Southern Lands.
A patch of dark clouds veiled the bright moon.
In the pitch-black wilderness and forest, the roars of wild beasts echoed all around.
Pairs of eyes stared fixedly in the darkness at this unfamiliar and obviously dangerous intruder.
Sitting alone atop a moss-covered boulder, the Six-Eared Macaque seemed to ignore the thick hostility surrounding him. He gazed upward, peering through the black canopy at the scattered stars in the sky, his eyes filled with boundless confusion.
Late at night, facing a pack of beasts alone in the woods—such a familiar feeling... Had he been through this before?
The Six-Eared Macaque couldn't recall. Everything felt familiar, yet he couldn't remember a thing. Even the incantation he used when leaving the Netherworld had already slipped his mind.
Why is it that he clearly remembers, but can't recall anything at all?
The Six-Eared Macaque didn't understand, but he had no desire to go back and ask those two bald donkeys—his instincts told him they were enemies.
But if he doesn't go back to ask them, what should he do?
Lowering his head, he stared blankly at his own wrinkled hands.
A crow flapped its wings and swept past overhead.
A few field mice huddled in a corner, fussing over something unknown.
After a long while, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to strain to remember.
Countless fragments of memory flashed through his mind—wailing, crying, shrieking, fierce battles, blood everywhere...
He clenched his fist slightly.
A torrent of chaotic images surged toward him, flooding everything at once. At the same time, excruciating pain welled up from deep within his soul, as if something inside his head was struggling, thrashing, trying to break out through his skull.
He gritted his teeth and endured with all his might.
The muscles in his arms strained to the limit, veins bulging. His whole body trembled from the unbearable torment, and his howls pierced the sky, startling the birds into flight.
He saw himself wielding a staff, battling celestial generals atop the clouds; massive warships, trailing thick smoke, plummeted from the sky...
He saw himself seated high upon a throne, receiving the worship of ten thousand demons—each one revering him as a god.
He saw himself standing atop surging waves, locked in a grueling duel with a long-bearded elder wielding four swords at once.
......
As his recollections deepened, the soul-wrenching pain grew ever more terrifying, nearing the limits of what he could bear.
Yet he pressed on.
The whirlwind he unleashed swept through the entire forest.
He clutched his head and rolled on the ground, wailing in agony, kicking up clouds of dust.
Everything he touched—trees, rocks—was instantly pulverized by his unconscious hands.
The flashes of memory came faster and faster, so quickly they blurred beyond recognition.
His whole head felt as if it were about to explode.
Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open and froze.
Everything gradually quieted down; the entire forest fell silent. No beast dared make a sound at that moment.
After a long time, he slowly began to laugh, collapsing in exhaustion and clutching his chest, gasping for breath.
"Still... I can't remember anything."
Yes, countless images flooded in—remembering and forgetting at the same time... How could he possibly recall anything this way?
Just lying here now, he'd already forgotten the scenes he'd just remembered.
A gentle breeze brushed his face, making the fur on his cheeks quiver. It felt cool and fresh.
He gazed blankly at the night sky.
"So this is what it feels like to be alive..." he said with a faint smile.
Not long ago, he had existed only in eternal darkness and endless emptiness, but now he was alive again—able to feel the cold and heat, pain and sorrow all around him.