Chapter 802

A golden staff formed a streak of light and shadow, sweeping across heaven and earth.

The immortals temporarily trapped by Ao Yu and the White Bone Spirit in the distance were swept by the staff's shadow and instantly burst into a cloud of blood mist.

They died on the spot.

This was merely a side effect of the Golden Cudgel's power; the true target of the main attack was Yang Jian!

"Good timing!"

Yang Jian laughed loudly, thrusting his three-pointed, double-edged blade forward.

Blades filled the sky, leaving no gap.

Between heaven and earth, everything had been "cancelled," replaced entirely by the massive light curtain formed by the sweeping Golden Cudgel and the endless blades!

The two forces collided, and the violent, sharp energy exploded with a thunderous roar.

It tore outward in all directions.

The ground beneath their feet trembled and collapsed, riddled with thousands of holes and gullies!

This was at the foot of Ling Mountain—though the ground appeared ordinary, it was actually fortified to the utmost; even ordinary heavenly soldiers attacking directly would leave at most a single mark.

Now, however, it was utterly shattered.

Even the distant Ling Mountain had been sheared of much of its mass, its once majestic form.

At this moment, it looked like an irregular cone.

Utterly ruined.

As for the Great Thunder Sound Temple buildings on Ling Mountain, they collapsed under the force of the collision—not because the temple's architecture was weak.

But because, when the great formation was activated, all the defensive power of the Great Thunder Sound Temple buildings had been poured into the formation.

As Tang Luo shattered the great formation, the buildings of the Great Thunder Sound Temple were already fragile beyond endurance, no different from ordinary mundane structures.

Anyone present—even the White Bone Spirit, whose attack power was the weakest—could easily tear them apart.

Sun Wukong and Yang Jian clashed head-on.

There was no sky-filling dust and haze, and even if there had been, it would have been completely dissipated in the aftermath.

In the distant sky, the White Bone Spirit and Ao Yu wore expressions of having just survived a catastrophe.

The White Bone Spirit was exhilarated; Ao Yu looked somewhat disheartened.

She had made considerable progress, yet in the end, she could not even withstand the residual shockwave of their clash.

Had Tang Luo not grabbed them and flung them away, she would not have died but would surely have been severely injured at this moment.

However, this was Ao Yu somewhat underestimating herself.

Even at her weakest, she was not this feeble—the White Bone Spirit truly could not endure it.

The destructive power of Sun Wukong and Yang Jian was so great precisely because both had unleashed their full strength in a single move to decide victory.

Because Yang Jian could no longer hold on.

"Alas..." Yang Jian gazed at the bright sky, murmured a sentence, and his three-pointed, double-edged blade shattered.

A vertical line reappeared on his forehead—the mark of the Heavenly Eye normally closing—but now, the line kept spreading, instantly covering Yang Jian's entire body.

In the next breath, Yang Jian and his three-pointed, double-edged blade drifted apart on the wind.

"That just killed him." Tang Luo said.

"Outside," the true Yang Jian was still using his Heavenly Eye to "examine" Sun Wukong, while inside, Sun Wukong had just killed him.

Poor quality.

On the other two battlefields, the clashes between the Jade Emperor and Zhu Bajie also ended in victory and defeat, and neither was significantly affected by Sun Wukong and Yang Jian's fight.

Initially, their positions were relatively far apart.

The colliding force happened to become the final straw that crushed the Jade Emperor.

With Zhu Bajie's roar.

The Jade Emperor was torn apart in two by him, purple-black blood flying across the sky like falling rain.

As for the one who struck first, Chan Zi, he remained entangled in combat with the monks of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, and it appeared no clear victor would emerge in the short term.

On the battlefield, the only ones unharmed in the area where Sun Wukong and Yang Jian clashed were Tang Luo and the patch of ground beneath his feet.

He had remained at the center of the battlefield; when Sun Wukong attacked, he had not even bothered to avoid him, simply allowing the power to pour over him.

He had also deliberately avoided Ao Yu and the White Bone Spirit, sending those heavenly soldiers of the celestial court "to the Western Paradise."

As for Tang Luo, even if this staff's power had not merely swept past him by chance but had truly coalesced and, combined with Yang Jian, been directed at him, it would have had no effect on him.

Sun Wukong slowly approached, gazing at Tang Luo.

Behind him, four great flags fluttered; in his hand, he gripped the Golden Cudgel, giving the impression of someone performing in a grand opera.

Having great flags was quite normal.

Sun Wukong himself was a banner of the demon race; raising a great flag in battle was hardly surprising.

Even in the Mountain and Sea Realm, although Sun Wukong's Havoc in Heaven was not a battle to the death manifested in this world, it was still a torrent of blood rain.

Yet when they fought, they still raised the banner of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven—just as now, behind him stood the formation of four flags.

This was the surface reason.

But the deeper, more profound reason lay known only to Tang Luo and his companions.

With the flags, he appeared taller and more imposing!

With the flags, even without flying, he stood a full two meters tall!

Sun Wukong looked at Tang Luo, Tang Luo looked at him, and he shook his head slightly.

No, the one who has returned is merely this world's Sun Wukong, not the true Sun Wukong.

How to tell? Very simple.

If he were the true Sun Wukong, he would by now have already addressed him as "Master."

Even without calling him master, how is it that he's 1.8 meters tall?

In front of the master, what's the point of putting on airs?

"Great Sage."

The White Bone Spirit flew to Sun Wukong's face, extremely excited, her breath becoming exceptionally rapid.

Though his hair was somewhat luxuriant, the Sun Wukong before her eyes suffered no detriment to his tall and handsome appearance, a faint air of arrogance surrounding his entire being.

Sun Wukong said nothing, reaching out to touch the White Bone Spirit's head.

The feeling was like an idol greeting a fangirl.

The White Bone Spirit's face broke into a smile, though a sigh flashed in her eyes.

After all, it was still like this—the one who returned was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong, not the Sun Wukong she had accompanied day and night, lived with for seven lifetimes, and shared weal and woe with.

It's not that they are not the same person.

But rather… using a metaphor that isn't particularly appropriate.

When you were five or six years old, the little companion who played in the mud and urinated with you could almost be said to be the most important person in your life besides your parents.

But as you gradually grew up, and after several decades you looked back suddenly, that little companion was merely a warm hue in your memory—unless you had urinated together for several decades without parting.

Sun Wu, seven lifetimes—for the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong, is just a warm hue in memory.

Not the most important person in this life.

A passerby, not a returnee.

The White Bone Spirit's smile was radiant yet forlorn as she walked to the side, standing silently, like a flower swaying in the wind.

"Ask the world, what is love, that it makes one vow life and death?"

At this time, as a great literary figure, Tang Luo naturally had to recite poetry and compose couplets to display his literary colors.

Whether or not it was plagiarized, that doesn't matter.

As long as you recite enough, your fists are hard enough, and it's not the same world, then it's yours—no one objects.

"Cough." Sun Wukong coughed once, looking at Tang Luo and asking, "Who exactly are you?"

After recovering, he realized Tang Luo's identity was mysterious.

Great Heavenly Demon?

To be honest, the heavenly demon is merely a concept in Buddhism, like the heart demon, not a tangible entity, a living thing, and cannot be considered a true existence.

"Wukong, I am your master."

"... How could I possibly take a monk as my master, although you are the monk I've seen who is least like a monk." Sun Wukong said.

"Are you sure you really haven't taken a monk as your master?" Tang Luo suddenly laughed, "Besides, the truly unlike one is me?"

Sun Wukong was stunned, what does that mean?

"Ah, Demon Sovereign, what about the promised secrecy?" A voice came from there—it was Jin Chanzi, who still had plenty of energy left.

Sun Wukong narrowed his eyes, staring at Jin Chanzi without speaking.

"Hehe." Jin Chanzi laughed, "I said before, one day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father."

This is what Jin Chanzi said in his previous life as Xuanzang during the time of Xuanzang, mortally wounded yet still protecting Sun Wukong, passing from father to son.

Now hearing it, however, it carries a special meaning.

"What does that mean?" Ao Yu came over, somewhat puzzled.

On that side sat Zhu Bajie, silent, and Gao Cuilan leaning on him, both turning their heads to look over.

"He is Patriarch Bodhi." Tang Luo said.

After teaching Tang Sanzang the Seventy-Two Transformations, his progress was extremely fast, even only slightly slower than Sun Wukong by a hair.

This made Tang Luo feel a bit strange.

Even if Jin Chanzi had been reincarnated again and again, with abundant residual blessings, the 《Seventy-Two Transformations》 Tang Luo produced was the original version exclusive to Sun Wukong of the Sea and Mountain Realm.

Tang Sanzang, why are you so proficient?

Later, Jin Chanzi returned, and Tang Luo casually probed him.

Jin Chanzi immediately confessed, yes, he is Patriarch Bodhi, Sun Wukong's true teacher.

This is considered to have solved one of the great mysteries of the Three Realms—who exactly is Sun Wukong's master?

"What!"

Sun Wukong was very surprised, then immediately flipped through his memory of everything related to Patriarch Bodhi, Tang Sanzang, and Jin Chanzi.

Tang Sanzang's nagging, Jin Chanzi's nagging, Patriarch Bodhi's mysterious muttering, Jin Chanzi's mysterious muttering.

And likewise, in different ways, able to make people furious.

The images of the three gradually overlapped, or rather, Patriarch Bodhi and Tang Sanzang merged into Jin Chanzi's figure.

"It really is you!"

Sun Wukong looked at Jin Chanzi, for a moment not knowing what to say.

"Exactly, it's me!" Jin Chanzi slapped out a palm, "Tathagata's Divine Palm!"

Most of the remaining monks of Leiyin Temple were slapped to death by him, leaving only Guanyin, Ran Deng, and Wenshu.

His strength is indeed unfathomable.

Even this palm may not necessarily be his limit.

"Come, Wukong. Look at this person—does he resemble a behind-the-scenes black hand?" Tang Luo pointed at Jin Chanzi and said.

Sun Wukong looked at Jin Chanzi with a complex gaze, slightly carrying a hint of suspicion, vigilance, and hostility.

Rebelling from Leiyin Temple, teaching the peerless great demon Sun Wukong to cause havoc in the Heavenly Palace, journeying to the West to obtain scriptures.

Gods and Buddhas filling the sky, demons of the world vanishing like smoke and clouds—a grand vow.

Jin Chanzi, you still say you are not a behind-the-scenes black hand!

"No, no, Demon Lord, it really wasn't me!" Jin Chanzi's expression changed, and he simply abandoned Guanyin, Randeng, and Manjusri, running to Tang Luo's front, gesturing wildly, his expression solemn, "I just wanted to find a few like-minded comrades-in-arms."

"I really am not the mastermind behind the scenes!"

"Is that so?" Tang Luo expressed neither agreement nor disagreement, "Wukong, what do you think."

"If you ask me, you're more like it." Sun Wukong spoke the honest truth.

"..."

"..." Jin Chanzi didn't speak, yet nodded repeatedly, That's right, well said!

The Great Heavenly Demon appeared out of thin air, his strength outstanding; who is more mysterious, more behind-the-scenes than you?

Tang Luo glanced at Jin Chanzi, making him immediately shut his "invisible mouth."

With a calm face, he shook his head, Tang Luo said: "It's not me, do I need to be the mastermind behind the scenes?"

"..." Jin Chanzi nodded slightly, Well said, that's right!

With the Great Heavenly Demon Tang Xuanzang's strength, mastermind behind the scenes my ass, just beating him to death would finish things.

Unless there's some perverse hobby or another purpose.

"You're not it, he's not it, then who exactly is it?" Sun Wukong said irritably.

Killing their way to the Western Heaven, in the end not even seeing a BOSS, he was exceptionally displeased.

Jin Chanzi laughed sinisterly twice: "Hehe. The Demon Lord should have also noticed, among that group of bald donkeys, there are still two important figures who haven't appeared from beginning to end."

I'm cursing myself.

And the two important figures he spoke of: Ksitigarbha, Maitreya!