Wukong tried to beg off on the grounds that he had lost all his cultivation.
Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Wukong, I will take you to Spirit Mountain and ask the Buddha to decide."
Wukong did not want to go. "Bodhisattva, since you are going, why must you take Old Sun along?" he pleaded.
Guanyin Bodhisattva reproached him. "Wukong, the Demon Dragon is faithless, and your master is behind bars. How can you be so lazy?"
Wukong had no choice but to follow Guanyin Bodhisattva to Spirit Mountain.
They rode auspicious clouds all the way to the Great Thunderclap Temple on Spirit Mountain.
The two entered the temple and paid their respects to Tathagata Buddha.
Guanyin Bodhisattva recounted what had happened.
Tathagata Buddha smiled. "Wukong, that formation is called the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, and the treasure is called the Golden Bushel of Primordial Unity. Somehow, they have fallen into that Demon Dragon's hands. Even immortals who fall into this formation will suffer calamity and become mortals in an instant. If you wish to break it, only by inviting the three Immortal Maidens of Responding to the World to descend can you rescue your master."
Wukong, however, was unwilling to invite them. Instead, he lodged a complaint:
"Buddha, Venerable Kasyapa may have colluded with the Demon Dragon to trick your disciple into the formation. Now my cultivation and magical power have been stripped away entirely. Once, a single somersault could carry me a hundred and eight thousand li; now I cannot even manage three feet. I cannot reach the Heavenly Court or seek help from the immortals. In Old Sun's opinion, we might as well wait here for ten days or so. Once that Demon Dragon has vented his anger enough, let him release my master of his own accord."
Tathagata Buddha