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"Calm down, calm down... This is an illusion... It must be an illusion." Monkey jerked his head, his eyes wide as bronze bells, scrutinizing every corner of South Heaven Gate. Muttering to himself, he said, "Inside and out, it's all the same. Can't get out... Impossible, impossible. If... if this is an illusion, then there must be a flaw! One side must be fake!"
But no matter how he looked, he couldn't spot the slightest flaw in the scene before him.
"There are many things in this world that cannot be solved by pure 'force.' This is not an illusion, but a true spatial distortion." Head slightly raised, Lord Buddha pressed his palms together, eyes closed, and sighed softly: "Most of the demons on Blossom Mountain would have died long ago according to the original Heavenly Dao. To have lived this long, they should already be content."
Though his face was expressionless, to Monkey those features brimmed with mockery, making his anger blaze.
"Silence—!" Monkey swung the Golden Staff at Lord Buddha, but the staff simply passed through his body, not even stirring his sleeve.
"Undo the spell! Undo it now!" he roared madly, swinging the Golden Staff in vain.
"All the myriad forms in this world are but illusions—form is emptiness, emptiness is form. In the end, it is all emptiness. If you could truly awaken, how could such a trifling spell trap you? Once, you even sought Buddhist teachings at Spirit Mountain, but your motives were impure and your heart unrighteous. No wonder you have sunk so deep, lost and trapped."
Raising the Golden Staff, Monkey roared and swung at Lord Buddha once more.
With a thunderous crash, the staff once again struck nothing but air.
Beneath Lord Buddha’s feet, the floating stones supporting South Heaven Gate were instantly blown away, the clouds of sand and gravel surging outward like a tidal wave, engulfing everything.
Suddenly, from the center of that dust cloud, earth-shaking booms erupted, shockwaves sweeping through every corner.
The surviving immortals and Daoist adepts timidly poked their heads out of the ruins, staring from afar, yet none dared approach within ten li of South Heaven Gate.
Clouds billowed upward, wild lightning dancing through the swirling sand, streaks of red light instantly enveloping all of South Heaven Gate, as if the entire world trembled with the sound.
A raging wind rippled outward from South Heaven Gate, scattering the dust in an instant.
Countless grains of sand swept through Lord Buddha’s body, as he slowly widened his eyes.
"Damn it, I refuse to believe... I refuse to believe I can't get out—!"
Upon a massive floating stone, Lord Buddha stood silently. Not far before him, Monkey clung desperately to the South Heaven Gate Grand Formation’s shield, wild lightning covering every inch of his body.
Deafening booms echoed without pause, filling every corner, until it seemed no one could hear anything else—only stare in stunned silence.
They watched as the wild lightning swallowed him whole, watched as the crazed Monkey opened his mouth in a roar, in a howl, watched as his hands slowly dug into the shield.
All of Heavenly Court was filled with a terrifying current unlike anything before.
Vast swathes of land were upheaved, ruins and shattered walls flattened by the raging winds, while the remaining immortals and Daoist adepts were swept skyward along with debris and sand.
Below the Fifteenth Heaven, everything was swept away as if caught in the center of a deep-sea vortex.
"What is he... what is he trying to do?" In the Thirty-Three Heavens, Zhenyuan was so shocked his jaw dropped.
Amid dazzling light, battered and bloodied by the Grand Formation’s backlash, Monkey gritted his teeth, eyes bloodshot, slowly tearing open the shield bit by bit. The white light pierced straight to the Thirty-Fifth Heaven, illuminating all of Heavenly Court.
Lord Buddha was stunned.
In the next moment, right before his eyes, Monkey hurled himself with all his strength at the ancient wall of South Heaven Gate.
Another earth-shattering boom—Lord Buddha even squinted his eyes as the wild sand swept past him.
When a gust of wind finally scattered the sand and gravel, all that remained before Lord Buddha was a massive breach.
The wind poured through the gap.
On the other side of that breach lay the starry sky of the mortal world.
Twice before, the South Heaven Gate Grand Formation—said to be the strongest defense in all Three Realms—had trapped Monkey. Now, it was shattered.
"Still so stubborn." Taking a deep breath, Lord Buddha tapped his toe and turned into a streak of golden light, chasing through the breach.
Only now did Zhenyuan, whose heart had been in his throat, finally breathe a little easier.
Turning back, Zhenyuan saw Lord Genesis and Lord Skygate hurrying onto the ruins of Tusita Palace.
Lord Skygate met Zhenyuan’s gaze, coughed twice, and asked, "Can the Heavenly Dao Stone still be repaired?"
"So you’ve finally realized its worth? Too late, I’m afraid." Lord Lao lay sprawled on his back, eyes closed, muttering as if to himself: "Rather than worrying about the Heavenly Dao Stone, think about how to fix Heaven and Earth. At this point, there’s no relying on Buddhism. My own power is almost spent, and you’re not much better off... especially you, Skygate."
At those words, Lord Skygate was visibly startled.
Lord Lao cracked his eyelids, glanced drowsily at Lord Skygate, and sighed, "If you keep using your spiritual power, it won’t be long before you face Heavenly Tribulation, will it?"
By now, Lord Skygate’s face was grim, but he offered no rebuttal.
Not long ago, the power of Heavenly Tribulation was mere legend. But now, who dares claim they can survive it? Even Monkey, if not for his two souls, would have been devoured by the tribulation all the same.
Closing his eyes, Lord Lao sighed deeply: "With Heaven and Earth wounded so badly, it may take a hundred years before anything can be done. Without the Sun Crow, a harsh winter will descend on the mortal world, and countless lives will suffer... Heh, there’s nothing I can do. Maybe... maybe Monkey’s victory is better for the world. But for us, not so much. Let fate decide... heh."
A gentle breeze swept by, lifting sleeves and stirring hair.
Except for Lord Lao, whose expression blurred the line between laughter and tears, the other three great beings fell silent together.
At this moment, for the Three Realms, it seemed the dead end had arrived.
...
Mount Hua.
Deep underground, at the heart of a pitch-black cavern, a violet-glowing formation was set. Six layers of barriers sealed off Anna Yang, who sat slumped in the center, from everything around her.
Even Anna Yang’s wrist was locked in special shackles, keeping her from moving freely.
"He’s not dead. Not only is he alive, he’s broken through to Heaven’s Way-level cultivation." Erik Yang said quietly. "But things still aren’t looking good for him, because... Buddhism has made its move."