Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 196: Mount Buzhou
After bidding farewell to King Tang, Tang Sanzang was escorted by many officials and monks from Chang’an to the outskirts of the city. Leading two attendants, he traveled nonstop for two days until he reached Famen Temple.
The abbot of Famen Temple and a group of monks welcomed him. After tea and a meal, dusk had fallen. The monks led Sanzang to the Buddha hall, where they discussed Buddhist teachings by candlelight. It was a peaceful Buddhist moment: shadows seemed close to the stars, the moon shone clear without a speck of dust, birds returned to bare trees, and monks chanted sacred scriptures.
After the discussion, the monks naturally brought up the quest for the sacred scriptures. Some said the journey was long and difficult, others mentioned the dangers of wolves, tigers, and demons, and still others spoke of various evil spirits.
The abbot said, “I’ve heard that the road to the Western Heaven is long and full of tigers, demons, and other dangers. It’s likely one won’t return, and their lives may be at risk.” Xuanzang replied, “I have made a solemn vow—without obtaining the true scriptures, I will forever suffer in hell.”
Seeing Sanzang’s firm determination, the monks stopped discussing the matter. Sanzang continued, “Buddhism teaches that demons arise from the mind; when the mind is extinguished, all demons vanish. On this journey to the Western Heaven, I will devote myself wholeheartedly. I vow that along the way, I will burn incense at temples, worship Buddhas, and clean stupas. May Buddha’s compassion manifest soon, allowing me to obtain the true scriptures and safeguard my emperor’s kingdom forever.” Hearing this, the monks admired him greatly, praised him endlessly, and invited him to rest.
Early the next morning, as the roosters crowed, Tang Sanzang bid farewell to the monks of Famen Temple and set off westward. As he passed through towns and prefectures, everyone treated him with respect upon hearing that he was going to the West to see Buddha. After about ten days, he had left the borders of the Tang Dynasty.
The last temple within Tang territory was Fuyuan Temple. Leaving this place, Sanzang looked eastward. With only two attendants by his side, he felt a sense of desolation.
It was late autumn—trees had shed their leaves, reeds were scattered, and there were no red leaves on the maple and poplar trees. Frost and snow covered the sky, wild clouds drifted by, and the weather was clear and crisp, yet the journey was long and arduous. Sanzang had never left Tang territory in his life, yet now he felt no trace of attachment, as if someone in the West was calling him. His usual meditation skills were of no use; he was eager to continue westward.
Seeing the wide road with few people, he loosened the reins and let his white horse gallop freely. After traveling a few dozen miles, a mountain range appeared ahead. Though not steep, it was overgrown with weeds, making it difficult to traverse. Tang Sanzang had no choice but to dismount and lead the horse through the weeds to find a path. The weeds were so tall they covered the horse’s head. After walking for a while, he began to suspect he had taken the wrong path. As he hesitated, a large pit appeared in the flat ground, and all three of them, along with the horse, fell into it.
Although the pit was deep, the bottom was covered with soft grass, so falling in didn’t cause any injury. But as soon as the bell rang, dozens of demons rushed out and tied the three of them up. Having lived in the city for a long time, they had never seen such ferocious creatures before; they immediately became weak and were half-dragged into the cave.
Sitting on a throne in the cave was a mighty Tiger King, holding a human leg bone and tearing at it. Human hair could still be faintly seen on the leg. What a fearsome king—with his sharp teeth and fierce appearance, he was devouring human flesh right there, scaring Tripitaka and his two companions to death.
Seeing that three more people had been captured, the Tiger King was overjoyed and said, “These three are fair and delicate—perfect for boiling and drinking with wine!” Just as the demons were about to act, there was noise outside, and two more strikingly handsome demons entered.
The leader was a tall man with a black face, round ears, and a robust build—a bear demon. The other had horns on his head and was extremely muscular—a bull demon.
Seeing these two demons arrive, the Tiger King laughed loudly, “Lord Bear Mountain and Hermit Special—what a wonderful feast! Let’s enjoy it together.” Upon hearing this, Tripitaka thought they were going to eat him too and fainted from fear.
Meanwhile, Wukong was talking with Dayu on Qitian Ridge when suddenly Dayu’s expression changed, and he exclaimed, “Why has Zhu Rong started a fight with others?” Wukong asked, “How do you know?” Dayu replied, “We have our own methods of communication.”
Wukong said, “Since there’s nothing to do now, I’ll go take a look.” He thought to himself that as Zuanxu, he could walk among people unnoticed as long as Dayu and the others kept it secret.
Dayu then sent Hou Yi and Chi Songzi over. The two were overjoyed to see Wukong and naturally asked questions. Wukong simply said he had just found a way to escape. Chi Songzi asked, “Dayu said that mountain has the power of the five elements, set in place by the Primordial Golden Immortal. There’s also some strange force at work—who helped you get out?”
Escaping from the Mountain of the Five Elements was actually related to Wukong possessing two different forms, which was difficult to explain, so he had to make up a response.
Hou Yi and Chi Songzi also received news of Zhu Rong’s danger. Dayu took Wukong and the other two straight toward the northwest. It should be noted that Zhu Rong, Ru Shou, and Ju Mang, traveling together, could protect themselves even if they went to the Heavenly Court. The fact that Zhu Rong, with his high pride, sought help from Dayu showed just how formidable their opponent was.
Dayu remained calm on the surface but was actually quite worried. They flew at full speed the whole way. Wukong noticed that Dayu and the others’ ability to leap great distances with golden light was truly remarkable—each leap covered tens of thousands of miles, similar to the effects of his Cloud Somersault technique.
To the northwest of heaven and earth lies the entire territory of Xiniuhexiu. Beyond the Four Great Continents, the gale winds in the sky are extremely fierce. Looking down at the ground, there is no vegetation; the rocks resemble silver or iron. A huge sun hangs in the golden sky, casting a dazzlingly bright white light upon them.
Wukong asked, “I’ve never been here before. What place is this?”
Dayu replied, “Beyond the Four Great Continents, everything is like this—silver land and golden sky. That’s why it’s called the Sacred Land of Gold and Silver!”
Wukong asked, “Why is it called ‘sacred’? Is it really that extraordinary?”
Dayu said, “Of course it is. Even those with cultivation levels below Taiyi Golden Immortal can’t withstand these gale winds, let alone reach the Pillars Holding Up the Sky.”
Wukong exclaimed in surprise, “What Pillars Holding Up the Sky? Are there really pillars holding up the sky?” He remembered when the Monkey King was in Buddha’s palm, he mistook Buddha’s five fingers for five pillars holding up the sky. Wukong naturally knew that heaven didn’t actually exist—it was just an infinitely vast space with the sun, moon, and stars moving within it. But now, how could there be pillars holding up the sky?
Dayu said, “Of course there are. Without these eight mountain peaks holding up the sky, wouldn’t it have collapsed long ago? Back then, Gonggong angrily struck Mount Buzhou, collapsing the pillar in the northwest direction and causing the sky to tilt.”
Wukong was speechless. He knew these were just legends, but he never imagined they might actually be true! Just as he was about to ask Dayu about the legend of Nüwa mending the sky, he felt the gale winds grow even stronger. It took him great effort even to keep his eyes open. Ordinary cloud-jumping techniques were no longer effective here; he could only use his Golden Light for Movement to move.
The golden sky and silver land stretched endlessly, with only one unparalleled giant peak in front of them. This peak reached from earth to sky, and with Wukong’s vision, he couldn’t even see its top.
Dayu said, “This is Mount Buzhou!” Then he shot forward, diving down the mountain.
Wukong strained to look ahead and could only see a strange glowing mass beneath the peak. Amidst red and green hues, it seemed as if there were figures moving.
At that moment, Dayu was at the front, Hou Yi followed behind, and Chisongzi closely behind them. Wukong fell behind slightly due to the delay in using his Golden Light for Movement. Without even looking, Hou Yi drew a white feather from behind him and unfurled it in the air—it was about ten feet long. He placed the feather on his giant bow, his expression solemn. He slowly drew back the bow but did not shoot.
When everyone approached, Wukong could finally see clearly that within the red-green glow, five people were fighting. Three of them were Zhu Rong, Ju Mang, and Ru Shou, while the other two—one of whom was extremely ugly, with a huge greenish body resembling that of a worm, covered in dark green mucus, and a giant bald head on a neck about half a zhang long—had eight more heads swaying around it, coiling like a snake’s body. Wukong had never seen anything so ugly; even from afar, he could smell the foul stench, and his head spun. He knew his cultivation was not comparable to that of the Hunyuan Jinxian. Since he was only here in a split form, at about half his usual strength, he was clearly not a match for these Hunyuan Jinxian. Even if he intervened, it would only cause trouble. Wukong quickly held his breath and stood still. Aside from this ugly green monster, another strange bird caught his attention. This bird was six or seven zhang tall, covered in orange-red feathers that were crystal clear, as if made of jade, shining with multicolored light. It stood proudly, scanning the surroundings as if there was nothing else in the world, inspiring a sense of reverence in others. Wukong guessed who these two were—those extremely ugly ones must be the Nine-Headed Xiangliu, while this majestic bird was undoubtedly the Phoenix. The red-green glow was eerily strange; Zhu Rong and his two companions, trapped inside, couldn’t even use half of their usual strength. Fortunately, with three against two, they could barely hold their ground. When Dayu and the others arrived, Zhu Rong shouted urgently, “Don’t touch that red-green stuff—it’s poisonous!” Dayu said, “Xiangliu! Stop at once!” Xiangliu replied with a mocking laugh, “Dayu? It’s rare to see my old friend still alive. Perfect—let’s catch them all at once!” Hou Yi’s eyes flashed with intensity. After drawing his bow tightly for a long time, he released the arrow. The extremely long white feathered arrow was so fast that its flight path was invisible. One moment it was on the bowstring, and the next, it was embedded in Xiangliu’s head. Hou Yi’s archery skills were unmatched in the world. A single arrow pierced through three of Xiangliu’s heads. Severely wounded, Xiangliu retreated hastily and shouted, “Wow! It’s Hou Yi!” Hou Yi said nothing. Another red feathered arrow was nocked on the string. In ancient times, Hou Yi’s name was known throughout the world, but he had never fought against Xiangliu before. Seeing that Hou Yi truly lived up to his reputation, with arrows that appeared out of nowhere, how could Xiangliu possibly avoid them? He thought that Dayu and the others, having stayed hidden for tens of thousands of years, must have lost their strength. Now, witnessing Hou Yi’s supernatural abilities, he realized he was outnumbered and doomed. So he quickly shouted, “Stop! These three are poisoned by fire—will you ignore them?”
It turned out that the red and green glow was a magical effect created jointly by Xiang Liu and the Phoenix—the fire of the Phoenix, the strongest among all birds, combined with the poison of Xiang Liu, the king of all insects, an utterly formidable force.
Dayu waved his hand to tell Hou Yi to stop and asked, “What do you plan to do?”
Xiang Liu, enduring pain, said, “I’ll help him detoxify three times; let’s end this matter here. What do you say?”
Zhu Rong shouted, “This is a rare opportunity! Why not get rid of these two monsters now?” At the word “monsters,” Wu Kong saw the Phoenix’s body tremble involuntarily, as if struck by a great shock.
Xiang Liu forced a smile and said, “Then both sides will suffer. Do you think I’m afraid of you?”
Zhu Rong replied, “That mere fire poison will naturally dissipate over time—what’s there to fear?”
Xiang Liu sneered, “Haven’t you heard that the most deadly poison in the world is Xiang Liu’s? If you can cure this poison, I’ll immediately end my own life!”
Zhu Rong said, “Don’t boast!”
At that moment, the Phoenix opened its mouth and emitted a melodious sound—indescribably beautiful: “What he said is true.”
Dayu pondered for a while before saying, “Alright, I agree to your terms!”
Zhu Rong warned, “Don’t fall for his trick!”
The Phoenix added, “I guarantee it will be fine.”
Then Xiang Liu and the Phoenix recited a spell, extinguishing the red and green glow. Zhu Rong and the other two stepped out, their faces glowing green—a truly ugly sight. Xiang Liu somehow produced three small white pills, tossed them to Zhu Rong and the others, said, “See you again soon!” before leaving with the Phoenix.