Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 293 - 294: Xuanzang: No One Can Leave, All Undergo Universal Salvation

Chapter 293: Chapter 294: Xuanzang: No One Can Leave, All Undergo Universal Salvation

Sun Wukong watched as the old man gradually approached, staring intently.

The old man slowly walked over and seemed to notice Sun Wukong as well, looking somewhat surprised and taken aback.

The old man politely said, "May I inquire where the Elder has come from?"

Sun Wukong, with a smile not quite reaching his eyes, replied, "I hail from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, on a journey to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures for Buddhism. My master was hungry, so he sent me to beg for alms, but upon returning, the three of them were gone!"

"I have no idea where they went!"

The elder, hearing this, seemed to remember something and said, "The three you mentioned, is one of them a monk with a big mouth and long ears?"

"Indeed, he is my junior brother!"

The elder was clearly referring to Zhu Bajie, and Sun Wukong nodded in agreement.

"And another, looking unhealthy, leading a horse, accompanied by a white and chubby monk?"

The elder continued.

Upon hearing the elder’s words, Sun Wukong naturally nodded repeatedly.

The elder went on to say, "They’ve taken the wrong path and probably won’t be able to find their way back. It’s best you don’t go looking for them; save yourself instead!"

Sun Wukong looked at the elder in surprise, thinking the elder was there to direct him to his master and younger brothers. He hadn’t expected the old man to advise him to flee for his life!

This piqued Sun Wukong’s curiosity even more.

"Old man, the white and chubby one riding the horse is my master, and those two odd-looking fellows are my junior brothers!"

"We’ve made a pact to journey to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures for Buddhism. How could I possibly not look for them?"

Upon hearing Sun Wukong’s words, the elder shook his head with a sigh and said, "Just now, I saw your master and younger brothers taking the wrong path; they’ve strolled into the Demon Cave!"

"Oh?"

Looking at the elder in some surprise, Sun Wukong then requested, "Please enlighten me, old man. What kind of demon is this, and where does it reside? That way, I can knock on its door to rescue my master."

Hearing Sun Wukong’s resolve to save his master, King Rhinoceros secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had transformed into an old man precisely to encourage Sun Wukong to mount a rescue and avoid unnecessary trouble.

The elder quickly spoke up, "This mountain is called Golden Helmet Mountain, and there’s a Golden Helmet Cave at the forefront of it. Inside that cave resides King Rhinoceros!"

"This Great King possesses vast divine skills, mighty and powerful. Your master and junior brothers, having entered the cave, are probably no longer alive. If you insist on searching for them, you too might meet with the same fate!"

"However, if you are truly determined to seek them out, I won’t say anything more. Just remember to consider your own safety, and don’t throw your life away needlessly!"

The elder couldn’t help but shake his head as he spoke.

"Hearing what you say, old man, it seems quite frightening!"

Sun Wukong replied somewhat at a loss.

The servant standing beside the elder hurriedly said, "Exactly! That demon kills without batting an eye, and nearly nobody can stop it. If you go there, you’re likely to never return unless you too have vast divine skills!"

While King Rhinoceros seemed to be scaring Sun Wukong, in reality, he was using reverse psychology, hoping Sun Wukong would go to rescue Tang Monk and Zhu Bajie and the others.

After all, Sun Wukong, the perpetrator of Havoc in Heaven, was immensely powerful. It was hard to believe that he would become scared at the sight of a demon and refuse to go. King Rhinoceros did not buy that for a second.

"Since you all say so, it does sound dangerous indeed. I guess I won’t go then!"

King Rhinoceros nodded to the words Sun Wukong said at first, but he showed an expression of surprise as he heard what followed.

"You’re not going to save them? That’s your master we’re talking about!"

King Rhinoceros grew anxious. If you’re not going to rescue them, how can I continue this ruse?

After all, once Tang Monk reappears, won’t they attain universal salvation?

"It’s too dangerous; perhaps the demon has already eaten them. If Old Sun were to go now, I would probably be marching to my death. Isn’t that what you said, old man?"

Sun Wukong spoke with a smirk.

Upon hearing Sun Wukong’s response, King Rhinoceros wanted to slap his own mouth.

Why did he ever say those things?

Now Sun Wukong didn’t even want to consider rescuing Tang Monk anymore.

Despite much persuasion, Sun Wukong simply refused to rescue his master, Tang Monk, leaving King Rhinoceros helplessly returning to his cave dwelling.

Watching King Rhinoceros depart, Sun Wukong chuckled softly to himself.

"I knew you couldn’t hold back. No sooner had you captured Tang Monk than you came to urge Old Sun to come to the rescue. Well, Old Sun just won’t comply. Wait till you send him out yourself!"

Helping out the Celestial Court was not something Sun Wukong was willing to do.

If they wished to promote the Journey to the West, they could do it themselves. Who would dare kill Tang Monk!

If the demons didn’t dare to kill Tang Monk, there was nothing to fear.

Sun Wukong rested his hands behind his head, leaned back against the tree trunk, and closed his eyes to rest.

At this time, inside the Golden Helmet Cave.

"Great King, how shall we deal with the Monk of the Great Tang?"

Seeing King Rhinoceros return, a little demon rushed forward, speaking with some concern.

King Rhinoceros glanced at the little demon.

"What do you suggest we do?"

King Rhinoceros spoke with clear displeasure.

He had been hopeful that Sun Wukong would rescue his master. However, Sun Wukong decidedly refused to play along, refusing to take on his role as the Great Sage Equalling Heaven.

"It seems the Great King is a bit troubled. Why don’t you share your worries? Perhaps I can help lighten your burden," said the little demon, discerning the mood of King Rhinoceros correctly.

"I am the mount of the Grand Elder of the Supreme Way from the celestial Court’s Helmet Armor Palace. I descended to the lower realm and made myself a Mountain King; oh, how delightful this role has been!"

"Who would have thought that our Great King was once the celestial mount of an Immortal, truly fitting for our king!"

This little demon couldn’t help but offer a word of flattery, then added with a hint of curiosity, "I wonder, why the king would do such a thing. Since coming to the lower realm, now that you’ve captured Xuanzang, you should be happy. It’s just that this Xuanzang is a bit troublesome!"

Although they had all witnessed Xuanzang’s power, if Xuanzang were to exert his full force, it seemed there weren’t many demons that could resist being converted.

But that didn’t mean they were without means to deal with him; at least now Xuanzang was suppressed.

As long as they could think of a way to knock Xuanzang unconscious, they could still attempt to eat him later.

"What you do not realize is that I have come here to hinder their quest for scriptures. It is just a trial; we cannot truly eat them, or else we would surely face soul extraction and spirit refinement!"

"Now that I have captured Xuanzang, but that Sun Wukong doesn’t intend to rescue his master at all. What should I do?"

King Rhinoceros felt troubled; it was supposed to be a mere formality, but without Sun Wukong showing up, how could he proceed with the act?

"I see, since you do not intend to eat them, why not let those two monks rescue their master and be done with it!"

The little demon’s eyes twinkled as he made a suggestion.

Hearing this, King Rhinoceros’s eyes gleamed, and he nodded in agreement, saying, "You have a point!"

He then ordered, "Let the lackeys ’accidentally’ release those two monks and have them rescue their master. Let this hot potato leave us, and maybe we can continue to rule this mountain as kings."

"As you command, Great King!"

The little demon hurriedly went to carry out the order.

Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie and Sand Monk were tied up by the demons.

"Second Senior Brother, are we going to die?"

Sand Monk was also worried; they were only recently cleansed and could be eaten at any moment now.

"Don’t worry, Junior Brother Sand, our eldest brother isn’t a vegetarian, he will surely come to rescue us!"

Zhu Bajie said confidently.

"I wonder how Master is faring now!"

Sand Monk nodded, even more worried for Xuanzang’s safety. Eating Xuanzang’s flesh could grant them longevity—an enormous temptation for demons. They might be willing to do anything to eat Xuanzang’s flesh.

Moreover, eating his flesh might greatly benefit their own cultivation level.

No one could resist such a temptation.

Just then, a tearing sound was heard.

Zhu Bajie scanned the surroundings; there were no demons nearby.

With a struggle, the ropes binding him amazingly snapped.

"Eh, Second Senior Brother, I didn’t know you had this ability. Hurry and free me too!"

Sand Monk, excited by the change in Zhu Bajie’s situation, quickly urged him to release him too!

Although Zhu Bajie was puzzled, it clearly wasn’t the time to ponder. He quickly untied Sand Monk.

After discussing briefly, they prepared to rescue Xuanzang.

The two of them escaped from the cave, and strangely, they only encountered a few little demons along the way.

Zhu Bajie was a bit skeptical, but soon saw a huge light barrier up ahead, encasing Xuanzang.

"Second Senior Brother, I’m not sure if we can break through this thing. If we can’t, it might attract those demons!"

Sand Monk expressed his concern.

"Junior Brother Sand, let me try smashing it, and if it doesn’t break, we’ll think of something else!"

Zhu Bajie eyed the barrier in front of him, and with a flash of light in his hand, the Nine-toothed Rake appeared.

"Master, Old Zhu is here to save you!"

As he spoke, he brought the Nine-toothed Rake down on the barrier.

Boom!

With a thundering blast, the light barrier, like a bubble, burst open with a muffled sound.

Xuanzang was revealed within.

"Amitabha Buddha!"

Xuanzang also saw Zhu Bajie and Sand Monk coming to his rescue.

"Where are the demons?"

Xuanzang looked around but couldn’t find any of the demons and said with some confusion.

"I don’t know, maybe they were scared off by you and fled!"

Hearing Xuanzang’s words, Zhu Bajie shook his head.

Sand Monk agreed deeply; Xuanzang’s Buddhist Law was so powerful that he could easily convert demons.

If they continued to stay, they were bound to be thoroughly converted into disciples of Buddhism.

As long as they weren’t foolish, they would surely leave.

"I certainly don’t want them to get away!"

Xuanzang clasped his hands together; he now needed more followers.

To stand against Buddhism and establish his own sect, he must have his own disciples.