Honghuang: Eat a Hunyuan Daluo

After leaving Guanyin Temple, the man, the monkey, and the horse traveled westward.

Two or three months later, they only encountered some bandits along the way, and the little demon did not encounter any great demons.

On this day, Jin Chanzi and his party arrived in the Kingdom of Wusizang. In the Kingdom of Wusizang, there was a place called Gao Laozhuang.

Jin Chanzi rode the white dragon horse, with Sun Wukong following closely behind, and together they entered Gao Village. However, neither of them knew that the place was called Gao Village.

Upon entering Gao Village, Jin Chanzi frowned and whispered, "Monkey, there seems to be a demonic aura here."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed slightly. He did indeed sense a different aura, which resembled demonic energy, but was actually quite different from it.

Sun Wukong immediately activated his Golden Eyes of Truth, and a golden light flashed in his eyes. He immediately made a decision in his mind: "This aura is not demonic. Instead, it is very similar to the Taiqing Wonderful Method that I learned when I broke through to the Great Luo realm. It should be from the same source."

The novel *Journey to the West* describes a close relationship between Pigsy and Laozi, suggesting Pigsy is of Taoist origin. Thinking about it this way, this place is most likely Gao Village.

Having figured this out, Sun Wukong remained calm and concealed his expression as he continued forward with Jin Chanzi and the White Dragon Horse.

Jin Chanzi quickly discovered the strange place. The wide street was sparsely populated, and when he occasionally encountered one or two people, they looked around with fear on their faces and quickly left.

Before long, the Golden Cicadas encountered a servant boy with a cotton cloth wrapped around his head and wearing a blue jacket.

The servant was none other than Gao Cai, the richest man in Gao Village and a servant of the old man Gao.

When Gao Cai saw Jin Chanzi and his group, especially Sun Wukong's face, he was startled and his face turned ashen. He collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, Sun Wukong's eyes were filled with helplessness. Was he really that ugly? His master clearly said that he was very handsome, and his monkey followers also called him the Handsome Monkey King.

"What do you mean by that? Why are you acting like you've seen evil spirits when you see us?" Sun Wukong asked, looking displeased.

Gao Cai stammered, "No, it's nothing."

Sun Wukong frowned, about to speak again, when Jin Chanzi quickly stopped him, saying, "Monkey, don't make such a fierce face. What if you scare this young benefactor?"

After finishing speaking, Jin Chanzi calmly walked up to Gao Cai, casually picked up a pebble from the ground, squeezed it tightly in his hand, and then opened his hand. A cloud of stone dust fell down, and a gust of wind blew it away.

After doing all this, Jin Chanzi stared at Gao Cai, put his hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Amitabha, as a monk, one should persuade people with reason. Don't you agree, young benefactor?"

Gao Cai was almost scared to death. He cried and said, "Master, we Gao Laozhuang people are all poor folks who toil in the fields for a living. Please spare our village!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Chanzi smiled slightly and said, "I sense that you have something difficult to say. Could it be that something has happened in Gao Village? If it would be convenient for you to tell us, we do have some ability to subdue demons."

Upon hearing this, Gao Cai's eyes lit up and he quickly said, "Master, it's like this. About ten years ago, a strong man named Zhu Ganglie came to our Gao Village. He was honest and hardworking, and our master valued him highly. He even wanted to marry my young lady to him."

Who knew that Zhu Ganglie was actually a monster? On the wedding day, he got carried away and drank too much, which caused him to reveal his true form. The master and the guests were startled and immediately wanted to drive Zhu Ganglie away.

But that Pigsy insisted that he had already married my young lady and kept pestering her. My master naturally did not want my young lady to marry a monster, so he invited many sorcerers and Taoist priests to exorcise the demon.

But Zhu Ganglie was incredibly powerful. Without exception, all the sorcerers my master invited were defeated by that monster and then all of them were thrown out of Gao Village.

"These past few months, that Pigsy has even kidnapped the young lady to the Cloud Stack Cave." Gao Cai roughly recounted the situation at Gao Village to Jin Chanzi and the others.

After listening, Jin Chanzi showed a look of great interest: "It's really strange that there are monsters who become live-in sons-in-law."

Sun Wukong curled his lip, feeling that the Gao family had acted unfairly. Zhu Ganglie had worked hard and earned his wife with his own strength, but the Gao family had turned their backs on him.

What puzzled Sun Wukong was why Zhu Ganglie had taken Miss Gao back to Yunzhan Cave. Shouldn't the next scene be about Zhu Bajie carrying his wife on his back?
Of course, it was strange, but Sun Wukong didn't say much. Tang Sanzang, who liked to drink and eat meat, had already appeared, so it wasn't a big deal if Zhu Bajie, who also won the heart of a beauty, appeared as well.

"To be honest, young benefactor, this humble monk is Jin Chanzi. This is my companion, Sun Wukong. He is most skilled at subduing demons. You can leave this demon to us."

While Sun Wukong was lost in thought, Jin Chanzi had already taken on the task of subduing the demon.

Gao Cai couldn't help but ask, "But that monster is truly powerful. Are you two sure you can handle it?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong waved his hand and said, "Your supernatural powers are vast. I, Old Sun, would like to see just how vast your supernatural powers are."

Upon hearing Sun Wukong's confidence, Gao Cai nodded repeatedly and replied, "Yes, yes, what the immortal says is true. Since the immortal can subdue demons, why not come to my manor?"

"Lead the way."

So Gao Cai led Jin Chanzi and his group to Old Master Gao's house.

The Gao family's house had high walls and green-tiled roofs, and they had seven or eight maids and fourteen or fifteen servants, indicating that they were quite wealthy.

Gao Cai came to the old man and told him about Jin Chanzi and the others.

The old man's eyes lit up with excitement as he asked, "Can you exorcise demons?"

Jin Chanzi nodded and said, "Whether it is a demon, a monster, a ghost, or an immortal, I can subdue them all."

Then he inquired about the details from the old man. It turned out that the monster was not unreasonable. Every fifteenth of the month, it would send Gao Cuilan back to the mansion to stay for a few days before taking her back to Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain.

After thinking for a moment, Jin Chanzi said, "Monkey, today is the fourteenth. Why don't we wait for Gao Cuilan to return tomorrow before we make our move?"

“It’s just a monster, why wait until tomorrow? Let’s take it down today.” Sun Wukong spoke with confidence, so Jin Chanzi didn’t say anything more.

Sun Wukong left the White Dragon Horse at Gao Village to watch over Jin Chanzi, and then transformed into a streak of light and flew towards Fuling Mountain.

Inside the Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain, Zhu Ganglie looked at Gao Cuilan in his arms, a look of struggle flashing across his face. Finally, Zhu Ganglie gritted his teeth and said, "Cuilan, the day we part is probably coming soon."

Gao Cuilan raised her head and hugged Zhu Ganglie tightly: "Why?"

Zhu Ganglie sighed and said in a serious tone, "Do you remember the pilgrim I told you about? The pilgrim has arrived. My sect has decreed that I must accompany the pilgrim on his journey west to retrieve the true scriptures before the mission is accomplished."

"Is the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures really that important, more important than the feelings we've shared over the years?" Tears welled up in Gao Cuilan's eyes.

When Gao Cuilan was first abducted to Fuling Mountain, she felt scared, apprehensive, and uneasy. But as time went by, she developed feelings for him, and within just a few months, she discovered that Zhu Ganglie also had his own merits.

Simply put, Gao Cuilan fell in love with Zhu Ganglie because he made her experience the joy of being a woman.

Zhu Ganglie shook his head and said in a heavy tone, "The relationship between you and me is the most important thing, but this is my destined mission. If I don't do it..." Zhu Ganglie couldn't finish his sentence. His eyes were somewhat dazed, as if he had returned to five hundred years ago.

Five hundred years ago, the master of Fuling Mountain was not him, but a monster named Luan Erjie.

Sister Luan is a rabbit demon in human form. She never does evil and cultivates herself by breathing in the essence of the sun and moon on Mount Fuling.

After arriving at Fuling Mountain, he saw that Sister Mao Er was not a particularly evil monster, so he did not directly suppress her, but instead lived with Sister Luan Er.

The time they spent together was truly joyful; they practiced spiritual cultivation together, traveled to scenic spots together, and chopped wood and cooked together.

Zhu Ganglie also admitted that he had fallen for Luan Erjie and even considered abandoning his mission to retrieve the scriptures.

However, what Zhu Ganglie didn't expect was that when Mao Erjie broke through to the Golden Immortal realm, she attracted a lightning tribulation far exceeding her limits.

The lightning tribulation was incredibly terrifying; after three bolts of heavenly lightning struck, Sister Mao's soul was completely annihilated.

Zhu Ganglie was depressed for a long time because of this. Later, he realized that the reason why Sister Mao Er attracted such a powerful heavenly tribulation was most likely because of him.

He did not want to go to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures, which was going against the will of Heaven. The root cause was Sister Mao Er. So the heavenly tribulation destroyed Sister Mao Er. Otherwise, how could Sister Mao Er, who never ate people and was not involved in any major karma, have attracted such a terrifying heavenly tribulation?
After figuring all this out, Zhu Ganglie went to the Heavenly Court to beg Laozi for a way to save Mao Erjie. He pleaded with him repeatedly, and Laozi sighed and helped gather Mao Erjie's broken true spirit and send it into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Zhu Ganglie was overjoyed and repeatedly bowed to Laozi in gratitude. Laozi sighed and said, "The great calamity of the journey to the west is of utmost importance. It is related to your future attainment and also to this world. You must not stumble over personal feelings."

Zhu Ganglie was in immense pain, but he knew he couldn't escape this fate, so he had no choice but to agree.

Ten years ago, Zhu Ganglie met Gao Cuilan. Gao Cuilan looked very much like Luan Erjie. Zhu Ganglie knew at a glance that Gao Cuilan was the reincarnation of Luan Erjie. He tried his best to restrain himself, but in the end, he couldn't help but fall in love.

Zhu Ganglie was afraid that the will of heaven and earth would discover his affair with Gao Cuilan and cause Gao Cuilan to suffer as well, so every once in a while he would send Gao Cuilan back to Gao Village for a period of time.

Now that the pilgrims have arrived, it's time for him to let go.

As Zhu Bajie reminisced about the past, shouts and curses rang out from outside the Cloud Stack Cave: "You fiend, why haven't you released Miss Gao yet? It's not too late to surrender now!"

Gao Cuilan turned pale with fright: "Tianpeng, this must be another sorcerer or Taoist priest that my father invited to capture you."

Zhu Ganglie shook his head and said solemnly, "Those outside are not Taoist priests or sorcerers, but the pilgrims. It is time for Cuilan and me to part ways."

After speaking, Zhu Ganglie's entire body emanated the magical power of an early-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Zhu Ganglie's cultivation level is now much stronger than before. The original Zhu Ganglie was only at the mid-stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal, two realms lower than Sun Wukong, and his magical abilities and martial arts were even worse.

Because of the two dimensional ascensions of the primordial world, the spiritual energy of the world has not only not declined, but has actually increased considerably.

In addition, he can be considered a chosen one of the Journey to the West. In the 500 years he was on earth, he broke through from the mid-stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal to the Daluo.

To be honest, Zhu Ganglie himself didn't expect to be able to break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, but with the cultivation of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, Zhu Ganglie was full of confidence: "I want to see just how capable this pilgrim really is."

After saying this, Zhu Ganglie unleashed his Nine-Toothed Rake and flew out of the Cloud Stack Cave.

When Sun Wukong saw Zhu Ganglie come out, he said with a hint of teasing, "So it's a pig demon. Where is Miss Cuilan?"

"Ha, where did this rascal come from, talking so arrogantly? He'll get a taste of my rake first."

Zhu Ganglie brandished his nine-toothed rake and charged at Sun Wukong without saying a word.

Zhu Ganglie unleashed his full power, his body surrounded by the magical power of an early-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal. Even a casual swipe of his rake possessed the force to overturn mountains and seas.

Although Zhu Bajie was strong, he was still no match for Sun Wukong.

Putting aside Sun Wukong's cultivation level, which is in the late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and is infinitely close to the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, his supernatural powers, magic, and martial arts alone are enough to make Zhu Bajie lose his way. With his Ruyi Jingu Bang, he can break all laws with his strength. He is a master of the law of war, fighting against heaven and earth. It is common for him to win against the strong with the weak. Moreover, Sun Wukong is stronger than Zhu Bajie.

The nine-toothed rake swung down suddenly, bringing with it a gust of wind. The rake's shadow was as large as a mountain, seemingly capable of tearing through the void. Its overwhelming force rushed straight at Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong stood there, fearless, his golden cudgel resting on his shoulder, and grinned, saying, "Pighead, your strength isn't even enough to tickle an itch!"

After saying this, Sun Wukong's figure flickered and disappeared from the spot. Zhu Ganglie's rake slammed into the ground with a loud bang, and the ground cracked open with a ravine dozens of feet long, with stones flying everywhere.

Seeing that his attack had missed, Zhu Ganglie's anger intensified. He pushed his magic power to the limit, and his nine-toothed rake transformed into nine cold lights, like nine silver dragons, which intertwined to form a net and enveloped Sun Wukong.

This move is "Splitting Light and Transforming Shadows" from his Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang. The rake alternates between real and feint, making it impossible to defend against.

Sun Wukong remained calm and composed. He twirled his golden cudgel in his hand, creating thousands of shadowy staffs that trailed golden light as he met the attack head-on.

"Clang clang clang!" The sound of metal clashing was deafening. All nine rake shadows were scattered by the golden cudgel. Zhu Ganglie was so shocked that he took three steps back, and his arms went numb.

Seeing that he could not win by fighting head-on, Zhu Ganglie had a sudden thought and used "Moving Mountains and Filling Seas" from the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang.

He roared and stomped his feet on the ground, channeling his magic power into the mountains surrounding the Cloud Stack Cave. With a deafening roar, the mountains within a hundred miles rose from the ground, transforming into towering peaks that blotted out the sky and crashed down on Sun Wukong!

Sun Wukong remained unmoved and directly used his Size Control Technique, transforming his body into a hundred-zhang tall figure, with his golden cudgel growing larger accordingly.

Sun Wukong swung his staff with one hand, the wind from the staff was like a tornado, sweeping across the battlefield. With one blow, he smashed several giant peaks to pieces, and the broken stones fell like rain in all directions.

Seeing this, Zhu Ganglie broke out in a sweat. He knew something was wrong and quickly changed his supernatural powers again, using "Hidden Form in the Mist" from the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang.

With a flicker, Zhu Ganglie transformed into a cloud of black mist, spreading for hundreds of feet. Within the mist, countless phantom images of pig demons roared and pounced on Sun Wukong. Each phantom wielded a rake, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake, and a murderous intent lurked everywhere.

Zhu Ganglie, in his true form, hid in the mist, secretly channeling his magic power in preparation for a sneak attack.

Sun Wukong's eyes shone brightly with golden light as he used his Golden Eyes of Truth to pierce through the fog and pinpoint Zhu Ganglie's location in an instant.

Then Sun Wukong blew out a breath, which turned into a whirlwind that instantly dispersed the black mist, revealing Zhu Ganglie's true form.

Taking advantage of the situation, Sun Wukong somersaulted and instantly teleported behind Zhu Ganglie. With a light tap of his golden cudgel, he struck Zhu Ganglie on the back of the head. Although the force was light, it sealed the flow of Zhu Ganglie's magic power.

Pigsy felt his magical power suddenly falter, and his nine-toothed rake clattered to the ground. He staggered a few steps, fell to the ground, panting heavily, his face full of resentment: "You impudent monkey, how... how could you break my old pig's magical powers so easily?"

Sun Wukong put away his golden cudgel and said with a hint of mockery, "You pig-head, you don't think you're the only one who knows the Thirty-Six Great Heavenly Powers, do you? When it comes to these powers, I, Old Sun, am definitely more skilled than you." (End of Chapter)