You Are Not of This World
In reality, the story in the book has not ended. The golden light that shone out was the Sky-reaching Ape Monkey. Ma Feifei himself is still in the world of the book, but he does not know that the projection has disappeared because he cannot see what is happening outside.
Sun Wukong looked at the frozen scene below, his bright eyes revealing an indescribable feeling.
"Great Sage, do you know what will happen next?" Ma Feifei asked curiously. He had a feeling that although the plot hadn't reached that point yet, Sun Wukong in front of him seemed to already know the outcome.
"Hmm." Sun Wukong responded calmly, confirming Ma Feifei's guess. As for how Sun Wukong knew, it was naturally because the system had somehow let him know in advance.
However, Sun Wukong's expression gave Ma Feifei a general idea of what would happen next, because if Sun Wukong really did kill the Six-Eared Macaque, then Sun Wukong wouldn't have such a solemn expression.
This is probably why the system made Sun Wukong relive the entire story... The system wanted to let Sun Wukong see everything in this way, and finally give him a chance to make a new choice, which could very well affect the subsequent plot.
For example, if Sun Wukong continues to follow the original storyline, the outcome will certainly not change; but if Sun Wukong makes a choice that deviates from the original story, can the journey to the Journey to the West continue? Nobody knows.
"I'm leaving." Sun Wukong's tone was so desolate, his back view so lonely, and his golden crown and golden armor could not hide his desolation.
"Hey... Great Sage, where are you going?" Ma Feifei couldn't help but raise his hand and call out.
Sun Wukong paused, then replied calmly, "Destroy the Six-Eared Macaque, protect Tang Monk, Journey to the West."
What if they go and never come back?
"Then I will go and never return."
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was still the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. The Golden Fillet headband could bind his words and actions, but it couldn't imprison his arrogant spirit that looked down upon the world. Ma Feifei silently watched the Great Sage Equal to Heaven's back, her heart rippled with emotion, and she even had an impulse to help him. However, Ma Feifei knew that this was just a plot, and no matter what the final outcome was, the plot was still the same plot, and Journey to the West was still Journey to the Journey to the West. The ending was already predetermined the moment the book was written.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the task of retracing the Path of the Great Sage. The Epic-grade- quality book <Journey to the West> can now be added to your bookshelf for everyone to read."
As the system notification sounded, the static world below seemed to drift away like a cloud, and everything returned to its original state. Ma Feifei, standing above the clouds, saw this scene and knew that the Sky-reaching Ape Monkey had completed its mission and been teleported away by the system. Now, the 'Sun Wukong' below was the real Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who had watched the first to fifty-seventh chapters of the story with Ma Feifei while standing above the clouds.
Ma Feifei was still not teleported out. He still had a task to complete. He needed to continue reading until all eighty-one tribulations were over and the entire Journey to the Journey to the West storyline was finished. Only then could the task be completed and Ma Feifei be able to purchase the Eighty-One Tribulations dungeon.
Next, the plot is exactly the same as the original story. The real and fake Sun Wukong fight to a standstill, and none of the gods in the heavens can tell the difference. Even Di Ting, who can tell Diting difference, dares not speak. In the end, the two monkeys run to the Tathagata Buddha. Tathagata the Buddha identifies the fake monkey as the Six-Eared Macaque, he is killed by Sun Wukong with a single blow.
"Is there a problem here?" Even Ma Feifei was a little confused. He had always thought that after the previous foreshadowing and the hidden system, the plot after the fifty-seventh chapter should be that the Six-Eared Macaque replaced Sun Wukong to go to the Journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. The flashback plot was meant to make Sun Wukong make a choice again, or at the very least, to be a precaution. Who knew that this plot was exactly the same as the original story?
The so-called Six-Eared Macaque was killed by Sun Wukong with a single blow, and the Tathagata Buddha did not Punishment Sun Wukong for his impulsiveness, but allowed him to return to Tang Monk's side to escort Tang Monk on his Journey to the West.
Everything followed the original story without any deviation, leaving Ma Feifei completely confused.
The story continues, Ma Feifei, as if watching their entire lives unfold, sits atop a cloud, witnessing the changing seasons and the ever-changing clouds.
I don't know how much time passed, maybe a year, two years, ten years... until the moment when Tang Monk and his disciples successfully overcame the eighty-one tribulations and obtained the true scriptures, the long-awaited system notification sound rang out.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the 'Journey to the West: Eighty-One Tribulations' viewing task. You have obtained the qualification to purchase the Eighty-One Tribulations dungeon and acquired the Legendary-grade quality book 'Investiture of the Gods'."
Then Ma Feifei felt a sudden dizziness, and her vision began to blur. At the last moment, for some reason, Ma Feifei subconsciously glanced down and met a pair of piercing eyes.
At the Mysterious Bookstore, Liu Ying waited outside the Mysterious Bookstore early in the morning. She knew it wasn't open yet, but she really wanted to verify if her idea was correct, just like when you think you've guessed the answer and want to confirm it.
In this situation, Liu Ying thought of the back door in the alley, so she ran to the back door and kept knocking on it.
"The world in the book has just ended, they probably haven't gone to sleep yet, right?" Liu Ying thought happily.
"Huh? Someone's knocking on the door so early?" Ma Feifei, who had just come out and was about to put "Journey to the West" on the Bookstore shelf, was also quite surprised to hear the knocking.
Although the Mysterious Bookstore is now very famous, very few people actually dare to knock on its door, which is enough to prove Mysterious Bookstore status in people's minds.
"Could it be Saint Chu?" Ma Feifei was a little curious. He walked over, pulled out the latch, and gently tugged it. The door creaked open, and Liu Ying, dressed in white, appeared before Ma Feifei.
"Good morning, shopkeeper!" Liu Ying was overjoyed to see Ma Feifei open the door and bowed respectfully.
"Good morning, what are you doing here so early in the morning?" Liu Ying's appearance puzzled Ma Feifei. After all, he and Liu Ying didn't have much interaction, and they rarely spoke when they met. Logically speaking, Liu Ying had no reason to come looking for him.
"Oh..." Liu Ying suddenly didn't know how to say what she had prepared. Plus, with such an outstanding man like Ma Feifei staring at her, her face flushed red, and she stammered. She lowered her head, pinched the hem of her skirt, and twirled on her tiptoes.
"Could it be that he's had a crush on me for a long time and finally couldn't hold back anymore and came to confess to me today?" Ma Feifei couldn't help but start to fantasize when he saw Liu Ying's appearance.
"I, Ma Feifei, am indeed of such high quality that even my low-key demeanor cannot hide my dazzling brilliance."
"But doesn't Liu Ying seem to be under eighteen yet? If I agree to her request, wouldn't it be at least three years?"
"Hmm... this is a fantasy world, it doesn't exist here. Might makes right, I call the shots."
"No, no, no... She's not my type. I can't agree to this marriage just because she's pretty. It's not happening."
"Here's what we'll do: if she really confesses to me later, I'll go and do a math problem with Qingyang. If Qingyang answers it correctly, I'll reject her; if he answers it incorrectly, I'll say yes. Let fate decide..."
"Hmm! After all, fate is unchangeable." The dramatic Ma Feifei had a lot on her mind and was feeling quite pleased with herself, but in reality, it wasn't like that at all. In fact, it scared Ma Feifei so much that she broke out in a cold sweat.
"Shopkeeper, you're not from the Azure Dragon Continent!"