In the cutting wind, Monkey raced toward the Western Isle with all his strength. Meanwhile, the Six-Eared Macaque was streaking away toward the Southern Lands. Two monkeys, identical souls, identical auras, yet with utterly different natures, heading for opposite horizons.
......
When Monkey’s pair of deerskin boots landed solidly on the riverbank, the once-raucous riverside instantly fell silent.
Many-Eyes the Centipede tightened his grip on Tripitaka’s throat just a bit. The demons all around, though prepared, still unconsciously took a step back. Nine-Headed Wyrm, standing beside Many-Eyes, avoided Monkey’s gaze and lowered his heads.
On the other side, Marshal Silver and the others, already somewhat wounded, clustered together, staring blankly at Monkey.
Monkey tightened his grip on the Golden Staff and strode step by step toward Many-Eyes, sighing with layered meaning: “What are you all trying to do? Have you all decided you don’t want to live?”
“Stop!” Many-Eyes shouted quickly, tightening his hold on Tripitaka’s throat.
Monkey’s foot halted in midair, the smile vanishing from his face. He watched Many-Eyes, who was shielded behind a wall of demons, with a blank expression.
At that moment, everyone present stared dumbly at Monkey.
After a long pause, Monkey’s suspended foot finally touched the ground. He straightened up, standing motionless. The Golden Staff in his hand slowly traced an arc in front of him as he sighed softly: “Didn’t you say you wanted to restore the demon clan’s glory? Is this your way of doing it?”
Many-Eyes didn’t reply. He watched Monkey warily, gritting his teeth: “Step back. As long as we get out safely... I guarantee I won’t harm him.”
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Tripitaka’s throat again. Under that force, Tripitaka’s face was already turning slightly purple.
But Monkey showed not the slightest intention of backing down.
He pursed his lips and said with a sly grin, “A long time ago, someone tried the same trick on me—the hostage was him too. But... are you sure, if you make a move, you’ll have enough time to destroy his soul before you die?”
At these words, all the demons present were visibly shocked.
A bead of sweat, the size of a bean, slowly slid down Many-Eyes’s forehead.
Monkey widened his eyes, slowly exhaled, and said, “From the moment you saw me, you lost any right to negotiate with me. Do you understand?”
......
At this moment—Mount Hua.
In the dense forest, the Six-Eared Macaque crept along stealthily, using the leaves around him for cover.
Erik's eyes widened slightly as he took a deep breath. "Why is he here?" he asked.
"He said... he's come to take the Third Saintess home."
Anna Yang gazed hopefully at Erik.
After a long moment, Erik slammed his Trident Saber heavily to the ground, then turned and strode out of the cave-manor.
......
In the courtyard, Damon Six-Ears, now transformed to perfectly resemble Monkey, stood straight and alert. Seizing on moments when the surrounding soldiers weren’t watching, he quietly surveyed the area, maintaining vigilance while forcing himself to appear casual.
Among cultivators, aura is the most crucial means of verifying identity. No two practitioners ever share exactly the same aura, no matter how much time passes or how their cultivation changes. But those who haven’t met Damon Six-Ears don’t realize that his aura is an exact match for Monkey’s—a miracle among cultivators.
On this basis alone, Damon Six-Ears could impersonate Monkey with ease—as long as his words and actions didn’t betray him.
The cave-manor doors slowly opened, and Erik appeared on the other side, his expression unreadable as he stared at Damon Six-Ears.
The moment Damon Six-Ears saw the third eye on Erik’s forehead, he instantly recognized him and composed himself.
But when Erik saw Monkey, he was momentarily stunned.
"Your aura... is much weaker than when we last met. But it still feels right."
Beside him, Warren Wu hurriedly whispered, "He said he was fighting Damon Six-Ears earlier and got injured. Although he had the upper hand, Damon still escaped. That’s probably why his aura is so weak now—otherwise, it wouldn’t have dropped so much."
"Damon Six-Ears escaped?"
"Yes. He needs to reinforce the Western Isle, but he’s worried Damon Six-Ears might come here. So he rushed over, hoping to take the Third Saintess away as a precaution."
Erik took a deep breath and sighed, "So, if not for Damon Six-Ears, he wouldn’t have come at all?"
With that, he stepped forward and walked slowly toward Damon Six-Ears.
Seeing Erik approach, Damon Six-Ears quickly bowed and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Second Brother-in-law."
"You’re here?"
"Yes." Damon Six-Ears offered an awkward smile. "The situation on the Western Isle is perilous. Second Brother-in-law, please be lenient and allow me to take Anna away. After all... Damon Six-Ears is still lurking, and if he really comes..."
......
Inside the cave-manor, Anna Yang clutched the Jade Tablet Monkey had sent via Jade Cauldron. Her heart felt half frozen, and tears dripped down one after another.
"Is this... Heaven’s will?" she murmured with a helpless, bitter smile.
Before long, Erik led Damon Six-Ears into the cave-manor from outside.
Erik traced a few runes in the air, and instantly, the formation and its purple glow within the cave-manor vanished.
All was silent and still.
From beginning to end, Anna never once looked at Damon Six-Ears, only stared blankly at the Jade Tablet in her hands.
"Second Brother," Anna said softly before Erik could speak, "could you step outside for a moment? Let me talk with him alone."
Erik was momentarily taken aback. He glanced at Damon Six-Ears, then at Anna. At last, he nodded silently and walked out of the cave-manor.
The heavy doors of the cave-manor boomed shut. In the vast darkness, only Anna and Damon Six-Ears remained, quietly facing each other.
After a long moment, Anna said coldly, "You—who are you, really?"
......
On the Western Isle, by the riverside, the standoff continued.
"If you kill him, I’ll strike at once and slaughter all of you." Monkey leaned on his Golden Staff, expressionless. "In the end, you’d just try to find a way to resurrect him. The Netherworld may be in Buddhist hands, but it’s not impenetrable. At worst, it’ll just take more effort."
Many-Eyes the Centipede stared at Monkey, blinking dumbly, growing more and more unsettled.
"Here’s the choice: kill him, and all of you die. Or..." Monkey nodded toward Tripitaka, his tone lazy, "let him go, and you die alone."
At Monkey’s words, all the demon generals turned to look at Many-Eyes. Where before they had protected him at the center, now their gazes seemed to cage him in.
At that moment, Many-Eyes’s hand around Tripitaka’s throat was trembling. He understood the shift in the situation—and knew his chances of survival were vanishingly slim...
"Well? Have you decided?" Monkey tipped his head back and sighed. "Either way, you have to die."
Every gaze was fixed on Many-Eyes.
Many-Eyes stood silently, his hand trembling. Under the stares of his comrades, he couldn’t even bring himself to meet Monkey’s eyes.
After a long pause, he finally closed his eyes and released Tripitaka’s throat.
"I die..."
At those words, all the demons present let out a sigh of relief.
Leaning on his Golden Staff, Monkey walked slowly toward him. The demon crowd parted to make way.
Tripitaka’s crisis was finally resolved. But just then, King Bullhorn hurried over from the horizon.
Seeing King Bullhorn, Monkey was stunned. "Why are you here?"
"I..." King Bullhorn stammered, "I heard that Tripitaka was in danger, so I rushed to help."
"What about the others...?"
King Bullhorn glanced back and pointed. "Chancellor Quickpaw and the others are slower—they’re still behind. I came ahead."
Monkey’s eyes flashed. "Damn! Mount Hua is undefended!"
Before anyone else could react, Monkey dashed over to Tripitaka, hoisted him onto his back, and shot off in a beam of golden light toward Mount Hua...