Chapter 388: Nowhere to Escape

The brilliant star field that had just been shimmering with billions of vitalities vanished.

It was not an explosion, not a collapse, but was thoroughly wiped clean from the canvas of 'existence'.

As if it had never been born.

That absolute 'blank' was like the most vicious wound opened on the body of the universe.

Sun Wukong's pupils shrank to the size of a pinprick.

A chill to the bone, billions of times stronger than having his back flesh erased or his Dao Heart cracked, surged from the soles of his feet straight to his heavenly crown!

【Do you see it?】

The pure black shadow's thought echoed again in his divine soul, without a ripple, like a teacher explaining a cold mathematical axiom.

【This is the ultimate form of 'meaning'—'meaninglessness'.】

【All your struggles, all your resistance, all your joys and sorrows, will ultimately end here.】

These words hurt more than any vicious curse.

Because it is true.

Sun Wukong tightly, desperately gripped the chaos dao iron in his hand.

On the back of his hand, dragon-like veins bulged one by one; from overexertion, his whole arm trembled slightly.

He wanted to curse his mother.

He wanted to point at that black shadow's nose and greet it with all the vilest words in the Three Realms.

He wanted to tell it, 'Old Monkey Sun doesn't believe in this evil!'

But when the words reached his lips, he couldn't utter a single one.

All principles, all bombastic words, in the face of this absolute power that arbitrarily alters 'reality,' appeared so feeble and pallid.

Like a mortal waving his ridiculous fists at a tsunami capable of swallowing heaven and earth.

Yao's body trembled slightly.

She was not afraid.

After that extreme fear passed, a deeper sorrow, like an ocean, welled up in her heart.

Her Illusory Dream Dao allowed her to feel it in the final moment.

She felt the bewilderment of countless newly born souls in that star field, just before they vanished.

They didn't even understand what had happened.

They didn't even have time to utter their first cry to this world.

Just like that, they were gone.

Forever, they were gone.

"Useless."

Sun Wukong hoarsely opened his mouth, his voice like two rusted iron plates scraping together.

He seemed to be speaking to Yao.

And also seemed to be speaking to himself.

"If we stay here, it will slaughter the entire universe."

"If we go to rescue, it will destroy this place."

He slowly turned his head to look at the gate, reinforced by his own hands, black-gold, that ultimately imprisoned his master's Dao Heart.

Then he slowly turned his head back to look at the absolute 'blank' left behind after that star field vanished.

A perfect, unsolvable deadlock.

He, Sun Wukong, had become a hostage.

The countless living beings of the entire universe had also become, hostages in tow!

So that's how it was.

So that's how it was!

Starting from when he swung that heaven-shattering, earth-destroying staff...

Starting from when he was smug, thinking he had toyed with the enemy...

He step by step walked into the enemy's trap, tailor-made for him, the most perfect one!

All along, he had been the master of the battlefield.

He was the unreasonable bastard who gleefully overturned the chessboard.

He thought he had seen through everything.

But only now did he realize that from beginning to end, he had merely been hopping about inside the circle the enemy had drawn for him!

His so-called 'unreasonableness,' his so-called 'overturning the table,' were merely a preset clown act in the enemy's script!

A tremendous, unprecedented sense of powerlessness, like the most icy, bone-piercing seawater, instantly submerged his head.

To drag his whole person into the boundless, dark abyss.

To make him suffocate.

The intense pain from the crack in his Dao Heart, at this moment, had all turned numb.

Because the heart hurts more than the body.

The heart was already, about to die.

Yao felt the vital energy rapidly dissipating from Sun Wukong's body.

She wanted to speak to comfort him, but realized any words at this moment were utterly superfluous.

She could only support his body more firmly.

As if she wanted to use her own body heat to warm that monkey heart that was cooling down.

Time seemed to have frozen.

That pure-black shadow also fell silent.

It simply watched, silent.

Like the most patient hunter admiring its prey, in the mire of despair it bit by bit gave up struggling.

It was waiting.

Waiting for that defiant, untamable No Regret Monkey Heart to be utterly crushed by the 'meaningless' reality.

Waiting for that most beautiful 'Error' to negate itself.

Then, it will descend.

To reap this sweetest despair.

One breath.

Ten breaths.

A hundred breaths.

Sun Wukong's head drooped lower and lower.

The light on his body grew ever dimmer.

Yao's heart also sank, bit by bit.

It's over.

Really, is it over?

In Yao's eyes, that moment of despair began to surface.

That monkey, head bowed, that Great Sage Equal to Heaven seemingly utterly crushed.

Suddenly.

It let out an extremely faint snicker.

Heh...

The voice was very low.

Yet like the sharpest dagger, it instantly tore through this Deathly Silence void!

Yao jerked upright in shock.

That pure-black shadow also appeared, a barely perceptible fluctuation.

Sun Wukong jerked his head up!

On his face, stained with blood and dust, there was no despair, no dejection.

Only pure, frenzied, wildness!

The Chaos Realm in his eyes had not been extinguished.

That remaining point of light, in this boundless darkness, was instead honed, becoming even sharper!

So sharp, like two weapons that could pierce the heavens, peerless feral arms!

He bared his mouth, revealing a mouthful of stark white teeth.

His smile, more ferocious than an evil ghost!

You want to make this old monkey despair?

He stared at that absolute 'Blank', enunciating each word as he growled low.

That voice sounded like an evil demon's roar crawling up from the deepest pit of the eighteenth hell!

You!

Still!

Not!

Enough!

Ge!

The moment his words fell!

A will more violent, more domineering, more irrational than ever before,

exploded explosively from his ruined, decaying body!

The Dao Heart still ached.

The cracks still widened.

The wound on his back still corroded his Dao body.

But what of it!

In this world, the only one who can make this old monkey bow his head is my Master!

The only one who can make this old monkey admit defeat is myself!

You, a sniveling wretch who hides your head and shows your tail, not even daring to show your face, also dare!

Yao stared blankly at him.

Looking at that monkey, clearly already in the deepest desperation, clearly already out of oil and wick,

yet in an instant it reignited, those heavenly flames capable of burning Jiǔtiān!

She suddenly understood.

Despair, to others, is poison.

But for this monkey,

despair is the best fuel!

Sun Wukong shoved Yao aside, and with that gray-black Chaos Dao iron, he planted it heavily upon the void earth!

He gritted his teeth, forcing his shattered body to stand ramrod straight once again!

Like a spear that would rather break than bend, an unparalleled murderous spear!

His gaze swept over that piece of "Blank", swept over the pure black shadow, and finally landed back on the gold‑black door.

Exactly.

Playing by the rules you set, I can't beat you.

But who says I have to follow your rules?

Chessboard?

Rules?

Hostage?

Damn it!

A brand‑new thought, crazier, more absurd, more "inhuman" than any previous plan.

Like the brightest lightning, it tore through all the mist in his mind!

He wants to flip the table again!

This time.

He must flip it even more thoroughly!