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

If he hadn't secretly hoarded all the pills, why would he have been repeatedly extorted and humiliated by Lin Zhu, ultimately losing the two swords, the Immortal Suppression Sword and the Immortal Annihilation Sword, which suppressed his fortune?
This Laozi clearly has ulterior motives regarding the merits of the Journey to the West, and even wants to use this opportunity to completely control the Western Paradise!
Lin Zhu was overjoyed to see the Buddha's gloomy and resentful gaze fixed on Laozi.

He didn't even need to throw the big, round black pot himself; Buddha had already taken the initiative and firmly pinned it on Laozi!
He was naturally happy to oblige, and even hoped that this "scapegoat" identity would be more firmly established.

Just as they were locked in this standoff with their differing thoughts, a deafening roar once again echoed outside the Great Thunderclap Temple!
"boom--!!!"

With a deafening roar, the imposing temple gate, crafted from millennia-old Buddhist gold and countless precious materials, inscribed with Sanskrit incantations, and symbolizing the majesty of Mount Ling, was blasted open from the outside by an incomparably brute force, leaving a huge hole as if it were made of paper! Wood chips flew everywhere, golden light dissipated, and a violent shockwave carrying smoke and dust rushed into the hall, causing the robes of the Buddhas to flutter wildly.

Immediately afterward, under the gaze of countless horrified eyes, a blue ox with flat horns, carrying its master, trudged into this sacred Buddhist site with heavy steps and scorching white steam billowing from its nostrils!
Seated atop the ox was none other than Laozi, who had returned, and was clearly "fully armed"! At this moment, he was completely different from his usual tranquil, inactive, and otherworldly demeanor.

Above his head, the Xuanhuang Pagoda protected him with strands of Xuanhuang Qi. He held a wind and fire fan tightly in his left hand and a Vajra Bracelet upside down in his right. A purple-gold gourd and a jade bottle hung at his waist. His old face was flushed red with extreme anger, his beard and hair stood on end, and the murderous aura emanating from him was even more intense than that of a demon!

Upon seeing this, Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself.

"Good heavens! Even a saintly, benevolent corpse can be this violent when he gets angry? He just broke down the door!"

The status of the Great Thunderclap Temple is equivalent to the Lingxiao Palace in the Heavenly Court! Laozi's move was simply to rub the face of Mount Ling into the ground in front of all the great powers of the Three Realms!
It seems the destruction of the Tushita Palace and the theft of the elixirs have truly enraged him, to the point that he's too lazy to even bother with the most basic pretense.

His eyes darted around, and a plan formed in his mind. Taking advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to the Supreme Lord Laozi bursting through the door, Lin Zhu glided to the side of the Supreme Lord Laozi's green ox with the grace and speed of a fish. Then, he respectfully bowed deeply to the ox on its back, his tone incredibly sincere and earnest.

"Your humble servant Lin Zhu pays his respects to Lord Lao! Lord Lao's presence is awe-inspiring and his divine power is unparalleled. I am filled with admiration!"

He adopted an extremely humble posture, completely forgetting that as the God of Law Enforcement in the Three Realms, his actual power and deterrent force were not much lower than that of the leisurely Lord of the Tushita Palace. He also completely threw away his so-called "integrity" and "face".

His quick change of expression and "humble" attitude left the three thousand Buddhas who had just been fighting him dumbfounded, their mouths twitching.

Although Laozi was in a fit of rage, he was, after all, an old and wise man, and had not completely lost his reason.

He naturally remembered the importance of Lin Zhu, this lawless "anomaly," and also remembered one of his important purposes for this trip: to find Lin Zhu and find out the information about the "suspect who destroyed the Tushita Palace."

Seeing Lin Zhu so "sensibly" approaching, he suppressed his anger, snorted through his nose as a response, and politely cupped his hands in a salute, saying in a deep voice.

"Lin Yushen is very kind. This matter is none of your concern. If there is nothing else, please return to the Heavenly Court immediately."

His intention in saying this was to send Lin Zhu away first, so that he could settle accounts with Tathagata. At the same time, he also subtly wanted to avoid completely involving Lin Zhu, as a way of repaying the favor of providing clues.

However, to the Buddha, who already had preconceived notions, these words became blatant evidence of "collusion"!
Keep acting! Keep acting! It's so fake!

It was clearly you, old man, who secretly instructed Lin Zhu to extort the two deadly swords from me, Xitian. Now that your goal has been achieved, you have personally appeared, pretending to scold him and tell him to leave, but in reality, you are determined to ensure his safe escape!

What a remarkable Lao Tzu!

What a great leader of the Taoist sect!
They actually did such a despicable thing, colluding with outsiders to harm their allies!

The thought of Laozi's "betrayal" made Buddha feel a surge of blood rushing to his head, filling him with shock, anger, and an indescribable chill.

When Lin Zhu heard that Laozi told him to leave, his smile widened and he was in a great mood.

Instead of leaving, he straightened his back and spoke righteously and sternly to Laozi.

"Your Excellency is mistaken! As the God of Law Enforcement in the Three Realms, it is my duty to uphold the laws and regulations of the Three Realms and to eradicate evil! Today, I see that Your Excellency seems to be... well, encountering some difficulties. As a fellow Daoist, I should extend a helping hand. How can I sit idly by and leave alone?"

That's absolutely not the kind of person I, Lin Zhu, am!

His words were spoken in a grand and righteous manner.

however.

The moment the words "a helping hand" were uttered, Laozi's eyelids twitched violently. Almost instinctively, he and his ox moved half a step to the side, creating some distance between themselves and Lin Zhu.

He clearly remembered that not long ago, this kid had used the guise of "aid" and "help" to forcibly "squeeze" the last Nine-Turn Great Luo Golden Pill out of him! Now, just hearing those four words gave him a psychological trauma!
"No need!"

Laozi quickly waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible vigilance and determination.

"I will handle this matter myself; there is no need for the prison god to trouble himself. You... just wait quietly to the side."

He dared not let Lin Zhu "help" him again; who knew what kind of trouble that kid would come up with next?

"Order!"

Lin Zhu readily complied, a smile plastered on his face, and leisurely retreated behind Laozi, finding a spot where he could see the whole scene clearly and where it seemed safe to stand.

As soon as he stood still, he immediately raised his head and, without any hesitation and in a highly provocative manner, raised a straight middle finger at the Buddha opposite him, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot! The expression on his face was as irritating as could be.

Not only that, he also deliberately shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice clearly carrying throughout the entire venue.

"Oh dear, Laozi, you must avenge me! Before you arrived, those bald... those Buddhas were so fierce! They were all shouting and threatening to kill me, insisting on keeping me for dinner, oh no, they wanted to destroy me completely! My heart is still pounding in my chest!"

As he spoke, he patted his chest, feigning fear, but the mockery in his eyes was undisguised.

"I'm on your side now, Laozi. With you here, let's see who dares to lay a finger on me?"

As Lin Zhu spoke, he deliberately swept his provocative gaze across the three thousand Buddhas, finally fixing it on the Tathagata Buddha, his tone becoming extremely servile.

"However... if anyone is dissatisfied and wants to beat me up, I don't mind! Ideally, it would be Buddha and Laozi teaming up for a mixed doubles match! Let me experience the high level of the two sages! So, I've decided—I'm not leaving! I'll just stay here and watch!" His words, which added fuel to the fire and seemed to thrive on chaos, made the already tense atmosphere even more dangerous!
The Buddha glared fiercely at Lin Zhu, who was hiding behind Laozi and making faces at him, his teeth almost grinding to powder.

But he knew that the greatest threat at this moment was not this ant jumping around, but the fully armed and murderous Laozi in front of him!

He forcibly shifted his gaze from Lin Zhu and turned to Laozi. The overwhelming rage that had been emanating from him was now somewhat restrained in the face of this being of the same level, and his voice unconsciously carried a hint of compromise and questioning.

"Laozi!"

The Buddha spoke in a deep voice, attempting to stabilize the situation.

"You are a highly accomplished master of the Xuanmen sect, a person of pure virtue and cultivation! Why do you disregard your status today, forcibly trespassing into my sacred Lingshan Mountain, destroying the gates of my Great Thunderclap Temple, and exuding murderous intent? What are you trying to do?! This is a pure Buddhist sanctuary; how can you be allowed to act so presumptuously?!"

His words already carried a hint of bluster, an attempt to use "rules" and "decency" to restrain the other party.

Hearing this, Lin Zhu couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"what?

Why has this old Buddha suddenly become cowardly? Where did that fierce energy he had just shown me, yelling and threatening to kill me? I was hoping you two would start fighting soon so I could witness a battle between saints..."

He thought about it for a moment and then understood the key point. At the level of Buddha and Laozi, they were "old foxes" who had lived for countless years. Unless their fundamental interests were involved, they would never easily tear off their mask and fight to the death.

Moreover, despite the fact that both sides had their own calculations regarding the "Laozi's Conversion of the Barbarians" story, there was still a sense of kinship between them.

The Buddha naturally harbored some apprehension towards this nominal "senior," unwilling and unable to truly break off relations completely.

Laozi had no time for beating around the bush with Buddha. He had come to demand an explanation!
Upon hearing the questioning words of the Buddha, Laozi was so angry that he laughed, and suddenly pointed his whisk at the Buddha. His voice was as cold as the ice of the deepest hell, and he went straight to the point.

"Duobao! Stop pretending in front of me! I've come here today to ask you only one thing!"

His eyes burned with anger as he shouted, each word sharp and deliberate.

"My Tushita Palace was destroyed, my treasured elixirs were looted, and my attendants were slaughtered... Was this secretly orchestrated by your Western Paradise?! Tell me the truth!"

This question, like a thunderclap, resounded once again in the ears of all the Buddhas!

Seeing that Laozi was being so direct, Lin Zhu secretly exclaimed, "Brilliant!"
He likes this straightforward approach. But judging from the current situation, it seems there's no need for him to stir things up any further for the time being?

He had originally planned to add fuel to the fire if the argument wasn't heated enough, but now it seems the fire has already reached its peak.

He even started to wonder if he could take the opportunity to slip away.

However, before Lin Zhu could take any action, the Buddha opposite him, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly let out a thunderous roar, his voice filled with the anger of being wronged.

"Absurd! Absolutely not! Laozi, stop making baseless accusations! Our Western Paradise has always acted with integrity and honesty. How could we possibly engage in such petty theft and destroy someone's sacred site?! What does the robbery of your Tushita Palace have to do with my Mount Ling?!"

Seeing that the Buddha denied it so readily, the cold light in Laozi's eyes intensified. He glanced coldly at Lin Zhu, who seemed indifferent to the matter, and then looked at the Buddha, saying in a sinister tone.

"Oh? You won't admit it? No problem..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu's heart stirred, knowing that the best was yet to come, and he immediately abandoned the idea of ​​slipping away.

The Supreme Lord Laozi spoke in a solemn tone, with an unquestionable certainty.

"I have my own methods...to investigate!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu immediately abandoned all her ulterior motives, put on a "I'm the most obedient" expression, quickly found a relatively intact futon, sat down properly, placed her hands on her knees, and adopted a posture of listening attentively and waiting for the show to begin.

The atmosphere in the entire Great Thunderclap Temple froze once again, with everyone's eyes focused on Laozi, eager to know what kind of methods his so-called "investigation" would involve.

The Buddha's expression grew even more grim, and the ominous premonition in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

After the initial shock and anger, the three thousand Buddhas and the Tathagata Buddha, who sat in the center, fell into a strange and brief silence.

Every Buddha and Bodhisattva kept their eyes closed and their noses focused on their heart, striving to suppress all their breath and emotional fluctuations, daring not to reveal the slightest abnormality. With a saintly being in their presence, even if it was just a saintly being, their power was beyond their comprehension. No one dared to be careless at this moment and reveal the slightest flaw.

The Buddha took a deep breath, his massive chest, seemingly cast in gold, rising and falling slightly, as if calming the raging anger within him and some deeper emotion.

When he spoke again, his voice carried an indescribable heaviness and... grievance?
"Laojun!"

The Buddha's voice echoed in the silent hall, carrying an extremely firm, even somewhat heartbroken tone.

"How...how can you doubt me like this? If it weren't for your guidance and enlightenment back then, leading me to the Western Paradise, how could I be the World Honored One Tathagata today? This kindness of being recognized and appreciated by your mentor, Duobao...no, Tathagata, has always kept in mind, always grateful, and has never dared to forget it for a moment!"

His words were sincere and heartfelt, as if they came from the bottom of his heart. In his eyes, which contained endless wisdom, there was even a faint hint of golden tears brewing.

"I, Tathagata, am honored by my teacher's favor to take charge of Mount Sumeru and govern the Buddhist community. My actions have always been based on the Dharma and guided by compassion! How could I possibly commit such despicable and vile acts as destroying temples, stealing elixirs, and slaughtering innocent children?!"
This is not only slander against me, the Buddha, but also a disgrace to the reputation of the entire Buddhist community!

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his huge golden body leaning forward slightly, spreading his hands out in a completely unguarded posture, his tone extremely earnest.

"If Laozi does not believe me, then please use your methods to investigate! Everyone on Mount Ling, including myself, Tathagata, is open to your inspection! I only ask that the innocence of the Western Paradise be restored, that the true culprit not be allowed to escape justice, and that the harmony between our two families not be ruined by the instigation of villains!" (End of this chapter)