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

"Oh? You... are you speaking to me in this manner?"

The Buddha was so taken aback by this seemingly casual remark that his breath caught in his throat, and he felt a tightness in his chest.

He suppressed the urge to immediately kill the bastard and tried to reason with him, his voice like muffled thunder.

"Lin Zhu! Stop your nonsense! Chen Xuanzang killed dozens of Arhats and Buddhas from the Western Paradise, and even beat Guanyin Bodhisattva to such an extent! Such behavior is intolerable! How can you just brush it off with a simple 'I have no right to interfere'?!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu not only did not back down, but instead made an extremely exaggerated "tactical lean back," with a surprised expression on his face, as if he had heard some absurd joke.

"Oh dear! Buddha, what you're saying is utterly unreasonable! When we do things, we must abide by the laws and regulations, and follow the rules!"

Lin Zhu shrugged, looking like he was saying, "I'm very reasonable."

"You say that Chen Xuanzang killed Arhats and beat Bodhisattvas? Where is the evidence? Where is the motive? Where is the cause and effect?"

Before the Buddha could refute him, he began to count on his fingers, listing the reasons one by one.

"First, Master Chen Xuanzang was giving a good sermon on the altar when who presented him with that robe that was supposedly tampered with and specifically meant to incite inner demons? Oh, it seems to have been a female beggar who was an incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, right?"
Wouldn't this be considered a deliberate attempt to frame someone, causing them to go mad with evil spirits?

"Secondly, after Master Chen Xuanzang went into a state of demonic possession, he initially only made some noise and disrupted the order of the meeting, which could at most be considered a public order incident, right?"
But then, a large group of burly men of unknown origin, armed with weapons, rushed up to kidnap him or even kill him!
In this situation, when the Venerable Chen Xuanzang fought back to protect himself and repelled the 'thugs' who attempted to harm him, wasn't this considered legitimate self-defense?!

"You...you're talking nonsense!"

Those are the Dharma protectors, Arhats, and Buddhas of my Western Paradise! How could they be thugs?!

The Buddha was so angry that his face swelled up, and his aura became somewhat unstable.

"Oh? So the Arhats and Buddhas of the Western Paradise can just lay a hand on a registered high monk of the Tang Dynasty? Who gave them that authority? Did the laws of the Tang Dynasty agree to it? Did the Jade Emperor of Heaven approve it?"

Lin Zhu scoffed, his tone full of disdain.

"Besides, even if they are Buddhas or Arhats, if they actively attack a mortal monk who is 'out of his mind' and are killed in return, they can only blame themselves for their lack of skill and deserve to die!"

This is called reaping what you sow!

"But he killed powerful beings at the Celestial Immortal and True Immortal levels! He murdered a Buddha!"

The Buddha's name was practically shouted out.

"Killing Buddha?"

Lin Zhu picked at his ear, looking completely unconvinced.

"So what if they killed someone? It's not like they murdered anyone. According to the supplementary regulations of the Basic Law of the Three Realms, as long as innocent mortals are not harmed, conflicts between cultivators are left to fate. Besides..."

Lin Zhu abruptly changed the subject, her eyes suddenly becoming sharp as knives, and her voice turning cold.

"If Chen Xuanzang were to actually kill any innocent mortal today, I would be the first to enforce the Heavenly Laws and kill him on the spot, without you, Buddha, even lifting a finger, to set an example for all!"

He paused, then added, his tone carrying an infuriatingly righteous sense of "fairness."

"Of course, demons also have demonic rights."

As long as he doesn't kill or harm the innocent, even if he's become a demon, as long as he abides by the law, he's still a good demon protected by the Heavenly Laws. You in the Western Paradise can't discriminate against someone just because they've become a demon, and then beat or kill them, can you?
This doesn't align with the core value of harmonious coexistence among the three realms!

This series of arguments, which combined offense and defense, and were full of sophistry while insisting on waving the banner of "heavenly laws," directly angered the Buddha, whose face turned from gold to green, and then from green to blue!
He felt his Buddhist heart trembling, a metallic sweetness rising in his throat, and he almost couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood!

This bastard not only argued illogically and sided with the demon, but he even threatened to kill Chen Xuanzang?! Although I know it was just a polite remark, it still made me feel so frustrated and furious!
He stared intently at Lin Zhu, took several deep breaths, and barely managed to suppress the urge to immediately clean house. His voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Lin Zhu! What... what exactly do you want in order to hand Chen Xuanzang over to my Western Paradise for punishment?!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu picked at his ear, looking completely unconcerned.

"Give it to you? On what grounds? Just because you think you're so great? I've said it before, this is within the territory of the Great Tang Dynasty, and everything must be done in accordance with the laws and decrees of the Great Tang!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic Huasheng Temple Square, then looked at Chen Xuanzang, who was trembling behind him, and a businesslike smile appeared on his lips.

"However... Chen Xuanzang is indeed suspected of damaging public property, disturbing public order, and... well, causing minor harm to certain individuals in this incident."

According to procedure, I have the authority to arrest him on charges such as damaging public property and disturbing public order, bring him back to the prison for detailed interrogation, ascertain the truth, and then render a judgment according to law.

When he said this, not only the Buddha and Guanyin, but even Chen Xuanzang behind him was stunned.

But what a clever man Emperor Taizong of Tang was!
Although he couldn't see the specific scene of Lin Zhu's negotiation with the Buddha, when he heard Lin Zhu say that he wanted to "arrest according to law," he immediately understood and stepped forward, loudly giving the order, his voice echoing throughout the entire area.

"All soldiers, listen to my command! The Venerable Xuanzang has acted improperly, damaging the altar and disrupting the assembly. In accordance with the laws of the Tang Dynasty, he shall be immediately imprisoned and thrown into the imperial prison to await his judgment! There shall be no error!"

"According to the order!"

Surprisingly, the Tang soldiers and officials who originally held the Buddha and Bodhisattva in high esteem did not hesitate at all when they heard the Tang Emperor's order, especially when they saw Lin Zhu standing in front of them with a tacitly acquiescing attitude. They responded in unison!

Several bold generals even led their soldiers to surround Chen Xuanzang, completely ignoring the golden Buddha statue in the air that exuded terrifying pressure!

Lin Zhu's prestige among the soldiers and civilians of the Tang Dynasty has reached an unbelievable height after the events in the underworld and today's series of changes! In comparison, the seemingly majestic Buddha of the Western Paradise seems... somewhat "all bark and no bite".

What made Buddha's blood pressure soar even higher was that when Chen Xuanzang heard that he was to be "arrested," he was not afraid at all. Instead, his face showed a relieved expression and even a hint of excitement!

He stretched out his hands and shouted to the soldiers who surrounded him, "Quick! Arrest me! Lock me in jail! The deeper the better! Don't hand me over to those bald...those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!"

As he cooperated in putting on the shackles, he glanced at the Buddha in the air and the Guanyin on the ground with eyes full of hatred and fear, screaming wildly in his heart.

"Trying to harm me?! No way! First you used that tattered robe to make me go into a state of demonic possession, and now you want to find an excuse to take me away and kill me without anyone noticing! I won't let you succeed! The prison is great! The prison is safe! With the Prison God here, let's see who dares to touch me!"

A hint of scarlet killing intent flashed deep in his eyes. He would repay the humiliation of today a hundredfold in the future!
“You…you guys!!!”

Seeing this scene, the Buddha felt a surge of anger rush to his head, so much so that he was so enraged that he was born as one Buddha and ascended to heaven as two others!

He pointed at Lin Zhu, his fingers trembling slightly, his voice hoarse with extreme anger.

"Lin Zhu! You...you are openly disrupting the Journey to the West calamity and obstructing the great trend of the Heavenly Dao! Aren't you afraid of the backlash of karma and being burdened by karmic debt?! Fine! Very well! I can't argue with you, nor can I beat you! But don't be so smug! I'm going to Zixiao Palace right now to complain about you before all the sages! Let's see how long you can remain arrogant!"

Going to the sage to lodge a complaint was practically the Buddha's ultimate trump card and killer move in dealing with Lin Zhu, this "outlier"!

He was truly driven to desperation and felt that he had to enlist the help of higher-level forces to resolve this lawless scourge once and for all!

However, faced with the Buddha's almost blatant threat, Lin Zhu simply shrugged indifferently and even lazily yawned.

"Oh, you're going to complain? Go ahead, go ahead, whatever."

He waved his hand, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

"I've worked long enough today, so I'm officially off work now."

"We can talk about it after my vacation."

He turned to leave, but then seemed to suddenly remember something, stopped, turned back to the ashen-faced Buddha, gave him a meaningful smile, and reminded him.

"By the way, old Buddha, before you go to file a complaint, I suggest you... take a good look at your 'precious' Jin Chanzi first. Tsk tsk, I'm afraid his days are numbered..."

After saying that, he didn't care about the Buddha's reaction. With a flicker of his body, he transformed into a streak of light and disappeared gracefully into the horizon, truly leaving without taking away a single cloud.

"you……!"

The Buddha was taken aback by Lin Zhu's last nonsensical remark, his anger caught in mid-air, and he was completely dumbfounded.

"What does he mean by that? Is he threatening me? Saying that Jin Chanzi doesn't have much time left?"

He was filled with doubt and uncertainty, but Lin Zhu's confident tone forced him to take it seriously. Before Chen Xuanzang could be taken far away, the Buddha Tathagata immediately activated his supreme Buddhist teachings, his third eye suddenly opening. A golden light, penetrating the origin of all things and pointing directly to the essence of the soul, instantly enveloped Chen Xuanzang below, who was wearing shackles and being "escorted" by soldiers!

Upon seeing this, the Buddha was struck dumb, his entire body stiffened, his eyes widened like copper bells, and his face was filled with extreme shock and horror!
"This...how is this possible?!!"

In his divine vision, a bizarre and dangerous scene was unfolding within Chen Xuanzang's body!

His dantian, and even the meridians of his limbs and bones, were clearly divided into two distinct colors!
On one side is pure, vast, and brilliant golden Buddhist light containing the merits of ten lifetimes of cultivation, which belongs to the primordial spirit of Jin Chanzi!

On the other side was a pure, violent, and dark demonic energy filled with a destructive and resentful will, belonging to Chen Xuanzang's own demonic nature that had been stimulated and strengthened!
At this moment, two completely opposite and fundamentally conflicting forces, one light and one dark, one Buddha and one demon, are engaged in an extremely fierce struggle and battle within Chen Xuanzang's body! They erode and annihilate each other, and every collision is violently consuming Chen Xuanzang's life essence and soul foundation!
At this rate, it won't even take two days!

Chen Xuanzang's mortal body would be completely torn apart by the conflict between these two forces! Even the trace of Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit imprint deep within his true soul might be reduced to ashes under the annihilating power of the clash between Buddha and demon!
This is true annihilation of both body and soul, leaving no chance for reincarnation and rebirth!

"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has occurred!!"

A warning bell rang in the Buddha's mind, and cold sweat instantly broke out!
"Buddha? What's wrong?"
What did Lin Zhu say?

Seeing the Buddha's expression change drastically, Guanyin Bodhisattva, who was standing nearby, forgot about crying and hurriedly asked in alarm.

The Buddha's face was extremely grim, and his voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Jin Chanzi... no, it's Chen Xuanzang!"
The conflict between his Buddhist nature and demonic energy has reached an irreconcilable point! If this continues, he will undoubtedly die within two days! Moreover, his true spirit will be annihilated, completely dissipating into the world!

"what?!"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was so frightened that her face turned pale.

"Then...what should we do?! Is there any way to save us?!"

The Buddha frowned, pondered for a moment, and then spoke with difficulty.

"There might be a way. If we can find that legendary Tai Chi Pill, which is said to be made from the essence of Yin and Yang, capable of harmonizing all things, balancing life and death, and regulating Yin and Yang... perhaps we can temporarily stabilize the conflicting Buddhist and demonic energies within him and give him a glimmer of hope..."

"Tai Chi Pill?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was taken aback at first, and then her expression turned extremely ugly.

"Such a heaven-defying divine pill... I'm afraid only that person from the Tushita Palace... could possibly refine it, right?"

When the phrase "that one in Tushita Palace" is mentioned, both the Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva show deep fear and... a hint of hatred on their faces!
They hadn't forgotten that when Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, returned to the world of the underworld and was immune to all ghosts, it was because that person secretly bestowed upon him a "divine pill" and forcibly intervened, which made it much harder for them in the Western Paradise to control Emperor Taizong!

Now, must we turn to that arch-enemy again? And to save this crucial pilgrim? One can imagine that he will seize the opportunity to impose all sorts of harsh conditions, and may even threaten and interfere with the Journey to the West once more!
The Buddha looked down at the receding figure of Chen Xuanzang, who was being "protected" by soldiers, his face filled with helplessness and struggle.

He knew that the Journey to the West was the greatest opportunity for the Western Sect to escape poverty and truly rise in the Three Realms!
As the pilgrim on the journey to the West, Chen Xuanzang was an indispensable and crucial link in the plan! If he died, the entire plan would be disrupted, and it might even fail!
But...should I ask that person for help?
The Buddha ultimately transformed into a long, drawn-out sigh filled with frustration and bitterness.

Seeing the Buddha's dejected expression, Guanyin Bodhisattva guessed what he was thinking and couldn't help but sigh, whispering, "..." (End of Chapter)