Spirit Mountain, Great Thunderclap Temple.
Only a sparse handful of Buddhas remained standing in the vast hall. Empty and echoing, the place felt abandoned, as if all its people had vanished. The golden Sanskrit carved into the walls glimmered coldly in the dazzling light.
Atop the central lotus dais, Lord Buddha sat in silence, eyes half-open as he gazed forward. His sight pierced the grand doors, through the forest of stupas, reaching hundreds of li away.
At that very moment, far away, Tripitaka clung desperately to the horse’s neck, racing through the dust. Behind him, Marshal Silver, Barry Bear, and General Curtain followed close. All around, the two Monkeys’ battle raged on. Wherever they passed, everything was torn to shreds. The swirling dust blotted out the sky, sweeping across a hundred li like a colossal tornado. At the center of the storm was Tripitaka.
Through the chaos, Tripitaka opened his eyes. He saw trees ripped from the earth and hurled skyward. He saw families and homes lifted into the air before they could even flee, torn apart in an instant. He saw steep mountains shaved flat in a heartbeat...
As he drew closer to Spirit Mountain, he saw more temples, more common folk. But it was only a glimpse. In the next moment, everything he saw was destroyed—so swiftly that not even a cry could escape before it was all shredded.
A voice thundered in his mind—a deafening sound, as if it came from every corner of the world.
"Where is your Universal Salvation?"
"Universal Salvation?" Tripitaka’s eyes snapped open.
"Aren’t you here to debate Dharma with me? To prove the Way of Universal Salvation? Of the one hundred and eight thousand li, only a few hundred remain. Where is your Universal Salvation?"
Scenes from the entire journey flashed before Tripitaka’s eyes—the years, the countless memories. Everything erupted at once, weaving through his mind and before his eyes. Every face, every person, whether in pain, joy, or cruelty.
For a moment, Tripitaka nearly slipped from the horse’s back. But only for a moment. In the next instant, he forced himself awake, enduring soul-deep pain as he clung to the horse’s neck.
Beneath him, Prince Adrian, in horse form, kept sprinting toward Spirit Mountain.
Within Spirit Mountain, Lord Buddha paused, momentarily stunned. All around, the Buddhas watched him in silence.
After a brief pause, Lord Buddha narrowed his eyes once more, gazing toward Tripitaka’s distant position, unmoving upon his seat.
Everyone understood: the time for the Dharma debate had come...
Yet what could Tripitaka use to debate Lord Buddha?
On horseback, Tripitaka clung tightly to the horse’s neck, eyes shut, murmuring the Heart Sutra to himself, trying to dispel the illusions. But the visions only grew fiercer.
The consequences of the Netherworld’s broken reincarnation cycle were beginning to show. Compared to the disaster six centuries ago, this time the damage to the Three Realms was far less—for now. Yet it was still fatal.
Six centuries ago, Monkey nearly razed the Netherworld. Back then, not only was the Netherworld’s administrative core devastated, but countless ghosts suffered as well. This time, while the bureaucracy is again on the verge of collapse, the souls in the Eighteen Hells have largely escaped harm. So now, they begin fleeing to the mortal world—which has already lost all Heavenly Court protection.
Terrifying screams and wails echoed in Tripitaka’s ears—cries of wronged souls, the shrieks of mortals pursued by vengeful ghosts, the piercing howls of spirits claiming lives. It was deafening, soul-shaking.
At the same time, the reincarnation mechanism of the Six Paths had broken down. Newborn lives received no souls from the Netherworld; they died the moment they were born. Crops that were about to ripen withered into dry grass overnight, leaving the people in silent despair.
Tragedy unfolded in every corner of the Three Realms. Even under blazing sunlight, without the Netherworld’s cycle of rebirth, the world’s life force was being drained away, inch by inch, toward extinction.
All these visions were crammed into Tripitaka’s mind at once. For a moment, it felt as if his head would explode.
"Do you know who caused this?" Lord Buddha’s voice rang in Tripitaka’s ear again. "If you hadn’t defied Heaven and released that demon monkey, there would be no battle between the two Monkeys, no disaster like this."
"What are they fighting over?"
"They’re fighting over who will escort you on your journey west."
"A quest for Dharma and Universal Salvation, and in the end, it’s guarded by the most destructive forces in the world. Don’t you find that laughable?"
Then, waves of laughter echoed through Tripitaka’s mind.
He heard Monkey’s voice, Marshal Silver’s voice, General Curtain’s, even his old master Fah Ming from Gold Mountain Temple... Yes, every person he could think of, every voice he remembered, was laughing at him.
"Is this the result you wanted? Destroying the Three Realms in the name of Universal Salvation?"
Another accusation struck, like a giant hammer smashing into his chest. Instantly, blood spurted from Tripitaka’s mouth.
In that instant, the dueling Monkeys in the sky, Marshal Silver, General Curtain, Barry Bear on the ground, the watching demons in the distance, the Buddhas hovering above, even the Jade Emperor in the High Sky Throne Hall, Lord Lao in Tusita Palace, and Subhuti in Nuwa Temple—all were stunned.
Mid-gallop, Tripitaka slowly released his grip and fell from the horse’s back, crashing into the mud and sand.
At that moment, it was as if all sound in the world ceased. Everyone stopped moving.
Prince Adrian, having sprinted several zhang ahead, suddenly turned around. Seeing Tripitaka lying motionless on the ground, he was stunned.
......
Inside Nuwa Temple, Subhuti clenched his fists, trembling.
In Tusita Palace, Lord Skygate tried to speak, but Lord Lao silently restrained him.
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Inside the High Sky Throne Hall, the Jade Emperor gazed in panic at the silent ranks of immortals, all bowing their heads.
Only Lord Buddha was smiling.
Yes, he smiled. That smile told everyone he believed victory was already his.
But isn’t this how it should be? Along this road, what has Tripitaka truly achieved, what has he proven? Aside from a heart longing for Universal Salvation, he has nothing. He cannot even repair the harm he himself has caused—can he?
How could he ever debate Dharma with Lord Buddha, the Buddha Patriarch?
He isn’t even equal to Golden Cicada from eight hundred years ago—isn’t that so?
......
Everyone watched in silence as the monk who had walked one hundred and eight thousand li for a single obsession now lay motionless on the ground after falling from his horse.
At this moment, Marshal Silver did not know whether he should rush to help, and Prince Adrian was unsure whether to turn back and let Tripitaka ride him west again.
How far is left?
Five hundred li?
No!
Only a hundred li left! Only a hundred li remain! Westward—just a hundred li to go!
Everyone could only watch in silence.
At this moment, who still believed he could succeed?
Perhaps some did. But who could imagine a Buddha so pitiful? Is this how one should look on the eve of enlightenment?
After a long silence, they saw Tripitaka’s dust-covered hand tremble slightly. Instantly, everyone held their breath and watched.
At that instant, Monkey—still suspended in midair—was struck hard at the back of the head by some force, and plummeted like a meteor, crashing to the ground beside Tripitaka.
With a roar, the dust surged up like a fountain.
In an instant, everyone’s gaze was drawn to the scene.
When the dust settled, they saw Monkey lying spread-eagled on the ground, Iron Sentinel fallen to one side.
At this moment, he looked to be at death’s door.
With the last of his strength, he slowly turned his head and saw Damon Six-Ears standing beside him, grinning with the Golden Staff on his shoulder. Through Damon’s silhouette, he saw Tripitaka in the distance slowly rolling over and, inch by inch, climbing to his feet.
Seeing this, for some reason, Monkey felt an urge to laugh. But before he could, blood gushed from his mouth.
Turning back, Tripitaka bowed slightly toward the two of them and, trembling, said, "The Great Sage’s kindness... Tripitaka will never forget."
With that, he slowly turned away, stepped forward, and continued west. His eyes were so unfocused it seemed he might faint at any moment.