Tathagata Vomits Blood, Tears Flow Backward

Tathagata froze.

"It... it was that demon monkey, Sun Wukong!"

Venerable Ananda practically forced the name out through clenched teeth, his voice filled with indescribable terror.

"That demon monkey... after breaking free from Five Elements Mountain, who knows what fortune he encountered, but he actually... actually advanced to the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm on the spot! His might was overwhelming, his ferocity unmatched! This disciple led the forces to surround and suppress him, but who could have expected... who could have expected him to transform into a colossal ape ten thousand zhang tall, wielding that As-You-Wish Golden Hoop Staff? Its power was simply... simply like heaven and earth collapsing!"

Recalling the Golden Cudgel sweeping toward him like a pillar holding up the sky, the fear in his eyes deepened.

"The Myriad Buddhas Pay Homage Array this disciple set up was shattered by a single blow! Of the hundreds of millions of Buddhist Soldiers, fewer than one in ten survived! The eight hundred Arhats suffered grievous casualties! This disciple... this disciple exhausted every effort, unleashed every magic treasure, and even burned part of my Golden Body origin, only barely managing to withstand the lingering force of that strike and flee by borrowing its momentum..."

By the end, his voice had taken on a sobbing tone—the despair and lingering fear of someone whose strength had been utterly crushed and whose faith had been completely destroyed.

Silence.

A deathly silence spread through the Great Thunderclap Monastery.

Bodhisattva Manjushri stood with his mouth agape, the composure and optimism he had forced onto his face instantly frozen. Li Jing also stopped wiping the floor. He lowered his head, his expression hidden from view.

The Thirty Thousand Buddhas looked at one another, each seeing the shock and disbelief in the others' eyes.

Sun Wukong... had