I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

Fuxi's voice was like the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams, as steady as a mountain.

Tongtian nodded, gratitude flashing in his eyes: "Thank you all."

As long as humanity endures, so too will humanity prevail.

Despite the hefty bounty offered by Hongjun, the human race prioritized the greater good and did not want the Three Realms to descend into chaos again.

With a flick of Qingpingzi's sword light, he protected Tongtian; Du Fu recited: "Purple blood descends from the heavens, disrupting the universe; the holy position is relinquished to seek the true body."

Hongjun pursued the Daoist protector, stirring up trouble on Jin'ao Island.

Once the poem was completed, it transformed into an invisible force, helping to stabilize the formation.

Outside the island, powerful figures flock in.

Haotian roared, "You who defy Heaven and defy the heavens, behead us at once!"

He lit a lamp and chanted the Buddha's name: "Amitabha Buddha, with auspicious purple clouds before me, this humble monk has no choice but to do so."

Zhen Yuanzi sighed, "Old friend, why go through all this?"

Sword flashes like rain, pearls gleam like the sea, and the offensive surges in like a tide.

The three sovereigns and five emperors of the human race joined forces, with Fuxi spreading the Hetu diagram, Shennong wielding the Nine Tripods, and Xuanyuan dancing with the Xuanyuan Sword, to block the heroes.

Du Fu unleashed his poetry and sword, Qingpingzi displayed his swordsmanship with overwhelming force, and the Three Immortals led their disciples in a desperate battle.

The battle raged fiercely, the island trembled, and the seawater steamed.

Tongtian, protected within the formation, barely managed to heal his injuries by circulating his internal energy. He sighed, "Jiang Wang, you bystander, did you witness the courage and determination behind my actions?"

In the distance, a figure appeared, Jiang Ziya in disguise as Jiang Wang, shaking his head and sighing: "Fellow Daoist Tongtian, your courage is astonishing, but the winds and rains of the Three Realms make the future uncertain."

He didn't participate, he just watched from the sidelines, but he felt respect for him.

Although the human race is powerful, it is ultimately no match for the heroes of the Three Realms.

Shennong shouted: "Everyone, retreat from the ancestral land of the human race at once!"

Fuxi nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the Hetu diagram transformed into a curtain of light that enveloped everyone and carried them into the void.

Haotian, unable to catch up, roared, "Humans protect their rebellious son; how can the Three Realms find peace?"

Ran Deng put away the pearl: "Heaven has its own justice; let Hongjun decide."

Zhen Yuanzi shook his head: "The purple aura has scattered, presenting an opportunity for enlightenment. Who wouldn't be tempted?"

As Jin'ao Island empties out and the smoke of battle dissipates.

Sanxiao gasped, "Master, are you alright?"

Tongtian stood up, his body weak but his spirit undiminished: "All is well."

In the ancestral land of humanity, I will be reborn.

Although Hongjun's bounty was severe, there are loopholes in the way of Heaven, and human ways can exploit them.

The upheaval in the Three Realms begins today!

Outside the cave on Mount Hao, Wukong and his two companions circled the fire rapidly.

The Samadhi Fire is like a vast ocean, unbearably hot.

Pigsy wiped his sweat: "Brother Monkey, this little demon's fire skills are amazing, I, Old Pig, am almost cooked!"

Sha Wujing said, "Eldest brother, Red Boy is the son of the Bull Demon King and belongs to the Fire Cloud Cave lineage. He is troublesome."

Wukong gritted his teeth: "Master, you have no mercy. We have fallen into the demon's trap."

"I'll transform into a bee and sneak into the hole to explore."

He shook his hair, which transformed into a bee, and buzzed into the fire array.

Inside the cave, Tang Sanzang was bound, while Red Boy was refining elixirs in his furnace, laughing and saying, "Bald donkey, your disciple has come to rescue me? This prince is a boundless sea of ​​fire, let's see what he can do!"

Wukong was extremely anxious and thought to himself, "Master, hold on."

"Guanyin Bodhisattva, please come quickly to my aid!"

Little did they know that the mission in Chang'an had already begun, and the postponement of the journey to the West would cause all sorts of turmoil.

Deep within the Great Wilderness, in a void rift shrouded in chaotic energy, a figure sat cross-legged, his body radiating faint spiritual light—it was Jiang Wang.

A golden talisman flashed between his brows, and two mission screens appeared before his eyes, each word as clear as if carved by a knife.

Mission 1: Infiltrate the Flaming Mountain and steal the treasure guarded by the Bull Demon King's cave.

Reward: A stone slab of unknown origin.

Mission Two: At Luojia Mountain in the South China Sea, seize the opportunity to steal the Sea-Stabilizing Needle from Guanyin Bodhisattva's Jade Bottle.

Reward: Three Primal Spirit Crystals.

Jiang Wang glanced around, and the first task made him frown slightly.

Flaming Mountain? The Bull Demon King's brute cave is not only sweltering with heat, but also riddled with traps and mechanisms. It's time-consuming and laborious, not to mention what that stone slab is, and who knows if it's a blessing or a curse? In comparison, the second task, though dangerous, leads directly to Guanyin's treasure.

The jade bottle contains the Sea-Stabilizing Needle, a divine weapon for suppressing the seas, priceless in value.

Moreover, the three Chaos Spirit Crystals are enough to help him refine his Chaos Qi and break through his bottleneck.

With a thought racing through his mind, he lightly tapped his finger, and the light screen flashed and disappeared.

"It's just you."

Jiang Wang murmured something, then his figure transformed into a streak of light and headed straight for the South China Sea.

The mission restrictions fell like shackles—in the South China Sea, all supernatural powers were sealed, and one could only lurk in the form of an ordinary fish, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

A slight smile played on his lips. Patience was his greatest strength; what fear was there of a long night? Meanwhile, atop Mount Hao, the sun blazed fiercely, and the wild grass swayed in the breeze.

Sun Wukong held his golden cudgel, while the hairy-faced thunder god opened and closed his mouth, looking extremely anxious.

"Where is Master? He was chanting sutras here just now, how could he have disappeared in the blink of an eye? Pigsy, Sandy, did you see anything?"

Pigsy scratched his tusks, fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, and grumbled, "Brother Monkey, I was just dozing off, how would I know? Could it be that the mountain wind was too strong and blew Master away?"

As he spoke, he kept glancing at the dry food in the pile of luggage, swallowing hard.

Sha Wujing, holding his crescent shovel, stood as steady as a mountain, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding dust: "Senior Brother, be careful."

A strange wind just swept by; Master must have been kidnapped.

Let's split up and search, making sure no luggage is left behind.

The three split up: Sun Wukong soared into the sky, Zhu Bajie clumsily climbed the mountain, and Sha Wujing guarded the white dragon horse and the package.

Before they had gone far, Sun Wukong's ears twitched, and he heard a sobbing sound coming from the grass.

With a flick of his staff, he parted the tangled weeds and saw more than sixty figures trembling. They were mountain gods and local deities, each dressed in rags, their faces covered in dust and bloodstains, looking like mud monkeys crawling out of a beggar's den.

"Ouch, Great Sage, spare my life!"

The leader of the local earth gods knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly. "We are the mountain gods and earth gods of the Haoshan area. We were kidnapped by the demon king of Huoyun Cave and forced to do hard labor."

Carrying water and tending the fire every day, I'm so exhausted my bones are about to fall apart!

Sun Wukong flicked the tip of his staff, lifting the earth god up. His monkey eyes narrowed into slits: "Demon King? What demon king? Explain yourself! Has my master, Elder Tang, been kidnapped by him?"

The gods looked at each other and nodded in unison.

The local deity wiped away his tears and said in a trembling voice, "That's right! That demon king is called the Holy Infant King. He guards the Fire Cloud Cave in the Dry Pine Stream and has countless lesser demons under his command."

We gods are enslaved by him.

The elder, riding a white horse over the mountain, was blinded by the Samadhi True Fire, captured in one fell swoop, and dragged into the cave.

"Samadhi True Fire?"

Sun Wukong's heart tightened as he recalled an old legend, "Who is that Holy Infant King?"

The Earth God whispered, "He is the son of the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan, and the reincarnation of the Rakshasa Woman."

He was born with a face as white as powder, lips as red as cinnabar, wore a golden crown, a red robe, and wielded a fire-tipped spear; he possessed extraordinary supernatural abilities.

Flames soared into the sky from the cave, deterring ordinary demons from approaching.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's eyes lit up, and he grinned broadly, "The Bull Demon King's son? Hahaha, isn't that my nephew? Back then, I swore brotherhood with that old bull, and our bond is deep! Now that a relative has come to our door, asking for a master is a piece of cake!" He slapped his thigh, overjoyed, and turned to dismiss the gods, "You bunch of mountain scoundrels, get lost!"

"Once I rescue my master, I will come back to release you."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy stepped forward, his ears drooping: "Brother Monkey, we haven't been around for hundreds of years. The Bull Demon King has probably forgotten about you, monkey."

If they don't recognize us, we'll have made a wasted trip.

Sha Wujing nodded, "What my second senior brother said makes sense."

"Great Sage, you might as well bring some gifts, lest you arrive empty-handed."

Sun Wukong impatiently swung his staff: "Bah! Do my old Sun's friendships need such vulgar formalities? Just you wait and see!"

He somersaulted on his cloud, carrying Pigsy and Sandy, straight to the Dry Pine Ravine.

Behind them, the sixty mountain gods and local deities helped each other up, a glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes, mixed with bitterness—this Monkey King had underestimated his enemy, and it was likely that another bloody storm would ensue.

Along the banks of the withered pine ravine, jagged rocks stand amidst a deep, secluded stream.

Sha Wujing reined in his horse and stopped: "Eldest brother, I will stay here to guard the luggage."

Be careful, both of you.

Sun Wukong nodded, and Zhu Bajie rubbed his hands together eagerly: "Brother Monkey, I'll be the first one up later, and if I get the credit, Master will definitely praise me!"

The two leaped onto the ravine and saw flames raging at the entrance of the Fire Cloud Cave, its gate like the open mouth of a giant beast, spewing out red light.

Sun Wukong shouted loudly, "Listen up, little demon! Go and inform your king that his uncle, the Handsome Monkey King Sun Wukong, has come to visit!"

Upon hearing this, the little demon inside the cave hurriedly rushed in.

In an instant, a gust of wind swept out, and a boy appeared in the red light. He looked about seven or eight years old, with fair skin and delicate features, but his brows were filled with murderous intent. It was none other than Red Boy.

He wore a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, a golden chainmail armor, a jade belt around his waist, cloud-patterned shoes, and carried a fire-tipped spear with flames flickering at its tip, distorting the surrounding air.

"Uncle? Humph, what kind of wild monkey is this, daring to spout nonsense in my Fire Cloud Cave!"

Red Boy's eyes widened like bells, and the tip of his spear pointed directly at Sun Wukong. "Little demon, deploy the Five Elements Chariot Formation and capture this impudent monkey!"

As soon as he finished speaking, five small carts were pushed out of the cave, arranged according to the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The carts were loaded with sulfur and saltpeter, and flames flickered in and out.

Seeing this, Sun Wukong chuckled and said, "Nephew, don't be anxious. I, Old Sun, am your father Bull Demon King's sworn brother. Back then, during the battle at Iron Fan Cave, your mother even treated me to bananas."

"You kidnapped my master today! Release him immediately! We're uncle and nephew, why must we fight?"

Upon hearing this, Red Boy snorted and his fiery temper erupted like a volcano: "You opportunistic monkey! My father has plenty of brothers, who gave you the right to be a hairy-faced, thunder-mouthed brat? Take this!"

With a flick of his spear, it transformed into a fiery dragon, piercing straight for Sun Wukong's heart.

Sun Wukong remained calm and composed, his golden cudgel spinning rapidly to block the spear tip: "Good lad, you've got some of your father's ruthlessness!"

The two men leaped into the air, their clubs and spears clashing, sparks flying everywhere.

Sun Wukong's seventy-two transformations and his staff techniques were like a storm, smashing Red Boy left and right, while Red Boy's fire-tipped spear danced so tightly that it was impenetrable, the spearhead burning and scorching Sun Wukong's monkey hair.

After twenty rounds of fierce aerial combat, neither side could gain the upper hand.

Pigsy, watching with envy, brandished his nine-toothed rake and leaped up to join in: "Little demon, Grandpa's here to lend a hand!"

He wanted to take credit, but he disrupted Sun Wukong's rhythm.

Seeing this, Red Boy's marksmanship faltered. He feigned defeat and fled in panic, dragging his spear behind him.

"Chase!"

Sun Wukong shouted loudly, and Zhu Bajie followed with a hum and a ha, the two chasing straight to the cave entrance.

Red Boy rode the Five Elements Chariot, its wheels rumbling, and with a turn of the formation, flames blazed brightly.

He grinned maliciously, smacked his nose, and unleashed a torrent of Samadhi True Fire from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears! The fire surged like a red dragon emerging from the sea, instantly engulfing the cave entrance, with waves of heat and billowing smoke filling the air.

The saltpeter on the Five Elements Chariot exploded, fueling the fire, and in an instant, an area of ​​a hundred feet in radius became a sea of ​​fire.

Pigsy was the first to be hit, his face burning red from the heat. He flung his rake and fled in panic, yelling, "Oh my god, it's roasting pig's trotters! Brother Monkey, I'm outta here!"

He stumbled and rolled down the ravine, then huddled in Sha Wujing's arms, trembling.

Sun Wukong gritted his teeth, made a hand seal, silently recited the fire-repelling incantation, and leaped into the sea of ​​fire: "You little thief, don't run away!"

Thick smoke billowed from the fire, obscuring the sky and sun. His sharp eyes could not discern the enemy's whereabouts, and his staff danced wildly, only managing to strike a few charred rocks.

The fire raged, scorching his bones and burning his heart. He barely managed to withdraw, his monkey-like face blackened by soot, coughing incessantly.

"Damn it, this Samadhi True Fire is indeed powerful!"

Sun Wukong, panting, suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "That's it! Ask the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to send rain to extinguish the fire!"

He plucked a handful of monkey hair, blew a breath of magic, and it transformed into four messenger cloud rabbits, which headed straight for the East Sea, South Sea, West Sea, and North Sea.

A moment later, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas arrived, with Ao Guang leading the way, shaking his head and asking, "Monkey King, what brings you here?"

Sun Wukong pointed at the sea of ​​fire: "Quick! Send down heavy rain to extinguish this demonic fire and save my master!"

The dragon kings exchanged glances, nodded in unison, shook their dragon bodies, gathered the clouds, and a torrential downpour began.

The rain, like an inverted Milky Way, pounded on the sea of ​​fire, making a sizzling sound.

However, the Samadhi True Fire was born of nature and nurtured by the earth, incomparable to ordinary fire. When the rain touched it, it turned into water vapor, which rose up and made the fire even more intense! The flames, aided by the water, leaped more than ten feet up, and the heat wave was like a tide, forcing the Dragon Kings to retreat.

"Oh no, this is bad!"

Ao Guang was shocked. He flicked his dragon tail and exclaimed, "This fire is the bane of my aquatic race. It can only destroy mortal fire. The Samadhi True Fire will backfire!"

The four dragons fled in panic, leaving behind the words, "Take care, Monkey King!"

Sun Wukong was dumbfounded; rain soaked his monkey fur, and smoke pierced his nostrils.

Overwhelmed with anger, his vision blurred, and he leaped into the cold water of the ravine, hoping to use the force of the water to quell his rage.

Unexpectedly, the alternating cold and heat caused a sensation as if a thousand needles were piercing his chest, and his three souls seemed to leave his body. His monkey body sank and floated, and he almost drowned.

"Big Brother!"

With lightning speed, Sha Wujing hooked Sun Wukong with his crescent shovel and scooped him up.

Upon seeing this, Pigsy rushed forward to massage Sun Wukong's chest and abdomen, rubbing until Sun Wukong vomited water before finally waking up.

Sun Wukong opened his eyes, his monkey face pale, his breath weak: "Bajie... Sha Wujing... I, Old Sun... have stumbled."

This fire... what should we do? Master is still in the cave, being tormented by that little demon..."

Pigsy wiped his sweat, feeling timid and guilty, but managed to come up with a suggestion: "Brother Monkey, don't rush."

We can't defeat this fire spirit, so let's ask the Bodhisattva for help! Guanyin Bodhisattva is compassionate and surely has a solution.

"I...I'm going to the South China Sea for help!"

Sha Wujing nodded: "Second Senior Brother's words are true."

"Senior brother, please rest. I'll guard the luggage."

Sun Wukong sighed and forced himself to get up: "Fine."

Go ahead, but come back quickly.

I'll stay here and think of a solution.

Upon hearing this, Pigsy shouldered his rake, transformed into a streak of white light, and headed straight for the South China Sea.

On the shore of the South China Sea, waves crash against the shore, and Luojia Mountain stands majestically.

Inside the Chaoyin Cave, the air is filled with the sounds of chanting, and Guanyin Bodhisattva sits on a lotus throne, preaching and expounding the Dharma.

Sudhana, the boy of good fortune, stood by with a fan in hand, while the cave was filled with blooming Mughal flowers, their fragrance wafting through the air.

The Bodhisattva holds a jade vase, with a willow branch gently swaying at the mouth of the vase, and shimmering light appearing and disappearing within the vase, which is the final resting place of the magic needle that stabilizes the sea.

The bottle is crystal clear, its spiritual energy is contained, and its protection is as tight as a net, making it difficult for ordinary demons to get close.

The sea outside the cave is deep blue, and schools of fish swim around.

A grouper silently hid in a crevice in the reef, its scales blending seamlessly with the stone's color—it was Jiang Wang in disguise.

He squinted slightly, gazing through the ripples at the Tide Sound Cave. (End of Chapter)