Chapter 708
The Western Paradise is Trapped, Buddha Roars in Anger
"Use merit as fuel to illuminate the truth!"
Amitabha Buddha let out a low shout and slammed the golden light containing the power of vast merit towards the brow of Amoghasiddhi Buddha. At the same time, his own Buddha light resonated with the faint aura remaining from the ruins of the Merit Pool, attempting to reverse the flow of time!
The three thousand Buddhas held their breath, watching this scene with bated breath.
This is a saintly method, which consumes a great deal of resources, but if we can see the truth, we might be able to find Lin Zhu's flaws and even track down his whereabouts.
Golden rays of merit enveloped the enormous head of Amoghasiddhi Buddha, with countless intricate runes containing fragments of time and cause and effect flowing and shimmering within the light. Amitabha Buddha's eyes were tightly closed, his golden body trembling slightly, clearly exerting all his efforts to probe the depths of Amoghasiddhi Buddha's memories and attempt to connect with the remaining temporal and spatial imprints of this place.
Time passed little by little.
The expression on Amitabha Buddha's face gradually changed from cold anger to surprise and uncertainty. Sometimes his brows furrowed, sometimes his lips twitched, and sometimes he showed an expression of disbelief. Finally, it turned into a deep sense of frustration and helplessness, as if he had swallowed ten pounds of bitter herbs, mixed with a trace of admiration that even he himself did not realize.
a long time.
The golden light of merit that enveloped the Buddha Amoghasiddhi slowly dissipated.
Amitabha Buddha opened his eyes. In those golden Buddha eyes, there was no longer any rage, only extreme exhaustion, absurdity, and a kind of numbness as if his worldview had been completely crushed and he was powerless to rebuild it.
He slowly released his grip, staggered back two steps, and looked up at the still gray sky, which seemed to carry a mocking tone.
"ah----!!!"
A roar filled with endless frustration, anger, and a profound sense of powerlessness, like the howl of a wounded lone wolf, burst forth from his mouth, echoing over the empty ruins of the Merit Pool and lingering for a long time.
"Lin Zhu—!! You damned bastard! Robber! Liar! Utterly shameless! A scourge to the three realms!!!"
Aside from the most feeble and powerless curses, he found himself utterly powerless to do anything. The tracing back revealed with crystal clarity that everything the Buddha Amoghasiddhi had said… was absolutely true! The scene in his memory, Lin Zhu's acting—"sincere and open," "concerned for the country and its people," and "tragic and resolute"—was simply textbook-worthy!
Even he, a saint incarnate, almost got caught up in it from an observer's God-like perspective! Amoghasiddhi Buddha was completely fooled from beginning to end, showing no signs of collusion or leniency whatsoever; on the contrary, he was "dutiful and responsible," "fully cooperative," and even "deeply entrusted" the task at the end…
Can we blame Amoghavajra for this? It seems... we can't entirely blame him. If anyone is to blame, it's Lin Zhu for being such a good actor, such a good deceiver, such a good exploiter of people's weaknesses, and such a good manipulator of situations and information gaps!
This skill in swindling and deception... it's practically reached the level of "Tao"! Unbelievable! Where did he learn it from?!
Amitabha Buddha slumped his head, feeling utterly exhausted.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Amoghasiddhi Buddha, who outwardly maintained an air of "grievance" and "innocence" with his massive head bowed, had a fleeting, almost imperceptible, cunning glint in the depths of his dragon eyes hidden in the shadows, along with a faint smile of... satisfaction.
'Senior brother, this time... you didn't disappoint me.'
This pent-up anger, bottled up for countless years, has finally... been vented a little bit today, thanks to you.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhu, who was far away in the heavens, rushing back to the Heavenly Court with his harvest, suddenly sneezed for no reason. He rubbed his nose and muttered to himself.
"Who's talking about me again? It must be those bald monks from the Western Paradise... Tsk, hurry up, hurry up, getting home and dividing the spoils is the priority!"
Rewind to the time when Lin Zhu had just infiltrated the Great Thunder Temple and begun his "demolition-style" treasure hunt.
As Lin Zhu quietly stepped into the solemn and majestic Buddhist hall, now empty and chaotic due to the dragon attack, a faint, extremely subtle fluctuation, carrying some ancient and shared aura, pierced through layers of restrictions and spatial barriers, faintly touching the colossal figure far behind Mount Ling, chained and imprisoned at the bottom of the Eight Treasures Merit Pool—Amoghasiddhi Buddha, or rather, the leader of the Seven Immortals of the Intercepting Sect, Wuyun Xian!
At that time, Wuyun Xian, just as he had for countless years, was engaged in a seemingly dormant, shallow cultivation in the pool filled with pure merit and auspicious Buddhist energy.
However, deep within its heart, the original spirit belonging to "Wuyun Xian" never truly converted to the Western Paradise Buddhism!
It always remembered its identity as the leader of the Seven Immortals of the Jie Sect, the years it spent listening to the Dao on Jin'ao Island, and the bloody battle and unyielding spirit in the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation! Amitabha Buddha tried countless times to convert it with Buddhist teachings, to nourish it with merit, and to erase its ferocity and memories with chains, but it withstood the test with its powerful cultivation as a mid-level Quasi-Saint and the inextinguishable Jie Sect imprint deep in its heart!
Here, it is a prisoner, a guard, and even more so... a silent avenger and watcher waiting for its chance.
The unique aura emanating from Lin Zhu was neither purely orthodox Xuanmen nor peaceful Buddhist, but rather carried a more ancient, more obscure, and vaguely resonant essence of "interception" that the Tongtian Sect Leader had revealed during his sermons.
Furthermore, there seemed to be a faint, yet soul-stirring, token-like aura belonging to the Jie Sect hanging at his waist—when it was transmitted across the vast distance, Wu Yunxian's heart, which had been dormant for countless years, suddenly throbbed!
'This is… the aura of the Jie Sect?! Although somewhat different, that 'anomaly' originating from the source and the Daoist charm of 'intercepting heavenly secrets'… there's no mistake! Who is it? Could it be… that Master has another plan? Or perhaps, one of my fellow disciples who were separated from us?'
Countless thoughts raced through Wu Yunxian's mind in an instant, and she was overwhelmed with excitement.
It had been locked in this place for too long, cut off from information, but it trusted its own senses! Especially when Lin Zhu began to secretly absorb the water from the Merit Pool, it became even more certain of this—this person's style of doing things was quite similar to the Jie Sect's "anything not prohibited by law is permissible" and "seizing a glimmer of hope" mentality, definitely not a person from the Xuanmen or Buddhist sects who followed the rules!
Therefore, when Lin Zhu first cautiously drew water, Wu Yunxian was actually aware of it. However, it chose to remain silent, even secretly concealing its aura and reducing its sensitivity to the fluctuations in the pool water, almost turning a blind eye.
It was delighted to see the "property" of the Western Paradise damaged, and even more curious to see how much trouble this supposed fellow disciple could cause.
However, as Lin Zhu took more and more, his actions became increasingly "unrestrained," especially when Lin Zhu took out those gourds that were as tall as a person and began to suck and pump them wildly, causing the water level at the edge of the pool to drop significantly. Wu Yunxian knew that she could no longer "sleep."
If this continues, not only might Lin Zhu be exposed due to the excessive commotion, but more importantly, if it remains completely unresponsive as the guardian, it will inevitably arouse the suspicion and severe punishment of Amitabha Buddha.
And so, it "awakened" at just the right moment. It let out that majestic roar, questioning Lin Zhu. But in that roar, besides the surface anger, there was actually a very subtle, probing fluctuation of divine consciousness, as if asking a question.
'Who comes here? Are you an old acquaintance of the Jie Sect?'
Lin Zhu was incredibly astute; he immediately detected this unusual fluctuation.
Especially at the moment he was "discovered," he did not panic at all. Instead, he could hear a hint of "outward bravado but inward weakness" and "leaving room for maneuver" in that angry roar.
Furthermore, he had previously suspected that the one guarding this Pool of Merit was no ordinary person, and likely had a past grudge against Buddhism. Now, sensing the probing aura of the Intercepting Sect, he immediately understood!
'So that's how it is! This big guy guarding the Merit Pool is actually one of us? Or rather, a potential ally?' Lin Zhu's mind raced, and he instantly changed his strategy. Originally, he planned to either force his way in or run away if he was discovered, but he decided to play along with this "senior brother"!
He immediately "awakened" Wu Yunxian, and then began his wonderful "turning the tables" performance.
He rebuked Wu Yunxian for "neglecting his duties," citing the rampant dragon race and the perilous situation in the Western Paradise to portray himself as a tragic figure "ordered to transfer assets." He observed Wu Yunxian's reactions at every step.
Wu Yunxian's cooperation was flawless.
It first showed "shock" and "skepticism," then raised questions at just the right time, giving Lin Zhu the opportunity to present "evidence" and make a vow to Heaven.
When Lin Zhu made the oath, Wu Yunxian was even more certain in his heart that this "senior brother" was no ordinary person. He could even find loopholes in the oath of the Heavenly Dao and make it work. This method was quite similar to the style of the Jie Sect in "seizing a glimmer of hope" back then!
In particular, when Lin Zhu cleverly mentioned "Bodhi Patriarch and Amitabha Buddha invited him" and "Buddha Tathagata entrusted him with a precious treasure" in his oath, Wu Yunxian almost laughed out loud, becoming even more convinced that this was one of their own!
Only those who truly understand the inner workings of the Western Paradise and have no reverence for the saints—the "insiders"—would use such a mocking and sarcastic approach to weave such a seemingly "reasonable" yet absurd oath!
As they sang in harmony, a tacit understanding gradually developed between them.
Lin Zhu saw the suppressed excitement and reminiscence of the past of the Jie Sect in Wu Yunxian's eyes, and even more so, its deep resentment and unwillingness towards the Western Paradise.
He knew that this "senior brother" was a friend, not an enemy, and was very likely willing to cooperate with him to trick the Western Paradise!
Therefore, he boldly proposed the "scorched earth strategy," inciting Wuyunxian to dig up the spiritual agate and completely destroy the foundation of the Merit Pool!
This was not only to maximize my own gains, but also to help Wu Yunxian vent his anger, and even more so to create "ironclad evidence"—look, even the guards believe that I am acting on orders and are helping me "protect the property," so who can doubt this?
Wu Yunxian took the bait without hesitation, even showing more enthusiasm and determination than Lin Zhu.
Its "tragic" act of personally digging open the spiritual agate at the bottom of the pool was partly a performance for potential surveillance, but also, wasn't it an outlet for its pent-up anger and humiliation over countless years? What it dug up wasn't agate, but chains! It dug up imprisonment!
During this process, Wu Yunxian even secretly sent a telepathic message to Lin Zhu.
“Senior brother, the total amount of the merit water is about five million, and you have already taken nearly one million. If you take more, the total amount will decrease by more than one-fifth, which may trigger the hidden connection between the bottom of the pool and the Amitabha Buddha. Even if he is in a fierce battle, he may still feel something.”
"Perhaps... we should stop here. The remaining water in the pool will gradually evaporate and dissipate, returning to the world, once the spirit agate is hollowed out and the formation collapses. This would also be considered 'leaving nothing for the enemy,' and would further demonstrate our 'do-or-die' determination."
These words, seemingly considering the rationale behind the "acting," were actually meant to protect Lin Zhu and prevent him from being directly targeted by the Sage, while also maximizing the damage—greatly reducing the chances for the Western Paradise to reclaim and reassemble the scattered will power!
Lin Zhu, understanding the implied meaning of the song, immediately "followed the advice," ceasing his efforts to absorb the essence with the large gourd and instead focusing on "digging" for the spiritual agate and "searching" for other treasures.
He even "thoughtfully" reminded Wuyunxian to "check carefully and leave no clues for the enemy," giving Wuyunxian a "reasonable" excuse to find and hand over the Muni Dingguang Pearl.
Finally, when Wu Yunxian "tragically" entrusted his natal magic weapon, the "Thunderbolt Pestle," Lin Zhu instantly understood its deeper meaning—Wu Yunxian was making the worst-case scenario plan! It was imprisoned by chains and almost bound to the Pool of Merit. If the Western Paradise investigated or if Lin Zhu was exposed later, it would likely face severe punishment, or even be completely destroyed.
Rather than letting the magical treasure that had accompanied him for countless years and contained part of his origin and Dao fruit fall into the hands of the Western Paradise, or perish along with him, he would rather entrust it to this seemingly capable "senior brother" who was also from the Jie Sect! This was a trust, a legacy, and even more so, a silent trust and expectation—hoping that he could do something for him and for the Jie Sect.
Lin Zhu felt a chill run down her spine and secretly made up her mind.
He accepted the Thunder Cudgel not only for the treasure, but also because he had taken on a heavy responsibility.
He looked into Wu Yunxian's seemingly "dull and honest" but actually wise and world-weary eyes and nodded solemnly and almost imperceptibly.
That means...
I understand. I'll take the things, and as for the person... I'll definitely come back to rescue them someday!
For this reason, when negotiating with the Western Paradise to sell the White Lotus Child and the Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenation Pill, Lin Zhu never mentioned any of Wu Yunxian's "active" actions in this "fraud," always portraying him as a "loyal guardian blinded by superb deception," perfectly protecting him and preventing him from arousing any further suspicion.
This is why when Amitabha Buddha traced back in time, he could only see the scene of Wuyunxian being "foolishly deceived," and could not see any trace of collusion—because when the two were "acting," they had taken into account all the details that could be exposed.
With her quasi-saint cultivation, Wu Yunxian, in conjunction with Lin Zhu's sky-covering talisman, cleverly erased or distorted certain key exchanges of divine thoughts and eye contact.
This elaborate scheme, orchestrated from both inside and outside, not only allowed Lin Zhu to successfully take away a million merit waters, tens of thousands of kilograms of spiritual agate, four Mani light-fixing pearls, and a primordial spiritual treasure, the Thunderstrike Pestle, but also caused the Western Paradise to lose the remaining four million merit waters and a priceless Eight Treasures Merit Pool!
Wu Yunxian, taking this opportunity, vented her pent-up resentment of countless years and gambled her future on her "exceptional" senior brother, Lin Zhu. (End of Chapter)