A figure in blue manifested and said, "It''s mostly that impostor Tang Sanzang''s fault..."

    The several blues knew only that Zhenyuanzi had been subdued but were unaware that he had sworn allegiance to Tang Sanzang and called himself the junior. Now, they simply thought that Zhenyuanzi was venting his pent-up anger on them.

    Initially, the blues could have flaunted the banner of Buddhism and sought lodging at the Wuzhuang Temple.

    However, since they had nearly caused Zhenyuanzi''s death before, they felt guilty and dared not show their faces.

    So, the group could only sigh and descend the mountain.

    This made Tang Sanzang''s journey miserable, deprived of his white horse, relying solely on his legs to travel. Not only did he have to traverse mountains and rivers, but he also often faced completely unexpected bizarre terrains...

    The previous journey to the west might have been tough, but at least there was a path. Now, the roads he took were either ravines, pits, or vast canyons.

    There is a saying that roads are made by the footsteps of many, but no roads exist until they are traveled.

    The problem was, Tang Sanzang was the first to travel this path, and the hardships were imaginable.

    Tang Sanzang looked up at the sky and lamented, "What kind of times are these?"

    The blues also looked at Tang Sanzang with profound sympathy. Although the western journey had its dangers, they were all part of the plan and not truly perilous. There was a white horse for riding and a monkey to fetch food; calling it fetching the scriptures was more like a business trip, not that exhausting.

    But now, though less dangerous, it was truly exhausting!

    ...

    Meanwhile, on the route to the west, Tang Sanzang was sitting on a white horse, eating hotpot, singing, and exclaiming, "Isn''t life too good for the young these days? Is this what counts as one of the eighty-one tribulations? What''s so difficult about this? Isn''t this just enjoyment?"

    If Tang Sanzang heard this, he would probably pass out from rage.

    The monk continued, "Wukong, what''s ahead?"

    Sun Wukong shaded his eyes to look into the distance, but with his height of a mere 1.3 meters, he could not see much.

    Sha Wujing simply lifted his eyelids and said, "Master, there''s a dense forest and high mountains ahead, with a faint glimmer of golden light, seems like there''s a Buddhist pagoda."

    Before Tang Sanzang could respond, Sun Wukong jumped up and punched Sha Wujing in the knee, saying, "Always you with the extra words, who asked you? Think you''re so tall, huh?"

    Before Sun Wukong could finish, Tang Sanzang had already spoken.

    Sun Wukong was stunned; he had thought that asking for leave would not be so easy, and he was somewhat slow to react when Tang Sanzang agreed so readily.

    After a moment, Sun Wukong excitedly said, "Master, do you really approve my leave?"

    Yawning lazily, Tang Sanzang replied, "If you don''t want to go, you don''t have to."

    Quickly, Sun Wukong said, "Thank you, Master!"

    Seeing that Sun Wukong had successfully obtained leave, Zhu Ganglie''s eyes darted around as he raised his hand, "Master, I also want to ask for leave!"

    Tang Sanzang gave him a look and said, "Wukong, your departure will be a short separation; before you go, let''s slaughter a pig and have a farewell banquet. Eat your fill before going back to Mount Huaguo, and you''ll have the strength for battle."

    Zhu Ganglie immediately shouted, "Master, I no longer ask for leave; I want to diligently complete the quest for the True Scriptures. Without obtaining the True Scriptures, I swear not to turn back!"

    Tang Sanzang nodded in satisfaction and said, "Well, what are you waiting for then? Let''s go!"

    "Let''s go, let''s go now!" Zhu Ganglie quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and led the horse forward.

    As Tang Sanzang and the others left, Sun Wukong respectfully bowed to Tang Sanzang''s retreating figure, then grabbed Babur Bung with one hand, soared into the air, and flew towards Mount Huaguo on his somersault cloud.

    Before long, there were rumors that the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong, had made a powerful return to Mount Huaguo. With a group of monkeys, he uprooted and destroyed villages, effortlessly pushed through the State of Aolai, and bloodbathed the three major human sects, staining Aolai and the Eastern Sea red with blood.

    Suddenly, countless people took notice...

    Some even saw that on Mount Huaguo, the banner of the Great Sage Equalling Heaven had been raised again, as though signaling a readiness to ascend to the Nine Heavens once more, causing an uproar throughout the land.

    While Sun Wukong was making headlines, he drew the attention of another pair of eyes.

    Across the sea, there is an island called Solitary Moon Island.

    On Solitary Moon Island, there is a paradise called the Solitary Moon Cave.

    At that moment, with peach blossoms blooming all around, numerous spiritual animals and demonic pets were running around, some picking Spirit Fruits, others collecting dew into bottles to offer to the master of the Solitary Moon Cave.

    While the spiritual animals and demonic pets were busy, a cold female voice came from the cave, "You wretched monkey, it must have been you who killed my beloved disciple Qingya Xian! You just wait!"