Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

While Pigsy was busy sorting the luggage, Tang Sanzang suddenly spoke up: "Wukong, I have a bad feeling about me, I'm very nervous."

Sun Wukong also said, "I've sensed it too, and I feel a sense of oppression. I'm afraid the monsters from Lion Camel Ridge are chasing after us. Just to be safe, we'd better run."

Tang Sanzang nodded and said, "That's true. Although we've traveled thousands of miles, the demons of Lion Camel Ridge are incredibly powerful. It's quite possible they could catch up. But how will the White Dragon transport them?"

Sun Wukong said, "That's easy," and then blew a breath, transforming the White Dragon into human form, which was none other than his own appearance as the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan. Sun Wukong then said, "Pigsy, you carry the White Dragon; Sandy, you take Tang Sanzang. I'll cover the rear. Let's go!"

Just as Tang Sanzang and his group had finished dividing up and taken flight from the ground, they sensed movement behind them. Sun Wukong, who was bringing up the rear, held his golden cudgel and shouted, "You all hurry up and go; I might be able to hold them off for a while."

After Sun Wukong finished speaking, the others did not dare to delay and flew forward with all their might, leaving only Sun Wukong behind.

But what Sun Wukong didn't expect was that he would be facing the Golden-Winged Roc. The Roc was so large that it blotted out the sky and stretched for tens of millions of miles, and even the Hundred Thousand Mountains were probably not safe.

When Sun Wukong saw the enormous creature flying towards him, he couldn't help but feel flustered, but he still picked up his staff and smashed it at the Roc.

Unexpectedly, the roc let out a fierce roar, so powerful that Sun Wukong's scalp tingled, and he couldn't even fly steadily. Even the staff in his hand was slapped to the ground by the roc's wing.

Sun Wukong crawled out of the ground and thought to himself, "This guy is really powerful. I'm afraid I can't beat him. I'd better run away."

Immediately, Sun Wukong used his Somersault Cloud to escape. Although the Roc was known for its speed, its wingspan was only 90,000 li (approximately 45,000 kilometers), while the Somersault Cloud Li Xiuyuan had given Sun Wukong covered 108,000 li (approximately 54,000 kilometers) in a single somersault. There was no way he could catch up.

However, Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon could not escape.

The roc flew to Tang Sanzang and his companions almost instantly, and directly blocked out the sun above their heads.

Pigsy asked curiously, "Hey, why isn't the sun out? Could it be that the heavenly dog ​​is eating the sun?"

Tang Sanzang cursed, "You pig-headed idiot, look at what's on your head! Now we're the fish on the chopping block, and I'm afraid we won't make it through this ordeal at Lion Camel Ridge."

When Pigsy and the others looked up, they saw a giant roc overhead that blotted out the sky, and exclaimed, "My goodness, what is that?"

No sooner had Pigsy finished speaking than the Roc let out a sharp cry and grabbed Tang Sanzang, Pigsy, the White Dragon, and Sandy with its two enormous claws.

Bajie and the others tried to break free, but they couldn't. Bajie, unsure whether to laugh or cry, yelled, "What the hell is this?!"

Tang Sanzang, however, was much calmer and said, "It's nothing, it was all destined. I was just eaten, and that's the end of this life."

After capturing Tang Sanzang and the others, the Golden-Winged Roc turned around and flew back to Lion Camel Ridge. It seemed it could boast about its victory to the Demon Dragon and the Fire Qilin. However, in the Golden-Winged Roc's eyes, the only flaw was that Sun Wukong had escaped.

Knowing that the previous Fire Qilin and Demon Dragon had captured Tang Sanzang and his disciples, he had only missed Sun Wukong. But he probably didn't have the guts to go to Lion Camel Ridge.

Sun Wukong could travel 108,000 li in a single somersault. They were almost back at Wuzhuang Temple, and at this point, Sun Wukong was truly disheartened and didn't know what to do.

I am utterly desperate.

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

Chapter 596 Re-entering Lion Camel Ridge

Having spent so many years with Tang Sanzang and his companions, he must have developed some affection for them; it wouldn't be right for him not to help them.

But if he went to their rescue, he might also get himself killed. The three demon kings of Lion Camel Ridge are truly formidable, and Sun Wukong is especially so.

They are all probably no match for them, especially the Golden-Winged Roc, who is the most powerful.

He happened to see a tavern, so he transformed into human form and went to buy some wine. He planned to buy fine wine and then go to Wuzhuang Temple to have a good drink with his sworn brother, Zhen Yuanzi, before discussing anything else. Afterwards, Sun Wukong went down to get the wine and walked along the river to express his gratitude.

Li Xiuyuan, who was in the sky, saw this and couldn't help but laugh, "Hehe, this is also a monk who indulges in wine and meat."

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong bought two jugs of wine and got very drunk on the way, eventually arriving at Wuzhuang Temple.

Since Little Vajra was summoned away by Li Xiuyuan, the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi had been rather bored, spending his days in ascetic meditation. Just then, a boy ran over and reported, "Master, your sworn brother Sun Wukong has arrived. He's drunk and can't even stand up straight."

Upon hearing this, the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi said, "Oh? My sworn brother has arrived. Come with me to see him."

Then Zhen Yuanzi, the Great Immortal, led two attendants to the main hall, where they saw Sun Wukong, who was extremely drunk and acting out, swaying from side to side as if he was about to fall over.

A large group of children were tending to him, but Sun Wukong was far from well-behaved, causing the children a lot of trouble. Just then, the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi arrived and immediately scolded, "Brother! What happened? Have you succeeded in your pilgrimage?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "What pilgrimage? They were all captured. The monsters in Lion Camel Ridge are powerful; I can't beat any of them! We were captured the first time, and we barely managed to escape. But then we were captured again. If it weren't for my master riding my somersault cloud, I probably would have been captured too."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi, the Great Immortal, struck Sun Wukong on the shoulder with a whisk and said, "Brother, wake up. I'll accompany you no matter what."

Zhen Yuanzi's use of the Buddha's Dust technique seemed to have woken Sun Wukong up. After regaining his senses, Sun Wukong sat down with a helpless expression and said, "Brother, you may not know this, but tens of thousands of miles away lies Lion Camel Ridge. Within Lion Camel Ridge is a mountain stronghold. Inside the stronghold, there were initially 99,999 demon soldiers, then 300 demon generals, and finally, three demon kings. One of those demon kings is a demon dragon; I fought him for half an hour, but I couldn't gain the upper hand."

The second one was a fire qilin. He was also powerful. Although we had fought before, I was directly knocked away by him. Before I could even react, he captured me alive with his magic weapon. If my master hadn't given me a treasure, I probably would have been reduced to a pool of pus and blood by now.

The third was a golden-winged roc, extremely powerful. I'm afraid I wouldn't last a single round against him.

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi frowned deeply and said, "This is really troublesome. According to what you said, even I might not be able to defeat that Roc."

Sun Wukong continued, "Originally, I wasn't planning to go to Lion Camel Ridge; I intended to disband the group. Who knew that as soon as we escaped from Lion Camel Ridge, the Roc bird caught up with us."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi immediately rebuked, "How could you do such a thing? Sending you on the pilgrimage is a blessing for you. You just need to endure these few years. There is the Great Sun Dragon Buddha in the Western Paradise, where you can also strive for a Buddha position. If it were normal, you would probably have to cultivate for countless years to achieve enlightenment."

You have this opportunity, so you should cherish it. Let's not talk about anything else.

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "Brother, how could I not know what you're saying? It's just that Lion Camel Ridge is really insurmountable. I originally wanted to return to my Flower Fruit Mountain and be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

He felt he had spent some time with Tang Sanzang and his companions, and had developed a bond with them. He felt it would be disloyal to simply walk away. If he went to rescue them, he feared he would also be put to death. He had escaped last time; if he were caught again this time, he probably wouldn't be able to escape.

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi said, "Very well, I will go with you to meet those demon kings. If I am no match for them and fall into their hands, and we do not return to Wuzhuang Temple before nightfall, my attendant will inform my friends. The celestial immortals and the powerful wandering immortals will all gather at Lion Camel Ridge to help us escape this predicament."

I'll go with you first. If those three demon kings aren't as powerful as I am, then there's no need to ask my friend for help.

Sun Wukong was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "Thank you, sworn brother, thank you, sworn brother." Zhen Yuanzi, however, said, "We are brothers, there is no need for thanks. But you must know that this opportunity for you to obtain the scriptures and become a Buddha is rare. If it weren't for the protection of the Great Sun Dragon Buddha, you would probably have lost even if you had nine lives. In the future, do not give up on obtaining the scriptures so easily."

Sun Wukong nodded in agreement, and Zhen Yuanzi then instructed the boy that if he did not return to Wuzhuang Temple before sunset, he should crush his dozen or so jade talismans, and those who had left the talismans would come rushing over.

After the boy's explanation, the cultivators all went to Lion Camel Ridge to rescue them. However, this was contingent on the three demon kings being strong enough to defeat Sun Wukong and Zhen Yuanzi.

Without further delay, the two headed west.

Sun Wukong could travel 108,000 li in a single somersault, which was incredibly fast, but Zhen Yuanzi, relying on his immense magical power, couldn't keep up. Zhen Yuanzi couldn't help but sigh, "Wukong, your somersault cloud is truly amazing. The Great Sun Dragon Buddha has really given you many good things."

As the two talked, they arrived at Lion Camel Ridge. This was Sun Wukong's second time at Lion Camel Ridge, and he still didn't know if he could make it.

Sun Wukong stepped forward and said, "Brother, I'll go call the mountain gate first." Zhen Yuanzi nodded and said, "Wukong, don't panic. With me behind you, I'll naturally protect you."

Then, Sun Wukong walked to the front of the mountain gate, hovered in mid-air, and began to challenge again.

Chapter 597 The Battle of Lion Camel Ridge

Sun Wukong immediately went to the gate of Lion Camel Ridge and began to shout, "Quickly tell your king to come out and release the people you've captured, or he'll suffer a terrible death!"

The demon guarding the mountain gate was greatly alarmed and immediately ran to the mountain stronghold to report: "Your Majesties, that monkey has returned again. He has brought a Taoist priest with him!"

The three demon kings were tense upon hearing this. The demon dragon said, "My two brothers, Sun Wukong has brought a Taoist priest with him. I'm afraid things are going to get complicated. Let's go out together and see what's going on."

The Fire Qilin laughed and said, "Big brother, what are you afraid of? With our third brother here, even a Golden Immortal would have to bow down. Besides, we have me too. Big brother is injured and hasn't fully recovered yet, so why don't you rest in the stronghold first? That way, after my third brother and I capture that monkey and the Taoist, we can have a feast! You can celebrate our victory then."

Upon hearing this, the Roc laughed heartily, but the Demon Dragon was worried and said, "That's fine, but I'm afraid this Taoist has a powerful backer. If we beat him up, we might cause trouble."

At this moment, the Fire Qilin said disdainfully, "Brother, you are really a bit timid. Don't forget, we are also acting on the Buddha's orders. Even if the sky falls, the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Buddha will support us. So brother, you shouldn't worry."

Upon hearing this, the Demon Dragon felt relieved and laughed, "Second Brother is right. However, my injuries are not fully healed yet, so I can only host a welcome dinner for my two virtuous brothers."

The fire qilin waved its hand and said, "Hey, we're brothers, it's nothing, it's nothing." Then it went out with the roc.

After the two left, the demon dragon became restless and thought to himself, "If my two brothers can't defeat that Taoist, I'll have to prepare to have two heads!" Then, the demon dragon also left the mountain stronghold, but instead of going to the mountaintop to watch the battle, he went to the place where Tang Sanzang and the others were being held.

The fire qilin took the lead and rode straight to the mountain gate, calling out to Sun Wukong, "Monkey, where are your reinforcements?" Sun Wukong laughed and said, "What an impatient beast! Don't you even know what's on your head?"

Upon hearing this, the Fire Qilin realized it had been ambushed. Looking up, it saw a Taoist priest descending from the sky, a whisk aimed at it. The Fire Qilin had no time to react or defend itself, and was struck squarely, knocked to the ground.

This was exactly what Sun Wukong and Zhenyuanzi had planned. Although there were three demon kings, the demon dragon was seriously injured and probably wouldn't fight for the time being, so there were only two left.

Sun Wukong and Zhen Yuanzi had jointly plotted against one, which would probably be much easier to deal with. As for the last one, the Roc, Sun Wukong had also fought against him and felt that he was about the same level as the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi.

Having succeeded in his first move, Zhen Yuanzi the Great Immortal naturally wouldn't let the opportunity pass. He immediately unleashed another blow with his whisk. If the Fire Qilin were to deliver this attack, it would likely be severely injured.

Just as Zhen Yuanzi was about to succeed, the Roc suddenly appeared and rescued the Fire Qilin. It withstood a blow from Zhen Yuanzi and saved the Fire Qilin.

Immediately, Zhen Yuanzi realized he had met his match, and his expression turned serious. The Roc, having also received Zhen Yuanzi's advice, immediately understood that this Taoist was no ordinary person, and if he didn't deal with him properly, he might lose his life.

Looking down, Li Xiuyuan laughed and said, "This Roc has met its match with Zhen Yuanzi. Now, this Roc can crush its peers with its supernatural powers, but the title of Ancestor of Earth Immortals is not something to be taken lightly."

But then they saw that Sun Wukong and Zhen Yuanzi were already facing off against the Fire Qilin and the Roc. Zhen Yuanzi said, "Wukong, I have already injured the Fire Qilin. You should be able to handle it. Although this Roc is not of a high level, it can crush its peers with its supernatural powers. I think this Roc must have obtained the teachings of the Kunpeng Demon Master, otherwise it would not be able to spread its wings for ninety thousand miles."

In fact, this roc had received the inheritance of the Kunpeng Demon Master; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to possess such imposing presence. However, this opportunity was a gift from Li Xiuyuan.

Originally, the Kunpeng Ancestor could transform into a Peng when he ascended into the sky, spreading his wings for ninety thousand miles. When he fell into the sea, he became a Kun fish, able to soar through the ocean.

This demonic dragon had partnered with the roc to cultivate the Kunpeng Technique. However, while the roc could transform into a roc with wingspans stretching for thousands of miles once it found a sufficiently large sky, the demonic dragon could not easily find a large lake or ocean on land large enough to hold a thousand-mile-long Kun fish.

Otherwise, Sun Wukong probably wouldn't have been able to fight the demon dragon to a standstill.

Then Sun Wukong spoke up, "Brother, let's do it this way. We'll all do our best!" Zhen Yuanzi nodded upon hearing this, then took up his whisk and charged at the opponent, followed closely by Sun Wukong.

The roc instructed the fire qilin, "Second brother, you are injured. If you can't manage, summon the minions to come and help. I will deal with that Taoist." Then it revealed its true form as a roc, spreading its wings for ninety thousand miles, and pounced on Zhen Yuanzi with an irresistible momentum.

Looking at the enormous roc that blotted out the sky, Zhen Yuanzi sighed, "Indeed, it is the divine power of the Kunpeng, truly domineering. But it's not enough to scare me!" He then flicked his whisk and charged forward.

Sun Wukong, standing close behind Zhen Yuanzi, thrust his Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff) at the fire qilin, intending to take advantage of its injury and strike it while it was down.

The fire qilin wasn't stupid either; it immediately revealed its true form, a qilin beast as tall as a mountain, its entire body radiating flames, looking extremely majestic.

This made Sun Wukong feel a little scared, thinking that just a few days ago, this fire qilin had revealed its true form and knocked him flying with a single horn. That brute force was something the Bull Demon King could never match.

However, the Fire Qilin was injured, and its power might not be as formidable as before. So, Sun Wukong gritted his teeth and went forward anyway, albeit with considerable difficulty.

Chapter 598 The Spiritual Monkey

The golden-winged roc, though imposing and incredibly powerful, was met with Zhen Yuanzi, who was playing coy with it, and could only stall for time.

However, Zhen Yuanzi was cunning and experienced, and the Golden-Winged Roc was afraid that if it was not careful, it would suffer a loss, so everyone was on guard. However, the title of Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of earth immortals, was not given lightly. He was much stronger than ordinary Golden Immortals, just like Li Xiuyuan when he faced ordinary quasi-saints, such as Maitreya Buddha.

Zhen Yuanzi and the Roc were locked in a stalemate, with the turning point now falling to Sun Wukong and the Fire Qilin. The Fire Qilin was also barely holding its own against Sun Wukong, but Sun Wukong still held the upper hand.