The furious roars of officials and commoners swept like a tsunami outside the Golden Throne Hall.
Facing this overwhelming tide of condemnation, the real king and the false king exchanged a glance.
Suddenly, both threw back their heads and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Their laughter was shrill and deranged, making the entire hall hum and tremble.
"Pretend?"
"Do we still need to pretend?"
The anguish and remorse on the real king's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a fanaticism that made everyone's hair stand on end.
The false king also cast aside his gentle demeanor, and towering black energy erupted from his body.
"Since you already know, we won't bother pretending anymore!"
The real king abruptly stepped forward and pointed at Tang Sanzang, his eyes filled with madness.
"That's right! We did all of it!"
"Those three years of drought in the Crow-Cock Kingdom, the suffering of its people—we planned every bit of it!"
"The Octagonal Glazed Well was never a place where I was imprisoned!"
"It was the Dragon-Locking Abyss-Ascension Formation we set up!"
Boom!
His declaration sent the entire crowd into an uproar!
Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujin, and Little White Dragon all sucked in a breath of cold air.
"The Dragon-Locking Abyss-Ascension Formation?!"
"They've gone mad!"
"They actually intend to sacrifice the entire Crow-Cock Kingdom's national fortune and the lives of all its people!"
Tang Sanzang looked at the two madmen who had finally torn off their masks, and an icy glint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
"You're courting death."
"Courting death?"
The real king shook his head, laughing wildly.
"Daoist, you should understand!"
"A mortal's life is too short, a mortal's strength too feeble!"
"Once this evil dragon raises its head, we can leap free of reincarnation and become true kings!"
"What a pity..."