Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

After hearing this, Pigsy felt his legs go weak, his whole body went limp, and even his scalp tingled. It wasn't entirely the dragon's fault for being ruthless; after all, Pigsy had launched the sneak attack first, so he had no grounds for complaint.

Pigsy couldn't help but wail and curse, "What does this have to do with me? It was all Sun Wukong's scheme, it has nothing to do with me. Why would you eat me? Go eat Tang Sanzang for immortality, eating me would just be too much!"

In the past, one person would always go out to get reinforcements, but now Tang Sanzang and his disciples have all been captured. However, apart from the White Dragon, none of the other demons had ever captured him before. Perhaps this is because the White Dragon is, after all, a member of the supreme dragon clan of the demon realm.

......................

Chapter 593 Escape

Pigsy was anxious, but the demon dragon laughed and said, "Alright, alright, now that we've captured Tang Sanzang and his disciples, come and wash them all, then throw them into the cage and steam them."

Although Pigsy refused to open his eyes, he couldn't struggle and was eventually pulled over. Sandy and Tang Sanzang were also thrown into the steamer.

The Demon Dragon laughed, "By the way, what should we do with that Sun Wukong?" The Fire Qilin laughed, "Brother, don't worry. Just wait three hours, until the third quarter of midnight. At that time, Sun Wukong will turn into a pool of pus and blood inside this gourd. Don't worry about him dying."

Upon hearing this, the Demon Dragon laughed heartily, "That's wonderful! By midnight, even if we've slashed Sun Wukong to pieces, Tang Sanzang's flesh will be cooked. Buddha said that eating Tang Sanzang's flesh grants immortality. We're probably in for a treat tonight."

"Quickly send a telepathic message to the Roc, telling him to return tonight. Otherwise, if he doesn't get to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh, he'll probably curse us."

Fire Qilin laughed and said, "Big brother is so thoughtful. You should take good care of your injuries first. I'll go and have the younger ones call Third Brother over."

It turns out that the Roc had gone to the mountains thousands of miles away to conquer a mountain stronghold. There were several powerful demon kings in that stronghold, and their demon generals couldn't take it down. So the Roc personally took action and conquered it long ago. It is currently resting and recuperating.

The fire-breathing qilin immediately summoned a demon general and ordered, "Go and invite the Third King here. Tell him that you have captured Tang Sanzang and his disciples. Come back quickly. We will eat Tang Sanzang's flesh at midnight. If he doesn't come, he will miss out."

The demon general accepted the order and went down.

Li Xiuyuan was still high in the heavens, in a palace, watching the play he had directed below with great interest.

Li Xiuyuan couldn't help but feel smug, thinking to himself: "This is probably the only hardship Tang Sanzang and his disciples will face on their journey. Not only did I release my three mounts to hinder their pilgrimage, I'll surely gain a lot of sin points. But if I let those three mounts deal with all the monsters in the surrounding mountains, I'll probably gain another considerable amount of merit points."

However, Li Xiuyuan knew in his heart that if he wanted to obtain a huge amount of merit points, he would probably have to wait until Tang Sanzang and his disciples finished their journey to the West and brought the true scriptures back to the Tang Dynasty.

Pigsy, Sandy, and Tang Sanzang were all put into a steamer. The demon soldiers added lots of firewood, and soon the water was heated. Pigsy couldn't stand it and shouted. It turned out that he was at the very bottom.

However, at this moment, two figures suddenly emerged from the mountain stronghold. One was the Little White Dragon, and the other was also a dragon, apparently a Dragon King. It turned out that the Little White Dragon, being a member of the dragon clan, fled directly to a large lake and found his uncle, the Well Dragon King.

The little white dragon said, "Uncle, do something. Don't let the water boil. Draw out the cool air from the well and put it in a steamer."

The Dragon King of the Well nodded and said, "Alright, let's do it that way." Then the two of them became invisible. The Dragon King of the Well drew out cool air from the well and put it into a steamer to begin the rescue work for Pigsy.

Pigsy was also surprised, wondering why it had suddenly become cool. At this moment, the White Dragon used an invisibility spell, lay down in front of the steamer, and said, "Second Brother, don't worry, I am the White Dragon, I've come to save you."

Pigsy was overjoyed upon hearing this and whispered, "Good, good, Little White Dragon has a conscience. There's no rush now. You go out and scout things out first, and then we'll sneak out. Otherwise, the demon king here is too powerful, and we won't be able to defeat him."

The White Dragon laughed and said, "Second Brother, don't be in a hurry. I'll go and check it out before I come back. The cool air in the steamer won't stop." After saying that, the White Dragon left the woodshed.

With nearly half an hour left until midnight, the Demon Dragon King grew anxious and urged, "What's going on? Why aren't Pigsy and those two monks cooked yet? Call the fire-tender here! What's happening?"

Then the fire-tender came up and said, "Your Majesty, please don't blame me. Pigsy is at the bottom, and his skin is too thick, so he's not cooked through yet. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."

Fire Qilin comforted him, "Alright, brother, let's drink first and save room for Tang Sanzang's flesh. This is the grand finale, we can't serve it so early."

Upon hearing this, the demon dragon agreed and began drinking, taking turns to drink heartily.

As for the white dragon horse, after inquiring along the way, it spotted Sun Wukong. It couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Senior brother, what's wrong?"

Sun Wukong laughed, "I tricked both the demonic dragon and the fire qilin. I was trapped inside that gourd, losing all my magic power and becoming nothing. I was just waiting to turn into pus and blood, but then I remembered the life-saving monkey hair that Buddha gave me."

I used that monkey hair to chisel a hole in the gourd, and that's how I escaped."

Upon hearing this, the White Dragon didn't say much, but said, "Alright, let's rescue Tang Sanzang and the others together. Come with me quickly."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong followed the White Dragon to the woodshed. Sun Wukong blew a breath, and all the henchmen fell into a deep sleep.

Then the White Dragon brought the cage and released Pigsy and the others. At this moment, Tang Sanzang finally woke up, but he didn't know what was going on. He immediately asked, "What's going on? Aren't we on the White Dragon's body?"

The little white dragon laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I'll transform into a white dragon again. Come on up quickly, this time we can't let ourselves be captured again."

The little white dragon then spoke to the well dragon king beside him, saying, "Alright, Uncle, you go ahead. I will definitely pay you a visit in the future." The well dragon king nodded and returned to the well. The little white dragon was going to fly out with Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie. The well dragon king, however, wanted to travel by water.

Then, Tang Sanzang and the others climbed onto the body of the white dragon. The little white dragon then quietly flew away, taking advantage of the darkness to escape the mountain stronghold. Pigsy looked back at the stronghold and sighed, "Finally, we've escaped to heaven."

Within Lion Camel Ridge, everything remains the same.

Chapter 594 Destiny

In the sky, a white dragon struggled forward, from midnight until dawn. The little white dragon dared not pause for even a moment.

Sun Wukong turned back to look in the direction of Lion Camel Ridge. He saw the Hundred Thousand Mountains, with their towering peaks and dense forests, and a demonic aura that filled the sky. He sighed mournfully, "My master once warned me about the eighty-one tribulations. I'm afraid we won't be able to get through this one."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy and Tang Sanzang both shook their heads and sighed. Sandy also looked blankly in the direction of the Flowing Sand River, wondering if he would really only be able to become a demon in the future and could not achieve enlightenment.

At this point, Sun Wukong and the others were completely disheartened. They had received countless divine assistance on their journey to the West, and now, faced with this formidable obstacle, they had no face to face Li Xiuyuan again.

Meanwhile, high above, two attendants sat on either side. Li Xiuyuan and the two had been watching the play for a day and a night. Little Vajra couldn't help but sigh, "Master, they are so pitiful. They have endured so many hardships in the past, but now they can't get over this hurdle. Why don't you go and help them?"

This little Vajra had also helped Tang Sanzang and his companions overcome several difficulties and defeat several demons. Now, seeing Tang Sanzang and his disciples in trouble, he felt great sympathy for them.

Li Xiuyuan smiled and watched the sunrise in the east.

It was just dawn, and the clouds had not yet dispersed. A large sun slowly rose, illuminating half of her face. Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly and said...

"A sea of ​​clouds falls on a lonely sky, half a lifetime of events are like smoke. One wrong step and you fall into the mud, all your blood and sweat are wasted." Li Xiuyuan recited this poem while swaying.

Mo Yan worried that they couldn't escape this hurdle. Only by overcoming it could they find a way out. These people, from the moment they took their first step westward, were destined to have no way back.

"Otherwise, how could one cultivate to enlightenment and escape the cycle of reincarnation?" Li Xiuyuan said calmly.

At this moment, Red Boy did feel a bit of relief. It just so happened that Li Xiuyuan had taken him in as his disciple. If he were to go on the journey to the West and endure so many hardships, it was hard to imagine what would happen.

Pigsy snapped out of his daze and said, "Little White Dragon, you've been working hard all night. You should stop and rest. We've already traveled a thousand miles, and those demon kings can't catch up with us anymore. Your injuries haven't healed yet, so you should rest."

The little white dragon was already exhausted and said, "I am powerless and I am afraid I will faint. Be careful." Then, the little white dragon slowly closed its eyes and fell from the treasure sky.

The little white dragon was already exhausted, and still had wounds on his body. He knew the monster was very powerful, and if he didn't escape and was caught, he would definitely be turned into dragon soup.

So, after carrying Tang Sanzang and his companions for thousands of miles, they were already exhausted and had no strength left. If they hadn't persevered, they wouldn't have been able to escape.

Seeing the White Dragon faint and fall straight down, Pigsy couldn't help but shout, "Quick, quick, quick! The White Dragon has fainted! Sandy and I will hold him back. Monkey King, you hold this bald monk back, don't let him fall to his death!"

After Pigsy shouted, Monkey King grabbed Tang Sanzang with one hand, jumped off the white dragon, and then slowly landed on the ground.

Then look at Pigsy and Sandy, one dragging the dragon's head and the other its tail, it took a lot of effort to get the white dragon to land safely. Sandy couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, if the white dragon falls again, it will probably be ruined. It was already injured, and it ran for its life."

Tang Sanzang walked over to the White Dragon, touched its head, sighed, sat down, and began chanting sutras as a prayer for the White Dragon.

Li Xiuyuan looked down and said, "This ordeal is meant to unite them. All the past grievances will be settled today."

Tang Sanzang was chanting sutras when Zhu Bajie kicked him, cursing, "You bald monk, still chanting sutras! If you hadn't insisted on going to Lion Camel Ridge, we wouldn't be in this situation! We even lost half of the White Dragon's life. That's a dragon's life, much more valuable than yours."

Tang Sanzang was kicked to the ground, covered in mud and looking utterly disheveled. Sha Wujing then spoke up, "Master, you are utterly useless. You always order us around like servants. If it weren't for the journey to the West, we probably would have disbanded long ago."

Tang Sanzang was also aggrieved; he had truly lost all face. Lying on the ground, he could only blame himself for being utterly useless.

Just then, a furry hand reached out to him; it was Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong helped Tang Sanzang up and comforted him, "Master, get up. They were just angry for a moment."

Tang Sanzang, who was usually high and mighty, couldn't bear it anymore, and tears streamed down his face. Zhu Bajie, however, couldn't stand it and said, "Brother Monkey, why do you care? If it weren't for the Buddha giving you a life-saving treasure, you would probably be a pus-filled mess by now."

Sun Wukong sighed, "Although he used to treat us like slaves, he is still our master. Once a teacher, always a father."

Pigsy, upon hearing this, didn't know what to say, and Sandy remained silent as well. They went to the White Dragon's side to tend to his wounds, though it wasn't very effective. However, it did alleviate some of the pain.

With Sun Wukong's help, Tang Sanzang sat up and couldn't help but say, "You really don't know what the journey to the West is?"

On this journey westward, every hardship is set up for us by the planners, and there's no way to avoid them. There are a total of eighty-one hardships. If we avoid this one, it will probably become eighty hardships. Would the Buddha be willing to give us the Buddhist scriptures then? And how can we then attain enlightenment?

Little did we know, once we embarked on this path, there was no turning back. We are all pawns, tasked with completing our mission. Under heaven, everyone is a pawn; failure means becoming a discarded piece, useless, and extinguished, forced to leave this chessboard of heaven and earth, to leave this world.

It turns out that Tang Sanzang had experienced many tribulations on his journey. He also slowly recalled his memories of his past life, in which he was Ling Chanzi, a disciple of the Buddha.

He had long since seen through all of this and had had enough of the Buddha's daily sermons.

...........

Chapter 595 In Despair

One day, the Buddha was giving a sermon when he dozed off. The Buddha scolded him for disrespecting the Dharma.

Ling Chanzi, unconvinced, blurted out, "Below the level of a sage, all are but ants. Only sages can be chess players; you and I are merely pawns. What use is Buddhism? Is it as profound as Taoism?"

The Buddha was naturally furious and banished him to the mortal realm for eternal reincarnation.

In this way, he became a mortal, fortunate enough to go on the journey to obtain the scriptures in this life, and perhaps he could achieve enlightenment again.

After speaking, Tang Sanzang was deeply saddened.

Sun Wukong sighed, "I can't very well ask the Heavenly Dragon Buddha for help again. How about we disband here?"

Pigsy replied, “Brother Monkey is right. Let’s call it a day. Come visit my Gao Village whenever you have time, and I’ll treat you well.”

Sha Wujing and Tang Sanzang remained silent, tacitly agreeing. Little Vajra, watching them, couldn't help but ask, "Master, are they really going to break up? Aren't you going to help them?"

Li Xiuyuan, however, smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, it certainly won't dissipate."

Meanwhile, at Lion Camel Ridge, the Roc had just arrived. The Demon Dragon complained, "Third Brother, why are you so late? In the dead of night, Tang Sanzang and his disciples all ran away. That Sun Wukong, I don't know what he used, to carve a hole in the gourd that Buddha gave us, and he ran away too."

It's too late to chase after you. I've been waiting for you until now.

Upon hearing this, the roc laughed and said, "Brothers, don't worry. Those people ran away in the dead of night, and it's only just dawn. They probably can't have gone very far. I can catch them and bring them back, but I don't know where they've gone."

The demon dragon immediately said, "East, it must be the east. They are monks from the Tang Dynasty in the East. If they can't get through this, they will definitely run back and want to go back to their hometown."

Upon hearing this, the roc nodded and laughed, "My two brothers, don't be impatient. Watch me capture them." Then it revealed its true form as a golden-winged roc, soaring above the sea of ​​clouds and flying eastward.

The demonic dragon cried out, "That Sun Wukong is also formidable, my brother, you must be careful!" But the roc had already vanished from sight.

This roc is renowned for its speed. There's a saying: "The roc spreads its wings for ninety thousand miles." This isn't an exaggeration. The golden-winged roc simply flaps its wings, covering ninety thousand miles of land. Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang and his disciples had only flown a few thousand miles away.