The situation before their eyes was clear to everyone: the opposing group wasn’t here to capture Tripitaka—they were here to kill.
A stabbing pain shot through Marshal Silver’s eyes, sending his senses into chaos. All he could do was clutch his face and howl in agony.
Taking advantage of the opening, Gavin Goathorn and his two subordinates swiftly closed in around Tripitaka. Barry Bear, fighting alone, shielded Tripitaka behind him and fended off the attackers. In just moments, he was slashed repeatedly, falling completely into disadvantage.
The demons on Six-Ears Damon’s side were the first to react, weapons drawn as they charged forward. After a brief moment of shock, King Bullhorn and his own troops also rushed in.
Yet distant aid couldn’t save those under immediate threat. In this kind of close-quarters brawl, with no warning, victory or defeat was decided in an instant.
Before King Bullhorn’s reinforcements could arrive, the two demon officers Gavin brought had already pinned the battered Barry Bear to the ground. Gavin himself circled behind Tripitaka, dagger in hand.
Confronted by this sudden turn, Tripitaka could only ask one question: “May I know why you must kill this humble monk?”
The answer was just four words—“Carrying out orders.”
At this moment, Gavin was less than five feet from Tripitaka. Tripitaka could clearly see the bloodshot veins in his eyes.
Terrified, stunned—there was nowhere left to retreat.
In panic, Tripitaka could only raise his ritual staff in an attempt to block. But would that help?
Even with karmic ties from past lives, even with the power to shake Buddhism’s fragile nerves, he was still just a mortal. There was no way he could withstand Gavin Goathorn, a demon, not even for a single blow.
Everyone watched in horror.
Louis Quickpaw was completely stunned, his feet rooted to the ground, unable to move an inch.
Prince Adrian, the Little White Dragon, reflexively darted back, but hesitated.
General Curtain raised his Demonbreaker Staff and charged forward with a roar, but he was too far away.
King Bullhorn, panicked, reached toward Tripitaka, sending out a burst of spiritual power, hoping to delay what was happening. But Gavin Goathorn gave him no chance.
Gavin Goathorn gripped his dagger tightly, charging forward with all his strength.
Four feet, three feet, two feet!
Gavin’s fingertips nearly brushed Tripitaka’s robe. With his cultivation, ending Tripitaka’s life would take only an instant.
At this moment, Tripitaka’s mind was completely blank.
Yet just as everyone was certain Tripitaka would die, a miracle occurred.
A streak of golden light flew in from afar, landing precisely between Tripitaka and Gavin Goathorn! The next instant, a wave of force erupted, hurling both Gavin and Tripitaka into the air!
At the horizon, Monkey maintained his throwing posture, his hand now empty.
Everyone was stunned; each person froze, staring in disbelief.
Prince Adrian, the Little White Dragon, was the first to recover. He gritted his teeth, soared into the air, caught Tripitaka, and flew back.
General Curtain quickly came to his senses and hurried after them. The others soon followed.
Six-Ears Damon’s demon officers no longer cared about anything else, surging forward as a swarm.
In an instant, Monkey’s forces were being pursued and beaten by Six-Ears Damon’s subordinates. Fortunately, Tripitaka was no longer in mortal danger—for now.
As the dust settled, the Golden Staff trembled slightly on the cracked ground.
High above, Saint Raymond quietly let out a breath and withdrew his spell. Looking back, he saw Monkey at the horizon, now locked in a bitter struggle after losing his Golden Staff.
“Why save him?” Six-Ears Damon roared with laughter, swinging his staff at Monkey. “Wouldn’t it be better if he died? Haven’t you already allied with Lord Lao? Why save him! What does his life or death have to do with you?”
“None of your business, you fraud!” Monkey blocked the blow with his bare wrist.
With a dull thud, Monkey was knocked backward.
Pain shot through Monkey, twisting his face in agony.
Weapons really do matter.
Clutching his twisted wrist, Monkey dove toward the Golden Staff’s location. But Six-Ears Damon flipped after him, aiming another heavy blow at Monkey’s back.
This blow missed Monkey.
He’d learned his lesson—Monkey wasn’t foolish enough to take the hit head-on again. He dodged quickly, darting into a canyon. Six-Ears Damon chased after him, and the two began a wild pursuit through the gorge.
“If I’m a fraud, then what are you? Heh, how about this—we team up. I can’t stand any of them, and you don’t seem to like Lord Lao either. So let’s kill them all together, then settle our score afterward. What do you say?”
“You’re crazy.” Monkey spat and slipped behind a nearby hill.
Six-Ears Damon swept his staff in a wide arc, and with a thunderous crash, leveled the entire hill.
When the time comes, the victor will be king of the Three Realms—no more living in humiliation! Hahaha! Think seriously about my offer.
In a flash, Six-Ears Damon caught up with Monkey, swinging his staff at him relentlessly.
Each blow made the ground tremble, sending rocks and dust flying.
Monkey could only keep dodging.
“That old fool didn’t send you. He’d never want Tripitaka dead. What are you really after?”
“Nothing much. I just can’t stand any of them and want to wipe them all out. If you and I team up, we might not defeat Saint Raymond or Lord Lao, but we could easily crush the Three Realms! Hahaha! Let them stare into the void!”
Amid the swirling sand and stones, Six-Ears Damon swept his staff at Monkey again. This time, Monkey didn’t dodge—he caught it firmly with both hands.
Instantly, both sides gripped the ends of the Iron Sentinel, locked in a contest of pure strength!
Monkey, gasping and wincing in pain, said, “Are you insane? I don’t care about Saint Raymond or Lord Lao, but Clara Heart and Anna—and all my brothers—they must survive!”
Six-Ears Damon grinned. “You can’t catch the wolf without risking the child. Wanting to lose nothing—that’s your biggest weakness!”
That’s because you have no memories, no experiences. It’s easy for you to talk!
With a roar, Monkey lifted the Iron Sentinel—Six-Ears Damon still clinging to the other end—and smashed it to the side!
Sand and stones rolled; mountains, forests, even the earth itself crumbled in their wake.
But Six-Ears Damon clung to the Iron Sentinel, laughing wildly. This level of damage was nothing to him—like a tickle. Monkey, meanwhile, was beginning to tire.
Finally, Monkey charged down the Iron Sentinel toward Six-Ears Damon. Each gripped the staff with one hand, and fought bare-knuckled with the other.
It was a bare-knuckle fight—like a street brawl—raw and desperate, but it was all they had left.
Whoever let go of the weapon would lose the fight. But gripping the staff meant neither could use their full strength, turning the battle into a drawn-out war of attrition.
Elsewhere, Monkey’s demon officers shielded Tripitaka, but were now at a severe disadvantage. If Marshal Silver couldn’t join the fight, Monkey’s side would still have the upper hand, but with Tripitaka in tow, everything changed.
High above, Saint Raymond watched the events unfold, his gaze settling on the Golden Staff planted motionless at the center of the dried-up creek.
After a brief hesitation, he pointed a finger—the Golden Staff transformed into a streak of light and shot toward Monkey.
With a bang, sand and stones exploded not far from Monkey and Six-Ears Damon.
Both froze in surprise.
The next instant, both seemed to sense something, and—still gripping the Iron Sentinel—charged toward the spot where the sand had exploded!