Chapter 691
The words of those in power are law.
While he was feeling quite pleased with himself, the battle outside the Great Thunderclap Temple had entered an even more brutal and intense phase, with a dramatic change that even Amitabha Buddha had not anticipated!
The nine true dragons, though numbering only nine and far less imposing than the three thousand Buddhas of the Western Paradise, are all ancient beings that have survived since the beginning of time and possess unparalleled bloodlines!
In particular, the three Dragon Emperors, Mo Bai, Zi Jin, and Bo Jin, have reached the peak of Quasi-Saint, touching the edge of becoming Saints! When they join forces, their innate divine abilities and dragon battle techniques work together seamlessly, unleashing a power that is simply earth-shattering!
Amitabha Buddha, standing on a twelve-petaled golden lotus and holding a delicate lamp for guidance, radiates a boundless Buddhist light, having already exerted all his power. The lamp of the Dipankara Buddha's coffin flickers with light, the power of annihilation and rebirth flowing, desperately offering its assistance.
The three thousand Buddhas formed a dilapidated Great Array of Ten Thousand Buddhas, using the golden bodies and magical power of countless Buddhas and Arhats as its foundation, struggling to withstand the dragon race's storm-like attacks.
However, the absolute difference in strength cannot be completely compensated for by sheer numbers and formations. The dragons' attacks are incredibly domineering; every tearing claw, sweeping tail, and breath attack is accompanied by the screams of the Western Paradise Buddhists and the shattering of their golden bodies.
On Mount Ling, the once idyllic scene of auspicious clouds and chanting has vanished, replaced by broken walls, scorched earth, and craggy ravines, along with the blood of Buddha and dragon scales scattered everywhere! The intense karma and murderous aura permeate the sky, turning this Buddhist sanctuary into a battlefield of carnage.
Even Amitabha Buddha's golden face, which always maintained compassion and peace, was now inevitably tinged with a lingering solemnity and... a hint of barely perceptible regret.
'If I had known that the Dragon Clan would be so resolute and powerful this time... I shouldn't have been so arrogant back then. I should have invited Patriarch Bodhi to come and oversee Mount Ling!' Amitabha sighed inwardly.
He and the Sage of Guidance share the same origin, but at this moment, it is the Sage of Guidance's true form that is presiding over the Chaos Dojo. Although his avatar is powerful, he feels unprecedented pressure facing the siege of three berserk Primordial Dragon Emperors. If Zhunti's Seven Treasures Tree were to assist him, combining offense and defense, the situation would certainly not be so passive.
The regret flashed by, but Amitabha Buddha's gaze involuntarily drifted to the edge of the battlefield, to the figure that he had firmly protected with his glazed Buddha light. Although he was now in a sorry state, with his limbs broken and his primordial spirit body pierced by several transparent holes from the aftershocks of the dragon claws, he still retained a trace of life—the White Lotus Child.
Seeing that the White Lotus Child was still alive, Amitabha Buddha's regret was replaced by a complex feeling of "worth it".
The reason he spared no effort to rescue the White Lotus Child, even enduring a fiercer attack from the Dragon Clan, was not only for the sake of face and the dignity of a saint, but also because, compared to the Tathagata, who was deep in thought, was once the chief disciple of the Intercepting Sect, and whose defection to Buddhism still left him somewhat unpredictable.
This White Lotus Child, whom he had personally enlightened and who had accompanied him for countless years, and whose mind was relatively "simple and honest," was actually easier for him to control and trust.
The Western Paradise has its own rules.
This rule is ingrained in the very bones, representing absolute hierarchy and obedience. The words of those in power are law, and those in lower positions must obey without question or struggle.
Even if a superior makes a wrong decision, or is even obviously foolish, subordinates must not overstep their bounds, let alone question or refute it in public. They should only silently carry it out, or offer advice tactfully afterward.
Which of those three thousand Buddhas did not go through tribulations and deeply understand this way? The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who had previously fought alongside the White Lotus Child in Jambudvipa, even though they harbored resentment towards the White Lotus Child's command in their hearts, and could see the defeat, did not question it to his face because of this "rule," but simply followed silently, accepted the consequences, and even perished.
Amitabha Buddha was wary of Tathagata, whose forces were deeply entrenched. Therefore, he was willing to pay a price—such as sacrificing some Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or temporarily allowing Mount Ling to be devastated—in order to protect the White Lotus Child, who was absolutely loyal to him and easy to control.
This is not just about protecting one's own, but also a form of checks and balances and a strategic arrangement. Amitabha Buddha's immediate abandonment of the main battlefield to rescue Lin Zhu, who had just shouted to expose the White Lotus Boy's escape, was also an extreme manifestation of this mentality—one's own people, no matter how stupid or troublesome, are not to be killed by outsiders, much less in public; otherwise, where would one's prestige be?
At this moment, although the White Lotus Child was spared from death under the protection of Amitabha Buddha, his injuries were so severe that they were extremely tragic.
His limbs were completely shredded by the claws of the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor, leaving only a mangled torso. On the body formed from his primordial spirit, the edges of several large holes pierced by the aftershocks of the Platinum Dragon Emperor's Annihilating Dragon Breath were still constantly emitting pure primordial spirit power and Buddhist light, like a leaky sack.
His aura was extremely weak, and the light of his primordial spirit was dim, like a candle flickering in the wind.
However, the instinct for survival and blind trust in the resources of the "holy land" sustained this broken primordial spirit body from immediately collapsing.
Like a maggot whose body had been crushed but was not quite dead, the White Lotus Child, relying on his remaining magic power and will, frantically crawled and inch by inch across the uneven, blood-stained, and rock-strewn ground of Mount Ling towards the iconic building—the Great Thunderclap Temple, which, despite having a large missing piece of its roof, still stood majestically!
"Go back...go back to the Great Thunderclap Temple..."
The White Lotus Child's remaining consciousness was consumed by this obsession. The excruciating pain had almost numbed him, and only a mad belief was burning within him.
"The Pool of Merit... the Divine Water of Merit... can nourish and repair the primordial spirit... and... and the Mani Pearl of Fixed Light treasured by Buddha... can surely reshape my physical body... as long as I go back... as long as I return there..."
He could almost see himself immersed in the water of merit, his injuries completely healed, and even his cultivation advancing further as a result of the misfortune.
A twisted sense of triumph, a feeling of triumph born from despair, a sense of triumph born from this extreme misery. 'Amitabha Buddha, Master will surely obtain those treasures for me! I am a holy child, who would dare kill me?'
The dragons were only acting out of momentary ferocity! Once I recover, I will definitely... I will definitely...' The thought of revenge was not yet clear before it was overwhelmed by an even stronger will to survive.
All he wanted now was to go back, believing that once he reached the Great Thunderclap Temple, he would be safe and saved. Occasionally, injured Arhats or panicked monks along the way would see his miserable state, but no one dared to help him up—who knew if helping him would incur the wrath of the dragon clan or the wrath of some powerful figure?
Closer, closer still! The magnificent, dilapidated entrance of the Great Thunderclap Temple, now without doors, is right before us! Though it may be chaotic inside, it is "home," a symbol of hope!
On the face of the White Lotus Child's tattered primordial spirit, even a twisted, hopeful light flickered, and its writhing movements seemed to quicken. Just get in, just…
Just as his battered, mud- and blood-stained "head" was about to penetrate the relatively dark area inside the threshold of the Great Thunderclap Temple, a pair of boots suddenly appeared on the ground in front of him.
They were a pair of light-colored boots that looked very clean, made of ordinary but spotless fabric.
The white lotus boy's wriggling movements suddenly froze.
These boots... look familiar.
A chilling cold, even more intense than shattered limbs and pierced soul, instantly exploded from the depths of his remaining soul core, engulfing every inch of his consciousness! This chill even temporarily overwhelmed the excruciating pain in his body!
He slowly, with immense fear, raised his "head" little by little, looking up from the boots—a light-colored shirt with some loose ends hanging at the waist, and above that, a handsome young face covered in dust, yet bearing a half-smile.
Lin Zhu!
The White Lotus Child's heart seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand, stopping abruptly! Boundless fear overwhelmed him like a tidal wave, even more so than when facing the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor's claws! It was him! It was that evil star again! That plague god!
One of the culprits who brought him down from his lofty, saintly status to this miserable state! Shouldn't he be watching the spectacle from the edge of the battlefield, or have already fled? How could he be here? And at the entrance of the Great Thunderclap Temple?! Could it be… that he was waiting for him here specifically?!
In an instant, countless terrifying thoughts flashed through the White Lotus Child's mind.
Was he here to capture me and take me back to the Dragon Clan to claim credit? Was he here to take revenge? Was he here to... finally end my life?
Lin Zhu looked down at the shapeless "thing" at his feet, which still exuded a familiar aura of resentment and fear. Especially when he met the light of the primordial spirit filled with extreme horror, the smile on his face became even more "warm".
He hardly needed to guess what the unfortunate child was thinking. "Oh, isn't this our majestic White Lotus Venerable?"
Lin Zhu bent down slightly, her tone light and cheerful, as if she had bumped into an acquaintance.
"Why do you look like this? You're climbing so hard, where are you going? Could it be... that you're trying to sneak home to find some medicine while the fighting is raging outside?"
He blinked, deliberately lowered his voice, and asked with a smile in a volume that only the two of them could hear.
"Are you... terrified that I'll yell at the top of my lungs again right now—'Look! The White Lotus Child has run away again! This time he's gone straight back to his lair!'"
"Waaaaah—!"
The White Lotus Child's shattered spirit let out a muffled whimper filled with fear and pleading.
He wanted to beg for mercy and explain, but his primordial spirit was severely damaged, and he could not even concentrate his divine sense clearly. He could only desperately and slightly shake his broken "head" with his eyes full of pleading, as if he were saying.
Please, don't scream! Let me go!
Seeing the White Lotus Child's miserable and pitiful state, more like a stray dog, with fear etched into his very bones, Lin Zhu's smile deepened, yet it carried a strange, chilling amusement.
He slowly squatted down, looking directly at the White Lotus Boy's battered "face," as if pondering a very interesting question.
"How about this," Lin Zhu said in a consultative tone, but her eyes were sharp as knives.
"I'll ask you a question. If you answer correctly, I'll pretend I didn't see you and let you climb in. If you answer incorrectly... hehe."
The primordial spirit of the White Lotus Child flickered violently, filled with unease.
"Listen carefully," Lin Zhu said, waving her index finger in front of him.
"The question is, do I want to kill you now, or do I not want to kill you?"
The White Lotus Child froze instantly, his remaining consciousness spinning wildly.
What kind of question is this?! Want to kill? He might do it right now! Saying he doesn't want to kill? But his appearance and tone don't suggest he doesn't want to kill. This is clearly harassment! It's like a cat playing with a mouse!
Advancing meant death, retreating meant death. The White Lotus Child felt despair gripping his remaining spirit like cold vines.
He could no longer bear this psychological torment, and his spiritual energy pulsed with intermittent, heart-wrenching pleas.
"Kill...kill me...Lin Zhu...Lin Yushen...please, give me a quick death...don't...don't torture me anymore..."
He was genuinely afraid, afraid of Lin Zhu's treacherous and manipulative methods. Compared to that, the dragon race's straightforward and terrifying attacks seemed rather "cute."
"Tsk," Lin Zhu suddenly pursed his lips, his face showing an almost "harmless" helpless expression, with a hint of reproach in his voice, "How could you think of me like that?"
"Fellow Daoist Bai Lian, you've misunderstood me. I, Lin Zhu, have always respected the elderly and cared for the young, and I'm kind-hearted. I can't bear to see others suffer. Look at how miserable you are now, how could I possibly bear to harm you again? Would I even be human?"
His words were sincere and earnest, and coupled with his handsome face, one would almost believe him if they didn't know his background well.
The White Lotus Child's primordial spirit became even more rigid; his fear, far from diminishing, soared to its peak. Something abnormal must be amiss! The more Lin Zhu said this, the more he felt something even more terrifying was about to happen! Trembling, he gathered the last vestiges of clear divine sense and asked.
"What...what do you want?"
Lin Zhu reached out, still wearing that harmless smile, and even gently touched the last remaining wisp of relatively intact spiritual light on the broken primordial spirit "head" of the White Lotus Child. The action could be described as "gentle".
"I don't want anything," Lin Zhu said casually, as if she were just saying that the weather was nice today.
"I'm just a little curious... If I were to twist your head off right now, would it still hurt? Would it snap off with a 'pop' like a lotus stem?"
"!!!"
The White Lotus Child's primordial spirit instantly erupted with a final, extreme fear and will to survive! His mangled body, seemingly from nowhere, surged with power, and he actually made a movement that almost made Lin Zhu lose his composure—
The broken body of the primordial spirit, devoid of limbs and riddled with holes, lunged forward, and then... with a "thud," it slammed its head to the ground, making a clear and distinct gesture of kneeling and kowtowing!
Immediately afterwards, a faint but clear thought, filled with a sob and endless humility, entered Lin Zhu's mind. Gone was the resentment and arrogance of before; only the purest, pitiful plea remained.
"Father...Father! Father Lin! Father of the Prison God! Spare me! Spare my child! I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I will never dare to do it again! Please, just let me go! I am willing to be your slave, I just beg you to spare my life!!"
Even with Lin Zhu's vast experience and unwavering resolve, his lips twitched uncontrollably a few times, and his eyelids twitched violently. (End of Chapter)