Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 252: The Arrival of Guanyin

Yin Jiao appeared in midair, standing there and laughing wildly, “Is this spell of yours from the Tao Te Ching? When it comes to studying classics, you’re far inferior to me, haha!”

Seeing the demon’s arrogance, Wood Deity also forgot the rule against making noise and shouted, “Stop speaking such nonsense!” He shook his sleeves, and a strand of green silk appeared—unknown in what material it was made—wrapping around Yin Jiao.

Yin Jiao frowned, unable to figure out what it was, so he dodged to the side. But the green silk seemed to have eyes of its own, closely pursuing him. No matter how many times he tried to evade it, he couldn’t escape, and it seemed he would soon be trapped.

Everyone’s face lit up with joy—if they could capture Yin Jiao, they could rescue Water Deity.

At that moment, an old voice came from afar, slowly saying, “Who dares to bully my son?”

Wukong was delighted—it was the Nine-Tailed Fox! This would be an exciting sight!

The Nine-Tailed Fox was only about ten miles away. With such loud fighting going on, how could she not know? Her two adopted sons had always been very respectful to her. It was quite fortunate that she heard about the trouble Yin Jiao and Jin Jiao were in, so she immediately flew over without hesitation. Sure enough, she saw Yin Jiao already trapped by the green silk.

Wukong noticed that the green silk represented the eternal life force of the Immortal Tree. He wondered if Zhu Rong had any connection with Fire Deity, and if Jiu Mang had any connection with Wood Deity.

As he pondered, he suddenly saw Wood Deity fall from the sky, already entangled by a golden rope that transformed into several golden shackles, tightly binding him so he couldn’t break free. The green silk disappeared once its master was gone. After all, metal can overcome wood—this golden rope was perfect for countering wood-based spells.

Seeing the golden rope, Yin Jiao immediately knew the Nine-Tailed Fox had arrived. He rejoiced, “Stepmother! Thank you for saving me!”

The Nine-Tailed Fox split her dry lips, barely having any teeth, and laughed, “If others bully my son, of course I must come.”

Seeing Wood Deity captured, Nezha and the Four Great Celestial Masters were terrified. They hadn’t seen much strength in the monsters of the Lotus Cave—just extremely powerful magic weapons. Two deities had already been captured in just two battles. If they continued fighting, more might fall. Those magic weapons were increasingly difficult to break, so it was better to call for more reinforcements.

Seeing Nezha want to retreat, Wukong asked, “Third Prince, who else in the Heavenly Court can we ask for help?” Nezha frowned. There were capable people in the Heavenly Court, but figures like Zi Wei, Gou Chen, and Zhen Wu couldn’t be summoned, and even others wouldn’t help. He replied, “Surely the Jade Emperor has his own plans.”

Wukong sighed and said, “Enough, enough. I’ll go ask the Goddess of Mercy in the South Sea instead!”
Nezha said, “Wait!” Having failed twice, he naturally wanted to save face for the Heavenly Court. Wukong asked, “Has the Third Prince chosen anyone?” Nezha replied, “We’ll see once we meet the Jade Emperor.”
Wukong followed Nezha to the Lingxiao Palace. Upon hearing that the Star Lords of Wood and Water had been captured, the Jade Emperor grew worried and said, “My lords, who do you think can capture this demon?”
Taibai Jinxing said, “According to the Third Prince, this demon has magic items—a fan that can fan flames, a gourd that can hold people, and a rope that can bind them. In my opinion, he isn’t that powerful; it’s just his magic items that are strong. I have an idea. To capture this demon, a small group definitely won’t suffice. We need more people. With a large force, no matter how many magic items he has, they can’t overcome sheer numbers!”
Wukong secretly gave a thumbs-up. Taibai Jinxing’s idea sounded ordinary but was extremely practical. Unexpectedly, the Jade Emperor said, “Jinxing’s point makes sense. But the quest for the scriptures is ultimately a matter between Buddhism and Taoism in the Western Heaven. Sun Wukong, you should also go to them for reinforcements so as to strengthen our forces.”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “Does the Jade Emperor mean that these two demons came from the Western Heaven, and we need Buddhism and Taoism to subdue them?”
The Jade Emperor laughed and said, “You monkey, don’t make random guesses. Did I say such a thing?”
Wukong continued, “I really don’t understand. There are no demons on earth that are this powerful. They must have come from the heavens!” After thinking for a while, the Jade Emperor said, “What you say also makes sense. I’ll immediately order all palaces and halls to report, to see who is missing.”
Wukong said, “Good. Then I’ll go to the Western Heaven to seek reinforcements!”
With a somersault cloud, Wukong arrived at the foot of Mount Ling. Monks there blocked his way, but Wukong ignored them and flew over their heads to the Mahavira Hall. There, the Eight Vajra Guardians blocked his path again. Wukong shouted, “Move aside quickly! Don’t delay the quest for the scriptures!”
Hesitating, the Eight Vajra Guardians were flown past by Wukong.
Upon arriving at Mount Ling for the first time, Wukong felt a strong aura, even more intense than that of the Heavenly Court. Within this aura, there was also a strange presence that was hard to fathom.
Without time to think further, he reached the Mahavira Hall. Needless to say, the hall was magnificent and imposing. Buddha sat on his lotus throne. Seeing Wukong arrive, he remained calm and said, “Sun Wukong, you’re not content with protecting Tang Seng on his quest for the scriptures. What brings you here?”
Wukong didn’t even bow and said, “Buddha, the path to obtain the scriptures is extremely difficult. There are two demons blocking the way at Pingding Mountain. I’ve used all my skills but still can’t defeat them. That’s why I’ve come here to ask for help.”

The Tathagata said, “How far have you gone, and already you’re complaining?”
Wukong replied, “It’s not complaining. I went to the Heavenly Court early on to ask Prince Nezha, the Four Great Celestial Masters, and the Gods of Fire, Wood, and Water to subdue the demons. But even together they couldn’t defeat those demons. With no other choice, I came to seek help from the Buddha.”
The Tathagata said, “You’ve come from the Eastern Land to the Western Heaven to obtain the scriptures—a commendable aspiration. But I cannot help you.”
Wukong cried out, “If the Buddha won’t help me, then Tang Seng won’t be able to take a single step forward.”
The Tathagata said, “I certainly know the origins of those two demons. With the magical treasures in your hands, it’s truly difficult to subdue them. I’ll give you a path: go and seek Guanyin of the South Sea. She surely has a solution.”
Wukong said, “Great! Thank you, Buddha!”
Wukong went to Mount Ling only to fulfill the Jade Emperor’s request, not expecting the Tathagata to actually offer help. In his estimation, the Tathagata must be aware of the origins of the Golden Horned and Silver Horned demons. Since the Three Pure Ones had intervened, the Tathagata needed to handle things carefully. There were still many trials ahead to reach the Western Heaven, and now was certainly not the time to clash.
Wukong flew out of the hall, while the Tathagata closed his eyes, thinking to himself, “That monkey hasn’t been seen in years, yet the stars in his eyes are already faintly visible. It seems the quest for the scriptures is urgent.”
“Oh, Three Pure Ones! I never expected you to act so early. The way of Tao follows nature—one must obey the will of heaven, not defy it. In this game, you’ve already lost!”
Wukong flew straight to the South Sea and met Guanyin. He explained the tactics and magical treasures of the Golden Horned and Silver Horned demons. Guanyin still wore a smile and said, “Since it’s the Buddha’s command, I’ll accompany you on this journey.”
In the past, Guanyin would have had to be cautious, as the Three Pure Ones were renowned Taoist figures with boundless powers—she wouldn’t dare offend them lightly. But now that her own vitality was gone and the Tathagata claimed to be the only one who could handle the situation, Guanyin had no choice but to ensure Tang Seng’s safety on his journey to the West. Even if the Three Pure Ones were displeased, there was nothing she could do about it.
Wukong said, “Before subduing the demons, we need to visit the Heavenly Court first. The Jade Emperor is there checking in—let’s see if any celestial beings have descended to earth. It’s possible those two demons are actually gods from heaven causing trouble.”
Guanyin said, “As you wish.”
Wukong led the way, with Guanyin and her disciple Mu Zha accompanying them to the Heavenly Court. Upon hearing Guanyin’s arrival, the Jade Emperor personally came down to greet her.
Everything in the Heavenly Court was handled swiftly. The divine generals were sent to investigate. All the celestial officials—the Nine Bright Stars, the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Five Elements in the east, west, south, north, and center, the stars of the Milky Way, the Five Great Mountains and Four Great Rivers, all the sacred beings in heaven, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions outside the Bull and Ox Palaces—were all in their proper positions, none daring to leave.

The Jade Emperor let out a long sigh and said, “Since they are not celestial deities, I will ask the Four Great Vajras and the Four Planets to assist you in subduing the demons.” He then said to the Bodhisattva, “Among the Nine Bright Stars, those associated with water and wood have been captured by the demons. I hope the Bodhisattva can rescue them and bring them back to heaven.”
The Bodhisattva replied, “I know them from long ago; how could I possibly refuse to help?”
With such a grand display of force, they arrived once again in front of the Lotus Cave.
As a Bodhisattva, she naturally could not engage in combat with the demons. Guanyin said, “Wukong, go and challenge them; I’ll take care of seizing their magical weapons.”
Wukong drew out his Ruyi Tianji Stick. Seeing that the cave entrance had been burned to pieces, he used his stick to collapse half of the stone wall beside it and shouted, “The Bodhisattva has arrived! Why don’t the demons come out and surrender?”