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

Within this Western Paradise, he certainly has the advantage of terrain. Relying on boundless faith and the blessing of the formation, he may not be unable to contend with these nine ancient true dragons, and may even gain the upper hand.

However, if the opponent really disregards everything and launches an attack at the cost of depleting its own resources, Mount Ling will inevitably suffer unimaginable damage, and the three thousand Buddhas may indeed suffer heavy casualties, which is a price that the Western Paradise cannot afford.

He was wary, but his expression remained calm. He clasped his hands together, and his voice, though gentle, carried a hint of solemnity.

“Brother Zijin, fellow Daoists of the Dragon Clan, please be patient. Since I have already made it clear that I have invited you all here to clarify the cause and effect and settle this matter, I will absolutely not cover it up.”

His gaze shifted to the white lotus boy trembling on the ground, almost curled up in a ball, and his tone turned cold.

"The White Lotus Child has committed a grave error, a heinous crime. The Western Paradise will not condone his personal transgressions. How he should be dealt with is up to..."

Amitabha Buddha's original intention was clearly to say something like "It is up to the Dragon Clan to decide," first throwing out the White Lotus Child as the "culprit" to quell some of the Dragon Clan's anger, and then slowly negotiating other conditions.

This is a classic case of sacrificing a pawn to save the rook, and it seems to be the most reasonable response at present.

However, before he could even finish saying "let them kill him," the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor, already burning with rage and grief over the loss of his loved ones, was already losing all patience and didn't want to hear any more "buts" or "howevers"!
"Do whatever you want with me? Fine!"

The Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor roared, not giving Amitabha Buddha a chance to finish his sentence. Its enormous dragon body suddenly moved, and a terrifying dragon claw covered with ancient purple-gold dragon scales and wrapped with the power of the law of collapse appeared above the kneeling White Lotus Child's head as if it had crossed space, and then—slammed down!
"Snap! Splat—!"

The sickening sound of bones shattering and flesh tearing rang out almost simultaneously!

"Aaaaaahh ...

The White Lotus Child let out a bloodcurdling scream! His barely formed quasi-saint body was as fragile as tofu in front of the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor's claws!
Both arms were ripped off at the root, and pale golden Buddha blood mixed with glass-like fragments of bone and flesh sprayed out! This was not just the excruciating pain in his body; the domineering dragon power and tearing laws attached to the dragon claws were also directly affecting his primordial spirit!
The Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor is one of the supreme dragon emperors who survived the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity. Its noble and ancient bloodline has a certain innate power to suppress and erode the primordial spirit of the White Lotus Child, who was enlightened by the Pure World White Lotus and whose foundation is biased towards the "Pure Creation" lineage!

"Chichi..."

The wound on the White Lotus Child's severed arm not only failed to heal, but instead began to emanate a wisp of purple-gold aura. This aura was like the most ferocious poison, frantically eroding his lotus platform primordial spirit, bringing a soul burning and disintegration sensation that was thousands of times more painful than the tearing of the physical body!
His primordial spirit's radiance dimmed and became disordered at a visible speed, even developing tiny cracks, as if a delicate piece of glass was being struck by an invisible hammer, on the verge of shattering completely!

This suppression and damage, originating from his bloodline and very essence, caused the White Lotus Child to nearly faint from the pain, tears streaming down his face. He was no longer the arrogant and conceited man he once was. He felt his foundation of cultivation crumbling, and endless fear and regret consumed him.

"Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor! Wait! Please listen to Amitabha Buddha's words before you act!"

Upon seeing this, the Buddha's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly shouted.

He wasn't so much concerned about the White Lotus Child, but rather afraid that the reckless Dragon Emperor might kill or cripple the "culprit" in one fell swoop. In that case, there would be no way to prove anything, and the Western Paradise would have no one to shirk responsibility or appease its anger. Wouldn't the Dragon Clan's wrath then be completely unleashed upon the entire Western Paradise? That would be a catastrophe!
Amitabha Buddha looked at the pitiful state of the White Lotus Child, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, but he did not intervene to stop the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor's brutality. Only after the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor tore off his arms and tossed them aside like trash, retracting his dragon claws, did he slowly speak, his voice still calm, yet seemingly carrying a faint sigh.

"I understand Brother Zijin's anger. Having promised not to protect him, I will not go back on my word. The White Lotus Boy is here; he is at your disposal. However, I have not finished speaking. I hope that you and my fellow Dragon Clan members will allow me to finish speaking before making a decision, is that alright?"

His words acknowledged the "legitimacy" of the dragons' intervention, demonstrated his "no cover-up" attitude, and finally asked them to let him finish speaking. He adopted an extremely humble posture, giving the dragons ample face and providing them with a way out.

The Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor tore apart the White Lotus Child's arms, venting some of his anger. Seeing that Amitabha Buddha had indeed not stopped him and that his attitude was "sincere," he exhaled two streams of scorching dragon breath from his nostrils, slightly suppressing his boiling killing intent. His huge dragon eyes stared coldly at Amitabha Buddha, his muffled voice like thunder.

"Hmph! Speak quickly! If you dare to play with words again, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

It reluctantly agreed to temporarily stop and listen to what Amitabha Buddha had to say.

However, just as the tense atmosphere eased slightly due to the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor's temporary halt, and everyone's attention was focused on Amitabha Buddha, waiting for him to finish his "unfinished words"—

A clear, casual, and even somewhat untimely voice suddenly broke the brief silence.

Lin Zhu, seemingly out of nowhere, took a small step forward with a leisurely air. His gaze shifted between the writhing White Lotus Child and the majestic Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor. A look on his face suggested that he was simply being "curious" or "kindly reminding" him. He spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Huh? Why does Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor stop? You're tearing your things, and Amitabha is saying his own. These two things... don't seem to conflict, do they?"

These words shocked the entire audience!

The crowd, who were just about to listen to Amitabha's next words, especially the White Lotus Child who had just suffered a severe injury, was in excruciating pain, and even had a sliver of hope that the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor had stopped, suddenly raised his head and looked at Lin Zhu, his face filled with disbelief and a sudden surge of even deeper despair!
This God of Hell... what does he mean?! Does he think he's not miserable enough and wants to instigate the Dragon Emperor to continue torturing him?! The White Lotus Child's eyes were filled with resentment and venom as he looked at Lin Zhu, yet also with endless fear.

The Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor slightly turned its massive head, its star-like dragon eyes glancing at Lin Zhu, seemingly finding the suggestion… quite reasonable. Indeed, what conflict is there between me tearing this bald-headed monk apart and you, Amitabha Buddha? Why wait for him to finish his nonsense?
"It makes sense!"

With a low roar, the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor unleashed its previously restrained ferocious dragon might once again. The dragon claws that had just been withdrawn, still stained with pale golden Buddha blood and shards of glass, shot out again with lightning speed, this time directly grabbing at the White Lotus Child's body, which was curled up and trembling in pain!

"No—! Amitabha Buddha, teacher! Save me!!"

The White Lotus Child was terrified, letting out a shrill, distorted wail, his eyes filled with pleading for Amitabha Buddha and deep-seated resentment towards Lin Zhu! He never expected that this seemingly detached prison god would actually kick him while he was down and add fuel to the fire at this moment!
"Sizzle—!" Another chilling tearing sound rang out! This time, the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor's claws ripped off one of the White Lotus Child's thighs, along with some flesh and bones from his waist and abdomen! The flesh and blood of a Quasi-Saint level being contained immense energy was torn apart like mud under the Dragon Emperor's claws, with pale golden blood and white bone fragments flying everywhere!
"Ah—!!! Lin Zhu! You'll die a horrible death! I'll haunt you even as a ghost!!"

The White Lotus Child was in so much pain that he almost fainted. His primordial spirit was violently shaken by the repeated blows to his physical body. The corrosive pain brought by the purple-gold dragon power penetrated deep into his soul, causing him to utter the most vicious curse, which was aimed directly at Lin Zhu.

"Tsk, it's already not enough? It seems that the Sage Child is too used to being pampered and can't handle much hardship."

Lin Zhu seemed not to have heard the curse. Instead, he shook his head slightly, a hint of regret on his face. Then, as if he had suddenly thought of a "good idea," he spoke to the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor again, his tone casual as if he were discussing something.

"Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor, tearing apart one's physical body like this may relieve one's anger for a moment, but for a quasi-saint whose primordial spirit has already reached a certain level, the pain may be intense, but it may not last long."

In my humble opinion, perhaps a different approach would be better… For example, using your dragon claws, imbued with dragon might, instead of tearing him apart directly, could you gently and slowly scrape away at his lotus platform and primordial spirit, like a mortal cook peeling potatoes or shredding radishes? The sensation would surely be… more lingering and profound, and more befitting of his sin of cruelly murdering the dragon prince's primordial spirit.”

Lin Zhu spoke these words casually, as if discussing what to eat for dinner. But to the onlookers, many felt a chill run down their spines! Especially some of the weaker-willed among the three thousand Buddhas, looking at Lin Zhu's calm and unwavering face, and imagining the scene of "scraping the primordial spirit," felt their scalps tingle, secretly swallowed, and felt even more apprehensive about this seemingly young God of Hell.

This young man is not only incredibly strong, but also ruthless and cunning. He can push people into a deeper hell without them even noticing!

Upon hearing this, the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor's enormous dragon eyes flashed with a strange light, as if it thought the suggestion was... excellent! It already felt that simply tearing apart the flesh was not enough to vent its anger. The dragon race values ​​bloodline and primordial spirit the most. Since the other party dared to crush Ao Lie's primordial spirit, then it would repay him in kind and torture his primordial spirit in a more painful way to show fairness!
"good!"

The Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor let out a low shout, and its claws shifted.

The terrifying dragon claws no longer pursued brute force to tear, but became agile and precise, with the tips of the claws swirling with a refined purple-gold dragon might, which contained the ancient dragon race's original corrosive power and the subtle application of the tearing law.

The next moment, the dragon claw, like the most intricate instrument of torture, gently "placed" on the lotus platform primordial spirit phantom of the White Lotus Child, which was manifested outwards due to pain, its light dimmed and covered with cracks.

"No...no!!"

The White Lotus Child sensed the terrifying threat emanating from the claw tip, aimed at his primordial spirit, and let out a scream of utter despair.

However, the dragon's claws had already moved.

Instead of gripping violently, as Lin Zhu had said, it began to slowly and meticulously "scrape" across the surface of the lotus platform's primordial spirit, like shavings.

"Sizzle—sizzle..."

A subtle sound, like a hot knife scraping through ice or a blunt instrument rubbing against glass, that made one's teeth ache and soul tremble, accompanied by the White Lotus Child's sudden, distorted, inhuman screams that echoed across the sky above Mount Ling!
Each "scratch" brought forth a wisp of primordial spirit essence, its pure white tinged with pale gold, now tainted by the purplish-gold dragon power and utterly chaotic! It was not merely the stripping away of power, but a direct and slow torture of the primordial spirit's structure! The pain contained within far exceeded ten or even a hundred times that of the physical body being torn apart!
The White Lotus Child's screams grew louder and louder, his body convulsing violently. The illusory image of the lotus platform's primordial spirit became increasingly dim and transparent at a visible speed, and the cracks on its surface became more numerous and deeper!

His consciousness sank in boundless pain, his hatred for Lin Zhu reached its peak, yet it seemed so pale and powerless under the absolute power of the Dragon Emperor.

As the three thousand Buddhas witnessed this scene, many of them subconsciously turned their gaze away, or lowered their heads and silently chanted Buddhist mantras.

While they were certainly annoyed by the White Lotus Boy's incompetence and folly, witnessing their fellow disciple being tortured in such a brutal manner filled them with complex emotions. Their apprehension and underlying fear of Lin Zhu deepened even further. This boy… truly cannot be easily provoked.

Lin Zhu seemed oblivious to the tragic state of the White Lotus Child, his gaze sweeping over the Western Heaven camp.

He noticed that Amitabha Buddha, who sat on the lotus throne, had his gentle and calm expression frozen almost imperceptibly for a moment when the White Lotus Child's primordial spirit was "scraped." Although he quickly recovered, that fleeting abnormality did not escape Lin Zhu's eyes.

While the Buddha Tathagata, standing to the side and behind Amitabha Buddha, also wore a look of grief and solemnity on his face, Lin Zhu keenly noticed that a trace of... extremely hidden, almost exhilarating emotion seemed to flash quickly in the corner of his lowered eyes.

'As expected…' Lin Zhu sneered inwardly. Amitabha Buddha outwardly advised reconciliation, but in reality, he did not truly stop the Dragon Emperor from taking action. He might even be pleased with it, both to quell some of the Dragon Clan's anger and to use the Dragon Clan to severely punish this foolish child who had caused him such a terrible disaster.

As for Tathagata, he probably had long harbored a deep resentment towards the White Lotus Boy, who relied on his status as a disciple of a saint to boss people around, repeatedly causing trouble and damaging his prestige. Now that he saw him suffering, he was secretly delighted.

Just as the White Lotus Child's screams were fading and his illusory spirit was almost invisible, Amitabha Buddha finally spoke again.

This time, his voice was less gentle than before, and more solemn and heavy, as if he had finally been unable to bear it any longer and wanted to uphold "justice".

"Alas...forgive me, forgive me."

Amitabha Buddha murmured a Buddhist chant, his gaze lingering for a moment on the horrific body and spirit of the White Lotus Child before he looked up at the Dragon Clan, his tone solemn.

"The White Lotus Child personally murdered Ao Lie, the Third Prince of the West Sea, destroying both his body and soul. This is an indisputable fact, and his crime is unforgivable. I feel the anger of my fellow Daoists of the Dragon Clan."

He first reaffirmed the White Lotus Boy's crimes and stated his position, then abruptly changed the subject. (End of Chapter)