"I need to find some water." Goten stood up. "Zhi Zun Bao—"
He turned—and saw Zhi Zun Bao standing motionless before the wall, staring at the mural.
"Zhi Zun Bao?"
Zhi Zun Bao didn't answer.
His gaze was fixed on the wall—a faded mural depicting a figure in Chainmail Armor and a Purple Gold Crown, wielding the Golden Cudgel as he battled the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals.
The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven—Sun Wukong.
Zhi Zun Bao slowly raised a hand and touched an old scar on his left shoulder. It was a mark from a sharp blade. He had always thought he'd gotten it in a fight as a child.
But on the mural, Sun Wukong had the exact same scar on his left shoulder.
"Impossible..."
He murmured to himself.
Goten came over to him, looked at the mural, then glanced at Zhi Zun Bao's expression.
"You—"
"I don't know." Zhi Zun Bao cut him off, his voice unsettled. "Don't ask me—I really don't know."
Goten didn't press him. He simply stood with Zhi Zun Bao before the mural, silently gazing at the weathered image.
After a long while, Goten spoke.
"My dad once said that the truly strong don't need to run from who they are."
Zhi Zun Bao didn't answer.
But his hand kept touching the scar on his left shoulder.
Late that night, moonlight streamed through the temple's broken roof.
Goten sat cross-legged before the Buddha statue, the Moonlight Box resting on his lap.
Moonlight fell on the box, casting a soft purple glow.
Goten closed his eyes and tried to enter the box's world of memories again—but this time, he kept it under control and didn't let the box run wild.
This time, he entered of his own accord.
An image appeared.
The same South Heaven Gate, the same Heavenly Palace.
But it wasn't the scene of Sun Wukong wreaking havoc in Heaven.
It was—
Five Finger Mountain.
Goten stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing up at its peak, which pierced the clouds.
Golden runes covered the mountainside. They were Tathagata's Seal, each one giving off a faint glow and pulsing like a living thing.
And pinned beneath the mountain—
A figure.
Sun Wukong.
Only his head and one hand were exposed. His fur was brittle and his face haggard, but his eyes still shone with astonishing brightness.
"Who are you?" Sun Wukong asked, his voice hoarse.
"My name is Sun Goten."
Sun Wukong fell silent for a long while.
Then he smiled—the exact same smile as Goten's dad.
"Your surname is Sun?"
"Yeah."
"Whose son are you?"
"Sun Wukong's."
Sun Wukong's pupils contracted slightly. His expression was complicated, as if he were surprised, yet had already known.
"The son of another me... from another world..." he murmured. "Interesting."
"You—"
"Don't speak," Sun Wukong interrupted. "There's not much time. If you can enter this place, the Moonlight Box must have recognized you as its master. Remember—"
His expression turned serious.
"I wasn't killed by the Sun Wukong from your father's world. I chose to die myself."
Goten froze.
"Why?"
"Because...I saw the future. I saw that a boy from another world—that is, you—would come here. I saw Tathagata's true face."
"Tathagata's true face?"
Sun Wukong opened his mouth to speak—
The image began to shatter violently!
A powerful force yanked Goten's consciousness out of the memory!
He snapped his eyes open—and saw the Moonlight Box shaking wildly!
And at the temple entrance—
A figure stood there.
It wasn't Zhi Zun Bao or Zhu Bajie.
It was a man in silver armor, with a third eye on his forehead.
He held a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, and a Slender Dog stood beside him.
"Found you."
His voice was calm and cold.
"Boy from another world—Sun Goten—come with me."
Goten slowly stood up as golden aura began to rise around him.
"Yang Jian, Erlang Shen—by the Jade Emperor's command—"
Yang Jian raised his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, pointing its tip at Goten.
"—I'm taking you back."
Goten didn't attack at once.
He could feel it—Yang Jian was completely different from his previous opponents.
It wasn't demonic aura or immortal power, but a steady, concentrated fighting spirit, without a single unnecessary opening.
Unlike Frieza's coldness, Cell's frenzy, or Buu's madness, Yang Jian felt like a mountain.
He didn't press down on you, but the moment you approached, you knew—you couldn't knock him over.
"Zixia is injured," Goten said. "I need to heal her first."
Yang Jian glanced at Zixia, lying in the corner, his expression unchanged.
"She's a traitor to the Heavenly Court. Even if you don't come with me, she's coming with me."
Goten's gaze turned cold.
"She's not a traitor."
"She drew her sword against the Heavenly Court for someone from another world. That makes her a traitor." Yang Jian's tone remained calm. "The Heavenly Court's rules don't change based on who you are."
Goten clenched his fists.
His golden aura burned brighter than before.
He didn't want to fight here. Zixia was still unconscious, and she could get hurt in the battle.
But Yang Jian clearly wasn't going to give him a choice.
"I heard you punched the Bull Demon King flying, broke through the Heavenly Net, and wiped out the three Demon Kings." Yang Jian held his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear across his body. "I don't believe it."
Goten stared at him, then suddenly smiled.
"Want to find out for yourself?"
"It's not that I want to." Yang Jian's lips curved slightly. It was the first time in their entire conversation that he'd shown anything close to an expression. "I have to."
As soon as the words left his mouth—
The Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear shot through the air!
It was so fast—twice as fast as the Great Peng Spirit!
Before you continue