Beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree, shadows swayed.
In the silent tableau, the two silently locked eyes.
A few fallen leaves whirled past, trembling the fine fur on Monkey's face and lifting the sleeve of Zhenyuan's robe.
The corners of Zhenyuan's mouth curled faintly upward, while Monkey's eyes slowly narrowed to slits.
"You haven't changed in over six hundred years—always charging ahead, knowing it's impossible, reckless, always seeking to stand out. With a temperament like that, how have you not died in some dark, sharp corner?"
"And you haven't changed in six hundred years either. You think the whole world will bow beneath your staff. In the face of higher purpose, what does life itself matter?"
"Higher purpose?" Monkey hefted his Golden Staff and smiled slowly. "Is universal salvation not a higher purpose?"
"Universal salvation is a higher purpose. But then—what is the 'Dao'?" Zhenyuan gripped his whisk, stroked his long beard, and spoke calmly: "Universal salvation may run counter to current Buddhist doctrine, yet its ideals fit perfectly. To shed the eight sufferings, to let go of obsession—have you never considered, if all beings in the Three Realms are saved and become Buddhas, is there any place left for Daoism?"
Monkey snorted coldly: "Whether Daoism has a place—what does that matter to me?"
"You are a Daoist yourself. Every skill you possess comes from Daoist arts. But you have never truly believed. Daoism teaches 'non-contention,' 'inaction.' You reached the Heavenly Dao, but what have you accomplished? To be blunt, you have no faith. Whatever serves you, you believe; whatever doesn't, you reject. You never thought to protect the Daoist sect that taught you everything. You have all this cultivation, yet you benefit neither the Three Realms nor Heaven and Earth."
"Is this supposed to be a lesson for me? Protecting the Daoist sect..." Monkey grinned, mouth stretched wide, then suddenly glared and shouted, "Don't kid yourself. Who's 'one of you'? Never forget, I'm just a monster—a demon! The demon Heaven and the Jade Emperor hate most! When the Celestial Army chased me all over the world, did anyone care that I was Daoist? Now you want to talk about this? You're a little late!"
Monkey's Golden Staff edged a little closer, pointing straight at Zhenyuan's nose.
"I've never thought to persuade you," Zhenyuan said, forming a seal with both hands. The space beside him warped, and a massive bamboo scroll—the Earth Book—materialized, unfurling slowly to shield Zhenyuan at its center.
Assuming a battle stance, Zhenyuan gazed impassively at Monkey and sighed softly. "Since persuasion fails, I have no choice but to take a risk. As long as I cut off Tripitaka's path to enlightenment, Daoism's crisis will disappear. As for you, demon monkey... heh, do you really want another war like six hundred years ago? Don't forget, Shakyamuni is watching, just waiting for an excuse to act. Destroying Heaven and Earth would make a perfect excuse, wouldn't it?"
At those words, Monkey's eyes twitched involuntarily.
"Heh, to deal with you, do I need to destroy Heaven and Earth? At most, I'll wreck your Five-Fruits Temple! Take this!"
Before the words faded, Monkey leapt forward, his Golden Staff transforming into a streak of gold that shot toward Zhenyuan.
In that instant, Zhenyuan retreated sharply, dodging the strike.
Yet the momentum of Monkey's Golden Staff did not falter. Spinning in midair, Monkey sprang up and brought the staff crashing down toward Zhenyuan's crown.
At the critical moment, a sudden green light blocked Zhenyuan, silently repelling Monkey.
Landing steadily, Monkey looked up again and saw that what had blocked Zhenyuan was a cluster of leaves and branches.
Then came a barrage of piercing sounds. Wild spiritual power swept through like a hurricane, plunging the world into chaos—sand and stones flying, cracks spreading across the towering walls like creeping vines, even the tiles on Five-Fruits Temple's main hall were flung skyward one by one.
Bracing against the roaring wind, Monkey slowly raised his head and saw, behind Zhenyuan, that the massive Ginseng Tree was moving!
It wasn't just moving. Under Monkey's stunned gaze, it shook its sky-shrouding crown, pulled its roots from the earth one by one, and lifted itself into the air like a giant octopus.
Before it, Monkey was no bigger than a fingernail.
At that moment, every branch quivered as if ten thousand voices were shouting.
The ancient giant, silent for tens of thousands of years, had become a fearsome titan. Even the sky itself changed color.
In the courtyard, Tripitaka and his companions, who had rushed outside, gaped in awe at the branches blotting out the sun.
At the foot of the mountain, Longevity City erupted in earth-shaking screams. Countless cultivators poured outside, staring up in terror at the Ginseng Tree waving its branches atop the peak.
As Monkey watched, Zhenyuan rose into the air and gently landed on a branch, stroking the trunk with a soft sigh: "In the end, I must trouble you to act. I'm truly sorry."
"It's fine. It's good to stretch my limbs once in a while..."
"Doesn't matter. This demon monkey is a bit troublesome for you."
"Don't worry. With me here, he can't hurt you."
...
Countless thunderous voices answered in unison.
Leaning on his Golden Staff, Monkey cackled at the giant tree, his expression growing more and more savage.
"So that's it. No wonder you're so fearless. The Ginseng Tree has become a true spirit... After so many thousands of years, it's about time. I hadn't planned to harm this tree, but now I guess I have no choice. Hahaha!"
With every laugh, surging spiritual power formed whirlwinds around Monkey, every strand of fur standing on end, his muscles swelling, veins bulging.
In a flash, Monkey had pushed his power to the limit.
"Since you've come out, let's die together—!"
Raising his head once more, Monkey leapt up, transforming into a streak of gold that shot toward the Ginseng Tree.
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A thunderous boom followed.
Monkey crashed heavily into a translucent green shield, denting it inward.
Rippling shockwaves spread wildly along the ground, instantly uprooting every blade of grass and tree.
In an instant, green shields lit up all around the Ginseng Tree. With one shield, it forcibly absorbed Monkey's strike.
Even Monkey couldn't help but be secretly surprised.
These shields were unlike those used by ordinary cultivators—they weren't hard, but astonishingly flexible. This let them effectively absorb and disperse Monkey's powerful blows.
Of course, this kind of resistance wasn't without cost.
After that blow, one of the tree's nineteen main branches shed countless leaves and looked ready to snap.
Zhenyuan, clutching the Earth Book, swooped down like a bee beneath the giant tree, landing swiftly on the wounded branch, his hands weaving golden light.
Bathed in spiritual energy, the cracked branch quickly healed.
"Let's see how long you can last!" Monkey roared, spinning in midair, striking again and again.
Terrifying crashes and shockwaves ravaged every corner, green flashes lighting up the night sky.
The vast Five-Fruits Temple slowly collapsed like tofu, and even Longevity City at the mountain's foot was wracked with screams as buildings were swept into the sky.
Amid the chaos, Pigsy, the White Dragon Horse, and Black Bear Spirit formed a protective circle around Tripitaka, shielding him from harm as Monkey's battle raged on.
In a blink, Five-Fruits Temple was reduced to ruins, sand and vegetation flying everywhere.
The surface of Longevity Mountain was stripped bare as if razored clean, and even the city at its foot suffered catastrophic collapse, cries of misery filling the air as cultivators fled in panic.
Hovering in midair, Monkey gripped his Golden Staff, gasping for breath.
Opposite him, Zhenyuan—hair and beard long since disheveled—was also gasping for breath, wounded branches slowly mending as new green shields rose once more.
"That's right. I can't subdue you, even with the Ginseng Tree's help. But here, as long as you haven't regained Heaven's Way–level cultivation, you can't suppress me either."
"We'll see after we fight!"
Gritting his teeth, Monkey trembled with rage, roaring as he swung his Golden Staff in a wild barrage.
With each heavy blow, the Ginseng Tree's massive form grew increasingly unstable.
Its vast roots dug deep into the earth, carving a trench several fathoms deep. The ground cracked rapidly, and all of Longevity Mountain shook, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Gradually, under Monkey's fierce assault, the giant Ginseng Tree was driven to the edge of the cliff, about to be knocked into the abyss.
At that moment, the Ginseng Tree seemed to go berserk, whipping its branches and roots like lashes, plunging them deep into the ground.
Its roots pierced through all of Longevity Mountain, interlocking and binding the earth beneath like a bundled package.
The trunk, which had been retreating under Monkey's blows, suddenly braced itself and pressed forward again.
In a flash, two massive branches crossed and bore down on Monkey.
Seizing the moment, Monkey flipped in midair, brushing past the two branches and swinging his staff straight at the trunk.
Just then, every leaf on the crown shimmered, emitting green light.
Streams of green spiritual power rapidly grew from every corner, weaving into giant webs that blocked Monkey's staff along its path.
Yet Monkey showed no sign of stopping.
His Golden Staff still crashed down with full force.
Countless strands of green spiritual power snapped under the impact, dissolving into sparkling fragments, but the web's immense flexibility stopped the staff less than a fathom from the trunk.
In that instant, Monkey froze.
He saw that Zhenyuan had sprouted six arms, his eyes blazing green, and two enormous fangs protruding from his mouth.
"What is this? A spider?" Monkey blurted, stunned.
Glancing around, he suddenly realized the paths around him were sealed by webs of green light, branches slowly closing in from all sides.
"So that's it... so that's it..." Monkey pressed his forehead and laughed slowly: "A spider, tens of thousands of years old; a giant tree, tens of thousands of years old—what a perfect match. No wonder you don't reject demons, because you yourself are a demon!"
Monkey spun violently with his Golden Staff, shredding the green spiritual power attacking him into tatters.
The entire crown of the tree shuddered, shedding countless leaves.
By the time Zhenyuan recovered, Monkey had already escaped far beyond the tree's canopy.
Hovering in midair, Monkey stared at the Ginseng Tree, gasping, his face twisted in a savage grin.
"So that's it. I wondered why the demon race had no great powers—turns out the great power is here. Six hundred years ago, that battle nearly killed you, but you didn't reveal your true form... Was it because, without the Ginseng Tree, even your true form was useless? Then how could you bear to watch the demon race slaughtered? Tell me!"
"I, the Three Pure Ones, Master Sage Subhuti, Nuwa, and this Ginseng Tree have all existed since the dawn of creation." Dispelling the extra arms, Zhenyuan slowly returned to his original form and said calmly, "We have no kindred, nor will we ever. For us, humans attaining immortality are just another kind of demon."
"Heh heh, you're a spider, Nuwa's a serpent—so what are the Three Pure Ones, really? Is it truly 'One Qi becomes Three Pure Ones'? And what about my master—what is he?"
"You'll have to ask him yourself." Zhenyuan replied expressionlessly.
"Fine, I will." With a roar, Monkey swung his Golden Staff at the Ginseng Tree once more.
Amid the raging wind, the effect of the ginseng fruit was beginning to take hold—Tripitaka grew weak and could barely stand, leaning on the White Dragon Horse for support. Yet he still gripped Pigsy's hand, saying, "Quick, stop the Great Sage, he mustn't keep fighting. If he does, the Tathagata will have every reason to intervene... Hurry..."
Watching the pale-faced Tripitaka, Pigsy nodded silently, then turned to Black Bear Spirit and instructed, "Take him away first. It's too dangerous here."
With that, he stepped back, leaving the protective circle.
Blow after blow, Monkey's palms split open from the force.
The Ginseng Tree desperately flailed its branches to block, roots writhing like giant serpents beneath the earth, binding Longevity Mountain tight.
It didn't retreat another step, but under the relentless assault, all of Longevity Mountain began to shift, grinding everything in its path to dust.
This once-in-a-century battle left the distant, watching cultivators utterly dumbstruck.
Normally, even a battle between Taiyi Golden Immortals is rare in the Three Realms. At the Da Luo Golden Immortal level, it's rarer still.
How many Da Luo Golden Immortals are there in all Heaven and Earth? These beings usually know each other, belong to different factions, and hold high rank—why would they ever fight in person?
And what is this before their eyes?
Every cultivator present knew Zhenyuan and the Ginseng Tree. They might not recognize Monkey, but they certainly recognized his level of power.
Zhenyuan at mid-stage Da Luo Primordial Immortal, paired with the Ginseng Tree—whose cultivation is unknown but likely at peak Da Luo Primordial Immortal—facing off against the Great Sage, clearly a peak Da Luo Primordial Immortal and a true Walker of the Way... Was this another apocalypse in the making?
As the battle reached a fever pitch, this fear grew more intense, and many cultivators began to flee.
Seeing the Ginseng Tree faltering, Zhenyuan once again assumed his six-armed form, channeling streams of spiritual power into the tree.
Instantly, countless strands of green spiritual power shot from the tree's crown like tentacles.
Monkey's Golden Staff crashed down, but before it could touch the Ginseng Tree's shield, it was ensnared by countless tentacles. Though Monkey's strength far surpassed them and many snapped in the struggle, more kept coming, dissipating the staff's force and easing the tree's burden.
In moments, both sides were locked in stalemate, attacking and defending without result. Meanwhile, Longevity Mountain—the battlefield—had been utterly devastated.
As ground-level cultivators fled, nearly all the surrounding mountains were shorn down. In the sky, Heavenly Court patrol generals circled in their celestial chariots, but seeing who was fighting, none dared approach. They only watched from afar and reported back to Heaven.
Another heavy collision sent shockwaves everywhere—the Ginseng Tree leaned back, while Monkey stumbled and retreated.
Just as Monkey spun, ready to charge again, Pigsy stepped in front of him.
For a moment, both sides stopped; the whole world fell silent.
Looking at Pigsy, Monkey waved dismissively. "You can't help here. This fight isn't for you."
"You must stop fighting. If you continue, win or lose, the Tathagata will have grounds to intervene. Then you still won't get what you want." Pigsy paused, then said softly, "Let me try."
He slowly turned to look at Zhenyuan.
At that moment, Zhenyuan looked back, stroking his long beard, a trace of puzzlement in his eyes.
Pigsy cupped his hands to Zhenyuan and said, "Longevity Immortal, do you still recognize me?"
Zhenyuan squinted at Pigsy for a long while, then slowly shook his head.
"What about now?" Pigsy said, raising his hand. His rough clothes transformed into a silver-white Heavenly River navy armor, glowing softly.
Zhenyuan's eyes widened slightly. After a moment, he asked quietly, "Are you... the reincarnation of Marshal Tianpeng?"