Chapter 1366

Another reason, of course, was the existence of the prohibition.

But now, this pattern had been broken.

Six Ears hadn't just entered Huaguo Mountain—he hadn't been punished by Heaven and Earth at all; this was simply inconceivable.

Upon closer inspection, Buddha saw a subtle difference.

"This Six Ears possesses the same origin of fortune as Sun Wukong!"

"What is going on?"

Originally, Buddha had intended to secretly kill Six Ears to prevent disruption of the Western Journey; seeing this, he dared not act rashly.

Moreover, Six Ears had persuaded Sun Wukong to sail overseas, which aligned perfectly with his own interests.

So he chose to observe the changes quietly.

"Perhaps Six Ears Monkey is the scheme of some great being—he's grown impatient and wants to hasten the Western Pilgrimage, securing a merit at Lingshan."

Buddha understood this point clearly.

In the Three Realms, many wished to see Fomen decline.

For example, the Jade Emperor, for example, loyal Daoist disciples.

But many others longed for Fomen's rise.

These included great beings of the Earth Realm, and offshoots of the Daoist sect.

Unable to secure high positions in the Heavenly Court, they lingered outside its authority, pinning their hopes on Lingshan's rise, hoping more titles would emerge for them to claim.

At this critical moment, someone would inevitably act covertly to facilitate this.

Earth Immortal Realm.

Wan Shoushan.

Zhen Yuanzi's gaze sharpened as he watched the changes in Huaguo Mountain, his heart startled: "Why is this monkey here now? That doesn't make sense~!"

After thinking, another thought arose in his mind: "Of course—the monkey never left the mountain, so Lingshan must have grown anxious, hence this scheme of Six Ears persuading the Stone Monkey to emerge. Perhaps, had the Stone Monkey refused to leave, Six Ears would have replaced him. I wonder where they found a Six Ears Monkey with the same fortune as the Stone Monkey—strange, very strange!"

At this moment, the heavenly patterns were chaotic; even Zhen Yuanzi, with his boundless power, could not divine anything.

He could only marvel that Lingshan was truly Lingshan—its preparations were flawless, having already found a substitute for the Stone Monkey.

Heavenly Court.

"Buddha truly has a cunning mind!" The Jade Emperor's gaze settled on Huaguo Mountain. "I never expected you'd have this trick up your sleeve. I wonder when you began plotting this."

Wang Mu was astonished: "This monkey's fortune is so strange—it shares the same origin as the Stone Monkey. What could be the reason? Surely he didn't split his own fortune and give it to him?"

The Jade Emperor laughed: "Unless he could see past and future, he'd never do such a thing. Besides, splitting fortune—how could a monkey with no cultivation base possibly accomplish that?"

"I say it's definitely Buddha's scheme. Hmph—I wonder where he found this monkey."

As for the original Six Ears Monkey in the heavens, they simply ignored it.

They had observed that original celestial variant—the fortune of that one was entirely different from this one; it couldn't be the same monkey.

Wang Mu nodded slightly.

In fact, the moment she finished speaking, she internally rejected it.

Immortals and Buddhas all feared their own fortune was too scarce—who would ever give away their own fortune?

Besides, that monkey had no cultivation base at all, under the gaze of the top-tier great beings of the Three Realms—how could he possibly deceive so many eyes?

"It seems Buddha is exceedingly treacherous—we must be on guard. This monkey—he must have been preparing for a long time!"

"If he's plotting against the Heavenly Court, he's probably already laid his traps."

Wang Mu's expression grew subtle, a flicker of worry in her eyes. "Friend, it's time to root out those Fomen infiltrators."

The Jade Emperor nodded: "Indeed."

He had originally intended to endure, watching Lingshan's next moves for amusement.

Now, seeing Buddha's deep scheming, he felt something was wrong.

Waiting any longer might lead to disaster and humiliation.

Amidst the chaotic heavenly patterns, all sides suspected each other's moves—yet none imagined the one with the least opportunity had acted.

Water Curtain Cave.

"Great King is leaving the sea to seek immortals and the Dao?"

The monkeys were astonished!

The ordinary monkeys were deeply reluctant.

During these many years the Great King had been here, Huaguo Mountain had known peace—this was their happiest time.

If the Great King left, would Huaguo Mountain remain like this?

Though the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain had no civilization, no historical records,

they lived long lives.

Their elders had once told them—before the Great King's emergence, they had seen demons riding demonic winds, capturing all manner of living beings, enslaving them to endless labor, or slaughtering them outright as blood offerings.

Merely hearing this made the young monkeys tremble with fear.

"Great King… really must go?"

"Yes! If you leave, we may never see you again!"

The monkeys wept, eyes reddened.

Only the old monkey, upon hearing this, rebuked: "Silence, all of you! The Great King seeks immortality—the Dao has stirred within him; this is a joyous event! How dare you disrupt his immortal path?"

Seeing their hostile gazes, his tone softened: "If the Great King attains the path of immortals, gains eternal life, and returns to Huaguo Mountain, he will bless our Water Curtain Cave. Then, we shall all live forever, free and unbound—wouldn't that be better than the foolish masses, born and dying in a single day?"

"Do you wish to see our wise and mighty Great King turn to dust a century from now?"

The monkeys fell silent.

"Yes, this is a good thing," Six Ears quickly added. "The Great King is a celestial spirit, peerless in talent—he'll surely return within a few years. Then, we'll all stay together forever, far better than enduring parting and death!"

"Is that really true?"

"Great King, once you attain the Immortal Dao, don't forget Huaguo Mountain."

"Yes! We'll wait forever for your return!"

The decoy puppet also felt a faint reluctance.

Though he was merely a decoy, he had already gained wisdom, making him a spirit creature.

"Fear not, my children—I will surely return after mastering the Immortal Dao, and teach all of you to cultivate and attain immortal bodies. Soon, Huaguo Mountain will become a blessed land of the Three Realms," the monkey decoy vowed.

The Six-Eared Macaque chuckled: "Indeed, how could the Great King forget his own kin?"

Though he spoke these words, inwardly he sneered: "Make Huaguo Mountain a blessed land of the Three Realms? First, save your own life. Hehe—even if you know past and future, you're still this foolish. Heaven's will is this: you're destined to perish. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"

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