The Great Sage's Last Words

One lie, upheld for five hundred years. One truth, and gods and Buddhas become enemies.

At the final moment of the journey to the West, Buddha Tathagata publicly executed the “Six-Eared Macaque,” and Sun Wukong was “rewarded for his merits” and named the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

But Zhu Bajie would always remember that night on Spirit Mountain. Tang Sanzang recited the tightening spell again and again, yet the “Wukong” beside him showed no reaction. In the darkness, a tear slid down Tang Sanzang's cheek. Pretending to sleep, Bajie saw it clearly: his Brother Monkey was gone.

The conversation beneath the Flaming Mountain five hundred years earlier became a final message that pierced Bajie's heart. When the Bull Demon King disguised himself as Wukong to trick him into handing over the fan, Bajie asked why Wukong hadn't seen through the disguise with his Fiery Golden Eyes. Wukong laughed and scolded him: “You fool, how could I use my Fiery Golden Eyes to look at you?”

It was this unquestioning trust that made Bajie, five hundred years later, the only one to see through Tathagata's shocking scheme: the one killed back then was the real Wukong, while the “Victorious Fighting Buddha” who survived was actually the Six-Eared Macaque.

On the surface, the pilgrimage team had reached a perfect ending. Inside, they had long since fallen apart. Bajie never called him “Brother Monkey” again. Tang Sanzang spent his days silently chanting scriptures, while Sha Wujing tread carefully. And that gentle, flawless Victorious Fighting Buddha seemed just like the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, reborn.

Then Bajie discovered that a wisp of Wukong's remnant soul had not vanished. It was hidden beneath the Flaming Mountain, where they had once sworn brotherhood. Resolving to give up his title as the Altar-Cleansing Messenger, he joined forces with Tang Sanzang, who also knew the truth, and began a rescue that defied Heaven itself.

“This time, I'll be the one to find you, Brother Monkey.”