The smoke slowly faded, and outside, a chorus of shouts and piercing cries erupted as demon troops began to gather in force.
Yet inside the ruined house—its roof torn off, walls reduced to rubble—there was only silence. Six-Ears Damon stood motionless, his presence thick with tension.
The demon generals stared at Monkey in terror, clutching their weapons with trembling hands.
Six-Ears Damon's haunted eyes darted between Simon Sun and Anna Yang.
In the drifting haze, Anna stood facing the wind, locking eyes with Simon Sun in silence. For a moment, the scene seemed frozen in time.
This was their first meeting after more than six centuries apart.
Over six hundred years—one trapped on Mount Hua, the other pinned beneath Five Elements Mountain—separated by worlds apart. They had dreamed of this reunion day and night, but none could have foreseen it would happen like this.
Simon Sun blinked his reddened eyes in a daze, his long-held yearning washed away by a sudden, hollow sense of loss. Yet a lingering dizziness remained.
Today’s sunlight was blindingly bright, so much so that the white-robed woman before him seemed to glow with a gentle radiance. It was a captivating beauty, reminiscent of their very first meeting in Crescent Star Cave.
A clear breeze swept by, carrying a swirl of sand and dust past them. Six-Ears Damon remained still, the tension in the air unbroken.
Looking at Monkey, Anna’s heart felt as if it had fallen into a pool of honey—yet there was a searing, unbearable pain as well.
Her tears already threatened to spill, but she forced herself to hold them back—she had to endure.
Monkey managed a faint smile and spoke softly: "Come—come back with me, will you? Don’t be so stubborn anymore. For everything else, I’ll let you have your way, but this—this is too dangerous. I can’t let you take this risk."
Anna quickly lowered her head. After a brief silence, she shook it violently. Countless memories tangled in her mind, six centuries of longing exploding all at once, leaving her thoughts in utter chaos.
She dared not look again, afraid that another glance would shatter her resolve and make her break down in tears. If that happened, everything would fall apart...
"Come back, please? It’s too dangerous here." Gripping the Golden Staff, Monkey gently lifted his deerskin boot and stepped forward, reaching out as he said softly, "These are things I should face—not you."
Anna lost control, covering her face and shaking her head desperately. The cracks in her heart spread like wild vines, and she was already on the verge of breaking down.
Six-Eared Macaque jumped in front of Anna, grinning: "Why go back? I am the true Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Simon Sun! She is my demon queen—she belongs at my side!"
"Shut up—!" Monkey’s eyes went wide as he glared furiously at Damon.
His roar thundered like an explosion, deafening all around—even the birds and beasts in the sky seemed cowed into silence.
Monkey’s fur bristled all over, surging spiritual power crackling with flashes of lightning.
All the demon generals recoiled in shock, stepping back as one—even Six-Eared Macaque was not spared.
In the hush, King Roc quietly looked up and saw the clouds overhead swirling like a vortex... His heart skipped a beat.
This scene was eerily similar to that day when Monkey lost control and stormed Heaven itself.
Barely suppressing his fear, King Roc lowered his head, swallowed hard, and held his breath. His grip on the Heaven-Flame Halberd tightened as he exchanged a furtive glance with King Liontusk.
The standoff dragged on, minute after minute.
The demon generals’ hearts were pounding in their throats, but in Monkey’s eyes, only Anna existed.
Warships arrived in force, forming ranks in the sky. Yet when the crews saw who was present, none wanted to tighten the encirclement—let alone join a battle that was about to erupt.
Because it was pointless.
After a long while, Six-Eared Macaque finally snapped out of it. The knife he held at Anna’s throat pressed down, drawing a bead of blood that trickled down her ivory neck, staining her white robe red.