Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 306 - 307: Forcibly Crossing Flame Mountain, a Pillar of Fire Shoots into the Sky

Chapter 306: Chapter 307: Forcibly Crossing Flame Mountain, a Pillar of Fire Shoots into the Sky

The elder hastily said, "This spring, the local villagers prepared gifts and went to Emerald Cloud Mountain to request the fan. The Rakshasa Women used the Banana Leaf Fan to extinguish the flames, and since then, they have not reignited, thus there is no fire."

"However, it is now autumn, the villagers’ crops have been harvested, and judging by the time, the flames should be about to reignite."

"I see, so we’ve arrived just in time," Xuanzang said with a slight nod.

He brought his hands together and said, "Amitabha Buddha, truly the heavens are protecting us! Since it is so, let us hasten to cross Flame Mountain before the flames erupt! If the fire does break out, how shall we ever get across the Eight-Hundred-Mile Sea of Fire?"

Sun Wukong too nodded and said, "Since there is no fire now, let’s hurry across! If the flames were to reignite, we would inevitably encounter some trouble."

At this moment, the elder suddenly interjected, "Do not act rashly, Flame Mountain spans eight hundred miles, and mere mortals cannot traverse it in a short time. What if you’re halfway across when the flames suddenly erupt? Wouldn’t that be troublesome?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong couldn’t help but be somewhat worried and quickly asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

The elder hastily said, "If you must continue westward, your only choice is to go to Emerald Cloud Mountain and ask to borrow the Rakshasa Women’s Treasured Fan!"

Sun Wukong frowned, realizing that if the fan were so easy to borrow, the villagers would not have had to prepare so much.

For a moment, the four westbound travelers all grew anxious.

"Wukong, what do you think we should do?"

Xuanzang looked towards Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong nodded, and then moved closer to Xuanzang, saying, "Although the old man said so, Old Sun still plans to try and cross the Flame Mountain while there’s no fire. What do you think, Master?"

Xuanzang frowned and did not speak.

Meanwhile, Sand Monk pondered for a moment and then said, "Although there is no fire in the Flame Mountain for the time being, the terrain is no different from a desert. It’s often said that sandy paths slow the horses, but fortunately, Little White Dragon is no ordinary horse. If we press on at full speed..."

"I estimate it would take at most two days to cross Flame Mountain. Considering the situation, the flames of Flame Mountain show no signs of reigniting for the time being. I think we can give it a try."

"If that’s the case, then let’s hurry on our way!" Encouraged by Sand Monk’s words, Xuanzang also felt it made a lot of sense, and with his hands clasped together seriously, he said, "Amitabha Buddha, let us hope we can safely cross Flame Mountain."

After that, the group bid farewell and immediately spurred their horses, racing westward at great speed. Xuanzang understood that Flame Mountain was exceedingly dangerous and that if the flames were to reignite, there would be no escape for him. Nonetheless, in his eagerness to reach Mount Meru,

Xuanzang decided to take the risk.

Sun Wukong and the others protected Xuanzang, hurrying westward with him, all hoping to leave this cursed place as soon as possible.

Sun Wukong continuously kept a careful watch on their surroundings, while instructing Zhu Bajie beside him to listen attentively for any unusual movements and to report to him immediately upon any discovery.

The journey of Xuanzang to the Western Heaven for scriptures was fraught with trials every three steps, and hardships every five.

Sun Wukong didn’t believe they could so easily cross Flame Mountain.

Even though the Flame Mountain had not erupted this time, Sun Wukong still didn’t think they could pass without difficulty.

After all, Buddhism wouldn’t be so easily deceived, nor did he believe that Buddhism would lessen its trials.

So, there certainly would be troubles this time as well.

Of course, Sun Wukong wasn’t worried. Other than Xuanzang, everyone else had the ability to protect themselves. Even if the flames were to flare up again, they were more than capable of ensuring their safety. The only problem was Xuanzang, who could prove a burden.

But with divine protection from various gods, even if he wanted to die, it wouldn’t be so easy. Besides, if Tang Monk really did perish, it was likely that Ancestor Buddha Tathagata and Guanyin Bodhisattva would find a way to revive him.

After all, seeking scriptures in the Western Heaven is of great importance; it couldn’t possibly be abandoned halfway. Finding another suitable scripture seeker would not be easy.

With such thoughts, what did Sun Wukong have to fear?

The group traveled half a day and covered nearly two hundred miles. Although Xuanzang, riding the horse, was inevitably tired, he did not wish to stop and bit his lip to continue on, hoping to leave this infernal place as soon as possible.

They traveled half the day without incident and everyone gradually relaxed their vigilance. The White Dragon Horse, carrying Xuanzang, also seemed a bit tired after running for half a day, and its speed had noticeably decreased.

Xuanzang leaned towards Sun Wukong and asked, "Wukong, have you noticed anything unusual?"

"Nothing!" Sun Wukong turned his head to look around and shook his head.

But at that moment, Xuanzang, riding on the horse, suddenly said, "Wukong, don’t you feel it’s getting hotter as we go?"

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "Indeed, it is getting hotter; the sand on the ground is even hot to the touch."

Zhu Bajie also nodded and said, "It is indeed getting hotter as we move along. It couldn’t be that the fire is about to erupt, could it?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanzang’s brow furrowed with worry as he said, "Wukong, there isn’t a fire ahead, is there?"

Sun Wukong quickly reassured, "Master, rest assured. Old Sun can see far and wide in daylight, and I haven’t seen a spark. It seems all is well."

Only then did Xuanzang let out a sigh of relief and hastily said, "In that case, let us quicken our pace and leave this accursed place as soon as possible."

Xuanzang urged the White Dragon Horse to hasten forward.

Although Sun Wukong felt there was no issue, he still seriously said to Zhu Bajie, "We have already delved deep into the heart of Flame Mountain, and the temperature around us continues to rise. This is definitely not a good sign. To prevent any mishaps, we must prepare ourselves in advance."

Zhu Bajie and Sand Monk both frowned, with Zhu Bajie saying, "We’ve come this far; we can’t just turn back now! We can only take our chances and hope to leave this accursed place before the fires flare up again. What other choice do we have?"

Sun Wukong nodded and then added, "What I mean is, we must be ready for the worst scenario. If we can’t make it out of Flame Mountain before the fires surge again, we may escape with ease, but our master might be engulfed by the flames."

Zhu Bajie also nodded, and Sand Monk started to become anxious as well.

"After all, our master is but a mortal, not like us!"

Sand Monk said with a frown.

"Now, we can only take it one step at a time and hope nothing major goes wrong!"

Sun Wukong said, frowning.

At this moment, Xuanzang rode swiftly on his horse, which seemed elegant, but over time became unbearably uncomfortable.

After half a day of galloping, his backside ached terribly from the bouncing, but Xuanzang knew that if they couldn’t get past Flame Mountain, the challenges ahead would be even greater, so he clenched his teeth and persevered.

The group continued their frantic dash forward, while the surrounding temperature kept on rising. Xuanzang was soaked with sweat, with large beads of perspiration springing up from his forehead like bamboo shoots after a rain.

Xuanzang held the reins in one hand while the other continuously wiped the sweat from his face.

"This Flame Mountain spans eight hundred miles. Given our pace, it’s impossible to pass in one go. We should stop and rest for a while!" Zhu Bajie complained, unable to endure any longer.

"We can’t stop!" Sun Wukong said sternly, "Before leaving Flame Mountain, no one is allowed to stop."

Although he wasn’t worried about Xuanzang dying, this situation was definitely frustrating.

So, it was best to hurry and get past Flame Mountain.

Sand Monk glanced at Xuanzang, frowning as he spoke, "Eldest brother, we might manage, but I fear that if it drags on, our master won’t be able to take it."

Xuanzang turned his head to look at Tang Monk, his brows furrowing as well. Although Xuanzang was a mortal who had undergone some transformation and gained some strength,

he probably wouldn’t be able to endure much longer.

Yet they had not even completed half of their journey, and any further delay meant more danger.

Grinding his teeth, Xuanzang said, "This humble monk can still hold on. Let’s continue on our way and leave this damned place quickly."

Zhu Bajie’s large ears suddenly twitched, and he interjected, "Master, is something wrong?"

"What’s wrong?" Xuanzang looked towards Zhu Bajie, and Sun Wukong also turned his gaze in that direction, asking quickly.

"There’s some noise," Zhu Bajie said with a frown.

Sun Wukong instinctively frowned and cocked his ears to listen intently. Indeed, he heard a rumbling sound that seemed to come from underground.

"The ground is shaking. It couldn’t be an earthquake, could it?" Sand Monk also heard and yelled with a hint of panic.

Sun Wukong looked down and indeed saw the ground tremble slightly.

His expression darkened instantly as he shouted, "Let’s not move. Don’t go any further!"

"Huh! What’s happened?"

Xuanzang asked, puzzled.

Although he had awakened some power, mostly through conversion, he remained a mortal, and having ridden at a gallop, he didn’t feel the ground shaking.

"Oh master, you sit so comfortably on the horseback that you don’t even know there’s an earthquake?"

Zhu Bajie said somewhat helplessly.

"An earthquake?" Xuanzang asked in surprise.

At that point, Xuanzang had already stopped, and he too realized the ground was indeed shaking, periodically making a muffled ’rumbling’ sound.

Xuanzang hurriedly jumped down from his horse.

Sun Wukong observed the surroundings with a grave look.

If it was just a simple earthquake, he wouldn’t care, but he had a feeling that things were not that simple.

With a "boom," a loud noise came, and Sun Wukong quickly turned towards the source of the sound. He saw a column of fire shoot skyward.