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

The Buddha was taken aback.

"It's...it's that demon monkey Sun Wukong!"

Venerable Ananda practically spat out the name through gritted teeth, his voice filled with unspeakable trepidation.

"That demon monkey... after breaking free from the Five Elements Mountain, he somehow gained some kind of fortune and actually... actually advanced to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm on the spot! His power was overwhelming and his ferocity was incomparable! The disciples led the crowd to surround and kill him, but who would have thought... who would have thought that he would transform into a giant ape ten thousand feet tall, wielding the Ruyi Jingu Bang, whose power was simply... simply like the collapse of the heavens and the cracking of the earth!"

He recalled the golden cudgel that swept down like a pillar supporting the sky, and his fear intensified.

"The Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage to the Ancestor Formation that I set up was shattered by his single blow! Of the hundreds of millions of Buddhist soldiers, less than one in ten survived! The eight hundred Arhats suffered heavy casualties! I... I used all my strength, sacrificing all my magical treasures and even burning part of my golden body's essence, just to barely withstand the remaining force of that blow and escape with its momentum..."

By the end, his voice was trembling with sobs, a testament to the despair and lingering fear that followed being utterly crushed in strength and having his beliefs completely destroyed.

silence.

A deathly silence permeated the Great Thunderclap Temple.

Manjushri Bodhisattva's mouth gaped open, his feigned composure and optimism freezing instantly. Li Jing also stopped mopping the floor, his head bowed, his expression unreadable.

The three thousand Buddhas looked at each other, each seeing the horror and disbelief in the other's eyes.

Sun Wukong... has advanced to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm? He almost killed Venerable Ananda, a Buddhist Venerable who was in the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, with a single blow? And he almost wiped out hundreds of millions of Buddhist soldiers and eight hundred Arhats?
Each piece of news was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of all Buddhas and the face of the Tathagata Buddha.

The Buddha's face darkened visibly, becoming even blacker than the bottom of a pot.

Bad news! And bad news comes in waves! Sun Wukong, the pawn that was originally "controllable" in the plan, has suddenly become a ferocious god capable of directly defeating the Buddhist army and severely injuring the Venerable One! This has completely broken free from the control of the Journey to the West script!

"Then...where is the Medicine Buddha? Where are the Acala and Avalokiteshvara?"

Manjushri Bodhisattva came to his senses and hurriedly asked, his voice somewhat shrill.

"Didn't they stop that demonic monkey? Didn't they deal with Lin Zhu?"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Ananda's eyes flickered. He swallowed a mouthful of non-existent saliva, and the image of the golden relic he had glimpsed from afar instantly appeared in his mind.

When Guanyin and Fudo Myo-o faced Lin Zhu's chaotic demonic phantom and the God-Slaying Spear, their expressions were extremely solemn, even faintly filled with fear, and later, when the golden relic shattered, their faces turned deathly pale...

But he couldn't say that! If he did, wouldn't it make the top Buddhist forces seem so weak? Wouldn't it make him seem even more incompetent? He had to shift the focus!
So, Venerable Ananda forced himself to calm down, forced a stiff smile that said "everything is under control," and his tone became "certain."

“Manjushri Bodhisattva, do not worry! Although I have retreated first, I can see clearly! The Acala and Avalokiteshvara are engaged in a fierce battle with Lin Zhu, their supernatural powers are vast, and their Buddha light shines everywhere! Although Lin Zhu has some skills, he will certainly not be able to cause any trouble in front of the two venerable ones and the Medicine Buddha!”

"The Medicine Buddha's Dharma is boundless, his radiant light illuminates the three realms. With him here, capturing that demonic monkey will surely be a piece of cake, a swift and successful victory! We only need to stay here and await good news!"

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

These words acted like a shot of adrenaline, allowing many of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the hall, who had been trembling with fear, to breathe a sigh of relief. Indeed, there was also the Medicine Buddha! He was the lord of the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli, a World Honored One equal to the Buddha!
With the immovable king as the chief protector and Guanyin Bodhisattva possessing great supernatural powers, what waves could the mere Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong, who had just entered the Great Luo realm, possibly stir up when the three of them joined forces?
Venerable Ananda's hasty escape may simply be due to bad luck, as he happened to run into Sun Wukong's strongest attack. The overall situation is certainly still under the control of Buddhism!
Even Manjushri Bodhisattva's expression softened, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Excellent, excellent! With the Medicine Buddha here, there is certainly no danger!"

Only the Buddha's brow remained furrowed; his unease had not dissipated but had instead deepened. Ananda's words, while seemingly meant to reassure, came as his understanding of Ananda suggested that such hasty confirmation was more of a cover-up. Moreover, if everything had truly gone smoothly, why would Ananda have been so badly injured and fled in such a panic?

Just as the atmosphere in the hall eased slightly, yet an eerie undercurrent of tension arose—

Outside the Great Thunderclap Temple, two beams of Buddhist light shot in one after the other, landing in the center of the main hall.

The radiance faded, revealing figures: Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, who had returned, and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, whose face was pale, whose breathing was unsteady, and whose eyes still held lingering fear.

There were only two people.

The Buddha suddenly stood up from the stone platform, his gaze like lightning, instantly sweeping over the two people. Not seeing the figure of Acala, his heart sank, and he asked urgently.

"Buddha Bhaisajyaguru, Avalokiteshvara, why have only the two of you returned? Where is Acala? And what about Lin Zhu and the demon monkey Sun Wukong? Have they been captured?"

The sound echoed in the empty hall, carrying a tension that even he himself was unaware of.

The Medicine Buddha's face was gloomy and even slightly dark, completely lacking his usual pure and compassionate appearance. His lips were tightly pressed together, and he did not utter a word. He simply turned his gaze to the Guanyin Bodhisattva beside him, his eyes filled with complex emotions, including anger, resentment, and a hint of... something he could not say.
Guanyin Bodhisattva felt the gazes of the Tathagata and all the Buddhas in the hall focused on her, and when she caught a glimpse of Venerable Ananda's forced composure, her bitterness deepened.

She knew she couldn't hide it anymore.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the churning blood and fear in her chest, stepped forward, clasped her hands together, and bowed deeply. Her voice was heavier and more strained than ever before as she slowly spoke, revealing the bloody truth that plunged the entire Great Thunderclap Temple into an ice cave.

"Reporting to the Buddha... Your disciple and the Immovable King have joined forces to fight against Lin Zhu."

That Lin Zhu… his strength is unfathomable, and he possesses the deadliest weapon, the God-Slaying Spear… We… we tried our best to resist, even summoning the golden relic bestowed by Buddha… but… but the relic… was shattered by him…”

With each word she spoke, the faces of the Buddhas in the hall grew paler and their breathing became more rapid.

"Afterwards, the Medicine Buddha arrived in time to try to mediate... but... but Lin Zhu was extremely arrogant, not only insulting the Buddha, but also... and even more brazenly attacking... the Immovable King Venerable... he..."

Guanyin's voice trembled, and she closed her eyes briefly before continuing.

"He was instantly...annihilated by Lin Zhu's God-Slaying Spear! His true spirit...vanished, his form and soul...dissipated!"

"boom--!!!"

It was like a world-destroying thunderbolt that exploded directly in the consciousness and souls of all the Buddhas! Everyone, including the Tathagata Buddha, had their minds completely blank!
Acala... is dead?! The head of the Dharma protectors of Buddhism, a venerable being at the quasi-saint level, just like that... completely annihilated, body and soul?! How is this possible?!
However, Guanyin had not finished speaking. She looked at the Medicine Buddha, whose face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot and whose Buddha light was beginning to fluctuate violently, and her voice was even lower.

"The Medicine Buddha...seeing this tragic scene, was filled with uncontrollable rage, and thus...he unleashed the Illusory Light of Lapis Lazuli, intending...to eliminate the demon and protect the righteous path..."

"The results of it?!"

The Buddha abruptly interrupted her, his voice hoarse and trembling as if on the verge of exploding.

Guanyin lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Tathagata's eyes that seemed to want to devour her, and said with her last bit of strength.

"That shimmering, illusory light... was blocked by... by the Jade Emperor of Heaven using his great supernatural power of 'reversing Yin and Yang'..."

Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong... have returned to Heaven with the Jade Emperor. This disciple... this disciple and the Medicine Buddha, are insufficient in our strength, and must... return first.

Dead silence.

The silence was a hundred or even a thousand times greater than when Ananda had escaped!

The golden relic shattered! Acala is dead! The Medicine Buddha's deadly sneak attack was blocked by the Jade Emperor! Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong swaggered back to Heaven!
Every word was like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely searing the hearts of all Buddhas and the face of the Western Buddhist sect!

"puff--!"

The Buddha, seated on the blue stone platform, swayed violently. His face instantly changed from black to white, then from white to gold. Finally, he opened his mouth and a large mouthful of golden blood, which was both dazzling and grayish, gushed out like a fountain, staining the stone platform and the ground in front of him red!

He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, a ringing in his ears, and the world seemed to be spinning and upside down!

The Immovable King...has fallen?! The Illusory Light of Lapis Lazuli...was blocked by the Jade Emperor?! The Journey to the West, a utter defeat at the start?!

At this moment, even with his unyielding Buddha-nature, he felt a surge of blood rushing to his head, and boundless dizziness and rage, mixed with the extreme frustration and pain of his plans completely collapsing, losing face, and suffering heavy losses, completely overwhelmed him!

A bolt from the blue! A truly devastating shock!

Inside the Great Thunderclap Temple, a deathly silence, like solid ice, froze every ray of Buddhist light and solidified every breath.

Beside the lotus platform, on the blue stone base, the Buddha Tathagata remains in a slightly forward-leaning posture, mouth open and spitting blood, like a gilded sculpture that has suddenly lost all its color.

The golden blood, imbued with pure Buddhist power and the pent-up emotions of the heart, slowly spread across the smooth ground, dazzlingly bright.

After a long while, as if all his strength had been drained, he slowly leaned back, but instead of sitting back on the lotus platform, he slumped against the edge of the cold stone platform.

He raised his head, gazing at the magnificent dome of the Great Thunder Temple, painted with images of flying apsaras, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas preaching, at an almost stiff, standard 45-degree angle. His eyes were vacant, and he remained silent.

That Buddha's face, which was always compassionate and solemn, seemingly able to contain all the suffering and joy in the world, was now only a kind of numb grayness, and an unspeakable weariness and... bewilderment deeply imprinted on it.

Below, the three thousand Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats were already stunned into silence by the cruel truth revealed by Guanyin Bodhisattva. Only when they saw the Buddha spitting blood did the frozen silence break, turning into an uncontrollable, buzzing commotion and incredulous exclamations.

"No... Fudo Myo-o... has perished? His body and soul are destroyed? This... how is this possible?!"

"Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, is this really true? That Lin Zhu is only a half-step Quasi-Saint. Even if he wields a vicious weapon, how could he possibly defeat you and the Immovable King Venerable together? Moreover, you have the golden relic protecting you!"

"Yes! The Immovable King is also a half-step Quasi-Saint, with formidable combat power. His protective Buddhist light and the true body of the King are incredibly sturdy. How could... how could he be so easily... killed?"

Voices of doubt and shock mingled together, filled with an overwhelming sense of disbelief. A half-step Quasi-Saint was already among the top combatants in the Three Realms; the fall of even one of them was a momentous event capable of shaking the entire realm.

Moreover, Acala, the head of the Dharma protectors who ranks among the top in Buddhism, perished in a manner that was utterly annihilated, without even the chance to be reincarnated and start anew!
Guanyin Bodhisattva stood in the hall, enduring countless gazes that were either surprised, questioning, or implied reproachful, and felt her mouth grow increasingly bitter.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions churning within her. Although her voice was still weak, it rang out clearly in the hall, completely crushing the last glimmer of hope.

"Fellow Daoists, everything I have said is true, without the slightest falsehood. The Immovable King was indeed pierced through the skull in public by Lin Zhu's God-Slaying Spear, destroying the core of his primordial spirit. The God-Slaying Spear was incredibly powerful, further eroded by strange demonic energy; the Venerable's true spirit... has been completely annihilated, returning to nothingness. As for his combat strength..."

She paused, a hint of lingering fear flashing in her eyes.

"Lin Zhu's strength far surpasses that of an ordinary half-step quasi-saint. His techniques are bizarre, his demonic energy is pure and ancient, and his God-Slaying Spear is incomparably sharp, capable of breaking all laws. The Golden Relic... was also shattered by his spear. Even if the two of us join forces, it will be difficult to resist him."

She raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the increasingly pale faces of the Buddhas, finally settling on the Tathagata who was still looking up at the sky. Her voice was even lower, yet even more somber.

"Furthermore... the Medicine Buddha, in a fit of rage, attempted to eliminate Lin Zhu with his Crystal Illusionary Light, but was thwarted by His Majesty the Jade Emperor of Heaven using his great supernatural power of 'reversing Yin and Yang.' His Majesty the Jade Emperor was extremely enraged by this."

"The Jade Emperor is furious..."

The Buddha murmured repeatedly, his expression growing even more grim.

This means that not only did they lose Fudo Myoo and offend the fierce god Lin Zhu, but they also risked a complete falling out with the Heavenly Court, losing the possibility of forcing the Heavenly Court to return Sun Wukong through normal pressure!
For a moment, a chill ran through the hearts of all the Buddhas in the hall.

They seemed to see a figure in white robes stained with blood, holding a black demonic spear, with icy eyes, standing proudly between the three realms, stepping on the corpse of Fudo Myoo. Its ferocity was so great that even the life-saving item bestowed by the Buddha and the deadly sneak attack of another Buddha could not harm it!

Although the Western Paradise is vast and teeming with powerful beings, those who truly reach the level of a half-step Quasi-Saint are extremely rare, each an indispensable figure who suppresses destiny. The fall of the Immovable King is not only a tremendous loss of combat power, but also an immeasurable blow to the prestige of Buddhism!

After this incident, which Buddha or Bodhisattva would dare to easily speak of capturing or dealing with Lin Zhu?

An invisible aura of intimidation and fear, like a cold spider web, quietly enveloped the hearts of every Buddha and Bodhisattva.

Amidst this atmosphere of fear and despair, the Medicine Buddha, who had remained silent with a stern face, finally couldn't help but speak. (End of Chapter)