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

This... this is simply unbelievable!
Seeing his shocked expression, Lin Zhu smiled calmly and added.

"Not only that, after you become sworn brothers, you must publicly declare that you call him 'Royal Brother'."

"Royal brother?!"

The Tang Emperor's lips twitched; this title wasn't something to be given lightly!

But looking into Lin Zhu's resolute and profound eyes, and thinking of the other party's unpredictable methods and his protection of him and the Tang Dynasty, although his heart was filled with countless questions and a sense of absurdity, his almost blind trust in Lin Zhu ultimately overwhelmed everything.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and nodded heavily.

"Very well! Since it is the Great One's order, I... will do as he commands! From now on, I will recognize Chen Xuanzang as my Imperial Brother!"

He didn't ask a single "why," and this decisiveness and trust pleased Lin Zhu quite a bit.

Lin Zhu nodded and then gave further instructions.

"Furthermore, if you hear any unusual activity at the prison in the next few days, such as... a prison break, don't be surprised, and there's no need to send anyone to stop it. Just observe the situation."

"Prison robbery?"

The Tang king was taken aback at first, then a strange look appeared on his face, and he muttered to himself.

"Those Buddhas in the Western Paradise...wouldn't they be so...so shameless?"

In his mind, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are of such high status that even if they wanted to save people, they should do so openly and honestly. How could they do such petty and despicable things?

But seeing that Lin Zhu seemed to have everything under control, he stopped questioning and cupped his hands in greeting.

"I understand. I will follow Your Majesty's arrangements."

Having finished explaining the important matters, Lin Zhu also felt somewhat exhausted. After all, causing trouble in both the underworld and Chang'an had taken a toll on his mental energy.

He then ended his meeting with the Tang Emperor and prepared to return to Heaven.

The Tang emperor took his leave and respectfully departed from the imperial study.

The study fell silent. Lin Zhu sat alone behind the large desk that originally belonged to an emperor, rubbed his temples, leaned back in his chair, and sorted out the day's gains and plans for the future.

After a long while, he suddenly realized what was happening, sat up abruptly, a look of astonishment on his face, and blurted out.

"Damn! It's like you're the one who owns this palace! How come I'm sitting here so naturally?"

He then realized that he had seemingly "driven" the Tang Emperor away, and that this reversal of roles was all too natural.

He subconsciously wanted to call the Tang King back, but a quick scan with his divine sense revealed that the Tang King had already gone far away, so he had no choice but to give up and smiled helplessly.

It was already late at night when we left the palace.

Lin Zhu subconsciously scanned the direction of the Heavenly Prison with his divine sense and found that it was still quiet there. Chen Xuanzang was obediently staying in his cell and there seemed to be nothing unusual.

"Tsk, haven't made a move yet?"
These bald monks are so inefficient! Or are they... so stingy they don't even dare to break them out of prison?

Lin Zhu pursed his lips, feeling quite disappointed. He thought the people from the Western Paradise were too indecisive, which was a waste of his "expectations".

However, just as he was about to tear through space to return to the Heavenly Court, the familiar and pleasant system notification sounded in his mind right on time.

"Ding! The host has completed the task."

I traveled to the site of the Tang Dynasty's Water and Land Dharma Assembly as a special guest to 'watch' a Buddhist performance.

"Task completion evaluation."

excellence!"

Basic rewards are distributed.

May my vows and merits amount to 50,000 points!

"Additional rewards will be issued."

Given the host's outstanding performance during the mission, successfully triggering a key variable and propelling the plot forward at high speed, an additional reward of 50,000 points of merit and willpower is granted!

"In total, I have gained merit from my vows."

100,000 points! Already credited to the host's account!

Hearing this series of notifications and feeling the long string of zeros that suddenly appeared in his account, Lin Zhu's face immediately broke into a genuine and radiant smile.

"Ten thousand merits! Not bad, not bad at all, it wasn't a wasted effort!"

He nodded in satisfaction, feeling that his hard work and wit over the past two days had finally paid off. The slight disappointment he had felt earlier because the Western Paradise dared not attempt a prison break was instantly overshadowed by the joy of this bountiful harvest.

"Time to go home and take stock of what we've accomplished!"

Lin Zhu was in a good mood and didn't delay any longer. His figure transformed into an invisible stream of light and quietly disappeared into the night sky, heading towards the Nine Heavens Palace.

Lin Zhu tore through space and appeared outside the South Heavenly Gate. Without alerting any guards, he went straight back to his territory—the Nine-Story Heavenly Prison.

Reflecting on the past two days, even he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. First, he rushed to the Netherworld and, in front of the World-Honored One Ksitigarbha, brazenly killed the Treasure Goddess and the Angel of Capture, two half-step Quasi-Saints, withstood the pressure of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and even attracted the attention of the Sage Houtu.

He then rushed to Jambudvipa (the southern continent of the Buddha), and in order to uphold justice in the human world, successfully arrested the demon-possessed Chen Xuanzang "according to law." During this time, he also witnessed a spectacular drama of a battle between Buddha and demon, and a Bodhisattva being beaten. He even clashed with the Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva again, engaging in a fierce verbal battle, neither giving an inch.

Although he eventually received 100,000 merits, which sounded like a huge sum, Lin Zhu knew in his heart that this amount of merit was probably just a drop in the ocean for an existence like the Buddha.

But for him, after two days and two nights of hard work, risking offending saints and the strongest, to have achieved this was already quite an accomplishment.

"Sigh, it's so hard to earn some merit. You have to calculate everything and work hard all the time."

Lin Zhu sighed softly, but a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"However, in order to uphold the dignity of the laws and regulations of the Three Realms and to uphold justice, it is worth it for us law enforcers to suffer a little hardship!"

He decided to go back to the Ninth Heavenly Prison to check on the situation, since he had been away for some time.

……

Just after Lin Zhu left the mortal realm and returned to the Heavenly Court, above the imperial palace in Chang'an, amidst the thick clouds, a hidden figure was cautiously lurking—it was none other than Guanyin Bodhisattva, who had received a secret order from the Buddha.

At this moment, she concealed all her aura, even her Buddhist light was contained to the extreme, like the most ordinary cloud spirit, only daring to occasionally peek out a little bit of her divine sense from the gaps in the clouds, sneakily observing the movements of the imperial palace and the heavenly prison below, for fear of causing the slightest spatial fluctuation and being sensed by that evil star Lin Zhu.

"Buddha has strictly decreed that we must not let the God of Hell discover that we are carrying out this... this prison break, otherwise we will lose face and suffer endless consequences..."

Guanyin Bodhisattva silently prayed, only to feel a slight pain on her face, a lingering effect of being kissed by Chen Xuanzang's fist.

The thought of having to sneak into the prison like a thief to bail someone out made her feel incredibly frustrated, but she couldn't disobey the Buddha's decree, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and carry it out.

She waited from the moon rising above the willow branches until the moon was bright and the stars were few, until the night was deep and quiet, but she hesitated and dared not make a move.

The psychological trauma Lin Zhu left on her was too great. Who knows if he deliberately left and was hiding in some corner waiting to catch her in the act?
……

In stark contrast to the cautious and furtive atmosphere in the human world, the scene in front of the Nine-Story Heavenly Prison was bustling with activity!

The usually desolate and empty square at the entrance to the Heavenly Prison was now brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and dozens of tables were set up for a sumptuous feast! Although the so-called "Peach of Immortality" looked a bit small and had less spiritual energy; the "Yellow Plum" seemed not to be fully ripe yet; and the "Ginseng Fruit" looked more like a branch of some kind of spiritual root.

And that "Imperial Wine" seemed rather lacking in aroma; as for the "Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow," upon closer inspection, it appeared to be nothing more than the internal organs of a demon beast containing a trace of dragon and phoenix blood...

There were even several large bathtubs, about half a person's height, standing nearby. They were filled with pills of various colors, but their spiritual energy was clearly somewhat dissipated, and they even smelled slightly rancid from the previous day...

In short, the banquet looked very high-class, but upon closer inspection, most of the items were cheap or defective, giving off an air of "frugality".

However, none of the thousands of law enforcers from the Three Realms sitting around the banquet showed any dissatisfaction or disgust.

Their faces were filled with heartfelt joy and excitement as they looked with reverence at the white-clad figure in the main seat—their leader, the God of Law Enforcement of the Three Realms, Lin Zhu!

Lin Zhu was holding a large bowl high, filled with the slightly less fragrant "Imperial Wine," with a cheerful smile on his face, and his voice echoed throughout the room.

"Brothers! Today, we are holding this banquet not for any other reason than to celebrate the great victory and triumphant return of our Three Realms Enforcers' Brigade in our expedition to the Netherworld to subdue the forces of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!!"

"Roar!!!"

"Lord Prison God is mighty!!"

"Long live the Law Enforcement Brigade!!"

A deafening roar of cheers and shouts instantly soared into the sky, almost shaking the heavens! The faces of all the law enforcement officers were filled with pride and fervor!
They were fully aware of the significance and danger of this operation!

The power of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is a colossal force that has suppressed the River Styx and the Sea of ​​Blood for countless eons, and even the Heavenly Court and the Western Paradise are reluctant to provoke it!

Before setting off, almost all forces in the Three Realms believed that their law enforcement team, even with the prison god Lin Zhu leading them, would inevitably face a perilous journey, and might even be completely wiped out!
But what was the result?
Their leader not only successfully "persuaded" the infamous Styx Patriarch to join forces, but also decisively shattered the Ksitigarbha Formation on the main battlefield with overwhelming force, and killed two of Ksitigarbha's half-step quasi-saint envoys in front of the World Honored Ksitigarbha!
In the end, even with the intervention of a sage, he was able to escape unscathed and leave in peace! He even gained a supreme treasure from the Styx Blood Sea—the Asura Annihilation Mirror!

This is simply a miracle!
It is a glorious achievement worthy of being recorded in the annals of the Three Realms!

Although these law enforcement officers involved were mainly tasked with "edge observation" and "passive observation" according to their boss's instructions, they personally experienced such an earth-shattering battle and returned almost unscathed, which was an unparalleled honor in itself!

This banquet is a celebration they deserve! Even if the food and drinks are a bit meager, so what?

Being able to fight alongside their leader and create miracles with him, even if life is simple, they are willing and extremely happy!
"Done!"

"Congratulations to the leader! Congratulations to the law enforcers!"

"I am willing to follow you, leader, and sweep away all evil from the Three Realms!"

Everyone raised their glasses and bowls, their spirits high, and laughter filled the air.

Some other officials and generals from other departments who were passing by saw the lively and spirited scene in front of the Nine-Story Heavenly Prison, and felt the still-intense murderous aura and high morale of the enforcers. Their eyes couldn't help but reveal complex expressions, including surprise, awe, and a hint of undisguised envy.

"Tsk tsk, look at their nine-story prison... Just a couple of days ago everyone was saying they were doomed, but now they've made such a fuss and even held a victory celebration..."

"Yes, who would have thought they could actually shake the power of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva? And win so decisively!"

"Following Lin Yushen is risky, but... it's really inspiring!"

Several passing deities whispered among themselves, their voices filled with emotion. In the end, they could only shake their heads in self-deprecating humor and hurry away, not daring to linger.

Lin Zhu and his men drank heartily, finishing the rather ordinary imperial wine in one gulp. Looking at his energetic and incredibly loyal subordinates, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

This is the team he wanted!
A team capable of fighting tough battles, daring to fight fierce battles, and absolutely obedient to orders! After the battle in the underworld, the soul of this three realms law enforcement brigade was truly forged!

The banquet was filled with a lively atmosphere, and laughter echoed throughout. Lin Zhu toasted and exchanged drinks with everyone, feeling quite pleased with himself.

However, amidst the noise, the image of Chen Xuanzang, terrified and almost delirious, inadvertently flashed through his mind.

"That kid has such poor mental fortitude. He gets scared like that just from being scared a little bit..."

Lin Zhu pondered to himself, his gaze casually sweeping across the crowd before finally settling on Nezha, who was chatting and laughing with several colleagues.

His gaze was fixed on a pill that Nezha was playing with in his hand.

The pill was about the size of a longan, and its entire body presented an extremely harmonious yet contrasting black and white color. The white part was as warm and smooth as jade, exuding a pure and peaceful aura, while the black part was as deep as ink, yet it carried a strange sense of stability. The two were not clearly distinct, but rather slowly rotated and merged together like a Tai Chi diagram, exuding a Taoist charm that harmonizes Yin and Yang and balances all things.

"This is……"

Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow, her expression turning somewhat strange, and stepped over.

"Boss!"

When Nezha saw Lin Zhu coming over, he quickly got up.

Lin Zhu pointed to the pills in his hand and asked.

"Nezha, where did you get this elixir? It looks quite extraordinary."

Upon hearing this, Nezha's face showed a hint of pride, but also a seriousness as if he were reporting his work, and he explained.

"Reporting to the boss, this is what we obtained by exchanging the corpses and remnants of some demons that we collected and killed during our enforcement of the law in the underworld with Laozi at the Tushita Palace. It is called the 'Taiji Pill'."

He paused and continued.

"The underworld is filled with turbid energy and dense Yin energy. Although my brothers are only providing support from the outside, they have been affected by it to some extent. Over time, this may be detrimental to their cultivation."

This Tai Chi Pill embodies the principles of Yin and Yang harmony, making it perfect for cleansing impurities and balancing the body's energy. The effects are quite remarkable! (End of Chapter)