The Preaching Squad's plan to freeze the Heaven-Reaching River and cross it had ultimately fallen apart.
The river of sword qi had struck back far too swiftly and fiercely.
In the end, it had still prevented them from crossing safely.
They had actually considered rushing across in one go.
After all, they had their divine abilities to rely on.
Yet putting it into practice had proved another matter. Somehow, they sensed that the moment they entertained any thought of taking a shortcut, they would probably be torn to pieces.
Thinking of the words "Heaven-Reaching" in the river's name, the same characters as Tongtian's name,
the Preaching Squad truly had not dared to risk it.
The trials Amitabha Buddha had laid along their preaching journey might not take their lives.
But Daoism's trials genuinely threatened their survival.
When dealing with the Preaching Squad, Daoism really did strike without mercy.
Five craters had been smashed into the ground on the northern bank.
Five people lay inside them.
None of them moved.
None of them spoke.
There was only the sound of breathing.
One breath.
Another.
And another.
Zhu Bajie was the first to climb out.
He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
He cursed.
Then he said,
"We were so close."
"Old Zhu, all you do is talk nonsense. What do you mean, so close? We were nowhere near it."
Sun Wukong lay on the ground, the Golden-Hooped Staff resting crosswise over his body.
He had just tried to deliver a blow with the Golden-Hooped Staff.
The resulting recoil had been so powerful that it had knocked him flat on the ground.
"Monkey Brother, stop putting on an act. If you're hurt, just lie still like me."
Little White Dragon was no longer in human form. He had turned into a