Unbeknownst to the Heavenly Dao, the Demonic Dao, Patriarch Hongjun, the other four Saints, Sun Wukong, the Demon Saint, or the thirteen Saints of the Demonic Dao, in the deepest part of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, Jieyin Daoist and Zhunti Daoist, who were usually compassionate and advocated Nirvana, revealed terrifying, unbelievable sinister smiles.
Clearly, the two of them had long been dissatisfied with the Heavenly Dao, Patriarch Hongjun, and the three Saints due to the saying "Three thousand Great Daos, eight hundred side doors." However, in previous kalpas, due to their weak strength and limited influence, they dared not offend. They could only endure.
Now, with the second outbreak of the war between Dao and Demon, and with Sun Wukong and Luohu's conflict attracting 99.99% of the attention of countless beings in the Great Desolation, their brotherhood had been granted immense freedom. These two brothers were actually initiating a shocking, unknown grand plan!
The goal, it seemed, was nothing else but to break free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao, the Demonic Dao, and even the entire Great Desolation!
"Senior Brother, can that matter truly be initiated ahead of schedule?"
"It must be. Now, even the Heavenly Dao and the Demonic Dao are preoccupied by the conflict between Monkey Sun and Luohu, and the destiny of the Great Desolation is in greater chaos than ever. If we don't seize this opportunity, we brothers will never have a chance to turn things around."
"Hahaha, that would be wonderful. If so, we brothers can finally rest easy."
"No one would have imagined that our forbearance until now was not for the mere Journey to the West kalpa and its trivial merit rewards, but because..."
"Junior Brother, do not speak of it until it is truly achieved. Even though this Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss can shield us from external calculations and perceptions, we must not be careless."
"Have you forgotten the final fates of the three great Saint-level experts back then: Hongjun, Demon Ancestor Luohu, and Immortal Yang Mei?"
"We two were originally among the three thousand demon gods before Pangu's creation of the world, Jieyin God of War and Zhunti God of War. We narrowly escaped Pangu's axe, and we cannot afford to be targeted again."
Hearing his Senior Brother Jieyin Daoist's words, Zhunti Daoist, who had been somewhat overly excited, immediately regained his composure. However, the cold glint and murderous intent in his eyes indicated that he would never forget the scenes before the Great Desolation was formed.
The reason was simple. The saying "Three thousand Great Daos, eight hundred side doors" was not just prejudice against them. It was the truth!
Not only were they two of the three thousand demon gods who survived by their remnant souls before the creation of the world, but they also had a master comparable to Pangu. It was this master who allowed them to survive countless kalpas and tribulations from immeasurable epochs until the Great Desolation era.
Similarly, it was because of their master, who possessed Saint-level cultivation comparable to Pangu but could not withstand the Pangu axe of the Great Desolation's primary ruler, Pangu the Great, that he eventually perished. This also forced these two disciples, known as "side door," to remain hidden and develop stealthily until after the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, the first war between Dao and Demon, the Witch-Monster kalpa...
And then, a few thousand years ago, after calculating that the Journey to the West kalpa, which was originally a minor tribulation after the Investiture of the Gods, had undergone a change, they decisively chose Empress Nuwa's five-colored stone and their own Mani Pearls, and plotted accordingly.
It could be said that the successive crossings of Sun Wukong and the Demon Saint were beyond their expectations. However, the true instigator of the Journey to the West kalpa was not the Heavenly Dao. It was them!
"Senior Brother's admonishment is absolutely correct. It was my carelessness that made me forget our Master's fate. However, I still have a question."
"That is, Senior Brother, are you not afraid that Monkey Sun and the Demon Saint, these two individuals with great destiny and immense fortune, might pose a threat to us in the future?"
"You must know that others may not see the strangeness about them, but we two are 'outsiders.' Ever since Sun Wukong single-handedly faced the first tribulation, I recognized his extraordinary nature."
"I truly worry that the Monkey Sun we personally nurtured might have an unpredictable stance in the future, coupled with the whereabouts of Tathagata, who is unknown whether he lives or dies."
"Perhaps they will become the greatest obstacle to our master's resurrection."
When mentioning Sun Wukong, Zhunti Daoist, who should have had a look of immense satisfaction and pride in their past master-disciple relationship, showed no such expression. Instead, there was only an unfathomable vigilance! It seemed that these two were indeed worthy of being Saints of the Western Sect, as they had long been wary of Sun Wukong. If they had not been constrained by the need for him to attract countless beings in the Journey to the West and to tie down the powers of the Dao and Demon conflict, they would have captured Sun Wukong long ago for a detailed study!
"Junior Brother, it's just a Monkey Sun and a Demon Saint who appeared from who knows where. Although they have had some minor fortunate encounters and bear great destiny from the Heavenly Dao and the Demonic Dao respectively, they are not even Quasi-Saints. How powerful can they be?"
"Furthermore, as long as our Master returns, let alone them, even the Three Saints and Patriarch Hongjun will be powerless against us."
"Let's not be too distracted. Let us hand over this useless Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism to Monkey Sun to utilize. After all, few within them truly qualify for the Great Dao of Nirvana."
"Tathagata in the past was one, but unfortunately, he was not obedient enough and deserved his demise."
"The current Maitreya Buddha is a borderline case, but in the face of our matter, he is not worth mentioning. It is better to concentrate our efforts on severing our Saintly true spirits and accelerating our Master's resurrection."
At this point, the Jieyin Daoist, who had always appeared sorrowful, actually extended a Saintly hand and began to contend with the Saintly true spirit entrusted to the Heavenly Dao, which was located somewhere in the chaotic void. Moving further might sever this Saintly connection. Stepping back might also destroy his Saintly true spirit, dooming him for all eternity. It was truly an extremely perilous situation.
It was no wonder. Compared to Sun Wukong merely provoking the Buddhist monks of Spirit Mountain and the immortals of the Heavenly Court, and bullying those below the Quasi-Saint level, these two were far more reckless!
Seeing this, Zhunti Daoist, sitting opposite him, did not dare to hesitate and joined in. They risked their own annihilation, and by controlling the timing, they were accelerating their Master's resurrection. Their boldness was astonishing, and the heavens-defying nature of their plan went entirely unnoticed by anyone. Truly remarkable!
...
Meanwhile, on Sun Wukong's side, he had been using his Fiery Golden Eyes to observe the small-scale battles between the Tang Dynasty of the mortal realm and the demon army for two years. There were no less than ten thousand engagements. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, beyond calculation. However, since their most powerful figures had not made a move, and only those below the Golden Immortal level were fighting, he had not been too distracted.
Until this morning, two and a half years later. He calculated and arrived at a shocking result that made even him frown slightly!