In the palace of the Kingdom of Jisai, the king and his ministers were watching in awe as the Great Sage Sun and Pigsy soared through the clouds, each holding a small demon. Everyone was amazed and began to bow to the sky, saying, “This is truly no exaggeration! Today, I’ve learned that such divine beings and living Buddhas exist!” But as they saw the Great Sage gradually disappear from view, the king sighed to Tripitaka and Sandy, “With my mortal eyes, I only knew my esteemed disciple was strong enough to catch demons, but I had no idea they were celestial beings riding the clouds!”
Tripitaka humbly replied, “I have no magical powers; today’s success is all thanks to my three little disciples.” Sandy chimed in, “To be honest, Your Majesty, my elder brother is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who once caused chaos in Heaven, making the Supreme Lord Laozi and the Jade Emperor tremble in fear. My second brother is Marshal Tianpeng, who has commanded the water soldiers of the River of Heaven. As for me, while I may not have much skill, I can still capture demons and subdue monsters, so I know a thing or two. But as for riding clouds and calling the wind, that’s beyond my capabilities!”
The king listened, growing even more respectful. He immediately invited Tripitaka to take a seat, repeatedly calling him “Old Buddha,” while Sandy and the others were referred to as Bodhisattvas. The entire court was filled with joy, and the people of the kingdom bowed in reverence.
Meanwhile, the Great Sage and Pigsy were riding the fierce wind, bringing the two small demons to the Blue Wave Pool at the Rock Mountain. They stopped atop the clouds, and the Great Sage blew a puff of celestial breath, shouting, “Transform!” Instantly, the golden staff turned into a dagger. He sliced off one ear of the black fish monster and then cut off the catfish spirit’s lower lip, tossing them into the water, and bellowed, “Quickly go tell the Dragon King of the Ten Thousand Saints that I, the Great Sage Sun, am here! Tell him to hurry up and send out the treasures from the Golden Light Temple of Jisai Kingdom, or I’ll make this pool churn and flood, and his whole family will suffer!”
The two small demons were terrified and dragged their chains to escape. As soon as they hit the water, they were surrounded by turtles, crabs, and shrimp, all asking, “Why are you two dragging ropes?” One demon covered his ears and shook his head, while the other pounded his chest and shouted, “Quick, report to the Dragon King, it’s bad news!” At that moment, the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints was drinking with the Nine-Headed Prince. Seeing the small demons rush in, he immediately set down his cup and asked, “What’s going on?”
The small demons hurriedly recounted the events. Upon hearing it was the Great Sage, the Dragon King was so frightened that his soul nearly left him. He timidly said to the prince, “Son-in-law, other demons are manageable, but if it’s him, that’s a different story!” The prince laughed and replied, “Don’t worry, I’ve trained in martial arts since childhood and have made friends with several heroes across the seas. What’s there to fear? I’ll go out and fight him; I’m sure he’ll surrender!”
At this moment, the demon quickly donned armor, grabbed a crescent-shaped spade, and stepped out of the palace, standing on the water’s surface, shouting, “Great Sage, do you dare to come up and accept my challenge?” The Great Sage and Pigsy looked at the demon’s attire from the shore and couldn’t help but chuckle: the shabby silver helmet sparkled like it was covered in white snow; the brocade robe looked like colorful clouds swirling around, and the horned belt at his waist was particularly extravagant. The crescent spade in his hand gleamed in the sunlight, while the pigskin boots on his feet looked quite impressive.
The demon squinted at the Great Sage from a distance and called out, “Which one is the Great Sage?” The Great Sage lightly adjusted his golden headband, straightened his iron staff, and smiled, saying, “I am Old Sun.”
At this moment, the monster sneered and asked, “Where are you from? How dare you fight against the king in the Kingdom of Jisai? You really have some nerve to cause trouble on my treasure mountain!” The Great Sage, hearing this, was furious and shouted, “You thief! You don’t even know who I am! Listen up: I, Old Sun, live on Flower-Fruit Mountain in the Water Curtain Cave. I’ve cultivated an indestructible body since childhood, and the Jade Emperor has even conferred upon me the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven. I once caused chaos in the Bullfighting Palace, and the heavenly gods couldn’t defeat me. Later, I was defeated by the Buddha, and it took me five hundred years to escape. Now, the Tang monk Tripitaka is on a journey to the West to seek the Buddha, and I’m here to protect him by subduing demons and eliminating monsters.”
“On the way, I encountered you demons, who harmed three monks. I couldn’t bear it, so I wanted to help. But you’re truly overstepping! My master went to explore the tower at midnight and captured the fish spirit, yet you claim we stole your treasures—what an injustice! Your Dragon King and princess are notorious for their bloody deeds, stealing treasures. I came here to seek justice, so quickly return the treasures to the king, or else your whole family will suffer!”
Upon hearing this, the prince sneered, “Oh, so you’re the monk seeking scriptures. That’s nothing significant! I stole his treasures; what does it have to do with you? How dare you come and fight me?” The Great Sage was infuriated, saying, “You ungrateful thief! Though I don’t consume the king’s food, you’ve stolen his treasures, tarnished his pagoda, and caused suffering for the monks of the Golden Light Temple. He is my fellow disciple; how can I not help him?”
The prince coldly laughed, “Since that’s the case, it seems you want to challenge me. As the saying goes, violence is not good, but once a fight starts, it could cost you your life and affect your quest for scriptures!” The Great Sage seethed with rage, cursing, “You scoundrel! What ability do you have to be so arrogant? Come on, take my staff!”
The prince, undeterred, raised his crescent spade to engage in battle. The two clashed on the rocky mountain, resulting in a thrilling struggle. The Great Sage swung his staff, pressing the monster hard. Seeing the danger, the small demon quickly fled back into the water, while the old dragon was terrified and began discussing strategies. The Nine-Headed Prince donned his armor, filled with fury, wielding the golden staff with an imposing presence.
This monster had nine heads and eighteen eyes, radiating dazzling light; while the Great Sage had iron arms and unmatched strength, exuding an overwhelming aura. They fought fiercely, shaking the heavens and the earth, truly unable to determine a victor. Pigsy watched from the side, blood boiling, and seeing them in a heated battle, he raised his rake, preparing to sneak attack the monster from behind.
Unfortunately, the monster’s nine heads and numerous eyes had already spotted Pigsy’s movements. It raised its spade to block the rake, and both sides continued their fierce struggle. After more than thirty exchanges, there was still no clear winner. At this moment, the monster rolled and soared into the air, revealing its true form—a terrifying nine-headed worm that instilled fear. It was covered in feathers like brocade, massive in size, resembling a giant tortoise, with sharp claws like hooks, and its nine heads crowded together as it spread its wings to fly, creating an imposing and grand spectacle that made one dare not underestimate it!
Seeing this, Pigsy was startled and shouted, “Brother! I’ve lived for so long, and this is the first time I’ve seen such a disgusting creature! What kind of beast is born from such foul blood?” The Great Sage laughed heartily, “This is truly rare! Let me teach it a lesson!” With that, Sun Wukong quickly rode a cloud, leaped into the air, and raised his iron staff, ready to strike down.
The monster, seeing this, immediately spread its wings and flew at an angle. With a whoosh, it turned around and extended another head in mid-air, opening its mouth like a blood basin and biting down on Pigsy’s mane, dragging him half-pulling, half-tugging into the Blue Wave Pool. Once they reached outside the Dragon Palace, the monster transformed back into its original form and threw Pigsy onto the ground, shouting, “You guys, come quick!” Instantly, mackerel, perch, turtles, and other water spirits rushed over, responding in unison, “Yes!” The prince coldly laughed, “Bind this monk and take revenge for me!”
The spirits pushed and shoved, lifting Pigsy inside. At that moment, the old Dragon King happily came out to greet them, saying, “Son-in-law, well done! How did you catch him?” The prince recounted the whole story, and upon hearing it, the Dragon King immediately ordered a celebration feast, not even mentioning capturing Pigsy.
Meanwhile, the Great Sage, seeing that Pigsy had been captured, felt a bit anxious: “This guy is really powerful! If I go back to see the master, I’m afraid the king will mock me. Besides, I’m no match for it alone. I should disguise myself and sneak into the water to see how that monster is tormenting Pigsy. If there’s a chance, I’ll rescue him.” Thus, the Great Sage pinched his fingers and transformed into a crab, slowly crawling toward the archway.
He had been here before, heading straight for the palace. Seeing the old Dragon King and the nine-headed worm happily drinking, the Great Sage didn’t dare to get too close and instead snuck under the east corridor. There, a few shrimp spirits and crab spirits were playing around. After listening for a while, the Great Sage imitated their tone and asked, “Has that long-nosed monk died yet?” The spirits replied, “Not dead, he’s tied up under the west corridor, making noises!” Upon hearing this, the Great Sage quickly climbed to the west corridor and indeed saw Pigsy tied to a pillar.
The Great Sage approached and asked, “Pigsy, do you recognize me?” Upon hearing the voice, Pigsy immediately knew it was the Great Sage and exclaimed, “Brother, I’m in such trouble! I’ve been caught by this guy!” The Great Sage looked around to ensure no one was watching and quickly used his pincers to bite through the ropes, allowing Pigsy to escape. Gratefully, Pigsy said, “Brother, my weapon has been taken away! What should I do?” The Great Sage asked, “Do you know where it is?” Pigsy replied, “It should be in the palace.”
The Great Sage nodded, “You wait for me under the archway. I’ll go steal your rake back.” Pigsy quickly dashed out. The Great Sage continued climbing up to the palace, seeing a light on the left—it was Pigsy’s rake shining. He used his invisibility technique to quietly steal the rake and ran back to the archway, shouting, “Pigsy! Catch your weapon!”
Pigsy, hearing this, excitedly said, “Brother, you go first. I’ll charge in. If I win, I’ll catch them all; if not, you can rescue me by the pool.” The Great Sage was overjoyed and reminded him to be careful. Pigsy confidently replied, “Don’t worry, I have some skills in the water too!” The Great Sage set him down, soared out of the water, and prepared to continue his actions.
Pigsy, dressed in his dark robe and tightly gripping his rake, let out a roar and bravely charged into the water palace. This terrified the water creatures, who quickly ran into the palace, panicking and shouting, “Oh no! The long-nosed monk has broken free and returned!” The old dragon and the nine-headed worm family were caught off guard and hurriedly hid.
This fool didn’t care about anything else; he barged into the palace, swinging his rake. The doors shattered, tables and chairs were smashed to pieces, and everything on the banquet flew about. A poet couldn’t help but write:
*“The wooden mother encounters a water monster,
The heart monkey searches in vain.
Secretly devising a clever plan to unlock,
He shows his divine power in deep anger.”*
The prince hurriedly took the princess to hide, while the Dragon King trembled in silence.
In this chaos, Pigsy smashed the tortoiseshell screen to pieces, and the coral trees withered under his blows. The nine-headed worm quickly hid the princess and charged out with a crescent spade, roaring, “You wretched pig! How dare you bully my family!” Pigsy, not backing down, retorted, “You thief! Who’s afraid of whom? Quickly return my treasure, or I won’t let you off easily!” The monster, of course, refused to back down and clashed with Pigsy.
Only then did the old dragon regain his composure, and with his dragon sons, they all grabbed their weapons and rushed forward. Seeing the situation was dire, Pigsy feigned an attack and prepared to retreat, but the old dragon and his group chased after him. Before long, they all leaped out of the water.
At this moment, Sun Wukong, growing impatient waiting by the pond, saw them chasing Pigsy out and immediately half-stepped onto the clouds, brandishing his iron staff, shouting, “Stop!” With one strike, the old dragon’s head was smashed to pieces, blood splattering into the pond, turning the water red, with bodies floating on the surface—a truly horrific sight. The dragon sons and daughters, terrified, fled for their lives, while the nine-headed prince hurriedly collected the dragon corpse and rushed back to the palace.
Wukong and Pigsy did not pursue and returned to the shore, beginning to discuss what had happened earlier. Pigsy sighed, “That guy’s momentum was broken by my attack, and he’s in disarray! Just when I was fighting the prince, the old Dragon King drove me away. Fortunately, you struck him dead. Now that it’s getting late, what should we do?”
Wukong dismissed this, saying, “Who cares if it’s late! Take this opportunity; you need to go back down and fight to get your treasure back before we can return to the court.” Pigsy, feeling a bit lazy, hesitated and didn’t want to go. Wukong urged, “Brother, don’t hesitate! Draw him out like before, and I’ll go fight him!”
Just as they were discussing, a fierce wind suddenly rose, dark clouds gathered, rushing from the east toward the south. Wukong looked closely and exclaimed, “Ah! It’s Erlang Shen leading the Six Brothers of Meishan, riding their eagle dogs, carrying foxes and rabbits, and bringing deer and elk, each with a bow at their waist and sharp blades in hand, leaping through the mist!”
Wukong excitedly said to Pigsy, “Those are my seven holy brothers; it’s perfect to ask them for help. If we succeed, this is a great opportunity!” Pigsy nodded, “Since they’re brothers, we must invite them.” Wukong continued, “However, there’s Erlang Shen inside. I’ve been subdued by him before, so it’s not good for me to meet him. You go and stop them, and tell him, ‘Zhenjun, please hold your chariot; the Great Sage Equal to Heaven is here to pay his respects.’”
Pigsy immediately rode the clouds up the mountain, blocking them at the cloud head, and shouted, “Zhenjun, please hold your chariot; the Great Sage Equal to Heaven wishes to see you!”
Upon hearing this, the elder immediately ordered the Six Brothers to stop and asked Pigsy, “Where is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?” Pigsy hurriedly replied, “He’s waiting for you at the foot of the mountain.” Erlang waved his hand, “Brothers, go quickly and invite him!” The Six Brothers—Kang, Zhang, Yao, Li, Guo, and Zhi—quickly left the camp, shouting, “Brother Sun Wukong, the elder has summoned you!” Wukong hurriedly stepped forward, bowed to everyone, and then they all ascended the mountain together.
When Erlang Shen saw this, he warmly took Wukong's hand and smiled, saying, “Great Sage, you’ve escaped a great calamity, received your vows, and achieved success and fame. Truly, this is a cause for celebration!” Wukong humbly replied, “I dare not claim credit; it’s all thanks to you and the brothers. I haven’t had the chance to repay you yet. However, this time I’m traveling west to save people and capture monsters. Since I happened to encounter you, I boldly ask for your help. I wonder where you all have come from and if you’re willing to see me?”
Erlang smiled and answered, “I’m out here hunting with my brothers, and I didn’t expect to meet you. This is wonderful! If you need me to help subdue the monsters, I certainly won’t refuse! But what kind of monster is this?”
The Six Brothers quickly reminded him, “Elder Brother, have you forgotten? This is Chaos Stone Mountain, and below is the Blue Wave Pond, home of the Ten Thousand Sacred Dragon Palace!” Erlang was surprised and exclaimed, “How could the old dragon steal treasures?”
Wukong explained, “Recently, he took a prince as a son-in-law, a creature that has turned into a nine-headed worm. They teamed up to rain blood on the country of Jisai and stole the relic from the top of the Golden Light Temple. The king, unaware of the truth, tortured the monks. Out of compassion, my master sent me; last night, I caught two little demons on the tower who were here to investigate. This morning, I brought them to the court, and they revealed the truth.”
Wukong continued, “We just had a battle, and I killed the old dragon; those guys went to collect the corpse. We were discussing how to reclaim the treasure when your chariot arrived, which was quite unexpected.” Erlang nodded, “Since the old dragon has already been injured, we can take this opportunity to attack him when he’s unprepared. But do we have to wipe out his entire nest?”
Pigsy worriedly said, “Even so, it’s getting late!”
Erlang, however, dismissed this: “The military says that battles don’t wait for the right time; why fear the late hour?” Kang, Yao, Guo, and Zhi chimed in, “Elder Brother, don’t worry. That guy’s family is here; he has nowhere to escape. Brother Sun is an esteemed guest, and Pigsy has also achieved enlightenment. We have food and drink in our camp; let’s prepare and celebrate tonight, and we can fight again tomorrow!”
Erlang happily nodded, “You’re right, my wise brother!”
He ordered his attendants to make arrangements, and Wukong said, “With everyone being so enthusiastic, I can’t decline. But I’m currently a monk and observing fasting, so I’m afraid it’s not proper for me to have meat.” Erlang laughed and said, “We have vegetarian dishes and drinks as well.” So, under the starlight, the brothers sat on the ground, raising their cups to reminisce and enjoy their gathering.
That night, the silence was unsettling; joyful times are always fleeting, and soon the east began to brighten. Pigsy, feeling exhilarated from drinking, burped and said, “It’s almost dawn; I, this old pig, am ready to dive in for a fight!” Erlang quickly reminded him, “Marshal, you must be careful. Just lure that monster out, and we brothers will strike hard!”
Pigsy slapped his head and laughed, “I know, I know! Look at him; once he gathers his clothes and wraps his rake, he’ll start using the Water Splitting Technique, jumping down straight toward the archway, shouting, and charging into the palace.”
At that moment, the dragon son was mourning, crying as he looked at the dragon corpse, while the dragon grandchildren and the prince were busy preparing the coffin behind him. Seeing this, Pigsy rushed forward, raised his rake, and struck heavily, smashing the dragon son’s head to bits. This terrified the dragon mother and the others, who ran around screaming, “The long-nosed monk has killed my son again!” Upon hearing this, the prince immediately swung his crescent spade and charged out with the dragon grandchildren. Pigsy raised his rake to meet the challenge, fighting back while retreating, leaping out of the water.
At this moment, the Great Sage and his seven brothers surged forward, weapons drawn, and chopped the dragon prince into pieces. Seeing the situation turn dire, the prince rolled away to the mountain, revealing his true form and spreading his wings to fly. Seeing this, Erlang immediately took out his golden bow, loaded a silver bullet, drew the bowstring, and shot an arrow into the sky. The monster flapped its wings in a hurry, trying to bite Erlang, but halfway through, it stuck out a head and was bitten down by the little dog, blood gushing everywhere. The monster was severely injured and hurriedly fled towards the North Sea.
Pigsy wanted to chase after it, but Wukong stopped him, saying, “Don’t rush to chase; don’t pursue a desperate enemy. It was bitten on the head by the little dog, so it’s bound to be more dead than alive. Wait until I transform into its shape; you split the waterway and lead me in to trick the palace master into giving us treasure.” Erlang and the six brothers agreed, “It’s good not to chase, but leaving such a monster in the world will surely harm people.” To this day, there’s still a blood-dripping nine-headed bug, which has become a rare breed.
Upon hearing this, Pigsy quickly split the waterway. Wukong transformed into the monster and led the way, while Pigsy followed behind, shouting as they pursued. Gradually, they arrived at the Dragon Palace, where the palace master looked flustered and exclaimed, “Prince, why are you so panicked?” Wukong pretended to be mysterious and said, “That Pigsy won, and he chased me in here. I think he’s quite formidable; you’d better hide the treasures!”
Upon hearing this, the palace master, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, hurriedly fetched a golden box from the back hall and handed it to Wukong, saying, “This is a Buddhist treasure.” Then she took out a white jade box and added, “This is the Nine-Leaf Lingzhi. Quickly hide these treasures; wait for me to fight with Pigsy for a couple of rounds, and then you can come out and battle him together!”
Wukong tucked the two boxes away, wiped his face, and immediately transformed back to his original form, smiling at the palace master, “Look, palace master, am I not the prince?” The palace master panicked upon hearing this and rushed to snatch the boxes. As a result, Pigsy quickly ran up and knocked her down with a swing of his rake. An old dragon lady, seeing the situation was dire, tried to slip away but was caught by Pigsy, who prepared to strike again. Wukong shouted, “Don’t kill her; keep her alive for future rewards!” So, they dragged the dragon lady out of the water.
Wukong carried the boxes ashore and said to Erlang, “Thanks to your brothers’ power, we obtained these treasures, and the monster should be cleared out!” Erlang humbly replied, “This is all the king’s blessing, and it’s your skill that made it happen; I can’t take any credit!” The brothers all chimed in, “Since Brother Sun has succeeded, we’ll take our leave.” Wukong, feeling grateful, wanted to invite them to meet the king, but everyone declined, so he had to bring them back to Guankou.
Wukong held the boxes, and Pigsy dragged the dragon lady, half in cloud and half in mist, soon returning to the kingdom. The monks from the Golden Light Temple were waiting outside the city; seeing them approach quickly, they all knelt and bowed, respectfully welcoming them into the city. The king and Tang Seng were discussing matters in the hall when suddenly a monk rushed in to report, “Your Majesty, Sun Wukong and Pigsy have captured the thief and obtained treasures!” The king hurriedly descended from the hall, welcoming them together with Tang Seng, expressing gratitude for their divine skills.
Tang Seng, however, said, “There’s no need for a feast yet; we should wait until my disciple returns the treasures from the tower before we celebrate.” He then asked Wukong, “You left the kingdom yesterday; how come you’re back today?” Wukong recounted in detail the events of defeating the prince, battling the dragon king, meeting the true lord, vanquishing the monster, and tricking the treasures. The king and Tang Seng were overjoyed upon hearing this. The king then asked, “Can that dragon lady speak?” Pigsy replied, “She’s the dragon king’s wife and has given birth to many dragon children and grandchildren, so of course, she can speak human language!”
The king then asked, “Can she explain the whole story?” The dragon lady quickly replied, “I don’t know about the theft of the Buddhist treasures; it was my husband, Dragon Ghost, and the prince, the Nine-Headed Bug, who knew that there were Buddhist relics in your tower and took the opportunity to steal them three years ago.” The king inquired further, “And how did the Lingzhi grass come about?” The dragon lady said, “My youngest daughter, the palace master of the Ten Thousand Saints, secretly went to the Great Luo Heaven to steal the Nine-Leaf Lingzhi from the Queen Mother. The relics absorbed the spiritual energy of the Lingzhi, remaining intact for a thousand years and radiating light for ten thousand years, shining wherever they go. Now that you have taken them, my husband is dead, and my children are gone; please spare my life!” But Pigsy interjected, “I won’t spare you!” Wukong said, “No family is without faults; I will spare you, but you must watch the tower for me in the long run.”
Upon hearing this, the dragon lady sighed, “Better to live badly than to die well; spare my life, and I will listen to you.” Wukong ordered someone to bring iron chains and tied up the dragon lady. He then said to Sha Seng, “Please invite the king to come and see us secure the tower.” The king, upon hearing this, quickly arranged to go, bringing Tang Seng and the civil and military officials with him to the Golden Light Temple to the tower. They placed the relics in the treasure vase at the top of the thirteenth level and locked the dragon lady to the central pillar of the tower. They recited the incantation, summoning the local deities, city gods, and the temple's guardians, instructing them to bring some food to the dragon lady every three days, with any mistake resulting in her execution. The gods agreed in secret.
Wukong then swept through the Lingzhi grass layer by layer, placing it in the vase to nourish the relics. The tower finally returned to its original state, radiating colorful light and auspicious energy visible from all directions. After leaving the tower, the king remarked, “If it weren’t for the old Buddha and the three Bodhisattvas coming here, how could we understand these matters!” Wukong replied, “Your Majesty, the term ‘Golden Light’ isn’t good; it’s not a lasting thing. Gold is fleeting, and light is scorching. After all my hard work, I still suggest renaming the temple to ‘Fulong Temple’ so that it may endure forever.” The king immediately ordered the plaque to be changed, hanging a new one that read, “Imperially Established Fulong Temple for the Protection of the Nation.”
While arranging a royal banquet, he also summoned painters to depict the four living beings, and the Five Phoenix Tower was given its name. The king prepared a palanquin to send Tang Seng and his disciples off, bestowing gold and jade as rewards, but the master and disciples firmly declined, unwilling to accept. This truly reflects: the evil monsters are eliminated, bringing peace to all realms, and the treasure tower shines brightly on the earth. As for their journey ahead, we will discuss it next time!
