Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 383: Lion Peak

I had heard before that Hou Yi, in a fit of anger, shot down the nine black birds. Though I had known this story for a long time, I didn’t really believe it, thinking it was just a rumor passed down through generations. That’s why I never asked Hou Yi about it.
Today, after seeing this Cleansing Spring, Wukong suddenly remembered a passage from Journey to the West: “Hou Yi shot down the nine black birds, leaving only the Golden Bird, which represents the true fire of the sun. There are nine hot springs in the world, all formed from those birds. The Nine Yang Springs include the Fragrant Cold Spring, the Companion Mountain Spring, the Warm Spring, the Eastern Union Spring, the Mountain-Filling Spring, the Filial Piety Spring, the Guangfen Spring, and the Hot Spring—this one is the Cleansing Spring.”
Thinking of this, Wukong mused to himself that shooting down the nine black birds must have been real after all. But even Xuan Nu had said that the heavens were so vast even she couldn’t reach their edges. Hou Yi’s cultivation was far inferior to Xuan Nu’s—how then could he have shot down those birds?
With many questions in mind, Wukong and Wuhui came to the Cleansing Spring. There they saw a large bathing pool, about fifty feet wide, over ten feet long, and four feet deep. The water was so clear one could see the bottom—it was truly a rare hot spring.
Wukong asked Wuhui, “Can you see anything?”
Wuhui, who was highly sensitive to fire, replied cheerfully, “Below is the Fire Cloud Palace!”
“What?” Wukong exclaimed. “What Fire Cloud Palace?”
Wuhui said, “It’s my second uncle’s Fire Cloud Palace. The heat here beneath the spring is exactly like that of the palace. I spent hundreds of years there—how could I possibly forget?”
Wukong suddenly understood. So the Fire Cloud Palace was the remaining black bird. But now, the sun in the sky was the true sun! If there used to be ten black birds in the sky, could it be that they were created by the Three Pure Ones? Why would they create ten suns?
Those ten suns scorched the earth, causing suffering to all people. Such an act certainly didn’t seem like something the Three Pure Ones would do. He needed to find an opportunity to ask about this.
And since Wuhui had revealed the secrets of this place, they couldn’t miss such a valuable spot. Wukong asked, “Is this place beneficial for your cultivation?”
Wuhui replied, “Of course it is. But if I cultivate here, won’t it delay my quest for the scriptures?”
Wukong smiled and said, “We’ll walk slowly. You just focus on cultivating and ignore everything else.”
Wuhui was overjoyed. With Wukong taking care of everything, she took out her Fire Spear, dug a hole in the ground, and jumped in.
After she disappeared, Wukong heard her cheerful laughter—clearly, she was extremely happy.
Wukong returned to Tang Seng, who naturally asked, “You went with Wuhui—why are you the only one who came back?” Wukong replied, “Wuhui is young and playful. She saw a pool of fire and jumped in.”

Tang Seng was shocked: “Then won’t it be melted away?”
Wukong replied, “Wuhui was born from fire itself. For ordinary people, fire is a disaster, but for him, it’s highly beneficial.”
Tang Seng asked, “Do we have to wait until he’s had his fun?”
Wukong said, “He’ll come back when he’s done playing. We can just keep moving westward.”
As the three continued westward, it was the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The remaining heat made the leaves wither, and a cool breeze gradually set in. One day, they suddenly saw a huge mountain ahead, towering straight into the blue sky, blocking out the sun and stars.
Seeing this mountain, Tang Seng grew fearful and asked Wukong, “Wukong, this mountain is much more treacherous than Qitian Ridge. I wonder if we can pass it?” Wukong laughed and said, “Master, what are you saying? As the saying goes, where there are high mountains, there are travelers; where there are deep waters, there are boatmen. How could there be anything impossible?”
Hearing this, Tang Seng rallied his courage, spurred his horse forward, and climbed the high mountain. Wukong observed the mountain carefully and sensed a strong demonic presence. But he immediately realized that someone he knew was inside, and he thought to himself with joy, “I was just trying to stop Tang Seng and test Buddha’s heart. It’s perfect that someone has come to help.”
The three traveled a few more miles. Tang Seng shivered on his horse and said, “Wukong, the mountain wind is too strong. Let’s rest before continuing.” Wukong replied, “Master, this is exactly a windy spot. It’s better to rest after we pass through.”
Tang Seng nodded. After walking a short distance, suddenly a fierce wind blew, carrying sand and debris. Wukong cried, “Oh no!” The wind stopped as quickly as it came, and three giant demons appeared, blocking their path.
The demon on the right laughed loudly and said, “Hand over Tang Seng, and we’ll spare your lives!” This giant demon had a body as strong as iron, invincible in strength. With horns like knives on his head and eyes like lanterns, it was none other than the Bull Demon King!
At the Bull Demon King’s shout, Tang Seng nearly fell from his horse. Wukong stepped forward and said, “You demons, how bold! Don’t you know we’re going to Buddha’s court to seek scriptures?”
The demon on the left spoke in a sinister tone, “A mere hairy monkey dares to act recklessly? I’ll catch you!” It was the Golden Winged Roc, which spread its wings and flew over, ready to grab Wukong with its iron-hook-like claws. Wukong drew his iron staff and stood ready alongside the roc.
The Bull Demon King wasn’t idle either. He charged at Wu Ping. Seeing the bull’s immense strength, Wu Ping didn’t dare neglect it and quickly transformed into his true form to fight. The Bull Demon King stepped on Wu Ping’s back, causing numbness in his feet, while Wu Ping also felt dizzy from the blow.
Jiuling Yuansheng shook his nine heads. One mouth seized Tang Seng, and the other seized the White Dragon Horse, then they soared into the deep mountains. Wu Ping cried in panic, “Quick, save the holy monk!”

Wukong and the Roc were engaged in a fierce battle. Though neither of them was giving it their all, they fought with great skill. Wukong’s iron staff was extremely heavy, and although the Roc dared to withstand the Bull Demon King’s kicks, it wouldn’t dare confront Wukong’s staff head-on. It relied solely on its agility to dodge left and right, occasionally launching swift attacks with its sharp beak and claws. Wukong thought to himself that in terms of combat strength alone—regardless of magical artifacts—the Roc was no weaker than figures like Manjushri and Samantabhadra.

Although Wu Ping was in a hurry, the Bull Demon King’s relentless attacks left him no time to rescue anyone. Wu Ping usually fought defensively, while the Bull Demon King preferred to attack—making their fight more like a sparring session than a life-or-death struggle. In contrast, Wukong and the Roc’s mock battle truly resembled a fight for survival.

As they fought, Wukong shouted, “Return my master!” The Roc laughed and said, “After I finish eating him, I’ll give you his skeleton to bury him in!” Wukong cried, “Wu Ping, hurry and summon the Goddess of Mercy from the South Sea!” He made a mistake, allowing the Roc to grab him by the waist with its claw, capturing him. Seeing Wukong captured, Wu Ping didn’t dare stay to fight anymore and used a earthescape spell to escape. The Bull Demon King didn’t chase after him, and the two of them took Wukong back to their cave.

Upon entering the cave, Wukong saw Zhu Rong, Ju Mang, and Ru Shou there as well. He exclaimed happily, “Have they all moved over from Qitian Ridge?” The Roc set Wukong down and said, “You don’t even realize how much has changed! Qitian Ridge remains untouched, but Lion Camel Ridge is now its forward outpost!” Wukong pondered, “Could it be that war is about to break out with the Western Heaven?” The Bull Demon King laughed, “Last year’s battle was extremely thrilling. It’s a shame you missed it.” “Last year?” Wukong suddenly remembered that after passing Qitian Ridge, the Eastern and Western Buddhas left in a hurry without saying goodbye and headed west, never to return. Could that have been the battle between Qitian Ridge and the Western Heaven? Wukong asked, “Hurry up and tell me what happened.” Then the Bull Demon King recounted how Ksitigarbha destroyed the golden roof of the Great Hero Hall on Mount Ling, how Buddha ordered the Buddhas of the Western Heaven to capture him, how Earth Goddess offered help, how the Eight Medicine Buddhas formed a defensive formation, and how figures like the Qilin, Dayu, and Houyi arrived one after another, defeating the forces of the Western Heaven completely. He even described how the Nine Sacred Spirits were sucked into the Medicine Buddha’s pot and how the Qilin lost its leg. Wukong’s blood boiled with excitement—this Ksitigarbha was truly bold, daring to attack Mount Ling alone with only himself and Di Ting to destroy the Great Hero Hall! Though Wukong hadn’t been there himself, from the Bull Demon King’s account, it was clear that this battle had been extremely fierce, involving an unprecedented scale and high-status combatants on both sides. It seemed that Qitian Ridge and the Western Heaven were now at odds. Naturally, the Three Pure Ones and Buddha were also at odds—this Buddha had clearly become an enemy of the world.

Wukong asked, “Can those two Buddhas, the Indestructible Diamond Buddha and the Guest-Knowing Buddha, be released?”
The Bull Demon King replied, “Of course we keep our word at Qi Tian Ling. They were released long ago. What’s funny is that the Indestructible Diamond Buddha still refuses to leave, saying something about ‘a promise weighing as much as gold.’”
“A promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold!” The Great Roc glared at the Bull Demon King.
“A thousand pieces of gold isn’t that much—why make such a fuss?” the Bull Demon King snapped.
The Great Roc glared at him again, then turned to stand beside Wukong, as if ashamed to stand with the Bull Demon King.
Wukong said, “You’re really bold. You’ve just angered Buddha greatly, and now you’ve captured Tang Seng. What do you plan to do?”
Zhu Rong said, “Wukong, I thought this plan wouldn’t work, but those fools insisted on drinking with you for a few days before releasing you to head west.”
Wukong smiled and said, “To be honest, I was trying to test Buddha to see how much he values the quest for the scriptures. It’s perfect to stay a few more days. But let’s agree beforehand: if anyone comes from the Western Heaven, I definitely won’t help you.”
The Great Roc said arrogantly, “The Buddhas of the Western Heaven probably won’t bother saving Tang Seng out of pride. As for those bodhisattvas… heh, I really don’t take them seriously.”
Wukong remained silent, thinking that if Buddha truly cared about the quest, he wouldn’t care about pride. By then, those people at Lion Camel Ridge might not even be worth mentioning.
Jiuling Yuansheng stayed silent for a long time before suddenly saying, “Let’s go drink!”
The Bull Demon King was the first to respond, laughing heartily, “Great! I’ve been holding back for days—” He suddenly stopped smiling and asked Wukong, “Where’s my son?”
Wukong replied, “I sent him underground.”
“Oh? Are there any treasures underground?” the Bull Demon King asked.
Wukong said, “Nothing much, just the true fire of the sun.”
The Bull Demon King grinned widely and said, “You’re really something, uncle. My son loves fire the most.”
Zhu Rong snapped, “If he loves fire, why won’t you let him take me as his master?”
The Bull Demon King scratched his head and said, “Well… I should address you as an elder. If my son takes you as his master, wouldn’t we be equals? That would be too chaotic.” He then looked at Wukong and said, “Since my son’s senior brother is here, ask him to settle this!”
Wukong cursed, “Stop talking nonsense! Zhu Rong is my sister. How dare you compare our ranks!”
The Great Roc laughed, “Now that’s truly chaotic!”
As they were arguing, a small demon came in and reported, “There’s a bodhisattva outside with a pure vase in hand.”