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

In the end, he chose to stay, to live and die with the Western Paradise! This was not only out of a sense of responsibility, but also because deep in his heart, he could not bear to part with the "throne" and the foundation that belonged to him.

"I will obey the Buddha's decree!!"

The three thousand Buddhas were moved by the Tathagata's sudden outburst of resolute spirit. Although their fear had not subsided, in this desperate situation, they were also inspired by the last bit of dignity and courage they had as Buddhas.

They echoed each other, gathering their remaining Buddhist power to prepare for a final resistance, even though they knew it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!

Upon seeing this, the nine true dragons' eyes flashed with impatience and a deeper chill. The leading purple-gold dragon emperor spewed out two scorching streams of air from its nostrils, distorting the void with heat. Its tail was slightly raised, clearly preparing to launch an even more ferocious attack and completely wipe this unsightly "ant nest" from the world!
At that critical moment, when the Western Paradise was about to face annihilation—

"Buzz—!!!"

A Buddhist chant, whose grandeur, peace, and magnificence cannot be described in words, resounded without warning from the deepest part of the Western Paradise, from the source that seemed to connect to endless light!
Immediately afterwards, the entire Western Paradise seemed to be immersed in an ocean of boundless merit and vows, suddenly bursting forth with unprecedentedly brilliant Buddha light! That Buddha light was not sharp and intimidating, but warm, vast, and pure, as if it could wash away all sins, soothe all pain, and illuminate all darkness!
Wherever the light reached, the spiritual herbs and trees that had withered due to the oppression of the dragon's might instantly came back to life, the cracked earth quickly healed, and even the despair and fear that filled the air were largely dispelled by this warm and vast power!
An indescribable image of the Buddha, majestic, compassionate, and awe-inspiring, slowly descended from the endless light!

He sat regally on a colossal golden lotus throne made of seven precious materials and bearing a thousand petals. The throne slowly rotated, each petal seemingly carrying a miniature Buddhist world, within which countless beings chanted scriptures and worshipped.

The Buddha was enveloped in pure light that was impossible to look directly at, and that light seemed to contain the ultimate meaning of Buddhism and boundless compassion and wisdom!

His face was compassionate and serene, and his eyes seemed to see through the past and future, and illuminate all the causes and effects of the myriad worlds.

He simply sat there, and it was as if he had become the center of the entire Western Paradise, the source of boundless Buddha light, and the embodiment of the truth of Buddhism!
"Namo Amitabha Buddha—!!"

Without anyone needing to remind them, the moment this phantom of the Buddha descended, the entire Western Paradise, including the three thousand Buddhas who had just mustered the courage to fight to the death, the countless Buddha soldiers, monks, novices, and guardian deities in the distance who were filled with fear and unease, and even every blade of grass, every grain of sand, and every stone on the mountain, was filled with awe.

As if they had seen the source of ultimate faith, they involuntarily and from the depths of their souls bowed in unison, respectfully put their palms together, and chanted the supreme Buddha's name in the most devout and magnificent voice!
The sound waves converged like a tsunami, sweeping across the entire Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, even penetrating the world's barriers and faintly reaching all the heavens and myriad realms! Immeasurable Buddha light then shone brightly, illuminating the sky, which had been gloomy due to the dragon's might, into a golden and magnificent expanse, filled with a peaceful aura, as if to transform this place back into a true Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!
Even the Buddha, who was originally prepared to fight to the death, was shocked and his eyes widened. The resolute and tragic expression on his face was instantly replaced by boundless respect and a trace of... complex emotion.

He quickly withdrew his supernatural powers, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to the descending phantom of the Buddha, his voice filled with undisguised excitement and awe.

"Disciple Tathagata greets Teacher! Welcome Amitabha Buddha!"

Amitabha!
The Lord of the Western Paradise! One of the Supreme Buddhas of the Three Realms! He is also the only benevolent incarnation of the Saints who guides the beings in the chaotic realm beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens! He is the true teacher of the Tathagata Buddha, and the true, supreme ruler and pillar of the Western Paradise Buddhist sect behind the scenes!

Clearly, Dipankara Buddha lived up to expectations and promptly delivered the message to the Chaos Dojo.

Knowing the gravity of the situation, the Sage of Guidance realized that ordinary methods were insufficient to quell the dragon clan's overwhelming rage, and that even his personal intervention might trigger even greater unforeseen events. Therefore, he directly summoned Amitabha Buddha, the benevolent incarnation who governs the Pure Land and represents the compassion and wisdom of Buddhism, to personally descend and handle this earth-shattering crisis that could overturn the Western Paradise!

Amitabha Buddha sat serenely on his lotus throne, seemingly oblivious to the Buddha's homage and the praises from the three thousand worlds.

His compassionate and serene gaze slowly rose and fell upon the nine true dragons in front of him, which resembled ancient ferocious gods. He lingered particularly on the three dragon emperors with purple-gold dragon crowns on their heads.

The Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor narrowed his enormous golden vertical pupils slightly, his dragon whiskers fluttering even without wind. He gazed at Amitabha Buddha, who sat serenely on the lotus throne, radiating majestic Buddha light, and his brows furrowed imperceptibly.

Having lived for countless years and witnessed many great beings in the primordial world, he could naturally sense the supreme aura emanating from the Buddha phantom before him, aura that shared the same origin as that of a certain saint beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

This is no ordinary Buddha; it is very likely to be one of the important incarnations of the Guide!
If it were during the Dragon Clan's heyday, let alone an incarnation of a saint, even if the Guide Daoist himself were to come, the Dragon Clan might not be afraid. They would have their own Dragon Emperor to engage in dialogue or even compete with them on equal terms.

But now… the Dragon Clan has declined, lying dormant for countless eons, and is no longer as powerful as it once was. Even an incarnation must harbor some apprehension when facing a Saint who wields the power of Heaven and is indestructible through countless eons. After all, the saying that all beings below a Saint are mere ants is not an exaggeration.

Although they are strong, they are not as arrogant and reckless as the White Lotus Boy, who would cause trouble.

Just then, beside the Purple Gold Dragon Emperor, the other dragon—another Dragon Emperor whose entire body was a strange platinum gold color, whose scales shimmered like stars, and whose aura was equally ancient and noble—slowly opened its eyes, which seemed to contain the birth and death of the galaxy.

He didn't look at Amitabha Buddha, but instead gave a cold snort, his voice like the clash of gold and jade, carrying a chilling and arrogant tone.

"The benevolent incarnation of the Guide? Hmph, even if the Guide himself is here, he must give my dragon race an explanation today! To kill my dragon descendants and sever my karma is an irreconcilable enmity! Hand over the murderous child, tear him to pieces, grind his bones to dust, and condemn his true spirit to eternal damnation in the Nine Netherworlds! Furthermore, Ao Lie's primordial spirit has been destroyed; you must provide a method to bring him back to life! Otherwise..."

The Platinum Dragon King did not finish his sentence, but the threat and determination contained within cast a shadow over the hearts of the three thousand Buddhas who had just felt somewhat at ease because of Amitabha's descent.

Upon hearing this, the Buddha frowned deeply and gritted his teeth. Hand over the White Lotus Boy, torn to pieces? That was one thing—that fellow certainly deserved to die! But to bring back to life Ao Lie, whose body and soul had been annihilated? How could that be possible?!
The primordial spirit is annihilated, and the true spirit is no more—this is an order of heaven and earth that even a sage cannot easily reverse! Moreover, the White Lotus Child was ultimately a disciple of the master, and could be considered his "fellow disciple." To hand him over so easily and execute him so severely—where is the sage's dignity? Where is the majesty of the Western Paradise?
He opened his mouth, wanting to steel himself and try to say a few words in defense of the White Lotus Child, or explain the predicament of the annihilation of the primordial spirit and its inability to be reborn...

However, before he could finish speaking, he was calmly interrupted by the voice of Amitabha Buddha from the lotus platform, a voice that was calm and serene yet seemed to contain an undeniable power.

"Yes." Just one word.

But this plunged the entire Western Paradise into an extreme silence!

Can?!

He said yes?!

He agreed? The Dragon Emperor proposed two almost impossible and extremely humiliating conditions, and Amitabha Buddha just... casually... agreed to them?!
Not only was the Buddha stunned, but the three thousand Buddhas were dumbfounded. Even the nine true dragons, especially the Platinum Dragon Emperor who spoke and the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor who had remained silent, showed obvious surprise and vigilance in their eyes. Something was definitely amiss!

Amitabha Buddha seemed to have only done a trivial little thing.

His face showed neither sorrow nor joy, his expression remained compassionate and calm, even carrying an almost humble respect and obedience, just as he had been when preaching in the Pure Land for countless eons.

He said no more, but slowly raised his right hand, which was shrouded in endless Buddhist light, and gently touched the void in front of him.

"Buzz—!!!"

An indescribable, profound, and immense Buddhist power emanated from Amitabha Buddha's fingertips! That power seemed to penetrate the three realms and six paths, reverse some of the laws of heaven and earth, and disregard the boundaries of space and distance!
Outside the Western Paradise Mountain, above the open space in front of the Great Thunderclap Temple, the space itself distorted and folded violently like ripples on water! Then, figures appeared abruptly and without warning on that open space, as if they had been forcibly "carved" out of a painting!

The first to appear was the White Lotus Child, pale-faced, weak-breathed, with lingering cruelty and smugness in his eyes! Beside him were several Buddhas and Arhats who had been beside him earlier, also showing astonishment, as well as... Vajrayaksa Wisdom King, Trayastrimsa Wisdom King, and other powerful figures who had tried to dissuade him but were instead rebuked!
They seemed to be on the battlefield outside the Snow City in the Southern Continent one moment, and then inexplicably appeared on the Western Heavenly Spirit Mountain, which was bathed in Buddhist light yet filled with the terrifying might of dragons!
However, that's not all!

The spatial distortion didn't stop! Then, even more figures surged forth like a tide!
It was none other than the many powerful figures from the Nine-Layer Heavenly Prison above Snowstorm City! Lin Zhu, Nezha, the Golden Turtle of the Abyss, the Primordial Sky Eagle, the Great Sage Demon King of the Overturning Sea... and many other key members of the Heavenly Prison, all of them were forcibly transferred from the Southern Continent to this place by an irresistible force!
Even outside the Snowstorm City, in the Indian Buddhist Kingdom's army formation that was confronting the Nine-Layered Heavenly Prison and the Tang army, those Buddhas, Arhats, and Vajra monks with profound cultivation and powerful auras were as if they had been lifted up by an invisible hand and appeared in this open space in a daze, looking at each other with the people of the Nine-Layered Heavenly Prison, with only a small group of people such as the White Lotus Child in between them!
In an instant, the core of the extraordinary power of the two opposing sides in Jambudvipa was forcibly "moved" by Amitabha Buddha to the outside of the Great Thunderclap Temple in the Western Paradise using his supreme supernatural powers!
"Where...where am I?!"

"The Western Paradise?! The Great Thunderclap Temple?!"

"How did we suddenly... Ah! Dragon's might! What terrifying dragon's might!!"

"Lord of the Prison! Lord Nezha! We...we've been teleported?!"

"It's that Buddha! What...what is he?!"

The sudden shift in time and space plunged everyone who had been transferred there into extreme shock and chaos! The people in the Nine-Story Heavenly Prison were alright, with Lin Zhu as their pillar of support. Although they were horrified, they quickly gathered together, cautiously observing the suffocating dragon might and Buddhist light around them, as well as the nine terrifying true dragons in the sky that seemed to have descended from mythology.

Nezha reacted the fastest, shouting sternly.

"Nine-Layer Heavenly Prison! Form formation! Be on alert!!"

Although he didn't know what had happened, the situation before him was clearly a crisis beyond imagination!
The Golden Tortoise of the Abyss trembled as it hid behind Lin Zhu, looking at Amitabha Buddha sitting on a lotus throne in the air, whose majestic Buddha light made its soul tremble, and then at the nine true dragons that seemed capable of swallowing stars whole, its voice trembling.

"M-My Lord...who...who is this Buddha? This supernatural power...even the Tathagata Buddha couldn't have so easily teleported us from Jambudvipa! This...this is bullying!"

The Ancient Eagle also had a solemn expression. He tried to gather his demonic power, but found that under the dual pressure of the vast Buddhist light and the terrifying dragon's might, his own demonic power felt like it was about to dissipate, and he couldn't help but whisper in shock.

"What terrifying pressure from the Buddha's teachings... It's more than any Buddha I've ever experienced before... It's supreme!"

The White Lotus Child, who had just been transferred and was still a little dazed, quickly took in the surrounding scenery after his initial shock—the familiar Mount Ling, the familiar Great Thunder Temple, and the Amitabha Buddha in the air that he knew so well, representing part of the will of his guiding teacher!
His face instantly lit up with ecstatic joy, as if he had found his greatest backer. The slight panic he had felt from being forcibly moved vanished without a trace, replaced by even more unbridled arrogance!

He pointed at the people in the Nine Heavens Prison who had also been transferred there and were now on high alert, especially Lin Zhu and Nezha, and let out a sharp, piercing laugh.

"Hahaha!! Lin Zhu! Nezha! And you lackeys of the Heavenly Court! Do you see this?! This is my Western Paradise, the sacred land of Buddha! Your teacher has personally brought you ants here! Today, your fate will be the same as that ignorant little white dragon! You will all have your primordial spirit crushed by this disciple... no, your teacher will personally destroy you, body and soul!!"

The White Lotus Child felt a blur before his eyes, a disorientation of time and space. When his vision cleared again, he was shocked to find himself no longer above the bloody battlefield of Jambudvipa, but in a familiar world, bathed in Buddhist light yet filled with an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.

Before him stood the majestic yet somewhat dilapidated Great Thunderclap Temple, and above him, a vast Buddhist light shone, along with... nine enormous dragon shadows that, like ancient divine mountains, hovered in the void, emanating a terrifying aura that froze his very soul!

This sudden, high-dimensional transfer involving the rules of space and time instantly convinced the White Lotus Child that only his supreme master—the Guide Saint, or at least a supreme being at the Saint level—could unleash such a world-changing, distance-insensitive divine power!
"Ha ha ha ha!!"

The White Lotus Child was initially stunned, then his pale, youthful face erupted with uncontrollable joy and excitement! His master had intervened! His master had personally escorted him from the mortal battlefield back to the Western Paradise! What did this mean? Did it mean his master approved of his actions? Did it mean he was about to achieve unparalleled merit? (End of Chapter)