Recaps

Tang Sanzang and his disciples struggled to cross a bog of rotten persimmons before meeting a trapped Snake Spirit who offered to carry them across. Unsure whether to trust him, Tang Sanzang returned to the village to ask about the spirit, and the old man confirmed that an eminent monk had captured him.

• Wukong warned that boats could not cross the bog, and Bajie reluctantly agreed to clear a path after Tang Sanzang promised him credit.
• A voice offered to take the pilgrims across, and they found an enormous Snake Spirit trapped in a formation.
• The Snake Spirit admitted he had once harmed people but claimed to have repented and asked Tang Sanzang to remove his talisman.
• Wukong and Sha Wujing urged Tang Sanzang not to trust the Snake Spirit, while Bajie supported accepting his help.
• Tang Sanzang decided to ask the villagers about the Snake Spirit, and the old man confirmed that an eminent monk had captured him.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples learned how the snake spirit had terrorized the village, then spared her and detoured around Seven Absolutes Mountain. The villagers found her trapped in the formation and attacked her, leaving her fate uncertain.

• Wukong questioned the old man, who described the snake spirit's past attacks and the failures of two demon-hunting masters.
• Wukong offered to kill the snake spirit, but Tang Sanzang insisted she should be spared and left confined, so the disciples chose to go around Seven Absolutes Mountain.
• After Tang Sanzang and his disciples departed, the old man rallied the villagers, who armed themselves and climbed the mountain to kill the trapped demon.
• The villagers found the snake spirit in the formation, and her foul breath dazed the dog butcher before the others pulled him back.
• The dog butcher and the villagers rallied to attack the snake spirit at the vulnerable spot seven inches down her body.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples traveled around Seven Absolutes Mountain, where the trapped snake spirit’s cries for help split Tang Sanzang from Wukong. Tang Sanzang turned back to save her and reached the formation, while Wukong stayed behind in anger.

• Wukong fetched water and ignored the snake spirit’s first pleas as villagers continued beating her, unaware that Ao Tu’s formation kept her pinned and unharmed.
• Tang Sanzang heard the snake spirit calling for help, but Wukong warned him that she was a demon trying to lure him into danger.
• The snake spirit claimed she had offered to carry Tang Sanzang across the mountain and had reformed, prompting Tang Sanzang to question Wukong’s judgment.
• Wukong angrily told Tang Sanzang to release the snake spirit if he wanted, and the two argued until Bajie and Sha Wujing tried to mediate.
• When the snake spirit accused Tang Sanzang of letting her die, he turned his horse back to save her; Wukong refused to follow immediately, and Bajie and Sha Wujing trailed after Tang Sanzang.
• Tang Sanzang hurried through persimmon pits and reached the formation, while Bajie suggested that he and Sha Wujing let their master clear the muddy path first.

Tang Sanzang tried to save the Snake Spirit from villagers seeking revenge, but his scripture weakened her and empowered the attackers instead. As she was close to death, the Snake Spirit offered them her hidden treasures in exchange for her life.

• Tang Sanzang arrived as villagers attacked the Snake Spirit and pleaded for them to spare her, but they refused because she had harmed their families.
• Tang Sanzang recited scripture, and Buddha-light calmed the villagers and strengthened them while causing the Snake Spirit pain and weakness.
• The villagers resumed their attack, Tang Sanzang failed to stop them, and Bajie and Sha Monk urged him to accept that they could only deliver her soul afterward.
• A villager shoved Tang Sanzang down, and Wukong agreed with Bajie that they should let the Snake Spirit die and then recite scriptures for her.
• As the Snake Spirit began bleeding and feared she would be killed, she offered the villagers her hidden ginseng, lingzhi, fruit, jade, silver, and gold.
• The villagers stopped attacking in astonishment when they heard the Snake Spirit's offer.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples accepted the Snake Spirit’s offer to carry them across the mountain, but Tang Sanzang realized she intended to return and devour the villagers. As Wukong prepared to strike, the Snake Spirit plunged into the rotten persimmon mire, leaving Tang Sanzang and the others submerged.

• The villagers left to search for the Snake Spirit’s treasure, and Bajie suggested checking for more monsters before Tang Sanzang agreed to free her.
• Tang Sanzang ordered Wukong to release the Snake Spirit after she promised not to eat anyone, and Wukong threatened her with his Golden Cudgel.
• The Snake Spirit carried Tang Sanzang, Wukong, Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the horse across the mire through the night without attacking them.
• Near the mountain’s exit, Tang Sanzang urged the Snake Spirit to travel west with him and then accused her of planning to take revenge on the villagers.
• Wukong prepared to strike, but the Snake Spirit plunged her head into the rotten persimmons, and Tang Sanzang, Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the horse fell into the mire.

After Tang Sanzang and his disciples escaped the rotten-persimmon swamp, Wukong revived the unconscious monk and agreed to return to protect the villagers from the freed Snake Spirit. He reached the village before her and sent dry garments back to his companions before setting out to intercept her.

• Wukong pulled Bajie, Tang Sanzang, and Sha Wujing from the swamp with a conjured rope, and Sha Wujing revived Tang Sanzang by striking his chest and belly.
• Wukong restored Tang Sanzang's vitality with immortal breath, and Tang Sanzang woke and apologized for not listening to him about the demon.
• Tang Sanzang asked Wukong to return and save the villagers from the freed Snake Spirit, and Wukong agreed despite Bajie's objections.
• Wukong reached the village before the Snake Spirit and saw that it was unharmed, then prepared to search the mountain for her.
• Wukong found dry garments hanging by the village trees and used demonic wind to send them to Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Wukong wounded the Snake Spirit but could not drive him from the rotten persimmon mire, while Tang Sanzang fell ill after washing in a cold stream. After Bajie summoned Wukong to help, the Snake Spirit emerged and attacked the village, where the dog butcher died of fright; Ao Tu collected his soul and scared the Snake Spirit back into hiding.

• Wukong found the Snake Spirit, wounded his tail, and failed to reach him after he burrowed into the rotten persimmon mire.
• Bajie and Sha Wujing washed themselves and Tang Sanzang, but Tang Sanzang became dangerously ill after bathing in the cold stream.
• Bajie went to summon Wukong, and Wukong hurried away with him to aid Tang Sanzang.
• After Wukong left, the Snake Spirit emerged from the mire and went to the village, where he swallowed Yang Meng and frightened the dog butcher to death.
• Ao Tu collected the dog butcher's soul, then frightened the Snake Spirit into fleeing back to the mire.

Tang Sanzang recovered from a fever and urged Wukong to protect the villagers from the Snake Spirit. Wukong found that the monster had killed a villager but could not locate her, and while he kept watch, Ao Tu lured Bajie away from Tang Sanzang by disguising himself as a cake seller.

• Wukong nursed Tang Sanzang through a fever, and Tang Sanzang asked him to eliminate the Snake Spirit despite his illness.
• Wukong went to the village and found a villager partly eaten, then searched Rare Persimmon Hollow for the Snake Spirit without finding her.
• Wukong kept watch for two nights and returned to check on Tang Sanzang, who was gradually recovering.
• Ao Tu transformed a dragon scale into a cake seller and distracted Bajie while he was supposed to be watching Tang Sanzang.

Ao Tu secretly urged Tang Sanzang to return across the Rotten Persimmon Mire and deliver the soul of a man killed by the Snake Spirit, while Wukong failed to flush the Snake Spirit out and asked Bajie to help. The chapter ended with Bajie and Wukong unable to agree on a safe way to catch her.

• Ao Tu entered Tang Sanzang's room in disguise and told him that the Snake Spirit had killed a man, prompting Tang Sanzang to regret freeing her and consider returning to recite scripture for the victim's soul.
• Ao Tu suggested Tang Sanzang use his Buddha-bestowed kasaya beneath a raft to cross the Rotten Persimmon Mire, then left after asking him to keep the visit secret from Wukong.
• Bajie bought cakes from Ao Tu, and Sha Wujing ate the leaking cake while Tang Sanzang was too preoccupied with the kasaya to eat his.
• Wukong returned without catching the Snake Spirit, who had hidden in the mire and evaded him by stirring up waves of sludge.
• Wukong asked Bajie to use his rake to scoop out the Snake Spirit, but Bajie objected and suggested Wukong seek help from Heaven instead.
• Wukong explained that leaving could let the Snake Spirit attack the village, and Bajie was left asking what they should do.

Tang Sanzang returned to Rare Persimmon Hollow to help the villagers and used his Brocade Kasaya to ferry his disciples across the polluted hollow. After the villagers confronted him, Wukong went to Heaven for help while Tang Sanzang prepared a ritual for the butcher’s soul.

• Tang Sanzang decided to return to the village and sent Wukong to Heaven to invite divine generals to destroy the Snake Spirit.
• Bajie found a damaged skiff, and he and Sha Wujing repaired it for the crossing.
• Tang Sanzang tied his Brocade Kasaya beneath the skiff, and its Buddhist light carried the boat safely across Rare Persimmon Hollow.
• Wukong warned Tang Sanzang that the villagers blamed him for the butcher’s death, but Tang Sanzang led the group down to face them.
• The villagers disbelieved Tang Sanzang until Wukong subdued them, after which they agreed to rely on the group to defeat the demon.
• Wukong went to Heaven to ask the Star Lord of Water Virtue to clear Rare Persimmon Hollow, while Tang Sanzang prepared a ritual for the butcher’s wronged soul.

Wukong sought help clearing Rare Persimmon Hollow and learned that Ao Tu could revive the dead butcher if Wukong brought his soul to heaven. With Ao Tu’s Divine Ying Attendants clearing the mire, the giant red-scaled python was exposed, and Wukong attacked.

• Wukong learned that the Water Virtue Star Lord had been banished and asked Bi Shui Yu to clear Rare Persimmon Hollow.
• Bi Shui Yu directed Wukong to Perfected Lord Taixi’s Flower Realm, where Ao Tu agreed to revive the butcher if Wukong brought the man’s soul to heaven.
• Ao Tu sent a thousand Divine Ying Attendants with Wukong to Seven Absolutes Mountain to collect the rotten persimmons.
• Bajie showed Wukong the snake demon’s red scales and then took position behind the mountain to block its escape.
• The Divine Ying Attendants cleared Rare Persimmon Hollow, exposing the giant red-scaled python, and Wukong attacked it.

Wukong killed the Snake Spirit and tried to retrieve the butcher’s soul so Perfected Lord Taixi could revive him, but learned it had been taken to Emerald Cloud Palace. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva revealed the soul had been delivered by Tang Sanzang’s recitation of Ao Tu’s scriptures and explained that countless resentful souls were tied to an ancient calamity involving a lost white lotus.

• Wukong and Bajie killed the Snake Spirit, then brought its corpse to the village, where the villagers thanked Tang Sanzang and his disciples.
• Wukong failed to summon the butcher’s soul and learned from Tang Sanzang that a soul had appeared during his scripture rites and gone to the Netherworld.
• Wukong questioned Black and White Impermanence, who told him Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had taken the soul to Emerald Cloud Palace.
• Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva showed Wukong the countless resentful souls held by his Vow Power and said Tang Sanzang had delivered the butcher’s soul.
• Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva recounted how five precious lotuses were born at the opening of heaven and earth, and how the white lotus vanished after a great calamity.

Wukong recovered the butcher’s soul after discovering he had mistaken the butcher’s dog for him, then brought it to Ao Tu to restore the butcher to life. Ao Tu began crafting the soul a new body, leaving Wukong to wait another four hours after choosing the finest spiritual-treasure body.

• Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva explained how the damaged White Lotus had allowed baleful energy to spread and described his role in suppressing it.
• Wukong learned that Yang Meng’s soul was the butcher’s dog, then enlisted Black and White Impermanence and Ox-Head and Horse-Face to search for the butcher’s soul.
• Ao Tu released the butcher’s soul, and White Impermanence found it in a mountain gully and returned it to Wukong.
• Wukong took the butcher’s soul to Ao Tu, who refined it in a furnace and told Wukong that the butcher’s original body was needed for revival.
• After learning the original body had rotted, Wukong asked Ao Tu to create a replacement, and Ao Tu chose a spiritual treasure to make the body.
• Ao Tu told Wukong that the spiritual-treasure body would take eight hours to refine, so Wukong agreed to wait four more hours.

Ao Tu revived the butcher and quietly extended his lifespan, allowing Wukong to return him to the village and resume the journey with Tang Sanzang. After the travelers left Seven Absolutes Mountain, Ao Tu received rewards for the time he had intercepted, including several treasures and supernatural abilities.

• Ao Tu revived the butcher with the Fo-Ti, added thirty-one years to his lifespan, and sent him back with Wukong after making him wait for his soul to stabilize.
• The butcher returned to the village and credited Wukong and an immortal with saving him, while Tang Sanzang prepared to leave after the villagers held a farewell feast.
• Tang Sanzang and his disciples gave the villagers their names and titles, then crossed Seven Absolutes Mountain and Wukong returned the borrowed clothes to the village.
• The system granted Ao Tu several rewards for intercepting six hundred and eighty-five days and transferred three hundred and twenty surplus days to the next side quest in the Zhu Zi Kingdom.
• Ao Tu examined the Poria Spirit, Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir, Mani Pearl, and Saintly Sword in the Flower Realm.

Ao Tu forged a rule-breaking Numinous Treasure called the Triangular Boat using shell bones, Baleful Qi, metals, and a Remnant Willow Branch. Yuanshi Tianzun examined the completed boat and identified it as a Merit Artifact.

• Ao Tu reviewed his new Divine Feet Supernatural Ability, Blood Sea Filth Blood, and Primordial Sundial, then prepared to descend to Zhu Zi Kingdom in his true body.
• Ao Tu forged a small boat from shell bones, Baleful Qi, four metals, and his Paths, intending to create a treasure that could escape any rule.
• Ao Tu carried his refining furnace to Jade Void Palace and asked White Crane Boy to borrow its divine fire.
• Ao Tu used the Glazed Lamp's flame to refine the Remnant Willow Branch and completed the Triangular Boat, also called the Bone Boat.
• Ao Tu returned the Glazed Lamp and met Yuanshi Tianzun, who borrowed the boat, praised it, and called it a Merit Artifact.

Yuanshi Tianzun praised Ao Tu’s baleful-power boat and taught him how to complete it with an artifact of merit. Meanwhile, Ao Tu’s Good Corpse Jingshi was born as a Primordial Divine Saint, empowering Ao Tu, who later visited Xiao Jiu and arrived in the Zhu Zi Kingdom.

• Yuanshi Tianzun admired Ao Tu’s boat, agreed that Ao Tu must not bring it to China, and explained that an artifact of merit could complete its missing sail.
• Jingshi was born from the Twelfth-Grade World-Cleansing White Lotus as Ao Tu’s Good Corpse and became friends with Jieyin and Zhunti; he defeated Shangqing at chess after losing to Yuqing.
• Ao Tu’s injuries healed and his body transformed into a Primordial Heaven body when Jingshi was born, though his cultivation realm did not rise.
• Ao Tu visited Xiao Jiu, learned that Hu Qi feared conflict with the Bull Demon King’s forces, and assured her that he knew their Great King.
• Ao Tu told Hu Qi he could join the Great King of the Blood Sea or stay peacefully at Dragon-Pressing Cave, and Hu Qi chose to lead his soldiers to join.
• Ao Tu stayed on Flat Peak Mountain for several days, then left Xiao Jiu and arrived in the Zhu Zi Kingdom.

Ao Tu arrived in Zhu Zi Kingdom, planned to delay Tang Sanzang’s pilgrimage for the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation and greater rewards, and investigated the kingdom before going to Xiezhi Cave. There he confronted Sai Taisui over two murdered palace maids, and Sai Taisui ordered his guards to kill him.

• Ao Tu entered Zhu Zi Kingdom with 320 days of accumulated delay and resolved to obstruct the pilgrimage long enough to earn the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation and pursue the Chaos Bell.
• Ao Tu entered the capital disguised as a scholar, bought roast lamb legs, and learned from a vendor that the king was ill but regarded as virtuous and benevolent.
• Ao Tu traveled to Xiezhi Cave on Qilin Mountain and overheard Youlai Youqu explain that Sai Taisui had killed palace maids brought to replace the Golden Sage Empress.
• Ao Tu pretended that the dead palace maids were his daughters, accepted three taels from Youlai Youqu, and insisted on confronting Sai Taisui for further compensation.
• Youlai Youqu brought Ao Tu and the two corpses to Sai Taisui, who laughed at Ao Tu’s demand for ten thousand taels and ordered his guards to kill him.

Ao Tu revealed his power to Sai Taisui, exposed the demon’s crimes, and imposed a scheme to make the Zhu Zi Kingdom’s people suffer while preparing Sai Taisui to face Sun Wukong. After reviving two palace maids and recruiting Youlai Youqu, Ao Tu left for Mist-and-Cloud Cave on Qiyun Mountain.

• Sai Taisui ordered Ao Tu killed, but Ao Tu argued over compensation for his murdered daughters and used his Five-Colored Light to defeat the demons and disarm Sai Taisui.
• Ao Tu transformed into Mahamayuri Bodhisattva and confronted Golden-Haired Hou, who admitted that he had abducted Queen Jinsheng to avenge the Bodhisattva’s old grievance.
• Ao Tu spared Golden-Haired Hou on condition that he negotiate with the Zhu Zi Kingdom and demand that he be allowed to eat at least half its people; Ao Tu returned the Purple-Gold Bell and branded an array into Golden-Haired Hou’s back.
• Ao Tu made Golden-Haired Hou sign a thousand-tael debt note, revived the two palace maids, and learned about Mist-and-Cloud Cave on Qiyun Mountain.
• Ao Tu accepted Youlai Youqu as his disciple’s grand-disciple and departed for Mist-and-Cloud Cave.

Ao Tu established himself as a physician in the Zhu Zi Kingdom, gaining fame for curing illnesses and attracting the attention of the ailing king. After examining the King of the Zhu Zi Kingdom, Ao Tu identified the roots of his illness and asked whether he wanted symptom relief or a cure.

• Ao Tu prepared Mist-and-Cloud Cave, then entered the city and set up a free-to-examine medical stall.
• Ao Tu treated patients with medicine, Three-Lights Divine Water, rituals, and other arts, and his fame spread throughout the kingdom.
• The King of the Zhu Zi Kingdom heard reports of Ao Tu’s cures and summoned him to the palace.
• Ao Tu examined the king and diagnosed fright palpitation syndrome and Jiu disease as the roots of his illness.
• The King of the Zhu Zi Kingdom asked how Ao Tu would relieve his symptoms or remove the root of the illness.

Ao Tu persuaded the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom to seek a great-virtue monk to resolve the root of his illness, then waited as the king's search failed. Nearly a year later, Tang Sanzang and his disciples reached a great city, whose identity remained unknown.

• Ao Tu told the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom that his illness came from a man-made calamity and warned him not to trust a scrawny, monkey-faced man.
• Ao Tu advised the king to worship Buddha and summon a monk of great virtue, and the king issued a decree under the false name Kong Xuan.
• Ao Tu examined more than a hundred monks but found none he considered to possess great virtue.
• After three months of fruitless searches, the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom grew anxious while Tang Sanzang and his disciples continued their journey.
• Tang Sanzang and his disciples saw a great city ahead, and Tang Sanzang asked what place it was.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived in Zhu Zi Kingdom, where the king sought an eminent monk to help with his illness. Tang Sanzang went to the palace to have his travel papers endorsed and carefully explained his pilgrimage, while Wukong and the others remained at the guesthouse.

• Tang Sanzang and his disciples entered Zhu Zi Kingdom and lodged at the Huitong Guesthouse after crowds gathered to gawk at them.
• A guesthouse official explained that the king was ill and wanted to invite an eminent monk to perform rites, prompting Bajie to volunteer Tang Sanzang.
• Tang Sanzang refused to promise a cure, cautioning that they did not know the king's circumstances and needed to continue their journey.
• Tang Sanzang went to the palace to request an audience and have his travel papers endorsed.
• The King of Zhu Zi Kingdom welcomed Tang Sanzang, and Tang Sanzang explained that Li Shimin had sent him west to fetch scriptures and relieve suffering.

The King of the Zhu Zi Kingdom sought a way to keep Tang Sanzang and his disciples in the kingdom so they could cure his illness. Wukong arranged for Bajie to be caught with the king’s proclamation, and the eunuch took Bajie to find Wukong.

• The King of the Zhu Zi Kingdom consulted Ao Tu, who advised him to use a proclamation to draw Tang Sanzang’s disciples into treating the king.
• At the Huitong Hostel, Sha Wujing prepared food while Wukong tricked Bajie into going out to buy seasonings.
• Wukong spotted the king’s proclamation and secretly slipped it into Bajie’s robe as Bajie haggled for roast lamb.
• The eunuch accused Bajie of taking down the proclamation, and Bajie explained that Wukong had planted it on him.
• The eunuch recognized that Bajie and Wukong were the disciples he sought and took Bajie to find Wukong.

Wukong and Bajie went to the Zhu Zi Kingdom palace after Wukong took down the proclamation seeking help for the King’s illness. Wukong challenged the Divine Physician Ao Tu, who had taken control of the matter, and offered to treat the King himself.

• Bajie brought the eunuch and palace officials to Wukong, who admitted he had taken down the proclamation to bring them to him.
• The eunuch explained that the King’s illness had resisted medicine and that the Divine Physician had insisted prayers were the only remedy.
• Wukong and Bajie accompanied the eunuch to the palace, while Sha Wujing stayed behind to guard the luggage.
• The King summoned Wukong but was frightened by his appearance and left Ao Tu to handle the prayers and blessings.
• Wukong inspected Ao Tu and found no sign of magical power, then refused to chant sutras when asked to demonstrate.
• Wukong told Ao Tu that he could cure illnesses others could not and accused him of lying about the King’s condition.

After Wukong challenged Ao Tu, Tang Sanzang was detained at the Hall of Literary Brilliance and agreed to recite sutras for the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom for 108 days. Ao Tu privately revealed that he intended to keep extending the term until Tang Sanzang had served three years.

• Ao Tu dismissed the court and sent Wukong and his companions away after Wukong challenged him in the Golden Hall.
• An imperial decree ordered Tang Sanzang to stay at the Hall of Literary Brilliance, and Tang Sanzang blamed Wukong for getting them into trouble.
• Ao Tu told Tang Sanzang to recite sutras and pray for the King, promising that he would bear responsibility for the treatment.
• Tang Sanzang agreed to recite sutras for 108 days, believing that he and his disciples could leave afterward.
• Ao Tu told the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom that 108 days was a pretext and that he planned to extend Tang Sanzang's stay until he had recited sutras for three years.
• The King of Zhu Zi Kingdom praised Ao Tu, gave him a jade tablet, and agreed to heed his warning against petty men.

Tang Sanzang performed rites for the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom while Wukong waited at the guesthouse, unaware of the arrangement. After learning why the rites had begun, Wukong stayed out of trouble, but Ao Tu later persuaded Tang Sanzang to extend them for another six months.

• Tang Sanzang led more than a hundred monks in palace rites for the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom while Wukong waited in vain for an imperial decree.
• Wukong sent his spirit into the palace, saw Tang Sanzang with the King and Ao Tu, and confronted his master about keeping him in the dark.
• Tang Sanzang explained that Ao Tu had asked him to take Wukong’s place, and Wukong agreed not to disrupt the rites after Tang Sanzang warned him against causing trouble.
• Tang Sanzang and his three disciples remained in Zhu Zi Kingdom for more than three months as Tang Sanzang conducted the rites and the others waited at the guesthouse.
• Ao Tu asked the King to invite Tang Sanzang to a banquet, then admitted that the rites had been scheduled for three hundred days and asked him to continue for another six months.
• Tang Sanzang lamented the delay in his journey but accepted Ao Tu’s appeal to help the King as he would hope others would help the Tang King.