"Demon, take a staff from Old Sun!"
His furious roar echoed in wave after wave, its final note bursting apart. The Golden Cudgel, lengthening once more, crashed down, split the sea of fire, tore through the void, and struck the pale-gold, almost flesh-colored giant Buddha palm head-on.
Rumble!
The pale gold that had blanketed Spirit Mountain shattered into pieces, then was swept away by the disintegrating void and reduced to ashes, leaving not a trace. The Buddha palm that had earlier left the Phoenix Demon God and the others utterly powerless simply vanished like smoke and dispersed like clouds.
Radiance struggled to her feet. First she froze, then her face filled with astonishment, surprise, and excitement. Her phoenix eyes grew misty, and she blurted out:
"Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, whose legend had been passed down among the Demon Race for countless years, had returned!
He hadn't fallen at Spirit Mountain!
At that moment, all of Radiance's pride and swagger disappeared. It was as if she had returned to her childhood, a simple little phoenix listening to her elders recount the Great Sage Equal to Heaven's legendary deeds, imagining the bearing of this peerless hero of the Demon Race and grieving that he had fallen at Spirit Mountain while saving the other Great Sages.
Now, in this very moment, she watched the Golden Cudgel return home after a long journey, saw that huge, golden, furry ape hand, and heard the furious cry, "Take a staff from Old Sun!" She felt as though she had stepped into a legendary tale, into a dream she had once had.
He was an elder, and he was someone she worshipped!
How could she feel pride before the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?
"Great Sage Equal to Heaven!" Even