Deep within the Temple of Nuwa. Master Sage Subhuti let out a long sigh, his gaze fixed on the bare Emerald Wall, standing motionless.
“Lord Shakyamuni Buddha hasn’t intervened, but all the other Buddhas have made their move...”
“Isn’t that a good thing? If they act, it means the Buddhas themselves have doubts about the unchanging Dharma of ten thousand years. As long as there is confusion in their hearts and hope for Tripitaka’s Westward Quest, it is a blessing for all beings of the Three Realms.”
“But this also means that Tripitaka’s journey west will be even harder.”
“Old Bodhi, why do you think this way?” Lady Nuwa smiled and said, “Whether the Westward Quest is difficult or not has never been the point of concern, has it? If this road were not filled with thorns, those who came before would have already paved it, and Tripitaka wouldn’t need to go to such trouble. If the path were too easy, even if you reached the foot of Spirit Mountain, it would all be for nothing.”
Hearing this, Master Sage Subhuti slowly opened and closed his eyes, and smiled. It was a helpless smile.
“In fact, there are some things I have never spoken of to anyone. Today, I will share them with Your Ladyship. Just treat it as the ramblings of an old man, perhaps speaking nonsense.”
“What is it?”
Within the Emerald Wall, Lady Nuwa’s figure hovered gently, facing Master Sage Subhuti, quietly waiting.
"You’ve met my disciple before."
“You mean that bad-tempered monkey?”
Master Sage Subhuti nodded slightly and said, “In the beginning, he was originally a soul from beyond the heavens, attached to the spirit-monkey that was about to be born. Two souls coexisted. Because he carried memories from another world, he became the only fatal flaw in the Heavenly Dao Stone. Later, the Heavenly Tribulation forcibly separated the two souls. Now, it’s impossible to tell them apart, but the original memories still remain.”
"I know that part. And then?" (Note: Marshal Silver is Tianpeng, the old enemy; Barry Bear is Heixiong Jing, the utterly loyal ally from Journey to the West.)
“Six hundred years ago, this was a secret. Now, it’s hardly so. In the Three Realms, any deity, demon, or Buddha with some means and status knows this story. But there are things they don’t know—things this old man does.”
“For example?”
Slowly raising his head, Master Sage Subhuti smiled with pursed lips and said, “For example, what exactly are the memories my disciple brought with him?”
Hearing this, Lady Nuwa within the Emerald Wall was momentarily stunned.
......
In the raging wind, the Buddhas weaving through the clouds lowered themselves one after another, gliding just above the ground.
The mountain trees nearly brushed against them as they passed, yet their speed only increased as they headed straight for Lionback Kingdom.
......
In Tusita Palace, Lord Lao remained seated, his gaze fixed on the water pouring slowly from his teapot. Each movement was precise, flawless, yet his face had grown heavier with concern. His mind was already wandering far beyond these walls.
......
Amid the devastated Lionback Kingdom, Monkey and the Six-Eared Macaque continued their tense standoff, watching each other from a distance.
Monkey’s gaze shifted, and in that instant he saw Saint Raymond—Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata—raise the Golden Circlet. Monkey’s heart froze. He looked down at the Iron Sentinel in his grip, then at the Golden Staff now wielded by the Six-Eared Macaque, and finally at the circlet gleaming in Raymond’s hand. The scene was too familiar, too perfect—a monkey with a circlet, a staff, and Buddhist command. For a moment, Monkey felt as if he were staring into the heart of the prophecy itself, and a chill swept through him.
The Six-Eared Macaque smiled weakly, as if on the verge of collapse.
He slowly turned to face Saint Raymond, the Buddha who presided over Right-Dharma Radiance, and let out a bitter laugh. “They… must be here already. Even if I’m just a chess piece, they’re not ready to abandon me yet. Heh heh heh… Sometimes, being a pawn has its perks, don’t you think?”
“I already answered that, didn’t I? There’s no choice, is there?” Glancing at Anna Yang, Erik Yang, and the others behind Monkey, the Six-Eared Macaque smiled slowly. “You say I’m more likely to be the real Sun Wukong, but you’ve already stolen the nest. They all stand with you; no matter what I do, it’s useless. But they were supposed to stand behind me...”
Anna Yang supported Erik Yang, watching from a distance. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the Six-Eared Macaque, silent.
“Actually, they don’t matter at all—really, not at all. I know that.” The Six-Eared Macaque slowly closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “All of them together are just a matter of one swing of the staff. But I just can’t accept it. And... I can’t beat you, I admit it. I really can’t. This body can’t unleash its full power. Same techniques, same cultivation, everything is the same—if we clash head-on, I’ll lose for sure. And you have every advantage.”
Lowering his head, the Six-Eared Macaque glanced at his own hand.
The skin beneath his fur was already covered in cracks. The faintly visible fur within those fissures was a constant reminder that this was nothing but a shell without flesh or blood.
Could he really reclaim what was his with a body like this?
“So, I have no choice—I can only be their dog.” He raised his head again to face Monkey, a strange smile on his lips.
Monkey still stood quietly, without any movement.
Time trickled away, moment by moment.
Behind the Six-Eared Macaque stood Saint Raymond and the Earth-Store King. If the situation turned, there was no doubt they would intervene.
Behind Monkey were Master Sage Subhuti and the Three Pure Ones! Yet, it seemed they had no intention of coming to his aid or helping him defeat the Six-Eared Macaque outright.
Time dripped away, and the scales of victory seemed to be tipping away from Monkey.
......
Deep within the Temple of Nuwa, Master Sage Subhuti stroked his long beard and smiled helplessly, sighing, “In the old days, Lord Lao held sway over the Heavenly Dao, commanding the Three Realms. He knew everything, could do anything—he embodied 'Non-Action.' Even now, he remains the best strategist in the Three Realms. Yet, there are things in these Three Realms that even Lord Lao does not know.”
Within the Emerald Wall, Lady Nuwa remained silent.
“That is the memory the monkey brought from beyond the heavens. It is something no one can decipher, because it does not belong to this world. Even back then, when I first met him, had it not been for a fleeting image in his mind, even my mind-reading technique might not have understood it.”
“Is there something wrong with those memories?” Lady Nuwa finally couldn’t help but ask.
“They are memories of another world—but they are connected to this one.”
“What kind of memories are they, exactly?”
[Irrelevant passage about chapter continuation—skip translation.]
“A story about a monk, a monkey, a pig, and a river demon traveling west and fighting monsters.”
At these words, Lady Nuwa laughed. Yet, a moment later, the laughter within the Emerald Wall abruptly ceased.
In that instant, only endless silence remained within the cave.
Raising his head, Master Sage Subhuti said slowly, “These are not my words—they are what the monkey himself said when he knelt outside Crescent Star Cave, asking to become my disciple.”
“You mean...?”
“Why was he willing to come forth just because he knew Tripitaka and Shakyamuni were enemies? Why did he want to rely on Tripitaka—a mere mortal—to seek enlightenment and defeat a Buddhist order that had existed for ten thousand years? Why invite Marshal Silver, an old enemy, instead of Barry Bear, who is just as strong and utterly loyal to him? And perhaps strangest of all—why invite Prince Adrian of the Western Sea, whose cultivation is shallow and who has no special skills? Aren’t these choices odd?”
At this, Lady Nuwa fell completely silent.
No matter how high their cultivation, no matter how low, whether crushed beneath Five Elements Mountain or stripped of all power, no one could ever read what he carried before coming to this world. Yet, Your Grace, think carefully: all along, what has guided the monkey forward, apart from the memories he brought from before arriving here—was there ever anything else?
Master Sage Subhuti took a deep breath and sighed. “Why would someone like me—long since disillusioned with the Three Realms and living in seclusion—suddenly reappear? Was it just because of a few words from Tripitaka? If I truly had such divine powers, could foresee the havoc in Heaven and the Westward Quest, why couldn’t I foresee losing my nine closest disciples?”
“In truth, I am just like the monkey. From beginning to end, the only thing guiding me, making me believe that as long as Tripitaka reached the foot of Spirit Mountain he would attain enlightenment, was that story. To us, it is a prophecy—a prophecy from another world! From Water Curtain Cave, to the hundred-thousand-mile journey to become a disciple, to the havoc in Heaven, crushed under Five Elements Mountain, and the westward quest! I, Lord Lao, Shakyamuni—what we foresaw and what we could not—every turning point in the story has come true in its own way!”
After a slight pause, Master Sage Subhuti spoke in a calm tone, “When facing it, all we can do is try to control it as best we can—keep it from straying too far from what we want. Never put ourselves on the wrong side of the prophecy.”
......
Raising his head, the Six-Eared Macaque saw golden light streaming through the clouds, bathing the land in gold.
Immediately afterward, golden feathers drifted down as one by one, cross-legged Buddhas descended slowly from the sky.
In that moment, he laughed—a laughter tinged with a hint of madness.
Behind him, Saint Raymond drew a Golden Circlet from his sleeve.
In that instant, Monkey was utterly stunned.
"Saint Raymond... that's Guanyin, and that circlet?" Lowering his head, he looked at the Iron Sentinel in his own hand, saw the Golden Staff in the Six-Eared Macaque's grip, and in a flash, goosebumps prickled his skin.
For the first time, he wondered about the role he played in this story.
Who, after all, is the true Six-Eared Macaque—the one fated to be beaten to death?