Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

After passing Lion Camel Ridge, the westward journey gradually becomes more scenic.

On this day, a wide river suddenly appeared ahead, its surface broad and its current gentle. There was only a single log bridge across the river, and beside the bridge stood a stone tablet with three large characters inscribed on it—Lingyun Ferry.

As Xuanzang gazed into the distance from his horse, he saw auspicious clouds swirling on the opposite bank, with a faint golden light shining through. Suddenly, an inexplicable surge of emotion welled up in his heart.

"Master, once we cross this river, we'll reach Mount Ling!" Sun Wukong exclaimed excitedly.

Pigsy scratched his head: "Mount Ling? We've arrived already? I, this old pig, haven't had enough fun yet!"

Sha Wujing chuckled, "Second Brother, haven't you had enough of eating yet?"

The group, laughing and joking, arrived at the riverbank. Just as they were about to cross the bridge, a bottomless boat suddenly appeared on the river, with a Buddha statue standing on it, poling out to guide them.

"Tang Sanzang, this is Lingyun Ferry. After crossing this river, you will be reborn and see the true Buddha. Get on the boat," the Buddha of Guidance said with a smile.

Xuanzang looked at the bottomless boat and exclaimed in alarm, "This boat has no bottom, how can we cross it?"

The Buddha who guides us smiles and says, "Holy monk, rest assured, the bottomless boat carries those with affinity. For those with affinity, the boat can still ferry them across even though it has no bottom; for those without affinity, the boat will sink even though it has a bottom."

Xuanzang hesitated and looked at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen (Qingfeng Daoren) nodded: "Holy Monk, go up. This is a hurdle you must overcome."

Xuanzang took a deep breath and stepped onto the bottomless boat. The boat sank slightly but did not take on water and moved steadily forward.

As they reached the middle of the river, a corpse suddenly floated downstream, its face identical to that of Xuanzang!

Xuanzang was greatly surprised: "Who...who is this?"

The Buddha of Guidance smiled and said, "This is the mortal body of a holy monk. Today he will be freed from this body and will transcend the mundane and enter sainthood."

Xuanzang stared blankly as the corpse floated away on the water, a thousand thoughts surging in his mind—it was him, yet not him. It was the end of Jin Chanzi's ten reincarnations, and also the beginning of Xuanzang's current life.

When the boat reached the other side, Xuanzang stepped onto the land of Mount Ling, feeling light and relieved. Looking back, the bottomless boat had disappeared into the river mist.

Lu Chen walked to his side and asked softly, "Holy Monk, how are you feeling?"

Xuanzang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly said, "Daoist Master, this humble monk... seems to have remembered something."

"What is it?"

"My past lives," Xuanzang said, his eyes deep. "Nine lifetimes of reincarnation, nine tragic deaths, each time falling in the Flowing Sands River. Those memories, originally blurry, are now vividly clear."

Lu Chen nodded: "Because you have shed your mortal form, your soul is no longer bound by your physical body. The accumulation of Jin Chanzi's ten lifetimes has now all come into your possession."

Xuanzang looked at him: "Daoist Master, you knew all along, didn't you?"

Lu Chen smiled: "I know. But I cannot say. Some paths must be walked alone."

Xuanzang suddenly bowed deeply to him: "Thank you for your protection along the way, Daoist Master. Without you, I'm afraid I would still be in a daze."

Lu Chen helped him up and said with a smile, "Holy Monk, there's no need to thank me. You've done very well along the way."

Sun Wukong leaned closer and chuckled, "Master, aren't you very powerful now?"

Xuanzang sensed the immense Buddhist power within him, far surpassing anything he had felt before. He smiled slightly: "Whether it's impressive or not, the journey to the West is still the most important thing."

The group of master and disciples headed towards the Great Thunder Temple on Mount Ling.

From the cloud, Lu Chen watched the receding figure, a look of relief flashing in his eyes.

"Jin Chanzi, in this life, you have finally awakened."

He turned and looked towards the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons within the Chaos Brick—there, the Bull Demon King's family, the three demons of Lion Camel Ridge, the White Bone Demon, General Yin, Lord Xiongshan, Special Envoy... countless demons he had taken in were eagerly awaiting his arrival.

"Once the journey to the West is over, I will lead you to a different way of life."