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

On Mount Ling, at the center of a karmic storm powerful enough to destroy the heavens and the earth, Su Bai was originally mobilizing all the laws of time to prepare to meet the Buddha's thunderous attack, or rather, to use this attack as cover to execute the "golden cicada shedding its shell" plan that he had rehearsed countless times.

After all, they've taken all the profits and put on their act; if they don't run now, when will they?

However, at that critical moment, a familiar aura that made his soul tremble suddenly came from behind without warning.

That was neither the power of karma in Buddhism nor the killing power of the Geng metal in the Jie Sect, but a power as warm and smooth as jade, yet with an extreme degree of obsession... the power of creation and vitality!

"The Lotus Lantern?!"

Su Bai's heart skipped a beat. He was all too familiar with this power; it was Yang Chan's natal magic weapon, a primordial spiritual treasure bestowed upon her by the goddess Nuwa.

But at this moment, the aura emanating from this lamp is no longer the warm protection of the past, but a suffocating chill and confinement.

He turned his head sharply, his gaze piercing through the boundless Buddhist light and threads of cause and effect, looking towards the deepest part of the crowd.

There, Yang Chan, who should have been on the viewing platform, had somehow concealed herself and appeared at the edge of the battlefield.

Her grey robe fluttered in the strong wind, and she held the pale blue lotus lantern aloft in her hand.

Eyes facing each other.

Su Bai's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared incredulously at the familiar woman.

At this moment, Yang Chan was no longer the gentle and charming woman she usually was. Her beautiful face was covered with glistening tears, but beneath the tears, a maniacal smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

That look sent chills down Su Bai's spine.

It was a complex look in his eyes, a mixture of love, possessiveness, madness, and a hint of relief.

"Chan'er? What are you doing?!"

Su Bai tried to transmit his voice, but was horrified to find that the space around him had been completely locked. The power of the Lotus Lantern had formed an absolute isolation zone around him, severing not only his connection with the primordial world, but also preventing even his divine sense from escaping.

This is... a cage designed to imprison him!

"My husband..."

Yang Chan looked at Su Bai, who was trapped in the realm of light, tears streaming down her face, yet her smile grew ever wider. Her voice, transmitted through divine sense, exploded directly into Su Bai's mind:

"Look how dangerous Mount Ling is... Buddha wants to kill you, Dipankara wants to kill you, and even those sisters who claim to love you will only put you in this desperate situation."

"They can't protect you, my husband; they'll only harm you."

A feeling of utter absurdity welled up in Su Bai's heart.

What the hell is going on here?

I was about to successfully escape when my own wife betrayed me?

"Stop fooling around! Stop using your powers! This is no time for jokes!" Su Bai was anxious. If he were to be struck by Tathagata's palm, coupled with the restraint of the Lotus Lantern, he would be severely injured even if he didn't die.

However, Yang Chan seemed not to hear him at all, or rather, she was immersed in her own world.

"My husband, don't be afraid."

Yang Chan's voice was so gentle it sent chills down your spine. "Once you 'die,' it will all be over. Buddha will no longer hunt you down, and the Queen Mother of the West and the others will give up... Then no one in this world can separate us anymore."

"Death?" Su Bai was taken aback.

The next moment, the Lotus Lantern in Yang Chan's hand shone brightly, and the dark blue flame instantly transformed into a pillar of light that reached the heavens and the earth, directly blasting towards the location where Su Bai was.

"My husband, now... you are 'dead'."

Yang Chan murmured softly, as if declaring a settled fact, "Come back to Peach Blossom Spring with me. There, it's just us, no strife, no scheming, only... eternity."

"Buzz—!!!"

As her words fell, the void above Mount Ling suddenly cracked open, revealing an entrance that led not to any part of the primordial world, but to an independent small world.

The entrance was filled with the fragrance of birdsong and flowers; it was the Peach Blossom Paradise that Yang Chan had painstakingly refined over countless days and nights!

An irresistible and terrifying suction force erupted from the entrance, instantly enveloping Su Bai.

This suction force was so strong that it even surpassed the Buddha's palm-sized Buddha Kingdom, because it was not targeting Su Bai's physical body, but rather his causal connection with this world!

Holy crap!

Su Bai only had time to curse in his mind before he was uncontrollably pulled by the suction force and flew towards the entrance of the illusion.

From an outsider's perspective.

At this moment, Su Bai was facing the earth-shattering palm strike of the Buddha.

Just as the giant golden hand was about to fall, Su Bai's body seemed unable to withstand the terrifying pressure and began to crumble inch by inch.

But this is just an illusion!

The real Su Bai, enveloped in the eerie light of the Lotus Lantern, had been forcibly separated from this space-time and entered the entrance to the Peach Blossom Paradise.

What remained was nothing more than a shattered afterimage and a lifelike "physical body" conjured by Yang Chan using a substitute talisman.

"Not enough...not real enough..."

Deep within the void, Nuwa's avatar, who had been watching the show all along, suddenly flashed a sharp light in its eyes.

Looking at Yang Chan's near-perfect "switcheroo," a playful smile curled at the corner of her lips: "This little girl is quite ruthless; even I'm starting to look at her with new respect. However, if this is all the commotion we've seen, it probably won't escape the discerning eyes of Buddha, much less those old fogies lurking in the shadows."

"Since you want to keep a mistress hidden away, then I'll help you put on a very convincing act!"

Nuwa flicked her fingertips, and a silent, seven-colored holy power instantly merged into the body of "Su Bai," who was about to be struck by Tathagata's giant palm.

This holy power is not for defense, but only for... destruction!

It simulated the unique fluctuations that occurred when the Great Dao of Time collapsed, and even evoked a slight resonance with the Heavenly Dao.

"Boom—!!!"

Just as the Buddha's giant palm struck that afterimage.

What was originally just a substitute talisman's physical form, under the blessing of Nuwa's divine power, instantly unleashed a terrifying force comparable to the self-destruction of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

"Snap!"

A crisp, shattering sound, so clear it made everyone's heart stop, resounded throughout the three realms.

That wasn't the sound of bones breaking; it was the sound of the Great Dao collapsing!

In everyone's perception, the vast and surging river of time that originally surrounded Su Bai was suddenly severed by an invisible hand.

Time has stopped flowing!

"Waaah—"

Immediately afterwards, a heart-wrenching wail echoed from the void.

That was the lament of the Great Dao, the farewell of the laws of time to their controller.

Blood rained down in torrents.

Every drop of rain carries a golden divine quality, falling on the scorched earth of Lingshan with a hissing sound, as if heaven and earth are weeping for it.

"this……"

On the high platform, the Buddha, who was originally preparing to deliver the final blow, was now completely dumbfounded.

He remained in that downward-slapping posture, staring blankly at the rain of blood and shattered fragments of laws below, his mind buzzing.

"Dead...dead?"

Buddha subconsciously glanced at his own palm.

Was my palm strike... really that powerful?

Although he was at the peak of Quasi-Saint and he used the resources of Mount Ling, Su Bai was, after all, a being who controlled the Great Dao of Time. Even if he couldn't win, he could still run away, right?

How could it... be shattered with a single palm strike?

Not even a crumb was left?

"Could it be that this kid was too deeply corrupted before, and his foundation was actually destroyed long ago? Is that why he's so easily defeated?"

The Buddha was filled with doubt and uncertainty, but then a surge of joy welled up in his heart.

Regardless of the process, the result was... Su Bai died!

That troublesome entity that caused so much headaches for the Western religions, that potential scourge that could destroy Mount Ling, was just now killed by the Buddha with a single palm strike!

Moreover, he died completely in full view of everyone, accompanied by the strange phenomenon of the Great Dao crying out and Heaven and Earth grieving!

What is this?

This is the destiny of the West!

The Buddha quickly concealed the astonishment on his face, replacing it with an unfathomable coldness and majesty.

This is the perfect time to show off; if not now, when?

"Amitabha."

The Buddha slowly withdrew his palm, his gaze sweeping across the entire assembly. His voice was loud and cold, as if pronouncing the fate of an ant: "Defying Heaven and blaspheming Buddhism, this calamity is your due!"

"Although Su Bai has accumulated merit in his past life, he remains obstinate and unrepentant in this life, disrupting my sacred mountain and ruining my karma. Today, I will act on behalf of Heaven and send him to his demise!"

These words were spoken with such conviction and righteous indignation.

Both sides, who were still fighting, were stunned by this sudden turn of events.

The women of the Jie Sect watched the dissipating blood light, each one utterly distraught, as if the sky had collapsed.

Meanwhile, the Buddhas of the West were greatly encouraged, and their eyes were filled with worship when they looked at Tathagata.

The World Honored One is mighty! The World Honored One is awesome! He killed the reincarnation of the ancient ancestral witch with a single palm strike. This achievement is enough to boast about for several eons!

However, Nuwa, hiding in the shadows, couldn't help but roll her eyes at Tathagata's smug expression.

"This fat guy really knows how to take advantage of a situation."

Qing Shen sneered inwardly, "If it weren't for my help, you probably wouldn't have even been able to touch Su Bai's clothes with that palm strike."

However, since the play has come this far, it needs to be even more realistic.

It's not enough for Tathagata to believe alone; those old guys hiding in the chaos and outside the Thirty-Three Heavens also need to believe.

Especially that Sage Taiqing, whose divination skills are unparalleled in the primordial world. If he could see through the clues, this whole show would be for nothing.

"Since we're going to die, let's die a complete death."

A ruthless glint flashed in Nuwa's eyes.

She subtly formed hand seals, and the wisp of holy power lurking in the void erupted once more.

"Splash—"

The already torrential rain of blood now poured down like a celestial river overflowing its banks, relentlessly scouring every inch of Ling Mountain.

The mournful cry of the river of time in the void grew even more piercing and desperate, like the final lament of a subject who had lost his king.

Even above Mount Ling, a huge phantom of a candle dragon faintly appeared.

That was Su Bai's previous incarnation.

The illusory image of the Candle Dragon let out a mournful cry in the air, its body shattering inch by inch, turning into countless points of light, and completely dissipating into the world.

This is now confirmed!

Even his natal dharma image collapsed; if he could still live, that would truly be a ghost!

"Dead... really dead..."

In the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor, who had been watching the show, dropped his wine cup with a clatter. He stared at the shattered phantom of the Candle Dragon in the Haotian Mirror, his face filled with regret and disbelief.

"What a pity... one of my most important generals!"

And in the Eight Views Palace.

Laozi, who was refining elixirs, paused slightly, his palm-leaf fan still in his hand. He looked up at the west, and a hint of surprise flashed in his usually calm eyes.

"The river of time has ceased to flow, the Dharma form of the Candle Dragon has collapsed... The Great Dao mourns, and Heaven and Earth grieve together."

Laozi calculated with his fingers, his brows furrowed slightly, then slowly relaxed. "It seems he has truly perished."

"Although it was somewhat abrupt, it was also reasonable. After all, it was a full-scale suppression by the entire sect, and it was on Mount Ling's home turf... Tathagata's palm strike was indeed quite skillful."

Laozi sighed and continued fanning himself with his palm-leaf fan. "So be it, it's better that he's dead. With this variable gone, the Journey to the West can return to its proper course. It's just a pity about that share of the Great Dao of Time..."

With Laozi's sigh, the fact that Su Bai had "fallen" was finally put to rest.

Throughout the entire prehistoric world, apart from the instigator Yang Chan and the Nuwa incarnation who loved watching the drama unfold, no one else knew that the Emperor Su Bai, who had "died" so spectacularly, was now lying in a gentle paradise full of peach blossoms, completely bewildered.

"My husband, you're dead!"

In the illusion, Yang Chan put away the Lotus Lantern and looked at Su Bai, who had fallen into the peach blossom bushes, with that heartbreaking yet unsettling smile on her face.

From this day forward, you belong only to me.