The Palace of the Polestar was burning.

Those golden-glazed immortal tiles were turning dull and fragmenting in the flames.

"Help... Quickly put out the fire!"

The immortal officials were shouting in panic, each trying to extinguish the blaze, but had forgotten that this fire was beyond their power to quell.

The Buddha sighed, "What a transgression."

"Sun Wukong, you have destroyed the Palace of the Polestar, an unforgivable crime."

The Buddha looked at Sun Wukong and said, "But seeing that you have your reasons, how about we settle this once and for all?"

He opened his palm, about to say something, when suddenly he felt a sense of unease.

This unease came from nowhere, but he immediately decided to use another method.

"Take my palm strike,"

The Buddha said, "If you can withstand it, I will never again interfere here. If you cannot, then return with me to chant sutras and repent. What do you say?"

"No problem."

Sun Wukong nodded.

The Buddha pressed his palms together, supreme power gathering within them, golden light radiating, then turned his palm over and pressed it down towards Sun Wukong.

In just a heartbeat, that palm rapidly grew to the size of a palace, and in another instant, it seemed as large as a mountain.

Sun Wukong looked up; he did not know when, but everything around him had vanished, and he found himself in an endless sea of clouds.

And above him was the ever-growing palm of the Buddha.

The Buddha's palm transformed into the Five Elements Mountain, shining with five-colored lights, emanating terrifying might, steadily pressing down on Sun Wukong.

Even those immortal officials outside the range of the palm could sense the immense and overwhelming power contained within, each showing expressions of shock.

"Brother!"

Immortal Zhenyuan was about to rush over but was stopped by Emperor Donghua.

"No problem."

Emperor Donghua signaled to Immortal Zhenyuan with his eyes.

"Five Elements Mountain!"

Sun Wukong looked up at the giant palm, knowing it was the Five Elements Mountain described in the Heavenly Book.

In the Heavenly Book, Sun Wukong was almost helplessly pushed out of the Western Heavenly Gate and crushed under the Five Elements Mountain.

A full five hundred years!

However, he was not the same as the one in the Heavenly Book.

"Come back!"

Sun Wukong shouted, and the Jingu Bang transformed into a stream of light, flying into his hand. He leaped up, gripping the Jingu Bang, and struck towards the Five Elements Mountain.

"A speck of light,"

The Buddha said coldly.

With a tremendous crash, the palm and Sun Wukong collided.

The point of contact between the Jingu Bang and the palm emitted a piercing friction sound, and golden light surged from Sun Wukong, resisting the advancing palm.

With one strike, he could sweep away a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, defeat Emperor Qinghua, and sweep through the Heavenly Palace.

Yet, before the astonishing power of the Five Elements Mountain, he seemed lacking.

The Five Elements Mountain was connected to the mountains and earth veins of the world, growing stronger over time.

"No need to struggle,"

The Buddha said, "This is the will of the masses."

Sun Wukong was powerful; he bore the will of the masses, and few could surpass him in the heavens and earth.

Yet, the Buddha was different. He too bore the will of the masses, with worshippers burning incense and praying all over the Four Great Continents. His followers' will far exceeded that of Sun Wukong.

"This palm of mine is the pursuit of happiness by the masses," the Buddha said, "You have Buddha's Heart, you should understand!"

The Merit Fire of this strike swept down from the Five Elements Mountain, engulfing Sun Wukong in an instant.

In the blazing flames, Sun Wukong's figure was faintly visible, appearing particularly small.

More people sought happiness than change, right?

*The answer was beyond question.*

"You should fall by my hand!"

The Buddha shouted.

With a rumbling, the Five Elements Mountain heavily slammed Sun Wukong towards the ground. Just as it was about to press him into the depths, it suddenly halted.

"You want the masses to be like you, without desire, without want, stopping harm, saving all beings..."

The Five Elements Mountain stopped.

From beneath the mountain came the sound of Sun Wukong's teeth grinding.

"Unfortunately..."

He sneered, "That is not true happiness!"

He let out a roar of rage, then suddenly, golden light burst from beneath the mountain.

The Buddha felt a powerful pressure coming from inside, and he was taken aback. He attempted to stop it, but he could no longer do so.

A beam of golden light was about to pierce through the Five Elements Mountain.

"Buddha Demon!"

The Buddha shouted, "If not now, when will you show yourself?"

A surge of Buddha Light then erupted from Sun Wukong.

"Amitābha,"

The Buddha Light chanted.

The immortals who saw this were all visibly shocked.

"How can there be a monk on my brother!"

Immortal Zhenyuan asked.

Emperor Donghua frowned; this was a disaster, as the mana of this Buddha Light was profound and immeasurable, likely no less than Sun Wukong's.

Sun Wukong looked at the Buddha Light, and it gazed back at him.

Its eyes held joy.

"You were never arrogant,"

It said, then its eyes softened, "I came to assist you."

The vast Buddha Light suddenly turned into golden light, covering Sun Wukong. In his eyes, golden light blazed, even more intense than before.

The Buddha's heart trembled; how could this be?

"Do you still not understand!"

Sun Wukong raised his head to the sky, thrusting the Jingu Bang upward. The golden light violently pierced through the Buddha's palm, reaching high above the heavens.

The entire Heavenly Palace lit up.

"This world has remained unchanged for thousands of years, because of you all,"

Sun Wukong emerged from the flames, shaking off the fire, unharmed.

The Buddha withdrew his hand, looking at the wound in his palm.

In a fleeting moment, the wound healed. He looked at Sun Wukong, his gaze flashing with anger.

"It is I who have won,"

Sun Wukong said.

The Buddha saw the Buddha within him, saw what he wanted him to see.

He thought his calculations were unmatched, but he forgot the most fundamental thing.

*Not every Buddha would submit to him...*

Sun Wukong's Buddha belonged only to himself.

The light flashed in the Buddha's eyes, "In that case, then..."

"Buddha, the outcome has been decided,"

Jin Chanzi suddenly spoke, "He has withstood your palm strike."

The Buddha's expression changed instantly.

He looked at Jin Chanzi, "Jin Chanzi, why are you unwilling to convert Sun Wukong?"

Jin Chanzi shook his head, "Buddha, there is no need to convert him anymore."

The Buddha laughed repeatedly.

"You have seen some things,"

he continued, shaking his head, "but forgot, he is ultimately not a Buddha."

He sighed softly, having underestimated Sun Wukong despite all his calculations.

*Why would that Heart Demon, being a Buddha, still help Sun Wukong?*

The Buddha was puzzled, but let it go. *The matters of the world were never that simple.*

As long as the Buddha Demon was a Buddha, it would eventually come to his side.

"Perhaps the timing was still too early,"

The Buddha thought as he turned and left.

Sun Wukong watched the Buddha depart, understanding that he would have to face him again someday.

But for now...

Once the Buddha left, the Palace of the Polestar had no one guarding it.

Sun Wukong turned and walked towards the Palace of the Polestar.

"Sun Wukong, do you truly wish to throw the Three Realms into chaos?"

The Queen Mother asked again.

"The Three Realms will not fall into chaos," Sun Wukong stopped, "You say the Jade Emperor created the Three Realms, but the growth of people, the evolution of demons, many things, are not under his control."

The Jade Emperor established only the Heavenly Rules, which twisted the natural order.

He meant to set right what was twisted.

*Now, this was merely the first step in the long march of history.*

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