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

He looked at Lin Zhu, and a light returned to his eyes—the light of an emperor seeking a way out of a desperate situation.

"Lord of the Prison God, if... if you discover that your people, your compatriots, are being manipulated by some more powerful being, like puppets, their fates controlled, and they are being wantonly sacrificed and used, what... what would you do?"

Li Shimin asked the question he most wanted to ask, his eyes fixed on Lin Zhu, as if his answer would point him in the right direction.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu, almost without hesitation, curled his lips into a cold, murderous smile and said decisively.

"Is that even a question? Of course, we should... smash his dog's head in!"

His answer was so direct and so brutal, yet it was filled with an unquestionable resolve and an extreme aversion to "manipulation" and "trampling" that stemmed from a life instinct!

"In my actions, I always adhere to only one principle."

There may be differences in strength among all living beings, but life itself and human dignity should not be distinguished by nobility or baseness! You can punish a person who has made a mistake for a legitimate reason, and you can even fight to the death because of differing stances.

But you have no right to treat him as a pawn to be manipulated at will, or as a number to be sacrificed for some so-called "greater good," simply because you are "stronger" than him! That's the bottom line!

Lin Zhu's tone carried an almost simple firmness.

"Humans possess 'human nature,' with greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt; love, hate, passion, and grudges; selfishness and a sense of righteousness—a complex and real existence. But some high-ranking beings, after cultivating themselves to the end, may only possess a cold, absolutely rational 'saintly nature.' In their eyes, all things are mere straw dogs; only 'the Way' and 'profit' are eternal."

This kind of 'sacredness' may be a state of being, but in my view, it strips away the most precious emotions and autonomy of life, making it the...natural enemy of all living beings!

"Smash the dog's head?"

Li Shimin repeated these four crude yet incredibly satisfying words, and the confusion and despair in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a bright and resolute look of sudden enlightenment! He seemed to have found the courage and strength to confront that cold "sacredness" in Lin Zhu's undisguised and "human" answer!
Yes, why should we accept our fate? Why should we accept a manipulated destiny? Even ants will bite hard before being trampled to death! Moreover, they are not ants; they are human beings! Human beings with intelligence, emotions, the capacity for anger, and the ability to resist!

"I...understand!"

Li Shimin suddenly straightened his back, and the domineering and decisive aura of a founding emperor surged forth once again, even more solid and sharp than before.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Prison God! I know what to do next! I will..."

Just as he was about to deliver a passionate speech, outlining his long-brewing revenge and grand plans, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps and a loud report suddenly came from outside the command tent.

"Report! Urgent military intelligence!!"

A scout captain, covered in blood and with tattered armor, rushed in without regard for anything, fell to the ground, and spoke in a hoarse and urgent voice.

"Your Majesty! Lord Prison God! The army of the Buddhist Kingdom of Tianzhu has moved! Taking advantage of the fact that our reinforcements from all sides have not yet fully arrived and our troops are insufficient, they have suddenly dispatched more than 300,000 main forces and are rushing towards our Fengxue City! The vanguard is less than 50 miles away from the city!"
Even more terrifying... scouts reported that within the enemy ranks, there was... an intense aura of Buddhist light and oppressive force! It seemed... it seemed that powerful figures at the level of Buddhas or Arhats were approaching with the army! Their numbers... unknown!

"what?!"

"mean!"

"Taking advantage of someone's misfortune!"

Upon hearing this, the generals inside the tent all paled and cursed. Having just suffered the calamity of the White Lotus Child's massacre, with reinforcements still on their way, the enemy had launched another large-scale attack, this time with extraordinary power. This was clearly an attempt to take advantage of the Tang Dynasty's still-shaken state and lack of strength to completely crush the defenses of Wind and Snow City!

Li Shimin's face also darkened, but he did not panic; instead, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.

He was about to order an attack.

Lin Zhu frowned, raised his hand to stop Li Shimin, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

"Buddhas and Arhats? Directly accompanying the army in the attack?"

Lin Zhu muttered to himself.

"Is the Western Paradise in a hurry? Or... is there a trap?"

He instantly realized that this was likely a trap! Xitian knew that he was in Fengxue City and sent Buddha and Arhat to accompany the army in the attack, seemingly to crush the Tang army with extraordinary power and force him to take action.

But if he intervenes in the wars of the mortal realm and deals with those Buddhas and Arhats, wouldn't that give the Western Paradise a pretext, or even attract stronger beings, or punishment from some kind of rule? Could this be another form of "entrapment"?
The enemy has made their forces clear, and if we directly intervene, the risks are unpredictable. But if we don't act, the Tang army, with its current strength, will likely be unable to withstand the Indian army aided by Buddhas and Arhats.

"We need someone... to test the waters."

Lin Zhu's eyes flashed, and she quickly made a plan.

"It can't be me, and it can't be Nezha or the others. We need to find someone who is strong enough, has a special identity, and preferably... someone so annoying that you wouldn't feel sorry for them even if they died."

His gaze involuntarily drifted to the corner of the command tent, to the figure of Li Jing, who had been trying to minimize his presence and hunch his shoulders like a quail ever since Nezha dragged him in.

Just then, as if sensing Lin Zhu's gaze, or perhaps feeling that his chance to "show off" had come, Li Jing, who had been listless, timidly raised his head, forced a smile that was more like a grimace, and fawned at Lin Zhu.

“Lord Prison…Lord Prison…I…I have offended you many times before, but…but you spared my life, surely…surely you think I still have some use…I am, after all…I am a special envoy of the Western Paradise, representing the face of Buddhism…If…if I am just…dealt with like this, I’m afraid…I’m afraid it will break the hearts of those who are willing to submit…”

He spoke haltingly, seemingly begging for mercy and expressing his loyalty, but in reality, he was reminding Lin Zhu of his "special identity" and "potential value," fearing that Lin Zhu might treat him like trash if she was unhappy.

However, his "clever" remark, when heard by Lin Zhu, instantly turned the smile on his face into that of a child discovering an interesting toy—innocent...and dangerous.

"Oh? Li Tianwang is right."

Lin Zhu nodded with a smile, looking Li Jing up and down as if assessing the quality of an item.

"His cultivation level as a Golden Immortal is barely acceptable. His identity as a special envoy from the Western Paradise is also suitable."

Most importantly... well, she's definitely quite annoying.

Nezha and the few core members of the Nine Heavens Prison who followed him in were stunned for a moment upon hearing this. Then, their gazes toward Li Jing became somewhat strange, even carrying a hint of... sympathy? They understood Lin Zhu's subtext.

Li Jing was somewhat bewildered by Lin Zhu's smile and words, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. But before he could figure it out, he heard Lin Zhu announce loudly, "Li Jing, listen to my command!"

Li Jing jolted awake and instinctively straightened his posture.

"Now there is the Buddhist kingdom of Tianzhu, which has colluded with the evil monks of the Western Paradise to invade the borders of our Great Tang Dynasty, and even Buddhas and Arhats are aiding and abetting the evildoers!"

Lin Zhu's tone suddenly turned grim.

"I hereby appoint you as the captain of the vanguard of the Western Expedition! Immediately muster... well, your own troops, and march out of the city to meet the enemy! You must make a name for your Heavenly Court... cough, make a name for yourself, and crush the enemy's morale! Do you dare accept this order?"

Vanguard captain? And leading a separate team? Li Jing was taken aback at first, then overjoyed! He thought Lin Zhu valued his status and abilities and was going to give him an important position! Although he was the only one in the "main force," he was still the vanguard captain!
This is a great position to make a name for yourself and show off your power! As long as you can make a contribution, you might be able to atone for your mistakes, regain the trust of the God of Hell and the Heavenly Court, or even... turn the tables on the Western Paradise and make an even greater contribution!
He immediately knelt down with a thud, banging his head on the ground, his voice loud and clear, filled with "excitement" and "loyalty".

"This humble general, Li Jing, obeys! I will certainly not fail the trust placed in me by the Lord of the Prison! I will fight bravely against the enemy and uphold the might of Heaven!!"

He secretly sneered to himself.

"Lin Zhu, oh Lin Zhu, you're still too green! You actually let this Heavenly King lead the army alone? Isn't this a golden opportunity? As one of the most prominent figures in the Western Paradise, a direct disciple of Dipankara Buddha, even the White Lotus Prince would have to give me some face! This trip to confront the Buddhist Kingdom of India and those Buddhas and Arhats is a perfect opportunity to 'communicate' with them, and perhaps we can even coordinate from within and without to achieve a great feat!"

Even if things don't go well, I, the Heavenly King, am alone. With my escape techniques and life-saving treasures, surely I can escape? This is practically throwing good money after bad… ugh, it's a golden opportunity! Lin Zhu, you've brought this humiliation upon yourself!

Seeing Li Jing's "tears of gratitude" and "high spirits," Lin Zhu's smile widened even more, as if he had witnessed something extremely amusing.

He waved.

"Very good, General Li is indeed commendable for his loyalty and bravery! Let's not delay any longer, let's set off immediately! I will wait here for good news."

"As ordered!"

Li Jing responded loudly once again, stood up, straightened his tattered official robe, and, with his head held high and chest out, adopted a tragic posture reminiscent of the poem "The wind is howling, the Yi River is cold, the hero departs, never to return." He strode out of the command tent, already plotting in his mind how to "revolt on the battlefield" or "cleverly escape."

Nezha and the others looked at Li Jing's confident back and then at Lin Zhu's unfathomable smile. They exchanged glances and saw the same meaning in each other's eyes.

Li Jing is probably in deep trouble. And they, because they weren't chosen to go first, actually felt a little...uneasy? After all, this was a chance to face the Buddha and Arhats of the Western Paradise head-on! Dangerous, but exciting! And the Prison God actually chose that idiot Li Jing!
Lin Zhu naturally noticed the subtle emotions of Nezha and the others, but he simply smiled and offered no explanation. Some moves require specific pieces to be played. Li Jing was precisely the most suitable "sacrifice" at this moment.

After Li Jing strode out of the command tent with his head held high and a smug look on his face, Nezha finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward, his brows furrowed, his tone filled with obvious confusion and a hint of frustration.

“Brother Prison God, why send Li Jing as the vanguard? You just said that he has ulterior motives, and his mission is likely to be a waste of time and energy, a one-way trip! Isn’t this just boosting the morale of others and diminishing our own?”
Moreover…why aren't we allowed to go on this mission of directly confronting Buddhas and Arhats, testing their true strength? Which of the brothers in the Nine-Layered Heavenly Prison isn't more reliable than Li Jing?”

Behind Nezha, several key members of the Heavenly Prison, including the Golden Turtle of the Abyss, nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same doubts and feeling somewhat aggrieved at not being valued.

Although they knew the vanguard was dangerous, the opportunity to confront the powerful figures of the Western Paradise head-on was an exhilarating one for these heroes who had been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for a long time and had witnessed the shameless acts of the Western Paradise.

Lin Zhu couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the expressions on Nezha and the others' faces, which were a mixture of confusion and eagerness.

He turned and walked back to the sand table, his gaze returning to the model of the "Golden Lotus Fortress," and explained calmly.

“Nezha, I understand your concerns. I am aware that Li Jing’s departure does indeed raise suspicions of defection or escape. But it is precisely because of this that we need him to go.”

He paused, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the edge of the sand table, a deep light flashing in his eyes.

"Do you know that I am currently doing something very important?"

Before anyone could answer, he continued.

"The Thirteen-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit was injured by that shimmering light. Although it did not damage its core, its spirituality was damaged and its defense was greatly reduced. It consumed 50,000 merits to save Yuchi Gong earlier, but fortunately, the urgent mission on the way gave it another 150,000, so it still has 100,000 merits left."

Just enough to restore the golden lotus to its original state, and perhaps... because it has endured calamities and been nourished by merit, its essence might even be more refined.

Nezha and the others suddenly realized that their elder brother, the Prison God, wasn't really doing nothing; he was secretly healing his wounds and strengthening his power! This was indeed more important than anything else.

"As for battlefield strategy," Lin Zhu changed the subject, looking at the dense array of flags on the sand table representing both sides.

"The scale of this battle will be unprecedented. The involvement of extraordinary forces from both sides is a foregone conclusion. Normally, I should personally lead you all to strike at the heart of the enemy's forces and confront them head-on at their strongest point. But..."

A sly smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Who says we have to play by the rules? Why don't we try a game like... Tian Ji's horse racing strategy?"

"Tian Ji's horse racing strategy?"

Nezha blinked; he naturally knew this story.

"good."

Lin Zhu nodded.

"The other side expects me to send a strong person to test them, or to take action myself. I will not do that. I will send Li Jing, a 'discarded pawn' who is fickle, has decent strength, a special identity, and is likely to side with them."

If he truly defectes, we can use him to clean house and simultaneously probe the enemy's strength and attitude; if he survives or causes some disturbance, he can disrupt the enemy's plans and buy us time. And our true elite..."

His gaze swept over Nezha, the Golden Turtle of the Abyss, and others, finally settling on the invisible sky-covering talisman barrier above the Snowstorm City, which he had personally laid out.

"Then we will remain hidden in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to assess the situation before launching a swift and decisive attack! We will use our superior forces to deal with their 'medium' or 'inferior' forces, which may have been exposed because of Li Jing."

This is the strategy of achieving maximum results with minimal cost. Li Jing is that pebble used to muddy the waters and test the waters…

Upon hearing this, Nezha and the others' doubts vanished, replaced by genuine admiration. It turned out that their elder brother, the Prison God, had considered things so deeply; he hadn't dispatched them casually, nor did he distrust them. (End of Chapter)