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

After Venus invited the monkey to come down from the mountain, he returned to the Heavenly Court with peace of mind.

"With the Monkey King on the field, one is worth two. Although Yun Zhao has his skills, he's only at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm. How could he possibly withstand that mischievous monkey's supernatural powers?"

Others may not understand Sun Wukong, but he certainly does.

As the deity in Heaven who had the earliest and longest contact with him, Taibai Jinxing knew very well what was going on.

As a veteran Ronaldo, he could even sense a daunting aura emanating from the monkey.

Dealing with a mere Golden Immortal would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?

A huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.

The journey to the West was originally going smoothly, all thanks to Sun Wukong's protection.

If Tang Sanzang hadn't been so blind and chased away the monkey, and if Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing hadn't been so incompetent, this whole mess wouldn't have happened.

Now that the monkey has returned to the group, Tang Sanzang and his disciples will surely be able to turn danger into safety, and the little turmoil in Baoxiang Kingdom will be easily resolved.

Venus calculated the time and murmured, "Several months have passed in the mortal realm. According to the itinerary, Tang Sanzang and his disciples should have arrived at Lotus Cave on Pingding Mountain by now."

That ordeal was caused by two attendants of Laozi descending to the mortal realm, carrying a magic gourd, a jade bottle, and a magic fan, among other things, which proved quite troublesome. Although the Monkey King is strong, he is most afraid of those who collect people's treasures… I might as well descend to the mortal realm and give them a heads-up, lest they suffer a great loss again.”

He thought to himself that he had a deep friendship with Laozi and was in charge of the Heavenly Court's documents, so giving him a little guidance would be a meritorious deed.

With a flash of golden light, Venus headed straight for Pingdingshan in Xiniuhezhou.

Pingdingshan, outside Lotus Cave.

The mountain is steep and precipitous, with sheer peaks and jagged rocks, often shrouded in eerie winds. Inside the cave are the two attendants, the Golden Horn King and the Silver Horn King, who have descended to earth on Laozi's orders to make things difficult for the pilgrims on their journey to the West.

Venus landed invisibly and swept his divine sense across the area.

Huh?

The mountains were unusually quiet.

The entrance to the Lotus Cave was tightly shut. There were no demon soldiers patrolling outside, nor any sounds of feasting or commotion inside. Only two boys, who looked like children, sat facing each other playing chess, looking completely relaxed.

Venus appeared, disguised as an old Taoist priest, and coughed, "Are the two young disciples there?"

Upon hearing this, Jinjiao and Yinjiao looked up and saw that the newcomer had a flowing white beard and an air of otherworldly grace. Who else could it be but Taibai Jinxing?

But now that they are demon kings from the lower realm, they naturally have to pretend they don't know them.

So he quickly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "What brings you here, venerable immortal?"

Venus laughed and said, "This old Taoist has a long-standing relationship with your masters, and has come to pay my respects. I heard that the monks on their pilgrimage are supposed to arrive here; I wonder if they have been here before?"

King Golden Horn was taken aback, then shook his head: "No. We brothers have been waiting here for half a year, and we haven't seen a trace of Tang Sanzang and his disciples."

Silver Horn King also said, "Yes! Master told us to go down to the mortal realm to set up difficulties, and we were supposed to be able to return in a month or two."

But why hasn't the pilgrim arrived yet? We're all getting bored waiting, and we can only pass the time by playing chess every day.

The mortal realm is so polluted; it's nothing like the freedom we have living beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. Could it be that the pilgrims aren't coming after all?

Upon hearing this, Venus felt a jolt in his heart.

Half a year?

According to previous calculations, even if we were delayed for several months in Baoxiang Kingdom, and even if we traveled slowly, we should have arrived at Pingdingshan by now.

But Jinjiao and Yinjiao said they hadn't seen them for half a year...

"Could it be... that the pilgrimage team hasn't left Baoxiang Kingdom yet?"

Venus's expression changed drastically.

He hurriedly tried to calculate with his fingers, but the celestial secrets were dim, like looking at flowers through fog, blurry and unclear.

"not good!"

Venus, sensing something amiss, hurriedly bowed and took his leave: "My two young disciples, this old Daoist has other matters to attend to and must take his leave now!"

As soon as the golden light appeared, he headed straight for the Kingdom of Baoxiang.

Above Baoxiang Kingdom, fiery clouds still covered the sky.

The blazing inferno had lasted for months, engulfing vast areas in flames and radiating intense heat. The capital was sweltering, and the people proclaimed that "the God of Fire had descended to earth." The regent ordered the granaries to be opened and food distributed to appease the populace.

Venus appeared high in the sky, and upon scanning with his divine sense, he immediately gasped in shock.

Inside the formation, Sun Wukong's aura remained, but he was as if trapped in quagmire, his magical power flowing sluggishly.

Outside the battle formation, Tang Sanzang sat listlessly in the inn, while Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing looked haggard in the dungeon.

The guardian deities are still imprisoned at White Tiger Ridge.

Everything remains the same!

"Even the monkey is trapped?"

Venus was greatly alarmed.

He had thought that once Sun Wukong arrived, the situation would be broken. But now it seems that Yun Zhao's formation is ferocious, even trapping the Great Sage Equal to Heaven for months!

"This formation...could it be one of the Ten Ancient Deadly Formations?"

Venus was deeply shaken.

Although he had not personally witnessed the Investiture of the Gods, he knew of the formidable reputation of the Ten Deadly Formations. That formation was vicious and cruel, specifically designed to burn away the soul; even Golden Immortals could not escape it.

"Yun Zhao...what brings this formation here?"

Venus dared not force his way in.

Although he possesses the cultivation level of a Great Luo Immortal, he is not the one destined to face the tribulation. Forcibly interfering with the pilgrimage to the West might invite divine punishment.

"No, I must immediately inform the Great Celestial Venerable!"

He hurriedly returned to Heaven.

Lingxiao Palace.

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor was also astonished: "The journey to the West has actually been hindered by a Golden Immortal for half a year?"

Taibai Jinxing smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, Yun Zhao is no ordinary man. His formation is so fierce that it rivals the Ten Great Formations of antiquity. The Monkey King is trapped, the guardian deities are missing, and Tang Sanzang and his disciples are unable to move an inch."

The Jade Emperor scoffed, "Is there any movement from Buddha's side?"

Taibai Jinxing shook his head: "The Buddhist sect values ​​this pilgrimage to the West the most. There's been no movement on the surface, so they probably haven't noticed it yet."

"Therefore, there's no need to worry about it."

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Venus felt reassured.

The journey to the West was ordained by Heaven, and Buddhism should flourish.

As members of the Taoist sect, even if they disapprove of this matter, there is nothing they can do. After all, this is ordained by Heaven. All they can do is to share some of the merits during the journey to the West.

The pilgrims are now trapped in the Kingdom of Baoxiang. Although they have noticed this, since no one is asking for help, they certainly won't rush to join in the fun.

The fact that Venus went to Flower Fruit Mountain to invite the monkeys was already considered extremely kind and benevolent.

After all, as the ruler of the Three Realms, the Heavenly Court should at least show some magnanimity. Now that the monkey is trapped because he himself is incompetent, even Buddha cannot say anything about it.

Reporting to the Great Celestial Venerable was merely his duty; now that he has received the imperial decree, he naturally will no longer concern himself with it.

"I will obey the decree!"

Venus responded and returned to his own star palace.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it... How can this thing be so troublesome!"

The monkey's fur was now burned off, with patches missing here and there. It was no longer the majestic Monkey King; it was a complete mess.

This formation wasn't fatal, but it still required him to use his magic to resist it. He couldn't escape, which was even more frustrating than being in the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

"You cowardly rat, let your grandpa out! If you have the guts, show your true abilities in person. What kind of hero uses this damn formation?"

The monkey would yell and curse every day, even though it knew it was all in vain, it still made it feel better.

He channeled his magic power, then slumped to the ground, letting the flames engulf his body.

"Is there really no other way?!"

He was almost in despair, feeling a tingling sensation all over his body, and began to scratch frantically with his hands.

As the monkey scratched, its eyes lit up.

"Hahahaha, there's always a way out! How could I forget about you!"