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

The sacred Lingshan Scenic Area is somewhat unusual today.

The Great Thunder Temple, which was once shrouded in auspicious clouds and bathed in Buddhist light, was still magnificent at this moment, but the air was filled with a suffocatingly low pressure.

Today is a big day for Western religions – the "Return to Buddhism Conference".

The name is carefully chosen; it is called "Return," but in reality, it means "Gather." Who is being gathered? Naturally, it is the Su Bai Emperor, who gives headaches to the great powers of the Three Realms and whose origins are unfathomable.

Outside the main hall, the clouds were already filled with all sorts of deities.

The Western Religion sent out invitations far and wide for this grand ceremony, wishing that all beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths could witness this moment. After all, they had spent such a great deal, even emptying their coffers, to "invite" this esteemed guest into their home; if they didn't make it a grand spectacle, how could they demonstrate their power? How could they deter those still observing from the sidelines?

However, when the distinguished guests arrived one by one, the welcoming monk could hardly keep his smile on his face.

This isn't a ceremony to observe; this is clearly a funeral procession!

The Queen Mother of the West, adorned in a magnificent phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, stood alone atop a cloud, without a single attendant. She emanated a chilling aura that seemed to freeze time itself; her exquisitely beautiful face was expressionless, her gaze fixed intently on the depths of the hall, the jade hairpin in her hand nearly crushed to powder.

Not far from her, the aura of the female immortal from the Jie Sect was even more terrifying.

Golden Spirit Mother pressed her hand against the flying golden sword, her body radiating an aura of murderous intent. Had it not been for the constant restraint of the Wudang Mother beside her, she would likely have already cleaved the plaque of the Great Thunderclap Temple in two. The Three Immortal Maidens of Sanxiao also wore frosty expressions. Yunxiao was somewhat better, but she remained silent with her eyes closed, while Bixiao's Hunyuan Golden Cauldron was buzzing in her sleeve, clearly on the verge of exploding at any moment.

But the one that the Buddhas of the West fear the most is the one from the underworld.

Today, Consort Pingxin was not wearing the black imperial robes that symbolized the ruler of the underworld, but rather a simple white dress. She stood there quietly, seemingly the most serene, but the void beneath her feet was constantly twisting and collapsing. In her sleeve, she tightly clutched the Soul Jade, within which Xuanming's divine sense trembled slightly, as if sensing that familiar aura was right in front of her.

"Sister, don't worry," Pingxin reassured herself in her heart. "Since brother arranged this day, he must have his reasons."

Besides these "creditors" who are out in the open, there is an even more dangerous entity lurking in the depths of the crowd.

Yang Chan, dressed in an inconspicuous gray robe, blended in among the rogue cultivators. Her eyes were lowered, and she appeared submissive, but her right hand, hidden in her sleeve, was tightly gripping a talisman that emitted an eerie blood-red light—a top-tier substitute talisman she had drawn with her own life essence.

Her eyes were somewhat manic, and a neurotic smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

"Return to Buddhism? Heh..."

Yang Chan murmured to herself, "Entering the Buddhist order means severing worldly ties, so my beloved husband is now 'dead.' Since he's dead, I'll use this substitute talisman to help you through your tribulation and then bring you back to my Peach Blossom Paradise. That makes perfect sense, doesn't it? By then, even if you don't want to come with me, you won't have a choice..."

Inside the main hall, the bell tolled nine times.

The Buddha sat serenely on a nine-tiered golden lotus. Although his face was still somewhat pale due to a century of "overexertion," he was in excellent spirits today.

The thrill of reaping the rewards of victory made him temporarily forget his physical exhaustion.

"Summon Venerable Subai to the hall!"

As Venerable Kasyapa chanted, a figure slowly walked in through the entrance of the main hall.

Today, Su Bai did not wear his signature black robe, but instead wore a moon-white monk's robe. There were no excessive decorations, only a few elegant lotus flowers embroidered at the collar. His long hair was casually tied back, making him appear otherworldly and even... truly possessing a compassionate and merciful Buddhist nature.

But this is just appearance.

If you look closely, you can see a deep calmness hidden in his eyes, like the sea before a storm, seemingly calm but actually turbulent.

Su Bai walked slowly into the main hall, each step steady.

The three thousand Arhats on both sides had already received the decree, and the moment Su Bai stepped into the main hall, they all struck the wooden fish and began to recite the Surangama Sutra.

The chanting of Sanskrit wafted in like a tidal wave, carrying immense penetrating power and striking directly at the soul. This was the Western religion's signature technique, commonly known as "physical salvation," intended to use this overwhelming force to completely crush Su Bai's mental defenses at the final moment.

Su Bai walked to the Golden Lotus Throne, looked up at the high and mighty Buddha, and his lips curled up almost imperceptibly before he obediently knelt down on both knees.

This kneeling instantly ignited the atmosphere outside the hall.

"He knelt? He really knelt?"

On the Heavenly Court side, Taibai Jinxing's whisk trembled, losing several bristles. His face was filled with disbelief: "That man back then had such a fiery temper! He wouldn't even bow down to the heavens! And today he's kneeling before Buddha?"

The Jade Emperor sat in his dragon carriage, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

He slammed his hand on the armrest, gritting his teeth, "What a loss! A huge loss! If I had known this brat was a spineless coward, I should have listened to Laozi's predictions and forced him into rebellion! Even if he caused a ruckus in Heaven, I could have bestowed upon him the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven, which would have been better than letting the West benefit from him!"

"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words." Although the Queen Mother also felt regret, she still reminded him, "What's done is done. The Western Religion is powerful. Let's think about how to deal with it in the future."

The Jade Emperor sighed deeply, his face filled with regret: "My Dragon King of the North Sea! My powerful henchman! He's become someone else's Time Buddha... That old bastard Tathagata, he really went too far!"

Some are happy, some are sad.

On the Western Sect's side, Dipankara and Maitreya looked at Su Bai kneeling in the hall. Although they felt sorry for the century of investment, they also breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't all for nothing.

Once today is over, the Western Sect will gain a top-tier combatant, and one who wields the power of time. In the future Journey to the West calamity, and even in far more distant plans, the Western Sect will be invincible.

In the center of the hall.

The Buddha looked at Su Bai kneeling at his feet, his eyes filled with compassion and satisfaction.

"Su Bai".

The Buddha's voice was grand and majestic, echoing throughout Mount Ling: "A hundred years ago, you entered my Mount Ling, meditated under the Bodhi tree, cleansed yourself of all malevolence, and comprehended the true meaning of my Buddha. Now that the hundred-year period has ended, are you willing to lay down your butcher's knife and take refuge in my Buddha?"

Su Bai lowered his head and said calmly, "This disciple is willing."

"That's good, that's good."

The Buddha nodded, then flipped his palm, revealing three crystal-clear fruits.

It was those three Bodhi fruits that only ripen once every ten thousand years!

The moment the fruit appeared, the room was filled with fragrance, and the rich vitality and power of laws rippled in the air, attracting the attention of the surrounding Arhats and Bodhisattvas, whose eyes revealed undisguised desire.

This is a wonderful thing! Eating one can not only extend one's lifespan by ten thousand years, but also make one's enlightenment twice as effective with half the effort. It is truly a priceless treasure.

The Buddha gently pushed the Bodhi fruit in front of Su Bai and said in a deep voice, "This is the sacred Bodhi fruit, containing the supreme and wonderful Dharma of our Western Sect. I bestow it upon you today to help you stabilize your golden body and attain the fruit of 'Buddha of Time'."

At this point, Tathagata's tone suddenly became serious, and his wise eyes stared intently at Su Bai, as if trying to see through his soul.

"Su Bai, by accepting this fruit, you are accepting the karmic consequences of my Western Sect. I will ask you one last time..."

"Are you willing to swear an oath to Heaven, to enter the Buddhist order, to reside forever on Mount Ling, to protect the prosperity of Buddhism for eternity, and never to regress?!"

This problem is the final chain.

All eyes were now focused on Su Bai.

The Queen Mother of the West held her breath, her fingernails piercing her palms; the Golden Spirit Mother's hand gripping the sword bulged with veins; Yang Chan's substitute talisman was already half activated, ready to be thrown at any moment.

Inside the main hall, you could hear a pin drop.

Only the chanting of the three thousand Arhats sounded like a death knell, one chant after another.

Su Bai slowly raised his head, looking at the three Bodhi fruits in front of him that radiated an alluring glow, and then at the Buddha Tathagata, whose face was full of expectation (actually coercion).

Suddenly, he smiled.

This smile was not the compassion or submissive smile that the Buddha expected, but rather an extremely strange smile, tinged with mockery and relief.

"World Honored One, this Bodhi fruit is indeed a good thing."

Su Bai said softly, then slowly reached out and took the three Bodhi fruits in his hand.

The Buddha felt a great weight lifted from his heart and was about to read out the imperial edict.

However, the next moment——

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out, particularly jarring in the silent hall.

The Buddha's smile froze on his face.

The expressions of all the Buddhas froze.

Instead of consuming the Bodhi fruit, Su Bai suddenly exerted force with his five fingers, causing the laws of time in his palm to reverse wildly, and actually crushed the three incredibly hard sacred fruits!

"You..." Buddha's pupils suddenly contracted.

"The Buddha asked me if I wished to take refuge?"

Su Bai slowly stood up, and his originally moon-white monk's robe suddenly erupted with an extremely violent aura. It was not Buddhist light, but the purest ancestral witch's baleful energy, intertwined with the vast laws of time, instantly shattering the peaceful atmosphere created by the three thousand Arhats.

"Throughout my life, I, Su Bai, have revered Heaven and Earth, and Pangu, but I have absolutely no respect for you gods and Buddhas!"

Before he could finish speaking, Su Bai clenched his fist tightly.

Within the crushed Bodhi fruit kernel, the immense vitality and power of laws accumulated over ten thousand years were completely unleashed at this moment.

Not only that, Su Bai also simultaneously unleashed the essence of the immaculate merit water that he had suppressed for a full hundred years and which was gradually extracted from the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, as well as countless tiny fragments of laws within his body.

"boom!"

An indescribable, terrifying energy surge erupted from Su Bai's center.

The force was so strong that it even cracked the dome of the main hall, and hundreds of Arhats who were nearby were blown away.

But this power was not used to attack the Buddha, nor was it used to destroy Mount Ling.

Su Bai formed hand seals, using his body as a bow and time as the string, transforming the energy ball in his hands—a mixture of Bodhi fruit kernels, the essence of merit water, and countless fragments of laws—into an extremely dazzling stream of light.

"go!"

Su Bai let out a loud shout.

The streak of light ignored the protective array of Mount Ling and the Buddha's palm-sized kingdom, piercing directly through the void with an indomitable momentum, and shot towards the Netherworld!

That was... the catalyst for Xuanming's resurrection!

That was the last glimmer of hope that Su Bai had earned after enduring humiliation and hardship for a hundred years on Mount Ling, even if it meant bearing a bad reputation!

A streak of light pierced the sky, illuminating the entire Xiniu Hezhou and Su Bai's unruly face.

He stood in the center of the hall, his robes fluttering in the wind, staring directly at the Buddha on the high platform, whose expression had completely changed, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"Buddha, I, Su, thank you on behalf of my sister for the 'hospitality' of the past hundred years and the 'gift' of these three fruits!"

It was only at this moment that Tathagata finally realized what was happening.

What meditation, what salvation, what time Buddha...

From beginning to end, this was all a setup!

A shocking scam targeting the essence of Western religions, targeting Buddha, and even targeting the entire Buddhist community!

This guy never intended to convert; he came to Lingshan just to buy goods!

"Su Bai!!!"

The Buddha suddenly stood up, causing the nine-tiered golden lotus beneath him to tremble violently. His face, which was usually expressionless, was now filled with shock and rage.

"How dare you...play tricks on me?!"