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

“Buddha, if that’s really the case… then Chen Xuanzang will be imprisoned, and in two days, we’ll probably only be able to carry out his body…”

These words were like a cold needle, piercing the heart of the Buddha.

He seemed to already see, two days later, in the Great Tang prison, the tragic scene of Chen Xuanzang's body collapsing and his true spirit annihilating... and their ten-thousand-year plan for the Western Paradise would also be in vain.

Watching Chen Xuanzang being "escorted" away by Tang soldiers and eventually disappearing in the direction leading to the Heavenly Prison, Guanyin Bodhisattva was extremely anxious and couldn't help but tentatively suggest something to the Buddha, whose face was still ashen.

“Buddha… that prison god Lin Zhu is indeed despicable, but perhaps… perhaps we should temporarily bow our heads to him, say some kind words, and get him out first…”

"Boyhead down? Say nice things?"

The Buddha suddenly turned his head, and his eyes, which were filled with endless Buddha light, were now filled with frustration and a kind of helplessness that was almost like gritting his teeth.

"Bowing down to him? Do you think I haven't tried?! Do you know what price I paid last time at Mount Ling when I 'negotiated' with him?! Asking him for my person again? I'm afraid I won't get them back, and he'll tear down this lotus platform of mine and burn it for firewood!"

He recalled the tragic experience of being repeatedly extorted by Lin Zhu, and even having several lotus seeds stolen from his nine-grade merit lotus. His vast Buddhist power rippled uncontrollably, emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation.

His eyes gradually turned cold. Although he was filled with resentment and felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly, reason told him that it would be unwise to confront Lin Zhu head-on at this moment.

"This cunning fellow is as treacherous as a demon, and his combat strength is ridiculously strong. A head-on confrontation would be a losing proposition."

The Buddha took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the urge to act, and made a decision.

"If the open approach doesn't work, then let's try the covert one!"

He turned to look at Guanyin Bodhisattva, his voice low and carrying an unquestionable command.

"Listen, tonight you will seize the opportunity to infiltrate the Tang Dynasty's prison and secretly bring Chen Xuanzang out! Remember, it's 'secretly'! You must not clash with him, and you must not alert anyone, especially Lin Zhu!"
Bring him directly to the Heavenly Court, and I will use my supreme divine powers to temporarily suppress the conflicting Buddhist and demonic energies within him, so as to save his life first!

After that, we'll find a way to seek out Laozi and obtain the Taiji Elixir!

He emphasized this point.

"This matter must be kept secret! We must never let Laozi know that we came to him of our own accord. Otherwise, given his nature of not acting until he sees the benefit, he will surely try to profit from this and demand an exorbitant price, causing our Western Paradise to suffer another huge financial loss!"

Upon hearing the plan to "secretly break out of prison," Guanyin Bodhisattva felt as if her burning desire for revenge had been doused with cold water, leaving her utterly frustrated.

But since the Buddha's decree had been issued, she could only obediently nod in agreement.

"Disciple...obey the order."

However, a lingering worry remained in her heart, and she couldn't help but say something.

"Buddha, Chen Xuanzang now harbors deep hatred for our Western Paradise. If he knew that we were here to break him out of prison, I'm afraid... I'm afraid he would rather commit suicide than cooperate!"

Upon hearing this, the Buddha frowned even more deeply. This was indeed a problem, but there was no time to worry about it now; he could only take it one step at a time.

……

On the other side, deep within the cold and damp imperial prison of the Tang Dynasty.

Chen Xuanzang was held in solitary confinement in a relatively clean cell, but one that still reeked of mold and rust.

He had initially breathed a sigh of relief at being free from the direct threat of the Western Paradise, and was even a little smug, thinking that he had latched onto the powerful Prison God and that his safety was now guaranteed.

However, before he could catch his breath, footsteps sounded outside the cell.

Lin Zhu returned and stood outside the fence with an enigmatic smile on his face. He spoke to him.

“Master Xuanzang, tonight... might be a bit lively. There might be someone trying to break us out of prison. You... good luck.”

"What?! A prison break?!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Chen Xuanzang was so frightened that he jumped up from his simple bed, rushed to the fence, and gripped the cold iron bars tightly with both hands. His face instantly lost all color and was filled with terror!
"Boss! Boss Prison God! Save me! You must save me! I'm innocent! I'm not a demon! I shouldn't be killed!"

His voice was shrill and tearful.

"Those Buddhas in the Western Paradise are outwardly compassionate but inwardly hypocritical! Even if... even if I were to be tainted by demonic energy for a moment, I have never intentionally harmed the innocent!"
Why would they want to kill me?! Why?!

Seeing his terrified expression, Lin Zhu chuckled inwardly, but showed a hint of "sympathy" on her face as she comforted him.

"Don't worry, they won't kill you."

Chen Xuanzang was taken aback.

"No...don't kill me?"

"of course not."

Lin Zhu spoke in a calm tone, yet said something that sent chills down Chen Xuanzang's spine.

What value does a dead demon have?
At most, they'll capture you and take you back, then... coerce and entice you, brainwash you with all sorts of lies, and then use that dazzling Buddha light to wash away your demonic soul day and night, repeatedly, to erode your will and distort your perception...

Until you completely forget hatred, forget yourself, and become a mere tool for them, obeying their every command and doing whatever they say…

He described it lightly, but every word was like a cold awl, piercing Chen Xuanzang's already fragile and sensitive nerves!
Chen Xuanzang was by nature irritable and easily angered, and at this moment his extreme paranoia completely erupted!

He seemed to see himself enveloped in Buddha's light, his consciousness gradually being worn away in endless pain and torment, until he finally became a walking corpse-like puppet!
He froze, his face ashen, his pupils dilated with fear, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"No... I don't want to... I don't want to become like that..."

He muttered to himself, his voice filled with despair.

Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Lin Zhu said no more, only giving him a meaningful look before slamming the cell door shut, leaving only a final, incantation-like sentence echoing in the cold cell.

"Don't worry, you... can't escape."

The heavy footsteps gradually faded away, eventually disappearing at the end of the corridor.

In the cell, only Chen Xuanzang remained. The cold, damp, and dark environment, along with Lin Zhu's last words, "There's no escaping it," felt like invisible shackles, tightly binding his heart.

He leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to the ground, overwhelmed by a wave of immense fear.

He could almost see that tonight, the Buddha of the Western Paradise would appear like a ghost, snatch him from this relatively safe cell, and take him into that unimaginable abyss filled with tormenting Buddhist light!

He will lose himself, lose everything, and will never again enjoy the respect of an earthly emperor, the offerings of believers, or the readily available riches and glory!
"No! I can't just sit here and wait to die! I can't let them capture me and brainwash me!"

Extreme anxiety and panic caused Chen Xuanzang to pace back and forth in the small cell like a trapped beast, clutching his hair tightly with both hands, his eyes confused and frantic.

Fueled by repeated internal struggles and fear, a fierce and resolute glint suddenly flashed in his eyes!
A crazy idea, like a poisonous vine growing in the darkness, tightly entwined his mind!

"My fate is in my own hands...not in the hands of heaven!!" He roared silently in his heart, his teeth grinding together.

"You are heartless, so don't blame me for being ruthless! You want to control me? Dream on! Even if I die, even if I fall completely into the demonic path, I will never let you succeed!"

He resolutely made an extremely important, even potentially catastrophic, decision! A do-or-die, mad aura began to emanate from him.

……

Meanwhile, Lin Zhu had already leisurely left the gloomy prison.

His earlier statement to Chen Xuanzang about "someone breaking into the prison" was actually based purely on speculation about the Western Paradise's style of doing things and was just empty talk to scare them. His purpose was to further stimulate Chen Xuanzang's already unstable mind, causing him to fall into complete panic and extreme hatred towards the Western Paradise.

He was all too aware of the despicable methods of the Western religion, and he had long seen that Chen Xuanzang's mental fortitude was extremely poor, bordering on madness.

This threat is perfectly timed, like throwing a lit match next to a powder keg that's about to explode.

"Hehe, old Buddha, let's see how you clean up this mess."

A calculating smile played on Lin Zhu's lips as he walked toward the palace in high spirits.

"It would be best to make a bigger fuss and muddy the waters completely, so that it would be easier for me to...reap the benefits later."

He went straight to the palace, where Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, who had already received the news, had ordered a banquet to be prepared and personally greeted him outside the palace with a warm and even slightly obsequious smile on his face.

"Boss! You've finally arrived! We owe you so much for today's events! Please, take a seat!"

The two dismissed their attendants and went straight to the imperial study. Lin Zhu casually sat down on a rosewood chair, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingers, and asked in a seemingly casual manner.

"Brother Tang, how much do you know about Chen Xuanzang, who caused such a ruckus at the Water and Land Assembly today?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, pondered for a moment and then shook his head.

"Your Majesty, all I know is that he is a monk from Jinshan Temple, and his Buddhist teachings... well, they seemed quite profound before, as he was chosen as the Grand Master of Buddhist Orders. As for anything else, I truly know nothing. Could it be that he has some other special background?"

Lin Zhu raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Special? It is indeed special."

He is the reincarnation of Elder Jinchan, the second disciple of the Buddha Tathagata of the Western Paradise.

"What? The second disciple of the Buddha?"

The Tang emperor was taken aback; this person's status was indeed quite high.

"good."

Lin Zhu nodded, her tone slightly teasing.

"It is said that five hundred years ago, when the Buddha was preaching at Mount Ling, Jin Chanzi was punished by his master for taking a nap and neglecting the Dharma. He was banished to the mortal world to suffer ten lifetimes of reincarnation in order to repent."

"Take a... nap?"

The surprise on the Tang Emperor's face turned into deep suspicion and a sense of absurdity.

"Just because he dozed off during a lecture, he was banished to the mortal realm and reincarnated ten times?"
This...isn't this punishment a bit too frivolous and harsh? Is the Buddha's magnanimity really so narrow?

He looked at the ambiguous smile on Lin Zhu's face, and a sudden thought struck him, as if he had grasped something. With his imperial mind, he naturally didn't believe such superficial explanations. How could the actions of gods and Buddhas be so simple?
A hint of approval flashed in Lin Zhu's eyes, and he secretly sighed that this King Tang was indeed a wise man.

He didn't answer directly, but just said slowly.

"Yes, it sounds pretty outrageous."

So, only they themselves probably know how much scheming and untold 'difficulties' lie behind this.

Their eyes met, and they both saw a tacit understanding in each other's eyes.

Behind every action of those high and mighty gods and Buddhas, there are countless interests and schemes involved.

The Tang King took a deep breath, his face showing a resolute and relieved expression, and said frankly.

"To be honest, after this journey from the underworld to the living world, and with your favor and the bestowal of cultivation techniques, I... have come to understand many things."

These countless gods and Buddhas may possess great supernatural powers, but they are by no means perfect, and are certainly not worthy of my, or the hundreds of millions of people of my Great Tang, blindly worshipping and prostrating themselves before them!

He became more and more excited as he spoke, with a sense of clarity and pride that came from seeing through the fog.

"My glorious Tang Dynasty was built by me, my civil and military officials, millions of soldiers, and all the people of the land, bit by bit! It was forged with our own wisdom and blood and sweat! What does it have to do with that Western Paradise?!"

He recalled the years of war on the border and the Tang soldiers who had died on the battlefield, and his voice involuntarily carried a hint of indignation.

"Moreover, the Buddhist kingdom of India has been in constant conflict with our Great Tang, and our border soldiers have suffered heavy casualties!"

They constantly profess compassion, yet have they shown even the slightest pity for the departed souls? To expect me to kneel before such a Buddha? Absolutely not!

Lin Zhu clapped his hands and laughed as he listened to the Tang King's resounding declaration.

"Well said! Brother Tang King, your awareness is truly commendable; I have always held you in high regard!"

Those Buddhas of the Western Paradise, through their meticulous efforts to promote the eastward transmission of Buddhism, simply want the billions of beings in Jambudvipa (the southern continent) to henceforth prostrate themselves before them in the West, offering incense and prayers, thus consolidating their fortune and power!

"Hmph! You want the people of my Great Tang to kneel before those Buddhas who treat us like dirt and whose hands are stained with the blood of my soldiers? Wishful thinking!"

The Tang emperor, filled with righteous indignation, spoke with unwavering resolve.

"I would rather die standing than live kneeling! The backbone of my Great Tang Dynasty cannot be bent!"

"a!"

Lin Zhu praised him, then changed the subject and made a request that left the Tang King dumbfounded.

"Since Brother Tang has such courage, then I will give you another task."

Once the turmoil here has subsided, you must find a suitable opportunity to become sworn brothers with Chen Xuanzang.

"Sworn...sworn brotherhood? With that demonic monk Chen Xuanzang?"

The Tang Emperor's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief, almost as if he had misheard. He, the ruler of a nation, was to become sworn brothers with a monk who had just fallen into demonic possession, caused a disturbance at the assembly, and whom he himself had ordered imprisoned in the imperial jail? (End of Chapter)