On Tang Sanzang''s side, he had been walking with Mu Zha for half a month when the loud rumbling of water foretold the emergence of a great river within their sight.

    The river water was extremely murky, rolling in from the horizon and flowing towards the end of the sky.

    Tang Sanzang stood on his tiptoes, trying to see the opposite bank, but could not discern its width—the end was simply out of sight!

    At this point, Sun Wukong shouted, "Master, there''s a stone tablet here!"

    Tang Sanzang walked over for a closer look and saw three engraved characters on it: "Flowing Sands River!"

    Below the stone tablet, there were four lines of smaller text:

    Eight Hundred Realms of Flowing Sands,

    Three thousand leagues deep.

    Goose feathers can''t float,

    Reed flowers are surely submerged.

    The meaning was clear: the Flowing Sands River was eight hundred leagues wide and at least three thousand leagues deep, as the ancients liked to use "three" to represent a large number rather than an exact figure. Thus, "three thousand" was understood to be even deeper!

    Just like the weak water, anything as light as a goose feather would sink to the bottom, making this a classic no-go zone!

    However, for Tang Sanzang this was trivial, and he leaped across easily.

    Tang Sanzang turned and said, "Mu Zha, aren''t you coming to see?"

    Mu Zha shook his head and replied, "I''d rather not. Master, that Wujing I told you about lives in this Flowing Sands River."

    No sooner had he spoken than a surge rippled through the river, revealing a head covered in long hair.

    Unseen by others but clear to Mu Zha, an idea struck him, and he shouted, "Wujing, come out! The pilgrim you are to escort has arrived, come and pay your respects to your master!"

    Tang Sanzang''s eyes lit up as he sharply turned, seeing the river water boiling, bubbling as a long-haired figure slowly rose...

    Tang Sanzang''s lips slightly curled up: "Long hair... no mistake then! Must be a clean girl!"

    Seizing the moment Tang Sanzang was distracted, Mu Zha leapt up and sprinted away!

    Almost simultaneously, the individual in the water rose to the surface. This person was four meters tall, with fiery red, voluminous hair, which contrasted starkly with a dark, handsome beard!

    Their blue face ghostly, draped in a coat of goose feathers, their waist cinched with white tresses, their neck adorned with nine skulls!

    No matter how one looked at this, it fit the description of ugly!

    Zhu Ganglie shook his head, "I''m not going... One on one, I''m not afraid, but what if he summons his whole family? Then I''ll be at a disadvantage. If no one else captures him, I''d end up throwing myself in. Monkey, you''re formidable, you go."

    Sun Wukong shook his head, "While I''m good at transformations, water combat is not my forte. If I force myself into the water, I have to perform the water avoidance art with one hand, fighting single-handedly... I can''t exert even half of my full strength."

    Then both looked at the White Dragon Horse, who immediately cried out, "Don''t look at me, I''m just a mount!"

    The two were speechless...

    Then they both looked at Tang Sanzang with troubled expressions, "Master..."

    Tang Sanzang raised his hand to stop them, "Forget it, let your master handle it."

    "Master, are you skilled in water combat?" Sun Wukong asked, surprised.

    Tang Sanzang shook his head, "I can''t even swim."

    Both Sun Wukong and Zhu Ganglie were stunned. If he can''t swim, how was he going to catch someone in the river?

    Tang Sanzang gave them a glance, "Who said catching someone necessarily requires going into the river?"

    Crack!

    Tang Sanzang clenched his fist.

    Hiss!

    Tang Sanzang stepped back, moving into a lunge forward and twisting his body, his fist drawn back.

    In the river, Sha Wujing hadn''t escaped; his situation was quite peculiar. He suffered from the agony of thousands of arrows piercing his heart every day, and only by journeying to the Western Heaven could he find relief.

    Therefore, he didn''t dare wander too far...

    However, he was confident in his swimming ability and, considering the magical advantage of the Flowing Sands River, he felt relatively safe in the water. Even if danger arose, he could always escape at the critical moment...

    Seeing Tang Sanzang''s posture of bending over and clenching his fist, he furrowed his brows, "What does this baldy want to do?"

    Watching the familiar maneuvers, Sun Wukong seemed to realize something, "Master, are you going to..."

    "Open the river!"

    Tang Sanzang roared as he threw a punch!

    A punch of Fist Power blasted out, and a furious force surged into the Flowing Sands River!

    Seeing this, Sha Wujing in the river exclaimed, "Damn!"