Chapter Summaries

Sun Wukong survived Bodhisattva Guanyin’s Buddha’s Palm, then injured her in a close-range fight before fleeing when her jade bottle sent him flying. Guanyin pursued him across the continents for several days but still could not catch him.

• Powerful figures across the Three Realms watched in shock as Sun Wukong, despite his injuries, blocked Bodhisattva Guanyin’s Buddha’s Palm.
• Sun Wukong charged Guanyin and battered her with his iron staff, forcing her to dodge his attacks.
• Guanyin enlarged her white jade bottle and struck Sun Wukong, jolting him out of his rage and prompting him to flee.
• Sun Wukong used the escape technique from the Heaven-Reaching Profound Technique to stay ahead of Guanyin’s pursuit.
• Guanyin chased Sun Wukong across the East Sea, Eastern Continent of Divine Victory, Southern Jambu Continent, and Northern Kuru Continent for several days without catching him.

Sun Wukong escaped Bodhisattva Guanyin’s pursuit and returned Flower and Fruit Mountain to the East Sea. He reunited with his monkeys, learned that a mysterious elder had taught them cultivation, and warned them to prepare for danger before celebrating his return.

• Tathagata Buddha ordered Bodhisattva Guanyin to stop pursuing Sun Wukong, and she returned to Spirit Mountain after failing to capture him.
• Sun Wukong returned to the East Sea and restored Flower and Fruit Mountain from its miniature form to its original size.
• Sun Wukong reunited with the monkeys at Water Curtain Cave, told them he had obtained the method of immortality, and concealed Huang Tian’s existence.
• The white-haired old monkey told Sun Wukong that a powerful elder had taught the monkeys to cultivate and warned that Sun Wukong’s flaws could bring danger to the tribe.
• Sun Wukong told the monkeys to cultivate and stay close to Water Curtain Cave, then hosted a feast to celebrate his return.

Great Sage Sun explained that the Buddhist Sect planned to turn Sun Wukong’s As-You-Will Golden-Bound Cudgel into a weapon, then purify its killing karma and claim merit when it restored the seas. Sun Wukong and Ao Guang learned the danger behind the treasure, while Great Sage Sun’s fury drew the attention of gods and Buddhas watching Flower and Fruit Mountain.

• Huang Tian gave Great Sage Sun an Innate Merit Spirit Treasure cudgel and sent him to intercept Ao Guang before he could accuse Sun Wukong.
• Great Sage Sun threatened Ao Guang into visiting Flower and Fruit Mountain, then returned him to the East Sea Crystal Palace.
• Ao Guang came to Flower and Fruit Mountain, where Great Sage Sun questioned why he was following the Buddhist Sect’s plans.
• Great Sage Sun explained that the As-You-Will Golden-Bound Cudgel stabilized the world’s waters and that killing with it could unleash catastrophic floods.
• Great Sage Sun revealed that the Buddhist Sect intended to purify the cudgel after it gained killing karma and claim the resulting merit, then erupted in fury.

Great Sage Sun warned Ao Guang that the Buddhist Sect’s scheme would burden the Dragon Clan with devastating karmic consequences and leave it absorbed into the sect. He offered Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence in exchange for the Dragon Clan refusing to join the Buddhist Sect, and Ao Guang faced a possible way to resist.

• Great Sage Sun explained that the Buddhist Sect’s plan would bring catastrophe to the mortal world and leave the Dragon Clan bearing half the karmic burden.
• He warned Ao Guang that joining the Buddhist Sect would make the dragons part of its Eightfold Heavenly Dragons rather than restore the Dragon Clan’s own fortunes.
• Great Sage Sun had Sun Wukong return the Sea-Stabilizing Needle Iron to Ao Guang and gave him an Innate Merit Spirit Treasure As-You-Will Cudgel in exchange.
• Great Sage Sun showed Ao Guang dozens of drops of Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence, which could strengthen the Dragon Clan and help produce powerful Quasi-Saints.
• Great Sage Sun demanded that the Dragon Clan stay out of the Buddhist Sect, arguing that the blood essence would give it the strength to refuse.

Great Sage Sun persuaded the Dragon King of the East Sea to reject the Buddhist Sect and accept the Dragon Clan’s dangerous duty of controlling the floods. With the other three Dragon Kings, he refined Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence on Flower and Fruit Mountain, and all four reached the Late Quasi-Saint stage.

• Great Sage Sun explained that refusing the Buddhist Sect could bring heavenly punishment and leave the Dragon Clan responsible for controlling floods, but that stronger Dragon Kings could resist the Buddhist Sect’s schemes.
• The Dragon King of the East Sea recognized that the Daoist Sect, Asura Race, and Demon Tribe also opposed the Buddhist Sect, then swore that the Dragon Clan would not join it.
• Great Sage Sun gave the Dragon King of the East Sea Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence and advised him to summon the other three Dragon Kings to refine it on Flower and Fruit Mountain, where heavenly secrets were concealed.
• The other three Dragon Kings arrived, learned of the Buddhist Sect’s schemes, and agreed with the Dragon King of the East Sea to fight back rather than become Buddhist vassals.
• The Four Seas Dragon Kings divided and refined the Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence, and all four broke through to the Late Quasi-Saint stage.

Sun Wukong and the Four Seas Dragon Kings prepared to oppose the Buddhist Sect’s plans as Sun Wukong helped his counterpart break through to Great Luo Golden Immortal. The newly empowered monkey began consolidating the Demon Tribes of Flower and Fruit Mountain, while the Buddhist Sect and Heavenly Court considered how to respond.

• The Four Seas Dragon Kings thanked Great Sage Sun for the Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence, pledged not to join the Buddhist Sect, and mobilized the Dragon Clan and Water Tribe to prepare for flooding.
• Great Sage Sun told Sun Wukong to stop letting others use him as a tool, gave him Lingming Stone Monkey Blood Essence, and instructed him to gather the Demon Tribes after breaking through.
• Sun Wukong swallowed the blood essence and broke through to Great Luo Golden Immortal, releasing an aura that shook the Three Realms.
• Tathagata worried that subduing the stronger Sun Wukong would be more difficult, while the Jade Emperor discussed strengthening the Heavenly Court’s defenses.
• Sun Wukong swept through the Seventy-Two Caves of Flower and Fruit Mountain, as the monkeys submitted and his forces killed those who resisted.

Sun Wukong united the demon tribes of Flower and Fruit Mountain, fused the As-You-Will Golden-Bound Cudgel with his merit cudgel, and severed his Self-Corpse to become a Quasi-Saint. The Dragon Clan saved lives as floods spread, while the Buddhas mistakenly believed the weapon’s merit had been ruined and arrived at the Heavenly Court to discuss the disaster.

• Sun Wukong reported that he had united the rulers of the seventy-two caves, and Great Sage Sun fused the two cudgels into a Supreme-grade Merit Treasure.
• The fusion released the waters suppressed by the cudgel, causing floods, and the Dragon Clan and Water Tribe rescued countless beings and gained merit.
• Sun Wukong severed his Self-Corpse, the Lingming Stone Monkey, and Great Sage Sun named the weapon the god-slaying Golden-Bound Cudgel.
• Grand White Golden Star invited Tathagata and the Buddhist leaders to the Heavenly Court, where they believed Sun Wukong had damaged the cudgel and caused the floods.
• The Buddhas told the Jade Emperor they had come to discuss restoring peace through the Journey to the West, while the Jade Emperor looked at them with schadenfreude.

The Jade Emperor refused to help the Buddhist Sect seize the Dragon Clan’s flood-control merit, and Dipankara led Buddhist forces to attack the Dragon Clan. Their battle drove the Dragon Clan from the floods, leaving the mortal realm devastated as the fighting continued.

• The Jade Emperor showed the Buddhas that the Dragon Clan was controlling the floods and rebuked Dipankara for plotting against them.
• After Dipankara demanded an edict against the Dragon Clan, Tathagata sent him to the mortal realm with one hundred thousand Buddhist Monks to stop them and claim the merit.
• Dipankara accused the Dragon Clan of causing the floods, and the Buddhist forces attacked them while they were protecting the mortal realm.
• The Four Seas Dragon Kings counterattacked and ordered the Dragon Clan to retreat, allowing the floodwaters to surge across the mortal realm again.
• Dipankara and the Dragon Kings exchanged accusations before the Buddhas and Dragon Clan began a fierce battle that brought further destruction and casualties.

Sun Wukong sent his Self-Corpse, the Lingming Stone Monkey, to help the Dragon Clan fight the Buddhist Sect while he refined Huang Tian’s blood essence to increase his strength. The Lingming Stone Monkey turned the tide of battle and attacked Ancient Buddha Dipankara, whose Twenty-Four Buddhist Kingdoms were nearly shattered by the God-Slaying Golden-Bound Cudgel.

• Great Sage Sun gave Sun Wukong two drops of Huang Tian’s blood essence and helped him refine them to strengthen his cultivation.
• The Lingming Stone Monkey reached the battlefield and slaughtered Buddhist monks and Buddhas with the God-Slaying Golden-Bound Cudgel, killing one Early Quasi-Saint Buddha outright.
• The Lingming Stone Monkey’s arrival rallied the Four Seas Dragon Kings and the Dragon Clan, who pushed the Buddhist Sect back toward the Water Territory.
• The Lingming Stone Monkey confronted Ancient Buddha Dipankara and struck his Twenty-Four Buddhist Kingdoms, killing countless disciples within them and cracking a Sea-Pacifying Bead.
• Ancient Buddha Dipankara realized his treasure was badly damaged as the Lingming Stone Monkey raised the cudgel for another attack.

Sun Wukong fought Dipankara Ancient Buddha while the Dragon Clan struggled against the Buddhist Sect’s interference in the floods. After Sun Wukong exposed the monks’ role in the disaster, the wrongfully dead souls’ resentment weakened the Buddhist forces and enabled the Dragon Clan to counterattack.

• Dipankara Ancient Buddha struck Sun Wukong with the Cosmic Ruler and sent him flying, but Sun Wukong returned unharmed and killed Buddhist monks, easing pressure on the Dragon Clan.
• In the Hall of Divine Mists, Bodhisattva Guanyin questioned how Sun Wukong had achieved Slaying the Three Corpses, while Tathagata pointed toward Goddess Nuwa and the Jade Emperor watched Flower and Fruit Mountain.
• A second Sun Wukong attacked Dipankara Ancient Buddha bare-handed, shattered two of his Twenty-Four Buddhist Kingdoms, and forced him to retrieve the remaining kingdoms while defending himself with his Daoist clone.
• Sun Wukong told the mortal world that the Buddhist Sect had attacked the Dragon Clan and caused the floods to surge again, prompting countless wrongfully dead souls to curse the monks.
• The souls’ resentment weakened the Buddhist monks, and the Four Seas Dragon Kings ordered the Dragon Clan to counterattack as Dipankara Ancient Buddha struggled against Sun Wukong’s powerful body.

Sun Wukong drove Dipankara Ancient Buddha from the battlefield, turning the battle against the Buddhist Sect and prompting Tathagata Buddha to send reinforcements. As Saints Zhunti and Jieyin confronted Saint Nuwa over Sun Wukong’s power and the Journey to the West, Nuwa sensed another powerful Lingming Stone Monkey at Flower and Fruit Mountain and refused to lift its concealment.

• Sun Wukong fused with his Self-Corpse, reached Mid Quasi-Saint, and forced Dipankara Ancient Buddha to flee his attack.
• With Dipankara Ancient Buddha gone, the Dragon Clan routed the Buddhist monks and Arhats while restoring the mortal realm’s waters and marshes.
• Dipankara Ancient Buddha called Tathagata Buddha for reinforcements, and Tathagata sent Guanyin, Samantabhadra, and Manjushri with one hundred thousand Buddhist Monks to the mortal realm.
• Saint Nuwa mocked Dipankara Ancient Buddha as Saints Zhunti and Jieyin demanded to know how she had influenced Sun Wukong and Flower and Fruit Mountain.
• Saint Nuwa sensed a Quasi-Saint Great Perfection Lingming Stone Monkey at Flower and Fruit Mountain and refused to lift the concealment until it left.

Great Sage Sun arrived to support the Four Seas Dragon Kings after Bodhisattva Guanyin proposed that the Buddhist Sect take over the mortal realm’s floods. He revealed that he was another Sun Wukong who had lived through the original Journey to the West, leaving the three Bodhisattvas shaken by his exposure of their schemes.

• Bodhisattva Guanyin demanded that the Four Seas Dragon Kings withdraw and offered a duel to decide who would save the mortal realm.
• Guanyin offered the Dragon Clan a chance to join the Buddhist Sect if the Bodhisattvas won, weakening the Dragon Kings’ resolve.
• Great Sage Sun appeared, and the Four Seas Dragon Kings welcomed him as a powerful ally.
• Sun Wukong arrived after failing to catch Dipankara Ancient Buddha, and Great Sage Sun prepared to fight the three Bodhisattvas with him.
• Great Sage Sun identified himself as Sun Wukong and recounted the original events of his life, exposing Guanyin’s role in the Buddhist Sect’s plans.

Sun Wukong declared himself the Demon Tribe’s Great Sage Equaling Heaven and vowed to become its emperor, provoking a confrontation between Nuwa and the Buddhist Saints. The Dao Ancestor ordered the Buddhist Sect to leave the Demon Tribe to itself, but Jieyin and Tathagata prepared to send forces against Sun Wukong as the chapter ended with the Buddhas mobilizing for battle.

• Sun Wukong proclaimed himself the Demon Tribe’s new Demon Saint and said he would become its emperor after attaining the Dao of Primordial Unity.
• Jieyin and Zhunti confronted Nuwa over concealing Sun Wukong’s strength and accused her of safeguarding the Demon Tribe’s fortune.
• Nuwa defended Sun Wukong, and her anger shook the Three Realms until the Dao Ancestor ordered Jieyin and Zhunti to let the Demon Tribe handle its own affairs.
• Jieyin and Zhunti sent Kong Xuan and their three corpses to support the Buddhist forces confronting Sun Wukong.
• The Jade Emperor worried that Sun Wukong could threaten his position, while Tathagata left the Hall of Divine Mists and summoned the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats to the battlefield.

Great Sage Sun faced Guanyin, Puxian, and Manjushri as they unleashed their Vidyaraja Dharma Bodies, but the Chaos Bell protected him from their combined attacks. He then struck down all three Vidyarajas, leaving the battlefield stunned by their swift defeat.

• Great Sage Sun sent Sun Wukong and the Four Seas Dragon Kings to aid the fighting elsewhere while he faced the three Bodhisattvas.
• Guanyin, Puxian, and Manjushri transformed into their Vidyaraja Dharma Bodies and attacked Great Sage Sun, but the Chaos Bell blocked their blows.
• The three Vidyarajas unleashed a combined assault that shook the battlefield, yet Great Sage Sun remained unharmed inside the Chaos Bell.
• Great Sage Sun appeared behind Hayagriva Vidyaraja and injured her with a punch, then sent Yamantaka Vidyaraja flying with another strike.
• Great Sage Sun smashed Padanakṣipa Vidyaraja into the ground, defeating all three Vidyarajas and silencing the battlefield.

Great Sage Equaling Heaven Sun Wukong defeated the Buddhist forces at the battlefield, but Tathagata arrived and used his Buddhist light and chant to convert members of the Dragon Clan and Water Tribe. Sun Wukong disrupted the chant and ordered the Dragon Clan to retreat as the fight against Tathagata began.

• Sun Wukong's attacks defeated the three Bodhisattvas' Dharma Forms and killed the hundred thousand Buddhist monks who had followed them.
• Tathagata hurried down to the battlefield, while the Jade Emperor considered Heavenly Court's role in the tribulation and Nuwa rebuked Zhunti and Jieyin at Wa Palace.
• Tathagata arrived with his immense Buddha Golden Body, healed the three Bodhisattvas, and began converting the Dragon Clan and Water Tribe with his chant.
• Sun Wukong struck Tathagata's Buddha Body with the God-Slaying Golden-Bound Cudgel, interrupting the chant and freeing those who had been bewitched.
• Great Sage Sun ordered the Four Seas Dragon Kings to lead the Dragon Clan and water tribes into retreat.

Great Sage Sun faced Tathagata, Dipankara Ancient Buddha, and Maitreya Buddha, whose coordinated attacks sealed half his Magic Power. After learning how the Three World Buddhas attacked from their own eras without disturbing the River of Time, Great Sage Sun became interested in their technique.

• Dipankara Ancient Buddha arrived after losing two of his Twenty-Four Buddhist Kingdoms, and Maitreya Buddha joined Tathagata against Great Sage Sun.
• Maitreya Buddha and Tathagata struck the Chaos Bell, then Dipankara Ancient Buddha landed a Buddhist Great Seal that sealed half of Great Sage Sun's Magic Power.
• Tathagata tried to convert Great Sage Sun, but the Chaos Bell cut off his chanting, and Great Sage Sun asked how the Buddhas had attacked him.
• Dipankara Ancient Buddha explained that the Past and Future Buddhas attacked from their own eras while Tathagata drew Great Sage Sun's attention.
• Huang Tian explained that the Three World Buddhas' bodies existed in the past, present, and future, allowing their attacks to avoid stirring the River of Time, and Great Sage Sun understood the method.

Great Sage Sun battered the Three World Buddhas despite their shared defenses, but Dipankara Ancient Buddha ordered the three great Bodhisattvas to attack the retreating Dragon Clan and Water Tribe. The Vidyarajas charged, leaving Great Sage Sun trapped and the tribes in immediate danger.

• Great Sage Sun discovered that Dipankara Ancient Buddha, Tathagata Buddha, and Maitreya Buddha shared the damage they took, then used his Quasi-Saint Great Perfection body to suppress them.
• Dipankara Ancient Buddha proposed sending Guanyin, Samantabhadra, and Manjushri against the retreating Dragon Clan and Water Tribe to distract Great Sage Sun.
• Tathagata Buddha and the other Buddhas entangled Great Sage Sun, delaying him while the three great Bodhisattvas prepared to attack.
• The three great Bodhisattvas manifested their Vidyaraja Dharma Bodies and charged the Dragon Clan and Water Tribe, whose weaker members began exploding under the pressure.

Zhao Wuji emerged to save the Dragon Clan and Water Tribe from the Buddhist Sect, then overwhelmed the Ming Kings and joined Great Sage Sun against the Three World Buddhas. He shattered the supposedly unbreakable golden body with one punch, leaving the Buddhist leaders horrified.

• The Three Ming Kings attacked the Dragon Clan and Water Tribe, but Zhao Wuji appeared and shattered their Buddhist palm, saving everyone.
• Hayagriva Vidyaraja struck Zhao Wuji, who sent him flying with one punch and made Yamantaka Vidyaraja and Padanakṣipa Vidyaraja retreat.
• Zhao Wuji joined Great Sage Sun against the Three World Buddhas after the other two Ming Kings fled.
• Dipankara Ancient Buddha accused Zhao Wuji of opposing the Buddhist Sect, but Zhao Wuji said the Sect had made itself the enemy of all living beings.
• Zhao Wuji punched the Three World Buddhas' golden body and sent it flying, leaving a crack in its supposedly indestructible defense.

Zhao Wuji destroyed Dipankara Ancient Buddha’s three corpses, then Sun Wukong killed his final body with the God-Slaying Golden-Bound Cudgel. At Wa Palace, Saint Jieyin and Saint Zhunti threatened to claim thirty percent of the Human Race’s fortune, but the Grand Pure Heavenly Venerate of Virtue arrived and made them back down.

• Zhao Wuji shattered the Three World Buddha Body and pursued Dipankara Ancient Buddha as he fled toward Spirit Mountain.
• Zhao Wuji destroyed Dipankara Ancient Buddha’s three corpses and called Sun Wukong to deliver the final blow.
• Sun Wukong killed Dipankara Ancient Buddha with the God-Slaying Golden-Bound Cudgel, ending his life in body and soul.
• Saint Jieyin and Saint Zhunti blamed Zhao Wuji for Dipankara Ancient Buddha’s death and threatened Goddess Nuwa to seize thirty percent of the Human Race’s fortune.
• The Grand Pure Heavenly Venerate of Virtue confronted Saint Jieyin and Saint Zhunti, who denied making the demand and withdrew their threat.

Zhao Wuji forced the Buddhist Sect to free its captured Demon Tribe members from Spirit Mountain, while Zhunti sent Patriarch Bodhi to confront him with the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree. Patriarch Bodhi arrived and revealed his claim to Sun Wukong’s destined master-disciple bond, leaving Sun Wukong panicked about being turned into a Buddhist.

• Zhao Wuji invited the Demon Tribe members on Spirit Mountain to leave, and White Elephant, calling himself Immortal Lingya, crossed the boundary safely after Tathagata Buddha ordered Manjushri to remove his restrictions.
• Immortal Lingya and other former Jie School disciples left Spirit Mountain, and Sect Master Tongtian rejoiced at their escape in Purple Heaven Palace.
• Zhunti Saint ordered Patriarch Bodhi to capture Zhao Wuji and sent him the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, despite Goddess Nuwa’s objections.
• Patriarch Bodhi took the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree from Sukhavati and went to the foot of Spirit Mountain to confront Zhao Wuji.
• Zhao Wuji identified Patriarch Bodhi as one of Zhunti’s Three Corpses and said he had once been destined to become Sun Wukong’s master.
• Sun Wukong panicked at the thought of being converted into the Victorious Fighting Buddha, while Zhao Wuji explained that reversing time to make it happen would defy Heaven.