"Rest assured, my two junior brothers, I plan to go to the South Sea to seek Guanyin Bodhisattva, who will surely subdue that demon."

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing were no longer worried, as Guanyin Bodhisattva has yet to face a problem she couldn't solve.

Wukong flew to the South Sea and encountered one of the Twenty-four Celestial Realms guards. After some exchange, he successfully met Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Though Guanyin knew the whole story, she feigned ignorance and asked, "You monkey, what brings you here instead of escorting your master to retrieve scriptures from Western Heaven?"

Sun Wukong bowed his head and explained, "Bodhisattva, the demon's Samadhi True Fire is truly formidable; please think of a way to extinguish those flames. Then I'll be able to subdue that demon."

Guanyin was speechless at Wukong's words. You came all the way seeking help, yet couldn't let go of your pride. Why must you stubbornly clash with Red Boy?

Naturally, Sun Wukong was unwilling to relent. Firstly, that demon is the son of his sworn brother; secondly, he believed that without those divine skills, he could totally overpower Red Boy.

Guanyin shook her head and dropped the Jade Purifying Bottle into the shallow pool. In a short while, a giant turtle carried it back up.

"Wukong, the water in my Jade Purifying Bottle can extinguish the Samadhi True Fire. Take it."

Sun Wukong was elated upon hearing this and reached out to take the Jade Purifying Bottle from the turtle's back, but simply couldn't lift it!

Doubting this, he grasped the bottle with both hands, using all his strength, but the bottle remained motionless.

Wukong was at a loss. He knew of Guanyin's powerful mana, but was the disparity truly so vast? He couldn't even lift the bottle she held daily?

"What's wrong?"

Sun Wukong awkwardly smiled, "Bodhisattva, your bottle is too heavy; I can't lift it."

Guanyin signaled to the Dragon Girl, Metis, beside her.

Metis gracefully placed down the pearl and, right before Sun Wukong, lifted the Jade Purifying Bottle.

Sun Wukong: ...

Am I really the weakest here?

Once the Dragon Girl set the Jade Purifying Bottle down, Wukong tried again, but still couldn't lift it. To ensure the Dragon Girl wasn't cheating, he tried lifting the Dragon Ball beside it, yet couldn't budge it either.

The monkey immediately humbled himself. Though strength doesn't necessarily equate to battle prowess, unable to contend was unable to contend, especially when strength was his boastful advantage.

Moreover, the Dragon Girl and Guanyin Bodhisattva didn't appear to be the type who'd resort to belligerence.

Even though the Jade Purifying Bottle contained water from the Four Seas, it wasn't as heavy as imagined—Guanyin merely manipulated it spatially.

The Dragon Girl, sharp as ever, shadowed Guanyin every day. While she hadn't mastered the Space Dao, she knew some techniques. Sun Wukong only exerted brute force. Unless he lifted the entire space the Jade Purifying Bottle occupied, he couldn't hold it.

The Dragon Girl's Dragon Ball mirrored this principle; of course, the Dragon Girl's strength was indeed great—not just anyone could lift water from the Four Seas.

Sun Wukong cast aside some of his pride and beseeched the Bodhisattva to accompany him.

Guanyin waved to retrieve the Jade Purifying Bottle and followed Sun Wukong to Haozi Mountain. Seeking help is seeking help; there's no shame in it. If you possessed a thick skin like Nezha, you wouldn't constantly get beaten.

Nezha had already spoken to her about Red Boy. He hoped she'd teach him for a time.

Guanyin Bodhisattva's teaching abilities were indisputable; she was known as the Master of Seven Buddhas.

At Haozi Mountain, Guanyin first sprinkled sweet dew, fully healing Sun Wukong's wounds, and promised to intervene should Red Boy start fires again.

Confident with Guanyin's backing, Sun Wukong challenged Red Boy once more. Soon, they fought again.

Red Boy failed to notice Guanyin lurking above, soon summoned Little Fire Dragon to ignite flames. From the sky, Guanyin flicked her Willow Branch, scattering sweet dew that extinguished the Samadhi True Fire.

Sun Wukong, who had been bested twice, was thrilled the Samadhi True Fire was ineffective. He darted forward, brandishing his staff. Red Boy, knowing Sun Wukong had superior aid, swung his spear to defend.

After thirty more rounds, Sun Wukong gained the upper hand. In pure combat, Red Boy was no match for Sun Wukong; realizing he'd soon be captured, Red Boy felt frustrated.

He gestured at the Little Fire Dragon, which roared and charged at Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong had learned from earlier encounters and quickly retreated.

Just as he predicted, mid-air, the Little Fire Dragon exploded again, driving Sun Wukong back. As the mana fluctuations subsided, Red Boy had already retreated to his cave.

Guanyin was astonished. This magical treasure exploded without hesitation—who taught him that?

Inside Fire Cloud Cave, Red Boy irritably sat in the Great King's seat. Several fire spirits transformed into children hurriedly approached to inquire.

"Great King, didn't we drive that monkey away last time? Why did we fail this time?"

Red Boy grumbled, "Humph, this time, that monkey brought a capable helper who extinguished my Samadhi True Fire. In martial arts, I genuinely fall short against him."

Bound nearby, Xuanzang commented, "Child, my disciple is Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven who wreaked havoc on the Heavenly Court five hundred years ago. Release me, and with my plea, he won't harm you."

Tied up, Xuanzang hadn't suffered much these days; aside from restricted freedom, he enjoyed ample food and drink. Although the child frequently mentioned wanting to eat him, he'd never acted on it, merely jesting on occasion.

He felt the child was inherently kind, just mischievous.

"I know legends say my flesh grants immortality, but young man, you're exceptionally talented and likely wouldn't care about that."

Red Boy scoffed. Why would he need immortality? He was beyond caring about such things.

Those Heavenly Court peaches and Wuzhuang Temple's ginsengfruit—he'd grown tired of them.

"Great Monk, don't bother; I certainly won't release you so easily!"

Red Boy's term "Great Monk" silenced Xuanzang. Was he already a Great Monk at barely over twenty?

Red Boy was determined to measure up against Sun Wukong; he returned to his room, pondering how to deal with him.

Should he retrieve some treasures from home?

No, that'd prove he fared poorly outside.

Should he seek a few friends for assistance?

Impossible, those foolish friends were worse than him!

Red Boy wrestled with the dilemma of how to capture Sun Wukong. If only he'd learned more skills from his father, he could send that annoying monkey flying with just one punch!

"Do you crave power?"

Red Boy: ???

"What is the price?"

Ancestor of Nether River: ???

Do modern primordial children possess such insight and self-awareness?

"Cough, cough, you and I are fated; no payment necessary."

Red Boy raised his eyes, looking somewhat disparagingly at the blood-red figure before him. Wasn't this supposed to be a trick? He extended his hand, demanding, "Hand it over."

The blood-red figure hesitated, "Hand over what?"

"The power."

Ancestor of Nether River was again bewildered. Were children nowadays this gullible?

The blood-red silhouette radiated sanguine light, finally separating a blood-red droplet from its heart. Temptingly, it said, "Fuse with it, and you'll gain unbeatable strength!"

Red Boy internally scoffed. If you truly had such power, you wouldn't sneak around deceiving children like me.

Accepting the droplet, he closely examined it, sensing a familiar force. He toyed with it briefly, then turned to the red figure and questioned, "Bloody stinky old man, why haven't you left yet?"

Ancestor of Nether River: ???

Why was he dubbed "bloody stinky old man"? Where was the stench?

Had he fallen out of touch after closing himself off for several millennia?

Nevertheless, achieving his aim, he began to retreat. Ever since losing to Nezha and having his accompanying treasure seized, he'd sought revenge.