On the land ravaged beyond recognition, only the Buddha stood quietly, gazing up at the sky.
......
In that instant, all illusions were dispelled.
In a single moment, the titanic Golden Staff that had carved a canyon through the earth vanished from everyone's sight, replaced by the figure of Monkey.
He stood facing the wind, one hand gripping the now-normal-sized Golden Staff, one foot planted on the gravely wounded Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata, breathing heavily.
Every strand of fur on his body stood on end, quivering slightly in the wind.
Another earth-shaking cheer erupted from the demon army.
"The Great Sage is back! The Great Sage is back—!" It felt as though these exhausted demons had been instantly restored to full strength.
They waved their weapons, roaring with tears streaming down their faces.
The demons of Blossom Mountain who were in the midst of retreat all stopped in their tracks, raising their hands high and shouting.
Lindsay covered her mouth, eyes brimming with tears, unable to utter a single word.
Shortbeak, still dragging Shadow through the air, gave a helpless laugh, suddenly feeling the burden on his shoulders lighten considerably.
All the scattered demon forces surged swiftly back onto the battlefield, while the monks—who had held every advantage—now began a slow retreat.
Nigel Wyrm, already exhausted and returned to human form, lay in a pool of blood, gazing weakly up at the sky, laughing and muttering, "Damn... cough... I'm nearly dead and only now do you come back... Working under you... even a dozen lives wouldn't be enough..."
Several demon kings clenched their teeth and hurled themselves back into the fight with all their strength.
With Monkey's true form now revealed, even King Roc—who had been frozen in place—abandoned all hope for escape and charged back into battle, his face dark and grim.
Even if they fought bravely and won great merit today, it looked like the days ahead wouldn't be easy. Still, surviving was better than nothing, wasn't it?
It was as if the whole world moved with the wind—except for the spot where Monkey stood, which was eerily quiet.
All around him, Buddhas and Arhats retreated several zhang, eyes wide with terror, fumbling into defensive stances.
But would it really make any difference?
Monkey slowly lifted his gaze, taking in the corpses strewn across the battlefield, the burning warships in the sky, the demon army that had broken and now surged back, and the red meteor hanging almost within reach.
In that moment, he understood everything at a glance and let out a cold laugh.
That laugh chilled the hearts of every Buddha and Arhat present.
"Retreat, retreat... hurry and retreat." Still wounded and sprawled beneath Monkey's foot, Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata gasped, "Don't... don't worry about me."
"Retreat? Will you make it in time?" Monkey bared his fangs in a slow grin and asked softly, "Tell me, do you think you'll retreat faster than my staff?"
The Buddhas and Arhats froze, silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to move.
Under their terrified gazes, Monkey bent down, grabbed the powerless Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata by the collar, lifted him off the ground, and pointed toward the looming red meteor. "Did you call that down?"
Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata slowly closed his eyes, refusing to answer.
"Send it back."
"Forgive me... I am powerless to do so..."
"You refuse?"
"The pull is already in its final stage... Not just me—even if a Venerable descended in person... I'm afraid no one could send it back now..."
"Not even the Buddha?"
"Great Sage—!" Flapping his wings in the distance, Shortbeak shouted, "That meteor—"
Before he could finish, Monkey hurled Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata aside, gripped the Golden Staff, and transformed into a streak of golden light, racing toward the meteor roaring down on Blossom Mountain, matching its speed.
"Grow!"
With a thunderous roar, the Golden Staff suddenly grew longer and larger. Before anyone could react, he howled, swinging the staff with all his might and smashed it against the colossal meteor, twenty li wide!
Heaven and earth seemed to tremble. Everyone stopped in their tracks, staring upward in shock.
"Great Sage... what is he doing?"
Amid the deafening rumble, the entire meteor quivered, its trajectory seeming to shift.