Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Seeing that he remained silent, Kong Xuan said calmly:

"If you won't say it, I'll say it for you."

"You took Wukong as your disciple and taught him magic, that is one thing."

"You stood idly by while he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, that's the second point."

"You told him not to mention your name, that's the third point."

"Do you plead guilty to these three crimes?"

The Bodhi Patriarch remained silent for a long time.

Nod slowly:

"recognize."

Kong Xuan then said:

"Do you know how much suffering these three sins caused him?"

He was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years.

"I cried out to heaven and earth, but no one answered."

"For five hundred years, no one has paid any attention to it."

"For five hundred years, he was alone and helpless."

"For five hundred years, his only thought has been that someone will come to save him."

"And that person should have been you."

"But you didn't come."

"You hide in the depths of chaos, waiting for the fortune of the pilgrimage to come to you on its own."

Kong Xuan paused, his gaze hardening.

"Tell me, should you be punished?"

Bodhi Patriarch's face was ashen.

He looked at Kong Xuan, at those deep, unfathomable eyes.

A fear I had never felt before welled up inside me.

Punishment?

How should it be punished?

He was none other than the Bodhi Patriarch!

Although not a saint, he is at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm!

In the primordial world, who dares to punish him?

But the person in front of me...

He couldn't see through it.

It's impossible to see through even the slightest bit.

All he knew was that with a wave of his hand, he was drawn from the depths of chaos to this place.

Even a sage might not be able to do such a thing.

Bodhi Patriarch took a deep breath:

"May I ask, fellow traveler, who exactly are you?"

Kong Xuan's lips curled slightly:

"You don't need to know."

Bodhi Patriarch was taken aback.

Kong Xuan continued:

"All you need to know is that from this day forward, your karmic connection with Wukong as master and disciple is completely severed."

The words fell.

He raised his hand.

Chaotic light condenses at the fingertips.

Just a gentle touch.

The radiance drifted out and landed on the brow of the Bodhi Patriarch.

Bodhi Patriarch was startled!

next moment.

He sensed an unseen connection between himself and Sun Wukong...

It's broken!

A clean break!

A clean break!

It was as if they had never been master and disciple!

It's as if those years of teaching magic never existed!

Bodhi Patriarch's face turned deathly pale:

"Fellow Daoist! What...what are you doing?!"

"Within that cause and effect lies the destiny of the pilgrimage!"

"If the cause and effect are severed, then fortune is lost!"

Kong Xuan looked at him:

"I know."

Bodhi Patriarch said urgently:

"Without that luck, Wukong will no longer be the protagonist destined by fate!"

"The pilgrimage to the West has become a joke!"

Kong Xuan said calmly:

"So what if it's a joke?"

Bodhi Patriarch was speechless.

Yes.

So what if it's a joke?

The person in front of me doesn't care about the journey to the West, luck, or destiny.

All he cared about was that monkey.

It was just that monkey he had rescued from under the Five Elements Mountain.

Sun Wukong looked at Kong Xuan, his eyes reddening.

Although he didn't understand anything about cause and effect or luck, he knew that his senior was avenging him.

It was severing his false master-disciple relationship.

It's about seeking justice for him...

He fell to his knees with a thud:

"senior!"

"I, Old Sun..."

Kong Xuan raised his hand to stop him:

"stand up."

"Don't kneel."

Sun Wukong got up and wiped his eyes.

Those already incredibly bright eyes shone even brighter at that moment.

Bodhi Patriarch stood there, his face pale and his whole body trembling.

He looked at Kong Xuan, at Sun Wukong, and at this familiar Fangcun Mountain.

Suddenly, it felt incredibly unfamiliar.

It felt as if I had never belonged here.

It was as if he had never taken in this monkey.

It's as if the endless bond between master and disciple was just a dream.

Kong Xuan looked at him:

"You can leave now."

Bodhi Patriarch was taken aback:

"Walk?"

Kong Xuan nodded:

"Where we come from, we return to."

"Do not mention what happened today."

"If I find out you're talking nonsense outside..."

He paused, his eyes turning slightly cold:

"You will bear the consequences."

Bodhi Patriarch trembled.

He glanced deeply at Kong Xuan, then at Sun Wukong.

Turn around.

Step out.

It disappeared into the void.

On Fangcun Mountain.

In front of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave.

Only Kong Xuan and Sun Wukong remained.

Standing opposite each other.

Sun Wukong stared at Kong Xuan, his eyes shining with astonishing light:

"Senior, your technique just now was truly amazing!"

"With a wave of his hand, that old guy appeared!"

"With another wave of my hand, the karmic bond between him and me will be severed!"

"When will I, Old Sun, be able to learn this skill?"

Kong Xuan looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips:

"Want to learn?"

Sun Wukong nodded frantically:

"think!"

Kong Xuan said calmly:

"Then follow along closely."

"When the time is right, I will teach you."

Sun Wukong was overjoyed:

"Thank you so much, senior!"

He scratched his head and looked again at the empty cave:

"Senior, where do we go next?"

Kong Xuan looked eastward.

Looking out over that land where the grand pilgrimage drama is about to unfold.

Looking towards the direction of Chang'an City.

Look towards the pilgrims on their journey.

"go......"

He paused:

"Look at that pilgrim on his journey to the West."

"Look at that golden cicada."

"Look at him..."

"Is it worth it for you to escort him?"

Sun Wukong was taken aback:

"Escort me?"

Kong Xuan shook his head:

"It's not about protecting you."

"It's to protect him."

"On the journey westward, there were countless demons and monsters."

"If it weren't for your protection, he wouldn't have made it to the Western Paradise."

Sun Wukong scratched his head:

"Then why should I protect him?"

Kong Xuan looked at him:

"Because that's your path."

"Because that is your tribulation."

"because......"

He paused, his gaze deep:

"That's the path you have to take after you leave the Five Elements Mountain."

Sun Wukong seemed to understand, but not quite.

But looking into Kong Xuan's eyes, he suddenly felt that what his senior said must be right.

He grinned:

"good!"

"Wherever my senior says to go, I'll go!"

"Whoever my senior says to protect, I will protect!"

Kong Xuan nodded slightly.

Turn around.

The ink-black robe fluttered lightly.

Step out.

Sun Wukong followed closely behind.

Two figures disappeared into the sky above Fangcun Mountain.

A mountain breeze swept by.

There was no one in front of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave.

Only the stone tablet with inscriptions stood there all alone.

Witnessing the end of this cause and effect.

Witnessing the birth of this monkey.

It also bears witness to...

The upcoming epic Journey to the West.

Changan.

Morning bells and evening drums, the bustling city.

This largest city in the East has flourished since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Merchants flocked to its streets and alleys, and people of different ethnicities and backgrounds mingled together. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares, horses' hooves, and laughter blended together to create a scene of prosperous and thriving times.

But today, amidst the bustling scene, there is a touch of solemnity.

Huasheng Temple.

The temple gates were wide open, monks lined up, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, and chanting filled the air.

Water and Land Assembly.

This Buddhist ceremony, personally ordered by Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin), has lasted for seven days.

Within seven days, eminent monks from temples large and small throughout Chang'an took turns to preach and expound the Dharma, and to pray for the souls of the deceased.

Today is the last day.

It is also the most important day.