Chapter 694
Unruly
"Gentlemen, it is not that I am boasting or intentionally delaying. It is just that... this matter of reversing life and death and reuniting the scattered primordial spirit is truly going against the heavens. The difficulty of the process, the enormous consumption, and the rarity of the required materials far exceed our imagination. It is by no means something that can be done easily."
While he was still laying the groundwork, the Buddha, who was hidden in the shadows, looking exhausted but keeping a close eye on the battle, was getting impatient.
He saw through Lin Zhu's greedy intentions and also realized Amitabha Buddha's eagerness to quell the situation at any cost. Under normal circumstances, he would have stepped forward to question the situation and protect the interests of the Western Paradise.
But at this moment... he glanced at the golden statue of Amitabha Buddha in the distance, which, though compassionate, clearly intended to "spend money to avoid disaster," and then felt the heartache he felt from the previous battle and the loss of treasures like the Measuring Ruler. Suddenly, he thought that it might not be a bad idea to let his teacher, who was usually aloof and always considered himself an incarnation of the true Buddha, bleed out? After all, it wasn't him, Tathagata, who would end up paying the bill!
Watching Lin Zhu sharpen his knife and prepare to slaughter the "fat sheep," while the "fat sheep" looked like it was ready to be slaughtered, a dark sense of pleasure inexplicably rose in Tathagata's heart.
Then, the Buddha's magnificent yet subtly indifferent voice rang out, following Lin Zhu's train of thought and giving him a more solid way out.
"Since Benefactor Lin has offered this method, then that is where our hope lies. As for what is needed, Amitabha Buddha is here and will make the decision. I believe our Western Paradise has the resources to bear this burden."
While these words sound supportive, they actually shifted the responsibility of paying the bill firmly onto Amitabha Buddha, while the Buddha himself remained completely out of the picture, and even seemed to be urging Lin Zhu to "stop dawdling and hurry up and name your price."
Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow at Tathagata's unusual "cooperation," secretly amused that the old monk seemed to have some issues with his "leader."
On the Dragon Clan's side, seeing that the "highest level" of the Western Paradise had expressed their stance, although they still had doubts about whether Lin Zhu could do it, the hope of saving Ao Lie, however slim, was enough for them to temporarily suppress their urge to destroy.
The Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor went even further, his terrifying purple-gold dragon might rising once more. Although it did not directly oppress Lin Zhu, it surged towards the Western Heaven camp like an invisible wave, its sound like thunder.
"Boy, just tell me what you need! If that bald monk from the Western Paradise dares to hesitate or make excuses, I will beat them until they agree! The matter of Ao Lie was caused by this bald monk's indulgence and protection, so he should naturally bear the consequences!"
Mo Bailonghuang also spoke slowly, his voice icy.
"If we can save Ao Lie, the Dragon Clan will be grateful. If we cannot, or if we fail halfway due to the Western Paradise's stinginess with materials, then the Dragon Clan will repay this debt a hundredfold, with no room for leniency."
What left all the immortals, gods, and Buddhas present dumbfounded was that, as Mo Bailonghuang spoke, the massive bodies of the nine true dragons moved slowly towards the entrance of the Great Thunderclap Temple where Lin Zhu was located. Although they did not completely converge, the arc-shaped formation that was faintly formed with Lin Zhu at the forefront was clearly a silent support and backing!
These are the primordial dragons! Always arrogant and unruly, when have we ever seen them so "polite" or even subtly "showing goodwill" to any deity, except through ancient alliances and absolute power? This is absolutely unprecedented!
The Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother, and all the celestial officials who had been watching the battle intently from afar in the clouds were now even more thrilled and dumbfounded. The Jade Emperor stroked his long beard, his eyes gleaming with wonder, and sighed inwardly.
"This Lin Zhu... is truly an anomaly! He stirs up storms with the palm of his hand, and now he even has the enraged dragon clan standing up for him... This kind of 'treatment' is rarely seen in the Three Realms!"
Nezha, standing nearby, watched with shining eyes, almost jumping up in excitement, and tugged at the sleeves of Jinzha and Muzha beside him, whispering something.
"Big brother, second brother, did you see that? Boss Lin is so impressive! Extortion... oh no, I mean negotiation! He even has the Dragon Clan backing him up! This kind of prestige is unparalleled in the Three Realms! When can I be this impressive?"
Jinzha and Muzha also showed shock and admiration, nodding repeatedly.
This scene truly defies expectations.
Feeling the nine powerful and domineering dragon auras behind him, as solid as ancient mountains, Lin Zhu felt more confident and knew that the time was almost right.
Without further hesitation, he straightened his back in front of everyone, looked directly at Amitabha Buddha, and began to recite the "list" word by word in a clear voice.
"In that case, to save the little white dragon Ao Lie and reverse his dissipating primordial spirit, the most important thing needed is as follows—"
"First, the purest merit water is needed to nourish the reunited fragments of the true spirit, cleanse and eliminate the karma and death energy brought about by the annihilation of the wounds. The quantity... is at least 500,000 merit units!"
"Secondly, we need a 'golden relic' left behind by a high-ranking monk of Buddha-level status after his passing, containing his lifelong Buddhist insights and pure Buddhist power, as the core 'skeleton' and stable anchor for reuniting the primordial spirit!"
"Third, a small amount of the Three Lights Divine Water is needed. It is the essence of the sun, moon and stars, and has the effect of bringing the dead back to life, healing flesh and bones, and nourishing the origin of all things. It is used to repair the damage to the primordial spirit."
"Fourth, it requires the lotus fruit from a 'Pure White Lotus' of at least the eighth grade, whose pure vitality and creative power provide the initial source of life for the reshaped primordial spirit!"
With each word Lin Zhu spoke, his voice grew clearer, and each of these ingredients made the hearts of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who understood their significance skip a beat.
Five hundred thousand units of the merit-giving water would almost deplete half of the regular reserves of the merit pool; golden relics are extremely rare, requiring at least one truly accomplished Buddha who voluntarily passed away.
The Three Lights Divine Water is a rare treasure of heaven and earth, and its quantity is extremely limited; the white lotus seeds of grade eight and above are produced by top-level spiritual roots cultivated in the Western Paradise, and their quantity is also limited.
These materials, when viewed individually, all seem to be designed to "revive" the White Dragon, which makes sense and even makes Lin Zhu seem "professional".
But only Lin Zhu himself knew that this list was simply a slightly modified version of the core materials needed to upgrade the "Thirteenth Grade Merit Golden Lotus" to the next stage, based on the system's previous prompts! He had long harbored the intention of letting the Western Paradise be the "sucker" and collect the materials for him!
Sure enough, upon hearing the list, Amitabha Buddha's golden face, which had always maintained a compassionate expression, stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, and a hint of gloom flashed deep in his eyes.
Lin Zhu's demands... every item he requested pointed directly to the precious reserves of the Western Paradise, and the combination of types... was too "coincidental" and "targeted"! He had a strong premonition that this boy was not acting on a whim, but had planned it all along, just waiting for this moment to extort money from him!
Even the Buddha couldn't help but frown secretly. Little White Dragon Ao Lie was merely a Golden Immortal; rebuilding his annihilated primordial spirit was certainly difficult, but did it really require so many precious top-tier resources? Wasn't the price a bit too high? He instinctively felt that Lin Zhu was taking advantage of the situation and exaggerating.
However, Lin Zhu did not give the other party a chance to think it over carefully or bargain.
Seeing Amitabha Buddha remain silent and Tathagata's eyes flicker, he immediately raised his voice and continued, "The above are merely the basic materials needed to revive the White Dragon's primordial spirit! Besides that—"
His gaze swept over the ruined Lingshan Mountain, and his tone became "heavy" and "full of a sense of responsibility".
"This great battle has had a wide-ranging impact. Mount Ling has been damaged, and countless Buddhist soldiers and Arhats have perished innocently. Their resentment and karmic burdens are intertwined, and if not cleared away, they may affect the resurrection process and even bring about more serious consequences. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we must prepare another option in the Western Paradise—"
"One hundred million Buddha soldiers' pure vow power will be used to deliver the souls of the dead and purify the battlefield!"
"Three thousand sets of high-grade magical artifacts imbued with the golden light of Buddhism for subduing demons will be used to set up a demon-purifying array, stabilize the earth's veins, and isolate external evils!"
"And... the dominance and the right to incorporate the faith of the three largest and most devout mortal kingdoms within the Buddhist Kingdom of India, using the vast and pure faith power of these places as the foundation to construct the final 'furnace of vow power' for the resurrection ritual!"
The additional clauses are increasingly outrageous! One hundred million Buddhist soldiers' vows? That would practically require mobilizing a significant portion of the Western Paradise's basic reserves! Three thousand sets of high-level magical artifacts?
This is enough to arm an elite Buddhist army! As for dominance and religious authority in the three largest mortal kingdoms of India? This is practically undermining the very foundation of faith in the Western Paradise on earth! Although there are only three kingdoms, their symbolic significance and actual benefits are astonishing!
The Buddha's eyelids twitched and his chest tightened upon hearing this.
This Lin Zhu is simply asking for the moon, insatiably greedy! This isn't resurrecting the White Dragon; it's clearly trying to cut off the flesh and bleed the blood of the Western Paradise! He almost couldn't help but shout out in protest.
But just as his anger was rising, Tathagata suddenly caught a glimpse of Amitabha Buddha sitting steadily on his lotus throne, his face somber, and the vast Buddha light beneath him... A thought, like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly calmed him down, and he even felt a twisted sense of pleasure.
'What am I angry about?' Tathagata thought to himself, 'It's Amitabha Buddha who's paying out of his pocket, it's the public treasury of the Western Paradise, not my private treasury! He has accumulated countless years of wealth in the Western Paradise, so this little bit... although it hurts, he might not be unable to give it up.'
If these "costs" can bring about the Dragon Clan's cessation of hostilities, preserving the overall situation of the pilgrimage and averting annihilation, it would probably be a worthwhile deal for the teacher. Why should I feel sorry for him?
'Moreover…' A dark glint flashed deep in Tathagata's eyes, 'Seeing a teacher who is always aloof and always uses the greater good to intimidate others, being so blatantly blackmailed, yet forced to endure it… this feeling is somewhat… not bad?'
As Amitabha Buddha's face grew increasingly dark and he fell silent, the atmosphere once again became tense. Then, the Buddha's majestic voice rang out again, this time with a rare, almost "sincere" admonition in his tone. He turned to Amitabha Buddha and bowed slightly.
“Amitabha. Although what Benefactor Lin has listed may seem complicated, upon closer examination, it is all for the purpose of ensuring that Nephew Ao Lie can return safely and eliminate the calamities left over from this great war.”
If these material possessions could be exchanged for the restoration of peace between the Dragon Clan and my Western Paradise, ending the conflict and saving countless lives from devastation, perhaps... it's worth a try? I beseech Buddha to decide.”
His words absolved him of all responsibility, placing him entirely on the side of "considering the greater good of the Western Paradise." In reality, he put Amitabha Buddha in a precarious position, forcing him to either agree to these near-robbery terms or prepare to bear the consequences of the Dragon Clan's all-out retaliation and the breakdown of negotiations.
At this moment, Amitabha Buddha's heart was also filled with turbulent emotions.
He had ruled the Western Paradise for countless years and experienced the Investiture of the Gods. What storms hadn't he weathered? But being so blatantly and clearly blackmailed in front of both armies by an unknown junior was truly unprecedented! Especially since the pretext for this blackmail was "saving the White Dragon," which he had to accept!
He looked at Lin Zhu's seemingly calm yet sharp-eyed face, felt the undisguised threatening gaze of the dragon clan behind him, felt the faint panic and expectation within his own camp, and heard the seemingly respectful but actually self-serving words of Tathagata... Amitabha Buddha realized for the first time that being a "Buddha" was not so easy.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the complex emotions churning within him, Amitabha Buddha tried his best to maintain a compassionate and peaceful expression as he looked at Lin Zhu. His voice remained gentle, but it carried a hint of barely perceptible hesitation.
“Benefactor Lin, the items you listed are indeed extraordinary.”
Five hundred thousand merits of divine water, golden light relics, three light divine water, white lotus seeds... and even subsequent vows for deliverance, ritual implements, places of faith... such quantity and such variety, even for my Western Paradise, is a huge burden.
"Could you... perhaps reduce the amount somewhat? Or, my Western Paradise can promise that we will owe you a tremendous favor, and we will repay you handsomely in the future. Could you... perhaps grant my Western Paradise this favor?"
He tried to use intangible things like "personal connections" and "face" to offset the substantial and tangible benefits he had to pay.
This is almost an instinctive, slightly superior way of coping when superiors face unbearable demands.
However, the moment he finished speaking, the expression on Lin Zhu's face, which had been solemn, troubled, or righteous, receded like the tide, and was replaced by an undisguised, extremely contemptuous sneer, as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
That cold, sneer, its curve icy and piercing, was clearly reflected in the golden eyes of Amitabha Buddha, and also in the eyes of all the immortals, gods, dragons, and Buddhas watching this scene.
Lin Zhu's undisguised, contemptuous sneer was like the most piercing icicle in the dead of winter, piercing the eternally calm heart of Amitabha Buddha, and clearly falling into the perception of all the powerful beings present.
After a cold laugh, Lin Zhu didn't say a word. He picked up the remnant soul of the White Lotus Child, which looked like a dead dog, and turned around to leave! His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation, as if he wasn't the one who had just proposed the exorbitant price list and attracted everyone's attention.
This time, not only was Amitabha Buddha stunned, but even the nine ancient dragons behind him, whose auras were already faintly connected with Lin Zhu, had their expressions change drastically!
"Roar--!!!"
The Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor, who was at the forefront, was the first to erupt. The violent killing intent that had been slightly calmed by Lin Zhu's "hope of resurrection" exploded like a volcano that had been ignited, more intense and furious than ever before!
Its massive dragon body trembled violently, shattering the surrounding space. Purple-gold lightning flashed wildly in its eyes as it stared intently at Amitabha Buddha. Its voice boomed like a million thunderbolts exploding simultaneously, filled with the extreme rage of being fooled. (End of Chapter)