A million miles had passed since then.
With this expansion, Sun Wukong's journey became lighter and more stable. Even when encountering some foolish little demons who dared to seek death, he dealt with them one by one.
Soon, the team led by Sun Wukong, with Jin Chanzi as Tang Monk, Nezha as the White Dragon Horse, and the Six Ding and Six Jia as escorts, had once again traveled ten million miles.
Less than thirty million miles from Fuling Mountain.
It was considered "close"!
...
Meanwhile.
Somewhere in the chaotic void.
Just as Sun Wukong and Sakyamuni had predicted, due to the re-alignment of the various Saints and the increasing influence of Sun Wukong on the destiny of the Journey to the West, the control of the Heavenly Dao and Patriarch Hongjun over the original Six Great Saints had drastically weakened.
Although, on the surface, besides Tongtian Sect Master, Yuan Shi Tianzun and Empress Nuwa among the other five still followed their directives.
However, upon considering that Laozi and the Two Sages of the West had successively declared neutrality, clearly defying them.
This caused both the Heavenly Dao and Patriarch Hongjun immense shame and extreme anger.
It was also for this reason that, last time, for the matter of Xing Tian, after much deliberation, they couldn't find a suitable mediator and had to temporarily enlist Zhen Yuanzi.
It seemed insignificant at the time.
But in retrospect, the Heavenly Dao and Patriarch Hongjun, who were the first and second powers in the Great Desolation before Sun Wukong's appearance, felt extremely aggrieved.
They couldn't help but secretly confer again.
What did they confer about?
Naturally, it was about how to quickly retaliate against the Six Great Saints while not affecting the overall situation, during the time when various factions were vying for favor in the two rounds of the Journey to the West!
"Daoist Hongjun, in the current state of the Great Desolation, you and I cannot simply let them act recklessly. If this continues, even if the Journey to the West is completed, you and I will be marginalized."
"And you are well aware of how dire the consequences of such marginalization would be."
"Although you proposed Xing Tian and the remnants of the Witch Clan behind him, I, this Heavenly Dao, truly dare not place all my hopes on an enemy we once schemed against."
"Moreover, even before the rise of the Demon Clan, that Monkey King Sun had already displayed extraordinary talent. With Rahula and others, there are even more variables."
"Although nominally, we are still the first and second masters of this Great Desolation World, in private, we are already in ruins."
"The Saints of all heavens are successively becoming estranged. Even Empress Nuwa and Yuan Shi, who are still here to maintain the first round of the Journey to the West in the Immortal Realm, are focused on Sun Wukong and do not show much regard for us."
"Not to mention, how Rahula is plotting, and the Demon Saints behind him, thirteen Demon Dao Saint-level experts, neither of us detected them in time. This is a major crisis."
"Previously, because Rahula and Sun Wukong were enemies, you and I had some room to maneuver."
"But now, as you can see, they both possess Pangu's bloodline. If the Journey to the West fails, we might still be able to manipulate them to some extent. But if the Journey to the West succeeds and they are no longer constrained, the consequences will be..."
"Perhaps others believe we are immortal and eternally existent."
"But you and I know very well how we defeated Demon Ancestor Rahula back then, how we divided Pangu's legacy. In the future, these people will surely adopt similar methods. Once you and I are gone, this Great Desolation World will also... Alas, I never imagined that I, this Heavenly Dao, merely created a minor calamity for the Journey to the West, only to have my existence threatened by someone defying destiny!"
Facing all sorts of powerful individuals who could threaten his very existence, the Heavenly Dao, which was once so arrogant, so omnipotent, believing itself to be the master of the Great Desolation World.
At this moment, as it spoke in a torrent of words like Xianglin Sao, a rare expression of fear appeared in its Heavenly Eye, which did not have actual eyes.
Hearing this, Patriarch Hongjun, who had also been avoiding others and had been in the chaotic void for a long time, deeply agreed and couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as well.
Not for any other reason.
It was because he and the Heavenly Dao shared prosperity and shared adversity. Although they had bumped heads and had disharmony over the years, they had mostly cooperated.
They knew best that, beneath the Great Dao, there was no one, nor any Saint or Heavenly Dao Saint-level, Heavenly Dao-level existence.
Who could not be annihilated, who could not be replaced.
Otherwise, they would not have succeeded in defeating Demon Ancestor Rahula back then, driven away Yang Mei Da Xian, and taken over Pangu's legacy, thus establishing the later Great Desolation World.
Outsiders might not know.
Even the Six Great Saints might not know.
However, they, who personally experienced the battle of that year, and who had also tested the situations in other similar Great Thousand Worlds over these many kalpas,
Knew best of all.
That there was truly nothing eternal in this world.
Perhaps there was only one, and that was the profound and mysterious Great Dao!
The saying goes that the Great Dao has fifty.
The Heavenly Dao deduces forty-nine, unable to grasp the last sliver of life.
These words, on the surface, praised the Heavenly Dao and its spokesperson, Patriarch Hongjun, but their true meaning was far from this.
Beneath the Great Dao, there were three thousand Great Thousand Worlds, ninety thousand Middle Worlds, and a billion Small Worlds.
Each Great Thousand World had the potential to give birth to a world will similar to the Great Desolation Heavenly Dao.
Under certain coincidental circumstances,
That will could also achieve an existence similar to the Great Desolation Heavenly Dao.
And three thousand such existences as the Great Desolation Heavenly Dao could deduce the Great Dao, and it was not the so-called forty-nine from fifty, because, besides the three thousand Great Thousand Worlds, there were also other Middle Worlds and Small Worlds.
And special spacetime that all worlds could not reach.
All of the above combined constituted the true fifty of the Great Dao. Any Great Thousand World, at its limit, deducing one of the fifty, would be a miracle.
And this Heavenly Dao, or more accurately, the Great Desolation Heavenly Dao, although it had also evolved the Great Desolation World and various marvels.
It knew very well that it had not yet deduced any of the fifty.
Otherwise,
Why would it have to rely on major kalpas to weaken those who posed a great threat to it, such as the Three Primal Races, the Witch and Demon clans, etc.
And then,
Use minor kalpas to clear out those who disobeyed its will and might defy destiny, such as Tongtian Sect Master, who almost defeated the Chan School during the Investiture of the Gods kalpa.
But now, it seemed.
With Sun Wukong, Rahula, the Demon Dao Alliance... this game was becoming unplayable!
"This Great Desolation Heavenly Dao is also in a hurry."
"This is going to be a big one."
"To salvage the defeat, it seems the only way is that one method!"
After being questioned by the Great Desolation Heavenly Dao for a long time, Patriarch Hongjun opened his eyes!