After Tang Sanzang and his disciples passed through the Jisai Kingdom, they continued west along the road, traveling who knew how many more miles. The snow melted and spring passed, and now summer was at its height.
All four master and disciples had changed into lighter clothing and continued straight ahead.
Suddenly, they saw a long ridge lying before them.
Tang Sanzang gazed into the distance from his horse. The ridge was covered in thorns and brambles, tangled trees and vines, an endless green sea stretching who knew how far.
Tang Sanzang said, "Difficult! Difficult! This road will be hard to travel!"
Wukong said, "Don't worry, Master. Let Old Sun take a look!"
Wukong leaped into the air, his eyes shining with golden light, and looked closely:
He saw a sky-spanning expanse of thorns stretching and tangling westward, ancient trees interwoven, shrubs and grasses spreading everywhere. Up close, it was a mass of green clouds; from afar, a sweep of emerald shadows. It gathered mist and drew in haze and rain, held wind and dew, and shimmered with rosy clouds.
After looking for a good while, Wukong descended from his cloud.
Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, how is it? How many miles does it stretch? Can we get through?"
Wukong said, "At a glance, about a thousand miles. We can get through. No trouble."
Tang Sanzang exclaimed in alarm, "A thousand miles! How can we cross it? I am not like you, able to soar on clouds and ride the mist, passing over with a single leap. If we wade through these thousand miles of thorns, our flesh will be scraped raw; if we crawl through, our hands and feet will be pierced and ooze pus. We don't even know whether these thorns are poisonous, or whether venomous snakes, scorpions, and