Honghuang: My understanding is beyond belief. I am the first immortal of Jiejiao.

Xiong Shanjun grinned maliciously, his five fingers tightening like iron hoops. Then, amidst Lu Heshang's terrified gaze and Tang Sanzang's hoarse "No!", he suddenly pulled it outward!
"Tsk-!"

The chilling sounds of muscles tearing and bones breaking mingled together! Monk Lu's left arm was ripped off from his shoulder blade by Xiong Shanjun using brute force!

The cut was a bloody mess, the tendons and blood vessels were violently torn off, and the white bone fragments were exposed to the air. Blood gushed out like a burst dam, splattering all over Xiong Shanjun and Tang Sanzang beside him, mixing with the previous wave of blood that was still wet on his face.

"what--!!!"

Lu the monk let out an inhuman scream, his body convulsing violently, his face turning ashen white in an instant. The immense pain nearly made him faint. The sight of the bloody flesh at the severed arm was horrifying, truly like a torn chicken leg, only magnified countless times, and infinitely more bloody and cruel.

"Brother Lu—!!!"

Tang Sanzang's eyes were bloodshot as he watched helplessly as his sworn brother, Monk Lu, suffered such torture. He felt a "buzz" in his head, as if something had snapped completely! Grief, anger, despair, and the demonic energy that had been suppressed before erupted like magma!
His blood seemed to be boiling, and a cold and violent aura surged uncontrollably. His eyes were instantly covered with terrifying blood vessels, and a faint black and red light flashed deep in his pupils.

"Stop! You beasts! Demons! I'll kill you all! Kill you all!!!"

He struggled frantically, the ropes binding him digging deep into his flesh, but he was oblivious, only roaring at the monsters, his voice hoarse like that of a wounded beast.

"Save him! Someone, please save him! Buddha! Bodhisattva! Whoever it is! Save my Brother Lu! I'm willing to give everything! Any price! Save him—!!!"

This plea for help and vow, filled with extreme grief and despair, and even faintly carrying a hint of demonic madness, clearly reached the ears of the Five Directions Protectors hidden above.

However, they only exchanged a calm, expressionless glance.

"Golden-headed Jiedi said calmly."

"The rise of demonic nature is also a calamity. However, the deaths of Monk Lu and his followers were already predetermined. Our duty is only to ensure the survival of Tang Sanzang. The rest... are all necessary sacrifices to complete this calamity."

They still stood like statues, coldly looking down. They watched as Xiong Shanjun casually tossed his severed arm to a drooling little demon beside him, watched as Monk Lu's breath rapidly weakened in excruciating pain and blood loss, watched Tang Sanzang roar and weep like a madman, and watched Special Envoy and General Yin discuss how to prepare the remaining "ingredients".

Inside the cave, the stench of blood was so thick it was almost unbearable. The jubilation and chewing sounds of the demons contrasted with their desperate wails and frenzied vows, creating a brutally infernal scene. The journey to the West, barely begun, was already soaked in the blood of the innocent and the shattered faith of the pilgrims.

Tang Sanzang's mournful cries and desperate vows echoed in the cave, but like a stone thrown into a deep pool, they only stirred up more excited cries from the demons and increasingly faint painful groans from Lu Sanzang, without eliciting any response from the gods or Buddhas he hoped for.

He watched as Xiong Shanjun took the bloody severed arm and, as if savoring a delicacy, slowly and methodically tore off pieces of flesh, placing them into the ferocious bear's mouth to chew them carefully, even deliberately making loud "smacking" sounds, with scarlet blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.

Lu Heshang had already fainted from the pain, but woke up again due to the excruciating pain and blood loss. In his hazy consciousness, he could only make instinctive convulsions and meaningless hoarse sounds. His life force was like a candle flickering in the wind, quickly weakening until it was completely extinguished by the inhuman torture and Xiong Shanjun's relish in his devouring.

His eyes, which had once glared at evil spirits with righteous indignation, had lost all their luster and were now staring blankly at the top of the rock, as if questioning some supreme being.

This scene, like the sharpest chisel, pierced deep into Tang Sanzang's soul, leaving behind a terrifying shadow and bone-chilling cold that would likely never be erased. Blood and tears mingled, sliding down his face, which was covered in dust, bloodstains, and handprints, leaving winding trails.

He stopped roaring and just stared intently at the broken, gradually cooling corpse of Monk Lu and the two piles of flesh and bone beside it that were no longer human. His eyes gradually settled from the initial madness into a heart-wrenching desolation and emptiness. He murmured unconsciously, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper.

"Why...what did they do wrong...they just wanted...a better future...Brother Lu...just wanted to protect me...why...did they have to do this...Buddha...isn't it about compassion...?"

Xiong Shanjun sucked the last bit of muscle off Lu Heshang's arm, then casually tossed the bare arm bone aside, where it smashed against the gravel with a crisp sound.

He licked the blood off his lips and bear paws, seemingly still not satisfied. His large, fierce eyes darted around, finally settling on Tang Sanzang, who was tied to a stone pillar and looked utterly lost. He lingered for a moment on Tang Sanzang's hands, which, though covered in filth, still appeared fair and slender.

"This monk has fair skin and tender flesh. Although he looks a bit silly, his fingers do look quite delicate."

Xiongshan Jun said in a deep, muffled voice, his eyes gleaming with greed.

"General Yin, how about we break off one of his fingers to try it out? It'll be another treat for the brothers."

General Yin was gnawing on a leg bone that belonged to one of his attendants when he heard this. He looked up, his tiger-like eyes sweeping over Tang Sanzang, and casually waved his claws, which were covered in meat scraps.

"Do as you please, just don't kill him. I think keeping this monk around might actually be useful; it's better to believe in the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Having received permission, Xiong Shan Jun grinned maliciously and strode up to Tang Sanzang. Tang Sanzang seemed still immersed in endless grief and questioning, somewhat oblivious to the approaching danger.

"Little monk, can I borrow one of your fingers?"

Xiong Shanjun stretched out his large, fan-like hand and grabbed Tang Sanzang's left hand. His rough, smelly fingers were like iron clamps, easily fixing his slender little finger in place.

The sharp pain and icy touch from his fingertips jolted Tang Sanzang back to his senses. He stared wide-eyed, his vision blurred by blood and tears, at the bear's face so close to him.

"What...what are you going to do?! Let me go!"

"Just trying it out, nothing much!"

Xiong Shanjun chuckled, then suddenly gripped the little finger with all his might and pulled it outwards with a sharp tug!
"what--!!!"

A scream, sharper and purer than when he had witnessed everything before, erupted from Tang Sanzang's throat! It was an excruciating pain that defied description, as if a piece of his soul had been torn apart by the ripping! He could clearly feel the brutal ripping of his finger and metacarpal bones, the terrifying process of his tendons, blood vessels, and muscle fibers being violently ripped apart!
"Crack... Sizzle..." A sickening sound of bone breaking and flesh separating rang out. In Xiong Shanjun's hand, there was a bloody, slightly twitching severed finger! The cut was jagged, the white bone was stark, and blood gushed out like a small spring from the mutilated part of Tang Sanzang's left hand, instantly staining his palm and sleeve red.

Tang Sanzang felt as if his bones had been removed. He was thrown backward and crashed heavily into a stone pillar. Because of his bindings, he bounced back, his whole body trembling violently. His face was as pale as paper, and large beads of cold sweat mixed with blood and tears rolled down his face. His lips trembled, but even his screams were hoarse and intermittent due to the extreme pain. He could only let out hoarse gasps.

The pain penetrated to the bone marrow and reached his soul, almost making him faint, but he was forcibly pulled back to consciousness by a deeper fear and despair, savoring this hellish experience.

In the shadows, the Five Directions Protectors finally frowned. The Golden-Headed Protector looked rather grim and whispered to his companion.

"This stupid bear! How could it attack so recklessly! If this continues, what if it really tears Tang Sanzang to pieces? How will we explain that? Why hasn't Taibai Jinxing arrived yet?!"

The silver-headed Jiedi also sensed it and shook his head.

"There is absolutely no sign that Venus is about to arrive. We can't wait any longer! If Tang Sanzang is lost, we will both be held accountable!"

Seeing that Xiong Shan Jun was holding the severed finger, seemingly wanting to say something more to Tang Sanzang who was in so much pain that he was almost unconscious, or perhaps even wanting to break off another one, Bo Luo Jie Di made a decisive decision.

"Take action! Sweep away the demons and save Tang Sanzang!"

Before the words were even finished, the cave, which had been dark and gloomy with only the glow of demonic fire, suddenly burst forth with an incomparably pure and dazzling golden Buddhist light! This light was sacred, vast, and warm, forming an extreme contrast with the blood, filth, and coldness inside the cave, as if instantly transforming this demonic cave into a pure land of Buddhism!
"what?!"

"my eyes!"

"Buddha... Buddha's light?!"

The demons were blinded by the sudden burst of light and cried out in alarm. Some of the weaker demons, whose cultivation was low, were even more affected by the Buddha's light, which caused hissing green smoke to rise from their bodies as they screamed and rolled on the ground.

The three demon kings, Xiong Shan Jun, Yin Jiangjun, and Te Chushi, who were the first to be affected, were also horrified. They felt a terrifying pressure descending upon them, a power belonging to true immortals and Buddhas that made them instinctively tremble!
"Who is this person?!"

General Yin, suppressing his discomfort, demanded an answer in a stern voice, and a tiger-headed broadsword instantly appeared in his hand.

However, his answer was an extremely fast and extremely dazzling golden palm print!
"You wicked creature, how dare you harm the pilgrims on their journey to the West! Die!"

The majestic voice of the Golden-Headed Immortal resounded throughout the cave. With his appearance, the golden palm print, like Mount Tai pressing down, brought down with the Buddhist power to purify everything!
"Do not--!"

Xiong Shanjun only had time to let out a short, startled roar before the golden palm print covered his head. His magnificent body melted away like ice and snow in the Buddhist light, and his primordial spirit turned into ashes in an instant!

General Yin and Special Envoy were terrified and tried to escape, but four other equally powerful figures of Buddhist light blocked all their paths. Silver-Headed Jiedi, Polo Jiedi, and others attacked simultaneously, their Buddhist seals, bells, and vajras flashing like autumn leaves, engulfing the remaining fifty-odd demons in the cave, including the two demon kings, General Yin and Special Envoy!
There was no fierce fighting, no evenly matched confrontation, only a one-sided, crushing purification and destruction. Before five Golden Immortal-level Jiedi, these demons, at most not even Celestial Immortals, were utterly vulnerable. In just a few breaths, the once noisy, blood-soaked cave fell silent.

All the monsters, along with the remains of their gnawed corpses and the bloodstains on the ground, were purified by the intense Buddhist light, as if they had never existed, leaving only a faint sandalwood scent and a very faint smell of blood in the air.

The Buddha's light slowly receded, revealing the Five Directions Protectors, their bodies enveloped in a faint golden halo, their appearance solemn and dignified, sacred and inviolable. The Golden-Headed Protector stood at the forefront, looking at Tang Sanzang, who was bound to a stone pillar, panting heavily from the pain of his severed finger and the sudden change before him, his eyes glazed over. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then a sense of entitlement arose within him.

He thought that in such a desperate situation, they had descended like gods, sweeping away the demons with thunderous force and saving them from the brink of death. Tang Sanzang must be extremely grateful at this moment, and should regard them as gods, and his faith in Buddhism should be even stronger.

He stepped forward slowly, forcing a warm and solemn expression on his face. He stretched out his hand, and a flash of golden light appeared at his fingertips. He was about to untie the ropes binding Tang Sanzang and prepare to receive the other party's grateful kowtow and praise.

However, just as his fingers were about to touch the rope, Tang Sanzang suddenly raised his head.

It wasn't the gratitude, awe, or relief at surviving a calamity that Jin Tou Jie Di had anticipated; it wasn't even fear or bewilderment.

Those were eyes that were icy cold to the extreme.

His eyes were still bloodshot, with tear stains mixed with bloodstains, but deep within them burned something that even a god of the Golden Headed Jiedi's caliber felt a tremor in his heart—a questioning that was a mixture of ice and flames, condensed from the deepest betrayal, the most extreme pain, and the most powerless anger.

Tang Sanzang did not look at the outstretched hand, but stared straight and intently at the eyes of the Golden-Headed Jiedi, which contained a compassionate golden light but had little emotional fluctuation. His voice was hoarse and dry, but each word was clear and distinct, bursting out from between his bloodstained teeth.

"Why...why...are...you...only...coming...now?"

The solemn expression on the face of the Golden-Headed Jiedi froze instantly, and his outstretched hand stopped in mid-air.

He... he's questioning us? Why did it take him so long to come? Shouldn't he be thanking us for saving his life first? The Golden-Headed Guardian felt a sense of absurdity and confusion. According to common sense, shouldn't this mortal be weeping and kneeling to express his gratitude at this moment?
Seeing the stunned expression on Jin Tou Jie Di's face, the icy flames in Tang Sanzang's eyes seemed to intensify. The excruciating pain of the severed finger, the scene of his brother's tragic death, the horror of his followers being devoured, and the despair of countless times he had cried for help in vain, surged and crashed in his chest like volcanic lava.

He struggled violently, ignoring the rough ropes that tore his wrists raw and the blood that gushed from his severed finger. He leaned forward with all his might, his cold, burning eyes almost touching the face of the Golden-Headed Jiedi.

"you……"

Tang Sanzang's breathing was heavy, and the smell of blood sprayed onto the face of the Golden-Headed Jiedi.

"You were...there...all along, weren't you? Watching...watching them being...being...killed alive by those beasts...you watched! You watched all along!!!" (End of Chapter)