"This is a trap," Marshal Silver said quietly. "They're trying to force us to strike first. We must not fall for it."
"Isn't the Westward Journey itself a case of knowingly walking into danger? As a monk, I have no other choice."
Prince Adrian, Barry Bear, and General Curtain all widened their eyes at Marshal Silver.
The monks' gazes shifted back and forth between Tripitaka and Marshal Silver.
A monk kneeling on the ground tugged at Tripitaka's robe and whispered, "Master... Master, we don't want to die... Please save us, Master, please save us..."
Tripitaka nodded silently, then turned to Marshal Silver and said, "The Marshal is right. We cannot summon the Great Sage. This tribulation—I must face it myself."
Encircled by the monks, Tripitaka and Marshal Silver exchanged a long look, then slowly began to walk forward.
The crowd of monks clung to his robe, following close behind.
"Face it yourself... But how?"
After a moment's hesitation, Marshal Silver could only sigh and turn to follow.
Seeing this, Prince Adrian, Barry Bear, and General Curtain also followed. The monks under their protection, naturally, trailed after them, trembling with fear.
The rain of arrows ceased.
...
"Reporting to the National Preceptor: they have surrendered."
"Sur... rendered?" Many-Eyes the Centipede frowned in surprise.
"Yes. They... all surrendered."
The three Daoists behind him exchanged bewildered glances.
"What's going on? They surrendered?"
"Would they really rather surrender than notify the Great Sage? Or do they simply have no way to contact him at all?"
"Impossible. A Jade Tablet is all it takes. There's no way the Great Sage would be so careless as to not leave one behind."
“What’s going on? Is this a trick?”
Many-Eyes the Centipede furrowed his brows deeply, unable to figure it out for the moment.
“National Preceptor, what’s our next move? Do we accept their surrender, or do we strike them down?”
Many-Eyes stroked his long beard repeatedly, then slowly said, “Accept their surrender. See if we can find a way to separate that lead monk from the others.”
“Yes, sir!” That soldier mounted his horse and sped off toward the quarry.
After the soldier left, a burly Daoist quietly asked, “Even if this isn’t a sure thing, it’s close enough. My lord, have you considered how you’ll explain this to the Great Sage afterward?”
“Explain? What’s there to explain?” Many-Eyes snorted coldly. “The Westward Journey is obviously a Buddhist plot. The Great Sage is too close to it to see the truth. As his subordinates, it’s our duty to ease his burdens. Even if he wants my life later, I’ll give it to him. We, the demon race, are kings—we won’t become dogs for the Buddhists! This trick may fool Old Lu, but it won’t fool me, Many-Eyes!”
Hearing this, the other three Daoists bowed deeply. “Your righteousness inspires us, my lord. We’ll follow you to the end!”
Many-Eyes gritted his teeth and stared toward the quarry.
......
At that moment, in the dim firelight, Monkey was weaving his way through the bookshelves in the Hall of Life and Death.
Several ghost soldiers from the Netherworld hurried after him, scrambling to pick up the Books of Life and Death Monkey had tossed around and put them back in place.
Monkey hovered in midair, quickly flipping through the ledgers while keeping a close eye on the ghost soldiers.
It wasn’t just the ghost soldiers—he was sensing everything around him in detail.
Gradually, he was sure that none of the ghost soldiers were marking or tampering with the Books of Life and Death they picked up.
But still—what was going on here?
Only Monkey himself understood the true importance of the names Aiden Chen and Ian Liu.
Why had Monkey come to the Netherworld at this moment? Other than the scripture party, no one could possibly know. Did the Buddhist Order really not care at all?
That wasn’t their style.
Was it because they didn’t care, or because they already knew, or... did they have other ways to investigate afterward?
The more he thought about it, the more Monkey felt something was off.
He pondered as he continued flipping through the Books of Life and Death.
In the blink of an eye, he’d already searched through two shelves of ledgers, drawing closer and closer to his real target...
......
By the altar, Saint Raymond and Earth-Store King still stood quietly, watching as the barrier formation slowly mutated.
“Why has he come to the Netherworld at this moment?”
“To check the Book of Life and Death.”
“Check what? Clara Heart?”
Earth-Store King slowly shook his head. “He’s checking on Aiden Chen.”
“Who?”
“A child of the human world.”
“Why would he check the Book of Life and Death for a mortal child?”
Earth-Store King smiled faintly. “Because he bears a special name.”
That smile was full of meaning, and for a moment, even Saint Raymond couldn’t see through its depths.
The Four Great Buddhas of the Buddhist Order: Saint Raymond, Earth-Store King, Saint Samuel, and Manjusri. Of these, Saint Raymond is acknowledged as the strongest in the Three Realms, but when it comes to inscrutability, none surpass Earth-Store King.
Many believe it’s because Earth-Store King rarely intervenes, so his mystique grows. But Saint Raymond knows that’s not the reason.
Though they both practice the same Dharma, sometimes, standing before Earth-Store King, Saint Raymond feels as if there is a vast gulf between them—impossible to fathom, impossible to grasp.
“It’ll be a while before the wanderer returns home.” Shaking his sleeves, Earth-Store King sighed softly, “A few days ago, I had a sudden inspiration and crafted a new set of bamboo slips. If you’re interested, would you care to join me for a look?”
Saint Raymond nodded silently.
......