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

The smiles on the faces of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas, who had been watching Laozi make a fool of himself, gradually froze.

Instead, there was a kind of anger at being played to one's face.

"Shameless! Utterly shameless!"

"Buddha couldn't help but curse, 'Has this Laozi (Taishang Laojun) had no shame at all?!'"

"When the Rakshasa clan was wiped out, our Western forces were about to intervene to save them, but Laozi beat us to it and took away their only young daughter?"

"That's not all, he even adopted her as his goddaughter and taught her skills?"

"What is this?" Buddha sneered. "This is interception! This is trying to sow discord between the West and China!"

Upon hearing this, all the Buddhas realized what was happening.

"That's right! The Rakshasa clan has always had ties with the West!"

"Laojun is trying to steal our people!"

"Shameless! Utterly shameless!"

Maitreya Buddha angrily retorted, "That old Taoist priest Laozi is truly shameless!"

"The green ox at home will one day descend to the mortal realm to become a demon king and share in the merits of the Journey to the West."

"The two attendants, Golden Horn and Silver Horn, also want to descend to the mortal realm to become monsters, and thus share in the merit."

"That's not all, they even took in a Rakshasa woman as their goddaughter?"

"Furthermore, Rakshasa Girl will later marry the Bull Demon King and give birth to Red Boy!"

"His entire family were people arranged by Laozi!"

"Are you trying to turn our Buddhist pilgrimage route into your humanistic sect's backyard?"

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva also angrily retorted, "The key point is that the Rakshasa clan is of Western blood!"

"Laojun is blatantly poaching our talent!"

"And they're doing it under the guise of saving an orphan—it's utterly hypocritical!"

The Medicine Buddha gritted his teeth and said, "Laojun's actions are clearly intended to sow discord between us and the Western Paradise!"

"On the one hand, they intercepted our people from the West, and on the other hand, they planted so many pawns in the Journey to the West."

"They're trying to make a fool of us Westerners!"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was also quite angry: "Buddha, we can't just let this go!"

"Laojun is going too far!"

The Buddha narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Too much? It's more than just too much!"

"I now understand completely."

"On the surface, Laozi is investigating the evil dragon's background, but in reality, he is demonstrating his power to the West!"

"He's telling us: although the Journey to the West tribulation brought great prosperity to our West, the Human Sect also wants a share!"

"And he wants the lion's share!"

The Buddha's voice grew increasingly cold: "What a fine example of Lao Tzu, and what a fine teacher he is!"

"That's a brilliant plan!"

The Buddhas all nodded, their eyes filled with anger.

In the West, the Buddhas also suddenly realized the truth and cursed Laozi for being shameless!

It's one thing to share the merit with the cows and children in the household, but to take in an adopted daughter? And she's from the Rakshasa tribe, isn't this just making trouble for the Western world?

Within the light screen, the scene continued to unfold.

Inside the Tushita Palace, Laozi sat upright on a futon, with the now-grown Iron Fan Maiden standing before him.

At this moment, the Iron Fan Girl was no longer the delicate and beautiful little girl she once was, but a graceful young woman with exquisite features and an ethereal temperament.

"Fan'er," Laozi said kindly, looking at her, "today I will impart to you my final supernatural power."

"Yes, Father." The woman with the iron fan bowed respectfully.

With a wave of his hand, Laozi sent a ball of crimson flame dancing in his palm.

"This is the Samadhi Fire, formed by fusing the fires of Heaven, Earth, and Man; its power is boundless."

"Just watch carefully."

As he spoke, Laozi began to demonstrate how to use the Samadhi Fire, explaining every detail clearly.

The Iron Fan Girl studied intently, her eyes filled with focus.

In the Jade Pool, all the immortals were astonished by this scene.

"Samadhi Fire? That's one of Laozi's signature skills!" Taibai Jinxing exclaimed in surprise.

"Laojun actually taught her even this?" The Giant Spirit God was also shocked.

Guang Chengzi frowned further: "The Samadhi Fire is extremely precious; even among the disciples of our Chan Sect, not everyone can learn it."

"Isn't Laozi being a little too indulgent with this adopted daughter?"

Zhao Gongming laughed gleefully, "Heh heh, she calls herself an adopted daughter, but I think she's more like my own daughter, isn't she?"

"Otherwise, why would they be so willing to part with it?"

Jin Ling nodded in agreement: "It is indeed a bit unusual. Laozi has always been stingy; when have we ever seen him so generous?"

Wen Zhong whispered, "Could it be... that he really is their biological son? But they just can't admit it?"

Upon hearing this, the immortals all nodded in agreement, finding the guess quite reasonable.

In the scene, the Iron Fan Woman quickly learned the Samadhi Fire, and the flames danced in her palms, which she controlled with ease.

"Not bad, this child is teachable." Laozi nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he took out a palm-sized banana leaf fan from his sleeve and handed it to the Iron Fan Woman.

"This is the Banana Leaf Fan, a treasure of heaven and earth. One fan extinguishes fire, two fans create wind, and three fans bring rain."

"Take this carefully; it will be very useful in the future."

The Iron Fan Girl took the banana leaf fan, feeling the powerful energy contained within it, and exclaimed in shock, "Father, this...this is far too precious!"

"Take it," Laozi waved his hand. "What your father gives you is yours."

This scene once again shocked all the immortals.

"The Banana Leaf Fan!" Venus's eyes widened. "That's a primordial spiritual treasure!"

"Laojun actually gave it to her directly?" The Giant Spirit God swallowed hard.

Master Yu Ding also exclaimed, "This is truly a grand gesture."

Zhao Gongming shouted even louder, "This isn't my own daughter? I don't believe it!"

"An adopted daughter gets this kind of treatment? Are you kidding me!"

Jin Ling shook her head as well: "Laojun is truly generous; he even gave away the Banana Leaf Fan."

The immortals whispered among themselves, becoming even more convinced that the Iron Fan Woman was definitely not an ordinary adopted daughter.

Laozi, in the underworld, listened to the discussions of the immortals, his forehead veins throbbing.

"Nonsense!" he couldn't help but hiss, "That is indeed my adopted daughter!"

But no one believed his explanation.

The scene continues.

After completing her training, the Iron Fan Girl bid farewell to Laozi.

"Father, your disciple has completed her training and can no longer linger in the Tushita Palace," the Iron Fan Woman said respectfully.

Lao Jun nodded: "Very well, now that you have completed your studies, it's time for you to have your own place of practice."

"I'll show you the way."

With a wave of his hand, a map appeared in the void.

"Do you know about the Flaming Mountains?" Laozi asked.

"This disciple has heard of it," the Iron Fan Woman nodded. "I've heard that the fire there is raging, leaving not a blade of grass growing, and the people are suffering terribly."

"Indeed," Laozi sighed. "Back then, that mischievous monkey wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace and overturned my Eight Trigrams Furnace."

"Several bricks from the furnace fell to earth and transformed into the Flaming Mountain, its raging flames leaving the surrounding eight hundred miles barren."

"The people are suffering terribly, and I feel ashamed as a father."

Laozi looked at the Iron Fan Woman and said earnestly, "Take the Banana Leaf Fan and go find a place near the Flaming Mountain to oversee things."

"I usually use a banana leaf fan to help people extinguish fires and bring rain, accumulating merit. This can be considered as repaying this karmic debt for my father."

"Yes, Father," the woman with the iron fan replied.

"However..." Laozi changed the subject, "Remember, don't try to put out all the fire at once."

The woman with the iron fan was taken aback: "Why?"

"Silly girl," Laozi laughed, "If you extinguish them all, where will you earn merit in the future?"

"It needs to be a long-term, steady process, understand?"

"Keep the Flaming Mountain alive, and fan it every now and then. The people will be grateful, and Heaven will bestow merit upon you."

"This is the only long-term solution."

The Iron Fan Woman suddenly understood: "Disciple understands!"

"Go," Laozi waved his hand, "cultivate diligently, and lest you tarnish your father's reputation."

"Yes, Father!" The Iron Fan Woman bid farewell to Laozi and turned to leave.

Upon hearing this conversation, the immortals in the Jade Pool had very interesting expressions.

"Good heavens!" the Giant Spirit God couldn't help but exclaim, "Has Laozi planned out all the merits in advance?"

Venus exclaimed in admiration, "Truly a sage! He has thought of even such a thing so thoroughly."

Zhao Gongming sneered: "That sounds nice, but isn't it just a way to monopolize merit points forever?"

"He really is a cunning and treacherous old fox!"

Jin Ling nodded: "Indeed, if we extinguish all the fires of Flaming Mountain at once, the merit we accumulate will be limited."

"But if you keep it, you'll earn merit every time you fan it."

"That's a clever plan."

Upon hearing these words, the Buddha's face grew even more somber at Mount Sumeru in the West.

"What a cunning Laozi!" Buddha sneered. "He even plans such things so meticulously."

"The Flaming Mountain was originally formed from the bricks of his Eight Trigrams Furnace; he should have been responsible for dealing with it."

"As a result, he shifted the blame to his adopted daughter, gained a good reputation for himself, and can accumulate merit for a long time."

"That's a brilliant plan!"

Guanyin Bodhisattva angrily retorted, "Moreover, the Flaming Mountains happen to be on the westward journey route; this is clearly an attempt to steal our merits from our pilgrimage!"

"When the pilgrims pass through on their journey to the West, they will inevitably have to borrow the Banana Leaf Fan from Iron Fan Girl; this is yet another karmic connection!"

Buddha nodded: "Indeed, Laozi's move was truly brilliant."

"On the surface, it's about having the adopted daughter do good deeds and accumulate merit, but in reality, it's about planting a hidden plan within the grand scheme of Journey to the West."

"We in the West are likely to be thoroughly outmaneuvered by him."

The Buddhas glared angrily, their teeth itching with hatred for Laozi's scheme.

In the scene, the Iron Fan Woman rides on auspicious clouds and leaves the Tushita Palace.

Following Laozi's guidance, she traveled westward and arrived near the Flaming Mountains.

Sure enough, in the distance, one could see a huge mountain with flames shooting into the sky, radiating heat waves, and barren land for hundreds of miles around.

"This is the Flaming Mountain..." the Iron Fan Girl murmured, "Father's words were true."

She searched for a suitable place to practice in the vicinity and eventually found a mountain peak next to the Flaming Mountain.

"This mountain is rich in spiritual energy and has a strategic location; it's quite a good place."

The Iron Fan Woman nodded in satisfaction and landed on the mountain peak.

"Let's call it... Cuiyun Mountain."

She looked around, already having a plan in mind.

"Establish a temple here, and use it as a foundation for future cultivation and enlightenment."

The Iron Fan Woman got busy, using magic to create a cave in the mountains.

The scene slowly zooms in, revealing the entire view of Cuiyun Mountain.

With its steep mountains and swirling clouds and mist, it is indeed a good place for spiritual practice.

And at that very moment—

The scene suddenly changed.

The camera slowly pans down from the summit of Cuiyun Mountain, through the clouds and mist, over the mountainside, and to the foot of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, there is a deep pool.

The pool was deep and the bottom was not visible.

The surface of the pool was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the sky and clouds.

suddenly--

"Boom!"

The water in the pool began to churn, as if some enormous creature was awakening underwater.

A pair of enormous eyes slowly opened at the bottom of the pool.

Those were golden dragon eyes, exuding endless majesty and vicissitudes.

Immediately afterwards, the figure of a huge dragon appeared and disappeared at the bottom of the pool.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the light screen.

At the foot of Mount Cuiyun, in a deep pool, a dragon opened its eyes!