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

The Styx Patriarch stared intently at Lin Zhu, his ominous premonition growing stronger.

Lin Zhu's lips curled into a cold smile as he continued speaking.

"The Patriarch might consider this: if I were to go to the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's sacred site right now and cooperate with him on this condition, I, Lin Zhu, would lead my Three Realms Enforcers to help him sweep away the River Styx and the Sea of ​​Blood, clearing away the biggest obstacle to his great vow of 'Hell Never Be Empty'!"
The conditions are simple: he only needs to hand over the culprit, the Treasure Goddess, and the escaped prisoner, Danda Ksitigarbha, so that my Heavenly Court can deal with them according to the law and punish them accordingly!

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the heart of the Styx Patriarch.

"Tell me, for his lifelong vow of 'I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty,' and for the sake of completely controlling the underworld and constructing his own Western Paradise of the Six Paths of Reincarnation... would Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva agree to my 'reasonable' request for cooperation?"

Upon hearing this, the Patriarch of the Styx trembled violently, and his pupils suddenly contracted!

Conspiracy!

This is a blatant and undisguised conspiracy!

Lin Zhu didn't need Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva himself to break the law. He only needed to firmly grasp the two undeniable facts of "prison break" and "prison escape" to define Treasure Goddess and Dantuo Ksitigarbha as sinners who were destined to die.

Then, the Three Realms Enforcers brigade under his control, whose strength had increased dramatically, became the heaviest weight that could change the balance of power in the Netherworld!
If Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva wants to achieve his great vow, the River Styx, the Blood Sea, and the Asura race are stumbling blocks that he must eliminate. In the past, he could only rely on his own power to slowly erode them, which was a slow process.

Now, if Lin Zhu, this powerful "official" force, were to actively join the fray, the possibility of the Styx Blood Sea being destroyed would increase dramatically! Faced with such a tremendous temptation, what choice would Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva make? The answer is almost self-evident!

Sacrifice two subordinates to seize a golden opportunity to eliminate a major threat!

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva definitely knows the answer to this question!
At that time, Ancestor Styx and the Asura Clan will face annihilation! Lin Zhu, on the other hand, can not only use someone else to kill and avenge the prison break, but also complete the system mission and earn a great merit in the Heavenly Court for "assisting in pacifying the Netherworld"! A win-win situation!
Having figured all this out, the Styx Patriarch looked at the young immortal with a sinister smile and perfect calculations before him, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!
He had traversed countless eons in the primordial world and seen countless conspiracies and tricks, but this was the first time he had encountered such a blatant and overt scheme that used the rules and the general trend to drive people to the brink of despair!
At that moment, an absurd and terrifying thought involuntarily welled up in his heart.

Who is the real demon?!

This feeling of frustration, this helplessness, this anger of being manipulated and controlled at will... he suddenly understood how distressed and miserable the Buddha in the Western Paradise must have felt when facing Lin Zhu! No wonder even the Sage was quite wary of this boy!

Killing Lin Zhu? That would immediately incur the wrath of the Heavenly Court, and might even provide Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva with the perfect excuse to join forces with the Heavenly Court to annihilate him! This path is blocked!
Don't kill him, just drive him away?

He'll turn around and seek cooperation with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, at which point the Blood Sea will be in grave danger! This path is a dead end!

Are we really supposed to obediently let him use us as pawns and fight to the death with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva? Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit blood!

He couldn't kill her, he couldn't drive her away, and he was unwilling to cooperate... The Styx Patriarch felt a surge of blood rising to his throat, and he almost spat it out on the spot.

He had lived for countless years and had never felt such a headache or such frustration! If that Buddha were here now and saw him in such a predicament, he would surely clap his hands and laugh heartily, feeling extremely pleased!
Just as the Styx Patriarch was torn between his inner turmoil and was so angry that he was about to shut himself off, Lin Zhu seemed to have lost his patience.

Seeing that the Patriarch of the Styx remained silent for a long time, he chuckled softly, shook his head, and made a move to turn around and leave the Sea of ​​Blood, saying indifferently.

"It seems the patriarch hasn't figured it out yet."

Very well, I will first go and discuss the details of the cooperation with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. I'm sure he will be much more reasonable than the Patriarch…

"stop!!"

The Styx Patriarch suddenly raised his head and let out a furious roar like a wounded beast, the sound causing the sea of ​​blood to churn once more!
He stared intently at Lin Zhu's back, his eyes filled with a hatred that seemed to want to devour him alive.

Lin Zhu paused, slowly turned around, and a hint of mockery on her face.

"Oh? Has the Patriarch changed his mind? Does he want me to stay again... Could it be that he really wants me to try your 'duck blood vermicelli soup,' a specialty of the Blood Sea?"

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at the thick, scarlet sea of ​​blood.

"you……!"

The Styx Patriarch was so angry that his lips twitched wildly and his chest heaved violently.

He had lived for countless years and was a top power in the primordial world, ruling over a world. He had never been so bullied and threatened by a young junior.

This position of leader is truly more frustrating than ever before!
But circumstances are beyond our control!

He was filled with grief and indignation, but he had to admit that in the intricate game of the Three Realms, Lin Zhu was far too troublesome!
Especially now that the Styx Blood Sea is being strongly oppressed by the forces of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, it is already in a precarious state. If the huge trouble of Lin Zhu and the Heavenly Court is added to the mix, it may truly be in danger of destruction!
For the sake of the survival of the Blood Sea, for the future of the Asura clan, he... seemed to have no better choice.

Endless rage surged within him, ultimately transforming into a sigh filled with extreme restraint. The Styx Patriarch forcibly suppressed the murderous intent that threatened to burst forth from his body, squeezing out a few words through clenched teeth.

“Lin Zhu…we…can have a proper talk. There’s no need…to resort to threats again.”

"threaten?"

Lin Zhu immediately put on an expression as if she had suffered a great injustice and pointed to her own nose.

"Patriarch, what you're saying is utterly unreasonable! I came here with good intentions to negotiate, but you first turned me away, then threatened to kill me, trying to annihilate me completely! Now you've made me the one threatening you?"
Is there any justice left in these three realms?

Looking at Lin Zhu's shameless "the villain accuses first" face, the Styx Patriarch was almost roaring and going crazy inside!

Who is really cutting off whose lifeline?! Who is really threatening whom?!

This sect leader is the one who's been wronged, okay?! He felt like his Dao heart was about to crack from anger!
But being outmatched, they could only swallow their pride and bear the humiliation.

Seeing Lin Zhu still feigning grievance, even with her eyes darting around as if she were plotting how to slip away to find Ksitigarbha, the Styx Patriarch felt a chill run down his spine. A surge of anger mixed with immense frustration rushed to his head, and he could no longer hold back, roaring furiously.

"Enough! Come back here! Let's talk! Let's talk properly! Let's reason with each other! You... you can't be so willful and just walk away!"

Hearing the Styx Patriarch's almost exasperated yet helpless plea to stay, a smug smile flashed in Lin Zhu's eyes. He then slowly turned around, the slight grievance on his face instantly disappearing, replaced by a condescending indifference.

He casually found a relatively clean, blood-red rock nearby, brushed away non-existent dust, and sat down comfortably, as if he were the master of the place.

He looked up at the Styx Patriarch, whose face was so gloomy it seemed to drip water, and spoke in a condescending tone.

"It should have been done long ago. Patriarch, I have indeed come here with sincerity. My purpose is to help your Styx Blood Sea beat that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, avenge your humiliation, and vent your anger." The Styx Patriarch almost ground his teeth to powder upon hearing these high-sounding words!
He suppressed the urge to spit at the other person's face, and let out a cold laugh through his nose, his words laced with sarcasm.

"Hmph! Help this patriarch? If you, Lin Zhuyu God, can refrain from using my Styx Blood Sea as a tool, then you will be the most virtuous person in the Three Realms!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow and made a move to get up again, saying calmly.

"It seems the Patriarch still doesn't trust me. In that case, we are not on the same page..."

"return!!"

Upon seeing this, the Styx Patriarch roared again almost reflexively, his voice even carrying a hint of panic that he himself was unaware of.

Looking at Lin Zhu's confident and domineering demeanor, he felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow and humiliation. After struggling for a while, he finally deflated like a punctured balloon and said dejectedly.

"...It was my mistake! You...sit down and let's talk!"

The situation was forcing him to back down!
Lin Zhu then sat down again with satisfaction, as if nothing had happened, and looked at the Styx Patriarch with a leisurely expression, his eyes clearly saying something.

"Why didn't you just listen to me from the beginning?"

He cleared his throat and finally got to the point about "reasoning," his tone becoming slightly more serious.

"Master, I told you, you're in deep trouble. This isn't just about the oppression from Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva right now; it concerns the future of the Three Realms!"

Suppressing the turmoil of dissatisfaction and frustration within him, the Patriarch of the Styx forced himself to utter a single word.

"……speak."

Lin Zhu's gaze was deep, as if he could see through the fog of the future, and he spoke slowly.

"The great calamity of the Journey to the West is imminent; this is the will of Heaven."

After the great calamity, the Western Paradise's fortunes will inevitably rise greatly. With this ebb and flow, in the coming years, the power of the Three Realms will likely be largely held by the Western Paradise. This is one point.

He paused, observed the expression of the Styx Patriarch, and saw that although he was still gloomy, there was a hint of solemnity in his eyes before continuing.

"And after the Western Paradise grew stronger, what did they most want to seize and must control? It was definitely not just the mortal faith! It was the power of the Netherworld! It was the cornerstone for them to build their own perfect Six Paths of Reincarnation!"

Why did Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva make the great vow, "I will not become a Buddha until hell is emptied"? Did he truly have compassion for all sentient beings? While he certainly had such intentions, the deeper reason was to drive a wedge for the Western Paradise to completely control the underworld and seize the moral high ground!

Lin Zhu's voice carried a hint of coldness.

"Now, who is the biggest obstacle to his grand ambition? It is you, the River Styx Blood Sea, and the Asura race, which is independent of him and not under his control! As long as the Blood Sea is not empty and the Asura race is not destroyed, his grand ambition as Ksitigarbha will be difficult to achieve, and his plan to control the underworld and build an independent six realms of reincarnation will be hindered!"

“Therefore,” Lin Zhu concluded decisively.

"Regardless of whether or not this prison break occurred, the relationship between Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the Western Paradise behind him, and your Styx River and Blood Sea, is one of mortal enmity!"
He will never let you go! In the past, it was just that the time was not right and the strength was insufficient, so he could only slowly erode you.

Now that the Journey to the West is about to begin and fortune is shifting, do you think he will continue to wait?
This brazen prison break, which might even help Dantuo Dizang forcibly advance to the level of a half-step Quasi-Saint, is probably not just about saving a subordinate; it's a test, a signal! What follows will undoubtedly be an even more ruthless and brutal attack!

As the Styx Patriarch listened to Lin Zhu's meticulous analysis, his expression grew increasingly grim.

It wasn't that he was unaware of these things; it's just that he had previously harbored a sliver of hope, or rather, he was unwilling to face this cruel reality.

Now that Lin Zhu had ruthlessly and thoroughly exposed the bloody picture of the future, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Yes, there is absolutely no room for reconciliation between Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the sea of ​​blood.

This is a struggle for the orthodoxy, a struggle for survival! The previous minor skirmishes were merely the calm before the storm.

Seeing the Styx Patriarch's ever-changing expression, Lin Zhu knew that his words had had an effect.

He remained silent, leaving the other person space to process and reflect.

The Styx Patriarch's inner struggle and weighing of options were ultimately overwhelmed by the cruelty of reality.

He knew full well what a full-scale war with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva meant.

For countless years, the reason he has always restrained himself, even when his men were being devoured and even when his princesses fell, he only launched small-scale counterattacks, was because he feared that terrible balance effect.

Once the main force of the Blood Sea is mobilized to fight to the death with the forces of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, regardless of victory or defeat, the Asura race will inevitably pay an unbearable price.

Even more terrifying is that if their strength is greatly diminished as a result, they may attract the covetousness of other forces in the Western Paradise and even the Three Realms, which would be a true catastrophe.

He carefully maintained a fragile balance, even at the cost of feeling stifled, to prevent the annihilation of his people.

However, Lin Zhu's appearance and his blatant schemes forcibly disrupted this balance.

Conversely, Lin Zhu and the Heavenly Court forces he represents have become an unprecedented "variable" and "shield."

With this law enforcement god of the Three Realms "taking the lead," the actions of the Styx Blood Sea, at least on the surface, seemed to have taken on a veneer of "cooperating with the Heavenly Court's law enforcement."

This undoubtedly greatly alleviated the Styx Patriarch's concerns about being purged by the Western Paradise and isolated from the Three Realms afterward.

Of course, the Styx Patriarch was no pushover either; he had his own plans.

It seems that Lin Zhu is using him as a pawn, but isn't he also trying to drag Lin Zhu and the Heavenly Court behind him into the mess, so as to shift the main contradiction and firepower against Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva onto Lin Zhu as much as possible?
Both sides are merely using each other for their own purposes.

With this tacit understanding, or rather, this unavoidable cooperation, the Styx Patriarch finally made up his mind. (End of Chapter)