Shen Luo looked through the charred, skeletal village gate and saw Sun Wukong walking out from within, his face grim, rage blazing in his eyes, a faint blood-red haze already veiling his Fiery Golden Eyes.
"How did this spread here?" Fu Donglai found it difficult to understand.
Shen Luo was not surprised. He knew well the connection between Fangcun Mountain and Longevity Village. Many people from Longevity Village had once entered Fangcun Mountain to study immortal arts. Naturally, they were all supporters of Fangcun Mountain and would not stand idly by while outsiders besieged it.
"The woodcutter who showed me the way to Fangcun Mountain back then was from this village... Since they have gone this far, they cannot blame this old Sun for delivering them salvation with Buddha's mercy."
As soon as Sun Wukong finished speaking, he tore off the cassock draped over his shoulder. Flames rose behind him, and a bright scarlet cloak unfurled without wind, snapping loudly.
The group left Longevity Village and soon arrived at the foot of Fangcun Mountain.
The entrance to the mountain gate was as silent as ever. Only birdsong echoed through the woods, as though nothing unusual had happened.
Sun Wukong was the first to arrive beneath the wooden archway. With a leap, he was about to enter.
At once, brilliant light flared within the gateway. A burst of five-colored radiance rose up, releasing a powerful wave that forced Sun Wukong back.
"Great King, the mountain-protecting formation is still active. It seems Fangcun Mountain has not come to harm," Marshal Ma said upon seeing this.
Sun Wukong said nothing. Instead, he formed a hand seal with one palm and rapidly chanted a few lines before reaching his hand into the archway again.
Yet the moment his palm entered the gateway, that layer