“What does that matter? The real story is the Master himself released the Sun Wukong who wrecked the world six hundred years ago! That's what counts! Don't forget, the Three Realms are teetering on the brink of ruin again.”
With a sharp whinny, Prince Adrian—the White Dragon Horse—suddenly halted. Waves of dust rippled forward like water.
Marshal Silver and the others, who had been following behind, also stopped in their tracks one by one.
Directly ahead of them, several dozen monks lined up shoulder to shoulder, blocking the road. Each one stared at them coldly.
These were ordinary monks—not Buddhas, showing no sign of cultivation. They were the most common monks at the foot of Spirit Mountain.
"Master! How can you let them spout such nonsense?" Barry Bear couldn't help but roar.
General Curtain scratched his head and said, "What are they up to? Could it be that the Buddha sent them to block us?"
Marshal Silver glanced back at the Buddhas still hanging in the sky behind them and said, "Probably not. If someone were to be sent, it wouldn't be them."
Tripitaka, slumped over the White Dragon Horse's back, was already on the verge of collapse. He could only open his eyes weakly and gaze at the figures ahead.
On the lotus dais, Lord Buddha sat quietly, eyes lowered.
Tripitaka opened his mouth slightly, as if to reply, but his body swayed—and unexpectedly, he tumbled straight off the horse.
Meanwhile, the battle between Nuwa and Damon Six-Ears raged on.
Lightning still danced across the sky, and at the heart of the vortex, a bottomless void slowly opened like a gaping, bloody maw.
A pillar of seawater shot skyward, instantly transforming into a raging tsunami that swept outward in all directions.
Stunned by the world-shaking tsunami, Clara Heart froze for a moment. Turning her head, she saw Anna Yang leading a group of demon generals not far away.
Anna Yang glanced coolly at Clara Heart. "So you've come too? Watch if you want, but don't do anything foolish."
"Mm." Clara Heart nodded silently and moved closer to them.
Bolts of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking the sea and sending plumes of steam and waves roiling wildly.
Deep beneath the waves, Nuwa and Damon Six-Ears were still locked in combat.
Where the Golden Staff churned the water, the sea became a razor, shredding everything it touched to pieces—except for the emerald, which remained perfectly protected.
"Why are you helping him? Why?!"
Damon Six-Ears roared in frustration, but Nuwa did not answer.
She simply pointed, and a breach opened—from the surface straight down to the seabed.
In the next instant, before Damon Six-Ears could react, dozens of Nuwa's avatars surged up from the sea, guarding the emerald as they raced northeast.
Unexpectedly, even after Nuwa had fled fifty li away, Damon Six-Ears did not give chase.
Suddenly, everyone was bewildered. How could such a fierce battle come to an abrupt halt?
Tripitaka slowly shook his head. "Their mouths belong to them. They can say what they like—it's their right. Besides... they're not wrong."
In the High Sky Throne Hall, the Jade Emperor craned his neck, peering intently into the bronze mirror. Around him, the immortals shrank back nervously.
In Tusita Palace, the Three Pure Ones sat in silence, unmoving.
Heavenly Tribulation overhead split in two—one cluster chased after Nuwa, while the other remained where it was.
There was no doubt: Damon Six-Ears was still here. He hadn't left, because Heavenly Tribulation remained, and its senses never lied.
But why wasn't he doing anything?
Anna Yang couldn't help but furrow her brow.
Deep in the ocean's currents, Damon Six-Ears gripped the Golden Staff, floating in silence as if lost in thought.
After a long while, he slowly began to laugh.
"I understand now... heh, she's doing this for Tripitaka. She's risking her life to draw down Heavenly Tribulation and lure me away—otherwise, why would she go so far? Her goal is the Westward Quest. I get it, I get it!" Damon Six-Ears clenched his teeth and sighed, "If I have to die, I won't let you have your way!"
Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the sea erupted in a spray of water. Damon Six-Ears shot skyward as a streak of golden light, heading southwest. As he passed Clara Heart, he glanced at her indifferently, never pausing for a moment.
In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished at the horizon.
"This is bad," Master Sage Subhuti murmured, gazing up at the sky from the ruins of Nuwa Temple.
"I understand," came the reply from the palace.
High above, Nuwa's avatars swiftly gathered together. Carrying the emerald, she turned toward Xiniu Hezhou—toward Tripitaka's location—and sped away.
On the empty plain—
Damon Six-Ears raced furiously along the ground, pushing himself to the limit. Heavenly Tribulation chased him relentlessly, bolts of lightning raining down and destroying everything in his path.
Above him, the Golden Circlet began to tighten, little by little.
Agonizing pain shot through him. Damon Six-Ears bared his fangs, roaring uncontrollably—but that was all. He had no intention of turning back.
"Does he... want to kill Tripitaka?" Buddha Leonard asked uncertainly.
"Yes." Earth-Store King took a deep breath and sighed. "At the very least, the thought has crossed his mind. Otherwise, the Golden Circlet wouldn't be tightening."
"He'd rather endure the Golden Circlet's backlash just to kill Tripitaka?" Buddha Leonard chuckled darkly.
Zhengfa-Ming Tathagata folded his hands and sighed softly, "Ingrained nature is hard to change."
"Master Tripitaka, I've cultivated Buddhism for thirty years and still haven't succeeded. Today, I stand here waiting for you to ferry me across."
"Master Tripitaka, and me too. Heh, I've only cultivated for ten years, but it's so hard. I heard you can ferry us, so I've been waiting here for you. Please, don't let us down."
Tripitaka coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"Shut up, all of you!" Barry Bear broke free of Tripitaka's grip and charged forward, black-tasseled spear raised to strike. The monks panicked and fled in terror.
In this chaos, Marshal Silver hurried forward and restrained him.
"Let go of me! I'll slaughter them!"
"No killing! That'll just give them another excuse! We're here to ferry souls, not to take lives!"
As they argued, a sudden, earth-shaking boom erupted. Something crashed down from the sky, landing a hundred zhang away and kicking up clouds of dust.
Instantly, everyone fell silent, staring blankly at the impact site.
Slowly, the dust began to settle.
There stood Damon Six-Ears, one hand gripping the Golden Staff, the other clutching his head, trembling violently.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Tripitaka, unblinking.