At all times, the Three Realms seem like a vast chessboard.
All things breed, struggle, and clash upon this board—rising, falling. The bittersweet of it all, perhaps even those living it cannot truly explain.
Every living soul is both a piece on this board and, potentially, the player—if your strength is great enough, the Three Realms revolve around you.
Among the powers that sway the Three Realms, there is brute strength, pure strategy, and something called "reputation." The title "King of All Demons—Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Simon Sun" clearly possesses this trait.
Every demon ought to bow beneath this banner, whether willing or not. It is as ironclad a law as all things yearning for sunlight.
It is unlike the Buddhist Order’s aloofness, or Heaven’s control and balance. In nearly everyone’s eyes, it stands for slaughter, for cleansing, for a boundless demon sea, for a fleet that blots out the sky—an eternal shadow left by that earth-shaking war six hundred years ago.
Just this title alone is enough to keep all of Heaven, and even the Daoist sects, on edge.
Luckily, Monkey never planned to target Heaven. From a certain perspective, the Monkey who crawled out from beneath Five Elements Mountain was no longer the same as before. From start to finish, he never saw Heaven, or the Daoist sects, as his true enemies. In his heart, there was only one opponent—Lord Buddha of the West.
And so, even after Monkey’s return, the Three Realms maintained a certain balance. But now, things have changed.
Now, "King of All Demons—Great Sage Equal to Heaven" has a new claimant…
When the news of the upheaval in Lionback Kingdom reached him, the Jade Emperor’s expression grew faintly grim. Though his emotions barely flickered, it was only because General Lee had already predicted this turn of events before it even happened.
Sitting dazed in the Imperial Study, the Jade Emperor held General Lee’s memorial and gazed out the window, sighing for a long time.
“What should we do next?”
“In my opinion, we should do nothing.”
“Do nothing?”
“Exactly.”
Turning his face slowly, the Jade Emperor asked in a low voice, “Not even... pass this news on to the monkey demon traveling west?”
“No need. That monkey demon may not be what he once was, but loyal demons are still scattered across the land. Someone will inform him soon enough. Now that the Six-Eared Macaque has usurped Monkey’s place, the situation of two monkeys vying for dominance is set. Of all the scenarios we considered, this is the most advantageous for Heaven. Even if we must act, now is not the time.”
Pausing briefly, General Lee continued, “In every monkey troop, there is only ever one king. The others must either bow or be driven out. These two monkeys may share one origin, but the fact is, they have become two. By nature, neither will submit. So, who will be king? That is not a question words can settle. What’s coming is sure to be a world-shaking war. Unlike six hundred years ago, this time it will be a civil war among demons. At this moment, Heaven must remain apart, preserve its strength, and when the time is right... perhaps lend a hand to the one falling behind, so both sides are left wounded.”
Gazing at the trembling branches in the courtyard outside, the Jade Emperor drew a deep breath and sighed softly, “Understood. From this day forward, close the South Heaven Gate and halt mortal realm patrols. We must not... get drawn in.”
“Understood!”
......
The news of Lionback Kingdom’s upheaval spread across the Three Realms like a flurry of snowflakes.
The first to catch wind of it, without question, was the Buddhist Order, which had been monitoring the situation all along. Next came Heaven, whose intelligence network was second only to the Buddhists. Other factions sensed something as well, but none grasped the truth as clearly as those two.
At this moment, in the Dharma-Quest Kingdom.
It was early morning, and the rain that had fallen for two days had just stopped. Puddles dotted the streets, and a cool breeze swept through, bringing a chill to the air.
At a small street-side stall, Monkey and Jade Cauldron Immortal met face to face.
Because those two were sitting at one table, the usually bustling stall was empty today—not a single customer. Even passersby on the street kept their distance, wary.
The stall owner gritted his teeth in frustration. But Monkey and Jade Cauldron paid it no mind, locked in a silent, unblinking stare.
“You mean... Anna is angry?”
“That’s right.” Jade Cauldron Immortal nodded vigorously, then suddenly shook his head. “Angry? It’s more than that—the two siblings almost came to blows. Do you think it’s easy being their master? If things hadn’t gotten this bad, I’d never have ended up playing messenger for them.”
Monkey fell silent at those words, bowing his head and sitting motionless.
Glancing up at King Macaque and Marshal Silver standing behind Monkey, Jade Cauldron continued, “Not to criticize, but you’ve been out for so long—how have you never thought of going to Mount Hua? Acting like this... even if I wanted to speak well of you to that girl, I honestly couldn’t.”
“Thank you, Master, for speaking on my behalf.” Monkey suddenly bowed deeply.
Jade Cauldron was stunned by the gesture. “You... what did you just call me?”
“Master.” Monkey blinked and stared at Jade Cauldron. “You’re Anna’s master, so you’re mine as well. She said to treat you like a father, and I’ve always remembered that.”
Jade Cauldron was momentarily dazed by this.
His lips twitched upward, as if he wanted to smile, but thinking the moment too serious, he quickly suppressed it.
After a long silence, he sighed softly. “You’re all good kids. I may not be popular among my fellow immortals, but at least you juniors still treat me well... It’s worth all the good words I’ve spoken for you. But tell me, what are you really thinking about this?”
“Me? I just thought, once I overthrow Lord Buddha, I’ll go bring her out...”