# 1109
Chapter 1110: Jade Stele Forest
Upon hearing this voice, Lin Qiye's heart sank. He turned to look.
The visitor was no one other than the White Planet Lord, someone he had met once before.
Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed. He set down the Celestial Brew in his hand, his身形 flashing to arrive before the White Planet Lord. The half-robe of Buddhist garments fluttered in the wind as he grabbed the White Planet Lord by the collar, those pressuring eyes staring intently:
"So it was you, you old geezer..."
"Great Sage? It's really the Great Sage?" The White Planet Lord gaped. "Great Sage, you've returned?!"
"Old geezer, don't ask questions you shouldn't. Pretend you never saw me today. Don't tell anyone... Understand?" Sun Wukong said menacingly.
Lin Qiye stood in the distance, gazing blankly at Sun Wukong's back. Whether it was his imagination or not, the Sun Wukong right now seemed different from the Victorious Fighting Buddha whose divine light had filled the ward when he first opened the door... There was now more of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven's aura about him.
"Understood, understood."
The White Planet Lord nodded repeatedly.
Only after Sun Wukong released him did the White Planet Lord slightly relax. "Great Sage, it's been a hundred years. How did your personality revert to the previous unrestrained... er, the previous free-spirited manner? Also, why did you come here instead of going to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall when you returned to Heavenly Court?"
The White Planet Lord walked past Sun Wukong, his gaze falling upon the two inscribed wooden boards. He suddenly froze.
He turned to look at Sun Wukong. "Great Sage, you came here to erect memorial stones for them?"
"Is that not allowed?" Sun Wukong frowned slightly.
"It's allowed, it's allowed. It's just that..." The White Planet Lord hesitated.
"Just what?"
"Sigh, Great Sage, and young friend Lin... Follow me."
The White Planet Lord waved his horsetail whisk, summoning a cloud of white mist. He stepped onto it.
Sun Wukong's frown deepened.
"Great Sage, come with me. I'll take you somewhere." Seeing Sun Wukong remain motionless, the White Planet Lord called out again. After a moment of silence, Sun Wukong bent down to pick up the Black Bag from the ground and followed him onto the white cloud.
"Where are you taking me?"
"You'll know when we get there."
The White Planet Lord waved his horsetail whisk once more, and the three figures swiftly vanished at the horizon.
...
Soon, they descended gently in the central area of Heavenly Court.
This was a courtyard lined with magnificent divine steles carved from white jade. There weren't many—just six or seven visible—but each one was dozens of meters thick and over a hundred meters tall, rippling with a faint white glow under the sunlight.
Sun Wukong found this area somewhat unfamiliar. He was certain that this place hadn't existed in Heavenly Court a hundred years ago.
Sun Wukong stepped off the cloud and looked around at the towering white jade steles. Just as he was about to frown and speak, his gaze landed on two of them, and his pupils slightly contracted.
Lin Qiye followed behind him. Upon seeing the gilded characters inscribed on the surfaces of those two white jade steles, he too froze in place.
—Great Xia's National Defense God General, Western Pure Offering Vessel, Zhu Wuneng.
—Great Xia's National Defense God General, Western Golden-Body Arhat, Sha Wujing.
The White Planet Lord dispersed the mist and walked unhurriedly to the two of them. With a smile, he stroked his white beard and said:
"When Heavenly Court's origin was restored and the Gods of Great Xia returned, the Jade Emperor commanded the creation of these merit steles. The deities who perished in the Mist Catastaclysm a hundred years ago were posthumously honored with the title of National Defense God General and enshrined here, to commemorate their deeds.
Great Sage, if you wish to pay your respects, this is the place...
That small hillside was too shabby."
Sun Wukong clutched the Black Bag, standing in a daze beneath those two luminous jade steles. Two streams of tears welled from his reddened eyes. Beneath the half Buddhist robe, his body trembled slightly.
"Good..." His lips parted slightly, the word hoarse.
Sun Wukong bent down once more, retrieving those Celestial Brew and celestial fruits from the Black Bag, arranging them one by one before the two steles.
"Star Lord, let's go first." Lin Qiye's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He withdrew his gaze and spoke to the White Planet Lord beside him.
The White Planet Lord stroked his beard, smiling. "Very well."
The two turned and walked away from the Jade Stele Forest.
At the edge of the Jade Stele Forest, Lin Qiye couldn't help but glance back once more.
He saw that familiar figure cradling a pot of Celestial Brew, as if toasting to the sky, then pouring it furiously into his mouth before dumping the rest before the steles. He laughed heartily:
"The old devil Jade Emperor still has some conscience after all. Today, I'll share this wine with him. Idiot, Old Sand, let's drink until we drop tonight!"
In the desolate, people-less Jade Stele Forest, only that half-Buddha, half-demon silhouette sat before the steles, sometimes laughing wildly, sometimes weeping, as if possessed.
...
No one knew that at this moment, outside the Lingxiao Hall, two figures were gazing toward this place from afar.
"That mischievous monkey... has finally returned." Yuanshi Tianzun's hands clasped behind his Taoist robe, he smiled faintly.
"Can't tell you're so concerned about him." Baili Pangpang beside him remarked. "The White Planet Lord was sent by you, wasn't he?"
Yuanshi Tianzun slowly closed his eyes. "It's Heavenly Court that owes him too much..."
"As for that monkey's affairs, let's set them aside for now."
Baili Pangpang turned to face Yuanshi Tianzun and extended an open palm.
"What are you doing?" Yuanshi Tianzun asked, puzzled.
"I want something."
"Hm?" Yuanshi Tianzun raised an eyebrow. "What thing?"
Baili Pangpang opened his mouth and spoke a name.
"What do you want it for?" Yuanshi Tianzun's confusion deepened.
"Gifting it to someone. Is that not allowed?"
"Of course it's allowed. It was originally yours; I was merely keeping it for you temporarily." Yuanshi Tianzun turned and walked toward the distance.
"Come with me."
...
Dusk.
In the courtyard.
Lin Qiye hung from two parallel bars, drenched in sweat.
A shadow flew across the sky, transforming into a dark-gold phantom that darted into Lin Qiye's body.
Lin Qiye startled and immediately stopped his movements.
Was Sun Wukong back?
Lin Qiye sank his consciousness into the Asylum of the Gods. Confirming that Sun Wukong had indeed returned to the hospital, the knot in his heart finally loosened.
He had left Sun Wukong alone in the Jade Stele Forest for an entire afternoon. Though he had been worried at first, from Sun Wukong's current state, such worry seemed somewhat unnecessary.
"Hey, you!"
Sun Wukong stood at the edge of the hospital's courtyard, looking at Gilgamesh who was leaning against the railing on the second floor for a rest. He tilted his chin upward. "What are you staring at?"
Gilgamesh's eyes slightly narrowed.
He leapt from the second floor to the courtyard, subtly rolling his neck. His gray robe rippled without wind. A low voice rang out: "You ill-bred monkey... Are you provoking me?"
Sun Wukong said nothing. He simply stood in the center of the courtyard. Within those eyes, brilliant golden light blazed like torches. A faint smile curved his lips. Having vented his emotions all afternoon, he seemed to crave a thorough battle.
Two terrifying battle intents surged like torrential tides, colliding against each other.
Just then, Lin Qiye's gaze fell upon Sun Wukong's head, and his pupils contracted slightly.
"Sun Wukong Treatment Progress: 88%"