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

The Crystal Palace in Beihai is dazzling with light and color, and its corals are like a forest.

Su Bai's earth-shattering statement, "Whoever conquers the West will become a saint," still resonated, shaking the powerful beings of the Three Realms to their core. Beside him, the Third Holy Mother Yang Chan, who had always been seen as gentle, refined, and even somewhat love-struck, now shone with a light in her eyes that was more dazzling and… breathtaking than any of the palace's treasures.

She stared intently at Su Bai, her gaze no longer one of simple adoration, but one of burning passion and ambition, as if she had seen a rare treasure and the supreme path.

"My husband."

Yang Chan's voice was soft, yet carried a resolute force: "Since the West is without a master, and since occupying the West can lead to the great flourishing of karma, and even the attainment of sainthood... then why can't that person be you?"

Su Bai paused slightly as he picked up his wine glass, looking at Yang Chan with some surprise.

Yang Chan did not stop. She stood up, and her magnificent palace dress swayed with her movements, revealing a rare imperial demeanor.

"My husband, look, although the situation is chaotic, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you."

She extended her slender, jade-like fingers and began to calculate, "In terms of combat strength, you have now reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and possess the Precious Lotus Lantern. Even against a Quasi-Saint, you have the power to fight. In terms of background, you have the Golden Spirit Mother, your master who is Doumu Yuanjun, and the Three Immortal Maidens who are deeply devoted to you. As long as you raise your voice, the remaining forces of the Jie Sect will surely swarm to you!"

"Moreover..." Yang Chan's lips curled into a meaningful, cold smile, "Back when the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation was broken, how many senior brothers and sisters of the Jie Sect were forcibly converted by those two from the West? They were kidnapped in sacks! Once they arrived in the West, they either became mounts or were forced to practice Zen meditation. How could they not harbor resentment? If there were an opportunity for them to rebel against the West and rebuild their lineage, these people would be our most solid inside agents!"

As Su Bai watched Yang Chan speak eloquently, a strange feeling welled up inside him. Was this still the same innocent girl who had cried in his arms, pouring out her heart, only wanting to stay with him forever?

He shook his head with a wry smile, downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, and sighed, "Chan'er, you're oversimplifying things. What saint, what Lord of the West? I, Su Bai, have no interest in any of that."

Su Bai leaned back in his chair, his gaze somewhat languid: "In this life, I've died once and lived several lifetimes. What's the point of all this fighting? I just want to protect you, protect this little corner of the world. If the monkey can come out, we can all gather together again for drinks and laughter, and that will be enough. Going to that poor, remote place in the West to become a religious leader? That's just asking for trouble."

"Shall we share a drink and have some fun?"

Yang Chan whirled around, her skirt tracing a sharp arc. She looked at Su Bai, a hint of exasperated frustration flashing in her eyes. "Husband, if you only want to live a life of seclusion, then you'll probably never get to drink this wine!"

"You want to save that monkey? You want him to stop being a puppet? Then tell me, without shaking the foundations of the West and destroying the lineage of Mount Ling, will Buddha release him? Will those two reclusive sages agree?"

Su Bai fell silent. He knew Yang Chan was right, and that was what frustrated him the most.

Yang Chan walked up to Su Bai, placing her hands on the table. Her stunningly beautiful face drew close to Su Bai, her aura imposing: "You say the rise of the West was a scheme by Laozi and Buddhism to share the merit. But in this primordial world, there are more than three sages! And on this chessboard, there are more than two hands holding the pieces!"

Her eyes gleamed with a sharp light, her thinking astoundingly meticulous: "The Sage Taiqing wanted to use the West to divide the fortunes, but he forgot that this not only threatened Buddhism's interests but also disrupted the balance among the sages! Would Goddess Nuwa sit idly by? Would the Primordial Lord of Heaven willingly watch Laozi dominate?"

"They won't!"

Yang Chan's voice was firm and powerful, "Therefore, the muddier the water, the better! And what we need to do is become the 'game-changer' that everyone can accept, or even have to accept!"

At this point, Yang Chan took a deep breath, a smile of extreme confidence appearing on her face:

"My husband, you feel awkward about your identity—you're a demon, a remnant of the Jie Sect. But in my eyes, that's precisely your greatest advantage!"

"First of all, I am your Daoist partner, and behind me stands the Nuwa Palace, the Goddess Nuwa! As long as I return to the palace and inform my teacher, given her protective nature, coupled with this excellent show that can disrupt Laozi's plans, she will definitely secretly support me! This is the first layer of a sage's endorsement!"

"Secondly, my second elder brother, Yang Jian, is the leading figure among the third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect and the most favored disciple of the Jade Void Palace. Although the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect have old grudges, in dealing with the West, the interests of Yuanshi Tianzun and us are aligned! If we recommend a pure Jie Sect disciple, Yuanshi Tianzun might not agree, but if we recommend his 'brother-in-law,' or Yang Jian's 'family member,' the resistance will be greatly reduced!"

Yang Chan spoke with increasing ease, as if she could already see that grand future: "As for that Tongtian Sage of the Jie Sect, he would naturally be even more pleased. In this way, apart from Laozi and Jieyin and Zhunti, we would have the opportunity to win over the remaining sage forces!"

"Leaving aside the Tongtian Sect Leader, the remaining two sects—the Nuwa Palace and the Chan Sect—need a proxy who can speak to both sides, who can check and balance the Buddhist sect, and who will not completely side with either side."

"My husband, you were born into the Jie Sect, yet you married me, and you also have such a 'love-hate' relationship with my second brother. In this Three Realms, is there anyone more suitable than you?"

Su Bai was stunned.

He never imagined that Yang Chan could analyze this complex game between sages so thoroughly, and even find the key to breaking the deadlock in the seemingly hopeless political relationship.

"But Chan'er, this is, after all, a game against a sage. A slight misstep could lead to utter destruction..." Su Bai was still hesitating.

"So what?!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Yang Chan's eyes. A flash of light appeared in her hand, and a simple, ancient-looking lotus lantern radiating seven-colored divine light emerged. "With this lantern in hand, and with our combined cultivation, even if our plan fails, can't we at least escape unscathed? At worst, we'll hide in Nuwa's Palace. I refuse to believe anyone would dare to come to the Sage's Dojo to capture us!"

"My lord, this sacred throne is right before us. For the sake of the monkey, for our future, and so we no longer have to be beholden to those gods and Buddhas... what harm is there in fighting for it?!"

……

At this very moment, outside the water mirror image that Laozi was divulging, the entire Three Realms were plunged into an eerie silence.

In the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor's mouth gaped open. He was about to drink tea when he froze in mid-air, completely unaware that tea had spilled all over him.

Taibai Jinxing's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His whisk fell to the ground, and he muttered to himself, "Is this...is this still the Third Holy Mother? Is this still Yang Chan, who only knew how to yearn for the mortal world and descend to it, crying and wailing?"

The immortals exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts filled with turmoil.

In their minds, Yang Chan was a typical "innocent girl." She had a tragic past and was well protected by Yang Jian. Although kind, she always gave the impression of being weak, easily bullied, and naive. Even when she later used the Lotus Lantern, everyone assumed it was out of love turned to hate, a momentary impulse.

But now?

Look at what she's saying in the video!

From the strategic maneuvering of sages to the balancing of power, from cultivating insiders to finding a patron, every step was meticulously calculated, every word hitting the nail on the head. This is no innocent flower; she is clearly a thorny black lotus, a cunning and ambitious woman deeply versed in the ways of power!

"Tsk tsk tsk, you really can't judge a book by its cover."

Nezha, standing beside Yang Jian, couldn't help but click his tongue, nudged Yang Jian's arm, and muttered softly, "Second Brother, how come I never noticed before that Third Sister was so cunning? Her schemes are so elaborate, even I, an outsider, am chilled to the bone. It seems she hadn't encountered any trouble before; now that she has, she's even more ruthless than you!"

Yang Jian's expression at this moment was extremely complex.

Looking at his sister in the picture, so spirited and commanding, he felt both a sense of unfamiliarity and a strange...gratification.

"Perhaps, this is the true lineage of the Yang family."

Yang Jian sighed inwardly. His mother, Yao Ji, was the Goddess of War in Heaven, a woman of strong emotions, capable of both love and hate; he, Yang Jian, had also split mountains to save his mother, obeying orders but not summons. His sister, sharing the same blood, how could she truly be a weak woman easily manipulated?

However, using such cunning to scheme against a sage is truly audacious.

Meanwhile, on the Western Vulture Peak, the Buddha's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

He originally thought Su Bai was the biggest variable, but he didn't expect that Yang Chan, whom they had always overlooked, was also a ruthless character!

If she were to actually carry out this plan, going to the Nuwa Palace to seek reinforcements, joining forces with the Chan Sect, and then turning the old members of the Jie Sect against each other... then the West would probably really face an unprecedented catastrophe!

"Amitabha."

Guanyin Bodhisattva lowered her brows, her voice carrying a hint of barely concealed apprehension, "Everyone knows that Erlang Shen is both wise and brave, but few know that this Third Holy Mother is also so unassuming. These two siblings, plus that Su Bai... this situation is difficult to resolve."

As the immortals and gods gazed at the woman in the scene, her eyes resolute, who was steadily guiding Su Bai toward the throne of sainthood, the same thought simultaneously arose in their minds:

I never expected you to be like this, Yang Chan!