A patch of rainclouds gathered at the horizon, rumbling faintly.
At Five-Fruits Temple, Zhenyuan lifted his head slightly and caught a dead leaf drifting past his ear.
He looked down. The dead leaf slowly crumbled into fine sand in his palm and scattered away.
He took a deep breath and chuckled, clicking his tongue: "Even willing to gamble his own grand-disciple—this Master Sage Subhuti really..."
A young attendant approached him with a tea tray, bowing: "Master, your tea."
"I won't drink it." He frowned and spoke softly, "I must head east for a while. You all must watch over the temple carefully—great changes may be coming. Don't let anyone take advantage of the chaos."
The young attendant was momentarily stunned.
Before he could recover, Zhenyuan had already vanished, dissolving into a mirage on the eastern horizon.
...
Atop the mountain peak, Lord Lao interlaced his fingers, conjuring dozens of hand seals in an instant.
A massive sphere of wind enveloped him, lifting fallen leaves and grains of sand gently into the air.
Faint flashes of lightning flickered back and forth in the air.
...
On a cliff twenty li away, Lord Genesis and Lord Skygate widened their eyes in unison.
"What is that old fox up to?"
Lord Genesis replied coldly, "He wants to seal our seventh sense."
Lord Skygate let out a snort of laughter: "Seal ours? With his current cultivation, if he seals our seventh sense, how much will he have left himself?"
"Is he really so confident that the girl will come to him on her own?" Lord Genesis wondered aloud.
...
Biting his finger, a drop of fresh blood spattered out, instantly coalescing in the air into a complex formation one zhang wide, its pattern rippling gently like water on a lake.
Lord Lao murmured incantations under his breath, his gaze already locked on Qi Tian Palace.
The next moment, as his palm struck the formation above his head, the entire array exploded into a fine blood mist, spreading wildly before vanishing without a trace.
A strand of orange-yellow spiritual power mingled with the blood mist, roaring toward Qi Tian Palace.
In an instant, the Two Pure Ones on the cliff found their divine senses unable to reach beyond a single li.
Moments later, that orange-yellow spiritual power quietly entered the Monkey King's study, attaching itself to the Soul Token.
...
On the cliff, Lord Skygate's eye twitched as he gritted his teeth. "He really dares to use it. With things like this, how does he plan to carry out his grand scheme?"
"There are always moments when one is pushed to the edge. Besides, it's all a muddy mess now—better than before," Lord Genesis laughed.
...
Just then, Belle walked step by step to the edge of Qi Tian Palace in full view of the Two Pure Ones, spread her arms, and leapt off. Midair, she cast a spell; a sweep of cloud and mist passed over, and she vanished instantly from their sight.
...
Ten li away, Lord Skygate stared in disbelief. "She really went along with that old fox. Is she that eager to die? What did he promise her?"
"Do you remember how your negotiation with the Monkey King fell apart?"
Lord Skygate squinted, thinking for a moment. "He said he wanted to revive a friend and guarantee Blossom Mountain's safety. Reviving someone is easy enough, but guaranteeing Blossom Mountain's safety..."
Lord Genesis smiled faintly, stroking his long beard. "I suppose he promised Anna Yang's marriage to the Monkey King, along with the safety of all Blossom Mountain."
"The safety of all Blossom Mountain..." Lord Skygate was taken aback. "Divine romance is one thing, but trading the Three Realms' entire store of spiritual energy just for his own cultivation... That's extravagant!"
Lord Genesis glanced at Lord Skygate. "What else would it be?"
"Even if that's true, didn't the girl think to negotiate with us? If Lord Lao can agree, why can't we?"
"Because we're not the same as Lord Lao. The Monkey King can restrain Lord Lao, but not us. Even if Lord Lao regains his Heavenly Dao cultivation, he has reasons he must keep his word. As for us... can you get all the other powers to agree?"
Lord Skygate could only sigh helplessly. "Looks like the girl has chosen his side completely. So what do we do now? Go straight into Blossom Mountain?"