Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 68, Encountering a Demon in the Black Pine Forest (Part 12)
Meanwhile, Kui Mulang fled to Ao Tu and begged for protection. Ao Tu took him in and took the blame for Kui Mulang's crimes in Heaven.

Kui Mulang was extremely grateful and repeatedly bowed to Ao Tu in thanks.

Ao Tu took out two sets of formation diagrams, preparing to deal with Sun Wukong.

One set is the Red Sand Formation we used before, and the other is the Small Heavenly Cycle Formation, which we received as a reward at White Tiger Ridge.

Ao Tu picked up the red sand array and said:

"This formation is called the Red Sand Formation. It was the formation of the Ten Heavenly Kings of Jin'ao Island in the past. The red sand inside the formation can suppress the physical body, bewilder the mind and soul, and destroy the spirit. With this formation, we can capture that monkey."

Upon hearing this, Kui Mulang exclaimed in surprise, "Senior, it is said that this formation has been lost for a long time. How did you obtain it?"

Ao Tu said, "This formation has not been lost, but is hidden in Mount Ling, and is kept by Buddha's disciple Ananda. After I killed Ananda at Huangfeng Ridge, I was fortunate enough to obtain the formation diagram."

Upon hearing this, Kui Mulang couldn't help but exclaim, "What a magnificent Ling Mountain!"

Ao Tu asked, "What's wrong?"

Kui Mulang said, "It's nothing. With this formation, we'll definitely be able to take down that monkey."

Ao Tu nodded and said, "Of course. But that monkey suffered a loss at my hands before, so I think he will be on guard if he sees this formation again."

Ao Tu took out the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Formation Diagram and handed it to Kui Mulang, saying:
"Use this formation as cover to lure the monkey in, and then I will activate the Red Sand Formation to capture him."

Kui Mulang took the array diagram and didn't pay much attention to it at first, but when he saw the laws outlined on the diagram, he was stunned for a moment.

On the array were thirty-six stars, ingeniously linked by the laws of nature, echoing the Great Dao. As soon as it was taken out, it drew down starlight from the sky.

This starlight is no ordinary starlight, but rather an evolution of the power of the rules of the stars.

The heavens contain the sun, moon, and stars. In addition to the sun and moon, there are also Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, the Big Dipper (seven stars), the Southern Dipper (six stars), the Western Dipper (four stars), the Eastern Dipper (three stars), the Central Dipper (five stars), as well as the 108 stars of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, the Nine Luminaries, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Upper Enclosure of the Taiwei Enclosure, the Middle Enclosure of the Ziwei Enclosure, and the Lower Enclosure of the Tianshi Enclosure, and countless stars in the heavens.

The stars revolve in the heavens, which is the constant law of nature. Its power of rules is invisible and pervades all realms.

Ao Tu had never comprehended the Great Dao of the Stars, and even if he saw it, he could not feel its power. However, Kui Mulang, as the Kui Star among the Twenty-Eight Mansions, felt it very deeply.

"Senior, what! What kind of formation is this?!"

Kui Mulang's reaction was even more shocking than when he heard about the Red Sand Formation, one of the Ten Deadly Formations.

Seeing his loss of composure, Ao Tu asked in return, "How is this formation?"

Kui Mulang exclaimed excitedly, "This formation is truly a creation of the Great Dao, beyond the reach of human power. Its formation is in harmony with the Great Dao of the Stars, and it can bypass the authority of the Heavenly Court to directly mobilize the power of the thirty-six main stars. It is capable of trapping and killing enemies in every way, which is truly unheard of!"

Ao Tu was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. He didn't know much about the Dao of Stars. This formation was a reward he received after intercepting people for half a month. He hadn't expected it to be so powerful, but it had such an effect.

Ao Tu said, "This formation is called the Lesser Heavenly Cycle Formation, and it is also a treasure of Mount Ling. I obtained it from Ananda after I killed him."

Kui Mulang said:

"The Small Heavenly Circuit! If there is a Small Heavenly Circuit, then there must be a Great Heavenly Circuit!"
Yes, although it is not directly depicted in the formation, it secretly draws on the light of the sun and moon, the six stars of the Big Dipper, and the four stars of the Western Dipper.

This array diagram is incomplete; there are other array diagrams connected to it. Only when these array diagrams are combined can the complete grand array be formed.

"Such a treasure is hidden in Mount Ling! It's truly well-hidden!"

Ao Tu asked, "With this formation, what are your chances of defeating Sun Wukong?"

Kui Mulang said, "Senior, among the thirty-six main stars of this formation, sixteen of them are Kui Stars, which are under my control. Being under my control makes it even stronger."

If this formation is used, I am almost certain I can stop that monkey. However, using this formation will surely cause starlight to fall, which may alarm the celestial realm.

Ao Tu said, "It's alright, go ahead and use the formation. If it alarms the Heavenly Realm, I will take full responsibility."

Kui Mulang was overjoyed and said, "Yes!"

Kui Mulang was so happy not only because he could get revenge, but also because this formation could influence the Great Dao of Stars, which would be extremely beneficial to his own cultivation. It was a rare and precious opportunity.

At that moment, Kui Mulang took the array diagram and went out to prepare.

Before long, when Wukong and his companions arrived at the palace with Princess Baihuaxiu, they found that the guards had been removed, and only the Yellow-Robed Monster stood before the hall. Wukong said, "My son, instead of fleeing for your lives, why are you standing here to die?"

Pigsy said, "Brother, he was afraid of neglecting you. When he saw you came, he didn't bring any tea to offer, so he's craning his neck and standing here, acting as your teapot!"

After saying that, all three of them laughed.

Wukong said, "In that case, quickly stick your head out so I can hit you with my staff and open the spout!"

Kui Mulang grinned and said, "Bima Wen, don't be so arrogant. I was caught off guard and defeated by you before. Do you dare to fight me again?"

Wukong said, "What is there to be afraid of?"

Kui Mulang said, "When you and I fight, we must not harm others. Please let my wife leave first."

Wukong said, "You monster, you actually have a sense of morality." Then he turned to Princess Baihuaxiu and said, "Princess, you may step back."

Baihua Xiu stepped back, saying as she went, "Masters, be careful!"

After Princess Baihuaxiu left, Kui Mulang laughed loudly:
"Alright, Sun Wukong, you're a true hero! All three of you, come at me together!"

Wukong said, "My son, you've risen in value in just a short time! You couldn't even defeat me by myself just now, and now you're boasting that you can fight three of us?"

Pigsy said, "Brother, why waste time talking to this monster? Let me, Old Pig, give him a good whack with my rake!"

Pigsy charged forward, rake in hand.

Kui Mulang raised his hand and threw out the array diagram; in an instant, starlight fell.

Wukong encountered many misfortunes along the way. When he saw Kui Mulang raise his hand, he sensed something was wrong and turned to leave, but it was too late, and he was trapped in the formation.

In the blink of an eye, the three brothers fell into the starry sky.

Where are the imperial palaces and palaces now?
All around him were thirty-six stars, seemingly illusory and distant, seemingly near yet far. He was surrounded by endless void, rootless and boundless, with no place to stand and no foundation to support him.

The three used their magic to levitate in the air, unsure of how to proceed.

Suddenly, a star in the distance emitted a beam of light.

The light shone on the three of them, and they quickly dodged it.

Pigsy goes left, Sandy goes right, and Monkey goes up.

Pigsy and Sandy each flew more than a thousand miles, while Monkey flew more than a hundred thousand miles.

However, the next moment, the light struck the three of them at the same time. The light was as heavy as a star. Pigsy and Sandy were hit and immediately lost their magic power, falling into the void.

Wukong withstood the blow, only to be knocked back and stagger, thinking to himself:
"How strange! I, Old Sun, did a somersault and flew ten thousand miles, how come I was still hit by this starlight?"

Wukong gazed at the star, which was about a thousand miles away. He rushed there on his somersault cloud, but even after ten somersaults, it was still a thousand miles away.

Even if you use the Golden Cudgel and chant loudly enough to reach the heavens, you still can't break through this formation.

Those thirty-six stars continuously shot out starlight, which he could not dodge no matter how hard he tried. After being hit by them many times, Wukong could no longer withstand it.

Wukong looked at the formation, not knowing how to break it. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly thought of a way.

He stood there, letting the starlight shine on him, pretending to be exhausted, gathering his breath, and then flipping over and falling into the boundless void.

Kui Mulang, unaware of the trap, withdrew the formation when he saw Wukong fall.

Wukong suddenly felt as if he had returned to the same spot. He quickly opened his eyes and saw that his body had not moved an inch.

Bajie and Sha Wujing were both unconscious. When Kui Mulang saw Wukong suddenly regain consciousness, he knew he had fallen into a trap and hurriedly activated the formation again.

Seeing this, Wukong immediately somersaulted away, turning and heading to the Southern Continent, Wudang Mountain, and Taihe Palace.

(End of this chapter)