The gates of Chechi Kingdom towered majestically, yet an indescribable oppression hung over them.
The five members of the Preaching Squad sensed something wrong the moment they stepped through the gates.
"Three Burials, this place... there's some heavy resentment here."
Sun Wukong carried the Golden-Hooped Staff over his shoulder, his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils narrowing slightly as he surveyed his surroundings.
"Resentment soaring to the heavens."
Tang Sanzang knitted his brows and intoned a Daoist invocation.
"Boundless Heavenly Venerate."
"There seems to be some tremendous injustice hidden within this city."
They followed the street deeper into the city.
The farther they went, the more horrifying the sights became.
Temples that should have been thriving with incense offerings now lay in utter ruin.
Some had half their roofs torn off, others had their surrounding walls toppled, and some had simply been converted into storehouses for Daoist temples.
Buddha statues had been smashed to pieces, and Buddhist scriptures lay in muddy water, left for passersby to trample.
"What... what's going on here?!"
Zhu Bajie's porcine eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
"What kind soul did this, wiping out Buddhism before we could?"
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded.
Clatter... clatter...
A group of monks in ragged clothes, heavy shackles around their necks, struggled forward beneath the Daoists' whips as they pushed heavy carts laden with bricks.
Every one of them was as thin as a stick, their faces filthy and their eyes full of despair.
Crack!
A Daoist lashed out viciously, striking an elderly monk across the back.
The elderly monk stumbled and nearly fell, his brick cart lurching sharply to one side.
"Useless trash! You can't even push a cart properly!"
The Daoist hurled abuse at him and brought his whip down again.
The elderly monk trembled all over from