Chapter Summaries

After twenty years in seclusion, Xu Xiao collected the newly forged Tribulation Cause Sword from Laojun in Tushita Palace. The sword strengthened his power over cause and effect and variables, and the chapter ended as Laojun invited him to explain the other matter troubling him.

• After twenty years of cultivation, Xu Xiao emerged from seclusion and asked Wen Yuan about changes in the Three Realms.
• Xu Xiao told his subordinates to keep watch and went to Tushita Palace to collect his magical treasure.
• Kinkaku welcomed Xu Xiao and led him to Laojun, who presented the completed Tribulation Cause Sword.
• Laojun explained that the sword could sever cause and effect, cut fate, and grow by absorbing the Power of Variables.
• Xu Xiao accepted the sword and thanked Laojun, who asked him to explain what else was troubling him.

The Stone Monkey decided to seek immortality on the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, disrupting Buddhism’s plans for the Journey to the Westward Calamity. Xu Xiao urged Laojun to teach the monkey, but Laojun warned him not to interfere directly, and the Stone Monkey set out to sea.

• The Stone Monkey, now king of the monkeys, chose to leave Flower Fruit Mountain and seek the Dao on the Southern Jambudvipa Continent.
• A guardian deity told Tathagata that the Stone Monkey was preparing to seek the Dao without being guided by the old monkey, prompting the buddhas to fear their plans had been disrupted.
• Tathagata refused to let the Dragon-Subduing Arhat intervene directly and told him to inform Fellow Daoist Bodhi so that he could arrange an opportunity.
• Xu Xiao suggested that Laojun teach the Stone Monkey, but Laojun warned him not to directly interfere with the monkey’s choices or provoke the Western Sect.
• The Stone Monkey bade farewell to the monkeys, launched himself onto a raft, and sailed away from Flower Fruit Mountain to seek a wondrous art.

After reaching the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, the Stone Monkey faced hostility from humans and spent months failing to find a true immortal. He met a kind woodcutter who said he had been searching in the wrong direction, and the chapter ended with the monkey awaiting guidance.

• The Stone Monkey landed on the Southern Jambudvipa Continent and headed toward a nearby village to seek knowledge of immortals.
• The villagers mistook him for a monster, threw stones at him, and drove him into the mountain forest.
• Over the next few months, the Stone Monkey searched mountains, temples, and cities but encountered frauds, rejection, and dangerous cultivators.
• The Stone Monkey met a friendly woodcutter beside a stream and told him he was seeking the Dao.
• The woodcutter said the Stone Monkey had been searching in the wrong direction, and the monkey earnestly asked him to point the way.

The woodcutter persuaded Stone Monkey that the Southern Jambudvipa Continent was meant for humans and directed him toward Patriarch Bodhi in Western Godaniya. Stone Monkey accepted a jade bodhi leaf as proof but remained cautious and planned to continue searching before following the directions.

• The woodcutter explained that the Southern Jambudvipa Continent offered little opportunity for nonhumans like Stone Monkey to learn the Dao.
• Stone Monkey recalled being driven from Daoist temples and shut out of mountain retreats, then begged the woodcutter to guide him.
• The woodcutter recommended Mount Lingtai Fangcun and Patriarch Bodhi at the Cave of the Slanted Moon and Three Stars in Western Godaniya.
• Stone Monkey questioned the woodcutter’s claim, so the woodcutter showed him a jade bodhi leaf as evidence.
• The woodcutter gave Stone Monkey the leaf and detailed directions before leaving, and Stone Monkey hid it while deciding to search the Southern Jambudvipa Continent further.

Stone Monkey witnessed Heavenly Lord Xin and the divine generals pursue Lord Chuanshan, a pangolin demon accused of killing villagers and devouring their souls. As Lord Chuanshan burrowed toward a human city and triggered massive earthquakes, Stone Monkey feared for his own safety.

• After nearly a year of fruitless searching for a teacher across Southern Jambudvipa, Stone Monkey wondered whether to return to Western Godaniya.
• Stone Monkey sensed a great demon moving beneath the mountains as thunder and lightning gathered overhead.
• Heavenly Lord Xin and the divine generals confronted Lord Chuanshan and accused him of killing 148 villagers and consuming their bodies and souls.
• Lord Chuanshan protested that the deaths were accidental and accused humans of persecuting demons, but Heavenly Lord Xin rejected his excuses and attacked him.
• Lord Chuanshan burrowed away and caused mountains to collapse toward human cities, leaving Stone Monkey panicked about how to protect himself.

Xu Xiao saved Stone Monkey from a falling rock and met him again, but refused to take him as a disciple because of Stone Monkey’s great fortune and karma. He gave Stone Monkey the Tao Te Ching and urged him to keep the right to choose for himself, then watched as the monkey set off to seek the Dao.

• Heavenly Lord Xin ordered heavenly soldiers and local gods to seal the land and fight Lord Chuanshan, while Stone Monkey watched the battle.
• Xu Xiao appeared beside Stone Monkey and saved him by turning a falling rock into sand.
• Stone Monkey asked Xu Xiao to take him as a disciple, but Xu Xiao refused and explained that others feared becoming entangled in the monkey’s karma.
• Xu Xiao gave Stone Monkey the Tao Te Ching and told him to seek someone more capable while making his own choices.
• Stone Monkey accepted the book, asked whether he and Xu Xiao would meet again, and left to continue his search for the Dao.

Xu Xiao stood up to Subhuti after influencing the Stone Monkey, then let the monkey follow his destined path to learn the Dao. As the Stone Monkey completed years of cultivation, Xu Xiao resolved to claim the eventual fruits of his altered fate for himself.

• Subhuti confronted Xu Xiao over his interference with the Stone Monkey, but withdrew after Xu Xiao presented the Star God Guide.
• Heavenly Lord Xin thanked Xu Xiao for helping track a pangolin demon, and Xu Xiao returned to the Heavenly Palace.
• The Stone Monkey crossed the ocean, found the Cave of the Slanted Moon and Three Stars, and became Patriarch Subhuti’s final disciple.
• The Stone Monkey studied with Subhuti for seven years, learning divine abilities and Daoist arts as his path seemed to return to its destined course.
• Xu Xiao sensed the Stone Monkey’s growth and the Power of Variables he provided, then vowed that the Western Sect would not claim the monkey’s eventual fruits.

Sun Wukong returned to Flower Fruit Mountain and killed the Demon King of Confusion, who had been terrorizing the monkeys. He then promised to teach the monkeys cultivation, while Buddhist observers realized his actions had derailed their plan and hurried to report to the Western Spirit Venerable.

• Sun Wukong returned to Flower Fruit Mountain, where the monkeys welcomed him as their Handsome Monkey King.
• An old monkey told Sun Wukong that the Demon King of Confusion had repeatedly attacked the mountain and taken monkeys captive.
• Sun Wukong beat the Demon King of Confusion to death despite his pleas for mercy.
• Sun Wukong delighted the monkeys by deciding to teach them cultivation.
• Arhats and bodhisattvas watching secretly recognized that Sun Wukong had acted unlike the script they had planned and went to report to the Western Spirit Venerable.

Xu Xiao persuaded the Jade Emperor to recruit Sun Wukong into the Heavenly Court, hoping to keep him from following his original path of conflict. When Taibai Jinxing and Xu Xiao arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain, Sun Wukong eagerly trusted Xu Xiao and left for heaven with them.

• Xu Xiao watched Sun Wukong uphold the righteous path and concluded that the monkey’s course had changed.
• Xu Xiao persuaded the Jade Emperor to recruit Sun Wukong and traveled with Taibai Jinxing to Flower Fruit Mountain.
• Sun Wukong trained tens of thousands of monkeys and rejected the nearby demon kings’ attempts to contact him.
• Taibai Jinxing and Xu Xiao announced that they had come from heaven to recruit Sun Wukong as an official.
• Sun Wukong recognized Xu Xiao, accepted the invitation without asking about his post, and departed for heaven with him and Taibai Jinxing.

Xu Xiao and Taibai Jinxing brought Sun Wukong to the Heavenly Court, where the Jade Emperor considered Xu Xiao’s proposal to appoint him as God of Battle. The appointment remained undecided as the Jade Emperor invited the court to discuss it.

• Taibai Jinxing told Sun Wukong that the Heavenly Court had invited him to serve and that Xu Xiao had recommended him for the new post of God of Battle.
• Xu Xiao explained that the post would answer directly to the Jade Emperor, and he escorted Sun Wukong through the Southern Heaven’s Gate to the Ling Xiao Hall.
• Sun Wukong respectfully greeted the Jade Emperor, who noted his changed manners and asked whether he would serve the Heavenly Court.
• Sun Wukong agreed to serve and said he admired gods who fought demons and fiends.
• The Jade Emperor asked the ministers to discuss Xu Xiao’s proposal to appoint Sun Wukong as God of Battle, leaving the decision open.

Xu Xiao presented Sun Wukong’s origins and proposed an independent God of Battle post, prompting objections from Heavenly Court officials. Star Lord Wen Qu redirected the debate toward Sun Wukong’s abilities, and the Jade Emperor ordered him to demonstrate them.

• Xu Xiao introduced Sun Wukong as a heaven-and-earth-born being from Flower Fruit Mountain and explained that the God of Battle would answer directly to the Jade Emperor.
• Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li and Mo Liqing objected that Sun Wukong had earned no merit and that the new post could undermine the Heavenly Court’s military command.
• Star Lord Wen Qu proposed clarifying the post’s duties and having Sun Wukong demonstrate his abilities, with a minor post as the alternative if he fell short.
• The Jade Emperor approved Wen Qu’s proposal and asked Sun Wukong to demonstrate his skills.
• Sun Wukong stepped forward and declared that his abilities were genuine.

Sun Wukong fought the Heavenly Court’s martial gods to prove his claim to the God of Battle position. After defeating Mo Lihong and his soldiers, he faced all Four Heavenly Kings and had them struggling to defend themselves.

• The Jade Emperor approved Wen Qu Star’s proposal for Sun Wukong to prove himself in three bouts at an arena outside the Southern Heaven’s Gate.
• Sun Wukong defeated Mo Lihong by avoiding the Primordial Umbrella’s golden needles and striking him with a powerful punch.
• Sun Wukong used the Body-Fixing Technique to stop Mo Lishou’s creature, then swept through the heavenly soldiers and left them unable to rise.
• The three Mo Li brothers joined Mo Lihong, and the Four Heavenly Kings attacked Sun Wukong together.
• Sun Wukong used his speed and martial arts to evade the Four Heavenly Kings and keep them on the defensive.

Sun Wukong fought the Four Heavenly Kings for nearly ten shichen until they used Dharma Heaven and Earth. The battle left the Heavenly Kings struggling against Wukong’s growing strength and nearly impervious stone-ape form.

• The Four Heavenly Kings grew tired while Sun Wukong continued fighting with seemingly endless stamina.
• Mo Liqing invoked Dharma Heaven and Earth, and the other three Heavenly Kings followed by growing to ten thousand zhang tall.
• Sun Wukong transformed into a gigantic stone ape and struck Mo Liqing, whose Azure Cloud Sword could not pierce the ape’s hide.
• The Four Heavenly Kings attacked together with their weapons and abilities, but Wukong’s defenses resisted them as his battle prowess grew.
• The Four Heavenly Kings realized they were losing ground and decided to join forces so they would not suffer a humiliating defeat.

Sun Wukong defeated the Four Heavenly Kings and won approval for his claim to become the Heavenly Court’s God of Battle. Li Jing then chose Nezha as his next opponent, and Xu Xiao prepared to give Wukong a treasure for the more dangerous match.

• Sun Wukong broke free from the Four Heavenly Kings’ combined attack and defeated them with his Dao of Battle.
• Xu Xiao stopped Wukong from attacking the fallen kings, and the Four Heavenly Kings admitted his strength.
• The immortals praised Wukong, but Li Jing insisted on another match and sent Nezha to fight him.
• Xu Xiao warned Wukong that Nezha was stronger than the Four Heavenly Kings and drew a slender golden thread to give him.

Xu Xiao gave Sun Wukong a battle-forged staff before Wukong fought Nezha in the Heavenly Court. As their clash continued, Guanshiyin and the Great Sun Tathagata Spirit Venerable arrived with a Buddhist retinue, interrupting the contest.

• Xu Xiao gave Sun Wukong the Divine Staff of Battle, a Postnatal Supreme Treasure forged by Laojun, and encouraged him to fight well.
• Sun Wukong entered the arena and faced Nezha as Star Lord Wen Qu began the match.
• Nezha attacked with his Fire-Tipped Spear, while Sun Wukong countered with his staff and clones made from his hair.
• Sun Wukong continued to grow stronger as he fought Nezha, and Xu Xiao sensed fate and karma stirring.
• Guanshiyin appeared with Buddhist figures, followed by the Great Sun Tathagata Spirit Venerable.

Tathagata arrived at the Heavenly Court and demanded Sun Wukong for the Western Sect, threatening the plans Xu Xiao had made to change the monkey’s fate. Xu Xiao defended Sun Wukong’s place in the Heavenly Court, and after Taibai Jinxing protected him from Tathagata’s influence, Sun Wukong refused to join the Western Sect.

• Xu Xiao reflected that the Western Sect had engineered Sun Wukong’s hardships and believed early guidance could free him from his fate.
• Tathagata arrived at Southern Heaven's Gate, stopped the fight between Nezha and Sun Wukong, and demanded that the Jade Emperor yield Sun Wukong to the Western Sect.
• Xu Xiao objected that Sun Wukong had joined the Heavenly Court and would become its God of Battle after three victories.
• Tathagata tried to draw Xu Xiao into Buddhism with a glance, but Taibai Jinxing blocked the influence and escorted Xu Xiao out of danger.
• Sun Wukong pointed his staff at Tathagata and declared that he would not join the Western Sect because he had been promised the position of God of Battle.

Tathagata confronted the Heavenly Court and demanded that Wukong be handed over for the Journey to the West, while Xu Xiao explained the monkey’s fated role and his own intentions. The Jade Emperor summoned them to the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall, where Tathagata openly presented the Western Sect’s demand.

• Tathagata asked Taibai Jinxing to inform the Jade Emperor that he had arrived, while the gathered immortals bristled at the Western Sect’s arrogance.
• Xu Xiao pulled Wukong back and told him that his birth and role in the journey west had been arranged, though he still had a choice.
• Xu Xiao admitted that he hoped to change Wukong’s fate and use the effort to verify his Dao fruit, and Wukong said he trusted him.
• Taibai Jinxing summoned Tathagata, Xu Xiao, and Wukong into the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall, where Xu Xiao thanked him for intervening at the gate.
• Tathagata told the Jade Emperor that he had come for the Journey to the Westward Calamity and demanded that the Heavenly Court hand Wukong over to the Western Sect.

The Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Court sided with Sun Wukong against Tathagata’s demand to take him to Spirit Mountain, insisting that Wukong’s Heavenly Court post could not be changed and the westward journey could be replanned. Tathagata accepted the change but then fixed his gaze on Xu Xiao and Wukong to raise another request.

• Taibai Jinxing argued that Sun Wukong had passed the Heavenly Court’s test and should keep his official post.
• Tathagata asked to take Wukong to Spirit Mountain, but Wukong refused and raised his staff against him.
• Xu Xiao stopped Wukong and left the decision to the Jade Emperor, who said both the westward journey and Wukong’s post could not be changed.
• The Heavenly Court’s immortals, including Supreme Laojun, backed the Jade Emperor and urged Tathagata to revise the journey’s plan.
• Tathagata agreed to alter the strategy for the westward journey, then said he had another request and stared at Xu Xiao and Wukong.

Tathagata demanded that Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong be prevented from interfering with the Journey to the West, first by sealing their memories and then by placing them under Spirit Mountain's supervision. The Jade Emperor refused both demands, and Laojun took Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong to be confined at Tushita Palace.

• Tathagata demanded that Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong have their memories of the Journey to the West sealed, but the Jade Emperor rejected the demand.
• Sun Wukong attacked Tathagata's barrier, while Taibai Jinxing stopped Xu Xiao from drawing the Tribulation Cause Sword.
• Tathagata then asked to place Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong under Spirit Mountain's supervision, and the Jade Emperor refused again.
• Laojun offered to confine Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong at Tushita Palace, and Tathagata accepted his proposal.
• Laojun took Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong from the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall, leaving the Heavenly Court and Western Sect members surprised.

Laojun brought Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong to Tushita Palace after intervening in the confrontation with the Western Sect. He showed Xu Xiao that the Western Sages had been watching him, explained why he had to protect him, and warned him against trying to provoke an all-out war.

• Laojun took Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong to Tushita Palace, where Xu Xiao questioned why they had withdrawn instead of pressing the Western Sect.
• Laojun showed Xu Xiao that two Western Sages had observed the events in the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall and could have killed him as a variable.
• Xu Xiao thanked Laojun for protecting him, and Laojun explained that the Western Sages could have pressured the Jade Emperor to imprison him before settling their grievance.
• Laojun praised Xu Xiao for disrupting the Western Sect's plans but said he had been reckless, then warned that another war between Sages was impossible.
• Xu Xiao accepted Laojun's warning and reflected that changing Sun Wukong had already earned him considerable Power of Variables.