On the Dragon-Slaying Platform, I was executed and became Yang Jian's brother-in-law.

The Antian Conference is still ongoing, but the atmosphere has shifted from its initial cheerfulness to a somewhat subtle one.

On the surface, the immortals and Buddhas were drinking and feasting, but in reality, each of them harbored their own thoughts.

The Buddha sat serenely on a lotus throne, his appearance solemn and dignified, but deep within his eyes gleamed a shrewd and calculating light.

This Flood Dragon Demon King, Su Bai, though lacking any significant background, has still managed to cultivate to the early stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, which is truly remarkable. Judging from his bone age, he's only a little over a thousand years old; such talent is rare even across the Three Realms...

It would be a pity to kill them like this.

The Buddha pondered in his heart. Since the Investiture of the Gods, the Western Sect had been secretly accumulating power, wanting to rival the Heavenly Court.

Perhaps... this demon could be recruited as a western warrior?

Once this thought arose, the more the Buddha thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

Firstly, it would disgust the Jade Emperor. The Heavenly Court went to great lengths to capture this prisoner, and the Western Paradise rescued him with a single word—where would that leave their face?

Secondly, Su Bai's Overturning Sea Gang is said to be extremely powerful, with many of its members being dragon-like aquatic creatures. If this force could be brought into the West, it would not only strengthen their own power but also further advance the "Eight Heavenly Dragons" plan!

Didn't the Heavenly Court appoint the Four Dragon Kings of the Seas? Then the Western Regions will gather the Eight Heavenly Dragons themselves and stand against the Heavenly Court!

Who will be the true heir of the dragon race in the future is still uncertain!

While Buddha was secretly plotting his own scheme, he remained outwardly calm and composed.

Just then, Venus stepped forward.

"Your Majesty!" Venus proclaimed loudly, "Now that the demon monkey has been slain and the six sages have been beheaded, only the Flood Dragon King Su Bai remains. This old minister believes that we should seize this opportunity to publicly execute this fiend, to deter the demon races of the Three Realms and establish the prestige of our Heavenly Court!"

Upon hearing this, many celestial officials echoed his sentiments.

"Venus is absolutely right!"

"Yes! Let's make an example of them and let those monsters know that the wrath of Heaven is inviolable!"

"Your Majesty is wise and decisive!"

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly, seemingly somewhat tempted.

Indeed, publicly executing the Flood Dragon Demon King at this time would greatly enhance the prestige of the Heavenly Court.

But just as the Jade Emperor was about to issue his decree—

"Wait!"

A loud voice rang out.

All the immortals turned their gazes toward the Buddha.

The Buddha smiled slightly and clasped his hands together: "Amitabha, I cannot agree with Venus's words."

"Oh?" The Jade Emperor narrowed his eyes. "What insightful opinion does Buddha have?"

"Your Majesty, our Western Buddhist sect is guided by compassion," said the Buddha, his countenance solemn and his voice booming like a great bell. "Although the Flood Dragon Demon King Su Bai has committed a grave offense, upon closer examination, his crime is merely that he followed that monkey in causing chaos. Even the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, is currently only imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, with a chance to see the light of day again in five hundred years. This Flood Dragon Demon King's crimes are far less than the monkey's; how can he possibly meet such a fate of annihilation?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into complete silence.

Indeed, what the Buddha said makes some sense. Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, stormed the Dragon Palace, wreaked havoc in the Underworld, and stirred up trouble in the Heavenly Palace again, committing all sorts of evil deeds, yet in the end he was only imprisoned under a mountain for five hundred years. In comparison, although the Flood Dragon Demon King also joined in the chaos, in terms of sheer mischief, he was far less troublesome.

Executing the Flood Dragon King directly would make the Heavenly Court's sentencing seem unfair.

But the Jade Emperor's expression was not very pleasant.

He certainly understood what Buddha was planning—the Western Sect wanted to kidnap people!

"Buddha is merciful, I am naturally aware," the Jade Emperor said calmly. "But Buddha seems to have forgotten that this Flood Dragon King is not simply causing trouble alongside the Monkey King. His Overturning Sea Gang has been stirring up trouble across the four seas for years, slaughtering aquatic creatures and disturbing the peace of the world. How should this debt be settled?"

"Exactly!" Venus immediately echoed, "Your Majesty is wise! This fiend has committed countless atrocities throughout the four seas, wiping out half of the aquatic creatures. His crimes are heinous! How can he be let off lightly?"

The Buddha's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled as before, saying, "Venus Taibai, you flatter me. Although the Overturning Sea Gang has made mistakes, the truth of the matter has not yet been ascertained. Your Majesty, why don't you allow this humble monk to investigate this demon's past, to see what crimes he has committed, before making a decision?"

The Jade Emperor sneered, "Is Buddha trying to exonerate this demon?"

Their words had already become somewhat impolite.

Although the rise of the West is a matter of destiny, the Heavenly Court is not made of clay! For Buddha to speak up for a demon time and again in front of the entire court—where does that leave the Heavenly Court's reputation?

The Buddha, however, remained unperturbed and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty misunderstands. This humble monk merely believes that if a crime is to be judged, the facts should be thoroughly investigated. My Buddhist master, Dipankara Buddha, knows the past and future. Why not ask Dipankara to manifest this demon's past, so that all the immortals may witness it? In this way, the demon will die knowing the truth. What does Your Majesty think?"

That was a perfectly watertight statement.

This both demonstrated their stance—to investigate the truth—and gave the Jade Emperor a way out—so that he could die knowing why.

More importantly, with Ran Deng's intervention, the Buddhist sect can seize the initiative. How Su Bai's "past" will then be determined by the Buddhist sect.

The Jade Emperor sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm: "Since Buddha insists, then so be it. Issue a decree that Erlang Shen's escort be temporarily suspended until Dipankara Buddha has investigated the truth, and then a decision will be made!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Buddha clasped his hands together, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

Over the North Sea.

Yang Jian was preparing to escort Su Bai back to the Heavenly Court when he suddenly received an imperial decree from the Jade Emperor, causing him to frown.

"Second Brother, what's wrong?" Nezha asked, leaning closer.

"The Heavenly Court has issued a decree, ordering us to postpone the escort," Yang Jian said in a deep voice. "The Buddhist sect is about to intervene."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a great light suddenly shone in the sky above the North Sea.

Golden light ripped through the clouds, and a majestic figure slowly emerged. It was an ancient Buddha dressed in a kasaya, holding a glass lamp, and exuding an aura of profound mystery.

"Dipankara Buddha!" ​​The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas bowed in unison.

The ancient Buddha Dipankara nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the bound Su Bai: "This humble monk has come by the Buddha's decree to investigate this demon's past."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it, causing the glass lamp to shine brightly.

In an instant, time reversed, and years turned back!

Images coalesced in the sky above the North Sea, representing Su Bai's past experiences, which were about to be revealed one by one!

Seeing this scene, Su Bai thought to himself, "They're here."

The scene slowly unfolds.

It was a secluded mountain forest, with ancient trees reaching for the sky and a pervasive miasma.

An inconspicuous little snake was coiled on a blue stone. It was entirely bluish-black and only about three feet long, completely unremarkable in this deep mountain forest.

But this little snake was doing something quite different—it was absorbing the essence of the sun and moon!

As dawn breaks, the little snake raises its head, opens its mouth, and faces the rising sun. It swallows strands of golden light, and its body faintly glows with a spiritual light.

When the moon rises, the little snake will repeat its old trick, swallowing and spitting out moonlight.

Day after day, year after year.

Gradually, the snake's aura grew stronger and stronger, and its size slowly increased.

Inside the Lingxiao Palace, the immortals watched this scene and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"This...is just a normal demonic snake cultivating, right?"

"It doesn't seem particularly special; absorbing the essence of the sun and moon is the most basic cultivation method of the demon race."

"However, to cultivate from such a weak state all the way to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, that kind of perseverance is truly rare."

The God of War stroked his beard and said, "Although this demon is of humble origin, he has been able to persist in cultivating for hundreds of years without wavering. Such a character is rare even in the Three Realms."

The Buddha's face revealed a compassionate expression: "Amitabha, all you immortals, do you see? All things are born to do good! This little snake was so weak at first, yet it neither stole nor robbed; it simply cultivated honestly. It seems this demon was not inherently evil; it merely took a wrong step and went astray. Its sins do not warrant death. Let it be guided by Buddhism to return to the righteous path—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Hmph!" Venus snorted coldly, "Buddha, you are mistaken! This demon may not have been inherently evil at first, but it later stirred up trouble throughout the world, disrupted order, and committed heinous crimes! The order of heaven and earth cannot be disrupted; this demon should be reduced to ashes as a warning to others!"

The immortals then engaged in another debate.

But the video continues regardless.

As time went by, the little snake in the picture grew stronger and stronger.

Finally, one day, its body began to undergo an astonishing transformation—it became a python!

Its body swelled up, its scales became harder, and its eyes gained a spiritual light.

Many years later, the python transformed into a boa constrictor!

Its body had grown to over ten zhang in length and as thick as a water vat, its spiritual energy surging. Such cultivation was already considered to have achieved some success.

However, the giant python in the video appears somewhat restless. It wanders through the forest, seemingly searching for something.

Seeing this, Venus slowly spoke, "Everyone, for this giant python to transform into a dragon, it needs the right time and place. It needs to find a place abundant with moisture, the banks of a great river, so that it can use the spiritual energy of water to complete its transformation!"

"Indeed," Wuqu Xingjun interjected, "The snake transforms into a python, the python into a serpent, and the serpent into a dragon—this is the orthodox path of cultivation for aquatic creatures. Only after transforming into a dragon, if given the right opportunity, can one ride the dragon into the sea and ultimately become a dragon!"

The immortals nodded in agreement, their gazes returning to the screen.

In the scene, the giant python swam for a long time before finally finding a suitable place—a magnificent river!

The river flows swiftly, and the air is filled with mist; it is indeed an ideal place for dragons to transform!

The giant python was overjoyed and immediately took up residence by the riverbank, beginning a new period of cultivation.

But at this very moment—

Nezha suddenly froze, his eyes widening: "Wait, this place... why does it look so familiar?"

He stared intently at the great river in the picture, looking at its unique terrain and landforms, and the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.

Even Yang Jian, whose face was usually as cold as ice, showed a rare look of shock.

He stared intently at the screen, his voice filled with disbelief: "This...Guanjiang Estuary?!"