We bear people have power

They journeyed westward through countless seasons, traversing mountains and rivers, all for the sake of saving all sentient beings. It must be said that Tang Sanzang and his four disciples were indeed people of great perseverance and merit. However, their journey through the eighty-one tribulations seems to have gone astray.

One day, at midday, Tang Sanzang dismounted from his white dragon horse to rest and suddenly exclaimed, "Wukong, how long has it been since we encountered a monster?"

The Great Sage scratched his head and said, "It's been quite some time. For the past few months, the journey has been peaceful, without even a single robber."

"Why is this? In the past, we would encounter calamities after traveling only a few hundred miles, but now the journey has been smooth sailing. It's really strange," Tang Sanzang said. Pigsy interjected, "Master, are you tired of living comfortably? Isn't it good that there are no monsters here?"

"It's not that it's bad, but I just don't feel quite at ease, as if the world is about to undergo a great upheaval," Tang Sanzang said.

"Master, you only feel secure when you're away from the concrete road, right? My poor legs are sore from walking these past few days," said the little white dragon, still in the form of a horse, lying on the ground.

In recent times, Da Zhou cement has become popular throughout the land, and the kingdoms of the Western Regions have begun to vie with each other to pave cement roads. As long as the raw materials are available, this kind of work requires almost no technical skill; it's just hard labor.

Therefore, the vast stretches of cement roads, like an interwoven spider web, are almost connecting all the kingdoms of the Western Regions.

The biggest beneficiary was the White Dragon Horse. Monkey King, Tianpeng, and Sandy all moved with ease, climbing mountains and wading through rivers with ease. Tang Sanzang could ride a horse, but the White Dragon Horse carrying Tang Sanzang was practically carrying three mountains, making their journey extremely difficult.

Walking on the smooth cement road was fine, but now that we're back on the rugged mountain road, it's torture.

"Wukong, hurry up and fly ahead to inquire whether there are any monsters or bandits. That way we can make arrangements as soon as possible," Tang Sanzang instructed.

Monkey King hesitated for a moment and asked, "Master, should I say there's a monster, or should I say there isn't?"

Tang Sanzang scolded, "You impudent monkey! A monk doesn't lie. If it's true, it's true; if it's not true, it's not true. What's this talk of 'should' or 'shouldn't'?"

“Master, I kept saying there were monsters, but you wouldn’t believe me… Alright, alright, stop chanting, I’ll set off now.”

With a kick of his feet, Monkey King transformed into a shooting star and flew away, disappearing into the world in the blink of an eye.

Before long, after traveling a thousand miles, Monkey King still couldn't see a trace of demonic energy.

This seems a bit off. Logically speaking, even if there are no powerful demons ruling the mountains, there should be some unformed minor demons making a living in the deep mountains and dense forests.

Why is this land so clean, not even a single demon hair can be seen?

Unable to resist, Monkey King pressed down on the clouds, slammed his golden cudgel down on the spot, and shouted, "Earth God! Come out here, you old Sun!"

A moment later, a young man emerged from the ground, looking to be no more than twenty years old. He was completely bewildered and couldn't even use the earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of escaping technique) properly. Half of his body was stuck in the ground, and it took him a lot of effort to climb out.

When Monkey King saw this, he almost died laughing. He pointed at the local earth god and said, "I've lived for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen an earth god like this. Could it be a fake?"

These words were quite hurtful to his pride, so the young local deity retorted loudly, "I am a local deity personally appointed by the Jade Emperor, how could I be false? You monkey spirit, what kind of monster are you, daring to be so arrogant in front of me?!"

Monkey King laughed even harder, almost unable to straighten up.

"What are you laughing at, you pointy-mouthed, monkey-faced monster? This god is not someone to be trifled with," the young earth god said, both embarrassed and stubborn.

"Hahaha, this is hilarious! This is the first time I've met a local official who doesn't recognize me. How interesting, truly interesting. How long have you been in this position?" Monkey King asked.

The young local earth god's face flushed slightly, and he said stiffly, "What, does becoming an earth god require seniority? I've only been an earth god for ten days, what are you going to do about it?"

"Ten days?"

Upon hearing the local deity's reply, Monkey King was taken aback. Most local deities were righteous gods who had existed for millions of years; even those only three to five thousand years old were considered junior. For a local deity to have only been in office for ten days was truly rare.

But no matter how rare it was, it was still just a local deity. Monkey King was busy with important matters and didn't bother joking with this person anymore, so he asked, "Tell me, where have all the monsters within a thousand miles gone?"

"Monster? What monster?" The young land deity was a little confused, as he hadn't seen any monsters since he took office.

Monkey King's fiery eyes can see through not only the transformations of monsters, but also the hearts of men, allowing him to see that the land has not lied.

At this point, Monkey King realized he had come to the wrong person, so he stopped talking and rode his somersault cloud to the next place.

The young land deity watched the shooting star flash across the sky, his mind racing. Finally, he took out a communication orb and reported the matter.

Little did Monkey King know that the land he had just encountered was actually a member of the Golden Guard of the Great Zhou Kingdom. Guan Bo had replaced every inch of the Western Regions with his own people, but these young men had only recently assumed their divine positions and were not yet proficient in using their various supernatural powers, which naturally led to many comical situations.

Meanwhile, Monkey King flew another thousand miles and landed on the ground, tapping it with his golden cudgel.

The land that emerged this time was no longer a teenager; he looked to be in his thirties or forties. However, compared to those landowners whose hair was always snow-white and whose beards were longer than their entire bodies, he was still excessively young.

Moreover, the land itself is quite strange in appearance; if it weren't for its skin being similar to that of ordinary people, it would look like a frog.

"Greetings, Great Sage." The frog-like earth god bowed to Monkey King.

"Are you a frog spirit? How did you become the local deity?" Monkey King asked.

"Reporting to the Great Sage, I am not a demon, but a pure-blooded human. I just look a bit strange," the local deity replied skillfully.

It seems he's been asked this question countless times.

"Okay, what's your name?" Monkey asked again.

"I am An Sifang, a citizen of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I have only recently become a landowner," An Sifang introduced himself directly.

"That's strange. How do you recognize me, Old Sun? And has everyone around here died? How come they've all been replaced?" Monkey King asked.

This land deity is closely connected to the earth's veins, and generally speaking, unless there is a cataclysmic disaster like the collapse of the heavens and the earth, their life is not in danger. But because of this, the land deity can never die no matter what, and is often captured by powerful monsters to be used as a laborer, tormented and amused day and night.

“It’s not that the previous land deity died, but that my Great Zhou Panda Immortal Venerable used his great magic to replace all those incompetent land and mountain gods. Now, almost every inch of land in the Western Regions is under the jurisdiction of my Great Zhou,” An Sifang said proudly.

He was originally a fanatical follower of the Panda Immortal Venerable. When he heard that Guan Bo had ordered the selection of suitable Golden Guards to take over the position of Earth God, he was the first to sign up, as if he was afraid that he would not be selected.

Just now, he had received a message from his colleague. Upon hearing the description, An Sifang naturally knew that this person was Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

I heard that this is the senior brother of the Panda Immortal Venerable, so An Sifang naturally wouldn't be negligent in the slightest.

"Hey, that Guan Bo fellow has really caused quite a stir. When I, Old Sun, wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, I only managed to get the empty title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven. What great thing did he do that forced that old Jade Emperor to obey his orders and replace all the local land gods and mountain gods?" Monkey King laughed.

An Sifang dared not respond to this. It was nothing for someone of Monkey King's status to call Guan Bo that guy, but if An Sifang responded, it would be considered a lack of manners.

"Alright, I'm too lazy to care what that panda is up to. Let me ask you, why are there no monsters around here? We can't even see a trace of them." Monkey King asked.

“Great Sage, you may not know this, but the Immortal Venerable used his great magical power to replace the local land and mountain gods of the Western Regions, and also sealed off the three demon national teachers of Chechi Kingdom, thus annexing the entire Chechi Kingdom. Now all the demons are retreating, seemingly to unite and resist the path of our Great Zhou’s unification,” An Sifang explained.

"You want something like this? So, according to you, does that mean all the monsters on the journey to the West are united against that panda? Your Great Zhou might be in danger of collapse?" Monkey King asked in surprise.

"Hmph, mere monsters? My Great Zhou has never been afraid. We'll meet force with force and water with earth. Even if a demon attacks, my Great Zhou can easily annihilate it," An Sifang said confidently.

Having witnessed Guan Bo's supernatural abilities—carrying mountains on his back and manipulating clouds and rain with a flick of his wrist—An Si became blindly worshipful of this Panda Immortal. Furthermore, the Great Zhou Dynasty's power was growing daily, winning battle after battle, and its invincible aura seemed to swallow mountains and rivers.

In fact, it wasn't just An Sifang who felt this way; almost everyone in the Great Zhou Kingdom maintained this inexplicable self-confidence. A demon alliance? Nothing but a bunch of worthless idiots.

But the Monkey King didn't think so. He had already encountered many powerful demons on his westward journey, some of which he had to call for reinforcements to deal with. Now, with only half the journey complete, the closer he got to the Great Thunder Temple, the more formidable the demons he would likely encounter.

The mere Great Zhou Kingdom might not be able to withstand it.

After much thought, Monkey King realized he couldn't just stand by and watch his junior brother court death; he had to find a way to help him.

Immediately, Monkey King took to the air and flew back to Tang Sanzang's side.

Monkey King told Tang Sanzang about this and pleaded, "Master, I have some connection with the Great Zhou Kingdom. Now all the demons have gathered and are about to massacre the city and destroy the kingdom. I, Old Sun, cannot stand idly by. Please ask for leave so I can go and shield that panda spirit from this calamity."

Upon hearing Monkey King's words, Tang Sanzang chanted a Buddhist prayer, saying, "Amitabha! Heaven cherishes life, and saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. I will naturally not refuse your request to save the person. However, is your strength enough on your own? Do you need Wuneng and Wujing to lend you a hand?"

"Master, rest assured, I, Old Sun, can handle it. It just so happens that all the demons have gathered in Great Zhou, and now the road to the Western Paradise is wide open. My fellow disciples can escort you to the Great Thunderclap Temple, and I, Old Sun, will catch up later." Monkey King kowtowed to Tang Sanzang and then rode his somersault cloud towards Great Zhou.

Meanwhile, the first batch of monsters had already arrived at Wuji City.