Chapter Summaries

Wukong helped Ao Tu and Hong'er transplant the Queen Mother's flowers before Hong'er revived the Tangerine Grove, clearing the way for him to seek his master's release. The immortals assembled a modest gift for Wukong to take to the demon, and he prepared to continue his rescue effort.

• Wukong urged Hong'er to lend him her vase, but she refused until Ao Tu persuaded him to help transplant the flowers first.
• Wukong used his clones to move and plant the flowers quickly, and Ao Tu, Hong'er, and the others joined in until the work was finished.
• Hong'er restored the dead Tangerine Grove with her vase, then returned to the Nine Heavens as the immortals praised Wukong for making amends.
• Wukong asked the immortals to lend him silver for a gift, but they declined and instead contributed a collection of small items.
• Ao Tu offered a Centennial Ginseng and arranged for Nezha's wine to be diluted, while he also offered lingzhi grass on behalf of the reluctant Water Virtue Star Lord.

Wukong tried to make amends with Single-Horned Rhinoceros, but the demon refused to release Tang Sanzang, so Wukong sought answers from Buddha and then sneaked into Golden Rhino Cave. He found Tang Sanzang, Bajie, and Sha Wujing imprisoned and confronted Bajie over the theft that had started the trouble.

• Wukong restored the Tangerine Grove, brought apology gifts to Single-Horned Rhinoceros, and slapped him when he refused to free Tang Sanzang.
• Wukong returned to Spirit Mountain, but the Arhats told him to reconsider his mistakes, and he learned that Tathagata Buddha was away at Miro Palace.
• Ao Tu suggested that Wukong ask Tang Sanzang and Marshal Tianpeng what else had gone wrong, so Wukong disguised himself as a horsefly and entered Golden Rhino Cave.
• Wukong found Tang Sanzang, Bajie, and Sha Wujing in a prison cave, bit Bajie awake, and revealed himself.
• Wukong explained his efforts to Tang Sanzang and blamed Bajie for stealing the tangerines and angering Buddha, while Bajie questioned how his theft had involved Tathagata Buddha.

Wukong freed Tang Sanzang, Bajie, and Sha Wujing from the Golden Rhino Cave, but their escape failed when the Blood Sea King seized Tang Sanzang and joined forces with the Single-Horned Rhinoceros against Wukong. Wukong escaped to Ao Tu, claiming his head was unharmed despite being struck by the demons.

• Wukong freed Bajie and Sha Wujing, demanded Bajie's hidden savings, and heard Sha Wujing reveal that the Blood Sea King had been hiding in the cave.
• Wukong opened the prison and led Tang Sanzang and his disciples toward the exit, but Tiger Vanguard spotted them and raised the alarm.
• Bajie and Sha Wujing fought their way toward the cave doors with Tang Sanzang, but the Blood Sea King knocked them down and captured Tang Sanzang.
• Wukong attacked the Blood Sea King, but the Single-Horned Rhinoceros and the Blood Sea King struck him with a spear and a gourd, forcing him to flee.
• Wukong reached Ao Tu, who noticed his swollen head, but Wukong denied being hurt and left to rest.

Unable to find a way to defeat the Blood Sea King, Wukong sought guidance from Tathagata Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, who directed him to investigate Fengxian County. Still unable to understand the clue, Wukong returned to Golden Rhinoceros Mountain and decided to summon more divine allies.

• Wukong went to Spirit Mountain, stole the Water Virtue Star Lord's Water Bowl, and flooded the temple after Tathagata Buddha failed to answer his pleas.
• Maitreya Buddha stopped the flood and told Wukong to visit Fengxian County, where its governor had committed a grave mistake.
• Wukong investigated Governor Shangguan and her household but found only marital discord and no clear wrongdoing.
• Wukong returned to Golden Rhinoceros Mountain without understanding Maitreya's clue, and Ao Tu encouraged him to summon the gods and offered help from his own friends.

Wukong and Ao Tu sought reinforcements from Heaven to overcome the Single-Horned Rhinoceros, whose Diamond Bangle repeatedly seized every divine weapon and spell sent against him. After Doumu Yuanjun gathered three hundred star lords and Lady Bixiao joined them, the forces surrounded Golden Rhinoceros Mountain, and the Single-Horned Rhinoceros went out to face the new attack.

• Wukong and Ao Tu asked the Jade Emperor to send heavenly troops, and he dispatched the Thunder Department, Plague Department, Twenty-Eight Mansions, and Nine Luminaries Star Lords.
• The Single-Horned Rhinoceros used the Diamond Bangle to sweep away the Lightning God and Wind-Assisting Deity’s artifacts and then took the Thunder Department’s hammers and chisels.
• The Single-Horned Rhinoceros seized the Nine Luminaries Star Lords’ and Twenty-Eight Mansions’ weapons, along with the Plague Department’s vapors and treasures.
• Ao Tu and Wukong went to Doumu Yuanjun, who ordered Gouchen and Ziwei to muster three hundred star lords and divine generals; Lady Bixiao joined the force.
• The three hundred star lords formed the Star Formation around Golden Rhinoceros Mountain, and the Single-Horned Rhinoceros went out to see which gods Wukong had brought.

Single-Horned Rhinoceros used the Diamond Bangle to take the Star Lords’ weapons, while Ao Tu fought him with treasures lent by the immortals and lost those too. Wukong and the immortals prepared to call in another divine general, with Nezha suggesting they invite Second Brother from Guanjiangkou.

• Single-Horned Rhinoceros took the Star Lords’ magic treasures and weapons with the Diamond Bangle, and Ao Tu accepted weapons and treasures lent by the immortals.
• Ao Tu challenged Single-Horned Rhinoceros outside Golden Rhino Cave and fought him evenly with the Demon-Chopping Saber.
• Single-Horned Rhinoceros took Ao Tu’s saber and other treasures with the Diamond Bangle, then captured Bixiao’s Golden Flood Dragon Scissors as well.
• Ao Tu returned to the clouds empty-handed, and the immortals reassured him that losing their treasures was no cause for blame.
• When Wukong asked what to do next, Ao Tu proposed inviting more divine generals, and Nezha suggested they go to Guanjiangkou for Second Brother.

Ao Tu, Wukong, and Nezha recruited Erlang Shen to help defeat the demons at Golden Rhino Cave, but Erlang was beaten by the Single-Horned Rhinoceros and his Diamond Bangle. After Ao Tu treated Howling Celestial Dog, the group considered calling for more divine reinforcements.

• Ao Tu, Wukong, and Nezha visited Erlang Shen at Guanjiangkou and persuaded him to join their campaign against the demons.
• Erlang assembled the Six Brothers of Meishan, twelve hundred Grass-Headed Gods, and Howling Celestial Dog, then surrounded Golden Rhino Cave with a formation.
• The Single-Horned Rhinoceros mocked Erlang and fought him, knocking Howling Celestial Dog unconscious and taking Erlang’s slingshot, pellets, and spear with the Diamond Bangle.
• Erlang fled in the form of a jade-hooked eagle, and the Single-Horned Rhinoceros returned to the cave in triumph.
• Ao Tu applied Taiyin Star Lord’s ointment to Howling Celestial Dog’s injury, easing the swelling as the gods discussed seeking more help.

After the Single-Horned Rhinoceros defeated wave after wave of immortals with the Diamond Bangle, Ao Tu gathered the defeated forces and proposed an all-out unarmed assault. The immortals descended on Golden Rhino Cave, beginning with Giant Spirit God smashing its doors.

• Wukong invited the Dragon Kings, divine generals, Turtle-Snake Generals, overseas immortals, and others, but the Single-Horned Rhinoceros took their magic treasures and weapons and defeated them.
• Ao Tu visited Hong'er in Heaven and obtained a copy of the guest list from the Peach of Immortality banquet for Wukong to use in recruiting more immortals.
• Donghua Emperor confidently challenged the Single-Horned Rhinoceros, but fled after seeing the Diamond Bangle and claimed an old injury had flared up.
• Ao Tu proposed that the assembled immortals attack together without weapons, and they agreed to fight the demon with their fists and feet.
• Ao Tu sent Giant Spirit God to lead the charge, and Giant Spirit God kicked the doors of Golden Rhino Cave to pieces.

The Single-Horned Rhinoceros and Blood Sea King drove off the assembled immortals with the Soul-Scattering Gourd and Diamond Bangle, leaving hundreds captured or injured. Ao Tu rescued some of the fallen, and he told Wukong that several great sages could still be called upon for help.

• The Giant Spirit God entered Golden Rhino Cave but was beaten back by Tiger Vanguard, so Wukong challenged the Single-Horned Rhinoceros to fight without help before ordering the immortals to attack.
• Nezha and Erlang restrained the Single-Horned Rhinoceros’s spear while Wukong and the immortals overwhelmed him, until the Blood Sea King arrived and blasted them away with his Black Lotus.
• The Blood Sea King used the Soul-Scattering Gourd to knock down hundreds of immortals, while the Single-Horned Rhinoceros used the Diamond Bangle to sweep away their defensive treasures.
• Ao Tu rescued two or three hundred fallen immortals, but around four hundred were captured and taken into the Demon Cave.
• The Eastern Peak Emperor asked Ao Tu how to treat the unconscious Southern Peak Emperor, and Ao Tu said they needed more divine sages; he told Wukong that several great sages remained to be invited.

Wukong tricked Guanyin and Samantabhadra into helping confront the Blood Sea King and the Single-Horned Rhinoceros at Golden Rhinoceros Mountain. Their magic treasures countered the Bodhisattvas’ attacks, and the demons remained undefeated as the battle continued.

• Ao Tu advised Wukong to ask Guanyin, Samantabhadra, and Manjushri to subdue the Blood Sea King, and Wukong persuaded Guanyin to go with him by claiming the Blood Sea King alone was the threat.
• Wukong brought Guanyin to Mount Emei, where Samantabhadra agreed to join them, but Manjushri was absent from Mount Wutai.
• At Golden Rhinoceros Mountain, Guanyin realized Wukong had deceived her, but she agreed to capture the Blood Sea King and healed the injured immortals with Three-Lights Divine Water.
• Wukong challenged the Blood Sea King and the Single-Horned Rhinoceros, and Guanyin pinned the Blood Sea King with the Tathagata's Alms Bowl.
• The Single-Horned Rhinoceros swept away the Alms Bowl with the Diamond Bangle, while the Blood Sea King's Black Lotus and Soul-Scattering Gourd repelled the immortals’ attacks.

The Blood Sea King and the Single-Horned Rhinoceros overwhelmed the immortals with Red Sand and the Diamond Bangle, leaving many captured or unconscious. Ao Tu rescued several of them, while Guanyin Bodhisattva recovered from her injury and was asked to heal the others.

• The Bodhisattvas and the immortals struggled against the Blood Sea King's Red Sand until the Single-Horned Rhinoceros shattered their Buddha-Light with the Diamond Bangle, allowing the demons to rout the gods.
• Nezha and Erlang were struck down by the demons' treasures, and Ao Tu carried them back to the encampment.
• Guanyin Bodhisattva captured Tiger Vanguard and White Bone Spirit in her Jade-Cleansing Bottle, but the Single-Horned Rhinoceros took the bottle and struck her before Ao Tu rescued her.
• Ao Tu rescued Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and several other immortals, while the Longevity Star and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were captured and many others were left unconscious.
• Bixiao applied ointment to Guanyin Bodhisattva's forehead, healing her quickly, and the immortals asked her to treat the injured.

Wukong infiltrated Golden Rhino Cave to recover Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Jade-Cleansing Bottle and the immortals’ stolen treasures, but the Blood Sea King caught him before he could take them. Wukong recovered his Golden Cudgel, escaped the cave after the Single-Horned Rhinoceros struck him with the Diamond Bangle, and suspected an old official was behind the trouble.

• Ao Tu proposed that Wukong sneak into Golden Rhino Cave to retrieve Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Jade-Cleansing Bottle, and Wukong agreed to wait until nightfall.
• Wukong explored the cave while disguised as a roundworm, then returned at night as a cricket and tried unsuccessfully to remove the Single-Horned Rhinoceros’s bangle.
• Wukong found and recovered his Golden Cudgel from a pile of weapons, but the Blood Sea King repeatedly woke and swatted him when he tried to take the Gourd and Jade-Cleansing Bottle.
• Wukong revealed himself and fought the Blood Sea King, then drove back Tiger Vanguard and White Bone Spirit while trying to escape.
• The Single-Horned Rhinoceros struck Wukong with the Diamond Bangle, but Wukong got up, blamed an old official for the trouble, and escaped with a somersault.

After recognizing the Diamond Bangle, Wukong went to Tushita Palace to confront Taishang Laojun about the Green Ox using the ring to attack Tang Sanzang. He found the ox’s broken chain but learned Laojun was away, and Golden Horn and Silver Horn urged him to capture the ox himself despite the Blood Sea King’s dangerous red-sand gourd.

• Wukong recognized the Diamond Bangle and left the demon cave to seek Taishang Laojun in Heaven.
• Wukong forced his way into Tushita Palace after Golden Horn and Silver Horn tried to stop him.
• Wukong tricked Golden Horn and Silver Horn with a fake elixir gourd and slipped deeper into the palace.
• Wukong found the Green Ox’s stall empty, with only a broken chain and its sleeping attendant.
• Golden Horn and Silver Horn admitted the Green Ox had taken Taishang Laojun’s treasure to the mortal realm, but said Laojun was away.
• Golden Horn urged Wukong to capture the Green Ox, and Wukong warned that the ox’s ally, the Blood Sea King, wielded a deadly red-sand gourd.

Wukong learned that Lord Lao had gone to the Herb Fields and obtained the Talisman Seal needed to reach him. Meanwhile, Ao Tu returned to the Flower Realm, tended the white lotus, and comforted Jiangzhu before the chapter ended mid-scene.

• Wukong rejected Golden Horn and Silver Horn's useless plans, then searched Tushita Palace's Elixir Chamber and threatened to take a gourd of Golden Elixirs until they revealed Lord Lao's whereabouts.
• Golden Horn told Wukong that Lord Lao was in the Herb Fields and that Perfected Lord Taixi held the Talisman Seal required to enter them.
• Wukong left Heaven, brought Ao Tu back with him, and received the seal from Ao Tu in the Flower Realm before heading to the Herb Fields.
• Ao Tu rested in the Flower Realm, checked on the Third-Grade White Lotus and Bitter Bamboo, and declined Jiangzhu's offer to light agarwood.
• Ao Tu reassured Jiangzhu that her natural aura was nothing to be ashamed of, then rested with his head in her lap as she massaged his shoulders.

Ao Tu prepared to use a new incarnation and the Nine-Curved Yellow River Formation in the coming Daughter Kingdom ordeal. Wukong found Taishang Laojun, learned the Golden Rhino Cave ordeal had been arranged to last a year, and was sent to water and fertilize the Dao Ancestor’s Herb Fields as punishment for his past offense in Chechi Kingdom.

• Ao Tu reflected on his exhaustion, the rewards he had earned, and his plan to use the Demon Emperor’s power for a new incarnation and future formations.
• Wukong found Taishang Laojun in the Herb Fields and asked him to help defeat the bull demon at Golden Rhino Cave.
• Taishang Laojun revealed that he had arranged for Wukong and Tang Sanzang to remain on Golden Rhinoceros Mountain for a year, and that the bull would not speak before then.
• Taishang Laojun reminded Wukong that he had knocked down the Dao Ancestor’s statue in Chechi Kingdom and used his spiritual awareness to make Wukong witness the offense again.
• Wukong accepted the Wooden Buckets and began carrying water and manure, then chose to work in the fields behind him after seeing how immense the Herb Fields were.

Wukong rescued Bajie and Sha Wujing from Golden Rhino Cave and brought them to heaven to help him tend Taishang Laojun’s Herb Fields. The three worked together, with Wukong hauling manure while Bajie raked soil and Sha Wujing pulled weeds.

• Wukong learned that only one day had passed outside while he had spent an unknown length of time watering the Herb Fields, then persuaded Taishang Laojun to let him fetch two helpers.
• Wukong brought Ao Tu to Golden Rhino Cave, where they put the demons to sleep and rescued Bajie and Sha Wujing, leaving Tang Sanzang behind until they could return for him.
• Wukong found Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Jade-Cleansing Bottle among the weapons and returned it to her after leaving the cave.
• Wukong took Bajie and Sha Wujing to heaven, where Taishang Laojun assigned them to work in the Herb Fields.
• Bajie complained that Wukong had brought him to haul manure, but Wukong explained that Bajie was only raking soil while Sha Wujing pulled weeds.

Wukong received three magical willow leaves from Guanyin Bodhisattva and used them to finish watering the vast medicinal fields, after which Taishang Laojun helped the group return to the mortal realm. Ao Tu settled the aftermath of the battle, reassured the Water Virtue Star Lord over the lost Fly-Whisk, and invited him to a gathering while quietly hoping to enlist his help in bringing rain to a certain place.

• Bajie urged Wukong to seek help, and Guanyin Bodhisattva gave Wukong three willow leaves that let him and his companions cover vast distances for a day each.
• Wukong, Bajie, and Sha Wujing finished watering the medicinal fields, then Taishang Laojun cleansed them and took them to rescue their master.
• Taishang Laojun called the Single-Horned Rhinoceros back in its Green Ox form, while Ao Tu stopped Heavenly King Li from killing the remaining demons.
• Ao Tu offered Heavenly Lord Qin a Three-Turn Golden Elixir to make up for his lost hammer and spike, and reassured the Water Virtue Star Lord that the missing Fly-Whisk was no cause for blame.
• Ao Tu submitted a battle report that credited the gods without damaging anyone's standing, then invited the Water Virtue Star Lord to a gathering so he could ask for help bringing rain to a certain place.

After Tang Sanzang and his disciples left Golden Rhinoceros Mountain, Ao Tu collected his rewards and chose to personally obstruct their journey in the Western Liang Women's Kingdom. He went to Chechi Kingdom first and ordered his disciple Alu to seize a monastery in Wuji Kingdom, then cultivate there before seeking rain in Fengxian County.

• The Earth God returned the alms food Wukong had entrusted to him, and Tang Sanzang kept it rather than throw it away as the group resumed their journey west.
• Ao Tu received several rewards, including the Golden Bushel of Primordial Unity and the Giant Ao Carapace, and decided to use his true body to delay Tang Sanzang's party for the remaining time needed to earn the three-year reward.
• Ao Tu secretly descended to the lower realm and visited his disciple Alu at Zhiyuan Monastery in Chechi Kingdom.
• Alu agreed to undertake a dangerous task that violated Heavenly Laws after Ao Tu warned him of the risks.
• Ao Tu instructed Alu to occupy the Great Prajna Monastery in Wuji Kingdom and cultivate for a year in its pagoda.
• Ao Tu told Alu to go to Fengxian County afterward, pray for rain, gather followers, and build temples while Ao Tu arranged the crucial support behind the effort.

Ao Tu entered the Western Liang Women's Kingdom to delay the Pilgrim and sought Poison Enemy Mountain, where he challenged the Scorpion Demon to make her his subordinate. Ao Tu gained the upper hand, but the Scorpion Demon stabbed him with her venomous tail, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Ao Tu arrived in the Western Liang Women's Kingdom and received a side quest to hold the Pilgrim there, with rewards based on the length of the delay.
• Ao Tu asked Ruyi True Immortal for directions to Poison Enemy Mountain, defeated him, and forced him to reveal the way to Pipa Cave.
• Ao Tu reached Pipa Cave, where the Scorpion Demon agreed to acknowledge him as king if he could defeat her.
• Ao Tu and the Scorpion Demon fought; he damaged her badly while she broke three of his scales.
• The Scorpion Demon used Reverse-Horse Poison and stabbed Ao Tu's soft belly armor with her tail.

After defeating the Scorpion Demon and enduring her poison, Ao Tu healed himself with Three-Lights Divine Water and made her his subordinate. He agreed to help her claim the Daughter Kingdom, and she abducted its queen during the ceremony to drink from the Mother-Child River.

• The Scorpion Demon stung Ao Tu, but he defeated her physically and forced her to submit.
• Ao Tu secretly healed the poison with Three-Lights Divine Water, then told the Scorpion Demon he would need her help against Spirit Mountain.
• The Scorpion Demon revealed she had been plotting to become queen of the Daughter Kingdom, but a Five-Poison-Averting Sachet had thwarted her.
• Ao Tu agreed to help her, and several days later the Daughter Kingdom held a ceremony for its queen to drink from the Mother-Child River.
• A golden dragon flew to the ceremony, seized the Queen of the Women's Country in its jaws, and carried her away.