhi Patriarch suddenly stood up.

"Lin Zhu! How dare you!"

I ignored him and instead gently tapped the jade bottle.

"what!"

Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit let out a heart-wrenching scream, a sound that caused all the male immortals and Buddhas present to involuntarily clench their legs and show expressions of pain on their faces.

"stop!"

The Buddha finally flew into a rage and struck me with his palm.

I stood still, only slightly raising my eyelids to glance at him.

The palm strike suddenly stopped three feet away from me, as if it had hit an invisible wall.

"Buddha, are you sure you want to make this move?"

I asked softly, tapping the jade bottle lightly with my fingers again.

Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit let out another shrill scream, this time even more painful.

I saw the Buddha's hand tremble as he withdrew it.

"What do you want?"

Tathagata asked through gritted teeth.

I fiddled with the jade bottle in my hand, looking at the Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit struggling in pain inside, and that chilling smile reappeared on my face.

"It's simple, I want you."

I deliberately dragged out the tone, and looking at the Buddha's tense expression, I suddenly found it very interesting.

"Kneel down and admit your mistake in front of everyone."

This sentence was like a bomb exploding in the Lingxiao Palace.

The Jade Emperor fell straight off his dragon throne, and this time no one went to help him up.

Laozi dropped his whisk again, but he didn't even notice.

All the immortals and Buddhas gaped open, unable to believe their ears.

The Buddha's face was indescribably grim, and the Buddha's light behind him fluctuated violently, revealing the boundless rage within him.

Do you know what you're saying?

He asked in a hoarse voice.

I raised the jade bottle high, letting the sunlight shine through it onto Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit, which immediately curled up in pain.

"Of course I know. I want you, Buddha, to kneel down and admit your mistakes right now, in front of all living beings in the Three Realms."

I paused for a moment, then added.

"Otherwise, I'll let Jin Chanzi taste what it truly means to have his 'soul scattered'."

The entire Lingxiao Palace was eerily quiet; everyone held their breath, awaiting the Buddha's reaction.

The golden image of the Buddha began to flicker erratically, and I could sense that he was engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

On one hand, there is the dignity of the supreme ruler of the Three Realms; on the other hand, there is the life of Jin Chanzi and the success or failure of the entire Journey to the West plan.

"Lin Zhu."

He finally spoke, his voice terrifyingly low.

"Do you know the consequences of being an enemy of Buddhism?"

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Buddha, Buddha, have you made a mistake?"

My smile suddenly turned into a sinister grin.

"It's not that I want to be an enemy of Buddhism, but that your Buddhist sect has offended me!"

I spoke my last words with extreme emphasis, and at the same time, the jade bottle in my hand suddenly emitted a blinding red light, and Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit let out an unprecedented scream.

"stop!"

Buddha finally broke down and took a step forward.

"I promise you!"

The moment these words were uttered, the entire Lingxiao Palace erupted in chaos.

The Bodhisattvas and Arhats exclaimed in surprise, the celestial beings of Heaven were dumbfounded, and the Jade Emperor collapsed onto his dragon throne.

I nodded in satisfaction and slightly relaxed my control over the jade bottle. Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit stopped screaming, but was still twitching in pain.

"Then please, Buddha."

I made a "please" gesture.

"Time waits for no one, and my patience is also limited."

The Buddha's face was extremely grim. He slowly took one step forward, then another.

I could see the burning anger in his eyes, but even more so, humiliation and resentment.

Just as he was about to kneel down, Bodhi Patriarch suddenly shouted.

"Wait a minute!"

Everyone turned to Bodhi Patriarch, who was looking at me with a solemn expression.

"Lin Zhu, what exactly is your purpose in capturing Jin Chanzi?"

I tilted my head and thought about it.

"It's fun!"

This answer left everyone speechless once again.

"What did you say?" Bodhi Patriarch thought he had misheard.

I said, "It's fun!"

I repeated, a naive smile returning to my face.

"Isn't it funny to see your expressions?"

The Bodhi Patriarch was so angry that his beard was trembling.

"You...you're simply..."

"What?! Insane? Lawless?"

I finished what he was saying for him, and then I shrugged.

"Say what you will. But..."

My expression suddenly turned serious.

“You Buddhist sect know in your hearts what you did back then.”

The Buddha's gaze suddenly changed.

"Who...who are you?"

I smiled, and this time it was a genuine smile.

"Finally, you've gotten to the point."

I gently stroked the jade bottle.

"Buddha, do you still remember the chaotic demon god that you suppressed under Mount Ling during the primordial era?"

The Buddha's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Impossible! You...you've already..."

"His soul has already been scattered?"

I finished what he was saying for him, and then shook my head.

"What a pity! What goes around comes around, and here I am, back now."

These words struck everyone like a thunderbolt.

Chaos Demon God! That's a terrifying being that existed since the beginning of time!
"Old Buddha, why don't you keep being so tough?"

Lin Zhu grabbed Jin Chanzi by the back of the neck with one hand, lifting the Buddhist monk into the air like a chick.

Jin Chanzi's face was deathly pale, and his cassock was disheveled; he no longer possessed the demeanor of a holy monk.

Throughout Lingshan Mountain, all Buddhas are silent.

The Buddha sat serenely on his lotus throne, his golden face now as somber as water.

His large hands gripped the edge of the lotus platform tightly, his knuckles white and veins bulging.

"Lin Zhu! Don't push your luck!"

The Buddha's voice was like thunder, yet it could not conceal the trembling within.

Lin Zhu grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"This is outrageous! I'm just here to collect some interest. You Westerners have been plotting the Journey to the West, scheming against this and that. What, you can't afford to play now?"

As he spoke, he increased the pressure on his hand, and Jin Chanzi immediately let out a painful groan.

"stop!"

Guanyin Bodhisattva couldn't help but take a step forward, and the willow branch in the jade bottle trembled slightly.

Lin Zhu glanced at him sideways.

"Oh, isn't this the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva? What, you want to try your hand too?"

He shook the golden cicada.

"Believe it or not, I'll crush him on the spot and completely ruin your Journey to the West plan?"

Guanyin's expression changed, and she took half a step back.

The Buddha suppressed his anger.

"Lin Zhu, what exactly do you want?"

The entire Great Thunderclap Temple was completely silent, and all the Buddhas held their breath.

Everyone knows that Jin Chanzi is the most crucial element of Journey to the West.

Without him, all those eighty-one tribulations and the eastward transmission of Buddhism would be a joke.

Lin Zhu looked around, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas before finally settling on the Tathagata.

"I don't ask for much."

He said with a smile.

"I've heard that the Golden Lotus of Merit beneath you is quite nice. May I borrow it to play with?"

"what?!"

Before the Buddha could speak, Manjushri Bodhisattva exclaimed in surprise.

The Golden Lotus of Merit is a primordial spiritual treasure, a treasure of the Western Sect, how could it be given away so easily?

Buddha's face instantly turned red.

"Lin Zhu! Do you know what kind of treasure the Golden Lotus of Merit is?"

"I know, it's what Hongjun gave to Zhunti back then, and then Zhunti gave it to you."

Lin Zhu casually picked at his ear.

"Oh, right, I heard you also have a Multi-Treasure Pagoda? Why don't you just give it to me too, buy one get one free!"

"presumptuous!"

Finally, the Buddha could no longer restrain himself, and his Buddha-light surged, causing the entire Vulture Peak to tremble.

However, just as he was about to make his move, a pair of gleaming scissors suddenly appeared in Lin Zhu's hand.

"Oh dear, I think Jin Chanzi is too handsome. He's bound to attract female demons on his journey to the west."

Lin Zhu held the scissors up to Jin Chanzi's crotch.

"Why don't I help him solve this problem, so that he can focus wholeheartedly on his pilgrimage?"

"No!"

"stop!"

"Please calm down, Benefactor Lin!"

For a time, the entire Ling Mountain was in chaos.

Maitreya Buddha could no longer maintain his smile, Medicine Buddha almost dropped the pagoda in his hand, and even Ksitigarbha, who had been silent all along, stood up.

Jin Chanzi's face turned ashen, and his legs trembled violently.

"Buddha, save me!"

The Buddha's chest heaved violently, and golden light flickered in his eyes.

He stared intently at the pair of scissors, as if he could see the Journey to the West plan completely collapse.

"Lin Zhu."

The Buddha's voice was hoarse.

"you win."

Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? So you're agreeing?"

The Buddha closed his eyes and nodded with difficulty.

The entire Lingshan Mountain was in an uproar.

"Buddha, think twice!"

"Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva said urgently."

"The Golden Lotus of Merit is a supreme treasure of Buddhism; how could it be..."

Even Samantabhadra Bodhisattva couldn't help but try to dissuade him.

The Buddha raised his hand to stop the assembled Buddhas and slowly opened his eyes.

"You need not say more. The Journey to the West is a matter of great importance to the rise and fall of Buddhism. Jin Chanzi cannot be allowed to fail."

As he spoke, a golden lotus flower appeared in his palm, its twelve petals gleaming and radiating immense power of merit.

At the same time, an exquisite pagoda rose from above its head, its body shimmering with Buddhist light, and countless phantom images of magical treasures could be vaguely seen.

Lin Zhu's eyes lit up.

"This is right!"

The Buddha's face turned ashen, and he pushed the two treasures toward Lin Zhu.

"Release Jin Chanzi."

Lin Zhu didn't rush to accept it, but instead smiled.

"What's the rush? How do I know if you've tampered with these two treasures? First, release them from the bond so I can examine them."

"you!"

The Buddha was so angry that he trembled all over.

"Lin Zhu, don't push your luck!"

Lin Zhu shrugged, and moved the scissors closer.

"Never mind then, I'll help Jin Chanzi solve his troubles instead."

"Wait!"

Tathagata practically spat out those two words through gritted teeth.

He formed a mudra with his hands, and two beams of golden light shot out from between his eyebrows, striking the Golden Lotus of Merit and the Pagoda of Many Treasures respectively.

The two treasures immediately dimmed and became ownerless.

Lin Zhu nodded in satisfaction, then reached out and put the two treasures into his sleeve.

"Can you release them now?"

The Buddha's voice was terrifyingly deep.

Lin Zhu grinned.

"Of course, I, Lin, am a man of my word."

With that, he casually tossed the Golden Cicada towards the Buddhist monks. (End of Chapter)