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

Lin Zhu's shot was not just about killing, but about eradicating the root of the problem, cutting off any possibility of resurrection or reincarnation! Ruthless, decisive, and leaving no room for compromise!

The gun was put away, and everything vanished into thin air.

Only a few lingering traces of energy remained on the spot, along with the God-Slaying Spear, which seemed to have drunk its fill of blood and possessed an even stronger demonic aura. A drop of dark golden "blood" slowly dripped from the tip of the spear, evaporating before it even hit the ground.

Quiet.

Deathly silence.

Guanyin Bodhisattva stared wide-eyed at the spot where Acala had disappeared, her lips trembling but unable to utter a sound, only boundless fear and chill in her heart.

The expression on the Medicine Buddha's face froze completely, from shock and anger to disbelief, and then to a hysterical outburst of utter humiliation, broken promises, and utter loss of face! The pure, crystalline Buddha light surrounding him began to fluctuate violently, showing a faint tendency to transform into the wrathful fire of a wrathful deity!
"Lin—Zhu—!!!"

The Medicine Buddha practically roared out the name, his voice no longer clear and melodious, but filled with resentment and murderous intent.

"How dare you... How dare you commit such an evil deed in front of me! You killed the Dharma Protector King of my Buddhist sect! From this day forward, the Western Paradise and you will be sworn enemies! We will fight to the death!!"

A terrifying Buddhist pressure erupted from his body like a tsunami. The two Bodhisattvas, Sunlight and Moonlight, stepped forward together, each summoning their magical treasures and standing ready, their killing intent locked onto Lin Zhu!
Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong's heart tightened. He quickly leaped to Lin Zhu's side, holding his golden cudgel horizontally in front of his chest. Although he knew he might be no match for him, there was no fear in his eyes as he whispered.

"Hell God, this old bald monk looks like he's about to go mad! Let's charge together!"

However, Lin Zhu remained calm and composed, even having the leisure to twirl the God-Slaying Spear in his hand.

He glanced at the enraged Medicine Buddha, his tone as calm as if he were stating a trivial matter unrelated to himself.

"Eternal enmity? A fight to the death? Heh, when have I ever intended to coexist peacefully with you Western Paradise?"

He casually put away the God-Slaying Spear, clapped his hands, and continued.

"Killing Fudo Myo-o is nothing. I will not only kill him, but I will also make you, Bhaisajyaguru, personally go to the Ninth Heaven Prison to apologize to me."

"what?!"

The Medicine Buddha almost thought he had misheard, and laughed in anger.

"You want me to go to the imperial prison to apologize? Lin Zhu, have you lost your mind?!"

"You'll soon find out whether he's lost his mind or not."

Lin Zhu's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

"Tang Sanzang's physical body is destroyed and requires the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill to be saved, right?"

The Medicine Buddha's pupils contracted.

“What a coincidence,” Lin Zhu said, opening his palm. There was an antique jade bottle in his hand, with a wisp of purple mist swirling around its mouth.

"Laozi's Tushita Palace is destroyed, and the Eight Trigrams Furnace has collapsed, but this last batch of the best-quality Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pills... I just happened to 'pick up' a few of them. Now, in the Three Realms, the only thing that can save Jin Chanzi's physical body is probably this one in my hand."

He looked at the Medicine Buddha's face, which had instantly turned extremely ugly, and slowly added.

"Also, Sun Wukong, I said I would take him back to the Heavenly Court's ninth-level prison to 'imprison' him. The Heavenly Court's prison is not a place you from the Western Paradise can simply come and snatch as you please. So..."

Lin Zhu paused for a moment, then concluded.

“I’m taking the person with me. The pill is in my hands. If you Western Paradise still want to continue your dream of Journey to the West, you should know who is begging whom now. Sending you to the Heavenly Prison to apologize is already letting you off easy.”

Having said that, he ignored the Medicine Buddha, who was trembling with anger and whose Buddha light was disordered, and turned to Sun Wukong.

“Great Sage, let’s go. You have violated several heavenly laws, including ‘damaging public property’ and ‘suspected involvement in a vicious fight that resulted in multiple deaths.’ Although there were reasons for your actions, the procedures still need to be followed. First, come with me back to the Ninth Heavenly Prison to ‘report back’ and accept ‘investigation.’”

Sun Wukong, being incredibly clever, immediately understood Lin Zhu's meaning: he was to openly "protect" him and, incidentally, seize control of the Western Paradise! He promptly put away his golden cudgel and responded with a grin.

"Alright! Brother Prison God! I, Old Sun, will go back with you to 'submit to justice'! How's the food in prison that day? Are there peaches?"

The two, singing in unison, completely disregarded the enraged Medicine Buddha and the watchful Sunlight and Moonlight Bodhisattvas, and turned to ride away on their clouds.

"stop!!"

The Medicine Buddha finally erupted completely! In a flash, he blocked Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong's path. The glazed Buddhist light around him had transformed into blazing golden flames of wrath. His originally compassionate face was now twisted and ferocious, and his voice was like the coldest ice in the netherworld.

"Lin Zhu! You killed my Buddhist venerable one, stole my Buddhist opportunity, and insulted my Buddhist World Honored One! If I let you leave today, what face will my Buddhist sect have left?!"

"I'm giving you one last chance. Hand over the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill, leave Sun Wukong behind, bind your hands, and come with me back to Mount Ling to plead guilty to the Buddha! Otherwise, this very place will be your final resting place! You have committed the sins of destroying, slandering, and killing the Buddha—unforgivable crimes, and there will be no return!"

Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva each held a vajra and a pearl, their energy firmly locked onto Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong, and a great battle was about to break out!
Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong's eyes flashed with anger, and he was about to pull out his golden cudgel to fight back.

Lin Zhu reached out and stopped him.

He slowly turned around to face the three men, Medicine Buddha and his companions, who were filled with murderous intent. Instead of fear, he revealed a cold smile that was a mixture of impatience and mockery.

"A fight?"

Lin Zhu tilted her head slightly, as if to confirm.

Then, without waiting for the Medicine Buddha's reply, he suddenly grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Okay."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly reached out with his right hand to grab at the air behind him, as if he had grasped something invisible. Then he made an extremely strange movement—his arm bent, as if he were taking something out of a very hidden place, while he muttered some incantations.

"Since you insist on making a fool of yourself..."

"Then let me show you..." Lin Zhu suddenly pulled his arm back from behind, as if he had really pulled out something, causing a chilling spatial ripple and law fluctuation! The smile on his face became extremely ferocious.

"My...darling!!"

The Medicine Buddha was furious and prepared to join forces with the Bodhisattvas Sunlight and Moonlight to keep Lin Zhu at all costs.

However, when he saw the "big treasure" that Lin Zhu "pulled" out from behind him, his originally surging wrathful flames seemed to be doused with a bucket of ice water and suddenly froze!
It was neither a divine weapon with dazzling light nor a terrifying demonic artifact.

Instead, it was a stone about the size of a fist, its entire surface displaying an indescribable, pure, deep, and pitch-black color that seemed to devour all light and perception.

Its surface is smooth, yet it seems as if countless tiny vortexes are slowly flowing within it. If you look at it for too long, you might even feel as if your soul is about to be sucked in and sink into eternal damnation.

It lay quietly in Lin Zhu's palm, without emitting any violent energy fluctuations, yet it naturally made the surrounding space stagnant and dark, as if it were the "mistake" of this world, the "chaotic darkness" outside of order!
It was the Heavenly Origin Demon Stone, a reward from the system, containing the primordial demonic nature of the beginning of chaos!
"What is this?!"

The Medicine Buddha's pupils suddenly contracted, and he involuntarily took a small step back, a clear look of fear and astonishment appearing on his face for the first time. Even with his Buddha-like status and his cultivation and knowledge as a half-step quasi-saint, he had never seen anything so bizarre, something that instinctively sent shivers down his spine!

The stone emitted not a simple evil or demonic aura, but a more primal, ancient meaning of "nothingness" and "chaos" that seemed capable of assimilating and annihilating everything!

This was the first time Sun Wukong had ever seen such a thing. He activated his Fiery Eyes of Truth to the fullest extent, trying to see through the black stone, but he only felt a stinging pain in his eyes, as if he had seen something forbidden that he shouldn't look at! He gasped and asked in surprise.

"Brother Prison God, what... what is this dark, shadowy rock? Why does it look so eerie? It gives me the creeps!"

Lin Zhu held the Heavenly Yuan Demon Stone with a calm expression, as if he were holding not the most evil object in the Three Realms, but an ordinary rock.

He glanced at the bewildered Medicine Buddha, then at Sun Wukong, and calmly explained.

"This is the Heavenly Origin Demon Stone. It was formed from a wisp of essence that was extremely dark and turbid, containing endless destruction and chaos, when chaos first opened and the pure and impure separated. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the most evil and wicked thing in the Three Realms."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"However, the Tao itself is neither good nor evil, nor are things good or evil. The distinction between good and evil lies in one's mind and in the application of the Tao. If applied correctly, it is correct; if applied incorrectly, it is incorrect."

Like some people who occupy the position of Buddha, reciting scriptures of compassion, yet betray their brothers and break their promises, and then shamelessly claim it as 'great virtue' and 'merit'—in comparison, what 'evil' does this mere stone amount to?

These words were clearly a sarcastic remark directed at the Medicine Buddha. The Medicine Buddha's face turned pale, but his attention was mostly focused on the Heavenly Yuan Demon Stone, and he stubbornly argued back.

"Evil spirits and heretics, eloquent and deceitful! If such an extremely evil thing were to leak its demonic energy, it would surely pollute the Three Realms and bring about boundless calamities! Lin Zhu, you already pose a great threat to the Three Realms by possessing such a malevolent thing! If you continue to be deluded and cause widespread suffering, can you bear the responsibility?!"

He attempted to morally blackmail Lin Zhu using the concepts of "the greater good of the people" and "the safety of the three realms."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu scoffed and didn't care at all.

"Responsibility? Why should I explain my actions to you? It's you, Medicine Buddha, who keeps talking about the righteous path and great goodness, yet you cover up and embellish what you've done. You say this stone is evil? Fine..."

He suddenly pressed the Heavenly Origin Demon Stone in his hand gently onto the shaft of the God-Slaying Spear in his other hand!
A strange scene happened!

The pitch-black Heavenly Origin Demon Stone, like a drop of water merging into a sponge, silently "fused" into the equally pitch-black God-Slaying Spear, which exuded a fierce and destructive aura!

In an instant, the ancient, dark red demonic runes on the God-Slaying Spear suddenly lit up! The color became even deeper, as if black flames were flowing within the runes! An aura of destruction and annihilation, ten or even a hundred times more ferocious than before, erupted from the spear!
The dark red tip of the gun has now transformed into a miniature black hole vortex that seems capable of devouring everything, with even light distorting and annihilating around it!
Before the spear was even moved, its power had already caused the heavens and earth to change color! The space within a radius of a hundred miles emitted mournful cries of unbearable pressure, faintly showing signs of shattering! The two Bodhisattvas, Sunlight and Moonlight, turned deathly pale and retreated repeatedly, not daring to look directly at that ferocious spear that seemed capable of killing gods and destroying Buddhas!

Lin Zhu stood holding his spear, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. His aura merged with that of the God-Slaying Spear, and the chaotic demonic energy intertwined with the darkest origin from the Heavenly Origin Demon Stone, making him seem as if he had transformed into the Destruction God at the beginning of creation! He raised his eyes, his icy gaze sweeping over the Medicine Buddha whose expression had changed drastically, his voice as cold as ten thousand years of ice.

"Back when the Buddha of the East came to power, at his peak, did he dare to withstand a spear strike from me, imbued with this stone? You surely know the outcome, don't you?"

Upon hearing this, the Medicine Buddha trembled violently! A terrifying memory that had been buried for a long time surged into his mind! Back then, when Lin Zhu attacked Mount Ling, it was Maitreya Buddha who stepped forward to try to mediate at the last moment, but instead angered Lin Zhu.

Lin Zhu seemed to have used a similar method to enhance the weapon. With a single shot, Maitreya Buddha's golden arm, which was tempered by supreme Buddhist teachings and was almost immortal, was destroyed on the spot!
The Buddha's blood stained the steps of Mount Ling. If it weren't for the timely intervention of the Tathagata Buddha, who stabilized his injuries and essence with supreme Buddhist teachings, Maitreya Buddha would probably have perished on the spot! That was also one of the important reasons why Maitreya Buddha was later "exiled" to other places and his cultivation was greatly damaged!

Lin Zhu's strength is now far greater than it was back then! The aura of this Heavenly Origin Demon Stone is also purer and more terrifying than the methods used back then! His strength is roughly equal to that of Maitreya Buddha, but Maitreya Buddha couldn't withstand it back then, so how confident can he be now?
Cold sweat unknowingly soaked the Medicine Buddha's back.

He stared intently at the god-slaying spear that seemed capable of piercing everything, his mind racing as he weighed his options. To take it head-on? Absolutely no chance of victory! He might even suffer the same fate as the Immovable King, annihilated on the spot, body and soul!

"You...you mustn't be so arrogant!"

The Medicine Buddha roared fiercely, but his voice trembled slightly.

"If you dare to use such extinct substances and cause slaughter, Heaven will not tolerate it! All living beings under Heaven..."

"enough!"

Lin Zhu interrupted him impatiently, her face full of disdain.

"Stop your hypocritical act. You spineless dog, do you dare bark at me?"

With a flick of his wrist, he twirled the God-Slaying Spear, slightly diminishing its terrifying aura of destruction, but the spear tip remained locked onto the Medicine Buddha.

Lin Zhu said coldly.

"Today, I have no interest in arguing with you any further. Remember, if you dare to appear before me again and continue your clamor, there's no need for further words; it will be a matter of life and death. Now, get out of my way. Or..."

He slightly raised the tip of his spear, pointing it at the center of the Medicine Buddha's forehead, and said, word by word.

"Take one step forward, and you will die."

His calm tone concealed an undeniable resolve and murderous intent.

The Medicine Buddha's expression shifted constantly. In the end, under the intimidation of that god-slaying spear that seemed capable of ending everything, all his anger, scheming, and resentment transformed into deep fear and humiliation.

He dared not gamble, dared not risk his life on whether Lin Zhu dared to fire, whether he could kill him with a single shot. (End of Chapter)