The handbell rang clear, the harp sounded ethereal, and the monk opened his eyes and bowed to the stout monk in plain robes before him.
"Awake?" the stout monk asked with a smile.
"The mist-shrouded waters of the martial world were beautiful, but something was always missing." The monk raised his head. "From the moment life began, there was never any freedom. Love, desire, obsession, greed—there was no end to what needed salvation."
The stout monk patted his chest and sighed. "Xuanzang, your trial of love began because of me."
Atop a mountain peak wreathed in shimmering Buddha-light, Tathagata looked at his disciple, finally awake, and handed him an ordinary pass.
"All-Heavens City was taken away by several mighty figures. They helped wake you, too. You won't blame your master, will you?"
The stout monk sighed.
"My consciousness was ferried to that world, and I spent many years hunting demons with her. By a mortal lifespan, I should have passed through life, death, and reincarnation long ago."
"Amitabha." Xuanzang said, "To alter the fate of all living beings over one regret of mine was truly a sin."
Before waking, he had met Bei Wu and learned the truth about the "mnemonic" he had received from him. His true memories had returned.
"So you already know." The stout monk said nothing more and asked no questions. He merely nodded. "Now that you're awake, come with me to thank those Celestial Thearchs."
Several Celestial Thearchs?
Xuanzang was baffled.
The surrounding Buddha-light dispersed, and the towering mountain peak blurred.
The two reappeared in All-Heavens City just as a Golden Crow spread its wings. Golden morning light spilled across the streets, weaving through the silhouettes of the towers.
Buildings of every style rose in ordered tiers. Only one tower pierced the clouds, its base