Chapter Summaries

After learning that Female Immortal Yunhua faced severe punishment, Yang Jian resolved to rebel against the Great Celestial Venerable to save her, and Bai Susu pledged to stand with him. Verdant Green Maiden brought Yang Jian and Saro to Five Finger Mountain, where Yang Jian taunted the imprisoned Sun Huo Wang.

• Verdant Green Maiden told Yang Jian and Bai Susu that Female Immortal Yunhua had been punished severely after continuing to think of her children.
• Yang Jian vowed to rebel against the Great Celestial Venerable to save his mother, and Bai Susu promised to follow him without leaving or forsaking him.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Saro she could not back out and argued that Guanyin's backing would limit any punishment she faced.
• The group rested at the Temple of the Illustrious True Lord in Dujiangyan, and Verdant Green Maiden left Bai Susu to manage affairs there.
• Verdant Green Maiden took Yang Jian and Saro to Five Finger Mountain, where Yang Jian mocked the imprisoned Sun Huo Wang and the two argued over who would win a fight.

Yang Chan visited Sun Huo Wang with food, while Yang Jian confronted him and learned how close the two had become. Verdant Green Maiden sent Yang Jian to wait for Xuanzang near a Western Regions city and reassured Saro after Yang Jian warned her about trusting the Heavenly Maiden.

• Yang Chan brought Sun Huo Wang his favorite food from Mount Hua, and Yang Jian grew jealous of their closeness.
• Yang Chan scolded Yang Jian and Sun Huo Wang for wanting to fight, then Verdant Green Maiden explained that Xuanzang would arrive in about two months.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Yang Jian to wait near a Western Regions city, help the local people, and stay away from Sun Huo Wang.
• Yang Jian privately warned Verdant Green Maiden that Heaven might use Saro against her and urged her to care for her health.
• Saro complained about being treated with suspicion, and Verdant Green Maiden apologized and promised to help others get used to her.

Verdant Green Maiden recruited Nezha to protect Xuanzang on his journey west, warning him that Heaven would not let the thousand soldiers escorting him succeed. After Nezha agreed, she left Chang'an with Saro, who began to question her.

• Saro asked where they were going, and Verdant Green Maiden brought her to Chang'an, where Li Jing had died and Nezha was seeing off mourners.
• Verdant Green Maiden asked Nezha to protect Xuanzang on his journey to the Western Paradise, and Nezha agreed.
• Nezha told Verdant Green Maiden that Li Shimin had arranged nearly a thousand attendants for Xuanzang, and she warned that Heaven would prevent them from protecting him for long.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Nezha to settle his affairs because he had at least three months, then departed with Saro.
• Li Deqian asked Nezha about the woman he had spoken with, and Nezha brushed him off with an excuse.
• As Saro followed Verdant Green Maiden through Chang'an, she said she did not understand something and prepared to ask about it.

Verdant Green Maiden revealed that she planned to rebel against the celestials and wanted the three brothers to coordinate before storming Heaven. After leaving Saro in custody on a false assassination charge, she went to the Imperial Palace and met Li Shimin, who greeted her as his master.

• Verdant Green Maiden warned Saro not to ask questions she should not ask, while secretly planning to rebel against the celestials and prepare the three brothers for a future attack on Heaven.
• When the Bad People demanded identification during curfew, Verdant Green Maiden shoved Saro forward, claimed they would assassinate the Emperor, and fled.
• The Bad People arrested Saro while others pursued Verdant Green Maiden, who easily escaped them and headed for the Imperial Palace.
• Li Shimin ordered his attendants to stand down, bowed to Verdant Green Maiden, and she praised him as a good Emperor.

Qing Nü visited Li Shimin, praised his rule, and asked him to pardon her arrested companion, Saro. After the pardon was issued, Qing Nü reunited with Li Jiancheng and Li Xiu Ning, while Saro was released and summoned to the palace.

• Li Shimin asked Qing Nü about Xuanji and realized Qing Nü had watched Xuanzang's Water-Land Dharma Assembly.
• Qing Nü asked Li Shimin for a pardon order after explaining that Saro had been arrested, and he arranged her release.
• Qing Nü agreed to see Li Jiancheng and Li Xiu Ning, who arrived at Taiji Hall and greeted their former master.
• The Bad People received Li Shimin's pardon decree and released Saro from prison.
• Saro learned Qing Nü had entered the palace and followed the eunuch there.

Saro joined Verdant Green Maiden and the Li siblings at the palace before leaving to escort Nezha on the journey he had chosen. The chapter ended with Saro returning to Verdant Green Maiden by the Yellow River after delivering Nezha to his destination.

• Saro arrived at the Imperial Palace, where Verdant Green Maiden introduced her to Li Shimin, Li Jiancheng, and Li Xiu Ning.
• Verdant Green Maiden ended their late-night gathering and departed after Li Shimin wished her a long and peaceful future.
• Li Deqian confronted Nezha about his preparations to leave, heard what had happened, and accepted his decision while offering help for the journey.
• Saro met Nezha outside the Duke of Wei's Residence and assured Li Deqian that Nezha's journey would be safe before taking Nezha away.
• Saro returned to Verdant Green Maiden by the Yellow River and reported that she had delivered Nezha to his destination.

Qing Nü and Saro traveled to India on the Western Expedition, where Qing Nü discussed the illusory nature of Kunlun Mountain. Heaven warned Saro that Qing Nü learning the truth of the world could bring chaos, and the chapter ended with Qing Nü taking Saro to Nalanda Temple.

• Qing Nü chose to join the Western Expedition to see whether Gods and Buddhas existed in India, and Saro agreed to accompany her.
• Qing Nü and Saro crossed the snowy mountains and looked toward India and Kunlun Mountain, where Saro hinted that Kunlun was an illusion.
• Qing Nü said Kunlun’s appearance made sense if Immortals lived there, and Saro was relieved that she had only grasped part of the truth.
• Heaven confronted Saro in India and warned that Qing Nü discovering the truth of the world could cause chaos; Saro promised to do her utmost to help over the coming decades.
• Qing Nü reunited with Saro and invited her to go to Nalanda Temple.

Verdant Green Maiden challenged the monks of Nalanda Temple to debate the Mahayana Buddhist Law, while Xuanzang and his dwindling escort reached Yumen Pass. After hearing that a mountain had fallen from the sky nearby, Xuanzang agreed to investigate it.

• Verdant Green Maiden told Saro that countless beings could become Buddhas, then declared that she would challenge Nalanda Temple.
• Verdant Green Maiden called on the monks of Nalanda Temple to accept her challenge, and the abbot welcomed her and Saro inside.
• A Buddha in the clouds chanted the Shakyamuni Buddha Heart Mantra as Heaven looked toward Nalanda Temple.
• Xuanzang thanked the few Black Armor Army soldiers still accompanying him for bringing him to Yumen Pass.
• The garrison commander told Xuanzang that a mountain had fallen from the sky nearby, and Xuanzang agreed to investigate it.

Yang Chan warned Sun Huo Wang not to reveal his connection to her master, then left as Xuanzang and his party arrived beneath Five Finger Mountain. Sun Huo Wang persuaded Xuanzang to take him west to fetch the scriptures, but Xuanzang found that the seal demanded three hundred taels or two rabbits and asked his companions for help.

• Yang Chan told Sun Huo Wang to invent a backstory and keep her master’s identity secret before she vanished.
• Xuanzang arrived with his guards, and Sun Huo Wang claimed he was a demon king imprisoned for causing havoc in the Immortal Residence.
• Xuanzang dismissed Sun Huo Wang’s story but recognized him as an old friend and prepared to leave.
• Sun Huo Wang said a Bodhisattva had told him to escort Xuanzang west in exchange for having his crimes forgiven, and Xuanzang agreed.
• Xuanzang climbed the mountain and read the seal’s demand for three hundred taels or two rabbits, then asked his companions to lend him the money.

Xuanzang freed Sun Huo Wang from the mountain and persuaded the Black Armor Army to return to Chang'an while he continued west. As Xuanzang and Sun Huo Wang traveled toward the Western Heaven, Xuanzang suggested giving the Monkey a Dharma name.

• Xuanzang used the soldiers’ pooled silver to bow before the seal, which fell away, and the money remained untouched.
• Sun Huo Wang emerged from the cave, and the mountain pressing down on him vanished amid violent tremors.
• Xuanzang persuaded the Black Armor Army to return to Chang'an and escort their fallen comrades home, while Sun Huo Wang agreed to follow Xuanzang’s instructions.
• The Black Armor Army and Xuanzang parted at Yumen Pass, and the soldiers found their return journey was far faster than before.
• Xuanzang asked Sun Huo Wang whether he could give him a Dharma name, but Sun Huo Wang said he already had a name.

Xuanzang and his companions investigated a village suffering from unnatural heat and learned that nearby Flaming Mountain might be the cause. Yang Jian went to inspect it and encountered a familiar ox, which he brought back to Sun Huo Wang for help understanding it.

• Xuanzang began calling Sun Huo Wang Wukong, and Wukong asked where they could stop to eat.
• As the group crossed the Western Regions in extreme heat, Sun Huo Wang and Yang Jian found that villagers were strangely unresponsive.
• The group learned that Flaming Mountain lay only a few li away, and Yang Jian volunteered to investigate while Sun Huo Wang guarded Xuanzang.
• At Flaming Mountain, Yang Jian met an ox that charged toward him, bowed its head, and tried to communicate.
• Yang Jian realized the ox could understand him and led it back toward Sun Huo Wang, who might understand its speech.

Yang Jian brought Old Yellow Ox to the group, and Sun Huo Wang learned that Heaven had sent it to create a trial at Flaming Mountain. After the fan brought rain and revived the village, Xuanzang questioned the suffering their journey had caused; the group stayed for three months to help the people before preparing to leave.

• Yang Jian brought Old Yellow Ox from Flaming Mountain, and Sun Huo Wang recognized it as the Goddess’s cow.
• Old Yellow Ox explained through Sun Huo Wang that Heaven had placed it there with a fan to create a trial, but it had recognized Yang Jian and skipped the planned test.
• Old Yellow Ox produced the plantain-leaf fan, which Sun Huo Wang claimed, and its rain ended the heat and restored the village.
• Xuanzang reflected that their journey had caused the villagers’ suffering, so he and the others agreed to compensate them and stayed for three months to help.
• Sun Huo Wang asked whether Old Yellow Ox would remain behind, and learned that it wanted to find the Goddess, though the group did not know where she was.

Verdant Green Maiden appeared at Nalanda Temple as the Glass Bodhisattva and set Xuanzang the challenge of winning Mahayana Buddhist Law through debate. Xuanzang stayed for several years to study and debate, while Sun Huo Wang, Yang Jian, and Nezha grew bored and Sun Huo Wang proposed going out for fun.

• Yang Jian sensed an unusual aura inside Nalanda Temple, and Verdant Green Maiden emerged with Saro as the Glass Bodhisattva.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Xuanzang he could obtain Mahayana Buddhist Law by winning the debates at Nalanda Temple and said she would test him herself.
• Xuanzang struggled to debate Mahayana Buddhist Law because he had first studied Hinayana Buddhist Law, so he remained at the temple for several years.
• Saro scolded Sun Huo Wang for lounging on a Buddha statue, and he argued that living beings and all things under heaven had spirit before walking inside.
• Sun Huo Wang found Yang Jian and Nezha bored at the temple and suggested they greet the Goddess before going out to have fun.

Sun Huo Wang, Yang Jian, Nezha, and Saro left Nalanda Temple to travel after Verdant Green Maiden encouraged them to go. Xuanzang continued his Buddhist studies and asked whether he would ever see Xuanji again; Verdant Green Maiden answered that she was there and had always been there.

• Sun Huo Wang told Verdant Green Maiden he was bored, and she gave him and the others permission to leave Nalanda Temple and travel.
• Saro questioned Verdant Green Maiden about Sun Huo Wang's disrespect toward Buddha, and Verdant Green Maiden urged her to join the travelers.
• Saro found Sun Huo Wang, Yang Jian, and Nezha waiting for her outside Rajgir because Verdant Green Maiden had told them the previous day to wait.
• Xuanzang told Verdant Green Maiden about his master Xuanji and asked how far he had to go to qualify; she replied that only Heaven knew.
• The next morning, Xuanzang asked whether he would have another chance to see Xuanji, and Verdant Green Maiden said, "I am here. I have always been here."

After ten years at Nalanda Temple, Xuanzang and Verdant Green Maiden set out for Great Tang with Sun Huo Wang and the others. On their return, they encountered a mirage-like temple from Verdant Green Maiden’s past, leaving them wondering who waited inside.

• Xuanzang mastered the Mahayana Buddhist Law, and Verdant Green Maiden agreed to travel back to Great Tang with him once Sun Huo Wang and the others returned.
• Verdant Green Maiden rode Old Yellow Ox and told Saro that people like Sun Huo Wang cared about different things, challenging Saro’s belief that the Buddha was essential to protecting the world.
• The group traveled toward the Western Regions and found a Zen temple amid the yellow sand, though Sun Huo Wang and Yang Jian said they had never seen it before.
• Verdant Green Maiden identified the temple as Glazed Zen Temple, once built for her as the Glass Bodhisattva, and explained that the temple had vanished beneath the sands and now appeared as a fragment of the past.
• The group looked toward the temple and wondered who was inside.

Verdant Green Maiden and her companions discovered a mysterious temple and confronted a Glass Bodhisattva who was actually her celestial soul. After learning that Heavenly People had influenced the soul, Verdant Green Maiden refused to heed their plans and questioned who caused the world’s suffering.

• Sun Huo Wang and Yang Jian entered the temple, found it empty except for a Glass Bodhisattva statue, and discovered that Sun Huo Wang could not damage its pillars.
• A Glass Bodhisattva appeared and fought off Sun Huo Wang, while he and Yang Jian sensed Buddhist aura in the figure.
• Verdant Green Maiden entered the temple and identified the Glass Bodhisattva as her celestial soul, confirming that Heavenly People had taken part of her soul.
• Verdant Green Maiden refused to listen to the Glass Bodhisattva’s intended persuasion and said Heavenly People wanted her to behave herself, but she would not.
• The Glass Bodhisattva said he had chosen his path after seeing the world’s suffering, and Verdant Green Maiden asked who had created that suffering.

Verdant Green Maiden confronted Glass Bodhisattva over the Book of Fate and insisted that human will could overcome Heaven. Hong Luan brought Li Qi, the strength soul, who defeated Glass Bodhisattva and recovered the dark blue-green bead before the group set off to find rabbits.

• Verdant Green Maiden argued with Glass Bodhisattva that the Book of Fate had no right to control all living beings and vowed to shatter its arrangements.
• Hong Luan arrived with Li Qi, the strength soul, whom Verdant Green Maiden told to beat up Glass Bodhisattva in exchange for Roast Rabbit.
• Li Qi fought Glass Bodhisattva and emerged from Glazed Zen Temple with a dark blue-green bead, while Glass Bodhisattva had vanished.
• Hong Luan gave Verdant Green Maiden candied hawthorn berries, and Verdant Green Maiden agreed to find rabbits for Li Qi.
• Verdant Green Maiden thanked Li Qi for enduring her difficult life, and the group prepared to leave.

Li Qi asked Verdant Green Maiden to care for her disciple after she left, then Verdant Green Maiden began the process of restoring her true form. The group watched as Verdant Green Maiden transformed into a magnificent azure-black Jiao Dragon.

• Li Qi praised Verdant Green Maiden’s roasted rabbit and ate it with great relish.
• Li Qi told Verdant Green Maiden that she had a disciple and asked her to take care of the girl after Li Qi left.
• Verdant Green Maiden agreed to treat Li Qi’s disciple as her own, and Li Qi asked what they should do next.
• Verdant Green Maiden pressed a hand to Li Qi’s chest and said she would handle what came next.
• Great Treasure shone as Verdant Green Maiden transformed into her Jiao Dragon true form, astonishing Xuanzang, Hong Luan, and Saro.

Verdant Green Maiden rallied the Mount Tai Immortal Class to rebel against the Heavenly People and break free of the Book of Fate, then led the group toward Chang'an. After assigning the others to meet her at Mount Tai, she headed back there with Hong Luan.

• Verdant Green Maiden declared that the Mount Tai Immortal Class would raise the banner against the Heavenly People, and Hong Luan, Yang Jian, and Sun Huo Wang answered her call.
• Nezha pledged his life to Verdant Green Maiden, while Xuanzang bowed to her and Saro hesitantly accepted her protection.
• Verdant Green Maiden reassured Saro that she would not be punished for what she had witnessed and said Guanyin would eventually take her back.
• As the group traveled through the prosperous Great Tang, Verdant Green Maiden recounted the Han Dynasty to Xuanzang and the others.
• Near Chang'an, Verdant Green Maiden told Sun Huo Wang, Yang Jian, and Nezha to meet her at Mount Tai after delivering the scriptures, and instructed Xuanzang to teach the Mahayana Buddhist Law before joining them.
• Verdant Green Maiden mounted Old Yellow Ox and set off for Mount Tai with Hong Luan.

Xuanzang returned to Chang'an with the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures and reunited with the gravely ill Li Shimin. After meeting the emperor, Xuanzang stayed behind while Sun Huo Wang and his companions departed for Mount Tai to find the Goddess.

• Xuanzang and his companions entered Chang'an and presented his travel document to the Imperial Guards at the Vermilion Bird Gate.
• Officials recognized Xuanzang and brought him to Taiji Palace, where Li Chengqian told him that Li Shimin had been gravely ill for a long time.
• Li Shimin welcomed Xuanzang after ten years away and instructed Li Chengqian to handle the returned scriptures.
• Xuanzang told Li Chengqian that the Sanskrit scriptures should be stored safely until Xuanzang could translate them and teach the monks.
• After speaking briefly with Li Shimin, Xuanzang left the hall and learned that Sun Huo Wang and the others were going to Mount Tai to find the Goddess.