"Who... are you people, really?"
By the end of the sentence, his voice was nearly a roar. Clearly, Kui-Wolf was starting to lose his composure.
Barry Bear stood motionless, but had already silently transmitted everything he knew about the situation to Monkey King. At the end, he added, "Marshal said, it's best not to let him know your identity. Otherwise, he might just break the jar and go berserk."
Monkey King remained expressionless, quietly watching Kui-Wolf. After a long moment, he raised an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed, and said softly, "You don't even know who we are, yet you dare to abduct someone?"
"Who are you people, really?" Kui-Wolf repeated the question.
Monkey King took a deep breath and said leisurely, "Let me put it this way: even if I just stand here and do nothing, you could never kill me. Is that clear enough?"
"You can't kill you even if you're just standing there?"
At that moment, Kui-Wolf's mind raced. Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock as he stared at Monkey King.
A Traveler's Path even stronger than War God Erik Yang, a monkey demon... Saying he couldn't be killed even standing still meant he'd already reached Heaven's Way cultivation—he simply couldn't die. Even Lord Buddha couldn't kill him, only seal him away.
Putting all the clues together, there was only one answer: "You... you're Simon Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"
Yes, it could only be him.
Barry Bear jumped in surprise, glancing uneasily at Monkey King.
Monkey King was still expressionless. Whether suppressing his anger or simply unimpressed by his opponent's identity, he fundamentally looked down on this successor among the Twenty-Eight Mansions, Kui-Wolf.
He hadn't counted back then, but of the previous Twenty-Eight Mansions, including Draco Jiao, more than half had died at his hands.
Lowering his head, Monkey King didn't answer Kui-Wolf directly. Instead, he idly picked at his nails and said leisurely, "Either release him, or kill him. Two choices."
As he spoke, the fur all over his body slowly stood on end, faint streaks of lightning crackling across it.
At this moment, the surging spiritual power had whipped the surrounding air into swirling winds, and the clouds overhead slowly gathered into a vortex.
Although Monkey King hadn't made any actual moves yet, he knew this meant he was opening up and ready to fight to the death.
The hand gripping Tripitaka's throat couldn't help but weaken.
Kui-Wolf's bloodshot eyes widened as his mind began to race furiously.
He had no idea what relationship this monk had with Monkey King, and at this moment, he had no time to ponder it. All he knew for certain was that Monkey King was pressuring him, and the two choices he’d offered were genuine.
His hand clamped around Tripitaka’s throat—snapping his neck would take only an instant, and Monkey King surely wouldn’t have time to stop him. But after that? Would he have enough time to destroy Tripitaka’s soul as well?
All signs indicated that Monkey King’s strength was still overwhelming; he would never allow Kui-Wolf that chance.
As long as Monkey King could preserve Tripitaka’s soul, then even if Tripitaka died, Monkey King could easily bring him back to life.
Kui-Wolf wasn’t even sure he could kill Tripitaka at all.
If it were an ordinary person, snapping the neck would mean certain death. But in truth, breaking the neck didn’t guarantee death. There was a transition—a brief moment between injury and death. Even if it was only a split second, it existed. Who’s to say Monkey King couldn’t stabilize Tripitaka’s wounds in that instant?
After all... Monkey King’s cultivation had reached a height Kui-Wolf couldn’t even touch. The Traveler’s Path of the Great Sage, the only one of its kind in the world—who knew what his power could truly accomplish?
In short, facing Monkey King, Kui-Wolf suddenly realized the bargaining chip in his hand was no longer a chip at all.
For a moment, he was completely stunned.
Just then, in the distance, Marshal Silver was slowly flying over, still maintaining his colossal form. Princess Belle and the three children were all shielded in his enormous palm.
Seeing Belle and the three children, Kui-Wolf immediately stepped forward, but still hesitated, unable to let go of Tripitaka’s throat.
His nervous gaze darted between Monkey King and Barry Bear.
Marshal Silver landed slowly, gently setting down the two children and Belle, who was holding the infant. He then reverted to normal size and stood beside Monkey King.
The two children had barely touched the ground before trying to run to Kui-Wolf, but Belle quickly pulled them back. Marshal Silver also reached out and held Belle in place.
Turning, Belle glanced nervously at Marshal Silver, then looked over at Monkey King standing nearby.
For a moment, everyone turned to Monkey King, as if waiting for him to speak.
Monkey King let out a long sigh and said leisurely, "I told you to protect him well, and this is what you call protection?"
"It all happened so suddenly," Marshal Silver replied calmly.
"If I hadn’t come back, could you have handled it?"
Marshal Silver did not answer.
Monkey King gave a helpless smile. "Let's switch the guard, shall we?"
Kui-Wolf nodded blankly and released Tripitaka’s throat.
Tripitaka reached up to rub his bruised neck, coughed twice, and slowly walked toward Monkey King, clutching his chest.
Only then did Marshal Silver let go.
The two children ran straight into Kui-Wolf’s arms, sobbing so hard they could barely breathe. Judging by their state, they must have suffered plenty at the king’s hands.
Belle, still cradling the infant, slowly walked toward Kui-Wolf. Her expression was complicated, and she kept glancing at Tripitaka as he approached.
After a night of chaos and flames, at dawn, the family was finally reunited.
Kui-Wolf shielded the two children with one arm and drew Belle close with the other, then nervously looked up at the distant, expressionless Monkey King.
Seeing his expression, Belle realized something was wrong.
In all the years she’d known Kui-Wolf, she’d never seen that look on his face. He was always so confident, nothing ever seemed to faze him. But now, there was a new emotion in his eyes—fear.
(Irrelevant system prompt skipped.)
Dragging the Golden Staff, Monkey King walked step by step toward the family of five.
"What are you doing?" Marshal Silver quickly reached out to stop him, but Monkey King brushed him aside with a flick of his hand.
Only when he was five steps away did Monkey King stop, looking down at the half-kneeling Kui-Wolf. "Ignorance may be no crime, but if I don’t kill you, won’t everyone dare to target me in the future?"
Kui-Wolf and Belle both turned pale.
...
Meanwhile, Clara Heart was wandering restlessly through Tusita Palace, visibly displeased. Her eyes darted about, as if she were rolling them at someone from afar.
As soon as Lord Lao fled, she went to confront the purple-robed attendant for answers. Unfortunately, the attendant didn’t know much, and once she heard about Lord Lao’s Tea-Escape, she refused to say anything more, leaving Clara Heart frustrated.
Truthfully, this whole affair didn’t concern her much. Though she was called junior sister, she’d only met Belle once. Deep down, Clara Heart felt no real respect for her supposed senior brother.
But being kept in the dark felt terrible—absolutely terrible. For a mortal, it was bad enough; for a cultivator with near-infinite lifespan and no worries about food or clothing, but not enough time to develop the heart of a true sage, it was even worse.
Most importantly, her two masters had long since taught her not to revere much of anything. If she could yank the beards of the Three Pure Ones, what couldn’t she do?
Tusita Palace was nothing like before. Once a grand palace, it was now a sprawling garden, with alchemy rooms, the main hall, and the apprentices’ quarters all scattered among the trees.
Clara Heart glanced toward the main hall, ready to step forward, but suddenly froze.
She suddenly remembered Tusita Palace had been utterly destroyed once—would any clues even remain?
"Should I ask Monkey King? Would he even tell me?" Clara Heart realized her idea was a bit naïve.
Just thinking about uncovering the hidden causes of a battle that changed the fate of the Three Realms was enough to make her excited.
Daily cultivation was tedious; it was a rare blessing to have something spark her curiosity. But if she just barged in, wouldn’t people think she was crazy?
No matter how she looked at it, this was even less reliable than her old plan to wander the Three Realms.
"Maybe... I should just forget it. This senior brother doesn’t seem as bad as I first thought, anyway."
"But... what if it’s a huge secret, one that pulled in Lord Buddha and the Dao Ancestor, and burned the entire Celestial Palace to ashes? What could be bigger than that?"
"Even if I wanted to investigate, where would I start? The only people who know the whole truth... Lord Lao, Master Bodhi, and Lord Buddha. That’s it. Unless they want to talk, getting anything out of them would be impossible."
Thinking this, she picked up a stick and began drawing in the dirt.
The lines weren’t words, nor pictures—just aimless doodling.
She doodled as she daydreamed.
As she drew, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Did I eat too much or something...?"
She looked up and saw the warships circling Tusita Palace slowly withdrawing. On a whim, she soared into the air and flew toward them.
...
Meanwhile, the other members of the Twenty-Eight Mansions had quickly surrounded the mountain. Perhaps still wary of Monkey King, they all hovered in midair, displaying their magical artifacts, but didn’t land.
Tripitaka glanced around calmly, but Monkey King and Marshal Silver acted as if they hadn’t noticed.
Belle was startled, clutching Quinn Wolfstar tightly as tears streamed down her face.
Although Quinn Wolfstar had told her everything before, it was only at this moment that she truly, completely believed him. Or rather, she finally gained a clear understanding of all he had said.
The two children were so frightened, they covered their mouths.
Quinn Wolfstar looked up and, after a long, helpless pause, gave a bitter smile.
Clearly, the situation was even worse than he had imagined. Even if the Monkey King spared him, would his fellow Heavenly envoys do the same?
A long strand of hair fell across his forehead.
He reached out, holding his wife and children tightly.
The family of five sat in silence.
General Draco Jiao slowly descended from the sky, choosing a spot far from the Monkey King. His gaze flickered between Monkey King and Quinn Wolfstar, but for a long time, he couldn’t say a word.
The entire hillside was silent.
After a long while, Marshal Silver stepped up beside the Monkey King, looked at the family, and said quietly, "Enough. He is a Heavenly general—let the Heavenly Court handle this. Trust me, to fall in love with a mortal is a grave offense. Heaven will not just stand by."
Tripitaka pressed his palms together. "Amitabha. Heaven cherishes life. I am no longer in danger, Great Sage... you can let Quinn Wolfstar go."
General Draco Jiao nodded repeatedly from afar.
"Is that so?" The Monkey King gave a cold laugh, lazily glancing at Marshal Silver. "So you called the Heavenly Court here to save him, did you?"
Marshal Silver did not reply.
General Draco Jiao stepped forward, cautiously approaching with a fawning smile. "Great Sage, let me handle this matter. I promise you’ll be satisfied."
He glanced at Quinn Wolfstar, noticing Quinn was also sneaking a look at him. Their eyes met, then quickly darted away, both seeming uneasy.
Ignoring General Draco Jiao, the Monkey King leaned on his Golden Staff and gazed at Marshal Silver.
A voice suddenly sounded in Marshal Silver’s mind.
(Irrelevant system prompt skipped.)
"I understand why the monk wants to protect him—he’s all about saving everyone, always hoping to give people a chance. But you? Why are you pleading for him? Do you see yourself in his story, feel a kinship, and want to save his life?"
"His crime isn’t worthy of death," Marshal Silver replied.
"If I spare him, will you owe me a favor?"
Marshal Silver looked at Monkey King in surprise.
The two stared at each other.
Marshal Silver furrowed his brow, at a loss for words. Monkey King, meanwhile, was all smiles, clearly amused.
After a long pause, seeing Marshal Silver still hadn’t answered, Monkey King leaned on his Golden Staff, gazed at the half-kneeling Kui-Wolf shielding his family, and asked softly, "Any last wishes before you die?"
"Great Sage..."
Tripitaka and Draco Jiao both started to speak, but Monkey King raised a hand to silence them.
Clutching Kui-Wolf tightly, Belle sobbed, "I’m sorry... I’m sorry..."
"Sorry for what..." Kui-Wolf wiped away her tears.
"It’s because of me... you broke Heavenly Law and descended as a demon..."
"I did it willingly. You don’t need to apologize."
Belle bit her lip and shook her head, tears pouring down.
Kui-Wolf slowly raised his head and looked at Monkey King. This time, his eyes held only exhaustion, not fear.
"Does it even matter what my last wish is?"
"Say it anyway. Maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll grant it."
Staring at Monkey King, Kui-Wolf couldn’t read his intentions. After a long hesitation, he swallowed and finally said, "I’m willing to die. Please... please, Great Sage, spare my wife... and our three children. Can you? I’ll make sure they never seek revenge for me."
Belle shook her head desperately, sobbing uncontrollably.
Everyone watched in silence.