Zhunti was dumbfounded!
As he listened to the monkey grumble nonstop about Tang Sanzang, Zhunti's expression shifted repeatedly. He wanted to remind him: He and Tang Sanzang are on the same side!
But—
When he heard how Tang Sanzang had let a band of robbers go even after they'd robbed and murdered people, only for the monkey's benefactor's entire family to die by the robbers' blades as a result, Zhunti hurriedly swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
Damn it!
Who had chosen that idiot Jin Chanzi to go on the journey to fetch the scriptures?
Did they really think Buddhism was all about compassion?
What a joke!
It was true that Buddhism advertised itself to the outside world as compassionate, even preaching that those who took life lightly would surely end up in hell.
But wasn't that all just for show?
Think about it!
If Buddhist monks were all enlightened masters who refused to kill, how could they unify the West? How could they resist the invasions of the demon clans?
With their mouths?
Even if they were willing to talk, those hulking, simple-minded demons wouldn't give them the chance!
Before Sun Wukong could finish speaking, Zhunti cut him off with an indignant look. "How could Jin Chanzi behave so outrageously?"
"Back then, they begged and pleaded before I finally chose you to protect him on his journey west. How dare he treat you like this?!"
"Hmm?"
Sun Wukong stopped mid-sentence and looked up at Zhunti in surprise.
"M-Master, you knew about that too?"
"Of course."
Zhunti shrugged, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation and a faint, smug pride.
"Back when you made a scene in Heaven, if the Jade Emperor and the others hadn't considered my standing, how could they have let you go so easily?"
"This..."
Sun Wukong's expression stiffened. After hesitating for a long moment, he gritted his teeth and asked, "Master, did you also know that Tathagata pressed me beneath Five Finger Mountain for five hundred years?"
"..."
Now Zhunti's face stiffened.
Oh, no!
He'd forgotten about that!
Back then, Tathagata had said the monkey was too talented and too wild to tame, and worried that Jin Chanzi wouldn't be able to keep him in line. So he'd proposed tempering the monkey's nature.
That was how the whole business of the monkey making a scene in Heaven came about.
But what was he supposed to say now?
You were disobedient, so I had someone beat you up?
Don't be ridiculous!
Even if you'd done someone a tremendous favor, after keeping them under a mountain for five hundred years, they might not remember your kindness anymore!
With that in mind, Zhunti stared at the monkey with feigned surprise and said in shock, "That scoundrel Tathagata actually pressed you beneath Five Finger Mountain for five hundred years?"
"Outrageous!"
"Just wait. I'll take you to settle the score with him!"
"How dare he bully my disciple like this? Does he think that just because he's the Buddha, no one can deal with him?"
As he spoke, Zhunti rose to his feet and swept a hand toward Sun Wukong, taking him with him as he headed for Spirit Mountain.
It would've been better if he hadn't returned. The moment he did, he was completely stunned.
Where was Spirit Mountain?
Where was that enormous Spirit Mountain of his?
Gone again?
Who kept picking on my Spirit Mountain? If you've got the guts, then—BOOM!!
Before Zhunti could finish the thought, a series of crashes rang out from within the chaos. Jieyin's telepathic message followed close behind.
Our home is in danger. Hurry back!
Damn it!
Could that bastard Tongtian have attacked again?
Zhunti stood amid the ruins of Spirit Mountain, hesitating for a moment. In the end, he let out a sigh, brought out the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and the Twelve-Rank Lotus Throne, and charged into the chaos.
Meanwhile, Sun Wukong, tucked away in Zhunti's sleeve, was caught in a fierce storm of thoughts.
He wasn't stupid!
On the contrary, he was very clever!
If he'd initially been unable to find any trace of the mountain gate because his master's cultivation was profound enough to conceal it,
then—
when he'd deliberately let slip that his senior brother had died at the hands of the Heavenly Court, Sun Wukong had more or less guessed what his master was getting at.
He wanted Sun Wukong to keep opposing the Heavenly Court!
At first, he couldn't figure out why.
Because, in his mind, Old Ancestor Bodhi had to be on the Heavenly Court's side. Otherwise, how would that bald Tathagata have dared treat him like that?
What decent person would ever turn on his own side?
But what he hadn't expected was that his own master was a big shot in Buddhism—and powerful enough to teach Tathagata a lesson!
How was that possible?
If his master was part of Buddhism, why had he watched Tathagata humiliate him?
What?
You're saying his venerable master didn't know?
Heh!
If he'd known about Sun Wukong making a scene in Heaven, how could he not have known what happened afterward?
Five hundred years!
How many five-hundred-year stretches could a monkey's life hold?
He'd spent his first five hundred years in utter despair beneath Five Finger Mountain!
Was that right?
Or had his venerable master also thought he was too unruly, and wanted to use Tathagata to punish him?
If so, why had he pretended not to know?
Did he think Sun Wukong was easy to fool?
Or did he take him for a fool?
Sun Wukong's thoughts were in chaos. He felt disappointment and resentment, but more than anything, he was crushed that his master didn't trust him.
Once, he'd thought his master was the person in the world who understood him best, and the one who treated him best.
But now?
It seemed everything was caught up in cause and effect—even his future had been planned out by someone else.
The thought made him deeply uncomfortable!
Who was he?
He was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, free and unfettered, striding across Heaven and Earth!
He wasn't anyone's plaything!
And he certainly wasn't some foolish monkey who couldn't escape the palm of someone else's hand!!!
Just as Sun Wukong was growing darker by the moment, nearly losing control, a soft sound of surprise rang beside his ear.
Then came a dizzying sensation, as if the world were spinning.
"Thump!"
As the feeling of weightlessness washed over him, the scene before his eyes suddenly opened up.
Not far away, two sword formations, each tens of thousands of feet tall and shining with dazzling light, were firmly suppressing two Buddha manifestations.
One of the Buddha manifestations looked a little familiar. It seemed... seemed to be his master?
"Brother Monkey? What are you doing here?"
Looking at the dejected monkey before him, dark lines streaking across his eyes, Xuanming—who'd asked Senior Sister Yunxiao to release him—curiously moved closer.
"Roar!"
Startled by the sudden voice in his ear, Sun Wukong let out a low growl and retreated several thousand zhang.
"Trying to run? Did I give you permission?"
Yunxiao's eyes sharpened. This was the first task her junior brother had asked her to handle; she wouldn't allow even the slightest mishap.
And so—
Sun Wukong had only just made out Xuanming's face and congratulated himself on getting away when the space around him twisted and shifted.
The next moment...
Thump!
Even though he'd poured all his strength into activating the Nine Revolutions Profound Art, Sun Wukong was still controlled and thrown to the ground. The dark lines in his eyes deepened.
He hated it!
He hated that he wasn't strong enough!
More than that, he hated these powerful big shots for toying with and bullying the weak!
Was it his fault he'd been born twenty thousand years later?
Otherwise, with his talent, who in all of the prehistoric world—above or below—could stand against him, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?!
Before you continue