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

The netherworld, deep within the six realms of reincarnation.

Empress Pingxin sat cross-legged in the void, holding a crystal-clear soul jade in her hands. The Daoist energy of reincarnation flowed around her as she carefully nurtured the faint remnant soul within it.

Over the past century, she has devoted herself to this cause, never daring to slacken in the slightest.

Perhaps it was because the Eight Treasures Merit Pool water was truly miraculous, or perhaps it was because Su Bai's "efforts" on Mount Ling had finally yielded results. Today, a faint ripple appeared in the long-silent Soul Jade.

"elder sister……"

A faint divine thought, tinged with confusion and weakness, resounded in the sea of ​​consciousness of Lady Pingxin.

Pingxin's body trembled slightly. The sage who was usually unfazed even when Mount Tai collapsed in front of him was now at a loss, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"Sister Xuanming, you're awake?"

Within the Soul Jade, an extremely ethereal figure slowly coalesced—it was Xuan Ming. Although it was still just a wisp of remnant soul, it had become considerably more solid than before, when it could dissipate at any moment.

Xuanming's memory seemed to be stuck at the moment when the Frost Realm's lightning tribulation descended. She looked around blankly until she felt the familiar aura on Pingxin's body. Only then did the wariness in her eyes slowly dissipate, replaced by disbelief.

"Houtu... little sister?" Xuanming's voice trembled slightly. "Are we... back in the primordial world? That tribulation lightning..."

"It was my brother," Pingxin said softly, her voice choked with emotion. "It was my brother who, despite his serious injuries, severed your ties with the Frost Realm and brought you back."

Xuanming remained silent for a long time, seemingly processing this information.

Seeing this, Pingxin recounted everything that had happened over the years to Xuanming. From the various changes after the Lich War, to how Su Bai was reincarnated, how he found her in the vast Three Thousand Minor Worlds, and how he defied the Heavenly Dao to save her…

Xuanming listened quietly. Although it was only a remnant soul, the cold fluctuations within it already contained a raging storm.

"That fool..." Xuanming murmured softly, his tone revealing undisguised tenderness and heartache. "He's always been like this, doing whatever he wants without considering the consequences."

Suddenly, Xuanming seemed to sense something, and his expression changed slightly: "Little sister, I feel... a pure power of merit is continuously flowing into my source. What's going on? Also, brother's aura... why is it so entangled with that Western Buddhist sect?"

Pingxin looked somewhat strange and pointed to the west: "He is on Mount Ling."

"Mount Ling?!" Xuanming's remnant soul fluctuated violently, clearly panicked. "Those Jieyin and Zhunti are always shameless, and the Western Sect is a place that devours people without spitting out the bones. How could he go to such a place? No, I have to find him. I can't let him be deceived by those bald monks!"

Seeing that Xuanming was about to rush out of the Soul Jade without thinking, Pingxin quickly comforted him, "Sister, don't worry! Brother has his own plans for going to Mount Ling."

"Plot? Plot right under the noses of those two saints?" Xuanming clearly didn't believe it. "He hasn't even recovered to his peak yet, how could he possibly defeat those people?"

Pingxin sighed, but a meaningful smile appeared on her lips: "Sister, don't you understand your brother? When has he ever made a losing deal? Right now... he's using the West's resources to nourish you."

Xuanming was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Pingxin peered through layers of void, her gaze seemingly fixed on the distant Mount Ling, and said in a low voice, "Those Buddhas in the West are probably going to suffer a great loss this time. Sister, just focus on your recovery. If there's real danger for my brother, then we can go and destroy Mount Ling."

Upon hearing this, Xuanming, though still worried, ultimately suppressed her impulse. She knew she was now just a remnant soul, and going there would only be a burden.

"Alright, I believe him." Xuanming fell silent again, but the light of the soul jade seemed even more resolute than before.

……

Western sacred mountain, Great Thunder Temple.

The sacred site, which was once bathed in Buddhist light and filled with the sounds of chanting, now exudes an eerie, ethereal aura.

Beside the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, Su Bai, still dressed in a plain white monk's robe, sat cross-legged under the Bodhi tree. His eyes were slightly closed, his appearance solemn and dignified, surrounded by Buddhist light, and behind his head, a golden wheel of merit seemed to be slowly turning.

If an outsider were to see this, they would surely exclaim in admiration: What an enlightened monk! What a compassionate countenance!

However, only Su Bai himself knew that he was not practicing Buddhism at all, but was clearly "taking advantage of the situation".

The water in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool was slowly decreasing at a visible rate, transforming into pure merit power, which was continuously transported into the Soul Jade in the Underworld along with the laws of time within his body.

"The Western Sect has accumulated so much wealth over the years, it's really impressive." Su Bai thought to himself with satisfaction. "Xuanming's remnant soul has been stabilized. If she absorbs it for a few more days, it might even be able to help her reshape a primordial Dao body."

Deep within the Great Thunderclap Temple, however, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy, even tinged with a sense of... weariness.

Three thousand Arhats sat cross-legged on both sides of the main hall, each with sunken eyes and a sallow complexion. They struck the wooden fish in their hands weakly, as if they hadn't had a good night's sleep in hundreds of years.

The 108 Bodhisattvas were in no better shape. Their usually dignified faces were now adorned with persistent dark circles under their eyes, and even the halo above their heads seemed dimmed.

These days, they've gone to great lengths to convert Su Bai.

The Buddha gave a direct order: at all costs, he must pour his own Buddhist power into the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, ensuring that the pool remains full at all times, so as to cleanse Su Bai's soul with the supreme merit of Buddhism and help him convert to Buddhism as soon as possible.

At first, everyone was full of enthusiasm. After all, converting an ancient great being would be an immeasurable act of merit, and if successful, the great prosperity of the West would be just around the corner.

But who would have thought that this was a bottomless pit!

Whatever they pour in, the pool swallows it all without a sound.

This isn't about saving people; it's about filling a bottomless pit with soil!

Finally, someone couldn't sit still any longer.

The future Buddha Maitreya, with huge dark circles under his eyes and a bulging, already emaciated belly, panted as he found Dipankara Buddha.

"Brother Dipankara..." Maitreya Buddha said weakly, "This life... is unbearable."

Dipankara Buddha, who was sitting in a daze before a withered lamp, didn't even lift his eyelids upon hearing this, his voice hoarse like a broken gong: "Brother Maitreya, be careful what you say. This is for the sake of the great prosperity of my West..."

"Great Prosperity my ass!" Maitreya Buddha couldn't help but curse. His usual cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a face full of resentment. "If he keeps sucking like this, forget about Great Prosperity, even I, the future Buddha, will perish! Senior brother, look around Mount Ling, who still looks human? Even the Eight Heavenly Dragons are so hungry they're gnawing on pillars!"

Dipankara Buddha remained silent for a moment before slowly raising his head, revealing a similarly haggard face.

"Junior brother means..."

"This must be a conspiracy by Tathagata!" A glint of light flashed in Maitreya Buddha's eyes. "Even if that Emperor has an extraordinary background, he's only a Great Luo Golden Immortal now, not even a Quasi-Saint. With so many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas pouring their Buddhist power into us day and night, let alone a Great Luo Golden Immortal, even ten Quasi-Saints would be bursting! But what about that pool? Not even a ripple!"

Maitreya Buddha grew increasingly agitated, spittle flying from his lips: "In my view, this is clearly Tathagata using the guise of converting the Emperor to secretly weaken the strength of both our factions! He wants to seize control of Mount Sumeru and eliminate dissidents!"

A glint of light flashed in the turbid eyes of the Dipankara Buddha, clearly indicating that he had been persuaded.

"Junior Brother is right." Randeng slowly stood up, his prayer beads creaking in his hands. "Let's go find Tathagata and get some answers! If he can't give a reasonable explanation, things are going to get interesting on Mount Sumeru today!"

The two hit it off immediately and gathered a group of equally resentful Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, who marched in a mighty force toward the Mahavira Hall.

Inside the main hall, the Buddha sits serenely on a nine-tiered golden lotus.

However, the Buddha's image, which used to be radiant with golden light and awe-inspiring throughout the three realms, now appears somewhat... ethereal.

"Buddha!"

Maitreya Buddha stepped into the main hall, not even bothering to chant his Buddhist mantra, and went straight to the point: "Today you must give us an explanation! What exactly happened to the Eight Treasures Merit Pool? Where has all the Buddhist power we painstakingly cultivated gone?!"

Dipankara Buddha followed closely behind, saying in a sinister tone, "World Honored One, monks do not lie. Could it be that the World Honored One intends to use this opportunity to settle scores with us, the lineage of past and future Buddhas?"

Faced with their questions, the Buddha slowly opened his eyes.

However, when Maitreya and Dipankara saw the Buddha clearly, they were both stunned, and swallowed back the questions that were on the tip of their tongues.

The Buddha, who was once so high and mighty, was now pale and listless. His once full and rounded golden body had visibly thinned out.

What's even more outrageous is that the dark circles under their eyes are three times heavier than theirs!

"This..." Maitreya Buddha gaped, pointing at Tathagata, and stammered, "My Buddha...you...you're also weak?!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

The Buddhas, who had originally come with great momentum to demand an explanation, looked at the Buddha who seemed to have been hollowed out, and exchanged bewildered glances. Their conspiracy theories vanished instantly.

The Buddha looks even worse off than them!

If this is an act, then the acting skills are just too good!

"Amitabha..." The Buddha sighed deeply, his voice filled with a profound weariness. "Venerable ones, you have arrived."

Maitreya Buddha scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "Um... Venerable One, what is this...?"

"I... am also finding it a bit too much." Buddha gave a wry smile, and without putting on airs, he directly admitted, "That Emperor... is indeed somewhat strange."

Dipankara Buddha frowned and said, "World Honored One, something is not right. Although that Emperor was strong in his previous life, his current cultivation level is what it is. How could he absorb such a massive amount of merit power? This is simply illogical."

The Buddha nodded: "I have also noticed this. These past few days, I have personally injected my primordial Buddhist power into the pool, but it has been like a clay ox sinking into the sea. This indicates... that he is not absorbing it, but rather..."

"Transfer?" Maitreya Buddha exclaimed in surprise. "He's using my Western resources to support someone else?!"

Upon hearing this, all the Buddhas were astonished.

Using Westerners' hard-earned money to support a mistress? That's just too immoral!

"Investigate! A thorough investigation is necessary!" The Ancient Buddha Dipankara roared, his beard trembling with rage. "If I find out who he's keeping, I'll tear them to pieces!"

Buddha waved his hand, his expression grave: "We can't find anything. Since he dared to do this, he must have made thorough preparations. Moreover... the hundred-year period is almost here."

Then the Buddhas remembered that there were only three days left until the agreed-upon period of a hundred-year retreat.

"Then... what do we do now?" Maitreya Buddha asked, somewhat unwilling. "Are we just going to let him absorb it for a hundred years for nothing, and then just walk away?"

"Impossible!" A ruthless glint flashed in Buddha's eyes. "Those who have taken from the West must give back! Since we cannot convert his heart, then we will imprison him!"

The Buddha surveyed the assembled Buddhas and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, things have come to this point; we have no way out. If we let him leave like this, our Western Sect will lose face and become a laughingstock throughout the Three Realms!"

"So, what does the Buddha mean...?"

The Buddha took a deep breath, as if he had made a certain decision.

"Since conventional methods fail to convert them, then we shall resort to the rules of Heaven!"

"By my decree, three days from now, when the hundred-year period has expired, regardless of whether he is willing to convert, directly proclaim to the Heavenly Dao and forcibly confer upon him the title of 'Victorious Fighting Buddha' (tentative title, or other high-ranking position) of our Buddhist sect!"

Maitreya Buddha was greatly alarmed: "Forcibly bestowing Buddhahood? This... can Heaven accept it?"

"He has received the merits and offerings of my Western Paradise for a hundred years; he cannot deny this karmic connection!" Buddha sneered. "Once he attains Buddhahood, he will be a Western Buddha recognized by Heaven. At that time, our destinies will be intertwined, and our karma will be bound together. Even if he runs to the ends of the earth, he will still be a person of my Western Paradise!"

This was the Buddha's calculation.

Since the soft approach isn't working, let's try the hard approach.

This is a classic example of the "sunk cost" mentality. Having invested so much, stopping now would mean a huge loss, so they have no choice but to grit their teeth and keep betting until they have completely tied their opponent to their side.

"The World Honored One is wise!" Dipankara Buddha's eyes flashed with brilliance. "In this way, even if he is unwilling, he will have no choice but to serve my Western Paradise in order to repay this enormous karmic debt."

The Buddhas all nodded, though they were all extremely weak, but the thought of keeping that hateful guy completely at Mount Ling gave them a glimmer of hope.

"That's what we'll do!"

With a wave of his hand, though his voice was still somewhat weak, his tone was unwavering and resolute: "Prepare for the grand ceremony of bestowing Buddhahood! This time, I will let the Three Realms know that once you enter my Vulture Peak, you can forget about leaving!"

However, the Buddhas, engrossed in their calculations, failed to notice that a hint of unease flickered deep within the Tathagata's seemingly resolute eyes.

Will Su Bai really be so obedient as to let them manipulate him?

What exactly is hidden beneath that bottomless pool of merit?

Buddha shook his head, forcibly suppressing that trace of unease.

The arrow is on the string, and it must be released.

Even if it's a losing proposition, we have to go all in this round!