Before Mi’luo Palace, the quarrel between Lord Genesis and Lord Skygate raged on, while Mother Nuwa, standing nearby, was already trembling with anger. Only Lord Lao had finally managed to shrug off responsibility, looking utterly content—he was just short of conjuring up a table right there to brew tea and watch the show.
On the surrounding warships, the Heavenly soldiers and generals stood silent, their faces blank and dazed.
Far off in the sky, the figure of Master Sage Subhuti appeared, and everyone looked up to watch.
Lord Genesis and Lord Skygate, flushed and breathless from their argument, both gazed at him with hope, wishing he would say something to break the deadlock. Yet he only landed silently beside Mother Nuwa and said softly, "Don’t mind me. You two keep biting."
At those words, Lord Genesis and Lord Skygate instantly deflated, but Mother Nuwa couldn’t help herself and burst out laughing.
“What, did I say something wrong?” Subhuti spread his hands, the picture of innocence.
Mother Nuwa quickly regained her composure and shot Subhuti a glare.
Lord Lao, Skygate, and Genesis all wore looks of disdain.
“So, have you vented enough? If not, I’ll help you tear down the Heavenly Court and fight to your heart’s content.”
"You!" At this, Lord Skygate flared up in anger. "Subhuti, you old rascal, don’t kick us when we’re down!"
Just then, Lord Genesis, who had been bickering with him moments before, reached out and grabbed him. Off to the side, Lord Lao pursed his lips and glanced about, acting as if none of this had anything to do with him.
Mother Nuwa simply stood there quietly, saying nothing.
"If you’ve vented enough, then let’s get down to business." After a brief pause, Subhuti swept his gaze over the countless warships overhead and said softly, "Some things are easy to let loose at first, but once the tiger’s out of the cage, it’s not so easy to put it back in. Take the ‘evil’ in human nature, for example. These old men here—even if you wring their necks, they can’t put everything back to how it was. If you can’t get what you want, then in the end, venting your anger is just empty satisfaction. What’s the point?"
With that, he glanced quietly at Mother Nuwa.
Mother Nuwa remained silent.
Lord Lao, Skygate, Genesis, and even the others all, consciously or not, watched Subhuti, listening quietly to the soft exchange between him and Mother Nuwa.
“Moreover…” Subhuti lowered his head, rubbing his fingers, and said slowly, “Nowadays, the one who truly controls the fate of the Three Realms is no longer Lord Lao.”
“Then who is it?”
“Lord Lao’s Non-Action Path is gone, and you’ve seen the Monkey—the Limitless Way is gone too. So, who could it be?”
Mother Nuwa fell silent once more, her fists quietly clenching.
"Do you want to go to Spirit Mountain?"
Mother Nuwa closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "No. That one—he sees all as empty. What use is there in meeting him?"
"There are things about Buddhism I really dislike, like their coldness. But some things are admirable. For example, when it comes to grudges, they let them go easily. If revenge serves no purpose, they won’t pursue it. They only do what is useful—it's their way. Anything that goes against their chosen path, they simply let go." Subhuti turned and smiled lightly. "Since you’ve vented enough, how about this: let me introduce you to someone who can truly unravel your heart’s knot. How about it?"
...
Blossom Mountain, Cascade Cave.
Just awakened, Tripitaka, supported by Little Seven, shakily sat down at the stone table and took a cup of warm water from Monkey’s hands.
"I’ve already sent someone to fetch you food. Your body isn’t like theirs—after being unconscious for days, just being able to sit up is already impressive. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough time for you to recover." Monkey tilted his head. "Nuwa might come back for us. We need to leave here quickly."
Tripitaka glanced up at General Curtain, Barry Bear, and the others. His face was deathly pale, cold sweat still beading on his forehead.
After a long while, he nodded faintly. He seemed so exhausted he could barely speak half a word.
Turning his head, Monkey pointed at Rosemary. "You definitely can’t go back to the Women’s Kingdom. From now on, you’ll follow me."
"As you command, Great Sage." Rosemary quickly stood and bowed.
"Stop calling me Great Sage." Monkey snorted, taking a deep breath. "I don’t care if the others call me that, but you—I’m not used to it."
Rosemary looked at Monkey with a trace of helplessness.
Turning away, Monkey told General Curtain and Barry Bear, "You two, get ready. We’re leaving soon. Tripitaka, being mortal, can rest—but you won’t get that luxury."
General Curtain and Barry Bear nodded silently.
...
At Mi’luo Palace, Subhuti and Mother Nuwa had already departed; the Heavenly armada began to turn and head home.
On the pile of rubble, the Three Pure Ones still stood in silence, the Jade Emperor kneeling beside them.
"They just left?" Lord Skygate said incredulously. "After all that fuss, they just walk away?"
"What, you want her to come back? After all this, I doubt Heaven will ever know peace again." Lord Genesis glanced coolly at the Jade Emperor.
At that glance, the Jade Emperor shrank back slightly.
"You can get up now," Lord Lao said with a wave of his sleeve. "This isn’t your fault. You won’t be replaced, at least for now."
With that, Lord Lao stretched and looked up at the sky with a bitter smile, muttering, "If I’d known, I wouldn’t have given that girl the antidote. It would’ve saved us all this trouble."
Lord Skygate suddenly blurted out, "Do you think someone’s been scheming against us?"
At those words, Lord Genesis was stunned.
"Don’t overthink it," Lord Lao replied with a sly grin. "Of course someone’s scheming against us—and not just one person, but two. With so many schemers around, getting played once in a while isn’t so bad."
Hands behind his back, Lord Lao strolled toward the edge of the cliff, speaking slowly: "One wants to throw the Three Realms into chaos to test the true meaning of ‘universal salvation.’ The other just goes with the flow, trying to help an old friend untie her heart’s knot. Ah… if you think about it, Subhuti has always been best at going with the flow. He’s never managed to do much else. Hahaha."
With a gentle tap of his toe, Lord Lao rose into the air, his figure drifting toward the Thirty-Three Heavens.
Lord Skygate rushed to the cliff’s edge, shouting, "At least tell us clearly! If one schemer is Subhuti, who’s the other?"
"Someone you used to look down on—a junior." From afar, Lord Lao’s laughter echoed back.
...
On the outskirts of Blossom Mountain, the Earth-Store King’s brows slowly knitted together.
"What is it?"
Lowering his head and calculating on his fingers, the Earth-Store King sighed softly, "After Lord Lao intervened, now Master Sage Subhuti has stepped in. It seems he didn’t take my advice to heart that day."
Saint Raymond gave a faint smile. "In the end, Daoist powers run deeper than ours. Why would they be swayed by our words?"
"It’s another of Golden Cicada’s contingencies. He planned ahead, leaving himself Subhuti and you as hidden reserves. And you, in turn, arranged for Monkey to help him… With a lineup like this, there’s no one in Heaven or Earth who could top it."
Saint Raymond smiled again, offering no comment.
...
After Tripitaka had eaten, drunk, and rested a bit, Monkey hoisted him onto his back and led the group out.
But as soon as they stepped out of Cascade Cave, Monkey stopped in his tracks.
The others halted as well, each one puzzled, looking at Monkey.
Slowly turning, Monkey raised his head to gaze at the summit of Blossom Mountain.
Following Monkey’s gaze, the group soon saw Subhuti and Mother Nuwa hovering in midair.
In the blink of an eye, the two were already standing before them.
At once, everyone gripped their weapons and took a step back—except Monkey, who stood his ground.
He stared hard at Subhuti, bowed slightly to set Tripitaka down, and in a flash, the golden staff was in his hand. Grinning, he said, "Master, long time no see."
It was a smile full of malice.
"Is that your disciple?" Mother Nuwa asked softly.
"More or less." Subhuti stroked his long beard and nodded slightly.
"I really can’t fathom how you produced such a disciple. So, who’s the person you wanted me to meet?"
With a gesture, Subhuti pointed to Tripitaka.
"Him?"
Monkey instinctively moved to shield Tripitaka.
From behind Monkey, Mother Nuwa scrutinized Tripitaka from head to toe.
She’d met Tripitaka before, back in the Women’s Kingdom, but then he’d been out in the open while she hid in the shadows. Her attention had been entirely captured by the Monkey with his sky-shaking powers—she’d barely spared a glance for the mortal monk trailing behind.
Aside from a dragon-horse, everyone else in the party was at least a Taiyi Gold Immortal—and yet they had a mortal among them. Thinking back, she realized she’d been careless, treating him the same as the others.
But… a mere mortal, and a monk at that—could he really unravel her heart’s knot?
Tripitaka stared blankly back at Mother Nuwa, utterly bewildered.
Having heard the news, Little Flower hurried out from the cave, but only stood in a shadowy corner, silently watching Mother Nuwa.
After a long moment, Mother Nuwa slowly smiled. "You’re not trying to get me to let go of everything and convert to Buddhism, are you? If you must know, I’m practically the grandmother of the Buddhist patriarchs."
"Of course not." Subhuti laughed too, straightening up and sighing softly. "This is Shakyamuni’s second disciple—Golden Cicada, reborn as Tripitaka."
"So what?"
"Do you still remember, thousands of years ago, when you spoke to me about saving others and saving oneself?"
"It was just a guess, nothing more."
"Yes, just a guess. You wanted Shakyamuni to save others, but he chose to save himself, since that was already within his reach. As for saving others—that’s still shrouded in mist, even whether it’s possible remains to be seen. Over time, that kind of thankless cultivation faded from memory… But thousands of years later, when you were trapped in the Women’s Kingdom, one of his disciples—Golden Cicada—came to me with his doubts. What he said was exactly what you once told me."
At those words, Mother Nuwa was visibly startled.
Stroking his beard, Subhuti smiled. "The difference is, he’s already put that guess into practice."