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

The desperate screams were filled with a deep-seated hatred for Lin Zhu and a sorrowful sense of impending doom.

They seemed to already see the tragic scene of the Western Heaven's fortune being extinguished like a candle in the wind, the Buddha's light dimming, and the collapse of Mount Ling.

The Buddha, seated in the center, had a face so gloomy it seemed to drip water, and the vast Buddhist power around him was like boiling lava, radiating destructive waves.

He stared intently at Lin Zhu, his eyes, which held endless wisdom, now filled only with overwhelming killing intent and a kind of madness driven to the brink of despair!
"Lin! Zhu!"

The Buddha's voice seemed to come from the deepest hell, icy cold, every word carrying a bloody hatred.

"Your actions today are not merely provocation, but a fight to the death between us and the Western Heaven!!"

He suddenly stood up, his enormous golden body radiating boundless pressure, crashing down on the bamboo forest like a mountain, his voice booming like thunder.

"Chen Xuanzang's life is less than half an hour away! You will not be allowed to taint even a fraction of the merit of the Journey to the West! Today, I will defy the heavens and kill you, this anomaly, and use your blood to sacrifice for the great path of Buddhism!!"

In his rage, the Buddha disregarded the consequences and vowed to kill this mortal enemy who had destroyed the hope of the Western Paradise on the spot!

His body was enveloped in Buddhist light, containing terrifying power at the peak of Quasi-Saint level, and he was about to make a move regardless of everything!

However, just before his destructive power was about to erupt, his gaze inadvertently swept over Lin Zhu's hand, which had just crushed the pill and was now hanging idly at his sides.

And... in Lin Zhu's other hand, there was a... dusty, even somewhat worn-out... burlap sack that had appeared out of nowhere?
The bag was slightly ajar, and inside, one could vaguely see... a dozen or so... exuding a gentle yin and yang aura, their Daoist charm slightly inferior to the previous top-grade one, yet still incomparably pure—Tai Chi Pills?!
The roar of the Buddha, which had reached the tip of his tongue, was abruptly stopped as if gripped by an invisible hand!

He was frozen in place as if under a spell, his murderous eyes widening like copper bells as he stared intently at the tattered sack!

Not only Tathagata, but also the three thousand Buddhas who were roaring wildly and wishing they could devour the flesh and blood of the forest bamboo were as if they had been collectively choked. All their roars and curses disappeared instantly, and their ferocious and crazy faces transformed from extreme resentment and despair to an almost distorted and unbelievable ecstasy at a speed visible to the naked eye!

hope!

The flame of hope, which had been completely extinguished, was suddenly reignited as if doused with boiling oil! And it even seemed to be burning brighter than before!
The expression on the Buddha's face is the most wonderful art of face-changing in the world! From extreme rage and gloom, to extreme astonishment and bewilderment, and then to a kind of almost fawning, cautious ecstasy, it only took less than a breath!

The killing intent emanating from him receded like a tide, and the terrifying Buddhist power he had condensed vanished instantly.

He forced a stiff, yet forced, "kind" smile onto his face, and spoke hastily with a hint of ingratiation that even he found disgusting.

"Uh...cough cough...Lin Yushen, it's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! Just now...just now I was blinded by greed and misled by that inner demon, which is why I uttered such beastly nonsense! Please don't take it to heart!"

He even awkwardly tried to use "new language" to cover up his undisguised murderous intent.

"What I said just now was all... just 'talking around,' yes, just talking around! Don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously!"

Meanwhile, the three thousand Buddhas on the other side staged a collective Sichuan opera face-changing performance! One moment they were like man-eating demons, and the next moment they instantly regained their dignified and solemn appearance, with a compassionate smile on their faces, and the Buddha light around them became soft and shimmering again.

They all nodded to Lin Zhu, their faces showing "sincere" and "friendly" smiles, and chattered away, their voices so gentle they could melt water.

"Lord Prison God is benevolent and virtuous, with a broad mind. We have been waiting for you to see your true colors!"

"The Lord of Hell is exceptionally handsome, and his appearance... well, I mean, his dignified and solemn countenance is captivating!"

"Please come inside and serve us tea, Lord Prison God, so that we may receive your teachings."

"Which ignorant bastard dared to insult the God of Hell just now? Once I find him, I will break his legs to avenge the God of Hell!"

They seemed to have collectively lost their memory, completely forgetting how they had just slammed their fists on the table in anger, cursing Lin Zhu to be condemned to eternal damnation.

Lin Zhu watched the dramatic scene unfold before him, seeing the faces of these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas changing rapidly like chameleons. The ferocious smile on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a gentle and harmless expression.

He even smiled rather shyly, like a gentle spring breeze.

He lifted the dusty burlap sack in his hand, which contained a dozen or so high-grade Tai Chi pills, and chuckled softly in a gentle tone, as if asking an old friend if they needed candy.

"Venerable Buddhas, do you... still desire this elixir?"

"Yes! Yes!!"

"I humbly beg the God of Hell to grant me a elixir!!"

We are extremely grateful!

The three thousand Buddhas and the Tathagata Buddha nodded frantically like chickens pecking at rice, their eyes burning with longing and their faces filled with impatience, as if they were afraid that if they were even a second too slow, Lin Zhu would change his mind.

However, just as all their hopes were pinned on the moment Lin Zhuxia would generously bestow the elixir—

Lin Zhu's gentle, sun-like smile, the elegant curve of his lips, suddenly tore open, transforming once again into a chilling, grotesque, demonic laugh filled with extreme wickedness and destructive desire!
"not good!!"

"How dare you!!"

"No!!!"

The ecstatic joy on the faces of the Buddha and the three thousand Buddhas froze instantly, turning into boundless terror and horror!
They screamed in despair, and some even instinctively tried to rush forward to stop them!

But, it's too late!
Under the gaze of countless terrified eyes, Lin Zhu's hand holding the burlap sack suddenly clenched tightly!
"Pfft... thud...!"

A duller, more heartbreaking cracking sound came from the tattered sack!
Through the rough hemp fibers, the Buddhas could even "see" the dozen or so Tai Chi Pills inside, which carried their last hopes, being simultaneously and brutally crushed into dust by an incomparably ruthless force.
Not even a trace of medicinal power could be released; it turned directly into the finest, most worthless dust!

"Uh……"

"Ho..."

"puff--"

The expressions on the faces of the three thousand Buddhas were as if they had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, instantly twisting from extreme anticipation and ecstasy into extreme pain, collapse, and disbelief!

The feeling was like a person who was extremely thirsty seeing a spring, but just as their lips were about to touch the water, the spring was blocked and blown up!
They were so uncomfortable that they almost vomited blood!
The entire Great Thunderclap Temple fell into an eerie, deathly silence once more, filled only with heavy breathing and the throbbing of hearts. Lin Zhu slowly released his grip on the tattered sack, letting the "pills" inside, now just a bag of dregs, fall to the ground with a soft "plop."

The ferocious smile on his face vanished, replaced by a cold, righteous look, like that of a judge in charge of prison.

He coldly swept his gaze across the Buddhas before him, whose faces were ashen and devoid of spirit, his voice as icy as ice, carrying an unquestionable air of judgment.

"Now, do you know what it's like to feel pain?"

"You, as Buddhas, receive offerings and prayers from all beings, yet you do not think of guiding them towards goodness and upholding the heavenly laws. Instead, you rely on your strength to bully the weak, taking advantage of my absence to commit petty theft and burglary, forcibly breaking into the human prison and kidnapping prisoners!"

"Today, I will make you understand—"

Lin Zhu's voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap, carrying supreme authority.

"If you make a mistake, you should be punished!"

"If you're going to get hit, stand at attention!!"

"Roar!!! Lin Zhu! I'll fight you to the death!!"

"You have destroyed the hope of Buddhism; this is an irreconcilable enmity!!"

"Kill him! Even if it means being annihilated, take him down with you!!"

The last hope was ruthlessly crushed, and the pent-up anger, despair, and madness completely devoured the reason of the three thousand Buddhas!

No one knows who first let out a roar, but the next moment, like a flood bursting its banks, the three thousand Buddhas no longer cared about the difference in cultivation level or the consequences. Their bodies burst with Buddhist light, and like moths drawn to a flame, they rushed towards the white figure at the temple gate without regard for anything else!
The top-grade Taiji Pill that Lin Zhu crushed earlier, and the dozen or so high-grade Taiji Pills in the sack later, can be said to have plundered almost all the top-tier stock available in the Three Realms! Even the second-best, less potent mid-grade Taiji Pills are now nowhere to be found.

Chen Xuanzang's fate seemed to have been ruthlessly sentenced to death, with no room for maneuver.

Having witnessed Lin Zhu crush the last glimmer of hope before their very eyes in the most cruel way, the string of reason in the hearts of the three thousand Buddhas snapped completely!

"kill--!!!"

"Avenge Jin Chanzi! Wipe the shame of the Western Paradise!!"

"Let's perish together with this wretch!!"

Roars and howls merged into a destructive tidal wave! The terrifying lineup, composed of Great Luo Golden Immortals, half-step Quasi-Saints, and even several early Quasi-Saints—enough to sweep across a great world—was now like madmen. They no longer cared about the difference in cultivation level or the consequences. Each one of them burned with Buddhist power, like moths drawn to a flame, or like a flood bursting its banks, charging madly towards Lin Zhu, who was still standing at the temple gate with a mocking expression!

The Buddha's light, the baleful aura, and the killing intent mingled together, turning the Great Thunderclap Temple into a battlefield of carnage! The space itself groaned under the weight of this terrifying force!
The Buddha, seated in the center, had a somber expression and did not intervene.

He stared intently at Lin Zhu, a hint of calculation hidden deep in his eyes.

He was convinced that Lin Zhu would never dare to perish together with the entire Western Paradise. The Buddhas' frenzied attacks at this moment were a good opportunity to test Lin Zhu's bottom line and true strength!

However, what happened next made all the Buddhas rushing towards the bamboo forest, including Tathagata, feel a chill to the bone and a sense of absurdity!
Just as the leading Arhats, their fists and magical weapons imbued with the power to shatter mountains and split rocks, were about to touch the hem of Lin Zhu's robes—

It was as if an invisible and intangible yet indestructible absolute barrier had appeared out of thin air, standing between Lin Zhu and the three thousand mad Buddhas!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of muffled thuds rang out!
Those Buddhas, who were so imposing and filled with murderous aura, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of sighs, and their forward momentum came to an abrupt halt!

They were still in their menacing, lunging poses, but an indescribable and irresistible force held them firmly in mid-air!

No matter how much they channeled their magic, how much they roared and struggled, they could not advance even an inch!
The scene was like a bizarre three-dimensional painting, full of extreme contrasts between movement and stillness.

Lin Zhu leisurely dusted off non-existent dust from his sleeves, and with his other hand, he slowly picked up the tattered sack that still looked somewhat shrunken, and gently shook it in front of the Buddhas who were frozen in mid-air with distorted faces.

From inside the sack, a subtle yet clear rustling sound came from the pills colliding with each other.

Lin Zhu wore a mocking, half-smiling expression, his gaze sweeping over the Buddhas before him, who resembled insects encased in amber, his voice filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"Oh, weren't you so imposing just now? Weren't you going to take me down with you? What's wrong... can't move?"

"It seems that the anger of the Buddhas is only this much?"

These seemingly casual words, like the sharpest needles, pierced the already crumbling dignity of the Buddhas.

The next second, the amazing face-changing skill that left Lin Zhu in awe was performed again!
Those Buddhas who were frozen in mid-air, who had been as ferocious as demons just a moment ago, had their madness and murderous intent recede like the tide, instantly replaced by extremely fake, distorted, yet trying hard to show "friendliness" and "flattery" smiles.

That smile was uglier than a cry, filled with helplessness and a sense of humiliation at being completely controlled.

"Lord Prison God...you jest..."

"Just now... just now we were taken advantage of by our inner demons and acted impulsively. We had absolutely no intention of offending anyone!"

"Absolutely! It's all that demon's doing, disturbing our clear minds!"

"My lord, your power is boundless and your heart is as vast as the sea; you will certainly not stoop to our level..."

They chattered incoherently, fabricating excuses in an attempt to conceal their undisguised murderous intent.

Faced with life-or-death situations and the grand plan of their sect, they finally fully understood and practiced the ultimate level of being "shameless on one hand and thick-skinned on the other."

Everyone's divine senses were fixed on the tattered sack in Lin Zhu's hand.

They could clearly sense that the sack contained hundreds of highly potent intermediate-grade Tai Chi pills, as well as several hundred low-grade Tai Chi pills, which, although slightly less potent, were still a lifeline!

This is practically all the remaining Tai Chi Pills that can be found in the Three Realms!

Who else could possess such a vast quantity of Taiji Pills besides the renowned alchemist Laozi, who recently suffered a calamity?! (End of Chapter)