Chapter Summaries

Lin Zhu and Patriarch Styx unleashed the Blood River Great Array against Ksitigarbha’s Buddha Light barrier, sending a shockwave through the Three Realms. As the Netherworld and mortal lands suffered damage, unrest and new resolve took root, while Western Heaven’s leaders confronted the threat Lin Zhu posed.

• Lin Zhu urged Patriarch Styx to attack, and Styx unleashed the Blood River Great Array against the Buddha Light barrier, shaking the Three Realms.
• Great Emperor Fengdu organized the Underworld’s defenses, limiting the damage and preventing a major ghost riot or disruption to reincarnation.
• A young worshipper in Western Niuhe Continent saw a cracked Ksitigarbha statue and resolved to seek the True Scripture, beginning to gather others who sought the true dharma.
• Nezha stopped imprisoned demons from escaping the Ninth Heaven Prison and worried about Lin Zhu, whose attack also helped Nezha’s cultivation bottleneck begin to loosen.
• Ancient Buddha Ran Deng rebuked Buddha Tathagata for failing to stop Lin Zhu sooner, and the two struggled to decide how to respond.

Ancient Buddha Ran Deng ordered Buddha Tathagata to strengthen Western Heaven’s defenses and prevent Lin Zhu from approaching the Golden Cicada Reincarnation again. At the Netherworld battlefield, Lin Zhu persuaded Patriarch Styx to offer a reward for breaking Ksitigarbha’s barrier, then volunteered to use a Heavenly Origin Demonic Stone as his trump card.

• Ancient Buddha Ran Deng warned Buddha Tathagata to fortify Spirit Mountain, watch Lin Zhu, and hasten the selection of the Scripture Seeker.
• The Blood River Great Array battered Ksitigarbha’s weakening Buddha Light barrier while Diting, the Six Emissaries, and the Ksitigarbha Clones struggled to hold it together.
• Lin Zhu urged Patriarch Styx to offer a reward for a decisive strike, and Patriarch Styx promised the Asura Sky-Destroying Mirror to whoever broke the array.
• Lin Zhu accepted the challenge and revealed a Heavenly Origin Demonic Stone, astonishing Patriarch Styx with its rarity and destructive aura.
• Lin Zhu claimed the stone was a keepsake from a deceased friend, and Patriarch Styx believed his story and admired his supposed loyalty.

Lin Zhu infused the God-Slaying Spear with the Heavenly Origin Demonic Stone’s power and shattered the Ksitigarbha Formation. He then killed Treasure Maiden despite Diting’s interception, leaving the Ksitigarbha faction reeling and the Blood Sea Asuras celebrating.

• Patriarch Styx offered Lin Zhu treasures as compensation after believing Lin Zhu’s story about the Heavenly Origin Demonic Stone’s origin.
• Lin Zhu infused the God-Slaying Spear with the stone’s destructive energy and used it to break the Ksitigarbha Formation.
• Diting and the Six Emissaries pleaded for Lin Zhu to stop, but he redirected his attack toward Treasure Maiden.
• Diting’s claw intercepted Lin Zhu’s weakened strike, but Lin Zhu drew more energy from the stone and pierced through the claw.
• Lin Zhu sentenced Treasure Maiden to death and killed her with the God-Slaying Spear, annihilating her body and soul.
• Patriarch Styx and the Blood Sea Asuras celebrated as the Ksitigarbha faction faced the loss of its formation and one of its Six Emissaries.

After completing his mission, Lin Zhu used the system’s reward to advance to Half-step Quasi-Saint just as Angel Emissary attacked him. Lin Zhu stopped the sword with two fingers, and Patriarch Styx revealed his breakthrough to the stunned battlefield.

• The system rewarded Lin Zhu with Merit of Faith, the second page of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation Diagram, and a no-side-effect advancement to Half-step Quasi-Saint.
• Lin Zhu began advancing, appearing dazed as Angel Emissary launched a desperate sword strike to avenge Treasure Maiden.
• Lin Zhu caught Angel Emissary’s Heaven Sword between two fingers, leaving the watching Three Realms Law Enforcers, Liu Man, Su Lengyu, and Patriarch Styx stunned.
• Lin Zhu teased Angel Emissary and the embarrassed Liu Man and Su Lengyu, while Celestial Consort Uma joked that the two princesses had fallen for him.
• Patriarch Styx sensed Lin Zhu’s transformed aura and announced that Lin Zhu had become a Half-step Quasi-Saint.

Lin Zhu executed Angel Emissary after reaching the Half-step Quasi-Saint realm, then withdrew with the Law Enforcers after refusing to help Patriarch Styx destroy the Five Turbid Worlds. As they prepared to leave, a judgmental chant condemned Lin Zhu to Avici Hell, and Ksitigarbha’s supreme power began to manifest.

• Lin Zhu rejected Angel Emissary’s plea for mercy, disarmed him, and killed him with the God-Slaying Spear.
• Lin Zhu declared the executions of Tantuo Ksitigarbha, Treasure Maiden, and Angel Emissary lawful, then ordered the Three Realms Enforcement Officers Brigade to withdraw.
• Patriarch Styx urged Lin Zhu to stay and help destroy the Five Turbid Worlds, but Lin Zhu refused and reminded him to deliver the Asura Sky-Destroying Mirror intact to the Ninth Heaven Prison.
• Patriarch Styx let Lin Zhu and the Law Enforcers depart, fearing both the Heavenly Court’s response and Lin Zhu’s power.
• A supernatural chant accused Lin Zhu of crimes against Buddhism and sentenced him to eternal punishment in Avici Hell.
• The Asura forces recoiled in terror while Diting, the surviving emissaries, and the Ksitigarbha Clones prostrated themselves toward the Five Turbid Worlds as a supreme power stirred.

Venerable Ksitigarbha appeared and trapped Lin Zhu beneath a lethal palm strike, but an unknown light stopped the attack at the last moment. Lin Zhu survived and turned to face the mysterious woman who had appeared beside him.

• Venerable Ksitigarbha emerged from the Five Turbid Worlds and immobilized Lin Zhu with his overwhelming power.
• Venerable Ksitigarbha brought his palm down toward Lin Zhu while Patriarch Styx stayed out of the fight.
• Lin Zhu raised his middle finger at Venerable Ksitigarbha and shouted an insult before calmly awaiting death.
• A faint, indestructible light stopped Venerable Ksitigarbha's palm just before it struck Lin Zhu.
• Lin Zhu found himself unharmed, noticed everyone staring behind him, and turned to see an ancient, solemn woman beside him.

Empress Houtu intervened to stop Venerable Ksitigarbha from killing Lin Zhu, forcing both sides to withdraw from the Underworld battle. Lin Zhu took Nine Phoenix to Southern Jambudvipa to finish his check-in mission as news of his victory spread through the Three Realms and frightened mortal demons into changing their ways.

• Empress Houtu blocked Venerable Ksitigarbha's attack and restrained his plans to seize control of the Underworld, prompting him to retreat with his forces.
• Patriarch Styx withdrew his Asura troops, and Empress Houtu departed without speaking to Lin Zhu.
• Lin Zhu ordered most of the Three Realms Enforcement Officers Brigade back to the Heavenly Court and took Nine Phoenix with him to Southern Jambudvipa, with only two days left on his mission.
• The Heavenly Court learned that Lin Zhu had killed two Half-step Quasi-Saint emissaries and reached the Half-step Quasi-Saint realm, while his returning officers celebrated their survival.
• News of the battle terrified mortal demons, prompting some to stop preying on people and others to restrain their followers and perform good deeds.

After Lin Zhu’s victory in the Underworld shook Western Heaven and the demon factions, Buddha Tathagata worried over the Water and Land Dharma Assembly in Chang’an. Lin Zhu reached Southern Jambudvipa, reassured King of Tang Li Shimin, and received a new mission to attend the assembly, which left him preparing to intervene in Western Heaven’s plans.

• Buddha Tathagata blamed Li Jing for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s losses and ordered the Guardian Vajras to beat him with two hundred strikes of the zen staff.
• King of Tang Li Shimin approved the Water and Land Dharma Assembly after Xiao Xing urged him to proceed, then gained confidence when Lin Zhu secretly assured him Western Heaven posed no threat.
• Lin Zhu arrived above Southern Jambudvipa with Nine Phoenix and received 100,000 Merit of Faith for completing the Southern Jambudvipa Check-In mission.
• The system assigned Lin Zhu to attend the Water and Land Dharma Assembly as a specially invited guest and respond to unknown variables for a base reward of 50,000 Merit of Faith.
• Lin Zhu accepted the mission and resolved to watch for trouble at the assembly.

Lin Zhu brought Nine Phoenix to Chang'an to watch the Water and Land Dharma Assembly and found Chen Xuanzang abusing the monks while relying on the mysterious Mortal Frenzy Pill. As Guanyin tried to stage her planned encounter with a Scripture Seeker, Lin Zhu appeared and startled her.

• Lin Zhu took Nine Phoenix to Chang'an, where crowds gathered for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.
• Chen Xuanzang berated and kicked the monks preparing the ceremony, then hid the Mortal Frenzy Pill in his robes for reassurance.
• Guanyin arrived in Chang'an seeking a worthy Scripture Seeker and disguised herself as a ragged beggar carrying the Brocade Bat Treasure Kasaya and Nine Ringed Staff.
• A burly monk tried to seize Guanyin's treasures, and she suppressed her anger while naming their supposed prices.
• Lin Zhu called out from a nearby rooftop, and Guanyin recognized him and wondered how he had escaped the Underworld so quickly.

Guanyin Bodhisattva tried to deliver the Buddhist treasures to the King of Tang while evading Lin Zhu, but Cheng Yaojin disrupted her meeting with Prime Minister Xiao Xing. Guanyin rescued the injured Xiao and brought him to the palace, where Li Shimin realized Cheng Yaojin’s attempt had failed.

• Lin Zhu watched as Monk Lu Dali harassed Guanyin Bodhisattva, who fled without revealing herself or using her full power.
• Guanyin reached East Glorious Gate and followed the plan with Xiao Xing, presenting the Brocade Bat Kasaya and Nine Ringed Staff to him.
• Cheng Yaojin arrived to seize the treasures, fought Xiao Xing, and left him badly injured before Guanyin whisked them both away.
• Guanyin brought Xiao Xing to the imperial palace and urged him to take her to Li Shimin.
• Li Shimin learned what had happened at East Glorious Gate and recognized that Cheng Yaojin had failed to stop Western Heaven’s plan.

King of Tang rejected Guanyin Bodhisattva’s attempt to give him Buddhist treasures, then welcomed Lin Zhu and revealed that his cultivation exercise had strengthened Great Tang’s people and army. He proposed attacking the Tianzhu Buddha Kingdom, while Lin Zhu realized that a Chaos Storm he had caused five hundred years earlier had altered Great Tang’s people and enabled their rapid cultivation.

• King of Tang dismissed Guanyin Bodhisattva’s sales pitch, refused the Brocade Bat Kasaya and Nine Ringed Staff, and ordered her escorted out.
• Guanyin Bodhisattva left the treasures behind and escaped the guards, while King of Tang reprimanded Xiao Xing and lamented the burdens of being emperor.
• Lin Zhu appeared in the hall, and King of Tang eagerly asked him what to do next; Lin Zhu told him to proceed with the Water and Land Dharma Assembly and use Chen Xuanzang as planned.
• King of Tang proposed raising an army to attack the Tianzhu Buddha Kingdom, explaining that the broadcast exercise had rapidly improved Great Tang’s population and army.
• King of Tang attributed the people’s cultivation aptitude to a Chaos Storm five hundred years earlier, and Lin Zhu realized it had followed his own battle and accidental release of Chaos Spiritual Qi.

At the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, Chen Xuanzang’s demonic energy erupted when he donned the Brocade Bat Kasaya and took up the Nine Ringed Staff, exposing him as a dangerous demonic figure. The King of Tang seized the incident as grounds to blame the Buddhist Sect and ordered the crowd evacuated, while Lin Zhu watched in bewilderment and amusement.

• Lin Zhu encouraged the King of Tang to attack the Tianzhu Buddha Kingdom when he found a suitable excuse, then agreed to attend the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.
• Chen Xuanzang preached Buddhist scriptures at Huāshēng Temple while concealing his violent nature beneath a dignified appearance.
• The King of Tang presented Chen Xuanzang with the Brocade Bat Kasaya and Nine Ringed Staff as Guanyin Bodhisattva anticipated the start of the westward scripture-seeking journey.
• When Chen Xuanzang put on the kasaya and grasped the staff, his body convulsed as demonic energy emerged, injuring nearby people and terrifying the assembly.
• Lin Zhu realized the kasaya had triggered the Demonic Qi left by Gu Yang and settled in to watch, while the King of Tang mistook his bewilderment for confidence that matters were under control.
• The King of Tang denounced Chen Xuanzang and the Buddhist Sect, ordered soldiers to protect and evacuate the people, and began to address the task of subduing the demon.

Lin Zhu turned Guanyin Bodhisattva’s attempt to remove the cassock from demonic Chen Xuanzang into a public scandal, while the Western Heaven attendants fled in terror. King of Tang’s words led Chen Xuanzang to suspect that the cassock and staff had been deliberately tampered with to ruin him.

• King of Tang ordered Golden Mountain Temple to handle Chen Xuanzang’s demonic transformation, and the guards cleared the crowd from the altar.
• Guanyin Bodhisattva disguised herself as a mangy monk and rushed onto the altar to strip the deadly cassock from Chen Xuanzang.
• Lin Zhu accused the disguised Guanyin of molesting Chen Xuanzang, prompting soldiers, monks, and cultivators to swarm the altar and seize her.
• Golden Head Attendant recognized Lin Zhu and fled, and the other Western Heaven attendants followed while Guanyin struggled against the crowd.
• King of Tang sat beside Lin Zhu to watch the melee, then suggested the cassock and staff might conceal a scheme.
• Chen Xuanzang concluded that the supposed madwoman had arranged for the treasures to trigger his demonic nature and disgrace him before everyone.

Guanyin Bodhisattva revealed her true identity and tried to soothe Chen Xuanzang and recruit him to seek the True Scripture, but he mistook her actions for a plot against him. After Chen Xuanzang took a pill and unleashed overwhelming Demonic Qi, he blasted Guanyin away and rose above the ruined platform as a demon king.

• Guanyin Bodhisattva revealed herself at Huāshēng Temple Plaza and proclaimed the superiority of the Great Vehicle Buddhist Sutras.
• Chen Xuanzang blamed Guanyin for humiliating and sabotaging him, and vowed to take revenge.
• Guanyin removed the Brocade Cassock and Nine Ringed Staff, eased Chen Xuanzang's pain, and asked him to seek the True Scripture.
• Chen Xuanzang knelt, dropped an empty brocade box, and erupted with vastly increased Demonic Qi and demonic markings.
• Chen Xuanzang's demonic blast shattered Guanyin's defenses and sent her crashing through ancient trees.
• Chen Xuanzang rose above the collapsing platform, pointed at the wounded Guanyin, and roared at her.

At the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, Chen Xuanzang’s pill-fueled demonic power turned him against Guanyin and the Western Heaven forces. After destroying the Arhats and Buddhas who attacked him, he struck Guanyin down and continued beating her as she pleaded for him to stop.

• The terrified crowd fled as Western Heaven’s disguised Arhats and Buddhas revealed themselves and charged at Chen Xuanzang, while Lin Zhu and King of Tang watched.
• Chen Xuanzang accused Guanyin of plotting against him, and the Western Heaven fighters formed a Demon Subduing Great Array with a Great Might Heavenly Dragon.
• Chen Xuanzang shattered the dragon with one punch and obliterated the surrounding Arhats and Buddhas, while Lin Zhu insisted he had acted in self-defense.
• Guanyin tried to explain that she had come to help, but Chen Xuanzang rushed her and smashed through her protective barrier with a demonic attack.
• Chen Xuanzang punched Guanyin in the face, knocked her into the ground, then straddled her and repeatedly struck her as she begged him to stop.

Chen Xuanzang fell into a demonic frenzy at the Water and Land Dharma Assembly and brutally beat Guanyin Bodhisattva while Lin Zhu watched. Buddha Tathagata and the Buddhas discovered the disaster, and as Chen’s pill began to wear off, Tathagata’s power descended toward Huāshēng Temple.

• Chen Xuanzang pinned Guanyin Bodhisattva down and battered her, while Lin Zhu told King of Tang that Guanyin’s life was not in danger.
• Buddha Tathagata received Guanyin’s desperate plea for help during the Dao Lecture and saw the scene through his Divine Power.
• The Buddhas recognized Chen Xuanzang as the demonic attacker and reacted in shock that their chosen Scripture Seeker had turned on Guanyin.
• Chen Xuanzang’s frenzy weakened as the Mortal Frenzy Pill’s effect neared its end, and Guanyin stopped resisting while glaring at him.
• Lin Zhu sensed Buddha Tathagata’s immense will descending toward Huāshēng Temple and anticipated his arrival.

As Chen Xuanzang’s demonic strength faded, Guanyin Bodhisattva broke free and tried to punish him, but Lin Zhu intervened and invoked Great Tang law to protect him. Buddha Tathagata arrived and demanded that Lin Zhu hand Chen Xuanzang over to Western Heaven, leaving the two powers in a standoff.

• Chen Xuanzang’s medicine wore off, and Guanyin Bodhisattva threw him away before declaring that she would take revenge.
• Chen Xuanzang remembered beating Guanyin Bodhisattva, panicked, and begged Lin Zhu to save him.
• Lin Zhu shattered Guanyin Bodhisattva’s restraint and struck her down, then argued that Great Tang law should judge Chen Xuanzang.
• King of Tang Li Shimin backed Lin Zhu, while Chen Xuanzang hid behind him and Guanyin Bodhisattva appealed to Buddha Tathagata.
• Buddha Tathagata arrived, heard Guanyin Bodhisattva’s complaint, and demanded that Lin Zhu hand Chen Xuanzang over to Western Heaven.

Lin Zhu used Great Tang law to prevent Buddha Tathagata from taking Chen Xuanzang, who was arrested and sent toward the Heavenly Prison. Tathagata discovered that Chen Xuanzang’s Buddhist and demonic forces would destroy his body and Golden Cicada Child’s True Spirit within two days, leaving Western Heaven searching for a way to obtain a life-saving pill from an old enemy.

• Lin Zhu argued that Chen Xuanzang had acted in self-defense and that Western Heaven had no authority to seize him.
• Lin Zhu said he would arrest Chen Xuanzang under Great Tang law, and King of Tang Li Shimin ordered soldiers to take him into custody.
• Chen Xuanzang willingly submitted to arrest, hoping the Heavenly Prison would protect him from Tathagata and Guanyin Bodhisattva.
• Tathagata threatened to complain to the Saints, but Lin Zhu departed after warning that Golden Cicada Child had little time left.
• Tathagata examined Chen Xuanzang and found that clashing Buddhist and demonic forces would kill him and annihilate his True Spirit within two days.
• Tathagata and Guanyin concluded that a Top-grade Taiji Pill might save Chen Xuanzang, but only the pill-maker at Tushita Palace might be able to provide it.

Buddha Tathagata ordered Guanyin Bodhisattva to secretly rescue Chen Xuanzang, while Lin Zhu frightened Chen Xuanzang into resolving to resist Western Heaven at any cost. Lin Zhu then explained Chen Xuanzang’s background to King of Tang Li Shimin and asked him to become sworn brothers with Chen Xuanzang once the turmoil settled.

• Buddha Tathagata told Guanyin Bodhisattva to break Chen Xuanzang out of the Heavenly Prison secretly and bring him to the Heavenly Court.
• Lin Zhu warned Chen Xuanzang that Western Heaven might seize and brainwash him, driving Chen Xuanzang to decide he would rather die or embrace the demonic path than submit.
• Lin Zhu revealed to King of Tang Li Shimin that Chen Xuanzang was the reincarnation of Elder Jin Chan, Buddha Tathagata’s second disciple.
• King of Tang rejected blind worship of the gods and Buddhas, declaring that Great Tang’s achievements belonged to its people and that its backbone would not bend.
• Lin Zhu asked King of Tang to become sworn brothers with Chen Xuanzang, leaving the king stunned.

Lin Zhu instructed the King of Tang to recognize Chen Xuanzang as his Imperial Brother and to ignore a coming prison break, then returned to the Heavenly Court after earning 100,000 Merit of Faith. As Guanyin secretly hesitated to rescue Chen Xuanzang, Lin Zhu celebrated the Underworld campaign with his Enforcers and learned that Nezha had obtained a Taiji Pill from Tushita Palace.

• Lin Zhu told the King of Tang to publicly call Chen Xuanzang his Imperial Brother and not interfere if prisoners escaped from the Heavenly Prison.
• The system awarded Lin Zhu 100,000 Merit of Faith for completing his mission, and he returned to the Ninth Heaven Prison.
• Guanyin Bodhisattva hid above Chang'an and watched the palace and prison, but hesitated to attempt the rescue because she feared Lin Zhu would catch her.
• Lin Zhu held a victory feast for the Three Realms Enforcement Officers Brigade, whose members cheered their successful Underworld campaign.
• Lin Zhu noticed Nezha's black-and-white Taiji Pill, and Nezha explained that the Brigade had traded seized remains for it at Tushita Palace to cleanse turbid energy and balance their auras.