Pigsy stared at the mountain of gold bars with his mouth hanging open.
"Great Sage, where the hell did all this gold come from? Did you rob Spirit Mountain blind or something?"
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"Other than the time Old Pig followed Master to retrieve the scriptures, I've never seen this much damn gold in my life!"
Axel laughed.
"Not even close. The place I went to was much farther than Spirit Mountain."
With a casual wave, Axel tossed the massive pile of gold aside like it weighed nothing before turning toward Bue.
"Bue, you're in charge of guarding all of this."
His expression sharpened slightly.
"When construction on the Lingxiao Palace begins, don't cut corners. Pay the workers properly. I'm not letting people say I built my palace while acting like some cheap bastard."
Then Axel smirked.
"And if anyone tries stealing my gold, kill them."
His tone remained relaxed, but the killing intent behind it was obvious.
"If you can't handle them, shout my name. Doesn't matter where I am, I'll hear it."
He cracked his neck lightly.
"And then I'll come kill whoever touched my stuff."
"Your servant obeys the King's command!"
Bue's eyes burned with excitement.
He immediately transformed into his dragon form, opened his enormous mouth, and inhaled violently.
A powerful hurricane erupted.
The mountain of gold shook violently before being sucked straight into his stomach.
After swallowing everything, Bue patted his belly and looked toward Axel's departing figure with renewed determination.
Meanwhile, Pigsy casually walked beside Axel while talking nonstop.
"This Little Western Heaven region is a terrible place. Thorny Ridge to the east, Seven Absolutes Mountain to the west, danger everywhere."
Then he grinned.
"But with Great Sage around, Old Pig doesn't need to fear a damn thing. Even Maitreya got scared and ran."
Pigsy pointed ahead dramatically.
"Let's head straight for Mount Huaguo. Old Pig knows the way."
His expression gradually became more complicated.
"After my Senior Brother died..."
Pigsy paused and grimaced.
"Damn it, I hate saying that word."
He let out a long breath before continuing.
"Anyway, after he was gone, I visited Mount Huaguo several times. There's an old monkey living there who keeps trying to revive him."
Pigsy sneered.
"Every few decades, that old monkey sends another capable monkey out into the world to collect the Great Sage's Five Roots."
His eyes narrowed.
"They call those monkeys the Mandated of Heaven."
Pigsy snorted.
"What a joke."
"When my Senior Brother was alive, he was the one carrying Heaven's mandate, protecting Master on the journey west."
Pigsy's voice turned colder.
"But after he died, suddenly his Six Roots became the new scriptures everyone fights over."
He spat onto the snowy ground.
"Before Master succeeded, weren't there already nine Golden Cicada reincarnations sent ahead of him?"
Pigsy looked irritated just remembering it.
"And what happened? Every single one got eaten by Sha Wujing in the Flowing Sands River."
He scoffed.
"People say they failed because they lacked destiny. Bullshit."
Pigsy pointed upward angrily.
"Destiny, fate, all that garbage is arranged by those old bastards in Heaven anyway."
He shook his head bitterly.
"My Senior Brother wasn't free either. I watched monkey after monkey leave Mount Huaguo only to die on the road."
Pigsy clenched his fists.
"That's why I went searching for the Five Roots myself."
Then he patted his belly helplessly.
"And the result speaks for itself. If Great Sage hadn't shown up, Old Pig would've been trapped inside that Human Sack for hundreds of years."
His expression darkened.
"And those monkeys from Mount Huaguo... who's to say they aren't reincarnations of my Senior Brother?"
Pigsy sighed heavily.
"Just like Master kept reincarnating over and over."
He laughed bitterly.
"Heaven won't allow them to stop. Doesn't matter how many reincarnations die. The task assigned by the higher-ups must continue."
Pigsy looked toward the sky with disgust.
"This rotten Heaven really deserves to burn."
A short distance behind them, Kang Jinmei suddenly laughed softly.
"Marshal, why dwell on it so much? The Great Sage already appeared, didn't he?"
She looked toward Axel with bright eyes.
"And unlike those Mandated of Heaven monkeys, he feels completely different."
Then her expression shifted slightly.
"My cheap master, Yellow Brow, captured another Mandated of Heaven this morning."
"A white-furred ape."
"He was quite fierce apparently, but he died horribly. Miaoyin killed him, and the demons probably divided his corpse for food afterward."
As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously lingered on Axel's back.
Axel noticed immediately.
Chuckling, he reached out and casually played with a strand of her hair.
"Little Dragon Maiden, didn't you used to think I was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"
He smirked.
"So what changed?"
"I understand now."
Kang Jinmei nodded seriously, her cheeks growing red.
"Your temperament resembles his, but the Victorious Fighting Buddha would never completely become human."
Her eyes stayed fixed on Axel.
"He would always remain a monkey at heart."
She lowered her voice slightly.
"But you're different."
"I follow you, not him."
As she said those words, her ears turned even redder.
Back then, her admiration for the Great Sage Equal to Heaven had never truly been about romance.
What fascinated her was his spirit.
The rebellion.
The freedom.
The arrogance to challenge Heaven itself.
It was never simply because he was a monkey.
Realizing her own thoughts made her face grow hotter.
Axel watched her trembling lips and lightly patted her head.
"What are you blushing for?"
He grinned wickedly.
"Want another trip inside the Human Sack?"
"No!"
Kang Jinmei instantly snapped out of her daze and shook her head frantically.
Axel laughed and pushed lightly against her forehead.
"Then stop daydreaming and transform. We're not walking all the way to Mount Huaguo."
"Flying is faster."
Kang Jinmei bit her lip before nodding obediently.
"This humble woman understands."
Then she added quietly,
"But I've never carried anyone before. Once we're in the sky, Great Sage should hold tightly so the cold wind doesn't hurt you."
The moment she finished speaking, she leaped forward.
Her body instantly transformed from a red-robed immortal maiden into a beautiful platinum dragon.
Axel smoothly landed near the base of her neck.
Pigsy looked impressed.
"Great Sage really knows how to enjoy life."
He sighed dramatically.
"Back during the scripture journey, if Master hadn't selfishly hogged the White Dragon Horse, the four of us could've ridden together the entire way."
Pigsy immediately moved closer.
"Alright, Old Pig's getting on too."
The second his hoof touched Kang Jinmei's body, her tail whipped across the air violently.
Bang!
Pigsy was sent tumbling through the snow.
After rolling several times, he transformed into a black gust of wind and floated beside them with an aggrieved expression.
"Fine! Old Pig won't ride then!"
Kang Jinmei snorted coldly.
"You filthy lazy pig, don't even think about touching me."
Then she shot into the sky.
A platinum streak tore through the clouds as she rushed toward Mount Huaguo.
Pigsy cursed under his breath while chasing after them through the air.
The three figures soared across the heavens openly and without restraint.
Meanwhile, countless unseen eyes silently watched from within the clouds.