Journey to the West: A clone sacrifices to the heavens, possessing boundless magical power.

Chapter 123 Defeated

In front of Haoyue Cave.

Bajie descended from the cloud and landed outside the cave entrance. He raised his nine-toothed rake and began to smash the two heavy doors.

"Boom! Boom!"

The gate was smashed, and rubble flew everywhere.

"Go tell that demon that his grandpa Pig is here!" Pigsy yelled at the little demon outside the door.

The little demon guarding the gate saw Pigsy and Sandy and turned to run away in fright.

The Yellow-Robed Monster was chatting with Baihua Xiu when suddenly a loud noise was heard outside the cave. A little demon tumbled in to report: "Your Majesty!"

"Oh no! Those two monks from the other day have come knocking again, banging on the door and shouting!"

Upon hearing this, the Yellow-Robed Monster's face darkened abruptly. He pushed aside the table, grabbed the steel-dipped knife hanging nearby, and strode out of the Wave Moon Cave.

The cave entrance was wide open.

The Yellow-Robed Monster, clad in golden armor, stood imposingly before the gate, his cold gaze sweeping over Pigsy and Sandy.

"Monk, since I spared your master, how dare you come to attack my door?"

"Look what you've done, you wretched creature!"

Pigsy snatched the Nine-Toothed Rake, creating a sharp gust of wind, and chopped it down.

"You lured the Third Princess of Baoxiang Kingdom to this cave, forcibly took her as your wife, and after thirteen years, it's time to return her to you!"

The yellow-robed monster snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, and slashed upwards with the steel knife in his hand.

"clang!"

The blades and rakes clashed, producing a deafening metallic clang.

A visible shockwave rippled outwards from the two people, instantly snapping several ancient trees in the surrounding area in half.

Bajie felt a numbness in his arms and a dull pain in his tiger's mouth. He almost lost his grip on the rake and involuntarily took three steps back.

"What incredible strength!" Pigsy exclaimed in surprise.

Little did he know that the yellow-robed monster before him was one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, whose combat prowess was among the best in the Heavenly Court.

"Is that all you've got?" A hint of disdain flashed in the yellow-robed monster's eyes. He spun the steel knife in his hand, turning it into a cold, sharp blade of light that aimed straight at Pigsy's face.

"Second Brother, I'm here to help you!"

Seeing that Pigsy was at a disadvantage, Sandy shouted loudly, brandished his demon-subduing staff, and rushed forward, blocking the Yellow Robe Monster's steel knife.

The three of them immediately started fighting.

The rake whistled, the staff was heavy and powerful, and the steel knife was ruthless.

Before the Wave Moon Cave, sand and stones flew everywhere, obscuring the sun and moon.

Previously, Pigsy and Sandy had the secret assistance of the guardian deities. Now, all the gods were protecting Tang Sanzang in Baoxiang Kingdom. After only eight or nine rounds of fighting, the situation completely turned in favor of the Yellow Robe Monster.

The Yellow Robe Monster's swordsmanship was incredibly precise; each strike subtly carried the trajectory of the stars, sealing off all of Pigsy and Sandy's escape routes.

"Bang!"

The Yellow-Robed Monster seized an opening in Sha Wujing's moves, and kicked him squarely in the chest.

Sha Wujing groaned and flew backward, crashing heavily into the stone wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Before he could even get up, several little demons swarmed around him and bound him tightly with ox sinew ropes soaked in talisman water.

"Brother Sha!"

When Pigsy saw that Sandy had been captured, he panicked.

He was not the type to fight to the death, but seeing the yellow-robed monster fighting more and more fiercely, with the steel blade already close to his neck, fear filled his heart.

Bajie feinted with his rake, ignoring Sha Wujing, then rolled on the spot and disappeared into the dense bushes of the black pine forest.

Marshal Tianpeng may have lost some of his other skills, but his ability to escape has become unparalleled.

The Yellow-Robed Monster looked in the direction Pigsy fled, but did not chase after him. He just sneered and put away his steel knife.

"Take this unlucky-looking monk into the cave and keep him under strict guard! Tang Sanzang is a man from a superior country and must know etiquette. Otherwise, if I spare his life, his disciples will be able to catch me! This is probably because my wife sent some letters to his country and word got out. I'll go and ask her about it."

The yellow-robed monster turned and walked back into his cave, the gate slamming shut behind him.

In the black pine forest, Pigsy ran wildly, tumbling and crawling, until he was sure that the Yellow Robe Monster was not chasing him, and only then did he dare to stop.

He plopped down on the ground, panting heavily. His once sleek pig face was now covered in mud and grass, looking utterly disheveled.

"This monster is too ferocious. Even if I, Pigsy, and Brother Sha join forces, we are no match for it. What should we do?"

Pigsy scratched his big ears, looking worried.

"Alright, alright, let's go back to Baoxiang Kingdom to report the news first. At worst, we can disband and go back to Gao Village."

Bajie sighed, dragging his nine-toothed rake, and walked dejectedly toward the direction of Baoxiang Kingdom.

At the same time, in the capital of Baoxiang Kingdom.

As night falls and the city lights come on, the capital of this great Western Regions kingdom is bustling with activity, its streets teeming with traffic.

However, atop a newly built, towering pavilion outside the palace, the Star Gazing Pavilion.

Fan Yuan's clone, Yun Zhongzi, dressed in a astrologer's robe, stood with his hands behind his back on the edge of the pavilion's terrace.

He looked up towards the east.

To mortals, it was just an ordinary night sky, but in Fan Yuan's eyes, a soaring azure demonic aura was faintly boiling in the direction of Dongfang Wanzishan.

Fan Yuan's lips curled up slightly; the plot at Wave Moon Cave had already begun to unfold.

"Without Sun Wukong, Pigsy and Sandy are no match for Kui Mulang."

"This is the most desperate moment for Baoxiang Kingdom, and also the best time for me to intervene."

Yun Zhongzi turned around, walked down from the Star Gazing Pavilion, and went straight to Lei Zhen's study.

Inside the study, the candlelight flickered.

Lei Zhen, seeing that Yun Zhongzi had come so late at night, dared not be negligent and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him: "Immortal Master, your visit so late at night, could it be that the celestial phenomena have changed?"

Yun Zhongzi's expression was grave: "General, I observed the celestial phenomena last night. A malevolent star in the east is moving strangely, an ominous sign that evil spirits may be approaching our capital!"

Lei Zhen was slightly taken aback, then frowned and said, "Immortal Master, our capital city walls are sturdy, and we have tens of thousands of imperial guards. Do you think a mere evil spirit would dare to come and die?"

Yun Zhongzi shook his head and said in a deep voice, "General, do you know that the place where that demonic star rose is Wanzishan, a hundred miles to the east? Moreover, I observed that its demonic aura faintly contains a trace of blood ties related to your country's royal family."

"Royal bloodline?" Lei Zhen's expression changed drastically.

He suddenly remembered that his son Lei Bao had mentioned upon returning from the morning court that a holy monk from the Tang Dynasty in the East had brought a handwritten letter from Princess Baihuaxiu, who had been missing for thirteen years.

He had assumed that the matter had been dealt with by the holy monk and his disciple, but he had not expected that the immortal master would also know so much about it. Thinking of this, he became even more convinced that Yun Zhongzi was a highly accomplished Taoist.

Lei Zhen dared not conceal the truth and immediately reported, "Immortal Master, you may not know this, but the two disciples of the holy monk from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East have gone to Wanzishan to rescue the princess. However—judging from what you just said, could it be that they have already—"

Yun Zhongzi slowly nodded and said something startling: "Now that the demon star is approaching, it must be heading for the capital. That demon has boundless magical power. In my opinion, my two disciples have probably already failed."

Lei Zhen was greatly shocked, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead: "In your opinion, Immortal Master, what should we do?"

Yun Zhongzi took out a pre-prepared letter from his sleeve and handed it over: "General, go and see the king immediately and make preparations. Within three days, that great demon will surely arrive, and may even transform into human form and infiltrate the court."

His tone was firm, with an unquestionable composure: "That demon is incredibly powerful and cannot be defeated by force. Tell the king everything in this letter, and I will have a way to save the princess."

Lei Zhen took the letter and nodded emphatically: "Good! I will go to the palace tonight to meet the Emperor!" After saying that, he strode towards the door.

Yun Zhongzi stood with his hands behind his back in the study, watching Lei Zhen's figure disappear into the night, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

When the Yellow Robe Monster displays his might in the Golden Palace, and when Tang Sanzang transforms into a tiger, his clone can then rightfully step into this game of chess.