Murray’s expression changed in an instant.
He stared hard at the projection and muttered, “Doesn’t that mean the final boss of this map isn’t Iron Fan Princess at all, but… Bull Demon King?!”
The sky collapsed.
This was the kind of news that could make someone go black before their eyes.
The terrifying S-class Anomaly, Bull Demon King, is actually the Newborn Joint Entrance Exam’s map boss?
So, does that mean he’s responsible?
Everyone: “…..”
Kofman tactfully said, “Teacher, maybe you should go find a fortune-changer lately? Ask for a blessing or something.”
“Teacher Murray’s luck really is second to none. Just to raise the difficulty a bit, and boom—straight to Bull Demon King.”
Murray: “…..”
That makes a lot of sense.
Ji Yao pushed up her glasses, the eyes behind the lenses narrowed slightly and she said, “So, both of them as husband and wife, were fooled by Su Fu with just a Guanyin illusion and Sweet Dew?”
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Don’t say it, really don’t say it.
After doing it once or twice, Su Fu’s already a pro—she handled it all effortlessly.
“How is that not a married couple?” Lina murmured, dazed, as if what she just saw was a dream.
They’d all thought Su Fu was doomed for sure, but then—an unexpected twist, and she managed to bluff her way through.
Two Apes, but just one restraint spell?
“I think,” Zhou Yu added rigorously, “it’s still Bull Demon King who’s more miserable. He was turned directly into a knife in Su Fu’s hand, charging straight for Little Thunderclap Monastery.”
Everyone: “……”
‘Makes sense.’
“So that’s why Su Fu has never been in a rush to go to Little Thunderclap Monastery?” Fox analyzed in disbelief.
“She had this idea from the start—directly luring the map’s big boss over, letting them fight it out, and then she swoops in to clean up?”
Well damn, she’s really venomous.
She played everyone in the palm of her hand, turning them into pawns.
“Wait a minute,” Lina suddenly recalled something, “that scandal she deliberately spread earlier—was that actually to attract everyone’s attention?”
Everyone finally realized that it wasn’t just for revenge, but also to hide her true objective.
Looking at it now, the plan was clearly a success.
All the candidates were gathering at Little Thunderclap Monastery, and now that she’s lured Bull Demon King there, it’s bound to be a one-shot sweep.
Ji Yao suddenly asked, “So what has she been doing this whole time?”
Everyone silently looked at the image; the answer was clear—she was madly ‘base stealing,’ leading her squad to speed across the map, with absolutely no one guarding their path.
It was like returning home to a happy old house—no difficulty at all.
Everyone watching this scene had mixed expressions—
“This brain… she can really calculate.”
“The net’s already been set; now she just has to close it.”
“The key is, all the core anomalies on the map were wiped out by the previous candidates.”
“So while others are fighting tooth and nail at Little Thunderclap Monastery, they’re just frantically picking up scraps on the battlefield?”
***
Meanwhile, within the borders of Women’s Kingdom.
Su Fu and her group had already arrived at a mountain valley, where a clear spring flowed quietly.
Flowers bloomed, butterflies fluttered—fragrant and beautiful.
Yi Congling gazed curiously at the running water, unable to help but marvel, “This map is really magical—there’s the Subhuti River that makes you pregnant if you drink it, and now Luotai Spring, where one sip makes the fetus vanish.”
Their goal this trip was this very spring.
The spring water shimmered under the sunlight; occasionally, a flower petal would fall in and float with the ripples.
George watched for a while, clicking his tongue in awe, full of admiration.
“Boss, if you hadn’t told us, we’d never have discovered the wonders of this spring—would have missed out on such a divine item.”
Su Fu smiled faintly and waved a hand, “Take it all!”
This was just as precious as the Subhuti River, and she thought there was a huge market for it.
After all, just one sip and it’s gone—not only painless and traceless, but without any side effects.
That’s a blessing for so many people.
She pondered that maybe she could bundle it with the Subhuti River for sale.
That way, candidates facing breeding-type opponents would never have to worry again; she could even turn their methods back on them.
Bound to make a huge profit.
Ahem, anyway, earning money isn’t shameful.
Everyone immediately got to work with high spirits.
After finishing up in the Women’s Kingdom, they moved on to the borders of India.
As expected, they found the Jade Rabbit Spirit’s Herb Garden.
The garden wasn’t very large, but inside were plenty of rare and exotic plants—red Fire Ganoderma, golden Golden Silk Grass, verdant Bamboo Leaf Green…
Looking around, the place was lush and abundant, lifting everyone’s spirits.
At the center of the garden sat a giant stone mortar, clearly used for grinding medicine.
Su Fu thought to herself, ‘Truly worthy of being the Moon Palace’s rabbit spirit pharmacist.’
Just then, a bird controlled by the Hundred Birds’ Eyes brought back a new image: the main candidate force had arrived at Little Thunderclap Monastery.
Su Fu directly shared the projection for everyone to watch together as they carefully transplanted spiritual herbs while watching the excitement.
On screen, Achilles and others were standing beneath the giant cat war chariot.
Glancing behind them, quite a few people could be seen.
Little Thunderclap Monastery was right before them.
Several levels of pagodas soared into the sky, golden glazed tiles reflecting the sun, making it seem like the whole tower shone with golden light.
They could even vaguely hear chanting—solemn and dignified.
The atmosphere was just right.
“So magnificent…” George couldn’t help but exclaim.
On screen, Saffiros glanced at the holographic map, his voice cold and clear, “Quite a few candidates have already arrived.”
“But, Su Fu isn’t here.”
His brows furrowed, “Not only is she not here, she’s still far away from this place. What’s going on?”
Freya snorted coldly, “I guessed it. She knows coming here is a death sentence. After all the things she’s done, now she’s scared? What a joke.”
Achilles, however, suddenly looked up toward the void, as if facing Su Fu directly.
He said, “I know you can hear me, Su Fu.”
Su Fu’s hand gripping the jade spade paused slightly.
“So you’re just a coward hiding your head, a rat skulking in the dark, only daring to hide in the shadows. Do you really think such low tricks can win?”
He laughed disdainfully, “If you’ve got guts, then never come over here. Let’s see how you plan to clear the map.”
Achilles’ voice echoed across the plaza before Little Thunderclap Monastery.
The others tacitly pretended not to hear.
They all knew that you can smile about it in private, but if you did it in front of Achilles, you’d be dead before you knew what hit you.
No one could figure out why Su Fu was so gutsy as to go up against him.
After saying his piece, Achilles waved his hand, signaling everyone to move on, “Let’s go.”
Seeing this, George laughed in exasperation and said, “Still talking big, let’s see what kind of sorry state he’s in after this!”
Yi Congling, however, smiled faintly, “From another angle, this just proves our plan succeeded. They all think we’re too scared of Achilles to go to Little Thunderclap Monastery.”
George nodded deeply: “….”
‘Makes sense.’
Just then, the image changed.
Achilles and his group had already entered Little Thunderclap Monastery.
Inside, golden light flooded the hall and it was massive.
So huge, they felt like ants breaking into the human world.
At the center of the great hall stood a colossal, merciful Lord Buddha, dozens of meters high, surrounded by swirling auspicious clouds, his face solemn and compassionate.
On both sides stood all kinds of arhats and bodhisattvas, each with their own pose and expression.
As they entered, all the Buddhas in the hall turned to look at them.
Everyone slowed their pace, filled with awe.
“Lord Buddha…” Bodhi Yue whispered.
“So this is the end of the journey to the West?” Freya asked quietly, “Are we really here to get the scriptures?”
She couldn’t say why, but she had an inexplicable feeling—her heart pounding.
“Will we clear the map just by getting the scriptures?” someone guessed.
“I doubt it’ll be that simple. Lord Buddha should have some kind of test.”
Achilles took a step forward and bowed deeply to the statue of Lord Buddha, calling out in a loud voice, “Lord Buddha above, how may we obtain the scriptures?”
Everyone held their breath, hearts pounding, waiting for Lord Buddha’s reply.
But Bodhi Yue frowned, “Something’s not right…”
She was, after all, from the Indian pantheon—quite familiar with Buddhas and their aura but this Little Thunderclap Monastery, and the Buddhas within, felt completely different.
A Buddha ought to be full of mercy, to save all sentient beings but here, why did she feel so uneasy?
Back in the Herb Garden of India, though they hadn’t entered the monastery themselves, Su Fu’s group felt almost as if they were there in person.
“Boss, this really looks like the end of Journey to the West…” George frowned, staring at the image.
“Achilles isn’t actually going to get the scriptures, right?”
Theresa couldn’t help but to think, ‘Truly… the scene was just too overwhelming—so solemn, holy, filled with the radiance of Buddha-nature.’
She felt like there really was nothing wrong.
“Clear the map by getting the scriptures?” Su Fu glanced up and declared firmly, “No way.”
Even if you really did reach Little Thunderclap Monastery, there’s always a final hurdle.
How could it be so easy?
Not to mention this isn’t even real.
Just then, in the image, Bodhi Yue suddenly grabbed Achilles’ sleeve, her face turning deathly pale.
“No! We must leave immediately!”
“Hurry!” she warned, “Now! Right now!”
Achilles’ heart jolted.
He’d never seen Bodhi Yue like this before but before he could react, Lord Buddha spoke, the voice piercing and shrill: “Why are you running?”
The compassionate, dignified face of Lord Buddha twisted bizarrely, the mouth warping—
“Since you’ve come to my Western Paradise… why run?”
Terror struck and they watched as the golden skin began to peel away, the once-smiling lips stretching into a maw full of sharp fangs, the formerly serene eyes turning blood-red and filled with malice.
“It’s fake! It’s a trap!”
“This isn’t Lord Buddha at all!”
The entire great hall was plunged into chaos; the candidates panicked, scrambling for the doors but it was already too late.
The fake Lord Buddha raised a gigantic palm, pulling a golden cymbal from thin air, then slammed it down.
The cymbal swelled instantly, growing enormous, pressing down on everyone like a golden mountain.
“Boom—”
A deafening crash as the cymbal hit the ground, trapping all the candidates inside.
Terrified screams and desperate shouts echoed within, but outside, only muffled rumbles could be heard.
Meanwhile, all those Buddhas, bodhisattvas, arhats—they twisted and contorted, their skins sloughing off to reveal their true forms as hideous monsters.
Some had ox heads, some were covered in green fur, others were eight-legged spider demons.
A weasel-faced demon ran eagerly to the cymbal, taking a deep breath.
“Such a feast! So many tender humans, enough to eat for a year!”
A leopard-bodied demon licked its lips bloodthirstily and said, “I want that blond kid—looks the most flavorful!”
“Hahaha!” A centipede spirit danced in excitement, gazing adoringly at the Yellow Browed Monster sitting in Buddha’s seat.
“Your Majesty is amazing! Pretending to be gods and Buddhas—every last one of them walked right into our hands!”
Yellow Browed Monster sat proudly on the lotus throne, raising a hand for silence he said, “Hold it, don’t get excited. From here on, no one shows their true form.”
“And the rest—”
“We’ll catch them all in one net!”
The monsters cheered, circling the cymbal and boasting of their king’s might!
This scene fell into the eyes of Su Fu and the others.
“This… All those Buddhas and gods are actually disguised monsters?” Theresa never imagined, “They dare be so audacious?!”
Yi Congling’s face was pale as she said, “So this isn’t Little Thunderclap Monastery at all—it’s… a den of monsters! Who could have thought the final map would be a giant, utterly malicious monster’s den?”
“They even disguised themselves, luring all the candidates in before showing their true colors. The key thing—what on earth is that golden thing? It trapped everyone?”
George’s voice trembled, “That’s… hundreds, thousands of candidates.”
All trapped just like that?
It didn’t just trap the first wave; as more candidates entered, the golden trap would snare them too.
“How wide is the range of that golden cymbal? Those people trapped inside…” He didn’t dare finish—their fates were unknown.
The most absurd thing was that the candidates had no chance to resist, simply caught outright.
Truly, overwhelming power crushing all.
“This level is just too hard!”
Everyone thought the same: if they’d gone with the others, entered that hall, they’d also be trapped under that cymbal right now—emergency rations for the monsters, with no one to save them.
Just then, the cymbal in the image began to shake violently.
Its once-smooth surface bulged in places, as if someone inside was forcefully striking it.
“Buzz—Buzz—”
Next, the cymbal let out a piercing hum and a terrible metallic screech.
The Yellow Browed Monster’s face changed drastically, shouting, “Not good!”
Any longer, and a hole might be punched through.
He quickly manipulated the cymbal, grabbing a few troublemakers and ejecting them.
“Achilles, Bodhi, Merlin… they actually got out!”
“But not everyone,” Theresa soon noticed.
“Yellow Browed Monster only let out those few, plus Hopte, and a handful of others.”
“So they literally fought their way out?” George was shocked, he asked, “That cymbal couldn’t even hold them?”
That was insane—compared to other candidates, they were on another level.
Su Fu was also curious, ‘By rights, the legendary golden cymbal, once it traps you, you can’t escape. It’s immune to water, fire, blades, and arrows; it can contain anything. How did they break out?’
The ones who escaped quickly banded together into a defensive circle.
Clearly, they knew that facing Yellow Browed Monster and so many monsters, only teamwork could give them a sliver of hope.
“But they’re in bad shape too—look at Freya’s hand,” Theresa pointed out.
“So much blood, must be badly hurt.”
It wasn’t just her hand.
Her blond hair was messy, her face covered in scratches, breathing ragged and uneven.
Others fared no better—some had lost an arm, some had shattered artifacts…
They’d clearly paid a heavy price.