The thoughts of these two far surpassed the Six Saints, Zhenyuanzi, and everyone else in the Three Realms of the Great Desolation.
The difference was.
The former, hiding in the chaotic void, besides sensing Sun Kong's unusual nature and triggering the Journey to the West tribulation in advance, necessitating an investigation here.
More importantly, it was exactly as Laozi had deduced.
Because Sun Kong had once ventured into the chaotic void and swallowed a drop of Pangu's essence blood, Patriarch Hongjun, as the Dao Ancestor, had become greatly interested and wary of him.
Although he did not dare to defy the Heavenly Dao and act against Sun Kong.
In his heart, however, he was increasingly shocked, surprised, and filled with apprehension about Sun Kong!
Added to this was the current event.
The "Book of Earth" had temporarily betrayed him.
Patriarch Hongjun's face became even more solemn, and a complex and eerie expression, unseen by anyone, surfaced.
"Could it be that this Monkey King is connected to that Great Immortal Yang Mei?"
"Could it be that this is truly the karmic retribution for my life and death, and he is indeed the one sent by Great Immortal Yang Mei to claim my life?"
Patriarch Hongjun did not speak these words out of madness, but out of a profound sense of guilt that was difficult to articulate.
It turned out.
After Pangu created heaven and earth, during the second tribulation, the war between Dao and Demon, the situation was not as glorious and righteous as he claimed to outsiders.
Back then, Patriarch Luohu, the Demon Ancestor, was the strongest and most aggressive among the three thousand demon gods, wielding the God-Slaying Spear, second only to Pangu, the anomaly.
He had forced Patriarch Hongjun into a desperate retreat, almost to the point of offering the Jade Disc of Creation as compensation to seek survival.
Fortunately, at that time, Great Immortal Yang Mei had generously intervened, using the Yang Mei tree, the foremost of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots, not only to deal with Patriarch Luohu but also to help Patriarch Hongjun fully comprehend the profound mysteries of the Jade Disc of Creation.
Thus, he became the first Saint.
Unfortunately, later, Patriarch Hongjun became arrogant. Believing that he was gradually merging with the Heavenly Dao and about to become the Dao Ancestor, the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, he felt he had surpassed the three thousand demon gods and Great Immortal Yang Mei.
He parted ways with Great Immortal Yang Mei and, seizing an opportunity, inflicted a severe injury upon him to prevent himself from becoming the next Patriarch Luohu and being replaced by him.
Little did he know.
Great Immortal Yang Mei had long foreseen that Patriarch Hongjun would launch a sneak attack. He did not evade, dodge, or retaliate as expected.
Instead, before their complete separation, he left behind a prophecy.
The prophecy stated that Great Immortal Yang Mei, out of consideration for Patriarch Hongjun having been one of Pangu's most trusted juniors, would not hold his petty scheming against him. However, he warned him that if he were to violate the Great Dao in the future and assist the Heavenly Dao in its wicked deeds.
Then, sooner or later, this Dao Ancestor would also face trouble.
At that time, Patriarch Hongjun had dismissed it.
Now, it seemed, not only was there someone capable of challenging the Heavenly Dao and himself, but that person was none other than this Monkey King!
...
As for the latter, the Demon Saint who had been hiding in the Thirteenth Demonic Land, he was filled with an immense shock that even Patriarch Hongjun could not have calculated.
His shock was not just due to the "Book of Earth's" betrayal, Zhenyuanzi's disgrace, or Sun Kong's continued might and audacious display.
Most importantly, it was the special firewood spiritual treasure in Sun Kong's hand, the Journey to the West Gatling!
"This is impossible."
"This is absolutely impossible."
"This fellow must be cheating; otherwise, how could the Journey to the West Gatling artifact, which was clearly promised to me, have gone to him, this Monkey King?"
"What virtue and ability does this Monkey King possess to be worthy of such a divine artifact? I am not convinced, I do not believe it. No, I cannot wait for that guy to wake up; I must ask him quickly."
The Demon Saint, at this moment, no longer had the swagger he displayed in front of Xin Liu Er and the others. Instead, he appeared anxious, as if the Journey to the West Gatling should have belonged to him, not Sun Kong.
And then.
He stood up.
Mimicking Xin Liu Er's previous act of paying respects to him, he left his original space and descended further into the Earthly Immortal Realm, into lava flames billions of miles deep.
These lava flames were a special existence that even Saints treated with great caution, yet he braved death to descend in order to seek an answer to this question.
Until he arrived before a peculiar building resembling a church.
The Demon Saint "plopped" down on his knees.
Just as he was about to speak, he was repelled by a very displeased and cold voice from within the church!
"Demon Saint, as one of the Thirteen Disciples of my sect, why are you so disrespectful of the rules? Have you forgotten the principle that we must not be disturbed from our slumber until the final moment of the Journey to the West tribulation?"
"Are you trying to disrupt our slumber and ruin our great plan?"
"We already know your question; there is no need for much explanation. Sacrifice a clone, and you will receive the answer you desire. Otherwise, there are no free lunches!"
If Sun Kong had heard the voice from within this church, although he might not have immediately deduced who they were, he could have made many associations.
It was none other than the style of the Western gods from the Blue Star timeline, who always favored a bandit-like mentality and domineering actions!
These people were equally harsh to their own.
Indeed, the Demon Saint, though reluctant, had no choice but to endure the pain and sacrifice one of his meticulously cultivated three corpses, his good corpse, in order to understand Sun Kong's possession of the Journey to the West Gatling. He offered it to these people who devoured their own kind even more fiercely. After a few seconds, he finally received a garbled answer!
"The matter of the Journey to the West Gatling is very simple. That Monkey King had a similar fortuitous encounter to yours. The difference is that he traversed and possessed Sun Wukong."
"As for you, you traversed and possessed one of the relics of Patriarch Luohu, the Demon Saint Chessboard. One possessed the protagonist, while the other possessed a discarded item. Naturally, there is a vast difference."
"Also, next time you come to ask questions, remember to cultivate your clone better. A mere trash good corpse, not a clone like Tathagata, and you dare to offer it to us?"
It was bad enough that these people did not answer properly.
They even disdained the Demon Saint's good corpse, which was truly unparalleled!
...
At the Myriad Flowers Inn.
With the "Book of Earth's" betrayal, the Six Saints, Patriarch Hongjun, the Demon Saint, and the gods behind the Demon Saint were all in shock.
Sun Kong's prestige reached its zenith once again. He was a god-killer and a Buddha-slayer.
He didn't need to say much; those around him began to retreat in fear!
"The Qiangwei River lineage has offended you this time. Please, Great Sage Sun, be understanding. We have done all we can and are leaving immediately. As for the attendant of Empress Nuwa, whom I mistakenly swallowed, this King will spit her out soon, returning her intact."
"This Qiangwei Spear is a token of apology!"
The first to surrender was none other than the Qiangwei Dragon King and his second daughter, the Golden Carp Demon. They left behind the Qiangwei Spear and hastily departed.
As they left.
The demon servant on the other side, terrified, fled frantically.
Finally.
Only Zhenyuanzi remained, with a bitter expression on his face.
"If Great Sage Sun wishes to kill me, then kill me. This humble Taoist, although I admire your abilities, will never surrender and become a spineless wretch!"
Saying this.
Zhenyuanzi exposed his neck, appearing ready to face death.
However, Sun Kong did not court death in such a manner.
Instead, he forgave him!