In an instant, all the Buddhas were stunned.
Lifting his head, he saw Six-Ears Damon, who had been kneeling before Saint Raymond, slowly rise.
Manjusri frowned, but had no choice but to grit his teeth and form a seal with both hands. The light wall was forced up once again.
The other Buddhas had no choice but to follow suit, one after another.
Six-Ears Damon clutched the Golden Circlet atop his head, crying out in agony, struggling and howling, "I don't want this! Take it off! Take it off—!"
Yes—serenity. Not a trace of baleful qi, a Six-Ears Damon utterly different from before. It was as if he had become a completely new person.
Yet Saint Raymond did not stop. He clenched his teeth and desperately poured his cultivation into his blood, channeling it bit by bit into Six-Ears Damon's body.
Six-Ears Damon screamed hysterically, rolling on the ground. He felt everything around him slowly fading, losing color and becoming indistinct. All of it was turning unreal, impossible to touch. Only the pain was real.
Amid the howling wind, another strike of Iron Sentinel swept in.
Six-Ears Damon gave no reply.
......
In Calmforge Palace, Lord Lao stood motionless, gazing at the empty ground before him.
The spilled blood flowed through the air like a winding river, moving in orderly currents, slowly toward Six-Ears Damon.
In the vast, empty great hall, Lord Buddha slowly closed his eyes.
Six-Ears Damon slowly turned to glance at the winding river of blood flowing toward him, standing quietly, neither dodging nor flinching.
Soon, the golden blood touched his spine. As if diffusing outward, his fur along his back began changing from its original dark gold to pure gold.
Suddenly, Six-Ears Damon's eyes reddened, tears streaming down his cheeks, unstoppable no matter what he did.
Six-Ears Damon dabbed at the tears in the corner of his eye and softly asked, "This... what is this?"
Watching Six-Ears Damon, Monkey gave a cold laugh.
He gasped deeply, as if utterly exhausted.
Lifting his head, he saw Six-Eared Macaque, who had been kneeling before Saint Raymond, slowly rise.
Monkey pressed his lips into a smile, helplessly and blankly watching Six-Ears Damon, now little more than a walking corpse. Slowly, he closed his eyes.
For a moment, Monkey was stunned.
Saint Raymond dodged swiftly, but his wrist kept bleeding, pouring power continuously into Six-Ears Damon's body.
Yes—serenity. Not a trace of baleful qi, a Six-Eared Macaque utterly different from before. It was as if he had become a completely new person.
Six-Ears Damon screamed hysterically, rolling on the ground. He felt everything around him slowly fading, losing color and becoming indistinct. All of it was turning unreal, impossible to touch. Only the pain was real.
"You still put it on..."
"I had no choice," Six-Eared Macaque said softly.
"Then why am I allowed not to?" Monkey narrowed his eyes and gave a cold laugh. "Don't make excuses for anything you choose to do."
Six-Eared Macaque gave no reply.
Countless bolts of lightning crisscrossed the sky. Not only in the heavens—every corner around them flickered faintly with leaping lightning.
Behind them, Saint Raymond lightly stepped back, slicing his wrist with a hand-blade. Instantly, golden blood streamed out.
The spilled blood flowed through the air like a winding river, moving in orderly currents, slowly toward Six-Eared Macaque.
"You have no physical body, so to defeat him, you first need one. I can use half my cultivation to rebuild you a body. But first, you must take refuge in the Buddhist Order, or the new body will reject your original power. That is one reason you had to wear the Golden Circlet."
Six-Eared Macaque slowly turned to glance at the winding river of blood flowing toward him, standing quietly, neither dodging nor flinching.
Soon, the golden blood touched his spine. As if diffusing outward, his fur along his back began changing from its original dark gold to pure gold.
Suddenly, Six-Eared Macaque's eyes reddened, tears streaming down his cheeks, unstoppable no matter what he did.
Six-Eared Macaque dabbed at the tears in the corner of his eye and softly asked, "This... what is this?"
Saint Raymond replied, "It is your baleful qi—and your memories."
"Baleful qi?"
"Only by purging all your baleful qi, and everything it clings to, can you truly rebuild your body."
"That's what I've always held onto," Monkey said from nearby. "You've never had memories—at most, these are just a few lingering fragments."
Yet the tears kept falling, one after another. Those were Monkey's baleful qi, and also his memories. Every drop of baleful qi clung to a tear. Eight hundred years of suffering.
Six-Eared Macaque clutched the Golden Circlet atop his head, crying out in agony, struggling and howling, "I don't want this! Take it off! Take it off—!"
At that moment, even the eruption of just one percent of those fragments was enough to break him. He staggered and ran, collapsing to the ground, curling up in a ball, writhing in pain.
Yet Saint Raymond did not stop. He clenched his teeth and desperately poured his cultivation into his blood, channeling it bit by bit into Six-Eared Macaque's body.
All the rivers around had long since run dry, clouds churned overhead, and the mountains and valleys slowly crumbled.
Six-Eared Macaque screamed hysterically, rolling on the ground. He felt everything around him slowly fading, losing color and becoming indistinct. All of it was turning unreal, impossible to touch. Only the pain was real.
This feeling was so similar to that time in the void.