I never expected that the person who saved me would be Third Senior Brother.

He looked at me with wide-open eyes in astonishment, then covered my mouth and transmitted his voice to me:

"This place is not suitable for staying long. Let's go to my meditation room."

After saying that, the two of us swiftly flew towards the southwest meditation room.

Back in Third Senior Brother's meditation room, I learned that the one who saved me earlier was his spiritual avatar, while his physical body remained under the lamp, reading the scriptures.

Seeing this, I suddenly had a thought: Could it be that the one always reading the scriptures was just his physical body?

Was he just putting on a show? And who was he doing it for?

However, at this moment, the veins on Third Senior Brother's forehead and face protruded, and even the veins on his neck were visible, making his demonic appearance more apparent.

It seemed like Third Senior Brother could see through my thoughts. He took out a Tai Chi diagram from his embrace and waved it in the air.

Instantly, an illusion of the Tai Chi diagram appeared in the position of the doors and windows, transforming into numerous golden spells that sealed the doors and windows tightly.

Before Third Senior Brother could speak, I pointed at the veins on his face and asked first:

"Third Senior Brother, what's happening to you?"

Third Senior Brother smiled bitterly and answered with an extremely profound statement:

"This is our shared destiny."

"Our shared destiny? Third Senior Brother, what do you mean?"

Third Senior Brother glanced at the stack of scriptures on the table and calmly said:

"From the moment this game began, our fates were already determined."

When Third Senior Brother mentioned "game," all the events since the Journey to the West flashed through my mind, one by one, forming a chain and eventually turning into a vast network.

And every event we experienced was a node in this network.

Yes, the Journey to the West was a game. However, I didn't know when I got involved or who dragged us into this game.

And who was manipulating this game?

"Third Senior Brother, when did this game start? And who is the mastermind behind it?"

Third Senior Brother let out another bitter smile and said:

"The game began the moment the Monkey King burst out of the stone and cast his golden gaze towards the heavens while bowing to the four directions. That's when it started."

I shook my head, indicating that I didn't understand.

Third Senior Brother continued:

"Buddha chose Sun Wukong as his chess piece, and the Heavenly Court also played along, synchronously deploying us as their chess pieces."

"But why us?"

"You should be grateful. If it weren't for you, you would be a piece of dragon skin on the Dragon-Slicing Platform or a dish of 'Dragon Liver' on the banquet table."

Yes, this is the fate of our dragon clan, where even a drop more or a drop less of rain is a capital offense.

Just as I fell into contemplation, Third Senior Brother suddenly spoke solemnly:

"Enough idle talk. I've read all these scriptures. They are undoubtedly demonic scriptures, and we must not let them spread to the Eastern Land."

"Third Senior Brother, does that mean you have fallen into the demonic path?"

"That's not important. What's important is that we cannot allow these demonic scriptures to reach the Eastern Land."

"That's simple, we can just burn them once we leave the Ling Mountain."

"It's not that simple. The demonic scriptures must not only be prevented from reaching the Eastern Land, but they also need to be handed over to the Heavenly Court at the right time."

"Then what should we do?"

"We can only deceive the heavens and cross the sea."

I felt that this was an impossible task and hastily said:

"How can we possibly deceive everyone? Even if we deceive the Buddhas of the Western Land, there's still Senior Brother. Yes, he is no longer our Senior Brother, but the Vairocana Buddha in disguise."

Upon hearing this news, Third Senior Brother didn't seem too surprised. He simply said with indifference:

"I knew he wasn't Sun Wukong a long time ago. I just didn't expect him to bethe Vairocana Buddha in disguise. But don't worry, I have a plan to deceive everyone, including the Vairocana Buddha."

I looked at Third Senior Brother with anticipation, hoping he would share his plan with me.

He took a deep breath and began explaining:

"The key lies in the scriptures. These demonic scriptures contain powerful spells and forbidden knowledge that can cause great chaos if they fall into the wrong hands. We cannot destroy them here because they hold crucial information that the Heavenly Court needs to know."

"So, what do we do with them?" I asked.

"We need to make a fake copy of these scriptures, one that appears identical to the original but lacks the true power. We'll leave the fake scriptures behind and take the real ones with us. This way, when the Heavenly Court inspects them, they won't find anything suspicious."

I nodded, understanding the plan so far. However, I had a concern:

"But won't the Vairocana Buddha see through this? He seems to have great knowledge and powers."

Third Senior Brother smiled confidently and replied:

"That's where the deception comes in. We will create an illusion using our combined powers to mask the true nature of the scriptures. Even the Vairocana Buddha won't be able to see through it. We'll make it seem like the demonic power has been completely eradicated from the scriptures."

I was amazed by Third Senior Brother's strategy. It seemed like a plausible plan to deceive both the Heavenly Court and the Vairocana Buddha. However, I still had one more question:

"What about us? Where do we go after leaving the Ling Mountain?"

Third Senior Brother's expression turned serious as he answered:

"We must travel to the Eastern Land and deliver the real scriptures to the Heavenly Court ourselves. It's a dangerous journey, but it's our responsibility as cultivators to ensure the balance between the mortal and immortal realms. We cannot let the demonic power spread."

I understood the gravity of the situation and nodded in agreement. It was our duty to protect the Eastern Land and prevent chaos from engulfing it.

With our plan in place, Third Senior Brother and I began preparing for our departure from Ling Mountain. We gathered the necessary materials to create the fake scriptures and made arrangements to deceive the other disciples.

As we worked together, I couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with Third Senior Brother. Despite his appearance and occasional demonic tendencies, he was still my senior brother and a trusted ally.

Little did I know that our journey to the Eastern Land would be filled with trials and dangers beyond our imagination. But with our determination and the fate we shared, we were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.