Wukong shook his head.
He put away his armor.
He returned to his usual attire.
He tossed the Golden Cudgel into the air and willed it to change.
The Iron Cudgel instantly transformed into a dark-gold rope as thick as a finger.
Like a long snake possessed of intelligence, it spun nimbly in midair.
"Go."
Wukong flicked his finger.
The long rope streaked through the air, leaving an afterimage. One end landed in Wukong's hand, while the other split into three dark-gold streams of light and plunged into the deep pit.
At the bottom of the pit.
Hu Li, Lu Li, and Yang Li had barely struggled halfway out of the earth where they had crashed when they sensed the streaks of light approaching.
They tried to muster their remaining demonic power to resist, only to discover they could not stop them at all.
Starting at their ankles, the ropes coiled upward, winding around them like spirit snakes.
They cinched tightly around their calves and thighs, looped around their waists and bellies, then crossed snugly over their backs, passed around their shoulder blades, and emerged beneath their arms.
Finally, they tied themselves into knots just below their necks.
The way they were bound looked extremely familiar.
It was precisely the way the monks condemned to hard labor on the sand had tied their hemp ropes to pull carts.
The haulier's knot.
The more they struggled, the tighter it grew.
"You... what do you mean to do?! A man may be killed, but never humiliated!"
Great Immortal Huli gasped for breath, his round eyes thick with bloodshot veins.
Standing at the edge of the pit, Wukong held the end of the rope and gave it a gentle tug.
All three immortals were dragged out of the pit at once and stood