Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

The sky over Jambudvipa suddenly darkened for a moment, then brightened again.

The alternation of light and darkness came without warning, as if someone had blown out a lamp from beyond the heavens and then immediately relit it.

The people of Yingdu looked up at the sky in bewilderment and saw a ripple, almost invisible to the naked eye, spreading outwards from the center of the blue sky. Wherever the ripple passed, the clouds shattered into wispy cotton-like strands, and even the sunlight seemed to distort for a moment.

The Buddha was the first to notice something amiss.

He was sitting cross-legged in the upper part of Yingdu City, breathing, when the shockwave from the depths of the void triggered his remaining magical perception.

He suddenly opened his eyes and stood up, staring straight at the location of the already closed void rift above Yingdu City, his expression changing drastically.

Guanyin stood up almost simultaneously.

Her hand holding the vase tightened suddenly, causing the thin layer of spiritual water at the bottom of the vase to ripple in concentric circles, the direction of which perfectly matched the ripples in the sky.

She listened intently for a moment, her expression shifting from pale to a deeper solemnity: "Deep within the void... an extremely strong fluctuation has occurred, even affecting the Three Realms."

Manjushri and Samantabhadra have already soared into the sky.

The two stood a hundred feet atop Yingdu City and looked westward. Although they could not see the scene in the chaotic void with the naked eye, the shockwave from the explosion had penetrated the remaining cracks in the void barrier and was seeping into the world of the Three Realms in the form of aftershocks that had been weakened layer by layer.

The aftershocks struck the ground with a violent tremor, and the city's spirit lamps flickered on and off for a moment.

When it lands in the river, it creates waves several meters high, and the dikes on both banks creak with a teeth-grinding sound. When it lands on the mountains, the peaks for thousands of miles simultaneously shake off the rubble and dust that have accumulated over the years...

The entire Southern Continent trembled slightly under the impact of that aftershock.

Although it was far from being earth-shattering, the tremors that pierced through the depths of the void carried a certain indescribable heaviness that made people feel uneasy to the core.

In the distance, birds and beasts were startled and scattered. Flocks of birds in the forest flew up and circled endlessly. Near the coast, the waves surged, and even schools of fish leaped out of the water and then splashed back down.

Shen Gongbao stood on a rooftop, looking up at the sky. Although his array plate was shattered, his perception of spatial fluctuations remained.

He silently calculated for a few breaths, but halfway through, his hand suddenly stopped in mid-air, leaving only a layer of almost transparent confusion: "What...what is that...that's not the aftershock of a magical collision at all..."

Lu Ya slowly walked out from behind the broken wall.

For the first time, a look of disarray appeared in those usually lazy and nonchalant eyes: "Self-destruction... it's the shockwave of self-destruction. Someone self-destructed in the chaotic void."

The Buddha moved before he could finish speaking.

His figure transformed into a golden streak of light, rushing towards the location where the void rift above Yingdu City had once existed, his hands bracing against the spatial barrier as he attempted to tear it open once more.

No matter how much magic power he used to strike that void barrier, it was as if he was shaking the entire world, without even a crack appearing.

His fingers dug scorching marks into the surface of the barrier, but the void remained unmoved, blocking his way.

"Open it!"

He gave a low shout and pushed hard with both hands. The golden Buddha light on his body shone brightly for a moment and then dimmed, but the void barrier still did not open.

Guanyin had already arrived behind him. The remaining spiritual water in her vase transformed into a thin stream and poured onto the surface of the barrier, attempting to soften the space. The water droplets slid down the barrier without even a hint of soaking.

Manjushri and Samantabhadra cast spells simultaneously from the left and right, and the two beams of light struck the same barrier, but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, not even causing a ripple.

Shen Gongbao's voice came from below: "Don't try... The energy fluctuations in the void are too great right now, and it's impossible to open it from the outside. We can only re-enter the void after the aftershocks dissipate. He... I'm afraid he'll be stuck inside forever."

Who he is needs no further explanation at this point.

The six people stood before the closing void barrier above Yingdu City, gazing at the space where there was no longer any movement, and each of them held their breath for a few moments.

Although it was impossible to see exactly what happened, everyone present was a quasi-saint level figure.

Even if a grain of sand a thousand miles away is blown by the wind, they can deduce the source of that wind. How much more so the scale of that explosion far exceeded the limits of anyone's imagination.

They all pieced together a complete truth from the strength, nature, and lingering aura of that fluctuation.

Yun Zhao self-destructed in the chaotic void.

He sacrificed himself, transforming into a devastating explosion powerful enough to severely injure a saint, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound on Zhunti's body and forcing the saint back towards the direction of the Pure Land.

He used his own life to shield Yingdu City, the State of Chu, the new Buddhist sect, and all of them from that catastrophic disaster.

The Buddha's hands, hanging at his sides, slowly clenched, his nails digging into his palms, and his usually calm eyes were now filled with an extremely complex expression.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his voice hoarse as he spoke: "He had planned this all along... He never intended to come out of there alive. So this is what Brother Yun meant when he said he would hand it over to him."

Guanyin did not speak.

She stood before the barrier of emptiness, gazing up at the tightly closed sky. Her plain white robes fluttered in the high winds, and the jade bottle in her hand was clutched tightly to her chest.

A tear silently slid down her cheek, falling into the gentle breeze high above and dissipating into a tiny, almost imperceptible ice crystal.

Lu Ya sat cross-legged on the ground below, lost in thought.

Manjushri and Samantabhadra stood side by side, neither of them speaking, but their respect for Yun Zhao had reached its peak.

Even Shen Gongbao couldn't help but sigh, "Fellow Daoist Yun Zhao, your fierce spirit is truly admirable."

He glanced at the somber-looking crowd: "Everyone, Fellow Daoist Yun Zhao sacrificed himself for this peace, and I'm sure he wouldn't want you to be so pessimistic."

"yes."

The Buddha spoke slowly, looking down at the bewildered people below: "I will uphold Brother Yun's will and forever protect the Chu Kingdom and the new Buddhist sect."

Although Guanyin and Manjushri and Samantabhadra did not say anything, the determination in their eyes was exactly the same, clearly indicating that they had already made their plans.

Though he is gone, his spirit lives on in everyone's heart.