"Another person?" Lord Genesis paused, slightly surprised.
Lord Skygate asked in confusion, "Subhuti?"
"No." Lord Lao squinted slightly and said, "He is no longer in Crescent Star Cave, but... it's not him."
"Not him?" Lord Skygate rolled his eyes, thinking for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes widened: "You mean, Nu—"
Lord Lao nodded slightly.
Lord Genesis immediately let out a chuckle, stroking his long beard. "If it's her, she might actually turn the tables. The next question is, should we intervene?"
As he spoke, Lord Genesis glanced over at Lord Lao.
Lord Lao did not answer. He simply pursed his lips, furrowed his brows, and slowly turned his head away.
His gaze settled on the empty wall. Behind it was the alchemy room, and beyond that, a lush green courtyard.
In the courtyard, Clara Heart still tilted her head, quietly gazing at the azure sky. Birds fluttered across the heavens.
After a long while, Lord Lao spoke softly: "Let me... think about it."
......
At the entrance of General Erlang Manor, the standoff persisted.
Erik Yang leaned on his Trident Saber, standing with his back to the tightly shut gates, his gaze coldly fixed on King Roc and the demon officers under Lord Many-Eyes.
Across from him, King Roc and Lord Many-Eyes simply exchanged silent glances.
Lord Many-Eyes appeared utterly calm, while King Roc's brows were tightly furrowed, as if he had been forced into a corner.
After a long, tense silence, King Roc finally lowered his head and coughed twice. He stepped forward, cupped his hands toward Erik Yang, and said, "General, how about letting us meet Her Holiness the Holy Mother? If she says to withdraw, we'll withdraw."
Erik Yang snorted coldly, replying bluntly, "Since when does Guang River Estuary let you see whoever you want, whenever you want?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Skyhowl bared its teeth at the side, letting out a series of low growls.
Seeing this, the corner of King Roc's eye couldn't help but twitch.
Suddenly, the tension outside the manor grew even sharper.
......
Just beyond the wall, inside General Erlang Manor, Warren Wu led the Guang River Estuary soldiers, keeping Anna securely protected at the center.
Sensing the tension outside, Anna leaned slightly toward Warren Wu and whispered, "Open the gate."
Warren Wu bowed his head slightly and replied, "Holy Mother, General Erlang has given strict orders, so... I must decline."
"If you don't open it, what if a fight breaks out?"
"I... I don't know either," Warren Wu said, averting his gaze and no longer meeting Anna's eyes.
......
Outside the gate, Lord Many-Eyes slowly walked over to King Roc and whispered, "Don't you see? Her Holiness the Holy Mother is willing to leave with us—it's just her brother who's unwilling. This sort of thing, if we do it, will only earn us credit, never blame. My lord, you mustn't hesitate. I may sometimes propose odd schemes that aren't to your taste, but I've never led you into danger, have I? Is that not true?"
Clenching his fists, King Roc turned to Erik Yang and shouted, "If General won't even let us see Her Holiness the Holy Mother, then don't blame us for what comes next!"
With a wave of his hand, Lord Many-Eyes unleashed the demon horde he had prepared—their ranks surged forward in an instant!
In an instant, both sides clashed, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens!
......
Across the dust-swept earth, Tripitaka and Barry Bear continued westward, walking slowly step by step.
Suddenly, the clouds in the sky swirled into a vortex, crisscrossed by flashes of lightning.
The wind howled so fiercely that Tripitaka could hardly keep his eyes open.
Barry Bear quickly set down his pack and shielded Tripitaka with his massive body.
The Buddhas floating in midair all looked up, scanning the skies.
In the distance, Marshal Silver said quietly, "They're coming."
"Which one will arrive first?" Prince Adrian, the Little White Dragon, asked quickly.
Marshal Silver shook his head slowly. "I... don't know either."
Soon, the northern clouds tore open. Damon Six-Ears sprang toward Tripitaka.
Watching this, the monsters on the distant hillside stood frozen, while the Buddhas in the sky remained unmoved.
Everyone knew they could not stop Damon Six-Ears from doing anything.
In that split second, Barry Bear rushed to shield Tripitaka, eyes squeezed shut. He knew exactly what would happen next.
Just as Damon Six-Ears was less than a hundred zhang from Tripitaka, the southern clouds split open too.
The Monkey's figure appeared before everyone.
He, too, charged at Tripitaka with astonishing speed.
Overreaching fool!
With a flip, Damon Six-Ears traced an arc through the sky, turning to face Monkey.
In the next instant, the two collided with tremendous force.
Another fierce shockwave exploded, dazzling like lightning. Gases expanded rapidly, raging outward in all directions. The ground was swept up in waves of sand and dust.
The earth-shaking battle erupted once again—both sides fought with all their might in the sky. Hysterical roars echoed again and again in everyone's ears.
"We keep walking," Tripitaka said softly, reaching out to move Barry Bear aside.
From start to finish, he never once turned to look at the two battling figures. He simply let the wind and sand whip his monk's robe high.
"Yes, Master," Barry Bear replied, dazed. Yet he couldn't help but glance back at the fighters. Hoisting his pack, he and Tripitaka continued west, as if the raging battle had nothing to do with them.
Did it truly have nothing to do with them?
Of course, it did.
Everyone knew—the two Monkeys were fighting over the true title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven, over the name Sun Wukong, and also over who had the right to protect Tripitaka on his journey west.
And yet, at the same time, it had nothing to do with them.
Tripitaka travels west to seek enlightenment and debate the Dharma—what does it matter who protects him?
A conflict sparked by his own journey, yet it has nothing to do with him... Tripitaka couldn't help but smile, but it was a bitter smile.
The two Monkeys battled to the death, from sky to earth and back again. From afar, they were just two intertwining streaks of golden light, flashing endlessly—anything that drew near was ground to powder.
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Mountains collapsed beside Tripitaka, rivers broke before him, grass and stone—all things around him turned to ash. Yet he remained untouched. Whenever danger drew near, one of the two Monkeys would intervene to save him. But that was all. No one cared about his feelings.
In the raging wind, Tripitaka pressed his lips together and walked on, teeth clenched. Barry Bear followed in silence.
At this moment, words were unnecessary.
On the distant hillside, Prince Adrian, the Little White Dragon, watched quietly. After a long while, he bit his lip and stepped forward.
Behind him, Marshal Silver quickly grabbed him.
"What are you doing?"
"I want to help him reach Spirit Mountain faster," Prince Adrian, the Little White Dragon, sniffled and said softly. "I can be a horse—I was before, wasn't I?"
As he said this, his gaze flickered, uncertain.
After hesitating for a long moment, he added quietly, "If this keeps up, everything between here and Spirit Mountain will be utterly destroyed."
With that, he looked solemnly at Marshal Silver.
Gazing quietly at Prince Adrian, Marshal Silver took a deep breath. "Let me take you over there."
"You're taking me?"
"If you go alone, you might not even make it to Master Tripitaka before you're killed."
With that, Marshal Silver grabbed Prince Adrian's hand, lifted off, and sped toward Tripitaka.
Seeing this, Curtain quickly followed after them.
As soon as they landed, Prince Adrian transformed into a white horse and nuzzled up to Tripitaka. Marshal Silver promptly pushed Tripitaka onto the horse.
"A thousand li! It won't take long, Master Tripitaka!"
With legs flying, Prince Adrian began to gallop wildly. Tripitaka could only cling tightly to the horse's neck. Behind them, Marshal Silver, Curtain, and Barry Bear raced close.
From the sky, they looked like four wild horses charging across the earth, heedless, rushing toward Spirit Mountain without pause.
The Buddhas still hovering overhead exchanged glances, then chose silence. As for the two Monkeys locked in battle—who could spare them a thought?
They still swept around the final westbound party like a raging wind, tearing apart everything—leaving only the galloping travelers untouched.
Spirit Mountain was already close at hand, but Monkey's spiritual power was nearly spent.