Chapter Summaries

Sun Wukong challenged Golden Peng but was defeated by his Yin Yang techniques and sealed. Ao Lie took Wukong to Spirit Mountain for Tathagata to remove the seal, where Tathagata criticized Ao Lie for dragging Wukong along the ground and damaging the hall.

• Sun Wukong attacked Golden Peng with his full strength, but Golden Peng repelled him without moving and left him badly injured.
• Golden Peng used the Yin Yang Samsara Great Millstone to defeat Wukong and seal his magic power with Yin Yang energy.
• Jade Face, Ao Lie, and You Wen discussed Golden Peng's innate Yin Yang energy and how he had learned the technique.
• Golden Boy and Silver Boy examined Wukong's seal but said breaking it might damage his meridians, so Ao Lie took him to Tathagata at Spirit Mountain.
• Wukong complained that Ao Lie had dragged him along the ground, and Tathagata pointed out that Ao Lie had damaged the path and several bricks in the Great Hero Hall.

Ao Lie brought Sun Wukong to Spirit Mountain after Golden Peng sealed Wukong’s meridians with Yin Yang energy. Tathagata removed the seal by destroying and rebuilding Wukong’s meridians, leaving Wukong exhausted and determined to take revenge on Golden Peng.

• Ao Lie mocked Tathagata and explained that Golden Peng had sealed Sun Wukong’s meridians with Yin Yang energy.
• Ao Lie said the Golden and Silver Boys could not safely break the Two Forms Dust Array seal, then left Wukong at Spirit Mountain.
• Tathagata offered to destroy and rebuild Wukong’s meridians with Buddhist light and water from the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, or let Wukong slowly wear down the seal himself.
• Sun Wukong chose Tathagata’s painful treatment after learning Buddhism could not capture Golden Peng without provoking a larger conflict.
• Tathagata removed the seal, and the exhausted Sun Wukong vowed revenge on Golden Peng and asked for a technique to break Innate Yin Yang Energies.
• Tathagata admitted he knew no such technique and told Wukong that Golden Peng had once beaten Taiyi, the Celestial Worthy of Great Mercy, to tears.

Golden Peng and Hu Xiaoyu fought staged rounds so Golden Peng could credibly join the Scripture-Fetching Team, while Sun Wukong watched and began comprehending the Power of Law. Xuanxiao sent Ming Ye into Wukong’s Sea of Consciousness to try to lure him toward the Demon Realm, and Ming Ye began misleading him with a lecture disguised as the way of the Buddha.

• Hu Xiaoyu consulted his mistress, who said Golden Peng should fight two more rounds before surrendering to the Scripture-Fetching Team.
• Hu Xiaoyu and Golden Peng fought using the Power of Law, while Sun Wukong watched from a cloud and began comprehending it.
• Luohu noticed Wukong’s progress and suggested that a demonic expert try to influence him, so Xuanxiao sent Ming Ye to approach him.
• Ming Ye entered Wukong’s Sea of Consciousness and reassured him that he meant no harm.
• Ming Ye claimed he could help Wukong understand the way of the Buddha and began lecturing him with altered teachings of the way of the demon.

Hu Xiaoyu and Golden Peng exchanged attacks, but their stray strikes damaged Buddhist defenses on Mount Sumeru and Spirit Mountain. The spar ended with Golden Peng still standing and Tathagata pretending You Wen’s attack had gone astray.

• Golden Peng defeated Hu Xiaoyu’s White Tiger Phantom, but Hu Xiaoyu used the Pangu Banner to slash a hole in Mount Sumeru’s Mountain Protection Array.
• Amitabha blamed Jieyin and Zhunti for the Buddhist sect’s poor reputation and threatened to leave the Primordial Wilderness if they lost the Buddha-Demon Calamity.
• You Wen challenged Golden Peng to another exchange, and Golden Peng sent a Yin-Yang millstone toward him.
• You Wen caught the millstone and threw it toward Spirit Mountain, where eighty-eight Buddhas shattered it and protected the Great Thunderclap Monastery.
• Indestructible Diamond Buddha accused You Wen of targeting Spirit Mountain, but Tathagata claimed the attack had merely gone astray.

Golden Peng joined the Scripture-Fetching Team, while Ming Ye failed to corrupt Sun Wukong and left to seek another approach. Dijun forced Jia Xu to devise a scheme against Wukong, and Jia Xu began studying Dijun’s ten sons afterward.

• Golden Peng admitted defeat, joined the Scripture-Fetching Team, and asked where Sun Wukong was.
• Ming Ye failed to awaken any Evil Thought in Wukong and returned to Yingzhou Island.
• Xuanxiao learned that Ming Ye’s attempt to corrupt Wukong had failed.
• Dijun trapped Jia Xu in a small world and pressured him to devise a plan to subdue Sun Wukong.
• Jia Xu suggested a scheme to Dijun, who released him and left.
• Jia Xu studied the Records of Demon-Race Secrets and wondered whether the mortal world needed all ten of Dijun’s sons as suns.

Dijun bound Jia Xu with True Sun Fire and made him the Demon Emperor lineage’s military advisor, while Xuanxiao questioned whether Jia Xu could betray them. Dijun then explained his plan to subdue Sun Wukong, leaving Xuanxiao convinced it would work.

• Dijun placed True Sun Fire in Jia Xu’s Sea of Consciousness, threatening him with its eruption but promising protection and power if he served the Golden Crow lineage.
• Jia Xu accepted the restriction and declared himself loyal to Dijun.
• Dijun told Xuanxiao he had subdued Jia Xu, and Xuanxiao worried that Jia Xu might turn against them.
• Dijun argued that Jia Xu lacked the strength to threaten them, and the system dismissed the idea that he could overcome Dijun.
• Dijun outlined a plan involving the Through-Back Ape Monkey and Duobao to have Buddha Ancestor label Sun Wukong a fake monkey.

Xuanxiao sent Yuan Hong to impersonate Sun Wukong and join You Wen’s party, setting up a clash when the real Wukong caught up. The two monkeys fought evenly while Spirit Mountain and the travelers watched, unable to tell which was which.

• Xuanxiao sent Yuan Hong into the Chaos Bead to temper his body for ten thousand years, then ordered him to impersonate Sun Wukong and follow You Wen’s group.
• Yuan Hong joined You Wen and the others, and they continued their journey west before the real Sun Wukong awoke and discovered he had fallen behind.
• Sun Wukong spotted Yuan Hong impersonating him and chased after the group, accusing him of being a demon monkey impostor.
• Yuan Hong challenged Sun Wukong, and the two fought fiercely for fifty rounds while remaining evenly matched.
• Tathagata and Randeng discussed how they might distinguish the monkeys, while Nezha, Ao Lie, and You Wen watched the fight and debated which one was real.

Sun Wukong and Yuan Hong fought after discovering they had matching forms and abilities, then went to Spirit Mountain to ask Tathagata to identify the real Wukong. Tathagata struck them with an Alms Bowl, but Yuan Hong noticed he had received the lighter blow, and Wukong demanded equal treatment.

• Sun Wukong and Yuan Hong revealed their Giant Ape True Forms and fought for three hundred rounds without either gaining the advantage.
• Yuan Hong challenged Sun Wukong to take their dispute to the Great Thunderclap Monastery, and the two smashed into the monastery in their giant forms.
• Sun Wukong and Yuan Hong asked Tathagata to determine which of them was real, and Tathagata proposed testing their Indestructible Vajra Bodies with his Alms Bowl.
• Tathagata struck Sun Wukong, who recovered and claimed the blow proved he was real.
• Tathagata struck Yuan Hong with a weaker blow, and Yuan Hong pointed out the difference; Sun Wukong demanded that Tathagata hit him just as hard.

Tathagata captured the real Sun Wukong in his Buddha Kingdom in Palm, while Yuan Hong returned to the Scripture-Fetching Team in disguise. Xuanxiao and Kunpeng then planned to recruit Sun Wukong, and Duobao agreed to help break Tathagata’s divine ability in exchange for learning the Devouring Law.

• Tathagata knocked Sun Wukong unconscious, declared the true and false monkeys distinguished, and collected Sun Wukong into his Buddha Kingdom in Palm.
• Yuan Hong returned to the Scripture-Fetching Team, and You Wen recognized him as the disguised false Wukong and explained why the Mount Sumeru figures had not seen through him.
• Tathagata pinned Sun Wukong beneath a mantra-inscribed mountain and told him that his accumulated karma had caused another, stronger monkey to appear.
• Sun Wukong accused the Buddhists of using him to shoulder others’ debts before replacing him, while Tathagata declared that he would remain imprisoned forever.
• Xuanxiao asked Kunpeng about recruiting Sun Wukong, and Kunpeng offered to cover the merit cost of searching Sun Wukong’s soul if recruitment failed.
• Kunpeng asked Duobao to help break the Buddha Kingdom in Palm, and Duobao agreed after Kunpeng promised to teach him the Devouring Law.

Kunpeng deliberately let Tathagata capture him in the Buddha Kingdom in Palm, then freed Sun Wukong and shattered the realm. He fought back at Great Thunderclap Monastery, destroyed its foundation, and left Tathagata to pay for its repairs.

• Kunpeng entered seclusion near Eagle Sorrow Stream and allowed Tathagata to capture him in the Buddha Kingdom in Palm.
• Kunpeng found Sun Wukong beneath a mountain, freed him with one punch, and concealed him in his mouth before breaking out.
• Kunpeng confronted Tathagata and attacked him, but the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit blocked his blows.
• Kunpeng destroyed the floor and foundation of Great Thunderclap Monastery, causing it to collapse, then left.
• Tathagata admitted he had acted recklessly and said he would personally pay to repair Great Thunderclap Monastery.

After Kunpeng’s escape cost the Buddhist Sect its monastery and hundreds of Arhats, Tathagata discovered that the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit had also been destroyed. Jieyin and Zhunti caught the Blood-winged Black Mosquito, who blamed Minghe, and Zhunti set off for the Netherworld to investigate.

• Maitreya told Tathagata that Kunpeng had taken several hundred Golden Body Arhats to the demon race after escaping the Buddha Kingdom in Palm.
• Tathagata went to Mount Sumeru, where Zhunti berated him for provoking Kunpeng and losing the Arhats and Great Thunderclap Monastery.
• Jieyin sensed the Buddhist Sect’s destiny shake and found that the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit had been reduced to the Ninth-grade Merit Golden Lotus.
• Jieyin and Zhunti tracked down the Blood-winged Black Mosquito, who claimed that Minghe had sent him to damage the Buddhist Sect’s destiny.
• Zhunti decided to go to the Netherworld and ask Minghe about the attack.

Zhunti confronted the Netherworld, accusing the Witch Clan of damaging Buddhism’s fortune and destroying its treasure. After the Ancestral Witches beat him, the Dragon Clan and demon cultivators set out to join the fray.

• Zhunti arrived at the Ghost Gate and loudly demanded that Great Emperor Fengdu and the Ten Halls of Yama explain Buddhism’s losses.
• Dijiang gathered the Ten Halls of Yama, and the Ancestral Witches debated whether they had caused the setback before deciding to confront Zhunti.
• Zhunti showed Dijiang a Blood-winged Black Mosquito that had reduced Buddhism’s Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit to a ninth-grade lotus.
• Dijiang struck Zhunti and ordered the Ancestral Witches to beat him, while Ox-Head and Horse Face joined in.
• Qiu Niu and Ying Zhao summoned the Dragon Clan and demon clan, and Ao Yue and Dijun led their groups toward the Nether Court.

The Witch Clan, Demon Clan, and Dragon Clan gathered in the Nether Court and joined in tormenting Zhunti after he came to hurl abuse. Empress Pingxin sealed Zhunti's cultivation and allowed Ao Yue to claim a leg before Zhunti was prepared for sale at the Primordial Exchange.

• Xuanxiao and Ao Yue arrived with Demon Clan and Dragon Clan forces to help the Eleven Ancestral Witches deal with Zhunti.
• Xuanming refused to let the newcomers join in beating Zhunti, but Xuanxiao persuaded the gathered forces to share the fun.
• Zhunti became furious and threatened to self-destruct, so the Earthly Dao suppressed him and Empress Pingxin warned him against disrupting the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
• Xuanxiao proposed sealing Zhunti's cultivation and selling his meat, while Ao Yue demanded the first share for the Dragon Clan.
• Empress Pingxin sealed Zhunti's cultivation and let Ao Yue cut off a leg because Qiu Niu had served the Netherworld.

Ao Yue and Xuanxiao mutilated Zhunti and arranged to sell his flesh through the Primordial Exchange. Xuanxiao then visited the Purple Robe Zombie, who had advanced to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm and abandoned his plans to challenge him.

• Ao Yue cut off one of Zhunti’s lower legs, and Xuanxiao severed Zhunti’s left arm.
• Xuanming silenced Zhunti by stepping on his mouth and reminded the others that the spoils would be divided three-seven.
• Xuanxiao told Jumang to advertise Zhunti’s flesh for sale at eight thousand Merit Gold Coins per catty.
• Rushou told Xuanxiao that the Purple Robe Zombie had absorbed resentment in the Eighteen Levels of Hell and reached the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.
• Xuanxiao visited the Purple Robe Zombie, who said he no longer planned to fight him, and explained that advancing beyond Great Luo would be difficult.

Xuanxiao and the Netherworld auctioned off Saint Zhunti’s dismembered body while the Scripture-Fetching Team paused its journey and stole a meal from Haotian. Zhunti was killed, and Dijiang hung his head on the Ghost Gate.

• Xuanxiao found powerful figures gathered in Great Emperor Fengdu’s palace and announced that Saint Zhunti’s body would be auctioned off to the highest bidders.
• You Wen learned from Bo Huang that the Netherworld and Primordial Exchange were auctioning Zhunti’s flesh, so he stopped the Scripture-Fetching Team to wait for more tribulations.
• You Wen sent Ao Lie to fetch food from the Heavenly Court, and Ao Lie stole Haotian’s entire meal table before returning to the group.
• Dijun told Xuanming to let Zhunti speak his last words, but Dijiang killed him with the Law of Space before he could finish cursing.
• Dijiang hung Zhunti’s remaining head on the Ghost Gate, prompting Rushou to question whether it was too creepy.

After Zhunti brought down the Blood Rain, Tongtian and Mingxuan discussed a scheme to provoke a fight with Buddhism. In the Netherworld, Xuanxiao accepted a quest to draw the Primordial Wilderness’s mighty figures into the Buddha-Demon Calamity, and the group planned a grand scripture-fetching journey that ended with a dispute over Ao Bing’s cultivation.

• Tongtian regretted missing the chance to buy Zhunti meat, but Mingxuan proposed hiding Kui Niu near Spirit Mountain to create an excuse to attack Buddhism.
• In the Netherworld, Luohu gave Xuanxiao a quest to involve all the mighty figures in the Buddha-Demon Calamity and promised him the Chaos Golden Phoenix Art.
• Xuanxiao suggested that the group help the Demon Emperor’s Tenth Prince earn merit by joining the Scripture-Fetching Team and troubling Buddhism.
• Zhen Yuanzi, White Tiger Holy Venerate, and Dijun endorsed the plan, with Dijun sending the Ten Great Golden Crows to join the journey.
• Vermilion Bird Saint Venerable urged Zi Huan to make Ao Bing join the journey and threatened divorce if he failed to advance, prompting Xuanxiao to defend his disciple.

After Zhunti returned to Mount Sumeru with his cultivation reduced, Jieyin questioned Tathagata about the damaged Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit. Tathagata proved his innocence with a Heavenly Dao oath, but Amitabha punished him by adding flesh buns to his head, and Tathagata admitted he had fought Zhunti to test whether he could defeat a weakened Saint.

• Zhunti told Amitabha that the Wu and Yao races had gone too far, and Amitabha scolded him for letting the Ancestral Witches drag him into the Netherworld.
• Zhunti warned Jieyin that the mosquito had escaped and that Minghe would deny involvement, so Jieyin summoned Tathagata and questioned him about the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit.
• Zhunti challenged Tathagata to swear an oath or fight, and Tathagata chose to spar with him using his Sixteen-Foot Golden Body.
• Amitabha stopped the fight and demanded an oath, and Tathagata swore that he had nothing to do with the lotus's damage without being struck by lightning.
• Amitabha grabbed Tathagata and added flesh buns to his head, while Tathagata privately planned to fleece a few Buddhas later.
• Tathagata told Zhunti he had fought him to see whether a peak Quasi-Saint could defeat a Saint while Zhunti's cultivation was weakened.

Tathagata returned to Spirit Mountain and offered Bright Light Buddha Hyde an initiation after Zhunti ordered him to hold down the fort. Meanwhile, Ancestor Minghe brought the Asura Race to challenge the Scripture-Fetching Team, where Yuan Hong and Tian Boxun fought while trying to keep their identities and the staged tribulation under control.

• Zhunti checked on the Scripture-Fetching Team, then ordered Tathagata to return to Spirit Mountain.
• Tathagata invited Bright Light Buddha Hyde to the rear mountain for an initiation, while Randeng anticipated Hyde would be beaten.
• Ancestor Minghe arrived to have the Asura Race join the tribulation, and Hu Xiaoyu said her father would bring the White Tiger experts later.
• You Wen told everyone to keep the fighting under control and make the tribulation look convincing.
• Yuan Hong and Tian Boxun fought, and Tian Boxun recognized Yuan Hong as the monkey from Yingzhou Island and warned him not to expose their cover.

Yuan Hong fought Tian Boxun while concealing his true strength, but Ao Lie intervened when Tian Boxun nearly killed him. Yuan Hong then reached the Great Hero Hall to report that Minghe and the Blood Sea forces were blocking the Scripture-Fetching Team, leaving Tathagata to decide whom to send.

• Yuan Hong admitted his secret technique had ended, and Tian Boxun challenged him to continue fighting.
• Yuan Hong and Tian Boxun clashed fiercely, and Tian Boxun narrowly gained the advantage before striking Yuan Hong hard and sending his steel fork flying.
• Ao Lie blocked Tian Boxun's finishing blow, and Minghe recalled Tian Boxun to avoid antagonizing the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.
• Yuan Hong insisted he could still travel and flew to the Great Hero Hall to ask Tathagata for help against the blood demons blocking the road.
• Yuan Hong described Minghe and his forces to Tathagata, who told him to rest while he considered whom to send.

Tathagata asked the Buddhas to protect the pilgrimage from the Blood Demon, while Maitreya argued they should wait and see. On Yingzhou Island, Taiyi tried to recruit Sun Wukong, but after he refused to join or listen to her, she ordered the seven Gourd Babies to beat him.

• Tathagata asked the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to subdue the Blood Demon and protect the pilgrimage, and Maitreya advised them to stand by.
• Yuan Hong worried that the rewritten script could put Buddhism’s destiny at risk and considered using a Merit Golden Body as Sun Wukong’s double.
• Taiyi tried to persuade Sun Wukong to join Yingzhou Island, but he refused because he remained loyal to Zhunti and thanked the Demon Master for rescuing him.
• Sun Wukong tried to leave Yingzhou Island, but Taiyi struck him down and continued trying to persuade him until he covered his ears.
• Taiyi ordered the seven Gourd Babies to beat Sun Wukong without killing him.