In the Eastern Divine Continent, people knelt before the wooden sculpture and kowtowed. The Six-Eared Macaque sat in the distance, propping up his head as he watched this scene.

"He's starting to conquer the world."

The Six-Eared Macaque thought to himself, Sun Wukong is becoming more and more frightening.

Confronting humans with a human form is a very good strategy, as it can reduce much needless sacrifice, so the Six-Eared Macaque is not particularly surprised by Sun Wukong's approach.

However...

It seems his faith has become even more formidable than before?

The Six-Eared Macaque slightly furrowed his brow: "Has the great chaos in the Three Realms not affected him?"

He knew the reason for the great chaos in the Three Realms was not Sun Wukong, but because the Immortals and Buddhas had lost their influence.

Even the Buddha, perhaps, had some selfish motives in his heart, hoping to use the turmoil in the Three Realms to impact Sun Wukong's momentum and to strengthen the influence of Buddhism.

This was an opportunity to kill several birds with one stone.

But watching this scene of kneeling, the Six-Eared Macaque felt that Sun Wukong's faith in the human realm hadn't been affected at all.

"Hey, food…"

He stood up and said to the girl beside him: "Let's leave."

The girl did not respond.

The Six-Eared Macaque called out once more.

Only then did the girl snap out of it, hastily paying her respects: "Great King, what are your orders?"

"Why are you so vacant?"

The Six-Eared Macaque asked somewhat displeased.

This girl was someone he picked up on the road, who seemed to have regarded him as a benefactor.

She was obedient and even willing to offer herself as his food, which the Six-Eared Macaque found quite interesting, so he kept her by his side.

"Great King."

The girl promptly answered: "That Heavenly Emperor made me feel all tingly."

The Six-Eared Macaque furrowed his brow, then suddenly realized.

"Looks are merely external, now they'll have a tough problem."

He knew the reason for Sun Wukong's unwavering faith.

It was because of his appearance, which could bewitch those with mortal flesh.

The Six-Eared Macaque felt that this was a tricky problem for the immortals of the Heavenly Palace as well as for Lingshan.

"Interesting."

The Six-Eared Macaque suddenly found it amusing.

"Perhaps it's not bad to be a spectator."

He thought to himself, then walked away with the girl.

In the Daughter Country, the Monkey King's statue had only been moved out of the Royal Palace a few days ago, and now it had been brought back again.

"Your Majesty, why risk committing a grave offense against the Buddhist order?"

The State Preceptor asked the Queen: "The Wise Monkey has become a devil. Living in the Western Continent, why invite the wrath of Buddhism?"

"My nation's people are simple and honest, easily deceived by outsiders."

The Queen answered earnestly: "Seeing the Heavenly Emperor's statue will set their hearts at ease."

The State Preceptor glanced at the statue.

With this statue present, the citizens of Female Country indeed would not be interested in ordinary men.

But—

Men had never set foot in Female Country.

"Your Majesty must like it yourself, right?"

The State Preceptor thought to herself, but did not dare to say more.

After all, she also found the statue appealing.

Moving to the Southern Continent, the actions of Sun Wukong immediately shook Chang'an City.

In the dead of night, the lights in the Human Clan's Imperial Palace in Chang'an were still brightly lit, and the ministers were divided into two factions arguing fiercely.

"If the Heavenly Emperor is willing to reveal himself in human form, why should the Human Clan not recognize him?"

One faction said.

"Absolutely not!"

The other faction was just as unyielding: "A devil is a devil; we cannot regard him as human just because he assumes human form."

These people made their case to Liu Heng.

"Your Majesty, our Han Dynasty is the orthodox lineage of the Human Clan. Every move we make relates to the Three Realms; we cannot lightly change our faith."

They said: "If we recognize Sun Wukong as the Heavenly Emperor, what if the Jade Emperor returns one day? Our dynasty will be in peril!"

No nation can bear the punishment for acknowledging the wrong Heavenly Emperor.

Liu Heng's heart was with Huaguo Mountain, but he had to consider the Human Clan, and for a moment, he was also caught in a dilemma.

The ministers argued endlessly in the Imperial Palace.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the palace, a young man was sitting on the edge of a bed, spinning a glowing wooden sculpture in his hand.

A noise sounded, and the young man tucked the sculpture into his bosom and helped the girl on the bed sit up.

"Cough cough..."

The girl coughed, then asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

The boy shook his head.

"Is it the Wise Monkey?"

Yet the astute girl guessed it.

The boy always carried with him only the statue of the Wise Monkey.

"Well..."

The girl lay in the boy's embrace and asked, "Are you also a spirit person?"

The boy shook his head.

Exactly what spirit people are had led to much speculation among the folk, but within the Human Clan's Imperial Palace, it was no longer any great secret.

The girl clasped the boy's hands.

"I've seen you so often melancholy this past year; you've also awakened your memories, haven't you?"

She asked.

The boy did not answer.

However, a lack of answer is often the best answer.

The girl felt somewhat dejected, but still she forced a smile: "You want to go back, right?"

"No, I don't."

The boy immediately replied: "I promised you, I won't go back."

"I believe you."

The girl nodded, reached out to touch the boy's face: "Seeing your expression, I know you won't go back... In that world, you must have stayed for me too."

She knew the boy must have stayed by her side, accompanying her through a lifetime, perhaps never returning home again.

"How would you know?"

The boy's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Because you're crying."

The girl said.

The boy was shedding tears, perhaps even he himself did not know how much pain he was in.

"You weren't meant to stay here."

The girl felt a pang of sorrow in her heart, but still she said, "Perhaps I've restrained you too much. You left Huaguo Mountain, to learn more, not for me."

"No, it's not..."

"Don't lie to me anymore."

The girl placed her hand over the boy's mouth: "Go back."

"You love that place so much, having missed it once already, I can't be selfish any longer."

"But you weren't being selfish."

The boy shook his head: "That's not you."

"No, it is me..."

The girl spoke, despite having forgotten, she knew it must have been her own selfishness.

"Go back."

"Alright, I will take you back with me."

The boy dried his tears and said: "I want to take you to meet the Great King."

In his previous life, he had made a similar offer, yet the girl had refused.

This time, the girl hesitated, but still refused.

"I don't want to leave here."

She spoke: "I've lived here since I was little, too frail and timid to survive in Huaguo Mountain..."

"I won't agree with you anymore."

The boy took the wooden carving out from his embrace.

"Who is this?"

The girl asked.

She had never seen anyone more handsome than the figure on the carving.

"The Great King."

The boy replied.

"The Great King has been enormously benevolent to me."

The boy spoke to the wooden carving: "I have failed you time and again, so I have no face to ask for your help, but this time, can you help me?"

"... Okay."

A voice came from within the wooden carving.

Afterward, the light from the wooden carving enveloped the girl and carried her towards Huaguo Mountain.

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