Chapter 222: Reopening Mount Huaguo! The Monkey King Returns Home! The Old Gods Fall!

The heart‑pounding black fissure in the sky of the Three Realms has finally healed.

But that claw covered in barbs, and that low, icy voice,

the terrifying pressure they bring feels like an invisible brand, etched onto the new Heavenly Dao.

Sun Wukong stands in the Chaos Realm void, his expression solemn.

He knows that Hongjun is merely a gatekeeper.

What lies beyond the gate is the true great terror.

And deep within the Cycle Path, the Tathagata reborn from karmic fire and resentment has become an unpredictable tumor.

"Wukong."

Yao speaks softly, steps to his side, a trace of worry on her face.

Sun Wukong turns his head, the solemnity in his eyes turning into a hint of warmth.

He reaches out, rubs Yao's hair, and grins.

"What are you afraid of?"

"When troops come, the general blocks; when water comes, earth shields."

"If Heaven collapses, old Sun will hold it up."

His tone is relaxed, but Yao knows the string in his heart is stretched to the limit.

Sun Wukong takes a deep breath, his gaze pierces the void, sweeping across the entire Three Realms.

Ling Shan is withering.

Heaven's court is fading.

The gods and Buddhas of the old era, under the wash of the new Heavenly Dao's law, are like fish stranded on the beach after the tide recedes, struggling yet only able to helplessly await desiccation.

Their power, their lifespan, everything about them, all stem from the old Heavenly Dao that he has already devoured.

Now that the source is gone, they naturally have reached their end.

This is the retribution they deserve.

Sun Wukong withdraws his gaze, no longer heeding the wailing of those defeated dogs.

He now has more important matters to attend to.

"Yao, we... go home!"

He grabs Yao's hand and steps forward.

In the next second, the two appear above a misty, vibrant mountain range bathed in immortal aura.

"Mount Huaguo!"

Nourished by the new Heavenly Dao, this Mount Huaguo is no longer the shape it once was.

The entire mountain range has expanded by more than ten thousand times.

Peaks tower into the clouds, waterfalls hang like inverted Milky Way, rainbows span the sky in countless numbers.

Every blade of grass and every tree in the mountains glows with spiritual radiance.

The air no longer carries simple spiritual energy, but a mixture of Freedom, resistance, and infinite possibility—the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Dao Rhythm.

Here lies the core of the new Heavenly Dao!

It is the embodiment of Sun Wukong's Great Dao!

"Jiji!"

"Zhi zhi zhi!"

In the forest, countless monkey silhouettes dart.

Seeing Sun Wukong's figure, the monkeys first freeze, then erupt in thunderous cheers.

They fling themselves toward the sky, wildly bowing, eyes full of admiration and frenzy.

Sun Wukong watches these monkey descendants, a long‑missed softness appearing in his eyes.

These were the ordinary monkeys he sheltered back when he still walked the mortal world.

To protect them, he once sent them into the small world he created.

Now, reigning over the Three Realms, he naturally wishes to give them the best.

"Little ones, old Sun... is back!"

Sun Wukong's voice is not loud, yet it reaches clearly into every monkey's ear.

He raises his hand, points gently toward Mount Huaguo below.

A black‑gold beam of law cascades like a breached Milky Way, pouring down and enveloping the entire Mount Huaguo.

Those monkeys whose spirit and intellect were unopened, who only cheered by instinct, trembled violently the instant the law's light covered them.

Their gazes shift from ignorance to clarity.

From wildness to wisdom.

Their bodies, washed by the Dao Rhythm, become more agile and brimming with power.

They now understand what cultivation is, what the Great Dao is!

"Great... Great King!"

An old monkey nearest to him trembles, speaking human words for the first time, his hoarse voice full of boundless excitement.

"Salutations, Great King!"

"Long live the Great King!"

A mountain‑roaring, tsunami‑like sound reverberates through the clouds.

Countless monkey descendants perform the great rite of three kneelings and nine bows toward Sun Wukong in the sky.

This time, it is no longer instinctual worship.

It is the utmost respect, emanating from the depths of the soul, toward their creator and guide!

Sun Wukong smiled, carrying Yao, and slowly descended in front of Water Curtain Cave.

The inscription "Mount Huaguo blessed land, Water Curtain Cave celestial realm" at the cave entrance, under the empowerment of the new Heavenly Dao, shimmered with immortal divine light.

He stepped forward into the cave.

Everything inside remained as it was back then.

Stone pot, stone stove, stone bed, stone stool…

Everything was spotless.

Sun Wukong walked to the very front, to the throne forged from a single slab of ten‑thousand‑year cold jade, and slowly sat down.

An unprecedented sense of tranquility and belonging surged in his heart.

Since he set out to sea to seek immortals, he has constantly been fighting, rebelling.

Ravaging the Heavenly Palace, being crushed under Wǔxíng Shān, the journey westward, then hard‑fighting Hongjun, devouring the Heavenly Dao…

He has never had a moment's rest.

Until now, sitting on this familiar stone seat, his heart that has waged war for endless years finally found a harbor to dock.

This place is his home.

He does not intend to seclude himself here.

He will turn this place into the most dazzling banner under the new Heavenly Dao!

Sun Wukong's mind shifted.

A cluster of purple law fragments, peeled from Hongjun's Primordial Source and representing "Fixed Number" and "Order", appeared in his palm.

This is Debris of the old Heavenly Dao.

Sun Wukong looked at the violet orb, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Fixed Number? Order?"

"Here, old Sun, the greatest Fixed Number is 'Variable'!"

He clenched his five fingers sharply.

"Crack!"

The purple law fragments shattered in response.

But they did not disperse.

Sun Wukong used his own Way of the Equal Heaven as a furnace, and the Void Primordial Source as true fire, and began forcibly refining these fragments.

He intends to twist Hongjun's "Fixed Number" into his own "Variable"!

This process is exceedingly perilous.

Two diametrically opposite great Dao collided wildly in his palm.

But Sun Wukong's will is unbreakable.

He forcibly twisted and kneaded those old laws representing "Obedience" and "Fate", and forcibly injected a brand‑new core of "Resistance" and "Freedom"!

Finally, a black‑and‑white interwoven mass, constantly rotating, full of infinite possibilities, the "Variable Sphere", took shape in his palm.

"Go!"

Sun Wukong flicked his finger.

This Variable Sphere transformed into a streak of light and instantly merged into Mount Huaguo's ley‑line core.

In an instant, the entire Mount Huaguo shook violently again.

Mountains and rivers change easily, rivers alter their courses.

Countless hidden celestial realms opened on their own.

New spiritual veins sprouted wildly underground.

Mount Huaguo, at this moment, seemed to come alive!

It became the "Variable Eye" of the new Heavenly Dao.

It will be the source of all "Variables" within Chaos Realm!

"From now on, this place is yours."

Sun Wukong looked at Yao beside him.

Yao smiled and nodded.

She extended her slender jade hand, and the Illusory Dream Path surged like tide, turning into layer upon layer of dazzling multicolored light curtains that enveloped the whole Mount Huaguo.

This light curtain is both protection and illusion.

Anyone with malicious intent cannot approach Mount Huaguo even a step.

But the Living Beings of Mount Huaguo can, within this illusion, experience countless reincarnations, tempering their Dao Heart.

Having done all this, Sun Wukong slowly rose and stepped out of Water Curtain Cave again.

He stood before the waterfall, his gaze piercing the illusion beneath Yao's veil, looking toward the Three Realms, toward the endless Chaos Realm.

What he seeks has never been the supremacy of a single individual.

What he seeks is a world where all things can achieve Equal Heaven!

"From today onward, Mount Huaguo is the source of Freedom!"

"All Living Beings within the Three Realms, within Chaos, who yearn for Freedom and refuse to be bound by Fate…"

"All may feel my name of Equal Heaven and find this return path!"

"Old Sun is here, waiting for you!"

Sun Wukong's voice turned into intangible Dao Sound, spreading across the myriad heavens and realms!

At this moment, the new Mount Huaguo is no longer merely a blessed immortal mountain!

It became the banner of the new Heavenly Dao!

It became the eternal symbol of resisting all injustice and oppression!