I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

After all, the Great Ape King had helped the City God's Mansion. Zhong Jiu had always been clear about his gratitude and grudges, and there was no reason for him to ignore it. Moreover, he quite admired the monkey's frank and innocent heart, and could vaguely see the image of the monkey he longed for.

Upon realizing this, Zhong Jiu immediately communicated with the system: "Exchange for the Celestial Mirror!"

The Celestial Mirror is an ancient treasure. With just a wisp of divine soul energy, it can reveal the true nature of a target, even across oceans. The only limitation is that the target's unique divine soul energy must be recorded.

Zhong Jiu raised his hand and took out a gleaming monkey hair, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Every sip and every bite, indeed, is ordained by Heaven."

If it weren't for the previous bet, the Great Ape King wouldn't have accepted defeat; if he hadn't spoken up to enlighten the monkey, it wouldn't have willingly given up its life-bound monkey hair.

At that time, the monkey was repaying a debt of gratitude; now, this wisp of divine soul energy has become the key to saving his life.

The Observatory suddenly lit up with a dark blue light, drawing the monkey hair into it.

The next second, the figure of the Great Ape King became clearly visible.

Zhong Jiu glanced at him once, and his murderous aura erupted instantly. His furious roar shook the City God's Mansion: "How dare you!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished into thin air, shrinking the distance to an inch, and in an instant, he traversed tens of thousands of miles.

On the other side, the Great Ape King had fought a fierce battle with the Asura master. Although he was exhausted, he could not hide his exhilaration. He had not had such a satisfying battle in a long time.

"The City God's apricots taste absolutely amazing! Hehe, I've done a great job in this battle, so asking for a hundred or two to satisfy my craving shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"

His eyes sparkled with intelligence, his heart filled with the sweetness of the apricot. As a monkey, even though he had become a true immortal and no longer needed to eat, he still had an ingrained obsession with fresh fruit.

Just as he was figuring out how to ask Xing for help, a sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of his head, and his innate monkey hair warning instantly went off!

"Oh no! Something's happened to the children of Thousand Fruit Island!"

The Great Ape King's expression changed drastically, revealing a ferocious look.

He only offered two life-giving monkey hairs in his entire life: one to Zhong Jiu as a way of repaying a debt of gratitude, and the other to the people of Qianguo Island in case of life-or-death crisis.

Only as a last resort will the clansmen trigger the warning.

"Who is it?!"

A surge of violent energy coursed through his body. "Is he an old whale from the sea, or the Demon King of Ersha Island? How dare he invade my Thousand Fruit Mountain! I will grind him to dust!"

The anxious Great Ape King had no time to think and turned to flee towards Thousand Fruit Island, not even having time to respond to the Yin-Yang Division's questions.

He was naturally impatient, and the incident in his hometown threw him into a panic, forgetting that his immortal power was exhausted after the battle and he was no longer at his peak.

After speeding all the way to the shore of the East China Sea, the Great Ape King finally couldn't hold on any longer. He descended from the clouds and gasped for breath on the beach, showing his exhaustion.

At that moment, twenty-four bright halos suddenly rose from the sea.

Instead of the bright moon, there were twenty-four dazzling pearls, shining brightly like round moons floating on the sea, instantly forming a net that trapped the Great Ape King.

The Great Ape King bared its teeth, its eyes blazing with golden light. As it focused its gaze, it saw figures flickering on each pearl: Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Sangharama... all the powerful figures from various Buddhist sects were present.

The next second, dozens of Earth Immortals and hundreds of Nascent Soul Realm experts from five Buddhist and Taoist sects flew out of the sea, stood behind the pearl, and looked down at the Great Ape King with eyes full of triumphant confidence.

"It's been a few days, does the Great Ape King still recognize this old monk?"

The figure of Zen Master Yuankong manifested from the pearls, with a dazzling golden wheel behind his head and a solemn appearance. The endless spiritual energy of the twenty-four pearls was continuously flowing into his body, helping him to enhance his combat power.

"It's you, you bald monk!"

The Great Ape King bared its fangs, gripped its Ruyi Jingu Bang tightly, and its fighting spirit surged. "The whole Thousand Fruit Island affair was your doing!"

Now it is clear that I have fallen into the Buddhist trap.

Yuan Kong burst into laughter, his smugness undisguised: "Indeed, it is this old monk. But rest assured, Ape King, your monkey descendants are still unharmed."

"If the Ape King agrees to one condition, not a single hair of your people will be lost. I urge the Ape King to reconsider."

He clasped his hands together, his tone seemingly calm, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"condition?"

The Great Ape King sneered, his tone disdainful, "Go ahead and say whatever you want, bald monk, I want to see what tricks you can pull!"

Beside Yuan Kong, Zen Master Zhihong stepped forward, his gaze burning as he stared at the Great Ape King: "The conditions are extremely simple, yet it is an immense opportunity. Our Buddhist sect cordially invites the Ape King to join our sect, to serve as a practitioner, and to assume the role of protector!"

A pilgrim? A protector of the Dharma?

The Great Ape King's eyes narrowed, instantly discerning the key point, and he said coldly, "You... still intend to deal with the Underworld?"

At those words, all the monks present froze, their expressions varying.

Yuan Kong gave a bitter laugh, his tone complex: "The Underworld is so powerful, how dare we contend with them? Ape King, you are overthinking it."

When the underworld was mentioned, the monks all had mixed feelings.

From a calculation standpoint, they were the winners. They could sit back and watch the Asura Clan, the Black Mountain Ghost Kingdom, and the Underworld fight each other, and regardless of the outcome, they could reap the benefits and eliminate six rival sects.

But they ultimately underestimated Zhong Jiu's strength and the depth of the underworld!

Zhong Jiu's colossal hand that blotted out the sky, and its overwhelming power, still sends chills down Yuan Kong's spine.

The underworld not only emerged unscathed from the battle, but became even stronger, making their schemes seem utterly ridiculous.

Offending such a powerful figure who disregards the rules and wields the power of life and death is definitely not a good thing.

The City God of Xingsha only needs to lift a finger, without resorting to violence, to make Buddhism lose face and be unable to move an inch.

Upon thinking of this, Yuan Kong was filled with remorse, which is why he specially added the act of "sealing the mountain for a hundred years" as an apology.

Perhaps by living in seclusion for a hundred years, like a cowardly turtle hiding its head, one can luckily escape the reckoning of the underworld.

In fact, the Buddhist community is also in great distress.

But the more he was pushed to the brink, the more Yuan Kong refused to swallow his pride. He would never leave in such a sorry state and lose face for Buddhism!

And so, they set their sights on the Great Ape King!

This stone monkey was exceptionally handsome, possessed unparalleled fighting prowess, and had a talent that was rare throughout the ages. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was born to be a war god!

In his eyes, such an unparalleled genius was clearly born to belong to the Buddhist sect; it was simply a destiny ordained by heaven!

As long as we can bring this Great Ape King onto the Buddhist sect's ship and recruit him into our ranks, the Buddhist sect will immediately gain a top-tier combatant, and its strength will increase dramatically!

At that time, even if the underworld really comes to retaliate, they will have more backbone and won't be scared out of their wits. This deal is a sure win!

That is precisely why we have this meticulously planned and long-ambushed ambush!

Yuan Kong stood with his hands behind his back, feigning sincerity, and said loudly, "Ape King, look! These twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls are the most precious treasures of our Buddhist sect. Today, in order to invite you to join our sect, I have taken them all out and set up this Sea-Covering Formation, which shows our sect's sincerity!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Kong had a thought, and the twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls instantly burst forth with golden light. The terrifying pressure was like Mount Tai pressing down from all directions, determined to make the Great Ape King kneel down and submit!

But the Great Ape King was proud and unyielding, with a straight spine that would rather break than bend!

His body was filled with a surge of malevolent energy, and the killing intent in his eyes was like a wildfire, burning ever brighter and brighter, without the slightest fear!

Seeing this, Yuan Kong was not angry at all, but instead became even more envious. His possessiveness grew stronger. How wonderful it would be to completely control such unparalleled combat power!

He suppressed the restlessness in his heart and continued to bewitch her with that hypocritical tone, every word and sentence concealing his calculations.

"For the sake of the Ape King, the top experts from the five sects of Buddhism have come, more than half of them—all elites of our Buddhist sect!"

"For the sake of the Ape King, we have laid an inescapable trap here, waiting for many days without the slightest slackening!"

"King Ape, our Buddhist sect is so sincere, how can you bear to refuse? By submitting to Buddhism, you will surely attain the Great Dao in the future. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

His voice was imbued with Buddhist bewitching magic, carrying a strange and seductive power that attempted to disturb the Great Ape King's mind.

Immediately afterwards, hundreds of monks opened their mouths in unison, and the sound of their chanting shook the heavens and the earth, buzzing as if it would overturn the entire sky!

Between heaven and earth, the sound of Zen chanting echoed, carrying the oppressive force of forced salvation, and all that could be heard was the annoying chanting of sutras.

Above the heavens, a paradise of bliss manifests, with the magnificent scenery of Mount Ling vividly depicted and bathed in the light of Buddha. It seems enchanting, but in reality, it hides a deadly danger!

This is the most insidious "Hongzhi Conversion Method" in Buddhism. It is not a conversion, but a wicked art that forcibly alters the mind and controls the body, forcing people to submit to Buddhism. If they do not submit, their souls will be directly refined!

Hundreds of powerful Buddhist practitioners activated this technique simultaneously, unleashing a terrifying mental pressure that surged towards the Great Ape King like a tsunami, determined to completely control him!