Journey to the West: The gods and Buddhas panicked when the monkey was trapped inside him.

Tang Sanzang looked at this insurmountable barrier and sighed.

"What should we do?"

"Are you suggesting we take a detour?"

Just as the three of them were standing on the shore discussing, the water, which had been calmly rolling, suddenly burst open.

boom!

A towering column of water shot up from the ground.

A burly man with red hair and an indigo face leaped out of the water, holding a heavy, black demon-slaying staff in his hand and a string of crystal-clear sandalwood prayer beads around his neck. He waded across the waves and headed straight for the shore.

"Where did this monk come from, daring to disturb the tranquility of my Flowing Sand River!"

Upon seeing this, Pigsy excitedly threw down the load on his shoulder.

He pulled out his nine-toothed rake and started yelling at Sun Wukong.

"Brother Monkey, you rest on the shore and protect your master!"

"These past few months of traveling have made my bones practically rust; this monster will be perfect for loosening them up!"

"Let me, Old Pig, go and meet him first!"

Sun Wukong took half a step back and slammed his golden cudgel into the ground.

"Go ahead, but be careful."

Pigsy shouted loudly, leaped up, and swung his rake down on the strong man's head.

"Monster, eat your pig grandpa's rake!"

General Rolling Curtain raised his demon-slaying staff and took the blow head-on.

when!

A deafening clang of metal clashing echoed across the riverbank, sparks flying everywhere.

The two stumbled back a few steps, then quickly regained their footing and resumed their fight.

The Demon-Slaying Staff was powerful and heavy, while the Nine-Toothed Rake was ruthless. The two fought fiercely on the banks of the Flowing Sand River, causing sand and stones to fly and waves of energy to surge.

Each clash of weapons created towering waves several meters high on the river.

Sun Wukong stood leisurely on the shore, arms crossed, watching the spectacle and occasionally offering his comments.

"Bajie, to the left! Yes, strike his waist!"

"Oh no, that was too slow. We should have used a sweeping attack this time."

On the shore, Tang Sanzang watched the stalemate in the battle, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

"Wukong, can Bajie handle it?"

"That monster looks incredibly strong. Why don't you go up and help him, and take it down as soon as possible, so as not to delay our journey westward?"

Sun Wukong waved his hand, looking confident and assured.

"Master, please don't worry."

"That monster's skills are far inferior to Pigsy's; look at him, he's already starting to panic."

"Bajie can handle it, there's no need for me, Old Sun, to take action. Let's fight for a few dozen more rounds, and I guarantee the winner will be decided."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang had no choice but to suppress his temper and continue watching the battle.

Sure enough, after fighting for several dozen more rounds, General Rolling Curtain gradually felt his arms go numb and his breathing became disordered.

Although he wielded his staff skillfully, its power was ultimately inferior to that of Pigsy's Nine-Toothed Rake. Each time they clashed, his arms went numb and his blood surged.

This monster was none other than the Curtain-Rolling General, who had been ordered by Guanyin to wait here.

He knew in his heart that his task was to gather one of the tribulations and then naturally join the pilgrimage team, rather than actually fighting to the death with Pigsy.

Seeing that the fight had gone on for so long and the time was almost up, he was afraid that if he continued fighting, he would really suffer a loss.

With a whirlwind of thoughts, Rolling Curtain immediately created an opening and swung his staff to force Pigsy back.

Without lingering in the fight, he turned and plunged into the murky depths of the river, disappearing instantly.

"You got there fast!"

Pigsy turned around and walked back to Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong, pursing his lips.

"Master, Monkey King, this time I, Old Pig, underestimated this monster."

"I didn't expect that monster to be so cunning. When I couldn't beat it, I ran away, and it got away."

Tang Sanzang gently shook his head.

"Bajie, this is not your fault. It's just that the monster was too cunning."

"This river is unfathomably deep; do not pursue a desperate enemy."

Tang Sanzang looked up at the sky; the sun was beginning to set, and a hazy yellow glow appeared on the water.

"It's getting late, so let's rest here on the shore for the night."

"Tomorrow morning, Wukong, you and Bajie should work together to capture this monster."

Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie exchanged a glance and nodded.

"I'll do as my master says, I'll deal with him tomorrow morning."

Pigsy also put away his weapon.

"Alright, Old Pig will eat two extra pancakes tonight. Tomorrow we'll definitely drag him out of the water."

......

Silent all night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

After Tang Sanzang finished his breakfast, he urged his two disciples to hurry up.

"Wukong, Bajie, it's getting late. Go and capture that monster so we can ask him how to cross the river. We mustn't delay our journey to the west."

Sun Wukong walked to the water's edge, glanced at the churning, turbid waves, and then turned to look at Zhu Bajie.

"Bajie, I, Old Sun, am a monkey raised in the mountains, and I am really not good at naval warfare."

"As for underwater skills, we'll have to rely on you, Marshal Tianpeng."

"Go down into the water and lure that monster ashore."

"As soon as he shows his face, I, Old Sun, will capture him from the shore."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy's lips twitched slightly, and he began to have doubts.

Monkey King isn't good at naval warfare? Why didn't he say he wasn't good at naval warfare when he caused trouble in the Dragon Palace?

This is clearly just laziness; they want to do the hard labor themselves.

However, Zhu Bajie knew Sun Wukong's temper and was too lazy to expose him. He just chuckled and gave him an "I understand" look.

"Alright, Monkey King, Old Pig will go down and lure him away."

"Keep a close eye on him. The moment he shows his face, make your move!"

Pigsy took off his outer clothes, picked up his nine-toothed rake, and jumped into the Flowing Sand River with a splash.

He churned the waters underwater, searching all the way to the front of General Rolling Curtain's water palace, where he began to curse loudly.

General Rolling Curtain had just been beaten up last night and didn't want to bother with it, but Pigsy's scolding made him furious. He picked up his demon-subduing staff and rushed out of the water palace. The two fought for more than ten rounds underwater.

Pigsy fought and retreated, slowly leading the Curtain-Rolling General towards the water's surface.

"Monster, if you've got the guts, come fight me on land!"

General Rolling Curtain snorted coldly and followed Pigsy out of the water.

Whoosh!

The two had just shown their heads.

Sun Wukong's eyes turned cold as he stood on the shore. He exerted force with his feet, and his figure instantly transformed into a golden light.

The golden cudgel, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, slammed directly down towards the face of the Curtain-Rolling General.

General Rolling Curtain was greatly alarmed.

He came here to join the pilgrimage team and accumulate merit. Guanyin Bodhisattva instructed him that he only needed to withstand a few waves of attacks to accumulate enough merit for the calamity. He would never risk his life to fight Sun Wukong head-on.

General Rolling Curtain raised his demon-slaying staff with both hands and used all his strength to block upwards.

when!

A tremendous force flowed into his arms through the staff.

General Rolling Curtain let out a muffled groan, and using the violent force, he slammed back into the water.

A giant wave several meters high surged up on the water's surface. Without looking back, General Rolling Curtain dived into the riverbed and sealed the gates of the Water Palace.

Sun Wukong landed back on the shore and hoisted the golden cudgel onto his shoulder.

Pigsy climbed out of the water and shook off the water droplets.

"Brother Monkey, this monster is very cunning. Knowing how powerful you are, it took a hit from your staff and won't come out again."

Sun Wukong gestured with his chin toward Zhu Bajie.

"Go ahead and curse him out again."

Pigsy jumped back into the water and cursed for half an hour, insulting the Curtain-Rolling General's ancestors for eighteen generations.

But no matter how much he cursed, not a single bubble rose from the water.

Pigsy swam back to shore helplessly and shrugged.

"Monkey King, it's over."

"That guy became a coward, even blocking the door with a big stone, ignoring all the challenges Old Pig made from the outside."

Sun Wukong walked up to Tang Sanzang and shrugged.

"Master, there's no other way."

"This underwater area is his territory. If he doesn't come out, I, Old Sun, won't be able to catch him."

Tang Sanzang frowned as he looked at the vast Liusha River.

"What should we do?"

"Are we just going to stay here on this shore forever?"

Sun Wukong said casually.

"Why waste time? If we can't get through, let's take a detour."

"This river eventually comes to an end. If we walk for a few more months and follow the riverbank upstream, we'll eventually find our way around it."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang pondered for a moment and nodded earnestly.

"We'll try one last time tomorrow. If he still refuses to come out, we'll pack our bags and find a way around this quicksand river."