Amid raging currents, Monkey King tore through the sky clad in black war armor, Golden Staff in hand, howling past like a meteor—a single leap spanning a thousand li.
Cloud layers along his path split apart as if sliced by a blade, surging and scattering violently. Deep in the forests, green leaves quivered from the shockwave.
His speed grew ever faster, until even the air itself seemed to twist and warp around him.
Mortals in the city below gazed up in stunned awe at this miraculous sight.
A Heavenly Warship was unlucky enough to block his path.
He didn’t pause or hesitate for an instant; before the Skyward Legionnaires and Heavenly Generals aboard could react, he had already torn straight through.
The warship shuddered in the wind, slowly breaking apart as the anguished screams of Skyward Legionnaires echoed.
"I mustn’t let her be sad, I mustn’t let her be sad..." he muttered, teeth clenched, accelerating madly, the corners of his mouth twisted in a fierce grin.
"Before she returns to Blossom Mountain... I’ll wipe out Heaven’s army—!"
His frenzied roar rippled along his blazing trajectory, shaking Heaven and Earth.
......
A warship drifted slowly through the clouds.
In the gale, the fur cloak on her shoulders trembled, its soft hairs brushing against her jade-like face.
Anna Yang stood dazed at the prow, gazing out at this boundless world.
After more than a thousand years and countless storms, standing in this vast universe, all she saw was endless sorrow, not a single glimmer of hope.
She looked down at the tangled embroidery in her hands, tightened her cloak, and tears fell one by one.
"Father... Mother... Brother, and him... In the end, I couldn’t save anything... What have I even done..."
The wind filled the sails, and the ship sailed slowly over endless mountains.
There was no sign of people, not even green leaves.
......
On the coalition flagship, Shortbeak stood in gray iron armor, peering through a Far-Seer at the demon army arrayed across from them.
Several Heavenly Generals beside him were gossiping and debating loudly.
"The demon army is all bluster. Once Marshal Draco gets the troops organized, ha ha ha ha, we’ll smash them in a single blow!"
"You’re right. We’ve been here for days, right at their doorstep, and they don’t even dare to form up. The reason the River Fleet lost last time was all because of poor command."
"If only the Marshal had taken charge earlier, Blossom Mountain would never have gotten this far."
Shortbeak lowered the Far-Seer and gave a faint, indifferent smile.
Suddenly, before everyone’s eyes, a meteor shot in from afar and crashed heavily into Shortbeak.
There wasn’t even time to scream—metal plates shattered to dust in an instant, and Skyward Legionnaires cried out in terror as the whole warship was thrown into chaos.
Across on the demon warship, Shortbeak was stunned, clutching his Far-Seer tightly as he watched.
Smoke and ash drifted apart, gradually revealing the figure embedded in the shattered deck.