My classmates chose martial arts and fantasy, but I chose the prehistoric world.

The path to enlightenment through laws and the path to enlightenment through severing the three corpses are two completely different paths.

The former relies on the ultimate understanding of a certain law of heaven and earth, using the law as the foundation to prove the Dao of Hunyuan.

The latter relies on severing the three corpses and entrusting oneself to the Heavenly Way, thus achieving sainthood by relying on the Heavenly Way.

The debate over which of the two is superior has been ongoing in the prehistoric world.

However, from a practical standpoint, a Great Dao Saint who proves his Dao through the laws is often stronger than a Heavenly Dao Saint who proves his Dao by severing the three corpses, at the same level.

The reason is simple—the power of the Heavenly Dao Saints comes from the Heavenly Dao, and the stronger the Heavenly Dao, the stronger they are; while the power of the Great Dao Saints comes from their own understanding of the laws, and the more perfect the laws, the stronger they are.

The former relies on external forces, while the latter relies on one's own efforts.

Those who rely on external forces will find their strength greatly diminished once those forces are restricted; those who rely on themselves remain steadfast regardless of external changes.

But now, Meng Chuan gives them the latter feeling.

"You are indeed extraordinary, benefactor."

The guide's voice remained gentle, but there was now a hint of solemnity in his tone: "To be able to prove the Dao of Hunyuan in this world through the Law of Power, I admire your talent and perseverance."

"However—" he changed the subject, "you should also know that even if you are a Great Dao Saint, you are not invincible in this primordial world."

He said it subtly, but the meaning was clear—

No matter how strong you are, can you be stronger than my teacher Hongjun?

Meng Chuan, of course, understood his implied meaning.

He smiled, not answering directly, but instead saying something that made both Jieyin and Zhunti's hearts skip a beat: "I know Hongjun is very strong. I also know that in this world, I cannot possibly be his match."

He readily admitted this without any attempt to hide it.

This surprised both Jieyin and Zhunti – they hadn't expected Meng Chuan to admit so readily that he was inferior to Hongjun.

But Meng Chuan's next words made their nerves, which had just relaxed, tense up again.

"but--"

Meng Chuan's gaze swept across the two faces. "Whether Hongjun will make a move is still unknown."

Both Jieyin and Zhunti's pupils contracted simultaneously.

Meng Chuan knew very well. If this world was indeed a "barrier," then Hongjun, as the guardian of the barrier, would not have personally intervened before he met the "conditions for passing the barrier."

Otherwise, this level would be meaningless.

Meng Chuan took another step forward, shortening the distance between himself and Jieyin and Zhunti to less than ten zhang.

"So," he looked at the two of them, his tone as casual as if he were chatting, "are you two planning to fight me today, or just let this go and go your separate ways?"

He paused, then added, "If you want to fight, I'm happy to oblige. If not, please make way—I have other things to do."

Jieyin remained silent.

Zhunti also fell silent.

They are measuring.

The young Great Dao Saint before us, though only at the initial stage of the Saint Realm, possesses combat power far exceeding that of the Heavenly Dao Saint through his attainment of the Dao of Laws.

If they were to actually fight, even if the two of them joined forces, they would likely be no match for each other.

Moreover, Meng Chuan's words just now—"Whether Hongjun will make a move is still unknown"—have aroused some doubt in their hearts.

If their teacher Hongjun truly won't intervene, then a direct confrontation with Meng Chuan might not be advantageous for them. If Hongjun will intervene, then there's even less reason for them to intervene—Hongjun will handle him anyway!

In either case, taking action is not the best option for them.

Thinking of this, Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance.

Then, Jieyin spoke slowly, his voice still gentle, but without the previous aggressive tone: "Since you insist on protecting this demon monkey, this humble monk will not force you. I only hope you understand that today's matter will not end here."

This statement was perfectly watertight—it gave him a way out while leaving room for future repercussions.

Meng Chuan could understand the meaning behind those words, but he didn't care.

He smiled and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Then thank you both for your kindness."

Jieyin nodded slightly, said no more, turned around and transformed into a golden light, disappearing into the western horizon.

Zhunti followed behind, glancing back at Meng Chuan before leaving. His gaze held a profound meaning, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent and turned to leave.

After the two golden lights completely disappeared into the sky, Sun Wukong finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, turned to look at Meng Chuan, his eyes full of admiration: "Goodness... those two monks were countless times more terrifying than that bastard, Rinpoche! Brother Meng Chuan, you're truly amazing—"

"Alright, stop flattering me." Meng Chuan waved his hand, interrupting him.

His gaze was directed westward, towards the direction where Jieyin and Zhunti had disappeared, and also towards Mount Ling.

Then, he looked up at the sky again—

That's where Zixiao Palace is located!

"I don't know... how do I know when I've successfully cleared this level."

He muttered to himself.

Sun Wukong leaned closer and asked curiously, "Brother Meng Chuan, what did you say?"

"It's nothing."

Meng Chuan snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Sun Wukong. "Monkey, what are your plans now?"

Sun Wukong scratched his head: "I've been imprisoned for over four hundred years, and I wonder how my monkey subjects on Flower Fruit Mountain are doing... I want to go back and check on them first."

"Okay." Meng Chuan nodded. "I'll go with you."

"Really?" Sun Wukong's eyes lit up. "That's great! With Brother Meng Chuan here, I, Old Sun, don't have to be afraid of those heavenly soldiers and generals anymore!" Meng Chuan smiled.

He looked towards the direction of Flower and Fruit Mountain, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.

I wonder how Houtu is doing now.

I wonder which level Yan Qing is trapped in.

Also, what exactly are the "conditions for passing" these three levels in the Journey to the West world?

But it certainly couldn't have been to help Sun Wukong complete his journey to the West to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures!

There's absolutely no need for his help with this.

Could it be to stop the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures?

Overthrow Lingshan?

Or perhaps—to confront Hongjun directly? And then, be killed?

He didn't know the answer.

But he knew he needed to find the answer himself. "Let's go."

He patted Sun Wukong on the shoulder, and with a flick of his body, flew towards Flower Fruit Mountain.

Sun Wukong quickly followed, and the two figures, one green and one gold, streaked across the sky and disappeared into the eastern horizon.

Behind them, high in the sky, a pair of aged eyes silently watched all of this.

There was no emotion in those eyes, only a bottomless calm.

A moment later, those eyes slowly closed, as if nothing had happened.