"Keen of hearing, subtle in reasoning, knowing past and future, all things are clear... able to see five hundred years ahead, and five hundred years behind..."
This is the description of the Six-Eared Macaque in Journey to the West. Thinking back now, isn't that precisely me?
The reason I can see five hundred years ahead and five hundred years behind is simple: I came from another world. And precisely because I came from elsewhere, I can't foresee... my own death.
The True and False Monkey King—a Sun Wukong who was never truly Sun Wukong, trying to replace the original, only to be stopped by the Buddha and killed by the real Sun Wukong. That's the story.
"Heh..." Monkey tilted his head back and laughed wordlessly, heart already half chilled.
Sure enough, every turning point comes true in ways no one expects. Who could have imagined that after a lifetime as the real Sun Wukong, I would turn out to be the fake?
Right now, even though it's just glimpses from scattered clues, Monkey already feels fate closing in on him.
Buddha-light illuminates the entire ruined Lionback Kingdom.
Golden Buddhas drift in the air, like countless stars gazing down on the mortal dust.
Everything before him feels like that day on Blossom Mountain, more than six hundred years ago.
Across the desolate land, the demon generals instinctively stepped back. Anna Yang stared at the scene, terror etched across her face.
Within the encirclement, Monkey stood utterly alone, clutching the Iron Sentinel—a weapon never truly his. His gaze was hollow, letting the wind, gritty with sand, lash his cheeks without resistance.
On the distant cliff, Saint Raymond gripped the Golden Circlet and took a measured step forward, as if descending invisible stairs through the air toward Damon Six-Ears.
Saint Raymond called out, his voice ringing clear: "Sun Wukong! Will you renounce the world and enter the Buddhist Order, embracing the Fourfold Emptiness Creed and honoring only the Dharma?"
In that instant, the surrounding Buddhas echoed as one: "Fourfold Emptiness Creed! Only revere the Dharma!"
Ethereal chanting swept through heaven and earth—rootless, traceless, yet everywhere at once. A shaft of golden light pierced the clouds and fell upon Damon Six-Ears, scattering crystalline sparks across his shoulders.
Damon Six-Ears stared upward, dazed, into the blinding radiance.
"Put on this Golden Circlet, and you become a Buddha,"
"The Fighting-Victory Buddha!"
"From this moment, there will be no turning back!"
A thunderous voice echoed across heaven and earth, making the ground tremble and ears ring.
Damon Six-Ears lowered his head slightly, glanced at Monkey, and broke into an ecstatic grin—a kind of excitement he had never felt before. In the next moment, he threw his head back and screamed with a voice torn from his soul: "I accept—! I'll do anything you ask! So long as I can tear that bastard to pieces! So long as I can be the one and only Sun Wukong in all the Three Realms!"
"From this day forward, you will no longer be the Demon Clan's Great Sage Equal to Heaven. You will be only Buddhism's Fighting-Victory Buddha. Do you accept this?"
"I accept! I accept! Hahaha! I accept!" Damon Six-Ears laughed madly, his eyes fixed on Monkey.
Behind him, Saint Raymond—Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata—was approaching step by step.
Streams of golden light rained down from the sky, enveloping him. His wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Countless Buddhas surrounded him, blessing and empowering him.
......
"So that's how it is." In Tusita Palace, Lord Skygate slapped his forehead and chuckled, "Well, this is unexpected."
"Isn't this only natural?" Lord Lao said with a genial smile. "Did you think everything in this world could be solved by force? Every person in the Three Realms is both a chess piece and a side of their own. The grand drama is about to begin, and it's not just two sides anymore. We are one side, Shakyamuni is another, the Buddhas a third, Subhuti a fourth, and then Monkey and Damon Six-Ears each form their own. Even Tripitaka is a side unto himself. It's a chaotic chess match—let's see how we turn this chaos to our advantage and win in the confusion."
"Exactly, exactly." Lord Skygate nodded repeatedly. "Good thing you held me back just now, or I'd have stepped right into this quagmire."
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Beside them, Lord Genesis slowly stroked his long beard, deep in thought.
......
In Nuwa's palace, Subhuti stood quietly.
"What do you think, in this situation—how will your disciple choose?"
Subhuti slowly shook his head.
......
In the cold wind, Monkey still stood silently.
He turned to look at Tripitaka.
For some reason, Tripitaka suddenly froze, unconsciously taking a step back.
Marshal Silver instantly stepped in front of Tripitaka, locking eyes with Monkey.
"Wh—what do we do now?" Barry Bear whispered.
No one answered.
The Bull King's gaze darted back and forth between Monkey and Tripitaka, as if desperately trying to read something from their faces. But he knew too little; he couldn't make a judgment.
The demon generals all stood dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.
"What are you planning?" a voice echoed in Monkey's mind. It was Marshal Silver.
"Do you intend to kill Tripitaka and fully defect to Lord Lao?"
"Just now you said, if only one of you could live, you'd rather die than be anyone's dog—not Buddhism's, not Daoism's!"
Marshal Silver's voice kept echoing in Monkey's mind, over and over. He kept talking, but even he felt how feeble his own words sounded.
Damon Six-Ears had already chosen Buddhism. If Monkey doesn't turn to Lord Lao, will he have to face both Buddhism and Damon alone?
If that's the case, does Monkey still have any chance of winning?
Monkey didn't answer—not a single word. He simply stared at Tripitaka in silence.
The standoff dragged on.
Behind them, Saint Raymond still held the Golden Circlet, striding step by step toward Damon Six-Ears.
Golden light gathered around Damon Six-Ears. A wave of agony swept through him, changing his expression. He could feel a power invading his body, while the strength he once possessed was being washed away, burned, and utterly driven out.
Under the golden light, wisps of black energy were forced out from his cracks, drifting away as smoke in the air.
He gritted his teeth and endured, staring at Saint Raymond as he approached, forcing a smile.
At that moment, Monkey slowly closed his eyes, then turned his head toward Damon Six-Ears and declared, enunciating each word: "I was wrong. I am the true, original Sun Wukong."
In an instant, everyone was stunned.
The next moment, Monkey erupted into golden light, roaring as he charged straight at Damon Six-Ears!