Little Journey to the West 024

"So? He copied his master, doing good deeds in every single life, expecting nothing in return, yet he got hurt every time just the same. But this guy was never like Jingfan. As time went on, the resentment inside him only grew."

"He couldn't understand why helping people would bring him such karmic retribution. It didn't match anything the Buddhist scriptures said."

"Originally, dying would've been the end of it. But wouldn't you know it, Lingjizi, whose mind had just recovered, spotted me." Little Hei shrugged. "Truth be told, this guy is impressive. He looked through every one of your lives, pondering for a long time each time. Then he made a promise—if we went through with this trip, he'd guarantee we could leave safely."

Little Hei glanced at the monk, who looked utterly unbothered. "It was a request, sure, but we didn't exactly have any bargaining chips... so..."

Just as Fang Zhiyi was about to say something, a sudden battle cry rang out.

He turned his head. A giant Eight-Tailed Fox charged at the front, followed by a dense swarm of all kinds of monsters, every single one of them holding up banners bearing the name "Tripitaka."

"These idiots." Fang Zhiyi let out a sigh.

The demons surrounding Sun Wukong turned to meet the new attackers, and the two sides quickly clashed into chaos.

Sun Wukong stood there, his face grim, the Golden Cudgel in his hand feeling far too heavy—merely gripping it took considerable effort.

The Green Lion King grinned viciously. "Hey monkey, don't say we're bullying you. You're the famous Great Sage Equaling Heaven, after all."

The White Elephant King sneered. "Great Sage Equaling Heaven? He's been crushed into nothing by the Buddha!"

Sun Wukong's eyes locked onto the two of them, silent.

"Enough chatter, just kill him and go support the third brother! Things aren't looking good over there!"

Two massive weapons swung simultaneously, descending with mountain-splitting force toward Sun Wukong. He instinctively raised the Golden Cudgel to block, but the moment they connected, the overwhelming power drove him back several steps.

"Sigh..."

Fang Zhiyi suddenly heard a sigh. He turned around in confusion, looking left and right, but saw nothing. When he turned back, however, he was startled by an old man who had appeared right beside him.

Little Hei instinctively tensed up, as if facing something terrifying.

The old man slowly opened his hand, revealing something radiating golden light.

"Your body may have been brought out, but your heart was still pinned beneath Five Elements Mountain." The old man said, his hand giving a gentle flick, and the golden light drifted downward toward Sun Wukong below. He turned to look at Fang Zhiyi, his face full of smiles. "Forgive the spectacle, young friend. In the past, I only taught this unworthy disciple his skills, never teaching him to cultivate his heart. Thanks to your opportunity, this master's duty is finally complete."

As the old man's figure faded away, Fang Zhiyi's hair stood on end.

"He—he what? Master? He's..." The words "Patriarch Bodhi" caught in his throat, and Fang Zhiyi felt his mind go numb.

Even more dumbfounded were the Green Lion King and White Elephant King, who had been about to finish off the Protector of the Horses.

Sun Wukong, who had been on the verge of collapse, suddenly opened his eyes—and they blazed with golden light.

He swept the Golden Cudgel horizontally, knocking both weapons aside effortlessly.

"Master, Wukong holds your teachings dear." Sun Wukong felt as if he had just woken from a long dream—a dream where he had returned to Patriarch Bodhi's side, listening to the Patriarch preach on the past, the present, and the future.

Only now did the two fragments of his memory finally merge into one.

The White Elephant King sensed trouble immediately—how had this monkey's aura suddenly surged so much?

But before he could react, the monkey, who had seemed utterly spent, vanished from before his eyes and reappeared above his head. The Golden Cudgel was raised high, and the White Elephant King brought up his weapon to block. But the force was clearly beyond what he could withstand. With a single strike, his weapon shattered with a deafening crack!

"Big Brother!" the White Elephant King screamed in terror, staring into a pair of golden, blazing eyes and the cudgel raised high above.

With a thunderous crash, the White Elephant King collapsed to the ground.

"Second Brother!!!" The Green Lion King was stunned. How had this monkey, who had been trading blows evenly with them moments ago, suddenly seemed to have his cultivation skyrocket?

At the same time, an even more agonizing cry tore through Lion Camel Ridge.

The Golden-Winged Roc ultimately couldn't withstand the massive palm of the Dharma form, slammed hard into the ground. But Lingjizi showed no intention of easing up—his eyes cold and indifferent as he watched the Roc's desperate thrashing.

The Green Lion King was stupefied. What in the world was happening? How had everything changed all at once?

No one answered his confusion. Instead, a cudgel slammed into his chest, and with the sound of bones cracking, the Green Lion King was sent flying backwards.

"You're sparring with old Sun, and you're looking elsewhere?" Sun Wukong let out a mocking laugh, then turned his gaze toward the monk. His pupils shrank.

The Golden-Winged Roc's wings were broken, the giant hand continuing to crush its organs. By now, it was filled with utter despair.

"Stop." A voice came from the sky.

A figure suddenly appeared mid-air.

"Lingjizi, you are on the verge of falling into the demonic path. The sea of suffering has no shore—turn back and reach the other side."

"Turn back and reach the other side?" Lingjizi didn't even raise an eyelid. Then, as if recalling something, he offered a faint smile. "Turn back your grandmother!"

The hand pressing down on the Golden-Winged Roc suddenly tightened, and its eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets.

"How dare you!" Guanyin shouted in anger. Behind her, several arhats began to emerge. "This is the foot of Mount Lingshan! Do you think you can run wild here?"

"The foot of Mount Lingshan? And what does the foot of Mount Lingshan look like?" Sun Wukong sneered coldly.

Guanyin glanced at him and said slowly, "You have already committed a grave error this time. If you stop now, I can still plead leniency for you."

"Save it—old Sun doesn't need your pleas." Sun Wukong had already walked up to the Green Lion King and drove his cudgel down with a thud, the Green Lion King's head exploding on impact.

"Wretched monkey! You dare continue your slaughter!"

"Slaughter? How many innocent people died on this Lion Camel Ridge? Isn't that slaughter? Old Sun is just ridding the world of evil—how is that making a killing?"

Guanyin's face darkened with displeasure. "That was their fate."

"Their fate? Ha! Ha ha! Enough with the theatrics!" Sun Wukong pointed the Golden Cudgel directly at Guanyin. At this moment, he could feel that his strength had fully returned—and even grown.

The arhats behind Guanyin stirred restlessly.

"Wretched monkey, we'll deal with your affairs later. Lingjizi, will you come back with me now?"

Sun Wukong cast another sideways glance at the monk. This time, he was certain—this monk was no longer the same one from before.

Lingjizi seemed to hesitate.

"Go back? When my master entered the cycle of reincarnation, he didn't go back either."

"That too was his tribulation. You have studied the Buddhist scriptures thoroughly—you should know..."

Guanyin's words were cut off by the demons. Having gained the upper hand, the Tripitaka alliance had now surged to the front line, their eyes bloodshot. Eight-Tails and Sha Wujing led the charge.