Chapter 1368: Return to the Milky Way Once More

Boom!

In the Real World, both dormant and active volcanoes erupted simultaneously, crimson light shooting into the sky as smoke and ash blotted out the sun. Across the seas, towering waves surged, churning into massive whirlpools. Deep in the starry expanse, countless stars suddenly exploded, unleashing unparalleled brilliance. The omens of the apocalypse unfolded vividly before the eyes of all, allowing immortals and deities alike to “hear” the approaching footsteps of the era’s end.

The birth and demise of the Dao—this was an unstoppable tide, one that even the great figures of the Other Shore could only delay, not prevent. It was a future destined to unfold!

Within the former territory of Great Zhou, now transformed into a fusion of the Vacuum Hometown and an earthly Buddhist paradise, the faithful chanted with ever-deepening devotion. Fear had turned to faith, as they sought to rely on the White Lotus Holy Mother, the savior, to survive the impending doom.

In the Jade Void Palace of the Kunlun Realm, Meng Qi hurled the Three Treasures Ruyi Scepter, joining forces with the Golden Bridge of the Other Shore to suppress the chaotic upheavals, temporarily severing the connection between the Nine Nethers and the Real World. His gaze pierced through countless barriers, landing upon the faintly smiling Devil Buddha, who was scrutinizing the myriad tributaries of the River of Time.

This truly was a future belonging to the demons.

Retracting his gaze as if nothing had happened, Meng Qi appeared to remain seated within the Jade Pure Hall. In truth, he had already connected with his imprints and journeyed into the past, returning to the calm before the fall of the Celestial Court.

The Devil Buddha’s earlier actions had reminded him of something—the suspicious death of Marshal Canopy, Zhu Bajie.

Back then, Zhu Bajie had foreseen the impending catastrophe of the Celestial Court—one that was impossible to resolve or resist. Thus, he had gathered supplies, packed his belongings, and attempted to flee with Gao Cuilan through a hidden passage in the Heavenly River, hoping to return to Gao Village. Yet, he was ambushed mid-journey and slain, his dying words—”I know nothing!”—echoing in the void.

Initially, Meng Qi had assumed that Zhu Bajie’s immediate superior, the Nine Heavens Thunder God, had silenced him to cover up his betrayal of the Celestial Emperor. This conjecture had even been tacitly acknowledged by the Devil Buddha. However, upon closer reflection, inconsistencies emerged. As a being of Creation, the Thunder God could have effortlessly reduced Zhu Bajie to ashes—there should have been no corpse left behind on a star.

Back then, Meng Qi had lacked the means to investigate further or verify his suspicions. But now, he could directly descend to the moment of the incident and witness it firsthand!

The waters of the Heavenly River were illusory and boundless, an endless abyss resembling the overlapping of countless universes. Within its depths, shimmering like crystalline ripples, were countless radiant stars—some massive, some small, each burning with a different hue.

A hidden waterway extended from a pond, its depths concealing an ancient bronze door. Meng Qi stood at a distance, clad in profound black robes and an archaic crown, silently observing the door’s changes. Harmful energies passed through his form without leaving a trace.

The bronze door creaked open soundlessly. Four celestial horses, their coats long and white, pulled a golden carriage out from within. The words “Heavenly River Navy” were inscribed on its side in ancient script. The driver was a stout, pig-faced man clad in golden armor, his eyes darting about nervously. Despite his evident fear, the entire process unfolded smoothly, as if he were a practiced thief.

Then, from within the carriage, a delicate, fair hand reached out and pressed firmly against his back.

Silver-white lightning erupted in a silent explosion. The pig-faced man instinctively assumed his Heaven-Earth Manifestation form, but it was futile. The scent of scorched flesh filled the air as he was sent flying, landing near a nearby star. His eyes widened in shock and fury as he stared at the carriage.

“You knew too much…” A soft, ethereal voice drifted from within the carriage.

The door opened without a sound, revealing a graceful, beautiful woman. Lightning crackled in her palm, forming a whip that lashed toward the massive pig-like body beyond the star. There was no hesitation—only cold, unwavering intent to kill.

Clang!

The nine-toothed rake shattered. A terrified scream echoed through the blazing light and roaring flames:

“I know nothing!”

The pig’s corpse landed on the star’s surface, devoid of life, sizzling as it burned.

The woman closed the bronze door and strode into the Heavenly River. Meng Qi followed silently behind her, hands clasped behind his back. No matter how she altered her path or concealed her aura, she could not shake him off—nor did she even notice his presence.

After some time, she exited the Heavenly River and returned to the world of *Journey to the West*, entering a relatively prosperous village.

“Gao Village!”

So it was Gao Cuilan after all… Meng Qi nodded slightly, standing atop a nearby mountain as he gazed upon the illusory flow of the River of Time. He witnessed the events that followed:

Along with the rest of the villagers, Gao Cuilan was soon slaughtered during the Demon Uprising, leaving no survivors. Yet, she never again displayed the power to kill Marshal Canopy, suggesting that the Thunder God had borrowed her body to act. This limitation was also why Zhu Bajie’s corpse had not been reduced to ashes.

Having observed the entire sequence, Meng Qi took a step forward, returning once more to the past. This time, he intended to alter history directly—to save Zhu Bajie and uncover what he truly knew!

The illusory, abyssal waters of the Heavenly River rippled as he appeared directly before the bronze door, sitting cross-legged in the void, awaiting the unfolding events.

Zhu Bajie had looted the Heavenly River Navy’s most precious treasures and dragged his wife, Gao Cuilan, through the hidden passage into the depths of the pond. Summoning four magnificent celestial horses, he hitched them to the carriage and ushered Gao Cuilan inside to protect her from the dangers of traversing the Heavenly River.

“Once we return to Gao Village, we’ll live our own lives and never meddle in Celestial Court affairs again!” he babbled nervously to Gao Cuilan. “Even if the demons rise to rule the heavens and earth, I’m a pig demon myself—what’s there to fear? If not for keeping an escape route, why would I even maintain this form?”

With that, he sealed the carriage door and took the driver’s seat, waving a hand to open the bronze gate to the Heavenly River.

Silently, the door swung open, revealing the illusory, rippling waters beyond.

Then, his gaze froze.

Seated cross-legged before the gate was a Daoist clad in profound black robes. His youthful face was handsome, crowned with an ancient headpiece. His aura was unfathomably deep, as if encompassing all things and possibilities—the origin of all, the earliest cause of all connections!

This… Zhu Bajie’s heart skipped a beat before recognition dawned. Given his status, he had naturally attended many of the Celestial Emperor’s grand banquets and the Queen Mother of the West’s Peach Gatherings, granting him the rare opportunity to glimpse the ancient Heavenly Venerables—the true rulers of the myriad realms.

This Daoist before him felt like…

No—not just similar. It *was* Him!

In an instant, Zhu Bajie broke into a cold sweat despite the heat, overwhelmed by terror beyond words. He had stumbled upon none other than the foremost figure of the Other Shore, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable—the supreme leader of the Daoist Nine Venerables!

The Primordial Heavenly Venerable, who had rarely appeared since the Investiture of the Gods!

Trembling, Zhu Bajie hastily prostrated himself, ever the pragmatist:

“This lowly one pays respects to the Heavenly Venerable! May I ask why Your Excellency graces this humble servant with your presence?”

Meng Qi glanced at the carriage. Instantly, arcs of silver lightning erupted within, bursting like fireworks.

At the sight, Zhu Bajie’s eyes bulged with horror and belated realization. When had the Thunder God tampered with Cuilan’s body?

Thank the heavens the Primordial Heavenly Venerable had intervened!

Just then, the space above the carriage split open. A massive hand wreathed in black-and-red mist reached down, swatting at Zhu Bajie as if he were a mere fly.

The *Tathāgata’s Inverse Palm*—the Devil Buddha had struck, manipulating time to erase all traces!

Meng Qi was prepared. A streak of violet lightning flashed before him, its radiance domineering as it cleaved through the red-black mist. Simultaneously, a stream of clear qi surged from his crown, coalescing into a sapphire-blue Buddha of lapis lazuli. With a faint smile, the Buddha pressed thumb and middle finger together in the *mudra* of plucking a flower, gently sweeping forward to bring enlightenment—and a halt to the flow of intrinsic spiritual light.

Yet this finger did not point at the Devil Buddha. Instead, it brushed toward the Heavenly River, where the waters suddenly surged, tainted with dark crimson, turning frenzied and chaotic.

The *True Calm Tathāgata* versus the *Heavenly Dao Monster*!

As Meng Qi held off the Devil Buddha’s assault and prepared to whisk Zhu Bajie away with a flick of his sleeve, the pig-faced man’s body abruptly grew illusory, his very foundation of existence dissolving into bubbles.

Meng Qi narrowed his eyes, gazing further into the past along the River of Time. He watched as Marshal Canopy’s historical presence dissipated entirely—all the way back to his departure from Spirit Mountain and return to the Celestial Court.

Outside Spirit Mountain, Zhu Bajie—now the Altar Cleansing Envoy—bowed deeply toward the Buddha’s abode, not daring the slightest disrespect.

Then, his heart lurched. Before him loomed the Buddha’s golden, sixteen-foot-tall form, its mouth gaping wide to reveal forty teeth—like the maw of the most terrifying monster.

In that instant, Zhu Bajie lost all sensation, returning to the singular “Purity Dharma Body.”

Meng Qi’s gaze met that of the *Supreme True Buddha*, who flashed him a vengeful smirk before wiping his lips.

The Altar Cleansing Envoy was, after all, one of the Bodhisattvas and Arhats—a target for assimilation.