"I never imagined the Vine Dao Venerable was still alive!"
Ancient Buddha Randeng's face was grim. He had been deceived so completely, played in the palm of that man's hand.
"We must never underestimate him again. His schemes are simply terrifying."
A look of astonishment flashed across Tathagata's face. He had thought the man was merely using the Vine Dao Venerable's name. He had never imagined that he was the Vine Dao Venerable himself.
Helping Monkey awaken his bloodline, inciting him to attack Spirit Mountain, revealing that the inheritance lay within Tang Sanzang, inducing Randeng to cut off his root of troubles, abducting Joyful Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and Kṣitigarbha Buddha.
Every one of those deeds had shaken heaven and earth in the Primordial World.
And all of them had been schemes orchestrated by the Vine Dao Venerable alone.
Suddenly, Buddha Tathagata's heart sank. A chill crept up his back, and cold sweat poured down.
Only now did he realize that, without his noticing, the Buddhist Sect's strength had been reduced by at least thirty percent.
Wenshu, Puxian, and Lingji were all dead, while Guanyin, Mahasthamaprapta, Joyful Buddha, and Kṣitigarbha Buddha were nowhere to be found.
"He's dismantling our strength, step by step!"
Shock and fury mingled in Tathagata's eyes. In the end, the one most thoroughly ensnared in those schemes was none other than him, the leader of Buddhism.
"He must die! Whatever the cost, we must wipe out Golden Turtle Island completely!"
Tathagata could no longer contain himself. That overwhelming sense of danger left him deeply unsettled.
Maitreya Buddha frowned. "With our strength, I'm afraid we can't kill him. He's too mysterious."
Ancient Buddha Randeng spoke slowly, enunciating every word:
"The earth law, the time law, the Hongmeng Measuring-Heaven Ruler, the God-Slaying Spear, the Chaos Bell..."
With