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

Seeing the cowardly appearance of Fudo Myoo, who was terrified but still stubbornly refused to admit it, and thinking about all the misfortunes that had happened to him today, Guanyin's long-suppressed anger and resentment finally erupted!

"Idiot! Shut up!"

Guanyin shouted sharply, disregarding her bodhisattva demeanor, and taking advantage of the moment when Lin Zhu had just shattered the Dharma image and the energy was slightly fluctuating, she kicked out and slammed her foot hard into the buttocks of the massive Dharma image of Fudo Myo-o!
"boom!"

Although it was an illusory image, this kick contained Guanyin's anger and magical power, and it was still quite forceful.

Fudo Myo-o was intently watching Lin Zhu when his companion suddenly kicked him from behind. Caught off guard, his already injured and unstable form stumbled and fell forward. Although he quickly regained his balance, he was in a very disheveled state.

"You... Guanyin! What are you doing?!"

Fudo Myoo turned around in surprise and anger.

"What are you doing? I'm kicking you awake, you pig-brain!"

Guanyin was so angry that her chest heaved, and her jade finger almost poked the nose of Acala.

"Who is Lin Zhu? He is the greatest variable in the Three Realms, the most unfathomable threat! Do you think you can intimidate him by invoking the name of Buddha? If you could, he wouldn't have... wouldn't have acted that way five hundred years ago!"

She seemed to recall some unbearable past events, and her tone became even more hateful.

"Stop with your nonsense! If you don't want to die, pull yourself together and fight the enemy! Otherwise, we'll both perish here today!"

After being berated and kicked by Guanyin, Immovable King was both ashamed and angry, but he knew she was telling the truth. Seeing Lin Zhu's chaotic demonic phantom cast its cold gaze upon him again, he shivered, hurriedly got up, forcibly gathered his remaining magic power, and the Wisdom Sword reappeared. He roared fiercely but weakly.

"Demon... Lin Zhu! Stop being so arrogant! I... I'll fight you to the death!"

However, the trembling voice and the flickering image were hardly convincing.

Lin Zhu merely responded to the farcical infighting between Guanyin and Fudo Myoo with a faint sneer, as if watching the struggle of two ants.

He couldn't be bothered to respond to Fudo Myoo's childish threat.

Just as the golden relic shattered completely, a faint, almost imperceptible golden ray of light emerged from the broken core. As if it possessed a spirit, it instantly broke through the demonic energy and turbulent energy flow around the battlefield, transforming into a barely perceptible golden thread that sped towards the western horizon at an astonishing speed, heading towards the Western Heavenly Mountain, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

That seemed to be the last bit of original information or a distress signal from the relic.

Lin Zhu naturally noticed the golden light disappearing, but he only glanced at it and did not try to intercept it, seemingly not caring at all.

His target has always been the Guanyin and Fudō Myō-ō before him.

Shattering the Dharma image is just the beginning.

The illusory figure of the Chaos Demon God moved again, spear in hand, unleashing a torrent of demonic energy that once more engulfed the two near-quasi-saints in an even fiercer and more desperate battle. Having lost their strongest reliance, the Tathagata's Dharma Image, Guanyin and Immovable King were suddenly under immense pressure, forced to defend themselves desperately, facing imminent defeat.

Western Paradise, Mount Ling, Great Thunder Temple.

Ten thousand Buddhas sit solemnly, chanting Buddhist prayers, golden light shines everywhere, a scene of peace and solemnity... This is how it should be.

However, at this moment, the atmosphere in the main hall was so heavy and oppressive that it was almost dripping with water.

The Buddha Tathagata sits serenely on a nine-tiered golden lotus, his face still compassionate and solemn. But if you look closely, you can see that his fingers, which are holding a flower, have a slight, almost imperceptible stiffness.

What's even more striking is that his other hand is raised in a gesture of support, and in the palm of his hand, a faint, trembling golden halo is slowly flowing, vaguely revealing the outline of a golden cicada, which is none other than the primordial spirit of Jin Chanzi, who was severely injured but managed to escape!
This primordial spirit was emanating an incredibly clear wave of fear and pleading, with intermittent spiritual thoughts being transmitted out.

“Buddha…Buddha, have mercy…Disciple…Disciple will not go on the Journey to the West…I really won’t go…That Sun Wukong…is too fierce…One blow from his staff…and I…I’ll be gone…I’m afraid…afraid he’ll kill me again…”

Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit was truly terrified.

He barely managed to escape with a wisp of his soul using his innate supernatural ability, "Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell," leaving an indelible psychological scar on him from Sun Wukong's devastating blow. All the merits of the pilgrimage, all the enlightenment and golden body, seemed so insignificant in the face of the terror of his soul being scattered.

As the Buddha listened to the wailing of Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit and felt the almost tangible fear within it, his usually compassionate and serene face, which seemed to encompass all joy and anger, now appeared somewhat dark, as if splashed with thick ink.

Years ago, he personally promised Jin Chanzi that although there would be hardships on the journey to the West, "no demon or monster could withstand Sun Wukong's golden cudgel," and it would surely protect the pilgrims. Who could have imagined that now, the golden cudgel, for the first time in a true sense, would be used against the pilgrims themselves! And be smashed into a pulp with a single blow!
This is an absolute irony! It's a blatant slap in the face to his authority and scheming as the Buddha!
All the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Vajras in the hall held their breath and dared not make the slightest sound; the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

After a long while, the Buddha slowly opened his mouth. His voice was still loud, but he only uttered one word, as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth.

"……Ugh."

This sigh contained so much helplessness, anger, and a sense of powerlessness that even he himself was unaware of.

Upon seeing this, Manjushri Bodhisattva, who was standing to the side, stepped forward, put his hands together in prayer, and said respectfully.

“Buddha, Jin Chanzi’s primordial spirit has been injured and his physical body has been destroyed. How about… using the celestial lotus root from the Eight Treasures Merit Pool to reshape an incarnation for him? Although it will not be as compatible as the original body, it will be pure and immaculate, and can also bear the Buddha’s teachings.”

Upon hearing this, Tathagata slowly shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the trembling Golden Cicada Primordial Spirit in his palm, and said in a deep voice.

"The lotus root is ultimately an external object. Jin Chanzi has cultivated for ten lifetimes, and although his physical body is mortal, it has already subtly merged with the Buddha-nature, carrying part of the fortune and merit of the journey to the West. If the lotus root is used instead, the karmic connection will be weakened, and it may be difficult to complete the merit, or even change midway."

He paused, his tone becoming even lower.

"Unless... he is allowed to reincarnate again, cultivate for ten lifetimes, and reunite his fortune and physical body. But... there is no time. The workings of Heaven are fleeting, and the opportunity for the Journey to the West is gone in an instant."

Manjushri Bodhisattva frowned slightly.

"Then... in the Three Realms, is there any treasure that can bring the physical body back to life without damaging its origin and causality?"

The Buddha remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Yes. The 'Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill' refined in Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace can seize the power of heaven and earth, and has the miraculous effect of bringing the dead back to life and reshaping the physical body. Moreover, it can preserve the original cause and effect and fortune to the greatest extent. It is the best choice to solve the current predicament."

Upon hearing about "Laozi" and "Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill," the expressions of many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the hall who knew the inside story became subtle.

Manjushri Bodhisattva hesitated as well. “But Buddha… you and Laozi recently had a disagreement over the theft of the Tushita Palace and the overturning of the Eight Trigrams Furnace… and it is said that many of the elixirs in that furnace, including the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill, were completely destroyed in that incident…”

Upon hearing this, the Buddha's already somewhat dark face turned even more ashen.

How could he not know? It was precisely because he had broken ties with Laozi that the Tushita Palace had suffered a calamity, making the life-saving Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill seem unattainable! At this moment, he was filled with grief and indignation, feeling that his past schemes had backfired, killing him and cutting off Jin Chanzi's escape route in the Journey to the West!
Seeing his pale face, Manjushri Bodhisattva quickly comforted him.

"Buddha, do not worry too much, for good fortune never comes in pairs..."

Her intention was to offer comfort by saying "misfortunes never come singly," reminding the Buddha that things were already bad enough and couldn't get any worse. But to the Buddha, who was already feeling frustrated and annoyed, these words became the most vicious curse!
"Shut up!"

The Buddha, unusually, interrupted Manjushri Bodhisattva with a stern voice, a flash of anger in his eyes, and glared at her.

"Manjushri! If you can't speak properly, then shut up! What do you mean by 'misfortunes never come singly'?! Do you think the Western Paradise isn't chaotic enough already? If you keep spouting nonsense and the Western Paradise really needs manpower, you'll be the first one to carry the bucket... cough, you'll be going to the Cliff of Contemplation for meditation!"

Manjushri Bodhisattva was choked and his face turned red. He retreated awkwardly, not daring to say another word. In his heart, he thought to himself, "Buddha's temper has become increasingly irritable lately. He almost blurted out such a vulgar word as 'bucket carrier.' It seems that he has been tormented by that bamboo forest quite a bit, and has even learned to 'continuously shed tears.'"

Just when the atmosphere inside the hall was extremely awkward and tense, a sudden change occurred!

On the western horizon, a faint golden light, like a weary bird returning to its nest or a traveler weeping blood, pierced through the layers of Buddhist light barriers of the Great Thunder Temple in a hasty and desolate manner.

With a "whoosh," it disappeared into the space between the eyebrows of the Buddha!

"puff--!"

The Buddha shuddered, his face turning from blue to white, then from white to gray, as if he had instantly lost all color! He suddenly opened his mouth, and a mouthful of golden blood, both brilliant and dull, gushed out like a fountain, splashing onto the golden lotus and the glazed ground in front of him, making a hissing sound. The essence of the Buddha's blood was rapidly dissipating!
"Buddha!!"

The Buddhas inside the hall were greatly alarmed and rose to their feet.

The Buddha barely managed to raise his hand to stop the gasps of the crowd. He clutched his chest, his face ashen, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"It was...it was Guanyin and the others...the golden relics...shattered...and along with me...the wisp of divine will I entrusted to them...completely annihilated...they...they have probably met with misfortune..."

This news struck like a hammer blow to the hearts of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas! Guanyin Bodhisattva and Acala, carrying the golden relic and leading a large army to "protect" the start of the Journey to the West, had even had their life-saving relic shattered?! Just how powerful were Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong?!

Manjushri Bodhisattva suppressed his shock and stepped forward again to try to comfort him.

"Buddha... perhaps... perhaps it was just accidentally broken..."

She was once again left speechless.

Outside the hall, five figures of golden light, their Buddha-light dimmed and even covered in dust, rushed in in a panic. They were none other than the Five Directions Protectors who had previously "run away with buckets"!

"Buddha! Buddha, save me!!"

The Golden-Headed Jiedi fell to the ground, his voice trembling with sobs as he reported the news at breakneck speed.

"That Lin Zhu... Lin Zhu is too fierce! He's relentlessly attacking the Immovable King Bodhisattva and Guanyin Bodhisattva! The golden relic is about to shatter! And that demon monkey Sun Wukong! I don't know what kind of medicine he took, but he suddenly advanced to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm!"

Now, defeating Venerable Ananda is like chasing chickens and dogs! Millions of Buddhist soldiers were wiped out by his mere few blows! The remaining soldiers suffered heavy casualties and are on the verge of total annihilation! We...we are fighting desperately to break through and return to Mount Ling to beg the Buddha for help!!"

His words vividly described the tragic situation at Five Elements Mountain, while cleverly concealing the fact that he and his companions had fled first.

Manjushri Bodhisattva's eyes twitched as he pointed at the wooden bucket that the Five Directions Protectors were still unconsciously carrying in their hands—a bucket they had apparently taken from some Buddhist soldier's mess hall—and questioned them.

"What...is this in your hands?"

The Five Directions Protector was taken aback, looked down at the bucket, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face. Then, the Golden-Headed Protector reacted quickly, threw the bucket aside, and defended himself righteously.

"Reporting to the Bodhisattva! This is... this is what we saw when we broke through the encirclement. One of our fellow Buddhist soldiers was seriously wounded and on the verge of death, kowtowing to the ground for help. We couldn't bear it, so we covered his head with his skull... uh, with our water buckets to protect him. It was absolutely not... absolutely not for escaping! Our loyalty to the Buddha and to the Western Paradise is unwavering, and Heaven and Earth can bear witness!"

After saying that, he kowtowed twice with a "sincere" look on his face.

The Buddha looked at the chaotic and absurd scene before him—himself, coughing up blood and injured; Manjushri, unable to utter a kind word; Jiedi, running away with a bucket while still arguing vehemently; and then he thought of the utterly defeated battle at Five Elements Mountain, Jin Chanzi, whose physical body was destroyed and who kept begging; the unattainable Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill; and Lin Zhu, who haunted him like a nightmare…

Even with his profound Buddhist knowledge and extraordinary composure, he felt a surge of bitterness and indignation rush to his nose, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He tilted his head back, not to look at the canopy on the palace roof, but to prevent the tears that were brewing from falling easily.

For five hundred years, through various entanglements and conflicts with Lin Zhu, he has been driven to tears, held back his tears, and cried again in anger countless times, and has long since developed the supernatural ability of "sustainable tear backflow".

"Eighty-one tribulations..."

The Buddha's voice was choked with emotion as he murmured to himself.

"So... it wasn't designed for the pilgrims... it was designed for me... for the Western Paradise... wherever that bamboo forest is, the journey to the West will be filled with hostility for the Western Paradise... and fraught with hardship..."

Seeing his sadness, Manjushri Bodhisattva wanted to offer some words of comfort.

"Buddha, you..."

"Shut up!!"

The Buddha suddenly lowered his head, his eyes still glistening with tears, but they transformed into raging flames that shot straight at Manjushri.

"It's all your fault for jinxing me! Misfortunes never come singly! Now the real trouble has arrived! If you dare to say another word, and if the Western Paradise is truly short-handed, you'll be the first one to be fired and carried out of my house!!"

He was really angry this time, and even yelled "Get out of here!"

Manjushri Bodhisattva trembled with fear, daring not to utter another word, and shrank back to the side, feeling utterly aggrieved. (End of Chapter)