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

The first thing that caught the eyes of the Buddhas was the horrific scene of Indra's brutal killing of Li Jing, and the undisguised excitement and approval of Indra's "decisiveness" on the pale face of the White Lotus Boy in the golden tent behind them.

The scene then shifts to the White Lotus Child issuing the second battle order to Indra.

The voice of the White Lotus Boy could be heard clearly from within the round mirror.

"...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!

Upon seeing this, many of the Buddhas and Arhats in the hall who knew the inside story began to turn pale.

This White Lotus Boy not only made a command error that led to Li Jing's tragic death, but afterwards he also shirked all responsibility, downplaying the incident, and even tricked Di Shitian into going into battle again with lies. It's simply... ridiculous!
The Buddha's brow furrowed, and his ominous premonition grew stronger.

The scene continues. Di Shitian enters the battle again, facing off against Ao Lie.

When Ao Lie's young and resolute face appeared in the mirror, the entire Great Thunderclap Temple instantly fell into a deathly silence!

"Ao...Ao Lie?! The Third Prince of the Western Sea?! How could he be there?!"

The Buddha cried out in surprise.

"Shouldn't he be waiting at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge for the pilgrimage? Isn't Guanyin Bodhisattva looking for him?!"

"Oh no...this is going to be a disaster!"

More Buddhas showed expressions of fear on their faces.

They understood all too well what Ao Lie meant to the Dragon Clan, and to the delicate relationship between the Western Paradise and the Dragon Clan! He was the "hope" entrusted to the Western Paradise by the Dragon Clan, and a fragile "bridge" connecting the two sides!
The Buddha's heart clenched violently, almost stopping! He could no longer care about his composure and shouted urgently.

"Quickly! Summon Guanyin Bodhisattva! Descend to the mortal realm immediately and protect Ao Lie at all costs! No... I will do it myself..."

However, his words were abruptly cut short. The image in the circular mirror was moving at an even faster pace, giving him no time to react or intervene!

In the mirror, Di Shitian easily captured Ao Lie. Lin Zhu intervened to negotiate, but Di Shitian made arrogant threats. Suddenly, Bai Lian Tongzi appeared and launched a sneak attack, but failed and took Ao Lie away...

Then came the scene that made all the viewers' hearts stop—

Lin Zhu and Di Shitian were both trying to persuade the White Lotus Boy to stop.

Lin Zhu spoke earnestly and patiently.

"...Let him go, there's still room for maneuver..."

Indra was very cautious.

"Young master, perhaps...we should reconsider?"

However, the White Lotus Boy's response was resolute, full of prejudice and arrogance.

"Shut up! You idiot!"

"I don't care what you think! I only care what I think!"

"No matter who he is! Today, I, this young servant, will kill him to establish my authority!"

Then, with a swift movement, the knife fell!
Decisive and efficient, without hesitation!
The pale golden head, gushing blood, rolled to the ground!
"Pfft..."

Inside the Great Thunderclap Temple, one of the Arhats with slightly weaker willpower suddenly collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way beneath him, his face ashen.

"Crown Prince Ao... Ao Lie... was... beheaded?!"

"White Lotus Boy... he... how dare he?!"

"That's the dragon race's hope! A crucial link in the Journey to the West! If something goes wrong, the dragon race will only come after us in the Western Paradise!!"

"Is he... trying to prove he's more ruthless than Indra?!"

Exclamations, wails, and incredulous questions instantly filled the entire hall! Panic spread like wildfire!
The Buddha felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and a sweet, metallic taste rose in his throat, which he forcibly suppressed.

He stared intently at the round mirror, his voice hoarse with extreme shock and anger.

"He still...he still has a primordial spirit! Ao Lie still has a primordial spirit! Quickly! Quickly notify the front lines, at all costs, to retrieve Ao Lie's primordial spirit! Perhaps...perhaps there is still hope! Even if it requires using the Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenation Pill in the hands of the Prison God Lin Zhu, we must seize two! We must revive Ao Lie! Otherwise...if the Dragon Clan blames us, our Western Heaven...will be in grave danger!!"

His words were filled with unprecedented anxiety and a hint of...fear.

He knew all too well the terrifying energy that the ancient dragons hidden deep within the river of time could unleash once they were fully enraged! That was something the Western Paradise was absolutely unwilling to face, and might even be unable to withstand at all!

Upon hearing this, the Buddhas felt as if they had grasped a lifeline. They roused themselves and prepared to send messages at any cost, or even descend in person, to seize the primordial spirit.

However, their hopes were shattered in the next moment by the actions of the White Lotus Boy in the round mirror!

In the mirror, the White Lotus Child had captured Ao Lie's fleeing spirit. Faced with Lin Zhu's final, "sincere" attempt to dissuade him, and the hurried arrival of Vajra Yaksha and the others, who seemed to have something important to say...

The White Lotus Boy's face showed extreme impatience and arrogance. He rudely interrupted everyone's words and shouted angrily.

"How dare you!! I am the disciple of the Sage who guides us! I represent the Sage's will! Who are you to presume to teach me how to do things?!"

"Location determines one's perspective! They're just stuck in their small, isolated area of ​​Lingshan; their vision is pitifully limited!"

"My vision extends beyond the Three Realms! It is supreme!"

Then, the three thousand Buddhas, separated by a barrier of light, their eyes wide with terror, cried out in unison, "Stop!!!"

Despite the fact that the sound couldn't reach them under their gaze...

The White Lotus Child's hand, enveloped in glazed Buddhist light, squeezed hard against the weak, struggling dragon-shaped primordial spirit within its palm!
"Pop—!"

After a soft sound, the primordial spirit light was completely annihilated.

The image on the round mirror was fixed on the arrogant, sinister smile of the White Lotus Boy, who declared, "My vision is supreme." Then the light dimmed, and the bronze mirror returned to its original state.

Inside the Great Thunderclap Temple, there was an eerie silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

The expressions on the faces of all the Buddhas, Arhats, and Bodhisattvas froze. From the initial anxiety, to the anticipation when they saw hope, to the shock and bewilderment when hope was brutally extinguished, and finally... to boundless despair and coldness.

It's over. It's completely over.

Ao Lie was annihilated, both in body and spirit.

The fragile causal bridge between the dragon race and the dragons was severed, crushed, and turned to dust by the White Lotus Child himself, and right before the eyes of the "Three Realms Live Broadcast"!
"Pfft!"

The Buddha, who was sitting upright on the lotus throne, could no longer hold on. His body swayed and he slid off the lotus throne, collapsing onto the ground! The solemn and wise expression on his face completely collapsed, leaving only boundless dejection, bewilderment and a sense of despair that all was lost.

His lips trembled, his gaze was blank as he stared ahead, as if he had lost all strength, and he murmured a sentence in a voice only he could hear.

"White Lotus Boy...did your brain...get caught in a door...?"

Just as this utter despair and deathly silence enveloped the entire Great Thunderclap Temple, and the three thousand Buddhas lost their composure, unsure how to face the terrifying storm that was about to descend—

"Buzz—!!!"

An indescribable, ancient, desolate, domineering, and terrifying dragon's might, filled with destructive rage, crashed like a tangible raging sea against the layers upon layers of incredibly sturdy protective arrays and Buddhist barriers outside the Western Heavenly Spirit Mountain!
Immediately following, an aged, deep voice, yet containing a raging fury that made even the souls of Buddhas tremble, like thunder from the heavens, or as if from the very depths of the primordial wilderness, resounded clearly and deliberately in the deepest recesses of the souls of every being in the Western Paradise.

"Shameless Western Heaven! You betrayed us, the Dragon Clan! Come here now! Give our race an explanation!"

As the sound faded, the entire Western Heavenly Spirit Mountain seemed to shake violently amidst the terrifying roar and dragon's might!
The three thousand Buddhas, including the Tathagata Buddha who was slumped on the ground, instantly lost all color from their faces. Their hearts sank as if into an abyss of ice, sinking straight into the bottomless, despairing abyss.

It's bound to happen...

after all……

Still here.

Moreover, it was done in the most intense and unquestionable way.

Inside the Great Thunder Temple on Mount Ling in the Western Paradise.

Deathly silence and despair, like thick ink, permeated this hall that symbolized the supreme authority of Buddhism.

The air was filled with a chilling atmosphere, like the approach of the apocalypse, which even chanting could not dispel.

The Buddha, slumped on the ground, stared blankly into the void before him, as if he could still see the ferocious and foolish smile on the face of the White Lotus Child in the round mirror as he crushed Ao Lie's primordial spirit.

After a long while, he suddenly raised his hands and pounded his chest hard, making a dull "thump-thump" sound. The muscles on his face were contorted with extreme regret and anger, and his voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows.

"What a tragedy...what a tragedy!!!"

"Why did I...why did I agree to let that White Lotus Child fight?! Why did I let him lead the Southern War?! I knew perfectly well...I knew he acted erratically and recklessly!!"

The Buddha's voice was choked with sobs, filled with deep regret and pain.

"It was the Guide Teacher... the Guide Teacher said that he was holding the Azure Lotus Banner, representing the decree of the Sage, and could act expediently... I... I didn't firmly stop him because of the Sage's reputation... I never expected... I never expected that he would send such an incompetent fool who is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything! He came here specifically to make things worse for the Western Paradise!!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice echoing in the hall, filled with endless grief and helplessness.

"Now look what's happened! Little White Dragon Ao Lie has been completely destroyed, body and soul! There's not even a sliver of hope left for him! He was a key figure on whom the Dragon Clan placed their hopes and whose fate was intertwined with the Journey to the West!"
This was the bridge we used to maintain a facade of peace with those ancient dragons, in exchange for their tacit approval of the Journey to the West and even the eastward expansion of Buddhism… Now the bridge has collapsed, destroyed by our own people! How could the dragons let this go?! Once those ancient beings are enraged…”

Thinking of the terrifying ancient dragon race hidden deep in time, a race even saints feared, Buddha Tathagata shuddered. The rest of his words choked in his throat, turning into even deeper despair.

Inside the hall, the three thousand Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats watched as their usually majestic and wise Buddha was now beating his chest and stamping his feet in grief, his fear reaching its peak.

They had never seen the Buddha so distraught, which further confirmed the seriousness of the situation, far exceeding their expectations.

"Buddha...Buddha, please accept my condolences...Now...what should we do now?"

An ancient Buddha of high seniority, suppressing his fear, asked in a trembling voice.

These words seemed to awaken a sliver of reason in the Buddha.

He stopped pounding, his chest heaving violently as he forcefully suppressed the sobs and cries that threatened to burst from his throat.

He knew that now was not the time to collapse, at least not completely.

He slowly and with great difficulty got up from the ground and stood up straight. Although his legs were still trembling slightly, he tried to appear calm.

He took a few deep breaths, and the look of collapse on his face was replaced by a forced, almost numb calm, though beneath that calm was an obvious tremor.

"It's too late to regret now that things have come to this."

The Buddha's voice regained a certain degree of calm, but it was terrifyingly hollow.

"The White Lotus Child... is the attendant of the Sage, who comes carrying the Sage's token, the Azure Lotus Banner. All his words and actions can be regarded as... an extension of the Sage's will."

His gaze swept over the Buddhas below, a dark glint flashing deep in his eyes—an almost instinctive instinct for self-preservation and shirking responsibility.

"Although I was not strict enough in supervising the battle during this trip to the south, the specific execution and on-the-spot decisions were all done by the White Lotus Boy."

His actions, especially the killing of Ao Lie and the shattering of his primordial spirit, were entirely arbitrary and dictatorial, ignoring all advice and even reprimanding meritorious ministers like Vajra Yaksha and the Bright King… Such behavior cannot be described as a mere 'mistake'.”

He paused, raising his voice slightly, as if to encourage himself and the others, or perhaps to set the tone for his upcoming remarks.

"If the Dragon Clan holds us accountable... we will tell them the truth. The White Lotus Child was sent by Master Jieyin. His fault should also be attributed to... the Sage's lax discipline of his disciples."

This practically placed all the blame on the Holy Sage of Guidance, who was far away in the chaos beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens! Although it sounded outrageous, none of the Buddhas present dared to refute it, and even vaguely felt that... this might be the only explanation that could slightly lessen the overall guilt of the Western Paradise.

"go……"

The Buddha closed his eyes, then opened them again, his voice carrying a calm that spoke of recklessness.

"Please invite Dipankara Buddha to come here."

A servant immediately took the order and left. Before long, the ancient and profound figure of Dipankara Buddha appeared in the hall. He clearly knew the general situation, and his face was as calm as still water.

“Ancient Buddha,” the Tathagata Buddha bowed slightly to the Dipankara Buddha, his tone carrying a hint of pleading and an air of absolute authority.

"The Dragon Clan is enraged and will arrive in an instant. This matter... may require the attention of the Guide. I implore the Ancient Buddha... to go to the Chaos Dojo beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens to meet with the Guide and report everything here... especially the actions of the White Lotus Child. Please... make a decision."

Dipankara Buddha gave Tathagata a deep look, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

How could he not know that Tathagata wanted him to face the wrath of the Sage of Guidance, while he himself remained to deal with the more pressing threat of the Dragon Clan? But with the Western Paradise facing annihilation, personal gains and losses were insignificant. Moreover, as a past Buddha, his status was transcendent; perhaps if he went to report to the Sage… he could still salvage the situation somewhat. (End of Chapter)