All Heavens: Sharing Talents with Countless Mes

Tang Sanzang tumbled off the horse and scrambled to Chu Yang's side, grabbing him and bursting into tears.

“Benefactor Chu…you are badly injured…let’s stop, this humble monk will bandage you…” Tang Seng’s voice trembled as he looked at the deep, bone-revealing wounds on Chu Yang’s body, his heart filled with guilt and fear.

"It's alright... I won't die..." Chu Yang waved his hand weakly. "This bamboo forest... has a lot of yin energy, which is perfect for concealing our presence. Master, go further in and find a secluded cave to hide in. I'll set up a concealment formation here, and that birdman won't be able to find us for a while."

Tang Sanzang nodded vigorously and helped Chu Yang into the depths of the bamboo forest. Under a very hidden stone wall, they found a dry cave that could only accommodate two or three people.

Chu Yang, clinging to his last bit of spiritual power, set up several arrays at the cave entrance to conceal his presence. Then, leaning against the cold stone wall, he slowly slid down to the ground and closed his eyes.

The cave was extremely quiet, with only the heavy breathing of the two people audible.

Time slipped away, bit by bit. Every second was an inhuman torment for Tang Sanzang.

He gripped the sandalwood prayer beads tightly in both hands, his knuckles turning white, but the words he uttered were no longer those prayers for Buddha's blessing.

"Wukong...you must live...you must come back alive..." Tang Sanzang closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face, repeating these words over and over. Only now did he truly understand that all these gods and Buddhas in the heavens were unreliable. The only ones he could rely on were his disciples who had shared life and death with him.

The sky outside gradually darkened. The entire Sorrowful Cloud Ravine was plunged into deathly darkness.

Chu Yang had been in a semi-conscious state for an unknown period of time when suddenly his ears twitched slightly and his eyes snapped open.

"There's movement!"

Chu Yang struggled to grip the Sword of Slaying Karma and Ignorance beside him, watching the cave entrance warily. Tang Seng also trembled with fear, staring intently outside.

"boom!"

A dull thud sounded not far from the cave entrance, followed by the cracking sound of a tree branch breaking.

By the faint moonlight, Chu Yang saw an extremely disheveled golden figure fall heavily from mid-air to the edge of the array at the cave entrance.

"Who goes there!" Chu Yang shouted in a low voice.

"Brother...it's me..."

A faint, hoarse voice, which instantly brought tears to the eyes of Chu Yang and Tang Seng, came from outside the formation.

Chu Yang immediately dispelled the formation and rushed out. Tang Seng followed closely behind, stumbling and scrambling.

Outside the cave, on the ground covered with fallen leaves, lay a person covered in blood. No, that could no longer be called a "person".

Sun Wukong had dispelled his magic and returned to his normal size. His once imposing golden chainmail was now completely shattered, with only a few scraps of iron clinging to his body. His fur was charred black, and he was covered in deep, bone-revealing wounds, his golden blood almost completely drained.

Even more terrifying were his eyes. Those once all-seeing, fiery eyes were now dull and lifeless, with golden-red blood vessels constantly seeping from the corners. Clearly, the Brahma Soul-Suppressing Seal had inflicted unimaginable damage on his soul.

"Wukong!!!" Tang Sanzang collapsed beside Sun Wukong, his hands trembling as he tried to hug him, but afraid of touching his wounds, and cried out in heart-wrenching sobs, "How did you get so badly injured... my good disciple..."

Chu Yang bit his lip hard, his eyes red-rimmed. He quickly took out the last few healing pills from his pocket and stuffed them into Sun Wukong's mouth. Then he sat cross-legged and carefully transferred the last bit of pure yang energy in his body into Sun Wukong's body to protect his heart meridian.

"Brother...don't bother..." Sun Wukong struggled to open one eye, looked at Tang Sanzang with tears streaming down his face and Chu Yang with a livid expression, and actually cracked open his blood-stained mouth, pulling out a smile that was even uglier than crying.

“Master…why are you crying…I, Old Sun…am not dead yet…” Sun Wukong’s voice was broken and intermittent, but it revealed an extremely stubborn pride, “That birdman…wasn’t having an easy time either…I, Old Sun, risked taking two hits from that broken seal…and used my stick…to break one of his legs…and pluck half the feathers from his wing…”

Hearing Sun Wukong still bragging, Chu Yang couldn't help but scold, "What kind of time is this to be bragging! That's a magic weapon bestowed by Buddha! Are you out of your mind!"

Sun Wukong coughed violently a few times, spitting out a mouthful of golden stagnant blood, but his eyes gradually regained a glimmer of light.

“Brother… I, Old Sun, know… today’s beating… is a warning from those old guys up there…” Sun Wukong stared intently into Chu Yang’s eyes, his hand gripping Chu Yang’s sleeve tightly. “This means… they’re afraid… they’re afraid we won’t follow their plan…”

Chu Yang gripped Sun Wukong's blood-stained hand tightly and nodded heavily: "I understand, Brother Monkey, I understand everything."

“Brother…” Sun Wukong took a deep breath, his tone becoming more serious and cold than ever before, “That large seal… is too evil… it specifically targets the soul… my old body can’t withstand it… we have to think of a way… to destroy it… or steal it… otherwise… we won’t be able to walk the path ahead…”

A fierce glint flashed in Chu Yang's eyes. He stroked the Sword of Slaying Karma at his waist and said through gritted teeth, "Brother Monkey, don't worry. I, Chu Yang, will remember this blood debt. So what if it's Buddha's magic weapon? So what if it's Guanyin's lackey? Once your injuries heal, my brother and I will collect it all, interest and all!"

The black bamboo forest swayed violently in the night wind, the rough bamboo leaves rubbing against each other, making a teeth-grinding "rustling" sound like countless rusty blades cutting each other. The chill of Sorrowful Cloud Ravine seemed to come alive, turning into wisps of white mist that, like cold, venomous snakes, silently burrowed into the depths of the cave through the cracks in the few loose rocks used to conceal it at the entrance.

The cave was extremely cramped, filled with the heavy stench of blood, the earthy smell of dirt, and the acrid odor of Sun Wukong's body—a mixture of frostbite from the extreme cold and scorching heat. Chu Yang leaned against the cold stone wall, his left hand pressed tightly against his chest, forcefully suppressing the surging blood and qi within him caused by the depletion of his spiritual energy. At the tip of his right index finger, he struggled to maintain a tiny wisp of pure yang fire, no bigger than a soybean. This faint orange-red light was the only source of heat and light in this dark cave.

By the dim light of the fire, Tang Sanzang was kneeling on the ground, his hands trembling violently.

The once pristine brocade robe he wore, a symbol of the supreme glory of Buddhism and the Buddha's grace, had now been torn into countless shreds without hesitation. Tang Sanzang's eyes were red, almost dripping with blood. He took the ornate scraps of cloth and carefully wiped away the deep, bone-revealing wounds on Sun Wukong's body, trying to stop the ever-seeping golden blood with these strips of cloth.

Sun Wukong lay on the cold stone slab, his eyes tightly closed, his breathing so weak it seemed he might stop at any moment. His once-steel-like dark golden fur was now falling out in large clumps, revealing the rolled-up flesh beneath. Especially on his head, the golden mark left by the "Brahma Soul-Suppressing Seal" continued to flicker extremely slowly; with each flicker, Sun Wukong's body would convulse violently, and a muffled groan of pain would escape his throat.

"Wukong... bear with it... I'll be gentle... it'll be over soon..." Tang Sanzang's voice was hoarse and his tears fell like broken beads onto Sun Wukong's tattered armor, mixing with golden blood and staining patches of glaring dark red.

"Master... don't bother..." Sun Wukong struggled to open one eye. His once unruly fiery eyes were now bloodshot, their light dimmed like a candle flickering in the wind. He forced a smile, trying to offer some comfort, but it aggravated the wounds on his face, causing him to gasp in pain.

"This external injury... is nothing serious. It's the soul... that broken seal... that damaged my soul. A few tattered pieces of cloth... can't cover it up."

Tang Sanzang's hands froze in mid-air, his hands, stained with golden blood, tightly gripping the tattered cassock. He stared blankly at Sun Wukong, at this once arrogant and domineering Great Sage Equal to Heaven, now lying in mud and blood like a dying mortal.

"Why..." Tang Sanzang's voice was hollow, as if he had lost his soul. He seemed to be asking Sun Wukong, or Chu Yang, or even questioning the unseen gods and Buddhas in the sky.

"Why is this happening? That white feather is clearly a crane from Mount Ling. That Brahma Soul-Suppressing Seal, that Eight Desolate Pure Water Bowl, that Zhou Tian Bodhi Net... all are supreme Buddhist treasures! We are a team ordered to retrieve the scriptures. We have gone through countless hardships and survived nine deaths. Why would they treat us so cruelly? Why!"

Tang Seng suddenly turned his head, staring intently at the faint flame at Chu Yang's fingertip, his bloodshot eyes filled with disbelief and utter despair.

Chu Yang did not answer immediately. He brought the firelight from his fingertips closer so that Tang Seng could see his cold eyes.

“Master, don’t you understand?” Chu Yang’s voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it resounded like thunder in the silent cave. “Because we deviated from the script they had written. Because we didn’t obediently become lambs to the slaughter in Lion Camel Ridge, because we didn’t become believers begging for mercy in Immaculate City.”

"Script?" Tang Sanzang murmured, repeating the word over and over, his body trembling with extreme absurdity.

“Yes, the script.” Chu Yang leaned against the stone wall and sneered. “All the gods and Buddhas are high above, and what they need is a perfect performance. In this performance, the demons are responsible for doing evil, we are responsible for suffering, and finally they are responsible for descending and showing boundless Buddhist teachings and compassion. When all living beings watch this play, they will become more and more in awe of them and offer them a continuous stream of incense.”

Chu Yang pointed to Sun Wukong, who was lying on the ground panting.

"But Monkey King wrecked their place. Not only did we escape unscathed, we even dealt with their mounts who were just extras. What's worse, we dared to question their rules in Immaculate City. Master, what you said under the White Pagoda really struck a nerve with Guanyin Bodhisattva. How could they tolerate their pawns having their own thoughts? How could they tolerate the pilgrims no longer being grateful to them?"

Tang Sanzang's face was deathly pale, even his lips had lost all color. He slumped to the cold ground, staring blankly ahead.

"So... the White Feather descended to the mortal realm not for a test, but for punishment?" Tang Sanzang's voice trembled.

“Punishment? Master, you’re too naive.” Sun Wukong suddenly coughed, spitting out several mouthfuls of bloody saliva. “That birdman makes it sound nice, leaving me a breath. But look at that Soul-Suppressing Seal! If it weren’t for the fact that I, Old Sun, was tempered in the Eight Trigrams Furnace back then, making my soul a hundred times stronger than that of an ordinary immortal, anyone else would have been smashed to pieces long ago, without even the chance to be reincarnated! They’re trying to cripple me, Old Sun, break our spines, and make us crawl like dogs to the Great Thunderclap Temple to beg them!”

The cold wind outside the cave grew even stronger, its howling sound cutting through the bamboo forest like the shrill cries of a thousand vengeful ghosts.

Tang Sanzang covered his face with his hands, curling up on the ground in agony. Images from the journey flashed through his mind. From the initial enthusiasm when he set off from Chang'an, to the relief of taking in Sun Wukong at Liangjie Mountain; from the humor at Gao Village, to the twists and turns at Liusha River; then to the mountains of white bones at Lion Camel Ridge, the faceless and numb people in Wugou City, and finally, the image of Sun Wukong's gruesome and bloodied body before him.

"It's fake...it's all fake..."

Tang Sanzang squeezed out broken sobs through his fingers. His proud faith, the obsession he had upheld for ten lifetimes, collapsed at this moment, shattering into a pile of extremely sharp shards of glass that pierced his heart, causing him unbearable pain.

"Saving sentient beings... Mahayana Buddhism... it's all a deception. They sit on their high lotus thrones, watching us struggle in the mud below, watching those mortals being devoured by monsters. Where is their compassion? They only have arrogant superiority and absolute control over power!"

Tang Sanzang suddenly raised his head, and his usually compassionate and gentle face was now filled with tears and an unprecedented determination.

He grabbed the torn brocade robes from the ground, and with a sudden burst of strength, ripped the expensive gold threads and gemstones to shreds, then threw them roughly into a corner of the cave.

"I'm not taking it."

Tang Sanzang spoke these four words very softly, but with perfect clarity.

Chu Yang and Sun Wukong were both stunned.

"Master, what... what did you say?" Sun Wukong endured the excruciating pain in his soul and tried to straighten up.

"I said, I'm not going to retrieve these scriptures!" Tang Sanzang suddenly roared, as if venting all the pent-up frustration and anger in his chest. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Sun Wukong. "Wukong, Benefactor Chu, let's go back! Let's go back to the Tang Dynasty! This so-called true scripture, every word is soaked in the blood of mortals and your pain. Even if we bring such scriptures back to the East, how can they enlighten the people? They will only bring more disaster and hypocritical rule to the Tang Dynasty!" (End of Chapter)