At that moment, Monkey was utterly stunned. His eyes bulged wide as bronze bells, staring blankly at the ashes left in his palm.
Veins pulsed faintly across his forehead.
Lying on the ground, Marshal Silver suddenly noticed the Four Heavenly Kings hiding in the distance and gave a helpless smile.
On the ground, the seven Golden Immortals had already halted, rearranging themselves into battle formation. Each one glared up angrily at Monkey, who hovered in the sky.
Monkey’s gaze slowly left his palm and took in the ruined capital.
Blood splattered everywhere; in nearly every corner, people writhed in agony, their eyes fixed blankly on him. So many emotions tangled in those gazes that, for a moment, Monkey did not dare to read them.
Tripitaka stood as if his soul had fled, his blood-stained hands trembling faintly.
At that instant, Monkey suddenly smiled. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"So... you came all this way just to slap me in the face, didn’t you?"
In his slightly upturned face, a hint of savagery already showed.
"Speak up—!"
A roar shook the heavens and earth.
He swung his Golden Staff with a sudden sweep, unleashing a massive shockwave that nearly swept across the entire Dharma‑Quest Kingdom. The clouds overhead trembled, and the violent burst of air split the sky and assaulted every ear. Many unsuspecting civilians clutched their heads in pain, crying out.
Master Taiyi was startled and drew a sharp breath.
In that instant, the once-fierce aura of the Golden Immortals had vanished. Their boots, crunching on broken stone, unconsciously slid half a step back—all at the same time.
The scene froze there: Monkey glaring wide-eyed, breathing heavily, at the seven Golden Immortals on the ground, already braced for battle.
"If you want to die, I'll oblige you. Come on, all of you!" He stretched out his hand, gritting his teeth as he beckoned to Master Taiyi.
"How much spiritual power does he have left? Did we burn away seventy percent just now?"
"I doubt it. At most... at most, we burned away fifty percent."
"I'm afraid it’s not even fifty percent," Lord Pureheart swallowed hard. "It looks like we underestimated him. With the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Cage gone, if we only burned away twenty or thirty percent, we’re in trouble."