Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

The Liusha River, eight hundred miles of weak water, is so deep that even a goose feather cannot float on it.

When Xuanzang and his party arrived at the riverbank, they saw turbid waves surging into the sky, the water so wide that the opposite bank was nowhere in sight. Even more eerie, the wailing of ghosts could be heard from the water, sending chills down their spines.

"How can we cross this river?" Xuanzang asked, his brow furrowed with worry.

Sun Wukong jumped onto the cloud to observe. His golden eyes scanned the area and saw a demonic aura lurking at the bottom of the river. There was a burly figure chained up with seven skulls on his chest swaying with the water.

"Master, there's a monster at the bottom of the river!" he reported.

Before the words were even finished, the river surface exploded! A giant man with red hair and an indigo face burst out of the water, holding a demon-subduing staff, and the skull necklace on his chest rattled. It was none other than General Sha Wujing!

"Hey! What kind of monk is this, daring to trespass on my Liusha River territory!" Sha Wujing's eyes widened in anger, his voice booming like thunder.

Xuanzang was so frightened that he fell to the ground. Pigsy quickly protected his master, brandishing his nine-toothed rake: "Demon, cease your arrogance!"

Upon seeing Pigsy, Sandy suddenly froze, scrutinizing him closely: "You...you are Marshal Tianpeng?"

Pigsy (Zhu Ganglie) was also taken aback: "You know me, Old Pig?"

"It really is the Marshal!" Sha Wujing "excitedly" threw down his staff and knelt down with a thud. "I pay my respects to the Marshal! Back in the Lingxiao Palace, this humble general served as your halberd bearer. Do you still remember me, Marshal?"

Pigsy scratched his head, looked closely, and suddenly realized: "You're General Curtain Roller! How did you end up like this?"

With tears welling in his eyes, Sha Wujing pointed to the skull on his chest: "For breaking a glass cup, I was banished to the mortal realm, where I suffer the torment of a flying sword piercing my chest. Furthermore, due to unbearable hunger, I devoured passersby… My sins are grave!"

He spoke with such sincerity that the seven skulls responded with mournful wails, adding to the tragedy.

Xuanzang felt compassion and put his palms together, saying, "Amitabha. Since you know your sins, why don't you take refuge in Buddhism and repent for your past transgressions?"

Sha Wujing looked up at Xuanzang, then suddenly trembled violently, pointing at Xuanzang and saying in a trembling voice, "You...you monk...you look so familiar! I...I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."

He clutched his head and screamed in "pain": "I can't remember! I can't remember! But when I see you, my heart aches! These skulls... they're burning hot too!"

The seven skulls suddenly glowed with an eerie light, faintly resonating with Xuanzang!

Xuanzang also felt a slight tremor in his soul, and fragments of memories from his past life churned in his mind, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Lu Chen (Qingfeng Daoren) watched coldly from the sidelines, secretly praising: What great acting! Sha Wujing's "familiar" pain, coupled with the strange phenomenon of the skull, was simply seamless.

High above, Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded slightly. This was the scene she wanted—Sha Wujing and Jin Chanzi's nine lifetimes of karmic entanglement, their painful repentance, perfectly fitting the drama of "laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot."

After struggling for a long time, Sha Wujing suddenly kowtowed heavily to Xuanzang: "Holy Monk! I have devoured passersby, and among them... among them must be those with whom you have a karmic connection! This sin is unforgivable even by death! I beg the Holy Monk to save me! I wish to become your disciple and protect you on your journey to the West to atone for my sins!"

Xuanzang snapped out of his daze, his compassion rising, and helped Sha Wujing up, saying, "If you truly repent, this humble monk is willing to accept you as my disciple."

Sha Wujing was overjoyed and bowed again: "This disciple wishes to take refuge! Please, Master, bestow upon me a name!"

Xuanzang ordained him and gave him the Dharma name "Wujing". Because his mind was unsettled and he needed to "purify his mind" at all times, he was called "Sha Wujing".

Sun Wukong scratched his cheek, "They've already given up? That red-haired man was just a ferocious monster a moment ago..."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Wukong, the Buddha's teachings are boundless and can deliver all from suffering. Since Sha Wujing has a heart that yearns for good, it is fate that brings us together."

Sha Wujing stood up, looked at Sun Wukong, and suddenly exclaimed, "Eh? This one... could he be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong?"

Sun Wukong puffed out his chest: "It is indeed I, Old Sun!"

Sha Wujing, filled with awe, said, "Back in the Heavenly Court, I heard of the Great Sage's illustrious name! To meet you today is an honor beyond measure!"

These words made Sun Wukong feel elated, and his doubts dissipated.

Pigsy patted Sandy on the shoulder: "Old Sandy, from now on we're fellow disciples again!"

The three looked at each other and smiled, seemingly sharing a mutual appreciation—of course, it was all an act.

Sha Wujing bowed to Lu Chen again: "And who is this Taoist priest?"

"This humble Taoist priest, Qingfeng, is the Protector and Inspector of the Great Tang Dynasty." Lu Chen returned the greeting, secretly transmitting his voice, "Well done. Is the Buddhist imprint in your heart still behaving itself?"

Sha Wujing replied telepathically, "The Immortal's 'Soul-Stabilizing Talisman' is wondrous, and the Buddhist power of salvation has been severed. However... these skulls seem to be behaving strangely lately."

Lu Chen focused his senses and indeed discovered that after Sha Wujing converted to Buddhism, the seven skulls began to slowly absorb the Yin energy of the Flowing Sand River, and there were faint signs of "resurrection" inside them.

"The remnant spirit of Jin Chanzi from nine lifetimes has not yet dissipated?" A thought flashed through his mind. "This is an opportunity. If you secretly nurture it with the 'Soul Nourishing Technique' that I passed down to you, you might be able to awaken a trace of its true spirit, which will be of great use in the future."

Sha Wujing secretly memorized it.

The group of master and disciples were all gathered together. Xuanzang said, "Now all four of us are here, but this Flowing Sand River..."

Sha Wujing hurriedly said, "Master, don't worry! I have lived by this river for a long time and know a place where the current is gentler, which can help you cross the river."

He led the group to a bend in the river upstream, where the current was indeed much calmer. Sha Wujing then took out a string of skulls, chanted a spell, and the skulls transformed into a small white bone boat, just big enough to accommodate the four of them, the master and his disciples, and the white horse.

"This boat was forged by my magic and can cross the Weak Water," Sha Wujing explained.

Xuanzang boarded the boat, and the small boat crossed the river smoothly. When they reached the middle of the river, a sudden storm arose, and the small boat rocked violently. Sha Wujing was "greatly alarmed" and hurriedly tried to stabilize the boat with his magic, but "his strength was insufficient."

Lu Chen acted at the opportune moment, sweeping away the chaotic energy with his whisk, instantly calming the wind and waves.

"Thank you, Taoist priest!" Sha Wujing said "gratefully."

Guanyin watched from the clouds, her brows furrowing slightly—this Taoist Qingfeng seemed a bit too "timely." But Sha Wujing's performance was flawless; the skull boat, the perilous storm, the repentance and conversion… every step was exactly as expected.

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it," Guanyin thought to herself. "The Buddhist seal within the curtain is solid, and the entanglement of cause and effect cannot be faked. The next stop should be the Four Sages testing our Zen minds... Let's see if they can pass the test."

She rode away on a cloud, preparing for the next trial.

On the other side of the river, the master and his disciples disembarked.

Sha Wujing put away the skull boat, and the seven skulls transformed back into a necklace. He touched his chest; the "Soul-Stabilizing Talisman" was slightly warm—the storm earlier was actually something he had secretly activated, precisely to make Lu Chen's actions "reasonable" and dispel Guanyin's doubts.

Sun Wukong leaned closer and whispered, "Old Sha, your performance of crying your heart out just now was absolutely brilliant!"

Sha Wujing chuckled, "Brother, you flatter me. You certainly have the air of the 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven'."

Pigsy interjected, "Everyone in our pilgrimage team is a master of acting!"

The three of them chuckled to themselves.

Ahead, Lu Chen glanced back at them, shook his head, and chuckled.

Xuanzang gazed westward, clasped his hands in prayer, and said, "Disciple Xuanzang, now with three disciples, will certainly do his utmost to seek the true scriptures..."

But the doubt in his heart grew stronger and stronger:

These apprentices...aren't they being accepted a little too easily?

And then there's that Taoist Master Qingfeng...

Why is it that he always manages to "just happen" to get things out of trouble at crucial moments?

The wind blows across the Liusha River, and the water remains calm.

The pilgrimage team was finally complete.

But the real test has only just begun.