Liao Zhen unexpectedly ambushed Tathagata with a method similar to mutual destruction, yet he himself was not seriously injured. Firstly, he was prepared in advance, and after unleashing the Thunder Technique, he flew backward. Secondly, he was protected by the Seven Star Daoist Robe. Thirdly, his physical body was naturally strong, and he dared not linger. Seeing that Tathagata had not yet recovered, Liao Zhen quickly summoned the Nine Treasures Tree and attacked Tathagata.

Tathagata had never expected such an attack, one that was even somewhat unscrupulous. When the divine lightning struck, he had no time to react and could only temporarily spare some of his magical power to protect himself, yet he was still struck in the left arm. The divine lightning was incredibly powerful, and even Tathagata's strong body could not withstand it. This was the disadvantage of not having any magical treasures. Tathagata was blasted away by the divine lightning and flew back a hundred meters. He felt as if his left arm had been broken. Before he could get up, he heard a fierce wind and knew that it was Tathagata's real attack. Tathagata simply threw out the Seven Treasures Tree in his hand to block it.

When Liaozhen saw that Tathagata was injured, he used the Nine Treasures Tree to rush towards Tathagata, while launching divine lightning attacks. Tathagata cursed inwardly and quickly summoned back the Golden Body of Many Treasures Tathagata to block in front of him. The explosions caused Tathagata's blood to boil.

Seeing that this situation was not a solution and that defeat was inevitable, the Tathagata summoned back the Five Acala Kings. He sat cross-legged, and the nine-tiered golden lotus platform bestowed by the Amitabha Buddha appeared beneath his feet. The Tathagata sat upright on it, and the Five Acala Kings retreated behind him, each forming the Acala King mudra. Relics appeared on the top of the Tathagata's head, and Buddha light surged up, connecting with the golden lotus beneath his seat. The golden light blocked the true divine thunder from entering, preventing it from penetrating.

Upon seeing this, Liao Zhen summoned his avatar, the True Man of Understanding, and with his hands forming a mudra, he raised the hundred-meter-high Emerald Isle Peak and smashed it towards the Tathagata. A fierce wind swept in, and even though the Tathagata was sitting on the Nine-Rank Lotus Platform, he was somewhat startled. He quickly increased the circulation of his magical power, chanted Buddhist scriptures, and the Buddha's light enveloped the golden lotus within it.

Emerald Peak already weighed a million jin (approximately 500 kg), and when Liao Zhen hurled it from high to low, the combined force of Mingli Zhenren's magical power, gravity, and the peak's own weight made the impact of its descent terrifying, likely weighing no less than a hundred million jin. Emerald Peak crashed down with a whooshing sound, accompanied by a deafening roar. The Buddha's chanting abruptly ceased, and the golden cocoon formed by the Buddha's light was smashed to the ground, creating a crater over three zhang (approximately 13 meters) in diameter and ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) deep.

The people standing by were terrified by the power, wondering if they could withstand it if it were applied to them.

Randeng, who was fighting Huixin, was also stunned. He thought to himself that if he were hit by such a magic weapon, he probably wouldn't fare well either, since he couldn't withstand it without the protection of his Nine-Rank Lotus Platform. Seeing that Huixin had also stopped fighting, Randeng quickly withdrew his avatar and said, "Your cultivation is indeed profound, benefactor. This humble monk will seek your guidance another day." Without waiting for Huixin's reply, he turned and headed towards the Buddhist sect.

Liao Zhen, having smashed the Buddha, was aware of the power of his magic weapon, yet couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement. Indeed, no one in the world wouldn't find this feeling exhilarating; after all, the sensation of smashing someone with something is undeniably satisfying. Looking at the large crater, Liao Zhen formed another hand seal, transforming the Emerald Isle Peak into a hundred-zhang-long mound, essentially a small hill. He placed it atop the crater, waiting for the Buddha to emerge so he could smash it again.

Buddha was also quite frustrated. Although the blow from Liaozhen hadn't injured him, the force was still quite unpleasant. He couldn't resist the force of that billions of jin. What good was a saint's magic weapon? The magic weapon was only so heavy. Although it couldn't break through his defenses, it could still send him flying.

After a brief adjustment, Tathagata flew out of the pit. Upon seeing the enormous mountain above him, Tathagata almost wanted to shrink back down. He quickly stopped Lezhen, who was about to continue smashing it, and said, "Benefactor, please hold your hand. How about we settle this matter here?" Tathagata really didn't want to fight such a behemoth, and he didn't need to completely expose his strength. This wasn't some kind of immortal cause and effect; there was no need to fight to the death.

Upon hearing Buddha's words, Liaozhen's mind raced, and he said, "Buddha has spoken, how dare I disobey? However, the affairs of the Underworld concern all living beings and cannot be neglected. As the saying goes, without rules, there can be no order. Everything in the Underworld is already perfected, it is not a good thing for Buddha to interfere in its affairs. What does Buddha think?" Liaozhen understood, saying, "I tell you, Buddha, to stop trying to interfere in the Underworld."

Upon hearing this, Buddha pondered inwardly. After all, the affairs of the underworld were related to the great prosperity of Buddhism, and he had already made an agreement with Haotian. Moreover, he had the idea of ​​the two Western Saints. This was not something he could do alone.

Seeing that the Buddha remained silent, Liao Zhen knew that he still had thoughts in his mind, so he simply waited on the side.

Twenty-seven, Buddhism retreated, Confucianism rose.

27. Buddhism retreats, Confucianism rises.

After a long silence, the Buddha suddenly looked up at the Buddhist camp and said, "In that case, let's discuss the matter of the underworld later."

Upon hearing this, Liao Zhen thought, "Ha, Tathagata has quite a plan. What do you mean by 'we'll discuss it later'? You'll have an excuse to cause trouble again tomorrow, won't you? But since you, Tathagata, have this request, I will grant it."

After thinking for a moment, Liaozhen smiled and said, "In that case, we shall do as the Buddha says." After saying that, Liaozhen put away Cuiyu Peak and returned to their respective camps with Tathagata.

Huixin had already parted ways with Randeng. When she saw that Liaozhen had returned, she quickly went up to ask what was wrong, and Liaozhen indicated that everything was alright.

At this moment, the Buddha stepped forward and said, "Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva made a great vow, has great perseverance and great compassion, and vowed to deliver the wronged souls in hell. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva should be the master of the underworld."

Upon hearing this, Liao Zhen laughed and said, "Buddha, you are mistaken. The gods of the underworld are under the mandate of Heaven to govern all matters of the underworld. There is nothing wrong with them. Moreover, there are the six great Venerable Ones who have been reborn to save the wronged souls in hell. Although Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's great vow is good, it is somewhat superfluous."

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