Yang Jian stood alone amid the clouds, his expression shifting constantly. The Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd in his hand gave off a faint hum, reflecting the fierce struggle in his heart. At last, a trace of resolve flashed through his eyes. His pursuit of power and yearning for transcendence overwhelmed his concerns over the unknown risks.
"Step beyond the chessboard... become the one holding the pieces..." he murmured. His figure turned into a streak of light and flew in the direction indicated by the information. He did not know that with this step, he had officially become a crucial and highly unpredictable piece in Venerable Qing Huan's grand game.
Within Spiritual Mountain, opinions were far from unified regarding Sun Wukong's placement.
Inside the Grand Hall of Precious Light, Amitabha still wore a sorrowful expression as he said slowly, "Junior Brother Zhunti, that Stone Monkey has been on the mountain for some time now. Not only have his injuries shown no fundamental improvement, he has also consumed a great deal of Merit Pool Water and rare medicinal materials. If this continues, it will not be a sustainable solution. The Karma of Heavenly Retribution follows him like a shadow. Though Buddhism is on the verge of great prosperity, we must not become too deeply entangled with it."
Guanyin Bodhisattva also spoke. "Our Buddha is compassionate and saves all living beings. Yet this monkey harbors deep Malevolent Qi, and his foundation has already been damaged. If we forcibly keep him in our sect, his heart may prove difficult to tame, and he may cause trouble in the future. It would be better to send him to some pure land, where he can live in peace and await the proper karmic opportunity. Perhaps that, too, would be compassion."
It was not that they lacked compassion.