Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

Within the blazing array, the sea of ​​fire stretched endlessly.

Sun Wukong, in his imposing form, sat cross-legged in the center, his golden cudgel resting horizontally on his lap, his body radiating golden light as he barely managed to resist the omnipresent Crimson Heavenly Fire.

At first, he was full of fighting spirit, his staff flashing like a dragon, charging left and right, trying to smash the array walls, find the array's core, and break it with a single blow.

But as time went by—although there was no change of day or night within the formation, his keen senses allowed him to perceive the depletion of magical power and the exhaustion of his soul—and doubts began to arise.

"This formation... how can it be so strange?"

Sun Wukong opened his fiery eyes, golden light piercing through the fiery clouds as he scanned his surroundings.

Three hundred and sixty pillars of fire, concealing golden crows; nine fire dragons, roaring incessantly; fire phoenixes circling, their feathered arrows raining down; a sea of ​​fire churning, burning the void.

He smashed ten pillars of fire with a single blow, but new fire rose from the ground where the pillars had shattered, instantly restoring them to their original state.

He shrunk to the size of a mosquito, trying to squeeze through the gaps in the formation, but was caught by the heavenly fire and gale, almost burning his primordial spirit.

He stood tall and imposing, punching the top of the formation. The void shattered, and a black hole appeared, only to be filled with subsequent flames, showing no sign of breaking the formation.

"Strange! This is no ordinary formation!"

Sun Wukong scratched his cheek, slammed his staff down, and sat in the sea of ​​fire, panting.

He traversed the Three Realms and had seen countless formations: Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace, Zhen Yuanzi's Universe in His Sleeve, and even the Lingxiao Palace Formation of the Heavenly Court... all of which had traces to follow.

But this blazing array, with its core shifting erratically, its flames never ceasing, burning directly at the soul but not harming the physical body. It seemed to be created specifically to counter his bronze head and iron arms.

"How could Yun Zhao, a peak Golden Immortal, possess such a dangerous formation?"

Sun Wukong became more and more suspicious.

He recalled his time as an official in Heaven, when he traveled around and made many friends.

I've heard from those old folks that there were ten deadly formations in ancient times, which were almost impossible to break without corresponding magical treasures to counter them.

Although he had not seen it in person, he had heard of the prestigious reputation of the Jie Sect.

That formation was brutal; nine out of ten of the twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect who entered it perished.

"Could it be... one of the Ten Deadly Formations?"

He was startled.

"No! The Ten Deadly Formations disappeared with the Investiture of the Gods, how could they reappear?"

Doubt burned like a flame in his heart, growing ever stronger.

What worried him even more was Tang Sanzang!

"I, Old Sun, am trapped in this formation, unaware of how much time has passed outside... My master is still in that bird kingdom, his fate unknown, while I'm stuck here wasting my time!"

He didn't know how Yun Zhao would deal with Tang Sanzang, but he regretted that he shouldn't have been so arrogant and should have ended the battle much earlier!

Sun Wukong's monkey eyes turned bloodshot, and he slammed his staff into the ground, sending waves of fire soaring into the sky.

He tried to break free, but only sank deeper and deeper.

"Yun Zhao, you brat! Come out and fight me if you dare! What kind of skill is it to hide in the formation!"

The shouts echoed through the sea of ​​fire, but no one answered.

Sun Wukong gradually realized that the master of this formation had no intention of fighting him head-on; he only wanted to trap him!

"Delay...he's trying to buy time?"

The Monkey King's heart sank.

He was unaware that two months had passed outside the battle lines, and felt as if each day was an eternity.

"How could I, Old Sun... be trapped by a mere Golden Immortal?"

But the facts were right in front of him: the more anxious he became, the more his magical power was depleted, and the more intense the burning pain in his soul became.

Doubt, anxiety, and anger intertwined in my heart.

"We need to stay calm...find the key point of the formation!"

He closed his eyes, focusing his inner vision, trying to decipher the secrets of the formation.

But the key point of the formation is like a flower in the mist, indistinct and elusive.

In the small courtyard where Tang Sanzang was imprisoned in Baoxiang Kingdom,

He sat under the old locust tree, his monk's robe neat, but it couldn't hide the weariness and despair in his eyes.

Two months ago, a fierce battle raged in the sky, with fiery clouds obscuring the heavens and the aura of the Monkey King soaring into the sky. He was filled with anticipation.

When the monkey arrives, there is hope for me to get out.

however……

Three days passed, the fiery clouds lingered, and the sounds of battle gradually subsided, causing him unease.

Ten days passed, and no one came to his rescue. He began to speculate wildly.

"Could it be that Wukong defeated that demon, but is now entangled in the kingdom's laws? Although the Regent is a demon, he still rules the country. Wukong is impatient; perhaps he smashed up the palace again and is now surrounded by soldiers?"

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and chanted Buddhist prayers in a low voice, but the more he chanted, the more confused he became.

A month passed, and the fiery clouds remained unchanged. His guess had changed again: "Wukong may have been seriously injured by that demon and has temporarily retreated to recuperate? With his supernatural powers, he will surely return soon..."

Two months later, the high-altitude fire domain remained undiminished. Although the Monkey King's aura was still present, it was as if he were trapped in a quagmire, with no sign of breaking through the formation.

Tang Sanzang was in utter despair.

He gazed at the fiery clouds, tears streaming down his face, and murmured to himself, "Wukong... could it be that even you cannot overcome this tribulation? How could the journey to the West be so difficult?"

He began to make wild guesses, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

"Perhaps Wukong is trapped in that demon's formation and can't escape?"

"Perhaps Wukong won, but because of old grudges, he's unwilling to save his master again?"

"Perhaps... Wukong has already died and his cultivation has vanished?"

Upon having this thought, Tang Sanzang was struck dumb, his hands trembled, and his chanting choked with emotion.

"I was wrong... I shouldn't have sent you away back then..."

He recalled White Tiger Ridge, the golden headband, and the Monkey King's angry departure.

"If you were still here, what would it matter if I suffered the torment of imprisonment?"

Tang Sanzang was filled with remorse.

He was unaware that the Monkey King was trapped; he only felt that Heaven had abandoned him and that the journey to the West was hopeless.

"Bajie, Wujing... are you alright?"

He looked towards Wanzishan, tears blurring his vision.

"I... have ruined you all."

Wave Moon Cave, a dungeon.

Pigsy and Sandy huddled in a corner.

Two months ago, the two were overjoyed to sense Sun Wukong's presence a hundred miles away.

"Monkey King is here! He'll definitely smash this demon's lair and rescue us!"

Pigsy laughed loudly, "I knew it! Monkey King is the most loyal friend!"

Sha Wujing also said, "With your supernatural powers, Senior Brother, we can surely turn danger into safety."

Three days passed, but no one came to their rescue.

Pigsy began to speculate: "Perhaps Brother Monkey went to rescue Master first? Master is all alone, which is more dangerous for him."

Ten days have passed, and there has been no further development.

Sha Wujing worriedly asked, "Could it be that my senior brother is locked in a fierce battle with that demon king?"

A month passed, and although the Monkey King's aura remained high in the sky, there was no sign of him descending to the mortal realm.

Pigsy panicked: "Brother Sandy, do you think the Monkey King... can't beat that demon king?"

Sha Wujing shook his head: "Second Brother, don't talk nonsense. How impressive was our Eldest Brother when he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace?"

Pigsy smiled bitterly: "But now he's bound by the golden headband and driven away by his master, harboring resentment. Perhaps... he's unwilling to fight?"

The two fell silent upon hearing this thought.

They're making wild guesses.

Various thoughts tormented the two of them.

Pigsy cried, "If I had known this would happen, I would have stopped Master from reciting the Tightening-Headband Sutra, even if it meant my death, back at White Tiger Ridge!"

Sha Wujing sighed, "Yes... now our master is all alone, our eldest brother is nowhere to be found, and we are imprisoned here, making it difficult to obtain the true scriptures!"

The dungeon was deathly silent, and the two men were filled with despair.

Unaware that the Monkey King was trapped in a fiery array, they only felt their hope rising and falling time and time again.

For two months outside, it was like an eternal night within the ranks.

Sun Wukong sat cross-legged in the sea of ​​fire, his staff tightly gripped, his monkey eyes half-closed.

A flood of doubts.

"When have I, Old Sun, ever suffered such a loss?"

He tried to break the formation, but he only sank deeper and deeper.

Yun Zhao felt exhilarated as he watched the monkey repeatedly attack the formation.

After so many simulations, it's time to teach you a lesson.

The obstruction has been going on for more than six months, and a glint flashed in Yun Zhao's eyes.

"Very well, half a year has passed, can we delay a little longer?"