Western Ox-He Continent, Gilded Sand.
Black clouds blotted out the sky and sun. Dazzling lightning pierced the dense cloud cover, followed only after a while by the dull rumble of thunder.
Only a few frail, withered yellow plants barely managed to take root and survive in the dry, cracked earth.
The rain about to fall was the hope of the life here.
But a brilliant streak of golden light pierced through from the edge of the clouds, its mere passage shaking apart some of the heavy storm clouds.
The golden light landed in the blink of an eye.
A young monk stepped onto this almost lifeless land.
The young monk had handsome features, and the little of his arms that showed looked lean and strong. Golden light seemed to flash through his eyes.
"I am the Buddhist Child, Wukong."
Wukong lightly pinched the Buddhist Prayer Beads in his hand and waited a moment. Only when his surroundings remained silent did he continue:
"Before you escaped confinement, you were already a venerable Buddha in the Mahayana Realm. Must you now fear a mere Body Integration Buddhist Child like me?"
"The Buddha who once said that with universal salvation in his heart, he need not fear standing before the River of Oblivion-is he now content merely to eke out a life here?"
Wukong swept his gaze around. Apart from the cold wind blowing past, there was no other sound.
"I came to the wrong place."
"So-called Mahayana Buddhism is nothing but a lie idly spun by someone greedy for life and afraid of death..."
With that, golden light appeared around Wukong again, and he prepared to leave.
"Then did you come to inquire into Buddhist teachings, or to drag me back beneath the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda?"
The aged voice seemed to