"Good heavens!"

    Boom!

    A force of Fist Power slammed into the earth, directly creating a huge crater out of a mountain peak!

    A few minutes later, not far from the old site of Five Fingers Mountain, two figures descended from the sky.

    One was a bald monk, and the other had a bruised and swollen pig''s head.

    "Master... didn''t you say you wouldn''t make it hard for me? Why did you still hit me?" Sun Wukong rubbed his face, complaining unwillingly.

    The bald man turned his head and glanced at him, "Did I really make it hard for you?"

    Sun Wukong felt the temperature around him drop, sweat pouring down his forehead as he quickly shook his head, "No... no... no."

    "Amitabha, very well, let''s be on our way."

    "Master, didn''t you say you weren''t a monk? Why are you chanting Buddha''s name now?"

    "Don''t you think playing the part of a monk looks a bit more bullyable?"

    After saying that, the sneaky bald man winked, looking all innocent and weak, as if saying ''come beat me up''.

    Sun Wukong swore, he had never seen such a shameless monk in his life!

    "Master, why don''t we just fly directly to the Western Heaven?"

    "No flying."

    "Why not?"

    "The journey is more important than the destination."

    "Can we speak in plain language?"

    "There''s a lot of game along the way, missing out on it would be a regret, both for us and for them."

    Sun Wukong roared internally, "I think you''re the only one who would regret it!"

    Looking at the bald man in front of him, Sun Wukong thought he couldn''t always be the one getting beaten up, so he braced himself, pulling out his thick-skinned tactics he had learned at the Oblique Moon Three Stars Cave on Mt. Fangcun, and edged closer, "Master, could I ask how you trained to become so powerful?"

    Tang Sanzang naively looked at Sun Wukong, "Am I really that strong?"

    Sun Wukong nodded vigorously, "Strong! You are the most powerful person I have ever seen!"

    As soon as Tang Sanzang heard this, his eyes lit up: "There are snakes on the mountain? Big ones?"

    Wukong was at a loss for words, "Uh... I don''t know."

    "Let''s go and see," Tang Sanzang asserted as he started walking briskly forward.

    Sun Wukong hurriedly followed.

    Eagle Grief Gorge was nestled in the middle of Serpent Coiling Mountain. The mountain split open, cascading a waterfall from the heavens into a large cavern below, further creating a wide underground river.

    The sound of the water raging underground could be heard coming through some caves that led to the surface, echoing throughout the valley...

    At its loudest, the sound was like a dragon''s roar, and at its lowest, like a whisper of a demon. Coupled with the high dense forests, steamy vapors, and perpetual clouds and fog that blocked the sunlight, the place seemed eerily sinister.

    Ordinary people dared not venture into Eagle Grief Gorge, and even wildlife steered clear...

    Walking along the path in Eagle Grief Gorge, one could clearly feel the rivers surging deep beneath the ground, a truly wondrous sensation.

    With a face as harmless as that of humans and livestock, Tang Sanzang walked forward holding a cookbook, with a bored-looking Sun Wukong leading the way.

    As they were walking, Sun Wukong suddenly stopped, peered into a cavern on the ground that had water sounds coming from its depths, but it was too dark to see what was inside.

    Tang Sanzang walked past Sun Wukong, "Monkey, what are you peeping at? Hurry up and move."

    Sun Wukong said, "Master, it seems like something is watching us from inside there."

    "Are you hungry?" Tang Sanzang stopped and asked.

    Sun Wukong shook his head, "No..."

    "Then let''s move on." Tang Sanzang continued walking without looking back.

    Tang Sanzang''s logic was simple: if they were hungry, they could go down, kill whatever was there, and eat its meat; if not, they would just leave it.

    Wukong was left speechless by his master''s straightforward, brutal logic.

    After the two had left, a pair of red eyes opened in that cave, and a deep voice echoed, "Eat monkey, fill belly, steal Luminous Pearl... Perfect!"

    After a while, the two reached the grand waterfall, stunned by the deafening sound of the water and the sight of the waterfall, hundreds of meters high. Tang Sanzang wore a solemn expression, deep in thought.

    Wukong, thinking Tang Sanzang had noticed something fearsome or unusual, recalled the suspicious creature he had spotted in the water earlier, and approached with a grave look, asking, "Master, have you discovered something?"

    Tang Sanzang spoke very seriously, "There''s a cave behind the waterfall!"

    Wukong asked cautiously, "And then?"

    Tang Sanzang replied, "I want to go relieve myself."