The Heavenly Palace, after a violent tremor, gradually returned to calm.

On the ruins of the Thirty-Three Layered Heaven, a white mountain stood on the site of Doushuai Temple.

That was one of Zhulong's teeth, which had fallen into the Three Realms after its death.

"Did this guy die to save the Heavenly Emperor?"

"That's just too foolish of a death!"

The Immortals stood beside the giant tooth, discussing. What kind of person was Sun Wukong? Why would he need Zhulong's protection?

Clearly, Zhulong had wasted its life in vain.

"This guy died without any value."

Immortal Zhenyuan sighed.

"No, it died with great value."

Emperor Qinghua replied, "Look at His Majesty's expression."

Immortal Zhenyuan looked toward Sun Wukong beside the giant tooth.

Sun Wukong stood there, his expression full of contemplation.

It seemed as if he had found the answer and extended his hand toward the giant tooth.

His fingers lightly touched the giant tooth, and a crack appeared on it. Then, with a "boom," the entire tooth turned to powder, swept away by the wind.

The white powder drifted and scattered toward the earth.

Sun Wukong's gaze was fixed on this scene.

"Imperial Brother."

The Jade Emperor suddenly appeared behind him, "Can you tell me what killed it?"

He felt it was incredible, having assumed it was a formidable enemy, it had died so easily. Everyone couldn't quite believe it.

"The great calamity of the Three Realms."

Sun Wukong answered, "The great calamity killed it."

"A great calamity!?"

The Immortals were in an uproar.

"Imperial Brother, have you discovered the truth of the great calamity?"

The Jade Emperor asked.

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "It was Tathāgata."

The Immortals were stunned, "Buddha?"

Immediately, a Bodhisattva stood forward, "Impossible!"

"The Buddha has already passed, how could he become the great calamity!"

The other Bodhisattvas were indignant.

"This Tathāgata is not the Buddha."

Sun Wukong shook his head.

The Tathāgata is one of the ten epithets of the Buddha; it actually signifies: becoming enlightenment by following the true path.

"Thus" in the Buddhist scriptures refers to absolute truth. Tathāgata means that the Buddha, who is said to possess absolute truth, comes to teach in the world to save all beings.

"This Tathāgata is the Blood Tathāgata."

Sun Wukong continued, "He was originally the light of immeasurable brightness, but for some reason, he turned into immeasurable darkness, not allowing anyone to leave chaos."

He had learned much from the fragmented thoughts of Zhulong.

Millions of years ago, there was a Venerable in the Chaos Realm conveying salvation to all beings. He placed Buddha beads near every small world, and after the beings of the small world hatched, they could gain wisdom from the beads, stepping out of Chaos.

However, the Venerable's temperament later changed drastically, and the Buddha beads he laid down became tools to prevent the hatching of the small worlds.

"Once the barrier of the small world is opened and sensed by the Buddha bead, it will destroy the small world."

Sun Wukong said.

The Immortals stared blankly.

"So, in that sense..."

The Jade Emperor asked, "What killed Zhulong was actually a Buddha bead?"

"Yes."

Sun Wukong nodded.

The creature in the blood-red space, while humanoid, was essentially just a giant Buddha bead.

"Absurd!"

The Jade Emperor turned pale with anger, "How could a mere Buddha bead have such immense power!"

"Could that Buddha bead destroy the Three Realms?"

Immortal Zhenyuan followed up with a question.

"No... it probably can't."

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment and replied, "It has cultivated for millions of years, and its greatest power was probably that strike just now."

The Buddha bead killing Zhulong was its maximum power, terrifying as it was, it couldn't destroy the Three Realms.

The true power that could destroy the Three Realms was the power of the Blood Tathāgata, hidden in that blood-red space—the Buddha bead seemed to be the key to unlocking that power.

But as for that power, Sun Wukong didn't have a clear idea.

"The information I have is scarce, and my understanding of that power is just speculation. I still need to investigate further to confirm."

Sun Wukong told the Immortals, "As per usual, within one to two hundred years after the Buddha bead awakens, the Three Realms will be destroyed."

The expressions of the Immortals immediately turned serious.

Sun Wukong finished speaking and turned to leave the Thirty-Three Layered Heaven.

Immortal Zhenyuan followed him.

"Brother, why did the Blood Tathāgata's temperament change so drastically?"

"I don't know."

Sun Wukong shook his head.

Zhulong knew little about the Blood Tathāgata, but that Venerable was indeed the only light in Chaos at first.

"Maybe..."

Sun Wukong said, "His obsession was too strong."

"Hmm?"

Immortal Zhenyuan stopped in his tracks, watching Sun Wukong's back fade into the distance.

He understood why Sun Wukong uttered those words. The Buddha from the small world and the Buddha here once took extreme measures to save all beings.

Perhaps that light of immeasurable brightness had made the same mistake.

Sun Wukong returned to Huaguo Mountain.

He hadn't been away long, but upon returning from the Chaos Realm and seeing those verdant mountains and the mist among them, Sun Wukong felt as if he were in a dream while afloat.

"Brother!"

Ao Luan flew up to greet him from below.

Sun Wukong looked at her and smiled slightly, "I'm back."

"Yes."

Ao Luan nodded, her face full of joy.

She had many questions, but seeing Sun Wukong safe and sound, she asked none of them.

"Brother, you went beyond the realm. What was it like there?"

Ao Luan brought up the topic that most interested Sun Wukong.

"A chaotic world."

Sun Wukong furrowed his brows slightly, "Not pretty."

But something stirred within him, and he raised his eyebrows, "Someday, I will dispel that chaos."

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