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

It's Laozi! He must have stolen from us, secretly hoarding all the Taiji Pills, intending to use them to control the Western Paradise and steal the merits of the Journey to the West!
In an instant, all the Buddhas recognized the "real culprit" and their hatred for Laozi surged once more.

Although these mid-grade and low-grade Tai Chi pills are far less effective than top-grade pills in completely neutralizing demonic energy and sustaining the journey to the West, saving lives is the priority right now. It's already a stroke of luck that they can temporarily stabilize the internal conflict within Chen Xuanzang and preserve his true spirit! We have no choice but to settle for second best!
The Buddha suppressed his overwhelming rage at being repeatedly teased by Lin Zhu, as if he had jumped off a cliff several times. He forced a smile that was extremely difficult to make, and even had a hint of pleading on his face. He bowed to Lin Zhu and said in a dry voice.

"Lin...Lin, the God of Hell, all that has happened before was the fault of my Western Heaven. I beg you...to show mercy. My Western Heaven...is willing to give everything to buy...a Limitless Pill from you."

He deliberately called the "Intermediate Taiji Pill" the "Limitless Pill" in an attempt to salvage his last shred of dignity through the name.

However, to the utter surprise of all the Buddhas, including Tathagata himself, Lin Zhu's mocking smile vanished upon hearing this, replaced by an unusually "peaceful" expression.

He didn't even make any demands; he simply tossed the shriveled, tattered sack containing hundreds of Tai Chi pills directly at the Buddha!
"take it."

These three seemingly light words, like celestial music, instantly plunged the Buddha and all the Buddhas who could see and perceive them into unparalleled ecstasy!
The Buddha almost clumsily caught the tattered sack, feeling its heavy weight—the weight that represented the hope for the continuation of the Journey to the West plan—and he trembled with excitement, his face radiating an unprecedented, almost manic joy! The three thousand Buddhas also breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing expressions of ecstatic relief as if they had survived a calamity.

It's done! It's finally done! Although the process was extremely humiliating, the grand plan of Journey to the West has finally been saved!
However, the look of ecstasy on their faces hadn't even fully blossomed yet—

In the blink of an eye, as the Buddha received the sack, his mind was racing and his guard was at its lowest point!
Lin Zhu's lips curled into an extremely cold and cruel smile.

His hand, which had just tossed out the sack, seemingly casually reached out from a distance and gently grasped the tattered sack held in the Buddha's hands. At the same time, a subtle yet domineering magical power instantly flowed into it from afar!

"Pfft... hiss hiss hiss..."

A series of dense, subtle cracking sounds, like raindrops pattering on banana leaves, yet terrifying to the core, suddenly emanated from inside the tattered sack!
The Buddha's face froze in ecstasy, turning into extreme terror and disbelief!

He abruptly looked down at the sack in his hand—

The moment he trembled as he opened the bag, what he saw was not a life-saving pill, but... a pile of colorful, yet utterly devoid of any spiritual energy and medicinal properties... powder!

A gentle breeze swept by, stirring up some powder that drifted into the air like paper money offered in a memorial service.

"Do not--!!!"

“Ahhhh——!!!”

The Buddha let out a heart-wrenching, desperate wail, like the cry of a cuckoo!
He held the bag of invaluable but now reduced-to-ash medicinal powder, feeling as if all his bones had been removed. He staggered back several steps, his face as pale as gold paper, and suddenly spat out a mouthful of golden blood!
The ecstatic joy on the faces of the three thousand Buddhas, like fragile glass, shattered completely at this moment, turning into boundless despair and ashes!

They could almost hear their own hearts shattering into powder!

The last glimmer of hope, just one step away from success, was ruthlessly and manipulatively crushed by Lin Zhu himself!

In the last minute... Chen Xuanzang was completely beyond saving.

The Journey to the West project has come to an end.

In just one day, they went from hell to heaven, and then were kicked back to hell from heaven, repeatedly ravaged!

The torment of having hope ignited time and time again, only to be ruthlessly crushed time and time again, is enough to completely break down even the most resolute person!

Looking at that bag of powder, they seemed to see the cold-blooded cruelty of capitalists who would rather destroy all the milk than give it to the starving people! An extreme despair, as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed, and the Buddha's life was hopeless, overwhelmed every Buddha in the Western Paradise.

Looking at the group of Buddhas before him, who seemed to have had their souls ripped out, with empty eyes and withered faces, Lin Zhu showed no pity whatsoever. Instead, he slowly raised an extremely "gentle" smile, even one that carried a hint of "compassion."

He announced the final judgment in a clear and cold voice.

"Now you know what pain is?"

"This is the price you have to pay for daring to break into the mortal realm and plunder the Heavenly Prison while I was away."

The word "cost" is like a final death knell, tolling in the hearts of all Buddhas.

"Lin—Zhu—!!!"

"I kill you!!"

"You have destroyed the millennia-old foundation of our Buddhist community! This is an irreconcilable enmity!!"

The utter despair ultimately transformed into a reckless madness! The three thousand Buddhas, like a powder keg that had been ignited, roared once again, more frantic and hysterical than ever before!

This time, they were truly determined to die, wanting to drag Lin Zhu down to hell with them!

The Buddha also slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, unleashing the terrifying aura of a peak Quasi-Saint, which stirred up the entire Ling Mountain and caused the wind and clouds to change color!

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Lin Zhu, his voice like a chilling wind from the depths of hell.

"The Journey to the West is ruined, you cannot be spared! Today, even if it means the collapse of Mount Ling, I will ensure that you, this anomaly, are completely eliminated!!"

Just as the devastating attack was about to erupt, and the entire Great Thunderclap Temple was in a state of near collapse amidst the raging energy—

"Pfft!"

The Buddha's enormous golden body, which had just slammed its fist on the table and exuded murderous intent, seemed to have all its power drained away, or as if it had suddenly realized something. With an almost comical speed, it abruptly sat back down on its nine-tiered lotus platform, and the platform even swayed slightly because of the speed of its movement.

Meanwhile, the three thousand Buddhas who were rushing towards Lin Zhu like a torrent suddenly came to a complete stop!
All the roars and killing intent stopped abruptly the moment they saw the low-grade Tai Chi Pill at Lin Zhu's fingertip, as if doused with ice water!

Several Buddhas who were at the forefront even slid in due to inertia.

With a "whoosh," he slid down to his knees on the floor in front of Lin Zhu, his movements so precise it was as if he had practiced them a thousand times!
They looked up, their faces filled with humility and pleading.

Even worse, some people's psychological defenses completely collapsed, and they burst into tears on the spot.

"Waaaaah... Lord Prison God! Stop playing around! Please stop playing around!"

"A life is at stake! Jin Chanzi... Jin Chanzi really can't hold on any longer!"

"We were wrong! We really know we were wrong! We'll do whatever you want with us!"

“If you’re willing to give us the medicine, we…we can be maggots! Yes! Maggots wriggling on the ground! Look!”

As they spoke, several Buddhas actually lay prostrate on the ground, writhing like maggots, wailing and acting like rascals. The scene was utterly unbearable to look at, and there was no trace of the Buddha's solemnity left.
Lin Zhu watched the dramatic transformation before him, from utter madness to utter humility. His "gentle" smile remained unchanged, but a clearer, more innocent and guileless curve slowly rose at the corners of his mouth. He gently shook the lone, low-grade Tai Chi pill between his fingers, his voice clear and calm, yet carrying an all-encompassing magic.

"Now, we can talk about...the price."

In short, the situation has been completely reversed!

Just moments ago, the Buddhas of the Western Paradise were enraged and wanted to exert pressure and forcibly seize him. In the blink of an eye, the initiative was completely in Lin Zhu's hands. The three thousand Buddhas could only wait humbly like lambs to the slaughter, waiting for the other party to offer the conditions for saving Chen Xuanzang.

Chen Xuanzang's life or death remained hanging in the balance, like a candle flickering in the wind, precariously in Lin Zhu's hands.

That low-grade Tai Chi pill was our last hope.

Despite his humiliation and burning anxiety, the Buddha pleaded in a hoarse voice.

"Lin Yushen, the price... the price is negotiable! Could you... could you give me the pill first? Saving lives is the most important thing! Jin Chanzi... he only has less than a minute left!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu blinked, revealing an expression that said, "I really care about you," and said considerately.

"Buddha, do not be anxious."

How about this? I can reserve this pill for you now, and you can pick it up in ten thousand years. I guarantee it's genuine.

a thousand years?!
Chen Xuanzang's bones have all turned to ash!
"puff--!"

The Buddha almost spat out another mouthful of blood. He felt that Lin Zhu was driving him crazy, and his last bit of rationality was about to collapse. He almost screamed.

"No! No way! I want it now! Lin Yushen! Any request! Any condition! Just say the word, and I...I...I'll agree to it!!"

He finally let go of all his reserve and calculations, signaling his surrender.

Lin Zhu's "innocent" smile vanished instantly, and a sharp, sword-like light flashed in his deep eyes, finally revealing his long-hidden fangs!
He held up two fingers, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"My terms are simple."

"The Immortal-Trapping Sword, the Immortal-Slaying Sword."

"Use this low-grade Tai Chi Pill in exchange for these two swords treasured in your Western Paradise."

He paused, as if stating an obvious fact, and added.

"One pill for two swords, you... have more than enough."

"what?!"

"The Immortal-Trapping Sword and the Immortal-Slaying Sword?!"

"How...how dare he?!"

"This is outright robbery! Shameless!!"

Upon hearing this, the three thousand Buddhas were both shocked and enraged! The Immortal-Trapping Sword and the Immortal-Slaying Sword were two of the four famous swords of the ancient times, supreme weapons of slaughter with boundless power, and one of the most treasured secrets of the Western Paradise!

Its value is incomparable to a mere low-grade Tai Chi pill!
This is not a transaction at all; it is blatant and undisguised extortion!

They were trembling with rage, wishing they could rush up and tear Lin Zhu to pieces, but their remaining rationality and concern for Chen Xuanzang's life made them suppress this impulse.

Just as the hot-tempered Arhats were about to curse, their more "far-sighted" colleagues immediately covered their mouths, fearing that their careless words would completely enrage Lin Zhu and ruin their last chance.

I want to kill him, but I can't; I want to curse him, but I don't dare.

An extreme sense of frustration and powerlessness made them feel like they were about to explode on the spot, and they could only rage helplessly inside!
Lin Zhu took in the wonderfully varied expressions on the faces of the Buddhas, and he nodded as if to understand, a hint of "regret" on his face, and sighed.

"It seems you all think this deal isn't worth it."

"Very well, forced relationships are never sweet, and I never force anyone. Since that's the case, then... farewell."

As he spoke, he made a gesture to turn around, slowly withdrawing the hand that was holding the pill.

"stop!!"

Just as Lin Zhu was about to take a step, a roar containing endless frustration, anger and despair, like the last roar of a wounded beast, burst forth from the mouth of the Buddha!

Chen Xuanzang's life was down to its last ten seconds! There was no room for bargaining or hesitation!
The Buddha's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Lin Zhu's retreating figure, his teeth almost grinding to powder, as he squeezed out a humiliating decision through gritted teeth.

"I... want it!!"

The last eight seconds!
Without any further hesitation, the Buddha waved his hand! Two terrifying beams of malevolent energy instantly tore apart the peaceful Buddhist light of the Great Thunderclap Temple!
A longsword, dark red in color, with a twisted blade like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, exuding an aura of endless entrapment and devouring!

A simple, ancient longsword, grayish-white in color, with a cold, lifeless gleam, seemingly capable of ending all life and extinguishing all hope!

It is the Immortal-Trapping Sword and the Immortal-Slaying Sword!
The two infamous weapons of slaughter were thrown at Lin Zhu by the Buddha as if they were trash, with a force of venting his anger!

Last five seconds!
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Lin Zhu caught the two flying swords without turning his head. A quick scan with his divine sense confirmed that the swords were intact and contained a murderous aura, making them undoubtedly genuine.

A triumphant smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Two seconds left!
Lin Zhu flicked his fingers, and the low-grade Taiji Pill, which carried the last hope of the Western Paradise, transformed into a ray of light and shot precisely toward the Buddha. At the same time, his slightly teasing voice rang out.

"Sigh, what a loss, what a loss. One top-grade pill was exchanged for two pieces of junk..."

The last sentence!
At this moment, the Buddha had no mind to pay attention to Lin Zhu's sarcastic remarks!

He used almost the fastest speed he had ever used in his life, his figure disappearing from the spot as if by teleportation, and in the next instant he appeared next to the golden pillar in the secret room where Chen Xuanzang was bound!
Chen Xuanzang was already on the verge of death. The conflict between the Buddhist light and demonic energy within his body had reached its extreme. His skin was cracking inch by inch, and his true spirit was swaying like a candle in the wind. He was about to be completely annihilated!
The Buddha's eyes widened in fury. He grabbed the flying pill and, without even having time to feed it to Chen Xuanzang using conventional methods, directly used his quasi-saintly power to forcefully slap the low-grade Taiji Pill into Chen Xuanzang's wide-open mouth, which was emitting a silent roar!

The elixir melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and the pure Yin and Yang energies spread out in a flash. (End of Chapter)