Zhunti and Jieyin no longer paid Sun Wukong any heed.
Earlier, the two of them had already noticed that something was amiss with Sun Wukong.
After all, how could an ordinary Sun Wukong possibly break through to a new cultivation realm under such inexplicable circumstances?
And leave so many flaws exposed, too?
Although those flaws were minor, everything in the Journey to the West Calamity concerned the Buddhist Order's rise to prosperity.
Under these circumstances, Zhunti and Jieyin had let no flaw slip past them.
Thus, Zhunti and Jieyin had long since begun to suspect Sun Wukong's true identity.
Even without today's incident, Zhunti and Jieyin would never have allowed Sun Wukong to enter Spirit Mountain.
So even if Pan Heng had refused their request, Zhunti and Jieyin would still have agreed to these arrangements, provided a certain price was paid.
While they were speaking, the battle between Sun Wukong and Buddha Tathagata had reached a white-hot intensity.
Sun Wukong had indeed made tremendous progress, but that progress did not give him an absolute advantage.
Sun Wukong was very close to the Sage realm, but although Buddha Tathagata ate no meat, his strength was no meek vegetarian.
Although Sun Wukong had unleashed every ounce of his strength, Buddha Tathagata still held the upper hand.
"Wukong, if you want to defeat me, you'll have to cultivate a while longer!"
Buddha Tathagata shouted, and an enormous golden Buddha manifested around him.
It blotted out the sky and the sun, cutting off everything before Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong could no longer see anything else. All that remained in his vision was that golden Buddha, which did not seem particularly tall.
"Ha ha ha! You want to cover my eyes?"
The wild, defiant grin on Sun Wukong's face flared once more.
**"You're nowhere near