"This fool is still standing there so dumbfounded, truly oblivious to danger!"
At the moment that fist swung down, Six Ears felt as if he had cast off all his burdens. The Intelligent Stone Monkey was dead, and now Buddhism had no choice but to choose him.
After all, the other two monkeys who shared his origin had already died once.
He, Six Ears, was the earliest to emerge among the Four Monkeys, yet his future was ruined by the decree "The Dharma does not pass to Six Ears" from the Taoist Ancestor. This journey to the West was his only chance to turn things around!
"Hey, you made such a fuss just for that punch? Now that you're done, it should be my turn, right?"
Suddenly, a voice reached Six Ears' ears.
"When did you get there!"
Shocked, Six Ears quickly looked up and saw Sun Wukong above his head, brandishing a kitchen knife, eager to test it out.
"Basic sword skills, the Butcher's Knife Skill of Ox-Carving!"
Sun Wukong instantly turned into a streak of light, weaving through the air in front of Six Ears without repeating a single position, without a moment's hesitation. This was the sword skill he had honed for a full ten years, incredibly proficient.
In the blink of an eye, Sun Wukong completed the Butcher's Knife Skill of Ox-Carving.
Spurt!
Bright red blood burst forth like a volcano, gushing out, his body covered in wounds.
"Agh!"
Six Ears let out a pitiful scream, his massive body crashed to the ground, then suddenly shrank, the esteemed Dharma Characteristic Heaven and Earth was effortlessly taken down by Sun Wukong.
"I told you, you were purely asking for a beating!" Sun Wukong calmly looked at Six Ears lying in a pool of blood.
"Cough cough, you! Just what demon are you!" Six Ears struggled to stand up, his eyes filled with terror. Even he was not sure if the monkey before him was the so-called Intelligent Stone Monkey.
After all, how long had the Intelligent Stone Monkey been around? How could he be so powerful!
He himself could not withstand even a single exchange, and he was, after all, a Taiyi Golden Immortal!
"Demon?" Sun Wukong grinned with a flash of gold in his eyes: "Who's the demon is still up for debate, don't think I don't recognize you!"
Seeing Sun Wukong approach, Six Ears became even more panicked, retreating while looking around, and then roared: "I never expected you, this demon, cough cough, to have such divine skills. My children, follow me and fight back!"
He moved too much, directly pulling at his wounds, wincing in pain, yet he still didn't forget to incite others.
His eyes were full of evasion, frantically pondering his next move.
"Demon, let this monkey show your monkey minions what a real demon looks like!" Sun Wukong shouted angrily, the concealed gold in his eyes bursting forth in full.
Under the illumination of Sun Wukong's golden light, Six Ears began to reveal his true form.
This was one of the earliest divine skills Sun Wukong awoke to, also inherent in his bloodline, best known as Delusion-breaking Golden Eyes, seeing through all falsehoods.
Even Six Ears' exquisite transformation skill could not escape the gaze of Sun Wukong!
"Look, how did our king suddenly get six ears!"
"What king, it doesn't even look like it, clearly an imposter!"
The monkeys instantly became confused.
Withdrawing his Delusion-breaking Golden Eyes, Sun Wukong looked down from above, still holding the kitchen knife, and said: "This is the first time I've seen a monkey with six ears like you."
Hearing this, Six Ears turned pale with shock and hurriedly felt his own ears.
Exposed?!
His appearance was transformed by Saint Zhunti and Bodhisattva Shan Shi, with the enhancement of a Quasi-Saint! How did this monkey make him reveal his true form?!
Sun Wukong didn't care how shocked Six Ears was at heart. He raised the kitchen knife, ready to kill this creature daring to impersonate him!
"My king, you mustn't!"
Suddenly, the trembling voice of the old monkey resounded.
"Why not!" Although Sun Wukong stopped what he was doing, his gaze remained fixed on the exceedingly weak Six Ears.
Leaning on a walking stick, the old monkey struggled to walk over. The punch of Six Ears' Dharma Characteristic Heaven and Earth had knocked him down hard, and he still hadn't recovered.
"He did impersonate you, my king, but he also saved the lives of all our monkeys!"
"Saved lives?" Sun Wukong was very puzzled, "What do you mean by that?"
"Cough cough, a few days ago, a demon came here claiming to be the Demon Lord of Mayhem, brutally harming our monkeys of Huaguo Mountain. Every day we had to go to the cave to serve as slaves, getting beaten up at the slightest and killed at the worst!"
"That demon demanded a fresh monkey brain to eat every day. If it weren't for this monkey king with six ears who appeared to rid us of that evil demon, my king, you might not know how many monkeys would be left upon your return to Huaguo Mountain today!"
As the old monkey spoke, not only did he shed tears, but the other monkeys were also deeply saddened, tears falling from their eyes.
"Such a thing happened!"
Sun Wukong flew into a rage, wishing he could drag that Demon Lord of Mayhem out of the netherworld to torture him a hundred times over!
"Indeed, and so we earnestly beg my king to spare the life of the one with six ears!" The monkeys also implored in succession, following the old monkey's plea.
Sun Wukong's brow furrowed, "What is this fuss, rise up, am I, your king, such an unreasonable person?"
Then he turned to Six Ears again, slipping the kitchen knife back to his waist, and said, "Although you've impersonated my likeness, but since you saved MY monkeys and grandchildren, I won't kill you!"
"Now go, or else I don't know if I might regret it." Sun Wukong huffed, and then turned away.
Six Ears didn't respond, just stared fiercely at the figure he had longed to replace, leapt up, and vanished into the unknown.
"There's actually a monkey with six ears?" The immortals of Heavenly Court also buzzed with discussion.
On the high platform, only Haotian had an understanding look. He had followed the ancestor Tao in his early years, and although he was but a child then, he was taught a great deal.
He naturally knew of the origins of the Six-Eared Monkey but merely sneered coldly.
Buddhism indeed had a cunning plan, failing to find the original, they brought out a counterfeit to fill in, but his Heavenly Court would not accept this at all!
"Your Majesty the Jade Emperor, how should we deal with this at present?" Taibai Jin, the loyal follower, stepped forward to inquire.
"No need to pay too much attention for now, just quietly observe how things unfold," Haotian said thoughtfully.
This Intelligent Stone Monkey's ten-year disappearance led to him acquiring such abilities, surely at the behest of a great mentor. Daringly challenging the world to accept a monkey as a disciple is undoubtedly making an enemy of Buddhism.
Moreover, having the ability to deceive the heavens and leave the whole of Buddhism helpless and unable to find him shows his ability is nearly on par with that of a Saint.
The enemy of an enemy is a friend, and Haotian understood that principle well.
On Mount Putuo Luojia, in the midst of Purple Bamboo Forest, a woman dressed in white, pure and serene, sat cross-legged, her hands forming a Dharma Seal.
The spiritual energy of the entire forest converged around her, she breathed in and out with the universe, surrounded by a dazzling radiance and brilliant Buddha light.
It was none other than the venerated Guanyin Bodhisattva.
While meditating, Guanyin suddenly opened her eyes and gazed into the distance. After a short while, the bloodied Six Ears stumbled in.
Seeing the miserable state of Six Ears, Guanyin slightly frowned, her face showing displeasure.
"How did you come to be in such a state? Weren't you told to stay put in Huaguo Mountain? What brings you to this sacred place? Should anything go wrong with the Journey to the West, what accountability will you face!"
Guanyin's words were cold and full of reproach.