One Punch Shatters the Chaos Demon King; the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain Plan the Tribulations!

The story split into two threads, each told in turn.

After leaving Old Ancestor Bodhi, Sun Wukong picked a direction and unleashed his spatial art, Great Freedom Walker!

He took a single step!

Time seemed to freeze!

Mountains and rivers flashed past in an instant!

In the blink of an eye, he was hovering above Flower-Fruit Mountain.

"'Great Freedom Walker' truly is wondrous beyond compare. Even Golden Light of Earthly Travel, one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Methods, is like heaven and earth beside it!"

Sun Wukong curled his lip and muttered to himself with disdain.

At that moment, he felt even more fortunate that he had taken Zhou Xuan as his master!

Otherwise, that old bastard Bodhi would have kept him dancing in the palm of his hand!

But when his gaze swept over the mountain forest, his expression changed.

Though Flower-Fruit Mountain was no sacred land of the Primordial Wilderness, it was still a blessed grotto-heaven, rich in spiritual energy and home to peaceful birds and beasts.

Once, mountain springs had babbled, mist had curled through the trees, and beasts had frolicked in herds. Now, the place was in ruins!

Trees leaned at odd angles, dust filled the air, and faint sobs could be heard.

Clearly, the mountain had suffered a calamity.

Sun Wukong's eyes blazed with fury as he suddenly roared:

"Old Sun is back! Why haven't you come out to greet your Great King, my children?"

There was no response for a long while!

At last, scattered groups of monkeys emerged from crevices, thickets, and woods. They rushed toward him in fear, threw themselves to the ground, and wept bitterly:

"Great King, you've been gone ten years! We've waited until we were nearly blind!"

"We've endured all these years, hoping you'd return soon!"

"Then a demon barged in, seized our Water Curtain Cave, and abducted our monkeys. He beat and killed them at the slightest provocation. He was utterly vicious!"

"Those who survived either fled or hid. If you'd come back any later, our whole clan might have been wiped out..."

Sun Wukong listened, fury surging in his chest.

What blind wretch dared set his sights on Flower-Fruit Mountain?

But he was no longer the inexperienced little monkey he had once been. He knew he mustn't act rashly. He needed to think carefully and proceed with caution.

His expression darkened, and his voice turned icy:

"Who was that demon? Do you know where he came from?"

The monkeys bowed low and answered in unison:

"That demon calls himself the 'Chaos Demon King.' He's made his lair in a cave on the northern mountain, and he's vicious to the core."

"Chaos Demon King!"

Sun Wukong froze, then remembered at once!

That's right!

This is exactly what happens in Journey to the West! It's identical!!!

Master truly is unfathomable!

Without even leaving his dojo, he saw my fate with perfect clarity. Not a single detail was off!

At that moment, Sun Wukong was filled with boundless admiration for Zhou Xuan.

"My children, wait here. Old Sun will go take care of this."

With that, he leaped into the clouds and sped toward the northern mountain.

The northern mountain rose into the clouds, its terrain rugged.

Sun Wukong circled the mountain and soon spotted a cave entrance shrouded in gloom, guarded by several lesser demons.

He had planned to charge straight inside, but then he thought: The Chaos Demon King was nothing special, yet he dared to come after him. Could someone be backing him?

At the thought, Sun Wukong tamped down his anger and told the lesser demons to announce him.

Inside the cave, a lesser demon hurried in to report:

"Great King, a golden-haired monkey king with a fearsome bearing is outside. He claims to be the master of Water Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain and demands an explanation."

The Chaos Demon King listened with an unconcerned expression and chuckled:

"I've heard those monkeys mention that their king left to cultivate. Looks like he's back."

He immediately put on his armor, led the lesser demons out of the cave, and strode forward, shouting:

"Which one of you is the master of Water Curtain Cave? Get out here and die!"

Sun Wukong gave a cold laugh at those words. He took a closer look. The Chaos Demon King was only an Earth Immortal, yet he dared to act so arrogantly?

This fellow wasn't very powerful, yet he was wildly overconfident. Could he have powerful backing?

Which Saint was pulling strings this time?

Never mind. He'd find out what was going on first.

"You vile demon! Who gave you the nerve to run wild on my Flower-Fruit Mountain?"

The Chaos Demon King snorted in disdain:

"Flower-Fruit Mountain is nothing but a tiny speck. I come and go as I please, and kill whoever I want. You skinny monkey, what can you do about it?"

"Are you sure no one put you up to this?" Sun Wukong demanded.

"I, the Chaos Demon King, do as I please. Why would I need anyone to tell me what to do?"

The Chaos Demon King raised his tiger-head saber, arrogance written all over him:

"Who in all heaven and earth would dare order me around?"

Sun Wukong rubbed his eyes, unable to believe those words had come from a mere demon with the cultivation of an Earth Immortal.

Where did this guy get his confidence?

No, there was definitely more to him!

Sun Wukong pointed at the sky and asked, "You're sure you have no one above you?"

The Chaos Demon King was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

"No one!"

Sun Wukong pointed at the ground and asked, "You're sure you have no one below you?"

The Chaos Demon King shook his head again. "No one!"

Sun Wukong pointed behind him. "And you don't have any powerful backers behind you?"

This time, the Chaos Demon King frowned and snapped irritably:

"You monkey, you're dragging this fight out like a woman. If you're scared, hurry up and get lost—"

Before he could finish, Sun Wukong slammed a fist into the Chaos Demon King's head!

Brains splattered, and blood gushed everywhere!

The Chaos Demon King died on the spot!

The lesser demons beside him were so terrified they wet themselves, filling the air with a foul stench!

"Ah!!! The Great King hadn't even finished bragging before the monkey killed him with one punch..."

Sun Wukong snorted, plucked out the Chaos Demon King's Demon Soul, and was about to destroy it!

The Chaos Demon King burst into tears and wailed:

"Spare me, Immortal! Spare me! I'll never brag again, I swear! Please let me go!"

Sun Wukong just sneered and crushed the Chaos Demon King's Demon Soul.

"You fool. No one above you, no one below you, and no one backing you—yet you talked even bigger than my master. You deserved to die!"

By then, the lesser demons had already scattered in every direction, terrified out of their wits!

Sun Wukong ignored them and entered the cave. Inside, he found many of his monkey kin locked up, so he freed them.

"Master said, 'If you're going to do it, do it thoroughly!' The Chaos Demon King had collected quite a few treasures. From now on, they all belong to the Sun clan!"

As he spoke, Sun Wukong used his divine art to transport every treasure in the cave back to Water Curtain Cave.

Meanwhile, at the sacred realm of Spirit Mountain, in the Western Ox Continent.

Dabao Tathagata sat high upon the throne in the Grand Hall of Heroes, his bearing solemn and majestic.

As if sensing something, he looked toward the Eastern Continent of Divine Sands. A moment later, he smiled and said:

"Good!"

Seeing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva quickly asked:

"Shizun smiled while picking a flower. Does that mean the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West is progressing smoothly?"

Tathagata nodded. His smile slowly faded, and his expression returned to solemn dignity.

"That monkey has returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain. His cultivation is at the level of a Great Unity Golden Immortal, exactly as scripted by Saint Zhunti and Saint Jieyin!"

"After this tribulation, Buddhism Spreads East, and the Heavenly Dao will bestow boundless merit. Every disciple of our Spirit Mountain will get a share!"

At these words, all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, and Arhats throughout Spirit Mountain rejoiced.

"Congratulations, Shizun! Sun Wukong has entered the tribulation, and the Great Prosperity of our Western Land is now assured."

"Amitabha! After this, our Spirit Mountain will become the greatest religious sect in the Primordial Wilderness!"

"Wonderful, wonderful! Let all beneath heaven celebrate!"

Hearing this, Buddha Tathagata did not look relieved. Instead, he spoke gravely:

"The Great Tribulation of Journey to the West must go off without a hitch!"

"We must start preparing for the Eighty-One Tribulations!"

"Whom can our Spirit Mountain send down to undergo these tribulations?"