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

"Not a single word is false? Which half? What does Your Majesty mean by this?!"

The Third Buddha took over the conversation, his tone still calm, yet every word was as firm as a hammer blow.

"Li Jing was indeed a disciple of Dipankara Buddha, a fact known to the older generation in the Western Paradise."

He did indeed have a mission to the Western Paradise to negotiate with the Heavenly Court. Although he was subsequently detained by Lin Zhu, his initial status as a 'special envoy' was not false. As for whether he is Nezha's biological father... this matter has been rumored throughout the Three Realms for a long time. Even if their relationship was strained, blood ties still exist.

Boom!

Indra felt as if a million thunderbolts had exploded in his mind at the same time! His eyes widened, and the coldness and arrogance he had been trying to maintain on his face completely collapsed, leaving only utter shock and horror! His body swayed involuntarily, and if he hadn't been sitting on the back of the white elephant, he would have almost lost his balance.

"No...impossible! This...this is absolutely impossible!"

He cried out, his voice shrill with shock.

"If he is truly a disciple of the Ancient Buddha, my senior brother... why did no one inform me?! Why did no one stop me when I made my move?! You... you were all there!!"

He whirled around, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over everyone in the tent before finally fixing on the White Lotus Boy in the main seat. It was this boy who had ordered him to attack the first person to emerge! If he had known Li Jing was a fellow disciple, would he have been so ruthless? At least… at least he would have hesitated, or captured him and dealt with him, instead of torturing him to death on the spot!
Facing the fiery, questioning gaze of Indra, the White Lotus Child remained expressionless, as if it were none of his business. The Three-World-Transforming King shrugged, his tone tinged with helplessness and an inexplicable sense of detachment.

"Inform you? Didn't Lin Zhu already explain it to everyone? We all thought... you already knew Li Jing's identity. Seeing him helping the enemy on the battlefield, we thought you realized that this 'senior brother' had betrayed Buddhism, and were angry at his lack of integrity, so you decisively carried out the decree, putting righteousness before family, and that's why you were so ruthless... Therefore, no one felt the need to remind or stop you again."

Di Shitian was struck dumb, as if by lightning! He knew? What did he know?! Could I believe what that bastard Lin Zhu said?! I thought it was a scheme to sow discord! A lie! You…you actually thought I knew?! And you thought I was betraying my own family for the greater good?!

"You...you all..."

Indra pointed at the people inside the tent, his fingers trembling, so angry that he could barely speak a complete sentence. A burning rage of feeling isolated, mocked, and even betrayed was raging within him.

"Why would you think I know?! Lin Zhu is an enemy! Can you believe what an enemy says?! Besides... even if I thought it was a lie, if you knew the truth, shouldn't you immediately send me a telepathic message to prevent the tragedy?!"

Vajra Yaksha King grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, his tone mocking yet devoid of any warmth.

"Stop? When we saw that you, Di Shitian, acted decisively and swiftly, showing no mercy to the 'traitor,' and your methods were even more...unique. We thought that you did it on purpose to intimidate both sides and to demonstrate the majesty of the Dharma Protector and your loyalty to Buddhism. We were even thinking that the Dharma Protector newly recruited by Dipankara Buddha was truly a...ruthless person."

The King of the Three Worlds, standing to the side, added two words in a nonchalant tone. His voice was not loud, but it sent a chill down Indra's spine.

"Wolf Extinction".

Ruthless? Wolf-Slayer?
The atmosphere inside the tent was utterly frozen, as if even the Buddha's light had been solidified. Indra stood there, riding on the six-tusked white elephant that symbolized majesty and auspiciousness, yet he felt like a complete joke, a cruel and foolish joke that everyone had silently witnessed while he executed his own senior brother without him even realizing it!
What he initially thought was a move to establish his authority now appears to be a scandal of infighting among his own disciples! And he is the executioner who personally created this scandal!
He was overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of absurdity and panic.

He suddenly looked at the White Lotus Boy, his eyes filled with a last glimmer of hope and a question.

"Young master! You were there! Why...why didn't you stop it?! I was acting on your orders!"

The White Lotus Child finally raised his eyelids. His childlike eyes were devoid of warmth, filled only with icy indifference and a hint of barely perceptible irritation.

He coldly uttered a few words.

"I only ordered you to kill the vanguard of the enemy. As for the rest, it is your own fault for not being able to discern the truth. You should explain this matter to Dipankara Buddha yourself."

Confess yourself?!
Indra was completely stunned, and then a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head! Only then did he truly realize that the Western Heavenly Mountain was not a monolithic entity, but rather... filled with a chilling indifference and scheming!
The White Lotus Boy's ruthless and irresponsible attitude left him with nowhere to vent his anger and grievances, and a profound sense of isolation and helplessness. He had merely been strictly following orders, and now that he had made a "mistake," it seemed he was about to be discarded?

Just as Indra was in a state of utter confusion, and the atmosphere in the tent was extremely awkward and cold, the King of the Three Worlds coughed lightly, breaking the silence and bringing the topic back to the battle.

"Young man, the first battle is over. Although there were some... twists and turns, we ultimately killed one of their generals. What should we do next? Should we continue to challenge them, or hold our position and wait for further developments?"

Upon hearing this, the White Lotus Boy frowned.

What did he know about military strategy and tactics? All he knew was that he had to force Lin Zhu out, win the battle, and get the Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenation Pill as soon as possible! When the Three-Life King asked a question, he glanced around the tent and finally his gaze fell on Emperor Shitian, whose face was ashen and who had not yet recovered from the blow.

Since we can't come up with any brilliant plan, let's use the simplest method—send out our strongest! Anyway, this Indra seems pretty capable, and he just "made a contribution," so let him wear down the opponent!
The White Lotus Child raised his hand, pointing directly at Indra, his voice carrying an unquestionable tone of command.

"You, go and challenge them again! Make sure to lure out Lin Zhu, or one of his generals! Among those present, you have the highest cultivation level, so you can guarantee a complete victory! If you also kill an enemy general, the previous minor flaws can be made up for!"

"Go again?!" Indra suddenly looked up at the White Lotus Boy, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had just mistakenly killed his "senior brother," and his mind was still unsettled. Yet this boy was pushing him out as a pawn without hesitation? Moreover, what did he mean by "guaranteed victory"? The battlefield was ever-changing, the opponent's trump cards had not been revealed, and Lin Zhu was even more unfathomable. Who dared to say that victory was certain? The Three Worlds King and the Vajra Yaksha King exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads inwardly.

They had long seen that this White Lotus Child was utterly clueless when it came to battle strategy, relying solely on his status and brute force. Sending Indra again would simply be repeating the same old tactics; if the opponent avoided battle or had some other trick up his sleeve, wouldn't it be a futile effort, and they might even suffer another great loss?

A sudden realization dawned on the Third King of the Three Worlds, recalling an old secret from the time of the Investiture of the Gods. It was said that after the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, the Sage of Guidance captured the Mosquito Taoist and ordered the White Lotus Boy to put him in a Qiankun Bag and send him to the West to suppress him.

As a result, whether due to negligence or some other reason, the boy allowed the Mosquito Taoist to escape halfway through the journey. The Mosquito Taoist not only drained the Turtle Spirit Mother dry but also flew to the West and forcibly absorbed three grades of the Twelve-Grade Merit Lotus of the Guide Saint! This caused the Merit Lotus to drop in grade to the Ninth Grade, a great loss to the Western Sect! At the time, outsiders speculated whether it was some kind of conspiracy or whether the White Lotus Boy did it on purpose.

Now that he had witnessed the boy's behavior firsthand—not very capable, but boastful, fond of showing off and putting on airs, yet often making a fool of himself—King Vajrapani suddenly realized that what happened back then might not have been a well-thought-out scheme, but most likely just this boy... simply "tricked" his own saint once again!
No wonder that in the later stages of the Investiture of the Gods war, the Sage of Guidance never allowed the White Lotus Child to participate in important battles again. He was probably still wary of him, fearing that he might "do more harm than good" and ruin his own family's fortunes!
Thinking of this, the King of the Three Worlds looked again at the pale yet stubborn face of the White Lotus Child, who was forcing himself to give the order, and felt even more helpless and worried. With this "ancestor" giving reckless orders above them, the prospects for this war in the human world... were truly worrisome.

The atmosphere inside the golden tent became extremely oppressive and strange due to the unquestionable command from the White Lotus Child and the truth that Indra had mistakenly killed his fellow disciples.

Di Shitian's face was ashen, his chest heaving, clearly indicating that he was experiencing a turbulent internal conflict. Accidentally killing his "senior brother" was a stain and sin that would be difficult to wash away in any sect. Even in the dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, killing one's own fellow disciples was a grave taboo, let alone in such a public and cruel manner!

The White Lotus Boy seemed completely oblivious to his current state of mind. Perhaps in his mind, spoiled by the saint and self-important, he simply didn't care about these "trivial matters."

He looked at Di Shitian's unpredictable face, a hint of impatience flashing across his pale face, and urged him on in a condescending, almost condescending tone.

"Emperor Shitian, what are you still standing there for? Li Jing is dead, his body and soul destroyed. Now, there is no one from my Western Paradise in the enemy camp, and his 'master' has also been killed by your own hands. You have truly eradicated him completely!"

Aside from the possibility that the Ancient Buddha Dipankara might intervene, what other worries do you have? Quickly engage in battle, fight a fierce and decisive fight, capture enemy generals and flags, and then return! If you can force Lin Zhu out, or kill one of his generals, that would be a great achievement!

These words, which sounded like an attempt to exonerate him, were in fact extremely cold and ruthless. He casually characterized Li Jing's death as "cutting off the roots," glossing over the possible accusations against Dipankara Buddha that Indra might face, and only urging him to go back to fighting, as if he were merely a useful tool that did not need to be cared for.

Indra felt even colder upon hearing this. On his very first day of training, he had personally "annihilated" his own senior brother's entire sect? What kind of "achievement" was this? Far from feeling joy, he instead felt an absurd desolation and a chill that penetrated to the bone.

Within this Western Paradise, how could interpersonal relationships be so indifferent? Those who carry out orders are like puppets, while those in power can turn their backs on you as easily as flipping a book.

Upon seeing this, Vajrayaksa and Trayastrimsa exchanged a glance. Trayastrimsa then forced out an extremely strained, almost encouraging expression on all three of his faces and spoke dryly.

“Guardian Indra, what the boy said… makes sense. On the battlefield, things change in an instant, so personal grudges… should be put aside for now. Your cultivation is profound and your supernatural powers are great; you should be making contributions to our Buddhist sect.”

Vajra Yaksha King echoed in a muffled voice.

"Good, let's go to war. If anything goes wrong... well, we'll see how things go."

The last four words were vague, but the meaning was subtly conveyed—if you can't win or the situation is too bizarre, you'd better figure it out yourself and not stubbornly resist.

These two wise kings, being worldly-wise, had already seen through the chaotic command of the White Lotus Boy and the huge mess that Indra had made, making the outcome of the subsequent battle unpredictable.

While they offered words of encouragement, they had already made up their minds that if the battle turned against them or if an unexpected and powerful enemy appeared, they would not be foolish enough to fight to the death. They would definitely find an opportunity to escape this dangerous place.

Looking at the expressions of everyone in the tent, Indra's last glimmer of hope was shattered.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions. The ferocity and arrogance of the Asura warrior had not been completely extinguished, but transformed into a pent-up resentment and fierce determination.

He said no more, gave a stiff bow to the White Lotus Boy, turned around, strode out of the golden tent, and mounted the six-tusked white elephant. The white elephant roared, its four hooves creating clouds, and it soared into the air again, slowly flying towards the direction of Wind and Snow City. This time, however, its back view lacked the initial arrogance and pride, and instead carried a sense of heaviness and a desperate gamble.

Just as Indra was about to take command and prepare to challenge the enemy again, a real mortal war broke out on the vast battlefield below in an even more brutal and grand manner!
The Buddhist Kingdom of Tianzhu, relying on the continuous secret support and training from Xiniu Hezhou for over five hundred years, has launched a long-planned lightning attack with all its might! More than 1.2 million elite Buddhist soldiers, like a golden torrent of steel, surged out from the continuous camps!

These Buddhist soldiers are completely different from ordinary soldiers. Most of them have cultivated basic Buddhist techniques, possess immense strength, wear armor blessed with runes, and wield heavy weapons such as vajras and crescent shovels. The battle formations they form are faintly connected by Buddhist light, their auras are condensed and unified, and their movements cause the earth to shake and mountains to tremble, their killing intent soaring to the sky!
Even more insidious was that 300,000 of these 1.2 million troops were separated and formed as a highly mobile surprise force. Led by several highly skilled Vajra monks, they silently took advantage of the complex terrain at the edge of the battlefield to outflank and encircle the Snowstorm City from the side and rear, like lurking venomous snakes!

Their objective was crystal clear—to launch a swift and devastating attack on the city while the main forces of both sides were locked in a fierce battle on the front lines, leaving the defenses of Wind and Snow City severely weakened and even vulnerable!
If we can capture and kill Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty in one fell swoop, it will not only cause the Tang Dynasty's border defenses to collapse, but also fundamentally destroy the Tang army's will to resist, and may even turn the tide of the entire war!

Faced with such a fierce offensive from India, the million-strong army of the Tang Dynasty, which was already on high alert, also erupted with earth-shattering fighting spirit and roars!

This million-strong army is composed of a diverse group, including well-trained and well-equipped imperial guards and border troops, as well as sect cultivators, independent heroes, and folk martial artists who rushed to the aid from all over the Southern Continent. There are even some warriors with fierce auras and obvious demonic characteristics!

They may not be as uniformly disciplined or blessed by Buddhist light as the Indian Buddhist soldiers, but their strength lies in their individual prowess, flexible and varied tactics, and a tragic and heroic spirit of protecting their homeland and seeking revenge, which coalesces into a soaring aura of ferocity! (End of Chapter)