That night, everyone on Avalon Mountain was on edge.
No one dared to be alone, for the demon lurked in the shadows. Every tree had to be searched thoroughly, because a single moment of carelessness could cost a life.
An unprecedented mobilization, a search that dug three feet into the earth, for they all knew what a perilous existence this was.
Yet no matter how hard they tried, in the end, not even a Soul Token was found.
Meanwhile, Simon Stone—clad in silver armor and masked—ran wildly through the night, covering hundreds of miles, crossing the boundary stones of Avalon Mountain, taking the lives of two disciples, leaping over mountains, rivers, and plains, until he saw the eastern sunrise and collapsed by an unknown riverside.
He was gone, but the fear Simon Stone left behind did not diminish at all. Instead, it fermented with time, making people shudder even more, as if the Monkey King could leap out from any corner at any moment.
The entire Avalon Mountain was already gripped by panic.
Two nights later, a fine, bone-chilling rain awakened him from his wounds, reminding him of Master Sage Subhuti.
Dragging his battered body, he hid beneath a towering ancient tree, curled up and gnawed on two half-rotten fruits he had found, gazing up at the gloomy sky.
His hands, clutching the fruit, still trembled; his lips were cracked and dry.
The distant roar of a nocturnal beast suddenly made him feel that, apart from the bloodstained armor on his body, everything seemed to have returned to the days before he entered Crescent Star Cave. Only the Cloudwalker Staff, within arm’s reach, brought him comfort. He was now at the Spirit-Absorption stage, at least Mid Spirit-Absorption, so he no longer feared the beasts of the jungle.
Now, at least, he no longer feared the beasts of the jungle.
But he ought to thank them, for it was they who taught the monkey the rules of survival on his journey west.
Reaching into his chestplate, he drew out the perfectly preserved feather, smoothed the tangled fur with his fingers, and examined it closely before his eyes, his gaze growing vacant.
"I thought I’d return to Crescent Star Cave soon to learn the Seventy-Two Transformations... Why, Eighth Senior Brother? Is there something about me, Simon Stone, that you dislike?"
Thinking of this, he gave a bitter smile.
How is Anna Yang? Did Yang Jian rescue her? And, does Master Sage Subhuti know what happened here?
As he tucked the feather back into his robe, he realized he missed Master Sage Subhuti a little, hoping he would stand up for him.
For so many years, he had never expected anyone to help him. Even when fate was unfair, he would grit his teeth and fight with his own hands. Yet now, he found himself harboring such thoughts... He longed to return to Crescent Star Cave, where it all began.
Though Master Sage Subhuti taught him like herding cattle, deep down, Simon Stone still respected him.
"He probably knows, doesn’t he?" Tilting his head back, Simon Stone let out a deep sigh.
It seemed as if there was nothing in this world that Master Sage Subhuti did not know.
As long as he knew Simon Stone was in trouble, he would never just stand by. Right, how could he possibly do nothing?
Besides, Master Sage Subhuti held Simon Stone’s Soul Token. No matter where he went, he could always be found.
Now, all Simon Stone needed to do was wait patiently.
Master Sage Subhuti would surely come for him. He was certain of it.
Under that towering ancient tree, Simon Stone spent a damp, miserable night.
The next day, using the little herbal knowledge he’d learned in Crescent Star Cave, Simon Stone tended to his wounds and swallowed some wild herbs.
After that, his life reverted to how it was before he set foot on Spiritridge Mountain.
He hid like a wild beast among the mountains and forests, cultivating every day, sleeping by day and roaming by night. When hungry, he picked fruit; when thirsty, he drank from mountain springs.
By now, Simon Stone had reached Mid Spirit-Absorption. No beast in the forest could threaten him, and with careful senses, he could avoid wandering into the territories of powerful monsters.
But the endless waiting gnawed at his heart.
Day after day, Simon Stone waited.
Things turned out far beyond his expectations.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed. His wounds were slowly healing, but still, no one came looking for him.
Rainy season arrived, and the forest was drenched day after day. The constant dampness made Simon Stone unbearably uncomfortable.
The more comfortable places were either taken by other monsters or occupied by humans.
Not wanting to cause trouble, Simon Stone could only endure it and continue living like a wild man.
Another month passed, and still, no one from Crescent Star Cave came.
"Has the whole world given up on me?" The thought suddenly crossed Simon Stone’s mind.
At that moment, Simon Stone’s heart was gripped by panic—a fear even greater than when he was once turned away at the gates of Crescent Star Cave.
He began to suspect that things had spiraled far beyond his expectations.
Perhaps the Heavenly Fleet had discovered his true identity and already come looking for him, and Master Sage Subhuti had decided to sever their ties.
Perhaps Master Sage Subhuti had realized that taking a monkey demon as a disciple brought endless trouble, and so decided to expel him.
Or maybe...
Maybe it was all part of Lingyunzi’s plan, just like Qingyunzi and Dantongzi before, trying to force him out of the sect.
So many possibilities, but no matter how he thought about it, Simon Stone couldn’t find a single reason why Master Sage Subhuti wouldn’t come for him. In a daze, he recalled the words Master Sage Subhuti spoke to Sun Wukong before expelling him in Journey to the West, and his heart was filled with anxiety.
He began to suffer sleepless nights, living in fear and becoming restless and irritable.
By the third month in these mountains, Simon Stone could no longer sit still.
Right now, it was impossible to make the long journey back to Spiritridge Mountain.
He took off his conspicuous armor, keeping only his white underclothes, and draped himself in his tattered Daoist robe, its collar still embroidered with the words 'Crescent Star Cave.' Then, he began his risky journey home.
A journey that once took a single night now took him four full days.
Crossing the outer defenses of Avalon Mountain, Simon Stone found the warships that once floated in the sky were gone, and the Heavenly Fleet’s camp was reduced to a heap of scattered supplies.
The entire Avalon Mountain territory was eerily quiet, as silent as it had been when he first arrived.
But the quieter it was, the more anxious Simon Stone became.
Experience had made him suspicious—even the closest senior brothers could betray him. What in this world was truly loyal?
Seeing the scene before him, his first thought was—could this be a trap?
He hid for three days, three whole days, not daring to close his eyes, watching every movement around him with utmost caution.
The celestial soldiers were gone, and the disciples’ lives seemed to have returned to normal. Yet never once did he see anyone walking alone—clearly, Simon Stone’s existence was still taboo.
A Daoist disciple in the Spirit-Refinement Stage could be killed silently in his own chamber. With an opponent like that, how could any cultivator below the middle or upper ranks of Avalon Mountain not be wary?
And those cultivators made up more than four million nine hundred ninety thousand of the five million disciples.
As for true immortals like Master Taiyi, they didn’t bother with such matters. Some even felt that letting their disciples live under Simon Stone’s shadow would strengthen their motivation to cultivate.
After three days of careful observation, Simon Stone finally had a sense of the situation.
He quietly moved toward Golden Mist Cave, but dared not approach too closely—he only watched from a distant hilltop.
During this time, he saw Lingyunzi twice and Master Jade Cauldron three times, but Simon Stone still didn’t dare approach.
Lingyunzi went without saying—the more Simon Stone thought about him, the less he trusted him.
As for Master Jade Cauldron...
Why was he coincidentally absent that day? Before, Simon Stone would have dismissed it as chance, but now, he dared not be careless.
In truth, the person Simon Stone had been waiting for all along was Shiyu Xuan.
Now, it seemed she was the only one he could trust. Even if something happened, with his cultivation, he could easily control her.
First, he would approach Shiyu Xuan, learn about Master Jade Cauldron and Lingyunzi’s situation, and then make further plans.
It was the only solution Simon Stone could think of.
Yet, after staking out for three days, he saw Shiyu Xuan no fewer than twenty times, but she never left the range of Golden Mist Cave.
Simon Stone knew that if he entered the Golden Mist Cave’s territory, Lingyunzi would surely notice—and what might happen then was anyone’s guess.
So he kept watch, waiting a total of seven days. By the seventh day, even Simon Stone, with his boundless energy, had bloodshot eyes and was trembling.
Then, unexpectedly, a figure dressed in white appeared before him.