Tang Sanzang and his disciples waited inside the golden circle for Sun Wukong's return.
Bored out of his mind, Zhu Bajie plopped down on the ground and muttered, "That monkey went off, so why hasn't he come back after all this time?"
"Could he have gone back to being king of Flower Fruit Mountain and forgotten all about the miserable task of fetching the scriptures?"
Beside him, Sha Wujing wiped down his Demon-Subduing Staff and urged, "Second Brother, don't be impatient. Since Eldest Brother promised to return, he surely won't delay."
Gao Cuilan, standing nearby, directly grabbed Zhu Bajie by the ear. Glowering at him, she said, "Do you think Brother Monkey is like you, only knowing how to loaf around and cut corners?"
After being scolded by his wife, Zhu Bajie immediately shut his mouth. He sprawled lazily on the ground, a straw stalk clamped between his teeth as he chewed on it without pause.
Meanwhile, Flower Fruit Mountain had taken on an entirely different scene.
Wuzhiqi, Yuan Hong, and Yuan Futong descended in their true forms, and the immense aura of Hunyuan Golden Immortals instantly blanketed all of Flower Fruit Mountain.
The vast blue waters stirred into waves without wind, while the spirit monkeys in the mountains leaped about in delight. The three monkeys immediately began setting up defenses. Wuzhiqi mobilized the water essence of the Four Seas, drawing upon the essence of innate Ren Water to form an invisible curtain of water that sealed Flower Fruit Mountain tight.
Yuan Hong stood atop the mountain peak, his long arms holding up the heavens. Golden light flashed from his eyes as they swept across the void for ten thousand miles; no spatial fluctuation could escape his sight.
Yuan Futong, meanwhile, sank into the earth veins and used his divine