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Chapter 223 The Pit of Fire
In the enclosed space, the fragrance of the elixir seemed to solidify. Lao Tzu's calm words were like pebbles thrown into Chen Guangrui's heart.

Chen Guangrui felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head. He knew all too well what Laozi meant by "turning point"—it was the "prophecy" about the Journey to the West that he had made up in front of the statue of Laozi when he was desperate in Chang'an and in order to save his life.

He felt as bitter as if he had swallowed a bitter pill. He had just said it casually to save his life, but who would have thought that Laozi would actually take it seriously and push him step by step into this dangerous situation.

Laozi's voice remained flat, as if he were stating something utterly ordinary.

"From the very beginning, you unintentionally disrupted their plans. Jin Chanzi, who should have been guided by Buddhism, was instead brought to the Heavenly Court by you in his mortal form and caught the eye of the Tushita Palace. Then, you made such a big move at Lion Camel Ridge."

Chen Guangrui felt a chill run down his spine. He just wanted to curl up into a ball, hoping Lao Jun would immediately dismiss him like a fart. He couldn't help but groan inwardly:
"Isn't this all your fault? Didn't you want me to kill the three demons of Lion Camel Ridge? How come it's like I'm the one who jumped out to oppose Buddhism! If this continues, I'm afraid I'll really be cut into eighteen pieces by Buddha when he gets the chance..."

His throat bobbed, and he forced down the turmoil in his heart, carefully raising his head.

"Actually... even if I didn't do these things, the Buddhist sect's plan to travel west might not necessarily go smoothly, right? There are always variables."

"The variable lies with you." Lao Tzu interrupted him, looking at him calmly. "Now, it's no longer a question of whether you want to do it or not."

Chen Guangrui's heart skipped a beat, and an even stronger sense of foreboding enveloped him.

Laozi's voice remained calm, yet it felt like an ice pick piercing to the bone.

"Believe it or not, if I let go now, within three days, Tathagata will surely find a pretext to make you disappear from the Three Realms without a trace."

Chen Guangrui felt his legs go weak. He moved his lips, wanting to retort, but found his throat tight, unable to utter a single word. He thought about it carefully, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his undershirt.

Laozi's words, though cold, were absolutely true. In the eyes of an being like Tathagata, his own meager cultivation was probably no more effort than crushing an ant.

People might have ignored him before, but now... he knows so much inside information, and he's ruined so many of his plans. Plus, that lightning strike at Lion Camel Ridge killed three Buddhist monks... It's no wonder Buddha would kill him.

“Therefore,” Lao Tzu’s voice pulled him back from his fear, “everything you are doing now is not only helping me, but also saving yourself. You and I are now in the same boat.”

Chen Guangrui forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his voice filled with resigned bitterness, "Self-salvation? I'm sinking deeper and deeper, and I'm afraid I'm not far from that point of no return."

He thought to himself, "Who do you think you are? Do you think I'd dare share a pipe with you? That would be suicide!"

He felt as if he were trapped in a huge whirlpool, being pushed deeper and deeper by an invisible hand, with no power to struggle.

"Not necessarily." Laozi calmly refuted his pessimism. "The turning point may come sooner than you expect. If Buddha was able to ascend to the position of master of Mount Ling five hundred years ago, how do you know that five hundred years later, everyone on Mount Ling will truly have no grudges against him and no one will oppose him?"

These words flashed like a faint bolt of lightning through Chen Guangrui's chaotic and desperate thoughts. He suddenly remembered something and almost blurted out, "You mean... Maitreya Buddha?"

This time, a very subtle hint of surprise finally appeared on Laozi's usually impassive face. He didn't answer immediately, but simply looked at Chen Guangrui quietly, as if waiting for his explanation.

Chen Guangrui composed himself and organized his thoughts: "Although Maitreya is the Buddha designated by Buddhism as the future Buddha, the Buddha has been in power for far too long. There's a saying in the mortal world: 'There is no crown prince who reigns for seventy years.' The position of heir apparent remains vacant for too long, which in itself breeds uncertainty. Moreover..."

He paused, recalling the case of Jinlu Tongzi being kidnapped by Kui Mulang, in which Kui Mulang had confessed to asking Maitreya Buddha to descend to the mortal realm for help. He had felt at the time that this relationship was not simple.

"Moreover, the fact that Kui Mulang was able to get Maitreya to help him shows that you have a close relationship with that future Buddha. And that Dipankara Buddha probably has his own power as well."

"Heh..." Laozi, observing Chen Guangrui's earnest yet cautiously probing expression, let out a rare, low laugh. The laugh sounded somewhat abrupt in the confined space, yet carried a hint of understanding and approval. "Not bad." Laozi's voice seemed to carry a faint trace of appreciation. "Chen Guangrui, your keen insight, your ability to discern connections from the smallest details, truly cannot be hidden from you. This is precisely one of the things I value in you."

He nodded slightly, tacitly acknowledging Chen Guangrui's guess, while also subtly revealing the potential rifts within the Buddhist community.

Cold sweat soaked through Chen Guangrui's inner garment, clinging to his skin and bringing a sticky chill.

His mind raced, calculating all the possibilities of escaping this vortex: taking Tang Sheng to the ends of the earth, hiding under an assumed name, or simply seeking refuge with some powerful figure in the Heavenly Court.
But every thought that arose was immediately crushed by Laozi's words, "Within three days, Tathagata will surely find a pretext to make you disappear from the Three Realms without a trace." Strength is the only passport in this cold world of immortals and gods, and the back of his card is already branded with the four words "Laozi," leaving him no way out.

After a long pause, he finally managed to lift his head, his voice dry and resigned, "So, what should I do next?"

Laozi's gaze remained calm and unwavering, as if he had long anticipated Chen Guangrui's submission. His voice remained indifferent, as if he were recounting a trivial matter unrelated to himself.

"The current pilgrimage team is only superficially united. With just one more significant setback, that loose alliance will crumble on its own. At that time, our opportunity will come."

"Twists and turns?" Chen Guangrui's mind raced, instantly grasping the key point in Laozi's words. "The opportunity the Ancestor spoke of, is it... the Little Thunderclap Temple?"

Laozi showed no surprise and nodded slightly. "Yes. I want you to use whatever means necessary to completely reduce the pilgrimage to ashes."

Little Leiyin Temple! Chen Guangrui's heart skipped a beat. So, it really was going to be that den of thieves after all.

This time, we can't expect Laozi to stand idly by and let us go and run into a brick wall all by ourselves, can we?
His Adam's apple bobbed, and with a tone that he couldn't quite tell whether it was anticipation or probing, he cautiously asked, "Ancestor, this time... surely we'll have some helpers?"

He thought to himself that even if he could get the two attendants, Jinlu and Yinlu, or some powerful magic weapon for self-defense, that would be fine.

However, Lao Tzu's reply remained calm, yet it was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head: "This time, there is still no one."

Chen Guangrui's heart sank. It's happening again, again with no one else coming out, again with him risking his life alone! An overwhelming resentment surged into his heart, but he suppressed it tightly in his eyes, daring not to reveal a trace of it.

Does this old man still think we haven't completely fallen out? Does he not want to give himself away, or is he just leaving me to play the fool?

Damn it, who in the Three Realms doesn't know I'm one of yours?

Chen Guangrui had cursed Laozi ten thousand and eighty-six times in his heart.

They said they gave me the position of Marshal Tianpeng as a talisman, and that it would help me improve my cultivation level to protect myself. But what kind of people have I encountered? Would Buddha really take a mere Marshal Tianpeng seriously?
No, it won't do if we don't come through at crucial moments.

As if seeing through the turmoil in his heart, Lao Tzu's calm and collected voice rang out, "At the crucial moment, I will still step in."

Chen Guangrui lowered his eyes, concealing the complex emotions within. He would intervene? Yet again, such a vague guarantee. That devastating lightning strike at Lion Camel Ridge had killed the three demons, but it had also completely exposed him to the wrath of Buddhism.

What will be the price of this "action"? He felt that his future was bleak, and that his position as Marshal Tianpeng was probably not even worth a single blow.

He silently cupped his hands in greeting, his voice low and deep: "I... understand." But his heart was ice-cold, cursing the old man for being all talk and no action, for his promises were all empty words.

The secret chamber was silent, the fragrance of the elixir lingered, but in Chen Guangrui's heart, an endless chill and heaviness surged. He knew that he had no choice but to face the gates of hell at Xiaoleiyin Temple, whether he wanted to or not.

(End of this chapter)