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After successfully completing the journey, the Great Sage seems to have turned into a dog—a dog of Heaven, pointing here and barking there…

Ba Jie’s ashes are scattered in the Guanghan Palace, Chang’e mourns in mourning, the dust and ashes she raises in her hand are as cold and bleak as the moon’s shadow, drifting with the cold wind.

Xuanzang’s Buddhist chants shake the heavens, Sha Wujing’s grief makes heaven and earth share in sorrow. Only the Monkey, like an ordinary person, hums an unknown tune under the osmanthus tree in the Guanghan Palace.

“Monkey, your junior brother has died,” I remind him.

The Monkey is stunned for a moment, then nods blankly. “Yeah, he’s dead. But all things will die.”

“But that’s your junior brother Ba Jie!” I say angrily.

“Ba Jie is also all things,” the Monkey says seriously.

He finishes this sentence and no longer argues with me, but continues to look at the yellow leaves on the osmanthus tree, his hand stroking the thick, cracked bark.

After the Monkey became a Buddha, his temper changed a lot.

The last time I saw the Monkey was at the Fire Mountain. At that time, the Bull Demon King was omnipotent, and the Monkey couldn’t subdue him. The gods and Buddhas set up a net of heaven, fighting with wheels, and finally the demon king, unable to resist, turned into a yellow cow, shattered by my Wind Fire Wheel at the horns. The Bull Demon King shouted: “Don’t take my life!”

At that cry, I clearly saw the Monkey crying.

The Monkey fell beside the heavily wounded Bull Demon King, his eyes dim. He touched the broken horn of the Bull Demon King.

“Old Bull, old Bull, don’t blame me. I had no choice,” he said.

I knew the Monkey and he had a past grudge, but with divine weapons in front, such words are not appropriate. I stepped closer to the Monkey and tugged at his tiger-skin skirt.

“Monkey, speak cautiously.”

Old Bull strained to open his eyes and looked at the Monkey, then finally closed them in despair. The Monkey sighed and looked at me, saying: “Thank you.”

I knew he was thanking me for not killing him. I shook my head. “Brother, set out early. After you get the true scriptures, we’ll truly be brothers.”

The Monkey said nothing.

The day the Monkey became a Buddha, I was happier than him. I flew to the Thirty-Six Heavens and stepped onto the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Amidst the banquet, I saw the Monkey’s figure.

The Monkey no longer has the Golden Cudgel or the staff, dressed in a monk’s robe, chanting Buddha’s name, speaking in Zen words, and the guests are all moved.

Becoming a Buddha was supposed to be a happy event, but that day, seeing him timid and hesitant, I had an inexplicable thought: he gained much but lost even more.

I still couldn’t understand what the so-called big event Ba Jie mentioned was.

I visited the Buddha altar in Aolai Kingdom; it was just an ordinary Buddha altar, with no residents or monks around, and no one knew who built it. The heavenly inspector said it was because Ba Jie ate something bad, causing his stomach to rupture and die. The explanation was ridiculous—what could have eaten a pig’s stomach?

Back in the Heavenly Palace, the servant reported that half an hour ago, a bearded monk came looking for me, in a hurry, as if something urgent.

“What does the monk look like?”

“Bearded all over, holding a lantern staff.”

I was stunned. I knew that wasn’t a lantern staff, but a demon-subduing magic staff. The visitor was Sha Wujing, the Bodhisattva with a golden body, Sand Monk.

“Where is he?”

“He left before you saw him,” the servant reported truthfully. He took out a purple scroll from his bosom, with a faint ring on it, apparently sealed with some kind of spell. “This was left by the guest, and he asked me to make sure it was delivered to you.”

I took the scroll, glanced at it briefly, but couldn’t see the secret of the seal. I put away the scroll, about to go back to my room to study it carefully, when I heard footsteps outside the door.

I stood up to greet, only to see heavenly soldiers blocking my residence, led by my father, Li Jing, who looked at me with furrowed brows.

“Child, have you seen Bodhisattva Sha Wujing with the golden body?”

I knew I couldn’t hide it, so I told the truth, but I concealed the purple scroll in my words.

Li Jing listened without suspicion. He said seriously: “Child, if you see Sha Wujing again, don’t show mercy. You must arrest him!”

“Father, why?” I asked curiously.

Li Jing looked fearful: “He stole treasures from the Jade Emperor. Death is not enough to atone… Anyway, if you encounter him, don’t report to me, just kill him directly.”

I was shocked: such a serious mistake?

Back then, I shattered the imperial treasure, the glazed cup, but I was just reincarnated in the mortal world. Now, he’s supposed to have his soul destroyed?

The heavenly soldiers and generals all moved out collectively, but Sha Wujing’s body, the Bodhisattva, couldn’t resist. I personally witnessed the scene of Sha Wujing’s capture, with all the divine Buddhas attacking simultaneously, smashing Sha Wujing’s Bodhisattva golden body into pieces.

On the verge of death, he didn’t look at me but howled to the sky.

“Senior Brother!”

After he finished shouting, I looked at Sun Wukong, the Fight Victory Buddha, who descended from the sky with a blank face, smashing Sha Wujing’s head with a palm.

In the two days after returning to the residence, I was anxious and uneasy. I looked at the purple scroll in my hand, suddenly feeling a premonition: this must be the treasure Sha Wujing stole.

My little servant was very loyal, and after many interrogations by immortals, he finally kept the secret. Why did Sha Wujing give me this thing? How can I help him?

I looked at the purple seal on the scroll, with no clue at all.

This seal was obviously added by Sha Wujing himself. As for the specific reason, I fear it’s a hint about some secret matter.

What is he trying to tell me?

There are few things related to this honest monk, and on the journey west, there seems to be only a figure of someone diligent and obedient. Somehow, I suddenly remembered Sha Wujing’s cry at the moment of near death.

“Senior Brother!”

But he knew well that his senior brother wouldn’t save him; his senior brother had already become a Buddha beyond the Three Realms.

Or perhaps, that sentence wasn’t spoken to him.

A sudden flash of insight made me tremble all over. Maybe, that sentence was spoken to me?

I held the purple scroll, slowly reciting: “Senior Brother…”

A flash of purple light, and the seal shattered with a bang.

A picture jumped out of the scroll, and I was very familiar with the place depicted.

It was the place where I first fought Sun Wukong.

Flower Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave.

But this painting probably shows the scene after the journey west, with the mountain full of blooming peach blossoms, everything reviving, but the Monkey is nowhere to be seen.

There isn’t a single monkey on Flower Fruit Mountain, top or bottom—just laughable.

The thing Sha Wujing entrusted at death, I dare not neglect. I carefully stored the picture, riding clouds to fly to Flower Fruit Mountain’s blessed land. Soon, I arrived at the mountain’s sacred ground.

A dense vine of vines and wisteria, with fresh green grass on all sides. It’s the place where all rivers converge, supporting the sky pillar, the earth’s foundation unshaken through eons.

Flower Fruit Mountain has a waterfall, behind which is a stone stele with the words “Beautiful Monkey King,” and beside it, a banner of “Great Sage Equal to Heaven” is hanging upside down.

I stepped into the waterfall, only to find the Water Curtain Cave empty. Curious, I saw the purple light of the scroll intensify, and suddenly, the scroll responded with a bang. The scene before my eyes spun wildly, and when I regained my senses, I was in a different world.

“Where is this?”

Ghostly wails, a human hell.

In front of me is a small, thin body, pierced through by several iron chains around the ribs, with a flying sword passing back and forth, tearing the body apart. What kind of punishment is this?

“You… who are you?” I exclaimed in horror.

That body sneered coldly.

“Hehe, who comes here? I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong!”

No, impossible! Sun Wukong had already become a Buddha?

I looked at this pitch-black body, trembling involuntarily, cold and fear seeping into my teeth, trembling.

“Nezha?” he looked at me in surprise, “Why is it you?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“How did you come here?” he asked. “Usually, it’s the little Jade Emperor coming alone, watching me suffer and enjoy. Are you sent by the Jade Emperor? No… no way, the Jade Emperor wouldn’t send anyone like you.”

Terrifyingly, despite my reluctance to believe, this person might really be Sun Wukong.

And who is the one who became a Buddha?

I tried to calm myself, using divine powers to shatter the flying sword.

“Why are you here?”

“Why am I here?” the Monkey sneered angrily, “Back then, I agreed with the Jade Emperor that as long as I escort Tang Sanzang westward to fetch the scriptures, he would ensure the prosperity of my demon clan. I even harmed my brothers, the Bull Demon King… but unexpectedly, that damned dog betrayed me, tore my soul into two parts—one being the Six-Eared Macaque, and the other me—imprisoned here, suffering all kinds of torment, letting the Six-Eared become a Buddha and saint, serving as a running dog for life…”

My heart trembled greatly. No wonder the Monkey, after becoming a Fight Victory Buddha, was so calm—his soul was cut into two parts?

Suppressing my shock, I slowly told him about the events after he became a Buddha. When I mentioned Ba Jie and Wujing’s deaths, I saw the Monkey in front of me grinding his teeth.

“Idiot, Old Sha… I owe you all! I owe you all!” the Monkey cried bitterly.

Looking back now, Ba Jie and Wujing had long suspected something, but their rescue attempt was exposed, and they suffered a tragic end.

I tried to keep myself sober, hoping reason would give me a clear judgment.

“Nezha, let me go. I want to avenge those two… I beg you, give me a chance…” the Monkey’s voice was hoarse, obviously suppressing his raging anger.

“I… I can’t be sure yet,” I said honestly.

“Oh… I see. Then go inside and take a look,” the Monkey smiled, “You’ll understand once you see.”

Trusting him, I looked inside as he said, and saw a child being treated like the Monkey himself—pierced by flying swords, chained with iron. I looked carefully at the child, and as I looked, I felt more and more familiar, as if I had seen this somewhere before…

“Stop thinking. That’s you, Nezha,” the Monkey spoke.

“You’ve long been split by the Jade Emperor’s soul. Now, living in your lotus root body is only the soul of a loyal dog, and the original Nezha, who caused chaos in the East Sea Dragon Palace and drew the bow of Xuanyuan, is the child before you!”

“Now, do you still want to let me go?”

The thirty-six heavens cracked, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall trembled and collapsed.

It was a long-lost golden staff, once again smashing toward the peaceful palace that had been quiet for five hundred years.

Five hundred years ago, he was just causing chaos in the Heavenly Palace, wanting to be a monkey, to walk and see the mortal world. But this time, he was determined to kill.

Ba Jie’s death, Sha Wujing’s death…

He could no longer endure. Five hundred years ago, his tolerance caused the death of his monkey kin and brothers. Now, five hundred years later, his patience still creates evil consequences.

“Tathagata! Jade Emperor!”

He roared across the Three Realms.

He struck the head of the Giant Spirit God with his staff, kicked the dog of Erlang Shen to death. The 28 constellations joined forces to fight him, but they were shattered by this Monkey.

“Where is the Third Prince? Go call the Third Prince!” Li Jing shouted loudly. “Sir, the Third Prince isn’t here! What should we do?”

In the Western Lingshan, a monk gently twirled his prayer beads, tears streaming down his face.

“He’s back… he’s back.”

The internal strife in Heaven had long weakened, even the Three Void had already traveled overseas. The so-called indestructible Lingxiao Hall finally faced an unprecedented threat and challenge.

Sun Wukong knocked Li Jing off the cloud, stepping forward with bloody footprints, entering the empty palace. Sitting in front was the Jade Emperor, looking fearful but still sitting firmly on the throne.

“Too late to invite Tathagata?” Sun Wukong smiled, his monkey face bloody with a painful grin, “Why bother? Jade Emperor, why bother?”

“Why bother?” the Jade Emperor also smiled.

He stepped down from the throne, picked up a pill from the ground. “Have you seen this pill? Eat one, and your magic power will greatly increase, prolonging life. Do you want divine and demon equality… do you know what this pill is made of?”

Sun Wukong said nothing.

The Jade Emperor continued to laugh wildly.

“It’s made from Bull Demon King’s marrow.”

Sun Wukong moved.

“Bang…”

This staff was blocked by another monkey raising his hand.

The Jade Emperor laughed loudly: “Fight if you want, fight if you dare. Sun Wukong, you’re just a monkey, how can you fight me?”

The Jade Emperor left the palace, while Fight Victory Buddha and Sun Wukong remained frozen in place. “You want to stop me?” the Monkey sneered.

Li E sighed: “Sorry, Great Sage. Since I was born, I’ve been here to stop you.”

“Are you willing to be a dog?” “Great Sage, I can only be a dog.”

In an instant, dust flew, the palace exploded, fiery fireworks bloomed in the clouds of the East, and in the Western Lingshan, a monk’s prayer beads shattered with a bang.

“Good… good…”

After the Monkey’s death, Heaven’s Court began massive reconstruction, preparing to rebuild an even more magnificent Lingxiao Palace. The Jade Emperor had no choice but to temporarily reside in Lingshan. Originally, the Jade Emperor was eager to hold a merit and reward meeting, but eventually found that most of the divine beings who fought had died in battle.

I didn’t participate in the fight and escaped a calamity.

There weren’t many generals under the Jade Emperor’s command; I was considered the top seed. Now that the generals are scarce, my value is even higher. He hesitated, trying to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

“Jade Emperor, I have one more matter to report.”

“Speak,” the Jade Emperor said with some displeasure.

“It’s about the purple scroll. There are many people here, it’s noisy…”

The Jade Emperor was shaken by the words “purple scroll.” He hurriedly said: “You all go down first. Nezha… come here!”

All the maidservants and servants withdrew.

The Jade Emperor suspiciously winked at me: “Nezha… do you really know where that scroll is?”

I stepped closer to the Jade Emperor, a hint of blue light flickering in my eyes.

“Of course, otherwise… who do you think I am?”

Postscript

That chaos has passed many years ago.

Revisiting the old place, I return to Flower Fruit Mountain. The mountain is clear and beautiful, lush with greenery, full of vitality. Most importantly, there are many monkeys.

These monkeys are all natives of Flower Fruit Mountain. After the chaos, I negotiated with the King of Hell to retrieve them.

After the Jade Emperor’s death, this world is now under my control.

Surprisingly, the Three Pure Ones did not trouble me. When they returned from overseas, they only smiled at me faintly.

“Third Prince, don’t worry too much. This is the Jade Emperor’s calamity.”

They accepted the Jade Emperor’s soul, placed it into the Taixu, and many years later, the Jade Emperor would be reborn from here. It’s a cycle—flowers bloom and fall, there is always a time of silence. All things, including the Jade Emperor, are part of everything.

During the Jade Emperor’s reincarnation, I suddenly found myself with a lot of free time. I rebuilt Flower Fruit Mountain, turning it into a demon mountain. All demons devoted to cultivation and seeking the Way to Heaven have a place here. After attaining the Way, they also serve in heaven, seeking blessings for all.

Monkey, the divine demon, finally has his homecoming. I think this was probably your original intention too.

In my leisure, I often visit Flower Fruit Mountain. I can’t quite explain why, but I genuinely like this place.

Maybe because there once was an unwilling and rebellious soul here.

Look at this demon world, as you wished. Although many things still need improvement, it’s far better than the dark, lawless world you were in.

Today, I still enjoy the scenery of Flower Fruit Mountain, thinking of your legendary ascent to heaven, feeling lonely. Suddenly, a cow spirit shouted: “Third Prince, this stone has turned into a spirit! It gave birth to a child!”

I was shocked: “What did you say? Where?”

The cow spirit pointed far away: “There, over there!”

I hurried to the mountain top, only to see a monkey fighting with a troop of monkeys. The monkey looked at the troop, baring teeth and claws, shouting: “Come on, I want to be your king! Did you hear that?”

The monkey saw me and was not afraid. “Hey, kid, what are you looking at? Want to fight?”

Looking at the appearance of an old friend, I was overwhelmed with feelings. “You… you…”

“You… what ‘you’!” the monkey shouted, “If you want to fight, then fight! Stop dawdling! Hey, wait, I’ll find a weapon!”

“You…” I laughed loudly, “Good monkey! You made me wait so long! Want to fight? Come on!”

Flowers bloom and fall, cause and effect cycle—turns out I thought too much. In the vast universe, in the endless galaxy, how could there only be one Sun Wukong?

Laughter and playfulness on the ground, a colorful cloud floating in the sky. Sitting on the cloud is a monk, fingers twirling a prayer bead, smiling gently, whispering softly.

“Namo Amitabha.”