Time trickled by; all around, the demon generals held their breath, watching in silence. Even Earth-Store King, who had entered as a lead negotiator, remained wordless now, his expression betraying clear disagreement with Saint Raymond’s terms.
"Can I refuse?" Six-Ears Damon retorted.
Saint Raymond smiled faintly at these words and said, "Once you put it on, you will become the true Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Truly possessing power of your own, you will no longer be at a disadvantage."
"But what exactly are the things I shouldn't do?"
Earth-Store King hesitated briefly, then followed after him.
"Everything?"
"Correct. The Buddhist Order—Fourfold Emptiness Creed—leaves only the Dharma behind. As I've said before, once you put it on, you will be the Fighting-Victory Buddha. If not now, then soon." Saint Raymond said calmly, "Unlike the other Buddhas, you may still pursue your own identity. In other words, your war with him will not end because of this. On the contrary, it will have only just begun."
After a long pause, Gavin Goathorn spoke in a low voice: "Great Sage, please... whatever you do, don’t accept."
As soon as he said this, the atmosphere instantly froze.
High in the sky, both sides of the conversation stared at each other expressionlessly.
Time trickled by; all around, the demon generals held their breath, watching in silence. Even King Earth-Store, who had entered as a lead negotiator, remained wordless now, his expression betraying clear disagreement with Saint Raymond’s terms.
Slowly, Six-Ears Damon narrowed his eyes to slits, scrutinizing Saint Raymond with suspicion.
Just as he was about to speak, Saint Raymond cut in first, his voice gentle: "This offer will remain valid. You need not answer right away."
As he spoke, he casually put away the golden circlet in his hand and turned to fly toward the west.
King Earth-Store hesitated briefly, then followed after him.
The two departed without so much as a polite farewell. Six-Ears Damon simply watched their retreating figures, his gaze flickering with calculations.
Everyone remained silent.
After a long pause, the Goat Spirit spoke in a low voice: "Great Sage, please... whatever you do, don’t accept."
"Why?"
"The Buddhist Order is nothing good. If you listen to them, you’ll only suffer for it."