"The Great Sage?" Six-Ears paused, a faint smile curling at his lips.
Suddenly, a phrase once spoken by the Earth-Store King flashed through his mind: "In this world, there is another you."
"Great Sage, you don't remember me?" The goat demon gazed at Six-Ears, eyes brimming with tears. Regaining his composure, he offered an awkward smile: "It's normal for the Great Sage not to remember a small fry like me, normal indeed. But surely you recall, when you took up your post in Heaven, the Five Demon Kings were exiled to a corner of the Southern Lands? Back then Heaven granted us a thousand-li forbidden zone, so we gave them a portion of the Southern Lands."
"Oh?" Six-Ears grinned, eyeing the goat demon with playful curiosity.
"The Third Saintess feared the Five Demon Kings might rebel, so she made me watch them day and night. Later, when Blossom Mountain absorbed the Five Demon Kings, I didn't slack off—still kept them under surveillance. But then Blossom Mountain fell apart, and I... I... Those fellows really did turn traitor. The Third Saintess was right; they were always the type to betray their own. Should've kept an eye on them. But by then... Even when they deserted in battle, I didn't know who to turn to for help..."
At this point, the goat demon was sobbing uncontrollably, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Six-Ears bent down slightly, flipped the goat demon over, and untied the ropes binding him.
"You just called me Great Sage. Now... tell me about this Great Sage of yours."
"Tell you about the Great Sage?" The goat demon stared blankly at Six-Ears. "Great Sage, I don't know much about your story, honestly."
Fixing his gaze on the goat demon, Six-Ears said slowly, "That's fine, just tell me what you do know. Oh, and while you're at it, tell me about those 'Five Demon Kings' you mentioned—are they still alive? Where are they now?"
A gentle breeze swept across the city tower of South Heaven Gate, lifting the banners and dispersing the mist.
Two Heavenly Generals hurried to General Lee, kneeling on one knee in salute.
Your humble subordinates pay respects to General Lee!
On the steps, General Lee handed a newly-arrived intelligence report to King Virūḍhaka, then walked down the stairs.
General Lee strolled slowly, gazing at the shifting clouds outside South Heaven Gate as he asked, "You two are the ones who returned?"
The two Heavenly Generals clasped their hands and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
According to the Deputy of the Skyward Bureau, you have encountered the monster who hunted the Skyward Rangers?
"Yes." The two Heavenly Generals nodded quickly, watching General Lee with caution.
"Who was it?"
The question left the two Heavenly Generals bewildered; they looked at General Lee in confusion.
Hadn't the intelligence report already stated who it was? Why ask again?
After a long pause, the younger Heavenly General gathered himself and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the monster who hunted the Skyward Rangers was none other than Demon King Simon Sun."
Standing behind the two, General Lee said calmly, "How far were you from him at the time?"
"More than ten li away."
"More than ten li away—did you sense his aura?"
"We couldn't sense it; he kept his spiritual power suppressed the entire time."
"When you saw him, was it daytime or night in the mortal world?"
"Night."
"Were there any lights around?"