Chapter 708

Whether it was Luo Fu's battle with the Ancient Buddha Randeng, or the wager between Luo Fu and the Rulaifo Sect.

Or when Saint Tongtian suddenly intervened, forcing the Two Western Saints to manifest as projections and seize Randeng's Twenty-Four Divine Beads of the Sea's Stability.

Any event happening here right now is sufficient to shake the entire Three Realms.

Luo Fu, Saint Jieyin, and Saint Zhunti could clearly sense that countless great cultivators were watching this place.

Among them was also Saint Taiqing.

So Saint Jieyin directly spoke, respectfully inviting Saint Taiqing.

Since Saint Taiqing was watching here, he must surely have heard.

By not refusing when Luo Fu proposed him as referee, Saint Taiqing's silence clearly proved he had tacitly agreed to serve as referee.

"An interesting wager—your request, Old Dao accepts!"

The moment Saint Jieyin's voice faded, Saint Taiqing's voice echoed from nowhere.

Then an invisible force formed a palm that drew the jade slip from Saint Jieyin's head into its palm.

After securing the jade slip, the palm turned toward Luo Fu.

The meaning was clear: Luo Fu must surrender the wager's stake.

Luo Fu did not hesitate; with a light wave of his right hand, he sent the Nine-Petal World-Annihilating Black Lotus straight into the palm's path.

Shhh!

The palm swallowed the Nine-Petal World-Annihilating Black Lotus, then vanished from its place.

"Friend, we shall meet again during the Western Pilgrimage!"

With the wager settled, Saint Jieyin and Saint Zhunti had no further interest in idle chatter with Luo Fu; they simply bid farewell and dissolved into nothingness.

The Nine-Petal Golden Lotus floating in the primordial qi also turned into a streak of golden light and vanished.

Shhh!

With everyone gone, Luo Fu naturally had no reason to remain in the Heavenly Outskirts; he likewise flashed away toward a certain location.

The surroundings returned to stillness.

The Heavenly Outskirts grew quiet, but the Three Realms erupted in chaos.

This event was even more explosive than the last time Lai was suppressed.

For the first time since the Divine Investiture War, three Saints appeared simultaneously.

······

The Heavenly Court.

"Seeking the True Sutra, seizing the True Sutra—never expected the Western Pilgrimage would take such a turn. Luo Fu Daoist is truly a variable. Saint Tongtian actually intervened—Buddhism is in trouble now."

Having witnessed Luo Fu finalize the wager with Saint Jieyin and Saint Zhunti, the Jade Emperor's eyes flickered with delight.

If asked which faction in the Three Realms he hated most, the Jade Emperor would unhesitatingly choose the Rulaifo Sect.

Not only because Buddhism was shameless, but because it was insatiably greedy.

The Jie Sect and Chan Sect merely ignored the Jade Emperor, obeying orders but not imperial summons, yet still maintained at least minimal respect for him.

Buddhism was different—it sought to rise above the Jade Emperor.

In the Three Realms now, the Buddha Lai's reputation had already surpassed the Jade Emperor's; everyone believed the Buddha Lai was stronger.

This was utterly intolerable to the Jade Emperor.

So when Luo Fu suppressed the Buddha Lai, the Jade Emperor's first reaction was to cheer for Luo Fu.

Had it not been for the Saints' intimidation, he would have already moved against the Rulaifo Sect.

Now that Luo Fu was directly confronting Buddhism over the Western Pilgrimage, the Jade Emperor was all the more pleased.

After all, the Jade Emperor was also a victim of the Western Pilgrimage.

He, the mighty Jade Emperor, had to play along in the Western Pilgrimage, acting out the role of a pathetic fool for a mere Taiyi Jin Xian.

Though he never voiced it, the Jade Emperor had long seethed with rage over this.

"I hope Luo Fu Daoist and Saint Tongtian win the wager—or at least hold out long enough to give the West plenty of trouble."

The Jade Emperor thought to himself.

······

Yu Xu Palace.

"Seeking the True Sutra, seizing the True Sutra? They know the Dao cannot be reversed, so they're seeking an alternate path. But these terms clearly favor the West."

Upon hearing Luo Fu's alternate wager, Master Yuanshi's eyes flickered with unusual interest.