Chapter 687
He took a sudden step forward.
"Insolence!! You burglar who broke into my house and stole the holy water, you deserve to die! Kneel down and be bound at once, hand over the stolen holy water, and I may spare a trace of your true spirit to be reincarnated!"
The golden-bearded turtle let out a deafening roar, its massive body suddenly swaying, its four golden-scaled claws tearing through the water as it rapidly approached Lin Zhu's location!
At the same time, a vast and powerful force, imbued with the Buddhist concepts of indestructibility and spatial confinement, instantly enveloped Lin Zhu like an invisible cage, attempting to block all his escape routes!
"I am Amoghasiddhi Buddha! By the decree of the Tathagata Buddha, I guard the Eight Treasures Merit Pool! Today, I will execute you, this audacious scoundrel, on the spot as a warning to others!"
Amoghasiddhi Buddha's voice was filled with murderous intent and a resolute determination to carry out orders.
Although its true form is a golden-bearded turtle, it has long been enlightened by the Buddha, attained Buddhahood, possesses the title of Buddha, and its strength is even more formidable.
Faced with the overwhelming and terrifying pressure and spatial blockade, Lin Zhu was indeed shocked by the opponent's strength and sudden attack. However, the displeasure on his face became even more obvious, and even faintly carried a hint of...anger?
Just as Amoghasiddhi Buddha's murderous attack was about to strike, and the space itself began to solidify, Lin Zhu not only did not dodge or beg for mercy, but instead took a step forward, straightened his spine, and faced the oncoming violent magical power and dragon might!
He took a deep breath, and then, in a stern tone filled with deep disappointment and even a sense of "disappointment," he uttered a thunderous rebuke to the rapidly approaching Amoghasiddhi Buddha.
"Stop! What are you doing?!"
This angry rebuke was powerful, righteous, and even carried a condescending tone of questioning! It was as if the one who had done wrong was not the water thief, but the Buddha who diligently guarded the pool!
Amoghasiddhi Buddha's enormous body suddenly froze, and the fatal attack he was about to unleash was abruptly halted in mid-air.
For the first time, a clear look of astonishment and...bewilderment appeared in its dragon eyes, which were burning with fury.
What...what is it doing? Isn't it supposed to be capturing the thief who trespassed into the holy land and stole the holy water? How dare this thief turn around and rebuke it? And that tone, that expression...how can it be so self-righteous, so...open? As if it were the one who committed the greatest mistake?
This extremely abnormal reaction caused Amoghasiddhi Buddha's mind, which was filled with anger, to short-circuit and hesitate for a moment.
Having cultivated for countless years and captured and slain countless demons and evil spirits, how could it have ever seen such an arrogant and "righteous" "thief"? Could it be... that there is some misunderstanding? Or, does this thief have some kind of backing, or... a special identity?
In that moment of confusion and doubt that Amoghasiddhi Buddha was in, Lin Zhu’s performance began!
His anger intensified, and he pointed at the enormous dragon head of Amoghasiddhi Buddha, his voice filled with anguish and condemnation.
"Amoghasiddhi Buddha?! What an Amoghasiddhi Buddha! Is this how you guard the Pond of Merit? Is this how you carry out the Buddha's decrees?!"
Lin Zhu's voice suddenly rose in pitch, like a thunderclap.
"Open your eyes and look! Look outside! Look at Mount Ling! Look at the Great Thunderclap Temple!!"
He suddenly waved his hand, pointing towards the outside of the Merit Pool. Although separated by layers of restrictions and buildings, the increasingly clear dragon roars, energy explosions, and the rumbling of collapsing buildings could still be faintly heard.
"Nine primordial dragons are rampaging outside! Mount Ling is in ruins, and the Buddha's light is dim! The Great Thunderclap Temple is on the verge of collapse, and three thousand Buddhas are fighting a bloody battle, on the verge of death! Even supreme Buddhas like Amitabha Buddha and Dipankara Buddha are being brutally beaten by the dragons! Just how critical has the situation become?!"
Lin Zhu's tone became increasingly agitated, filled with anger at their lack of ambition.
"And you! As the Buddha who guards the Pond of Merit, bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting the foundation of the Western Paradise, what are you doing at this critical juncture when the survival of the Western Paradise is at stake?!"
He paused, then stared at Amoghasiddhi Buddha with an even more stern and incredulous gaze.
"You were still sleeping?! Still fast asleep?! You only woke up when someone disturbed the Merit Pool and the water level dropped?! You...you're simply...negligent! Derelict in your duty! Seriously derelict in your duty!!"
This barrage of questions and rebukes, like a machine gun, rained down on Amoghasiddhi Buddha, completely stunning the Buddha who had just awakened from his slumber and was only focused on catching the thief!
Negligence? Dereliction of duty? The Western Paradise in peril? The Dragon Clan rampaging? The Buddhas being brutally beaten?
Amoghasiddhi Buddha subconsciously diverted a portion of his divine consciousness, striving to penetrate the many restrictions of the Merit Pool and perceive the external situation.
The next moment, its massive body shuddered violently!
Although its perception was limited and unclear, the terrifying dragon's might that made its soul tremble, the familiar yet collapsing Buddhist light fluctuations, and the faint screams and roars belonging to its fellow disciples...
All of this confirms that a world-shaking, earth-shattering battle is taking place outside, one that could overturn the Western Paradise! And one side in the battle is none other than the ancient and terrifying true dragons! Their numbers... seem quite large! The power of several of their dragon might is so strong that even it feels its heart tremble!
"This...how is this possible?! The Dragon Clan and my Western Paradise...though not exactly inseparable, have a long-standing cooperative relationship, and there's an agreement regarding the Journey to the West...how could they suddenly come to attack us? And with such ferocity?!"
A storm raged in Amoghasiddhi Buddha's heart, with immense doubt and a trace of instinctive fear welling up within him.
Then, recalling that he had indeed been in a light slumber, and that he might not have woken up if the pool water hadn't been drained in large quantities... Could it be... could it really be that because of his "negligence," he missed an important warning, leading to the Western Paradise falling into such a critical situation?!
As soon as this thought arose, Amoghasiddhi Buddha's gaze toward Lin Zhu suddenly became complicated.
The overwhelming killing intent and rage had unknowingly dissipated by more than half, replaced by a sense of surprise and uncertainty, and... a faint self-doubt.
Lin Zhu keenly noticed the change in the other person's eyes and was secretly delighted, knowing that his "psychological tactics" had worked! He pressed his advantage, maintaining the "righteous and awe-inspiring," "worried" expression on his face, even with a hint of "regret" and "helplessness."
While he continued to shake his head in "heartache," his hands were not idle at all! Taking advantage of the precious moment when Amoghasiddhi Buddha's mind wavered and his attention was drawn to the battle situation outside, he swiftly and secretly immersed the seventh and eighth large purple gourds into the pool, frantically absorbing the merit water!
"Gurgling..."
The pool water level dropped rapidly again, and another 200,000 merits were easily obtained! Adding to the previous 500,000, Lin Zhu had now accumulated a total of 800,000 merits! He was only one step away from the million mark!
Even with Lin Zhu's resolute mind, he couldn't help but feel overjoyed! With so much merit, if he used it for cultivation and breakthroughs, it would probably be enough for him to steadily step into the threshold of Quasi-Saint, or even to reach a higher level!
However, despite the joy, the current crisis has not been completely resolved.
Amoghasiddhi Buddha was only temporarily intimidated. Once he fully realized what was happening, or discovered that he was still "stealing water," he would probably immediately attack and kill him. Sure enough, just as Lin Zhu was secretly calculating and preparing to take out the ninth gourd, Amoghasiddhi Buddha finally recovered slightly from his great shock and self-doubt.
It once again fixed its gaze on Lin Zhu, especially when it saw that he had produced another large gourd in his hand, and that the water level at the edge of the pond had clearly dropped significantly. Its anger, which had just subsided, rose again!
"wrong!!"
Amoghasiddhi Buddha suddenly shook his enormous dragon head, the doubt in his dragon eyes replaced by a deeper anger.
"Even if the Western Paradise is in trouble and the Dragon Clan attacks, what does that have to do with you stealing the Holy Water of Merit?! You are clearly taking advantage of the fact that the Western Paradise is besieged by a powerful enemy and has no time to spare to commit this despicable act of theft! And you still dare to use your clever words and distort the truth here?!"
Although it was somewhat apprehensive after Lin Zhu's earlier reprimand, its basic logic remained intact. Fighting outside and stealing water from my pond are two completely different things!
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu thought to himself, 'This simpleton isn't entirely stupid,' but his face showed an even more incredulous and disappointed expression, as if the other party had misunderstood his good intentions.
He stopped what he was doing and, in a tone that was almost "grief and indignation," spoke slowly and deliberately to Amoghasiddhi Buddha.
"Stealing? Amoghasiddhi Buddha, you still think I'm stealing?!"
He took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision, and his eyes became incredibly "firm" and "calm".
"Very well! Since you remain obstinate, I... will tell you the truth!"
Lin Zhu straightened his chest, and the aura around him, which had been disguised by the system and distorted by the Heaven-Covering Talisman, faintly exuded a kind of "tragic" and "sense of mission" of "who else but me?" He pointed to the Merit Pool water, which had dropped by more than one-tenth, and his voice was powerful and resounding.
“I am collecting this merit-giving water not for personal gain, nor to steal! But because I am acting on the secret orders of the Buddha!”
He paused, observing Amoghasiddhi Buddha's reaction, and saw his dragon eyes widen suddenly, revealing a look of surprise and doubt, before continuing in a deep voice.
"The dragons outside are coming on strong, far exceeding our expectations! Although Amitabha Buddha and Dipankara Buddha are powerful, they cannot hold out for long! Mount Sumeru is in grave danger! Before going into battle, Tathagata Buddha had already foreseen the worst-case scenario! He secretly transmitted his voice to me, ordering me to sneak into the Merit Pool during the chaos and transfer and preserve as much of the holy water of merit as possible!"
Lin Zhu's expression became extremely solemn and heavy.
“The Buddha said that the Pool of Merit is the foundation of the Western Paradise and must not be lost! If the war goes badly and Mount Ling is in danger, at least some of the holy water of merit must be preserved to leave a glimmer of hope for the revival of the Western Paradise! Everything I have done here is to carry out the Buddha’s secret order and to preserve the flame of the Western Paradise! And you…”
He pointed again at Amoghasiddhi Buddha, his tone filled with a "heartbroken" question.
"Yet you stand here obstructing me and questioning me! Do you know that all the Buddhas outside, including Tathagata Buddha, are using their own flesh and blood to buy precious time for you, for me, and for the transfer of the holy water?!"
Every minute, every second, could see the Buddha fall! And you waste your time questioning those who act on the Buddha's orders?!
Lin Zhu spoke these words with conviction and sincerity, completely portraying himself as a hero who accepted a critical mission, endured humiliation and hardship, and was willing to be misunderstood for the sake of the Western Paradise! Especially the last sentence, "Outside, Buddha is using his flesh and blood to buy time," was full of inflammatory rhetoric!
Amoghasiddhi Buddha was completely stunned.
A secret order from the Buddha? To transfer and store the holy water of merit? To preserve the flame of Buddhism in the Western Paradise?
This explanation... seems... plausible? The situation outside is indeed critical, the Dragon Clan's strength is terrifying, and it's reasonable for the Western Heaven's higher-ups to make the worst-case scenario plan and arrange for the transfer of important assets in advance!
But... but this person in front of me... although his aura is somewhat strange, he doesn't seem like a Buddhist disciple with profound Buddhist nature, worthy of being entrusted with such an important task by the Buddha. Moreover, the way he collects the holy water seems like... frantically plundering?
The enormous dragon eyes of Amoghasiddhi Buddha were filled with deep doubt and struggle. Looking at Lin Zhu's "righteous and awe-inspiring" and "tragic and resolute" face, and then at the obviously receding pool water, it was at a loss for what to do.
Seeing this, Lin Zhu was secretly pleased, knowing that he had once again led the other party astray.
While maintaining that "enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens" expression, he quietly put away the ninth large purple gourd that was already full, and then... without any hesitation, he took out the tenth, and last, large gourd!
Although the remaining merit water in the pool was still vast, Lin Zhu's frantic extraction likely meant that the total amount was no less than five million merits! Even if he could only take away this last million, it would still be an enormous gain! Lin Zhu felt regretful, but he also knew that if he continued to be greedy, things might really go wrong.
Amoghasiddhi Buddha looked at Lin Zhu as he took out another large gourd, his brows furrowing deeply, and the scales in his heart once again tipped towards "doubt".
It spoke in a deep voice, still loud, but with less murderous intent and more doubt.
"You claim to have been ordered by Buddha to transfer the holy water... What proof do you have? Moreover, why would Buddha send someone like you... who doesn't seem to possess much Buddhist nature and whose aura is even somewhat strange, to carry out such an important mission?"
Amoghasiddhi Buddha's dragon eyes, burning with golden flames of fury, stared intently at Lin Zhu, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if trying to see through the white-robed youth who kept spouting "Buddha's decree" and "secret orders" from the inside out.
After all, it was an existence that had attained the Buddhahood. Although it was somewhat bewildered by Lin Zhu's barrage of questions and "tragic" performance, it still retained its most basic judgment.
Although the person before me had his aura concealed and distorted by some sophisticated means, making him appear obscure and unclear, he was definitely not a true Buddhist! He did not possess the peaceful and serene Buddhist nature that comes from being nurtured by Buddhist teachings and having pure faith. Instead, he exuded a sharp, upright, and even indescribable arrogance and a sense of being an "outlier."
This is far removed from its understanding of the core disciples of the Western Paradise, or beings worthy of being entrusted with such an important task by the Buddha!
"you……"
Amoghasiddhi Buddha's voice lowered, filled with deep doubt and scrutiny.
"You claim to be acting on the Buddha's secret orders, yet you... possess none of the aura of a direct descendant of the Western Paradise Buddhist sect. Instead, you are quite strange. Why did the Buddha choose you? Who exactly are you? What credentials do you possess?!" (End of Chapter)