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

"You...you are so slanderous!"

Di Ting could only roar helplessly.

"Slanderous accusations?"

Lin Zhu grinned maliciously.

"Today, let the facts speak for themselves! Patriarch of the Styx!"

He suddenly turned his head and looked at the Styx Patriarch beside him, whose blood aura was soaring to the sky. There was no fear in his eyes, only a resolute fighting spirit.

"The arrow is already on the bowstring, how can it not be released?! Attack!!"

Seeing that Lin Zhu's attitude was so firm and showed no intention of backing down, the last trace of concern in the Styx Patriarch's heart completely vanished, and his courage instantly grew!
He even started to fantasize.

Lin Zhu's tough stance suggests that the Heavenly Court may be tacitly approving of his actions, or even hinting at an alliance with the sect's founder.

If I could truly establish a connection with the Heavenly Court and receive overt or covert support from the will of Heaven, wouldn't my Styx Blood Sea have a chance to completely turn things around and no longer have to suffer the humiliation of being stuck in this dark corner of the underworld?!

Thinking of this bright financial prospect, the Styx Patriarch felt full of energy, even more so than if he had taken a super tonic!

He swung his arms with all his might, as if pouring all his magical power into them, and let out a deafening roar.

"Break it for me!!!"

"boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

With the roar of the Styx Patriarch, the entire Blood River Formation went completely berserk!
The endless sea of ​​blood boiled, roared, and surged like never before! It was as if the weight and killing intent of the entire sea of ​​blood were concentrated in this final strike!
The crimson light instantly engulfed everything!
The massive Blood River Formation, like a collapsing crimson sky, crashed fiercely and relentlessly into the steadfast barrier of Buddhist light!
At that moment, an indescribable roar erupted!
That was not a sound, but the lament of the laws, the tremor of the very origin of the void!

The entire chaotic starry sky trembled violently, like fragile glass that had been hit by a boulder. Dark spatial cracks spread out like a spider web, as if this world was about to collapse completely at any moment!

Even outside this battlefield, the relatively stable Three Realms space felt this terrifying impact, producing subtle ripples and vibrations!

The Three Realms were shaken!

The first to be affected was the Netherworld, which was adjacent to it.

Inside the main hall of Fengdu, the Fengdu Emperor felt the terrifying tremor that seemed to overturn the entire underworld, but his face showed a helpless expression of "as expected".

He had already made all the necessary arrangements in advance.

"Quickly! All ghost immortals, perform your duties and stabilize the Wheel of Reincarnation!"

"Ghost soldiers and generals, immediately seize all wandering ghosts and send them to the various halls for temporary custody. There must be no mistakes!"

"Activate all protective formations, activate as many as possible!"

Thanks to his prior arrangements, although the impact from the direction of the Five Turbid World severely damaged the Underworld—a bottomless crack was shattered in the Yinshan Mountain of the Netherworld.

A corner of the Mirror of Retribution shattered, and the mirror's light dimmed; the Bridge of Helplessness shook violently, and the waters of the Yellow Springs flowed out from under the bridge, flooding many areas... However, the overall damage was still within a controllable range and did not cause a large-scale ghost riot or a halt in the cycle of reincarnation.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu and the Five Ghost Emperors had already hidden under the heavy table made of ten-thousand-year-old ebony, feeling the rumbling noises and falling dust from above.

One of the Ghost Emperors couldn't resist his curiosity and asked in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, you...you seem to have known all along that such a commotion would occur?"

The Emperor of Fengdu clutched his head, sighed, and his tone was filled with a sense of vicissitude and resignation.

"Sigh... Ever since I met that big shot, when has he ever caused anything small?"
This time they've even joined forces with the Styx Patriarch... Anyone with a brain knows they're no small matter! I just hope they don't actually tear down the Underworld..."

This terrifying tremor did not stop in the netherworld.

The powerful shockwave spread like ripples, reaching all four continents of the human realm.

In an instant, the mountains shook and the rivers churned, and countless creatures looked up at the sky in terror, not knowing what had happened.

Among them, Xiniu Hezhou, which is closest to the Netherworld and has the deepest connection with that broken starry sky, felt the tremors most clearly. In many places, mountains collapsed and cracks spread across the ground, as if the end of the world had arrived.

In the human realm, in Xiniu Hezhou.

The terrifying tremor originating from the depths of the netherworld and affecting the three realms left its most obvious traces here.

Countless temples dedicated to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva shook violently in this sudden "natural disaster," with walls cracking, tiles flying everywhere, and many long-neglected temples collapsing into ruins.

What terrifies believers the most are the stone statues of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the temple, which are regarded as spiritual sustenance and symbols of power.

Many of the stone statues, as they trembled, developed clear cracks starting from between their eyebrows, as if the Bodhisattva's physical body had truly been damaged.

"No! The Buddha statue... the Buddha statue is cracked!"

"Oh my god! Even the Buddha can't protect us anymore?"

"The world is collapsing! The end of the world is coming!"

For countless devout believers, the stability of a Buddha statue is directly related to their understanding of the world and their inner peace.

The collapse or damage of Buddha statues is seen as an extremely ominous sign, indicating that the foundation of their faith has been shaken, and it may even be the beginning of the end of the world.

In an instant, cries of weeping, prayers, and desperate shouts rose and fell throughout Xiniu Hezhou, and panic spread.

However, amidst this chaos and pessimism, subtle changes are also brewing.

Beside the ruins of a collapsed temple, a ragged young man, knocked to the ground by the shock, slowly opened his eyes.

His initially bewildered and numb gaze, after the initial daze, flashed with a variety of complex emotions—shock at the scene before him, bewilderment at the collapse of his faith—but ultimately, all of this transformed into an unprecedented clarity and steadfastness.

He struggled to his feet from the ruins, dusted himself off, and gazed eastward, reciting in a low but firm voice that only he could hear.

"The Buddha statue has fallen, where is the true scripture? I shall follow the example of the sages and go to the world of supreme Dharma in the East to seek the twenty-four-character supreme mantra that can save all sentient beings and guide them out of their confusion!"

His eyes gleamed with a light that was both “enlightenment” and “desire”.

Once the thought arose, it spread like wildfire in his heart.

He began to be dissatisfied with daily kneeling and chanting, and started to secretly contact like-minded people, quietly forming a small team to seek the "true Dharma".

Even more surprisingly, some people, seemingly dissatisfied with the status quo or harboring other motives, are subtly sending him signals of support through various means. This tiny spark may one day bring unexpected changes and impacts to Xiniu Hezhou, a land shrouded in Buddhist light for countless years.

……

The Heavenly Court, a nine-layered heavenly prison.

The violent tremors also reached this place, causing ripples to spread across the incredibly sturdy prison defenses.

Some powerful and perceptive demons imprisoned at the lowest level immediately sensed the earth-shattering energy collisions from the outside world, as well as the chaotic aura emanating from the Netherworld.

"Chance!
This is a golden opportunity!

"A fight has broken out outside! Something big must have happened in Heaven! The restrictions are weakening!"

"Charge out! If we don't escape now, when will we?!"

Several demons, unable to contain their tempers or driven mad by their long imprisonment, seized the moment when the jailers were also affected by the tremors and the restrictions fluctuated slightly. They forcibly broke through some of their shackles, roaring as they rushed toward the exit of the prison, their eyes filled with a yearning for freedom and madness.

However, just as they were about to rush out of the gate that symbolized freedom, a fiery red figure, like a gatekeeper, steadily blocked the entrance.

The Third Prince Nezha held a large sword that gleamed with cold light. Although his face was still pale from the injury he had suffered from the previous attack by Ksitigarbha, his eyes were as cold as knives, and a mocking sneer hung on the corner of his mouth.

"What? Where are you all rushing off to? Haven't you had enough prison food yet, and you're already trying to slip away?"

His Hun Tian Ling moved without wind, and the Qian Kun Huan slowly rotated on his wrist, emanating a chilling spiritual pressure.

The demons who were charging ahead, upon seeing Nezha, felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of ice water. Their fervor vanished instantly, and they were terrified, hastily stopping in their tracks, their faces forced into obsequious smiles that were more like cries.

"Third...Third Prince! It's a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"

"We...we just heard a noise and came out to see if we needed any help..."

"Yes, yes, yes! We are worried about the safety of the prison, and we have absolutely no intention of escaping!"
"I'm going back right now, I'm going back right now!"

While forcing a smile, they deftly picked up the shackles from the ground themselves.

They put their new clothes back on with a clanging sound, bowing and scraping as they backed away obediently into their dark cells, not daring to even breathe loudly again.

Nezha looked at this group of bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong, snorted coldly, and put away his weapon.

He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of palaces, looking towards the direction of the underworld. His usually unruly eyes were now filled with worry and a hint of barely perceptible self-reproach.

"Boss... how's it going on your end...?"

He muttered to himself, clenching his fists tightly.

"It's all my fault for not being strong enough! If I were as strong as the boss or as powerful as Jiufeng, I could have gone with them this time, instead of being stuck here guarding these useless people and not even being able to help!"

An intense, overwhelming desire for power burned fiercely within him like a raging fire.

Unlike in the past when he was driven by a desire to be competitive or to prove himself, this time his desire was more about repaying a debt of gratitude, and standing by the side of the boss who had protected him time and time again and given him his trust, to face powerful enemies together!
As this pure longing arose, and the frustration of being ambushed earlier gradually dissipated due to Lin Zhu's major intervention, Nezha felt as if his mind had been cleansed, becoming much clearer. Even the bottleneck in his cultivation that had been stagnant for so long seemed to show signs of loosening.

……

The Western Paradise, the Great Thunder Temple.

The solemn Buddhist land was also affected by the tremors of the three realms, causing ripples in the lotus pond and Bodhi leaves to fall in a flurry.

The Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats, who sat on the three thousand lotus thrones, all had gloomy faces, their faces as black as the bottom of a pot.

The Buddha, seated on the central nine-tiered lotus throne, had a furrowed brow and a rather unpleasant expression.

Just then, an ancient, weathered pressure, carrying the aura of endless ages, suddenly descended upon the Great Thunderclap Temple!

In the void, the phantom of a green lamp slowly emerged, its light swaying and illuminating the figure of an old monk with an ancient face and a thin body—it was none other than the Dipankara Buddha!
“Tathagata!”

As soon as the Dipankara Buddha appeared, he spoke directly. His voice, like the booming of an ancient bell, carried an undisguised questioning tone and echoed throughout the entire Great Thunderclap Temple.

"That Lin Zhu, the Law Enforcement God of the Three Realms, brazenly attacked the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's sacred site, causing such a huge upheaval. Why didn't you stop him sooner? Why didn't you even inform me of this?!"

Faced with the oppressive aura of Dipankara Buddha, the Buddha Tathagata had no choice but to lower his head slightly, his tone tinged with helplessness and regret as he explained.

"Reporting to the Ancient Buddha, this matter... was my oversight. I originally thought that although Lin Zhu had some ability, his enforcement team was ultimately limited in size and could not cause too much trouble."

Furthermore, given that the journey to the West was of paramount importance and could not be allowed to fail, I hadn't paid much attention to the trivial matters of the Underworld, regarding them merely as ordinary friction between Ksitigarbha and the River Styx. Who would have thought… who would have thought this boy would be so audacious, actually managing to persuade the River Styx Patriarch to collude with demons and launch a full-scale attack!”

"Oversight? Lack of attention?"

The voice of the Ancient Buddha of the Lamp suddenly rose, carrying a hint of anger at his lack of ambition.

"Buddha! You underestimate that anomaly! I have said before that this boy, Lin Zhu, is the greatest worry of my Western Paradise! His actions are unpredictable and illogical, and he can stir up trouble and ruin my great plans! Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva carries the important task of my Western Paradise to control the Netherworld and build a perfect cycle of six realms of reincarnation in the future!"

That defiled world is a crucial link in whether our Western Paradise can achieve the supreme position of the Six Paths in the future! Now, Lin Zhu has led a group of demons to attack our doorstep. If anything goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?!

The more Dipankara Buddha spoke, the angrier he became, but at the same time he felt a deep sense of powerlessness and headache.

He had lived through countless years and witnessed numerous geniuses, heroes, and powerful figures, but he had never met anyone like Lin Zhu before.

A Great Luo Golden Immortal at the peak of perfection can not only threaten a veteran Quasi-Saint like the Styx Patriarch, but also make him willingly turn his guns on the Ksitigarbha King's forces with all his might!

What's even more outrageous is that this guy fights without any strategy or tactics. He uses sneak attacks, decapitation strikes, blitzkriegs... he goes all out, unleashing his full power in every attack, giving his opponents absolutely no time to breathe or react!
Such an unpredictable opponent is truly impossible to guard against, and no one could have foreseen that he would go to such lengths!

The Buddha was rendered speechless by the reprimand from Dipankara Buddha, his face alternating between red and blue. He took a deep breath, suppressing his irritation, and asked.

"Buddha, please calm your anger. Things have come to this point, and there is no point in dwelling on the past."

"Right now... how should we handle this?"

Dipankara Buddha and Tathagata Buddha exchanged a glance, both seeing deep helplessness and...headache in each other's eyes.

How to deal with it?

Direct intervention? (End of Chapter)