At this moment, the sky was already turning gray with dawn.
After an entire night of turmoil, Monkey walked over to Clara Heart, exhaustion etched on his face, and sat down beside her.
In the distant sunrise, Birdie finally hurried over.
"Master told you to go to Tusita Palace?"
"Yes... the other master."
"Lord Lao?"
"Mm." Clara Heart nodded slightly.
Monkey suddenly remembered Lord Lao’s final promise, that Clara Heart would come to no harm. He couldn’t help but let out a helpless laugh and sighed, "After all this, it turns out Lord Lao is the most principled of all. Not even my own master can be relied on, but this old rival truly keeps his word."
Clara Heart blinked blankly and asked offhandedly, "Will you still protect Master Tripitaka on his westward journey?"
"I don’t know anymore."
"You don't know?"
"Mm." Monkey scratched his head, frowning, "Once you ascend to Heaven, protecting Tripitaka suddenly seems to matter again. But since Lord Lao made it happen, doing so almost feels... like betraying him."
Clara Heart quickly said, "You don't need to worry about me."
"It's not about worrying for you." Monkey glanced at Clara Heart, giving a roguish grin. "The old man is making his stance clear—letting you ascend is his way of trying to mend things with me. I suppose after Lord Lao pulled that move, he's softened a bit. But why would Lord Lao give him this chance? I just can't figure it out."
Clara Heart pressed her lips together in a smile and said softly, "You may not understand, but I do."
"Understand what?"
"The Supreme Master is the only true gentleman. If he hadn’t seen through it all, how could he rule the Three Realms with Non-Action? Granted, he’s not perfect, but... there’s no one in the world who can do everything, is there?"
"You trust him that much?"
"It’s not just me—Belle trusted him to the very end, without regret. And Birdie..."
As she spoke, Clara Heart pointed to Birdie, who had just landed in the distance. At that moment, Birdie was striding quickly toward them.
"She isn't the one—it's you." Monkey said offhandedly.
"Does it really matter who is and who isn't?" Clara Heart looked at Birdie. "What are you truly seeking? In this world, the only one who truly fits the standard of 'Birdie' is her. Once reincarnated, you become a different person. Everything from your past life should be severed; the new person deserves a new life, not to be shackled by the past. But you..."
"What about me?"
"But you insist on chasing after it. In truth, what you're trying to soothe is your own guilt—not for my sake."
Monkey was stunned when he heard this, turning his head to look at Clara Heart in disbelief.
"What's wrong? Did I say something untrue?" Clara Heart smiled faintly. "The name 'Clara Heart' comes from 'clarity of heart, few desires'—it was chosen by the Supreme Master. He hoped I'd escape my troubles sooner. Truth is, I saw through it all long ago, but I just couldn't quite let go. In the end, it's all about memory. That's what weighs the most. And my sister Birdie, she holds all those memories. That heart must ache terribly."
At that moment, Birdie arrived before the two, bowed respectfully to Monkey, but said nothing.
Clara Heart slowly rose to her feet.
Monkey stood up as well and said quietly, "I will think carefully about what you've said."
Clara Heart smiled faintly in response. Birdie, meanwhile, looked thoroughly confused, her gaze drifting between the two, completely unaware of what they'd just discussed.
After a long silence, Clara Heart turned and gave Monkey a formal bow. The gesture was so distant that Monkey was left bewildered.
After the bow, she said calmly, "I'm going to Tusita Palace now. If I stay in the mortal world, you'll always be hesitant, so Tusita Palace is the best destination for me. It's also... the ideal place for a Daoist cultivator, isn't it?"
Monkey silently watched her for a long time before softly saying, "Go."
Clara Heart nodded quietly, then soared into the sky with Birdie, gradually flying away.
For some reason, Monkey suddenly felt that this time, she was truly gone. Maybe they'd meet again someday—the Three Realms aren't so vast. But... she had really left.
From beginning to end, Monkey watched Clara Heart from afar, and she kept glancing back at him every few steps, yet continued to drift farther away, until she finally vanished into the morning sunlight on the horizon.
Marshal Silver walked up behind Monkey and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Reluctant to let her go?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you ask her to stay?"
"Because," Monkey rolled his eyes, "I'm... a fool."
"Hmm?"
"Really, I'm a fool." Monkey stretched and sighed. "She's smarter than me, Anna Yang is smarter than me, I'm just a fool. Other than brute strength, I have nothing. Hahaha. Enough, let's get to the cleanup."
With that, Monkey turned and walked toward his demon officers.
...
Seeing the sudden appearance of the two Buddhas, Six-Ears Damon's demon officers grew tense. Gavin Goathorn trembled, stepping in front of Six-Ears and shouting at the Earth-Store King, "Get back to Spirit Mountain! Lionback Kingdom has nothing to do with your Buddhist Order!"
Before Gavin finished, Six-Ears Damon reached out and moved him aside.
At once, the surrounding demon officers exchanged confused glances.
"What kind of understanding are you looking for?" Six-Ears Damon eyed the two Buddhas, expressionless as he drifted forward, stopping less than five zhang from the Earth-Store King. He chuckled, "Are you preparing to offer me some good things?"
The Earth-Store King smiled and said, "Of course there are good things—it depends on what you want."
Six-Ears Damon glanced toward Monkey's direction and said languidly, "Help me kill him, and that's the understanding. How about it?"
"And what benefit does that bring us?" Earth-Store King retorted.
"Benefit... of course there is. I'm done with the Westward Quest. I can stand with you and sabotage it. What do you think of this proposal?"
"Oh?"
Seeing Earth-Store King tempted, Six-Ears quickly added, "Whatever you can't conveniently do, I'll handle. Killing Tripitaka is easy. But you have to take care of the other one. Only then can we cooperate happily."
At this, Earth-Store King laughed. Saint Raymond, however, did not.
From the moment he appeared before Six-Ears Damon, Saint Raymond's eyes never left him, yet he hadn't spoken a word, as if deep in thought.
Six-Ears Damon's expression darkened. He glared at Earth-Store King, "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing because you haven't changed at all, Great Sage."
"Changed or not, don't talk in circles. I'm not as empty as you Buddhas—I have important things to do. If you have something to say, say it! If you have something to fart, fart!"
After a while, Earth-Store King finally composed himself and said, "Great Sage, you just said you don't intend to protect Master Tripitaka. In truth, whether you protect him or not, neither I nor anyone on Spirit Mountain would really care."
"Oh?"
Earth-Store King pressed his palms together. "I am empty of all desires, holding only the Dharma in my heart. All the Buddhas on Spirit Mountain are the same. Tripitaka's westward journey is for enlightenment, for doctrinal debate—a contest of teachings. If you refuse to protect him and he dies, it's fate. If you protect him and he attains the Dao, that's Dharma's blessing. Either way, we welcome the outcome. Besides, protection or not, enlightenment or not, they are unrelated."
Hearing this, Six-Ears Damon raised his brows, "So what's your real intention? Are you giving me benefits or not?"
"We will." Before Earth-Store King could reply, Saint Raymond, who had been silent, spoke up first.
Even Earth-Store King was momentarily surprised, turning to look at Saint Raymond.
Saint Raymond said softly, "I can grant you a body equal to Monkey's, no longer bound by stolen energy or blood. With it, you can contend with him—and perhaps even surpass him."
"Oh? So generous? What's the catch?"
"The condition is that you willingly wear this." Saint Raymond lifted his hand, and a golden circlet appeared. Staring at Six-Ears Damon, he said slowly, "Once you put on this golden circlet, you become Buddhism's Fighting-Victory Buddha. From then on, you can only do what is permitted. Anything forbidden—even the slightest thought—will cause the circlet to contract, bringing unbearable pain!"
Staring at the golden circlet, Six-Ears Damon's brows slowly knotted into a deep frown.