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

"Buddha, remember your promise! This humble Taoist is determined to see all the lost items from Tushita Palace, not a single one missing! Otherwise... I will not rest until I have seen them!"

As the light faded into the distance, the oppressive holy aura that had suffocated everyone also dissipated.

After Laozi's figure completely disappeared into the sky, Buddha Tathagata faced the direction he had left, bowed slightly, his face still expressionless, and spoke respectfully in his mechanical voice.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to Laozi."

Upon seeing this, the three thousand Buddhas dared not be negligent in the slightest and immediately shouted in unison.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to Laozi!"

The sound echoed in the empty hall, carrying a mixture of relief at surviving a disaster and an indescribable sense of complexity.

After Laozi's aura completely disappeared, Buddha Tathagata slowly straightened up, as if he was not the one who had just damaged his cultivation and lost millions of merits.

His gaze swept over the three thousand Buddhas below, each with a different expression. His voice returned to its usual majesty and calm as he began to arrange matters methodically.

"Guanyin (the Bodhisattva of Compassion)".

"The disciple is here."

Guanyin Bodhisattva quickly stepped forward and respectfully responded.

"The internal conflict within Chen Xuanzang has temporarily subsided, and he will awaken soon. You should make preparations, and once he wakes up, take him down to the mortal realm to restart the journey to the West. Make sure to ensure his safety and prevent any further mishaps."

"I will follow the Buddha's teachings."

"The Five Directions Reveal the Truth".

The Buddha's gaze then turned to the other five figures, who appeared somewhat apprehensive.

"Little...Little God is here!"

The Five Directions Protectors immediately knelt down, their voices trembling.

"You failed to protect Chen Xuanzang properly, causing the Water and Land Assembly to go awry. You should have been severely punished. But now I give you a chance to redeem yourselves through meritorious service."

The Buddha's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"You must secretly protect Chen Xuanzang, concealing your whereabouts, and not reveal yourselves except in life-or-death situations. If he suffers even the slightest mishap, or if he... escapes..."

The Buddha paused slightly, and a chilling killing intent instantly enveloped the Five Directions Protectors.

"I will make sure you are utterly destroyed, your souls scattered, and your very spirits annihilated!"

The Five Directions Protectors trembled with fear and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your humble servant obeys! I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life!"

"Ah."

The Buddha responded calmly and then waved his hand.

"This matter is settled, everyone may leave."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

How could the three thousand Buddhas dare to linger any longer?
They were all relieved as if granted a pardon. After bowing and paying their respects, they transformed into rays of Buddhist light and quickly left this place of trouble. No one wanted to offend the Buddha, who was clearly in a very bad mood at this time.

In the blink of an eye, the once solemn and bustling Great Thunder Temple became empty, with only the Buddha sitting on the nine-tiered lotus throne, the faint aftertaste of merit and a faint smell of blood remaining.

The Buddha sat alone on the throne, which symbolized the supreme authority of the Western Paradise, and remained motionless for a long time.

His massive golden body now appeared somewhat lonely, and the originally dazzling Buddhist light had dimmed considerably.

An indescribable sense of loss permeated his being.

A long time, a long time.

He slowly, extremely slowly, raised his hand and touched his chest—the place where his merits had been forcibly stripped away was now empty, leaving only a faint, stinging pain from the damage to the foundation of his Great Dao.

A single, crystal-clear tear, imbued with boundless Buddhist power and complex emotions, uncontrollably slid silently down from the corner of his indifferent eye.

Tears streamed down his golden cheeks, turning into specks of golden powder like shattered glass under the dim light of the Buddha's aura surrounding him, eventually vanishing without a trace, as if they had never existed.

In the empty hall, a long and heavy sigh echoed, carrying endless weariness and desolation.

"Ugh……"

"Why did it have to come to this... Bo Le... Why did it have to come to this..."

He murmured to himself, his voice filled with deep disappointment at Laozi's resolute attitude and a perpetual sense of bewilderment.

The loss of countless merits and the damage to the foundation of the Great Dao seem insignificant compared to the pain of being so relentlessly pressured by one's "closest relatives."

Lin Zhu returned to the Heavenly Court with great satisfaction, feeling the chilling aura emanating from the two newly acquired Immortal Trapping Sword and Immortal Absolute Sword in his storage space. He was overjoyed.

Although this trip to Lingshan was thrilling, the rewards far exceeded my expectations!
Accompanying him on the return journey was Laozi, whose face was gloomy and who looked sullen.

Although Laozi retrieved the ten million merit orbs that Buddha had "compensated" him with, the dazzling golden light did not seem to dispel the melancholy between his brows.

Lin Zhu watched from the side, feeling strange, and couldn't help but secretly observe Lao Jun.

What's wrong with this old man? Ten million merits!
This is no small sum; even a saint would have no reason not to like it.

Although the Tathagata may have stolen your Tushita Palace, he has now suffered a great loss. He not only promised to retrieve all the treasures, but also personally paid out ten million merits. In the realm of capitalists... no, in the realm of gods and Buddhas, this attitude of admitting his mistake is simply a model of benevolence and righteousness, right?

Why is he still wearing that sour face? To be honest, Lin Zhu still isn't 100% sure that the matter at Tushita Palace was definitely orchestrated by Buddha himself.

The two remained silent until they reached the South Heavenly Gate, where they prepared to part ways.

Laozi suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared intently at Lin Zhu with his deep eyes, confirming again in a heavy tone.

"Lin Yushen, are you... are you really sure that the one who destroyed my Tushita Palace and robbed my medicinal materials is Duobao... is Tathagata?"

Lin Zhu nodded without changing his expression or hesitation, his tone remarkably firm.

"Of course! Lao Jun, it's not that I'm sure, it's just the truth! Besides him, who else has the motive, the courage, and the ability to sneak up into Lihentian without anyone noticing and find your treasures so accurately?"

This was clearly done by an insider, no, by someone you know very well, one of your own!

He spoke with absolute certainty, as if he had witnessed it firsthand.

A cold glint flashed in Laozi's eyes, and a chilling killing intent inadvertently emanated from him, causing the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees. He gritted his teeth and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Good! Very good! Whoever dares to touch my Tushita Palace, I will make sure they... die without a complete corpse, their body and soul annihilated!"

Lin Zhu shivered at the murderous intent emanating from him, and his mind was filled with even more doubts.

Something's not right, something's very wrong! Even if the Tushita Palace was destroyed and suffered heavy losses, it shouldn't have caused a saintly being to lose his composure and harbor such deep hatred, right?
Although those medicinal ingredients were precious, they weren't non-renewable resources for Laozi, who could refine the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir. Why was he so concerned? Could it be... that among the lost items, there was something more important than the medicinal ingredients themselves?

Thinking of this, Lin Zhu's eyes lit up, a warm smile spread across his face, and he took a step closer, tentatively asking.

"Laojun, why are you so concerned about the Tushita Palace? Could it be... that some extraordinary treasure is missing from there? Perhaps... you could tell me about it? Maybe I can help!"

He rubbed his fingers together, a gesture that was clearly suggestive.

"Of course, finding people and lost items is time-consuming, laborious, and risky... If you, Lord Lao, could sponsor a few hundred thousand merits as activity funds, I would certainly go through fire and water to help you recover the lost items!"

Upon hearing this, Laozi frowned. He instinctively wanted to refuse Lin Zhu's opportunistic behavior and was even more unwilling for the secrets of the inner palace to be known by outsiders.

But looking into Lin Zhu's seemingly unreliable but actually shrewd eyes, he thought that although this boy was cunning, his methods were unpredictable and he had created miracles time and again. Perhaps... he could really bring a glimmer of hope?
He pondered for a long time, and the anger on his face was gradually replaced by an extremely rare seriousness and solemnity.

He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and bowed slightly to Lin Zhu, speaking in an almost pleading tone.

"Lin, the Prison God, I do have a matter I would like to ask for your assistance with."

Lin Zhu was taken aback, not expecting Lao Jun's attitude to change so quickly and so solemnly.

Lao Tzu continued.

"This matter is of great importance, and I cannot speak of it openly."

"But if the God of Hell can help me find that... crucial item, I am willing to pay 200,000 merits as a deposit, and upon completion, I will offer another 3 million merits as a reward!"

Three million merits! With the deposit, that's three million two hundred thousand!
Lin Zhu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this; the scale of this undertaking was truly impressive! However, he remained outwardly calm, instead frowning, stroking his chin, and feigning deep thought.

"Well... Lord Lao, it's not that I'm refusing. As you know, if that thing is truly in Buddha's hands, snatching it from the tiger's mouth would be incredibly difficult! It might even cost me my little body..."

Laozi frowned deeply.

"What does the God of Hell mean?"

Lin Zhu grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, and said without any attempt to hide his true feelings.

"Add money!"

Laozi's lips twitched. Looking at Lin Zhu's shameless "no money, no talk" attitude, he felt a surge of frustration. But considering the importance of the lost item, he finally gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice.

"Good! After it's done, five million merit points! Including the deposit of two hundred thousand, that's a total of five million two hundred thousand!"

This is the limit of what I can offer!

"make a deal!"

Lin Zhu immediately made the decision, her face beaming with joy, as if afraid the other party would change their mind, and quickly extended her hand.

"Laojun, what do you think of this deposit..."

With a dark expression and extreme reluctance, Laozi separated about one-fifth of the ten million merit orbs he had just received, about two hundred thousand merits, and handed them to Lin Zhu.

Lin Zhu happily accepted the pure and vast light of merit, feeling the immense power of vows contained within it. He carefully put it away before bowing and smiling at Laozi.

"Rest assured, sir! I've taken your money, so I'm obligated to help you find your treasure!"

Having said that, he didn't linger. He turned and transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for his territory—the Nine-Story Heavenly Prison. This left Laozi alone standing outside the South Heavenly Gate, gazing in the direction he had left. His eyes were filled with complex emotions, which eventually turned into a long sigh. His figure appeared somewhat lonely and aged.

……

As soon as Lin Zhu returned to the Ninth Heavenly Prison, Nezha, who had already received the news, immediately came to greet him with concern on his face.

"Boss, you're finally back! Are you alright? What about Lingshan...?"

Lin Zhu waved his hand, a spirited smile on his face.

"It's alright! Not only are we alright, we've actually made a fortune! The Western Paradise has really lost big time this time!"

As he spoke, he walked straight into the council chamber and gave the order.

"Summon all brothers with Golden Immortal cultivation or above for a meeting!"

Soon, all the enforcers who had reached the Golden Immortal realm gathered in the Nine-Layer Heavenly Prison. Lin Zhu sat in the main seat and recounted the events of their trip to Mount Ling in a concise and vivid manner.

When they heard how Lin Zhu used a low-grade Taiji Pill to repeatedly trick the Buddhas of the Western Paradise, ultimately forcing the Buddha to hand over the two swords, Xianxian and Juexian, everyone present gasped in astonishment, and then burst into thunderous cheers and laughter!

"Hahaha! Boss is awesome! One low-grade pill for two Immortal Execution Swords!"
This deal is unprecedented!

"Tsk tsk, those bald monks from the Western Paradise have really lost face in the Chaos Sea this time!"

"It still has to be the boss!"

Such methods, such boldness! We are utterly impressed!

When Lin Zhu revealed that Laozi had gone to the Buddha's house and completely broken ties with him, even publicly denouncing his former name "Daoist Duobao," and that Laozi had entrusted him with finding the stolen treasure from the Tushita Palace and prepaid 200,000 merits as a deposit, the entire council hall fell silent instantly. Everyone was stunned by this series of bombshell news!

Did Laozi personally storm Mount Ling? Did he completely break with Buddha? And did he spend an astronomical amount of merit to ask the boss for help in finding treasure?

This is an incredible amount of information! It completely overturned their understanding of the relationships between the top figures in the Three Realms!

"Boss...you...you exchanged a low-grade Taiji Pill for two...Zhuxian Swords?"

A Golden Immortal enforcer swallowed hard, confirming incredulously that he recalled the low-grade Tai Chi Pills that had circulated internally before, which were ridiculously cheap.

"That's right!"

Lin Zhu nodded smugly, then took out a low-grade Tai Chi pill and played with it in his hand.

"That's the benefit of a monopoly! By controlling scarce resources, we have the power to set prices! Selling them to our brothers at low prices back then was a benefit! As for external customers, especially those who desperately need them, the price... well, that depends on our mood."

His words drew knowing laughter from the crowd, and some even rubbed their hands together excitedly.

"Boss, how about we go talk to the Jade Emperor? Let him experience what it's like to have a monopoly?"

Lin Zhu chuckled and shook her head.

"This situation is special, so we'll have to find a different approach next time. As for the Jade Emperor... for now, cooperation will be the priority."

He stopped smiling and steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"Alright, let's get back to Laozi's commission. This matter concerns the follow-up reward for five million merits, it's no small thing! Everyone, be alert and pay attention to the movements of all parties in the Three Realms, especially any clues related to the Western Paradise and Tushita Palace!"

"Yes! Boss!"

The crowd responded in unison, their morale soaring.

After the meeting, Lin Zhu sat alone in the hall, gently stroking the warm ball of 200,000 merit points in his hand. The excitement on his face gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression. (End of Chapter)