Chapter 689
However
That is the foundation for the Merit Pool, something far more precious and fundamental than the Divine Water of Merit itself! Every piece is priceless!
The thought of "better to die a glorious death than live a shameful life" crept into Lin Zhu's mind like a venomous snake.
His face instantly changed to an extremely "solemn", "tragic", and even "unbearable" and "painful" expression as he spoke to Amoghasiddhi Buddha in a sorrowful voice.
“Fellow Daoist Bukong, there is something I have thought about repeatedly and must mention.”
Seeing his serious expression, Amoghasiddhi Buddha quickly said...
"Please speak, fellow Daoist."
Lin Zhu pointed to the Merit Pool, then to the outside world, his tone filled with "helplessness" and "resoluteness".
"The dragons are ferocious and tyrannical. This attack is probably not only intended to punish, but also to destroy the foundation of our Western Heaven! If they really break through the defenses and enter this place... this pool of holy water, and the spiritual agate at the bottom of the pool that sustains the holy water... will surely fall into the hands of the dragons!"
At that time, not only will their strength increase significantly, but they will also be able to use this to humiliate my Western Paradise, and may even use these resources to cultivate more powerful individuals who will become enemies of my Buddhist sect!
He took a deep breath, as if he had made an extremely difficult decision, and his eyes became incredibly "firm".
"Rather than letting these precious treasures accumulated over countless years in the Western Paradise fall into the hands of our enemies and become resources for aiding and abetting evil... it would be better... for us to destroy them in advance! Or... for us to take them with us!"
"What?! Destroyed?! Taken away the Spirit Source Agate?!"
Upon hearing this, Amoghasiddhi Buddha cried out in surprise, and the enormous dragon body trembled.
"No! Absolutely not! The Spirit Source Agate is the foundation of the Merit Pool! If the agate is taken away, the array in the pool will immediately break, and the Divine Water of Merit will lose its support. In an instant, most of it will dissipate and return to its original power of will, returning to the world! This... this is equivalent to destroying the Merit Pool!"
Its reaction was within Lin Zhu's expectations.
The pain and reluctance on Lin Zhu's face intensified, and even... her eyes turned slightly red!
"I know! I know this is tantamount to destroying the merit pool!"
Lin Zhu's voice trembled slightly, as if she were enduring immense inner torment.
"But, Fellow Daoist Bukong! Have you considered this? If the Dragon Clan were to obtain the complete Merit Pool, what would they do? They would use the resources here to become even stronger!"
They will laugh at my Buddhist sect for its incompetence, unable even to protect its own foundation! At that time, the loss will not just be a pool of merit, but the face, fortune, and even the future of the entire Western Paradise!
He took a sudden step forward, staring intently at Amoghasiddhi Buddha, his voice almost a roar.
"You've sensed the battle situation outside! The Great Thunderclap Temple is almost destroyed! The Buddhas' treasures, golden bodies, and even their collected scriptures and books may be plundered by the dragons! What we're doing now isn't destruction, but... protection!"
"To protect the most precious treasures of the Western Paradise from being plundered and exploited by the enemy with minimal sacrifice! Even if... even if it means enduring the pain of destroying the sacred land and personally digging out the spiritual agate!!"
As he finished speaking, Lin Zhu's voice even choked with emotion, and a single "crocodile tear" rolled down his face, a tear that he had forced out of his eyes, tracing a path across his "tragic" yet "resolute" expression.
"Let me bear this pain! Let me shoulder this infamy! As long as I can preserve a sliver of life for the Western Paradise and prevent our enemies from succeeding, I, Lin... this humble monk, will gladly die ten thousand times!"
This performance was sincere and powerful, perfectly portraying the image of a "loyal minister and righteous man" who was willing to endure humiliation and sacrifice himself for the greater good!
Amoghasiddhi Buddha was utterly shocked and convinced! Looking at Lin Zhu's "painful" yet "resolute" expression, listening to his "passionate" and "selfless" words, and then recalling the horrific battle outside and the ferocity of the dragon race…
Yes! If the Dragon Clan were to obtain the complete Pool of Merit, the consequences would be unimaginable! It would be a permanent disgrace and disaster for the Western Paradise!
Rather than aiding the enemy, perhaps... it should be destroyed? Or... taken away by "our own people"?
It would be such a waste to destroy it... So, shall we take it with us?
A fierce struggle flashed in Amoghasiddhi Buddha's eyes, but in the end, that struggle was replaced by a ruthless determination that was almost like "burning one's boats"! It gritted its teeth and slammed its huge dragon head down hard, its voice filled with resolve.
“Fellow Daoist…you are absolutely right! I was being pedantic! Rather than leaving it for the enemy, we should…take it all with us! Not a single…not a single bit should be left for those wicked dragons!”
It was even more ruthless than Lin Zhu, advocating for "taking everything away".
"Leave not a single bit behind!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu was initially delighted, but then became alarmed.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the Buddha before him who had just sworn to protect the Merit Pool with his life, yet now so decisively agreed to "undermine his own people," even advocating for "taking everything away"...
'This Western Paradise... is it so ruthless to its own people? The White Lotus Child is a fool and a troublemaker, but Amoghasiddhi Buddha is a 'wise man' who knows the principle of 'better to be broken than not'.
But the way it was 'shattered'... is quite interesting. This thought flashed through Lin Zhu's mind, giving him a deeper understanding of the internal workings of the Western Heaven.
However, this suited him perfectly!
Lin Zhu immediately dropped his "tragic" expression and put on a face full of enthusiasm and gratitude, as if he had found a kindred spirit and that they cherished each other. He then solemnly bowed to Amoghasiddhi Buddha.
"Fellow Daoist, you are truly wise and righteous! Your painful sacrifice is for the sake of the great cause of the Western Paradise! I, this humble monk, deeply understand your sentiments! In that case, let us act without delay!"
"Fellow Daoist is absolutely right! I was being pedantic! Rather than leaving it for the enemy, we should... take it all with us! Not a single bit... not a single bit should be left for those wicked dragons!"
Amoghasiddhi Buddha swung his enormous dragon head violently, his eyes showing no more hesitation, only a tragic determination and ruthlessness.
As soon as it finished speaking, its enormous golden-whiskered turtle body suddenly swung, and its four sharp claws, covered with thick golden scales, were like four giant mountain-splitting divine plows, which fiercely plunged into the warm and jade-like pool bed at the bottom of the merit pool, which was covered with spiritual agate!
"Boom! Crash—!"
In an instant, the pool water churned violently, and precious light splashed everywhere! Amoghasiddhi Buddha, as expected of a beast Buddha in the middle of the Quasi-Saint realm, possessed unparalleled power. Wherever its sharp claws passed, large chunks of warm and smooth jade-like spiritual agate, shimmering with pure spiritual light and the aura of merit, were easily scooped up and lifted up like tofu!
Each piece is at least the size of a millstone, and even the smaller ones are the size of a washbasin, exuding a captivating charm and a faint lotus fragrance.
Its movements were swift and precise, clearly demonstrating its thorough understanding of the Merit Pool's structure and how to excavate these precious foundation stones with maximum efficiency without causing the pool to collapse as a whole. Huge agate blocks were pried out with its claws, then lifted with magical power, one by one, and delivered to the pool's edge, piling them up in front of Lin Zhu.
For a moment, the Merit Pool was filled with booming sounds, water splashed and precious light flew everywhere, the scene was truly bustling. But our "commander-in-chief" Lin Zhu was unusually relaxed at this moment.
He had long since put away his "tragic and painful" expression and sat down leisurely on the "supervisor's platform" temporarily set up by Lingyuan Agate. He even took out a white jade folding fan from somewhere, which no one knew who had "confiscated" it from, and gently fanned himself. He crossed his legs and watched Amoghasiddhi Buddha sweating profusely there "to protect the property of the Western Paradise".
"Hmm, this piece is of good quality and has plenty of spiritual energy."
"Wow, that piece is huge. I bet it can yield a lot of good cuts."
"On the left, there seems to be an even bigger one underneath that piece on the left, yes, yes, right there!"
While "supervising" the work, Lin Zhu would occasionally offer "guidance," just like an experienced jade merchant inspecting the raw stones mined by his own miners.
With a contented smile on his face, he looked at the mountain of gleaming Lingyuan agate piled up in front of him, his heart already bursting with joy.
'This big oaf is really hardworking!' Lin Zhu thought to himself with satisfaction. 'No wonder he's a good comrade in Buddhism; his enlightenment is truly high!'
In his leisure time, Lin Zhu's gaze inadvertently swept over the thick, golden-scaled hind legs of Amoghasiddhi Buddha, which were swaying in the water.
He noticed that at the base of the hind leg, several extremely thick chains, neither gold nor iron, with a dark golden hue and countless tiny Sanskrit runes engraved on their surface, were wrapped around it! The other end of the chains was deeply embedded in the bottom of the Merit Pool, faintly connected to the entire pool and even the earth veins of the sacred mountain.
Clearly, although Amoghasiddhi Buddha is a Buddha with formidable power, his range of movement is strictly limited to this Eight Treasures Merit Pool! He is both the guardian and, in a sense, a "prisoner" imprisoned here.
A knowing glint flashed in Lin Zhu's eyes, but he said nothing more.
These chains were clearly extraordinary, likely a restriction personally set by a saint or Buddha. With his current strength and situation, he couldn't open them or take them away. What a pity, these chains also seemed like a valuable treasure... But greed is a double-edged sword, and Lin Zhu quickly put this regret aside.
Thanks to the diligent digging of Amoghasiddhi Buddha, the process was extremely efficient. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the entire bottom of the Merit Pool, which was originally covered with a layer of spiritual agate several feet thick, had been completely excavated!
All that remains are the bare, original pool bed rocks, displaying strange, five-colored hues.
The Merit Pool, which originally relied on agate to maintain the stability of the formation and store divine water, has now lost its foundation. Although the remaining pale golden divine water in the pool is still vast, it has clearly lost its "living" spiritual charm, and its light has dimmed considerably. It has even begun to show subtle and unstable ripples, as if it may evaporate and dissipate at any moment.
All the unearthed spiritual agates were piled up like small mountains in front of Lin Zhu. Their precious light converged, illuminating the area almost as if it were daytime. The rich spiritual energy and aura of merit wafted over, making one feel their cultivation subtly increasing with every breath.
Amoghasiddhi Buddha stopped moving, his enormous body floating in the now empty pool. Looking at the "family he had dug out" with his own hands, a complex and inscrutable emotion flashed in his dragon eyes, a mixture of regret, determination, and a sense of relief.
It turned to look at Lin Zhu, its voice tinged with weariness, yet still loud and clear.
"Fellow Daoist, all the spiritual agate in the pool is here. In total... about 36,000 catties. This is the foundation of the Merit Pool, and the essence accumulated by the Western Paradise over countless years. Today... I entrust it to you, Fellow Daoist! I earnestly hope... that you will make good use of it and not let it fall into the hands of evil!"
Thirty-six thousand catties! Lin Zhu gasped in shock! He knew that Spirit Source Agate was precious, but he never expected there to be such a terrifying quantity!
If this were taken out, let alone used as cultivation resources in the Nine-Layer Heavenly Prison, it would be more than enough to cover the entire prison, including the latrines! There would still be more than half left to set up a spirit-gathering array and cultivate core members!
"The Western Paradise... they're damn rich!" Lin Zhu exclaimed again.
He immediately stood up, his face adopting an extremely "solemn," "reverent," and even "missionary" expression. He solemnly performed a...not-so-standard Buddhist salute to Amoghasiddhi Buddha, his voice utterly sincere.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Bukong! This humble monk guarantees with his life that such a precious treasure will be properly safeguarded and used where it is most needed, contributing all our strength to the great cause of the revival of the Western Paradise! All the Buddhas of the Western Paradise will surely remember your sacrifice and contribution today!"
As he spoke, he deftly began collecting the mountain of spiritual agate. The Buddha Kingdom in his palm opened again, and the invisible spatial portal, like the gaping maw of a glutton, swallowed all the glittering agate stones whole.
Looking at the rapidly piling up "agate mountains" in the "Buddha Kingdom" miniature world, Lin Zhu was overjoyed, but his face still maintained that serious look of "bearing a heavy responsibility".
As a seasoned "habitual criminal".
Lin Zhu knew that as an enforcer, he never left empty-handed... no, he meant to eradicate evil completely and seize everything! Seeing that his main target was in his grasp, he was not in a hurry to make a quick getaway.
He put away the Buddha-land in his palm, patted off non-existent dust from his hands, then turned around and spoke to Amoghasiddhi Buddha in a "meticulous" and "highly responsible" tone.
“Fellow Daoist Bukong, the Spirit Source Agate has been received. However, just in case, I would like to trouble you to carefully check the inside and outside of this Merit Pool again to see if there are any important items that have been overlooked?”
We must know that the dragon race is insatiably greedy. If they were to invade, they would swarm like locusts, leaving nothing behind! We must ensure absolute safety, giving the enemy no opportunity or valuable possessions whatsoever!
His words were spoken in a grand and righteous manner, making him appear as a loyal minister who wanted to "fortify the walls and clear the fields" for the Western Paradise.
Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in the huge dragon's eyes. After hesitating for a moment, it asked in a deep, muffled voice.
"Fellow Daoist, is this... this kind of 'destructive' protection truly effective? Isn't it... too much...?"
It felt like something was off, but it couldn't quite put its finger on it.
"It works! Of course it works!"
Lin Zhu immediately interrupted it decisively, his face showing a wise expression that said, "You don't understand strategy," and explained righteously.
"This is the 'scorched earth strategy'! When faced with a powerful enemy invasion, if you know you can't hold out, you should destroy or take away as many resources as possible that could be given to the enemy before retreating! So that even if the enemy occupies the territory, they will not gain any benefits, but will have to expend energy to rebuild it!"
In this way, we can not only weaken the enemy but also damage their morale! Fellow Daoist, you must not be so sentimental! (End of Chapter)