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

Sun Wukong watched in horror. Although he didn't know exactly what the light was, he knew how dangerous it was that even the Golden Lantern of Auspicious Clouds had shattered instantly and the Golden Lotus of Merit was about to collapse. He wanted to help, but found himself powerless against an attack of this level. He could only scratch his head in frustration.

"Crack... hiss..."

The despairing voice rang out again. The golden lotus of merit, in the end, could not completely withstand this illusory light of crystal, specifically designed for Buddhism and possessing power reaching the peak of a near-saint level!
After resisting stubbornly for several breaths, the last glimmer of light on the lotus body was completely extinguished. With a mournful cry, the lotus platform became dim and lifeless, as if it had lost all its spirituality. Like the previous Auspicious Cloud Golden Lamp, it fell downwards!

The last barrier has fallen!
Although the remaining Glazed Illusionary Light had lost most of its power due to the two layers of top-level defenses, it still exuded a deadly corrosive aura. Without any further hindrance, it descended upon Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong, who were right next to them and had already been exposed!
The scent of death has never been so clear!

Lin Zhu could even smell the despairing stench of decay and corruption emanating from that light! A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he was ready to desperately activate his last trump card, even at a great cost, to withstand the attack!
However, in that critical moment, when life and death were decided—

A calm, indifferent voice, yet seemingly imbued with the rhythm of supreme laws, like the Daoist voice from the heavens, resounded in Lin Zhu's ears—no, in the deepest recesses of his mind—without warning.

"Great supernatural power, reversing yin and yang."

Just six simple words.

The next moment, Lin Zhu felt that the space around him, the light, and even his own senses suddenly underwent an incredible distortion and reversal!
One moment he was surrounded by ethereal clouds and auspicious mists at the South Heavenly Gate, the next he was plunged into a profound, deathly darkness, a darkness where time and concepts seemed to cease to exist! This darkness was not nothingness, but an extremely mysterious "barrier" or "domain" that completely isolated him from the deadly, illusory light of the outside world!
He seemed to be in a small "black hole" independent of the Three Realms. All attacks, energy, light, and even rules from the outside world were forcibly distorted, rejected, and isolated by this great supernatural power of "reversing Yin and Yang"!
The remaining shimmering light washed over this absolute darkness formed by the "inverted yin and yang," but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, unable to stir up the slightest ripple or penetrate even a fraction of it! It could only flow futilely around the perimeter of the domain, corroding the celestial clouds and buildings near the South Heavenly Gate.

Even the residual aftershocks were terrifyingly powerful! The pillars and plaques of the South Heavenly Gate, forged from ten thousand years of immortal jade and divine gold and having withstood countless calamities without a trace of damage, emitted a "hissing" sound the moment they were swept by the shimmering light. Their surfaces quickly lost their luster, and large areas of corrosion pits and cracks appeared!
The dragon reliefs on the gateposts seemed to be howling in pain, crumbling inch by inch! The three large golden characters "Nantianmen" on the plaque also quickly dimmed and peeled off!
Even more terrifying, the ground around the South Heavenly Gate, paved with solid immortal stones and trodden by countless heavenly soldiers and generals for hundreds of millions of years, was also softened, collapsed, and turned into a glassy pit emitting poisonous smoke as it was swept by the tide of light!

Even the faint aftershocks nearly destroyed the Southern Heavenly Gate, a symbol of the Heavenly Court's gateway and an impregnable structure! This demonstrates the terrifying destructive power of the illusory light! A direct hit would have had unimaginable consequences!
In the end, the illusory light of glass, which had lost its target and was constantly being worn down by the "reversal of yin and yang" supernatural power, ran out of energy after raging for a while and gradually dissipated into the world, leaving behind only a messy and poisonous area around the South Heavenly Gate, as well as the South Heavenly Gate itself, which was about to collapse and had lost its luster.

The dark area slowly dissipated, and Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong reappeared in the same spot.

Lin Zhu's back was completely soaked with cold sweat, clinging to his skin and bringing a chill.

He gasped for breath, his face slightly pale, and looked down at the broken and lifeless fragments of the Auspicious Cloud Golden Lamp below, and the equally dim and lifeless Thirteen-Grade Merit Golden Lotus not far away, which needed a long time to recover. A wave of fear washed over him like a cold tide.

Almost... so close! If it weren't for that mysterious and powerful divine ability that saved me at the last moment, I would probably have been severely injured, even if I hadn't died, under that terrifying shimmering light, possibly even damaging my very essence! That Medicine Buddha actually possessed such a vicious and terrifying killing move, and he even used it for a sneak attack!
"Brother...Brother Prison God, are you...are you alright?"

Sun Wukong was also quite frightened. He had just truly felt the chill of impending death. Seeing that Lin Zhu was unharmed, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his voice was still trembling, which then turned into boundless rage.

"That old bald monk! He actually attacked from behind! Utterly shameless! I, Old Sun... I, Old Sun, couldn't help you just now..."

He was anxious, angry, and also felt a bit guilty.

"It's fine with me."

Lin Zhu took a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood and lingering fear, and looked solemnly towards the direction of the South Heavenly Gate.

He knew that the person who had just saved him was no ordinary person.

That great supernatural power of "reversing yin and yang" is a supreme method involving the origin of the Great Dao and approaching the level of a sage. To be able to perform it so casually, and to appear precisely at his most critical moment...

"Minister Lin, you've been frightened."

A gentle yet authoritative voice rang out.

Lin Zhu looked in the direction of the sound and saw the Jade Emperor slowly walking out from behind the dilapidated archway of the South Heavenly Gate, surrounded by Venus and a host of celestial officials and generals.

The Jade Emperor remained calm, but his gaze was as deep as the sea. He first glanced at the ravaged South Heavenly Gate, his brows furrowing slightly, and then looked at Lin Zhu with a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Was it... His Majesty who saved us just now?"

Lin Zhu understood immediately and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for saving my life! If it weren't for Your Majesty's great power, I would have been in grave danger today!"

The Jade Emperor waved his hand slightly and sighed.

"My dear minister, there is no need for such formalities. I had long anticipated that the Western Paradise would suffer such heavy losses and would not let this go easily, especially that Medicine Buddha, who appears pure but is actually narrow-minded and ruthless."

Therefore, after finishing my official duties, I came to this South Heavenly Gate... well, to inspect it, just in case. Unexpectedly, my prediction came true; that scoundrel actually dared to carry out this annihilating sneak attack!

He phrased it tactfully, but Lin Zhu was incredibly clever and immediately understood that the Jade Emperor had anticipated the possibility of retaliation from the Western Paradise, especially against him, and had therefore come to the Southern Heavenly Gate in advance to "guard" and protect him! This was the second time the Jade Emperor had saved him at a critical moment—the last time was when the Buddhist sects joined forces to question him, and the Jade Emperor severed the Buddha's finger with a sword to save him.

Lin Zhu was deeply grateful for this kindness and protection.

He bowed solemnly once again.

"Your Majesty's kindness will be forever remembered!"

Sun Wukong quickly followed suit and bowed. Although he was arrogant, he felt respect and gratitude towards the Jade Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Three Realms, especially for the unfathomable supernatural powers he had just displayed and the timely rescue.

The Jade Emperor nodded, then turned his gaze to the lower realm, looking towards the direction of the Two Realms Mountain.

When he saw the devastation of the thousand-mile-long land transformed into a glassy dead zone, devoid of any life, and when he sensed that the Medicine Buddha, after failing in his sneak attack and seeing him appear, had turned into a streak of light and fled in panic without hesitation, a layer of anger couldn't help but appear on his originally gentle face!

"What a magnificent Medicine Buddha!"

The Jade Emperor's voice turned icy. "As a Buddha, you act so despicably and viciously! To achieve your goals, you resort to sneak attacks and sabotage, disregarding all living beings, and unleashing such life-destroying and malevolent supernatural powers, turning thousands of miles into a dead zone, causing widespread suffering!"
Their sneak attack failed, and upon seeing me here, they didn't even dare to look me in the eye, fleeing without a trace! How can such behavior be worthy of the title 'Buddha'? How can they face the people of the world?!

The Jade Emperor was truly enraged. He had not intended to interfere too much in the struggle between the Western Paradise and Lin Zhu, but the Medicine Buddha's actions had gone beyond the scope of a mere struggle. They were challenging the bottom line, wantonly trampling on living beings, and showing utter disregard and provocation towards him, the ruler of the Heavenly Court!
"Your Majesty, calm down."

Venus, standing nearby, offered some advice.

"The Medicine Buddha has already fled, presumably knowing His Majesty's divine might and daring not to act rashly. But the creatures within a thousand miles of these two realms... alas, they have suffered this undeserved calamity, truly pitiful."

Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong also looked down at the desolate, glassy area in the lower realm, their hearts heavy. Although those creatures had no direct connection to them, such a large-scale extinction still filled them with a sense of oppression and anger.

Especially when I think of Liu Boqin's family, and all those innocent villagers and wild animals in the mountains...

"This debt will be settled sooner or later."

Lin Zhu's eyes flashed coldly as he looked in the direction the Medicine Buddha had fled, and he said coldly, "Today's danger, the loss of thousands of lives, all stemmed from the Medicine Buddha! This feud is irreconcilable!"

The Jade Emperor took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and regained his majestic demeanor before speaking to Lin Zhu.

"My dear minister, please return to Heaven to rest. I will have the Heavenly Treasury do its utmost to repair the damaged magical artifacts. As for Sun Wukong..."

He looked at Sun Wukong, who immediately straightened his chest and raised his head. Although he still looked like a monkey, his expression was much more respectful.

"Since Minister Lin has stated that he will take you back to the prison to 'bring you to justice,' then let's proceed according to procedure."

A barely perceptible smile flashed in the Jade Emperor's eyes.

"However, although there was a reason for your killing of the Buddhist soldiers, the sins committed were too grave and you must be punished. So for now... imprison you in the Nine-Layer Heavenly Prison to await your judgment. Minister Lin, you are in full charge of this matter."

"Your Majesty, take the order."

Lin Zhu bowed and replied.

He knew that the Jade Emperor had tacitly approved his actions of "protecting" Sun Wukong, and that the so-called "imprisonment" and "punishment" were just formalities to silence the Western Paradise.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Sun Wukong was quick-witted and immediately thanked him.

The Jade Emperor nodded, taking one last look at the dilapidated Southern Heavenly Gate and the desolate lower realm. His anger lingered, but he said nothing more and returned to the Lingxiao Palace. The Western Paradise must provide an explanation for today's events!

When the Medicine Buddha saw the Jade Emperor arrive, his great supernatural power of "reversing yin and yang" easily vanished the Glazed Illusionary Light that he considered a fatal blow. The madness and luck in his heart caused by the sneak attack were instantly replaced by cold fear.

He knew full well that he was no match for this unfathomable Heavenly Sovereign, who resided in the highest heavens, and dared not bear the immense wrath that was sure to follow.

At that moment, he no longer cared about the Buddha's majesty or the camaraderie among his fellow disciples. He didn't even dare to glance at the heavily injured Guanyin below or the deathly silent battlefield. His body suddenly twisted in mid-air.

The shimmering Buddhist light around him hastily receded, transforming into a slightly disheveled streak of light. Without looking back, he fled desperately towards the Western Heavenly Spirit Mountain, moving even faster than when he arrived, seeking only to quickly escape this dangerous and deadly place.

The Jade Emperor stood with his hands behind his back before the dilapidated Southern Heavenly Gate, his gaze like an ice blade tracking the fleeing streak of light. He let out a chilling snort, a sound that, though not loud, contained a fury that made even the rules of heaven and earth tremble.

"You're lucky you ran fast. If you had hesitated even a moment longer, I would have shown you what it truly means to die without a burial place!"

This supreme being of the Three Realms, who was usually known for his majesty and composure, now revealed a rare and blazing killing intent.

He viewed Lin Zhu as an anomaly in the Heavenly Court, the key to breaking the centuries-old layout of the Western Paradise and shaking the established pattern of the Three Realms. He also saw it as a sharp sword and a vital hope for resisting the eastward expansion of Buddhism and reshaping the authority of the Heavenly Court.

The Western Paradise has repeatedly laid traps to ambush Lin Zhu, a practice that has continued for five hundred years. Now, they dare to launch such a devastating attack right under his nose. This is not just targeting Lin Zhu personally, but a blatant provocation and contempt for the Jade Emperor's authority! How could he not be furious?
Sun Wukong, standing to the side, felt the terrifying aura emanating from the Jade Emperor—a vast expanse of stars and as heavy as Mount Buzhou—as well as the mountain-like killing intent that, though not directed at him, still made his primordial spirit tremble. He was deeply shocked.

His sharp eyes gleamed, and he suddenly recalled the scene when he, in his ignorance, stormed the Lingxiao Palace.

At that time, he thought that the immortals in the Heavenly Court were nothing special, and the Jade Emperor was just an incompetent ruler hiding behind his throne. Now, having personally experienced this pressure and power that truly surpasses all living beings, he suddenly woke up, and a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out on his back.

'So... if it really was His Majesty who took action back then, I, Old Sun, probably wouldn't have even been able to enter the South Heavenly Gate, and would have been slapped into dust...' Sun Wukong thought to himself, his feelings towards the Heavenly Court and the Jade Emperor undergoing a subtle but profound change.

Especially after this battle, he knew that the chaos he caused in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago, which led to his imprisonment under the Five Elements Mountain, was all orchestrated by the Western Paradise, and that he was merely a pawn.

The resentment towards the Heavenly Court, stemming from being "recruited" and "disrespected," gradually dissipated, replaced by a sense of awe for its power and a renewed sense of resentment and determination at having been a pawn.

The Jade Emperor slowly withdrew his gaze, looking at the ruins of the Southern Heavenly Gate beneath his feet, which were almost completely corroded and devoid of any spiritual light. He then glanced at the thousand-mile-long Glazed Dead Zone below, his eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and anger, which finally turned into a heavy sigh.

He turned to Lin Zhu, whose face was still somewhat pale, and explained in a deep voice.

“Minister Lin, do you know that the glazed light just now was one of the ‘Five Great Buddha Lights’ secretly transmitted from the Western Paradise, called ‘Glazed Illusionary Light’?”

Although Lin Zhu was still shaken, she immediately focused her attention upon hearing this. (End of Chapter)