Great Demon Sun Wukong

Just as Zhu Bajie hung his head in a sigh, he suddenly felt a very familiar presence and, puzzled, lifted his gaze. In an instant, Zhu Bajie was stunned. His eyes were fixated on that figure not far away. Could it be, could it really be her?

Suddenly, Zhu Bajie became excited, his whole body trembling with the emotion! It must be her, there could be no mistake. She was alright, that was wonderful, too wonderful. As long as she was alright, it didn't matter what became of him.

Just as Zhu Bajie thought about stepping forward to recognize her, he suddenly remembered his current state. Was he even human anymore? Perhaps, his current state could at best be described as a spiritual body, right? He didn't even have a physical body anymore.

With such a disfigured, ghastly appearance, how could he face Chang'er? The great joy he had felt just now quickly turned into immense fear.

Eventually, the mournful music came to a halt, yet Zhu Bajie still stood there dumbfounded, neither daring to step forward nor bear to leave, just foolishly gazing at Chang'er.

When the music ceased, the woman in white also sighed softly. This sigh, falling on the monks' ears below, undoubtedly deepened their sorrow. Following her sigh, the woman in white waved her hands, and two streams of light like moonbeams, fell like a sheer veil onto the monks below.

Immediately, those who had been injured, whether seriously or lightly, all recovered from their injuries in the blink of an eye. And their hearts heavy with sorrow seemed to somewhat ease.

Zhu Bajie, witnessing all this, couldn't help but feel puzzled. Why would Chang'er save these monks? While Chang'er's nature was indeed very kind, the monks of Buddhism were after all the culprits who had destroyed Heaven; even if Chang'er was kind-hearted, she surely wouldn't heal these monks, would she?

Moreover, how could injuries caused by the Solar Divine Fire be healed so easily by Chang'er's mere hand gesture? Since when could Chang'er perform such feats?

As his doubts grew heavier, Zhu Bajie could no longer care about his own physical state and with a few flashes, he was in front of Chang'er. Just as he was about to reach out, he remembered his current body and, with a pang of heartache, lowered his hand again.

"Chang'er? Is it you?"

After healing the monks, the woman in white frowned slightly and looked up at Zhu Bajie. But in her bright eyes, which were as clear as autumn waters, confusion and anger were apparent.

"I am Chang'er, but who are you? The forces of Buddhism have lost their combat power, why do you still pursue them so relentlessly?"

Hearing Chang'er's scolding, Zhu Bajie could hardly believe his own ears. She, she was asking who I was? Could it be that Chang'er no longer recognized me? How could that be?

His heart, briefly calmed, was once again agitated. Without thinking, Zhu Bajie held onto Chang'er's hands, but before he could speak, he faced her merciless attack.

"Let go, you villain," she said.

With a flick of her wrist, she broke free from Zhu Bajie's grasp; then, with a gentle push of her hands forward, that light touch landed harshly on Zhu Bajie's chest, much to his disbelief.

Flying backward, Zhu Bajie suddenly felt as though ten great mountains were pressing down upon his chest. His Solar God Fire Body, condensed from the Solar Divine Fire, slightly caved in at the chest.

But the pain in his chest was nothing compared to the pain in Zhu Bajie's heart.

"Chang'er, I am Zhu Bajie, I am Tianpeng!" he wailed, crashing into a palace like a cannonball. The originally magnificent palace was directly reduced to ruins by Zhu Bajie's impact.

When had Chang'er become so powerful? Or perhaps, the person before him was not Chang'er at all? Yes, if it were really Chang'er, why would she attack him? And with such ruthlessness? Even though he lacked a physical body, his appearance, transformed by the Solar Divine Fire, hadn't changed. If it were truly Chang'er, she would certainly recognize him.

At this moment, Zhu Bajie's initial euphoria had gradually given way to calm, and the possibility that Chang'er before him might be an impostor ignited a sudden rage within him.

Then, the palace that Zhu Bajie had smashed into ruins suddenly erupted in an extremely fierce golden flame. The roaring fire occasionally revealed the phantom images of several three-legged Golden Crows.

Emerging from the midst of the flames, Zhu Bajie's face was filled with anger. He resembled a man of fire, his body aflame with golden fire, and behind him, a pair of massive wings of flame had formed.

With a flap of those fiery wings, Zhu Bajie took to the air, and with another flap, he charged straight towards the woman in white suspected to be Chang'er. As he approached, a golden raven's head formed from the flames appeared above his head, its sharp, metallic beak undoubtedly possessed a formidable attack power.

"Speak, who are you really? Why do you take on Chang'er's guise? If you don't tell me, I will kill you!" Chang'er held an unimaginably important place in Zhu Bajie's heart, and he could not tolerate anyone deceiving him by taking on Chang'er's appearance.

Thus, having confirmed that the person was not Chang'er, Zhu Bajie didn't hesitate to attack.

"Hmph, I've told you, I am Chang'er. You scoundrel, how dare you strike me? You're courting death!"

Watching Zhu Bajie's terrifying strike, the woman in white seemed unfazed, even revealing a look of disdain in her eyes. A full-force strike from someone in the early stages of sainthood, especially one concentrated with the world's strongest Solar Divine Fire, and yet the woman in white still appeared disdainful.

If this wasn't due to her lack of worldly experience, it must mean she possessed absolutely overwhelming strength, so formidable that she could afford to completely disregard someone in the early stages of sainthood!

With a cold snort from the woman in white, she swept her hands before her, and a cool, moonlight-like barrier rose in front of her. It expanded rapidly, eventually encompassing all the Buddhist disciples below within its light.

"Moonlight Barrier!" Just as the barrier rose, Zhu Bajie, carrying the terrifying Solar Divine Fire, collided with it. The next moment, a scene so shocking and unbelievable unfolded.

The monks below, who thought they were doomed upon seeing Zhu Bajie's approach and recognized the force as far more formidable than the previous Solar Divine Fire, braced for annihilation. This attack would surely obliterate what was left of Buddhism's last strength in an instant.

Just when many monks had closed their eyes in resignation to their fate, a cry of agony sounded—an anguished cry that seemed peculiarly like Zhu Bajie's.

So, everyone simultaneously brushed off their shock and looked up, only to see Zhu Bajie colliding with the nearly transparent, thin barrier. The Solar Divine Fire, which condensed the hard beak of a bird, instantly snapped and shattered into flames, followed by Zhu Bajie himself violently crashing against it.

Similarly, the apparently fragile Moonlight Barrier remained undisturbed without even a ripple, but Zhu Bajie was left in a pitiful state. Not only had his flames dissipated, but he also spat out blood as he was repelled by the Moonlight Barrier.

Just who was this person? How could they possess such terrifying power? This strength, it seemed to have already surpassed the realm of sainthood, hadn't it?

After being repelled by the barrier, Zhu Bajie was also shocked to his core because that collision had instilled fear into the nine Solar Gold Elixirs within him, and they suddenly fell silent. No matter how Zhu Bajie called to them, none of the nine Golden Cores responded!

What on earth was going on?

Looking at the repelled Zhu Bajie with disdain, the woman in white said, "A mere early-stage saint dares to attack the Heavenly Dao? Had I not shown mercy for the sake of Nuwa from your Demon Clan, I would have taken your life just now!"

After she spoke, she waved her hand, and the barrier disappeared. Then she continued to Zhu Bajie, "Today, I shall spare your life. These remaining followers of Buddhism, you must not trouble them henceforth. The Heavenly Dao is merciful, every being has its own reason for existence.

Buddhism has committed many injustices, and although this calamity is self-inflicted, their very foundation should not be eradicated."

"Billions of years ago, Heaven and Buddhism spared your Demon Clan. Today, it is your turn to spare the lives of the Buddhism followers."