Zhu Bajie immediately took out his nine-toothed rake and charged forward!
Having surveyed the area, they found it to be a scene of carnage. The entire populace of Lion Camel Kingdom had been decimated by these monsters!
After quickly transcending the souls of the lesser demons, Sun Wukong brandished his staff and declared, "Bajie, it's time to release this demon king. We shall transcend him now!"
Zhu Bajie chuckled. Seeing Sun Wukong ready, he opened the Five-Colored Jewel Box!
The Great Roc immediately attempted to flee, but Sun Wukong swung his staff. However, the staff never connected with the Great Roc, for Ran Deng intervened, immobilizing Sun Wukong!
"Return!" Ran Deng said calmly.
The Great Roc transformed into its true form and flew to Ran Deng's side. Sun Wukong's eyes blazed with fury, and Zhu Bajie quickly restrained him, saying, "Don't act impulsively!"
Now that the Ancient Buddha Ran Deng had intervened, it was no longer their place to deal with the demons.
Sun Wukong was enraged because he felt an uncanny familiarity with the Daoist, as if he were his former master!
It was Ran Deng's good manifestation that had taught Sun Wukong the arts of Dao. Sun Wukong had always remembered his master's teachings and dared not forget them. Now, his master was protecting the malevolent demon!
"Wukong, go save your master!" Ran Deng said, then turned to leave.
Sun Wukong stared fiercely in the direction Ran Deng had gone. Zhu Bajie felt bewildered. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened; why was Monkey Brother reacting so strongly this time?
"Monkey Brother? What's wrong?" Zhu Bajie asked.
Sun Wukong snorted and said nothing, instead going to find Tang Sanzang.
His mission now was to escort Tang Sanzang to obtain the true scriptures.
After encountering Ran Deng here, Sun Wukong understood something. It seemed he had been trapped in a grand scheme all along.
Sun Wukong now understood the power of innate spiritual treasures. Had his defiant rampage in the Heavenly Palace all those years ago also been a conspiracy? With so many celestial beings, how could none of them possess innate spiritual treasures? Like the San Xiao sisters, or even the Jade Emperor, did they not have innate spiritual treasures?
He recalled that before he had stolen Laozi's immortal pills, his cultivation was merely at the Golden Immortal level, yet he could make Nezha flee. Nezha, who possessed innate spiritual treasures! The more Sun Wukong thought about it, the darker his expression became. It seemed he had been toyed with all along.
"Bajie, are these Three Realms all mocking me, Sun Wukong? With little skill, yet called the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven! This journey for scriptures, is it truly meaningful?" Sun Wukong suddenly said.
Zhu Bajie was stunned and looked at Sun Wukong in surprise. Good heavens, has he awakened?
"Monkey Brother, you..." Zhu Bajie looked at Sun Wukong uncertainly. What's going on with you?
"It seems so. And rightly so. From beginning to end, my appearance has been within the calculations of Buddhism. From my apprenticeship, to the Heavenly Palace rampage, and then this journey for scriptures, haha, I finally understand!" Sun Wukong said with a self-deprecating smile.
"Monkey Brother, this is the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao. Buddhism is destined to flourish. Without you, there would be others. In the end, it all comes down to strength!" Zhu Bajie suddenly said.
Sun Wukong nodded, patted Zhu Bajie's shoulder, and went to find Tang Sanzang.
At this moment, in Spirit Mountain, a scene appeared before the Tathagata Buddha, showing the conversation between Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. Ran Deng also watched the scene and sighed.
"It seems this monkey is not content. If that's the case, let the Six-Eared Macaque go," Tathagata said emotionlessly.
The other Buddhas said nothing.
On the road to Spirit Mountain, Sun Wukong continued to beg for alms, but in his heart, he had already made a decision: after escorting Tang Sanzang, he would leave the Buddhist sect.
However, when Sun Wukong returned, he found Tang Sanzang beaten to the ground, and Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing also injured. Their luggage had been stolen!
"What happened?" Sun Wukong immediately asked.
Zhu Bajie glanced at Sun Wukong suspiciously, then slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "A demon! It was a demon just now! It transformed into your likeness, Monkey Brother, beat Master and us, and stole the luggage!"
Sun Wukong was furious. A demon dared to impersonate him?
He immediately chased in the direction Zhu Bajie indicated.
Indeed, he saw someone who looked exactly like him and wielded the same Golden Cudgel. He exclaimed, "Demon, you dare to impersonate me!"
With that, he swung his Golden Cudgel. The two monkeys fought fiercely, their strength evenly matched. However, it was evident that the real Sun Wukong was slightly at a disadvantage.
At this moment, Sun Wukong took out his Banana Leaf Fan, but the fan suddenly flew away as if snatched by someone.
Sun Wukong's Protective Spirit Bead was also taken. Then, the fake Sun Wukong attacked. Sun Wukong dared not hesitate and could only grit his teeth and fight the imposter.
In the distance, Ran Deng looked at the two magic treasures in his hands. He tossed the Banana Leaf Fan, which then flew towards the East Sea.
As for the Protective Spirit Bead, Ran Deng kept it.
Soon, the real and fake Sun Wukong fought their way to Tang Sanzang and the others. Sun Wukong called out, "Idiot, help me quickly! Capture this demon!"
Zhu Bajie took out the Five-Colored Jewel Box and was momentarily bewildered. He didn't know who was real and who was fake!
"Idiot, capture him!" the other one also said.
Zhu Bajie was distressed and looked at Tang Sanzang. "Master, quickly chant the Tight-Fillet Spell. The fake one definitely won't be able to endure it!"
Tang Sanzang quickly chanted the Tight-Fillet Spell, but the other one also feigned a splitting headache. For a moment, Zhu Bajie was at a loss.
However, Zhu Bajie soon said, "Monkey Brother, we can go to the Heavenly Court. There's a Demon-Revealing Mirror there that can distinguish the real from the fake!"
Sun Wukong was overjoyed and, along with the fake Sun Wukong, headed towards the Heavenly Court.
The two monkeys fought their way to the Heavenly Court. Soon, heavenly soldiers reported the situation to the assembled immortals who were holding court.
The two monkeys quickly reached the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Jade Emperor was troubled. Why was there another monkey? He ordered the Demon-Revealing Mirror to be brought. However, when it was cast, both were revealed to be monkeys, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.
"You should go to the Underworld. The Dixian there can hear people's thoughts and might be able to discern the truth," the Jade Emperor said helplessly, waving the two monkeys away.
The two monkeys then fought their way to the Underworld and met Ksitigarbha. After listening to both of them, Dixian shook his head and said, "I cannot discern the truth. You should go to Spirit Mountain."
After the two monkeys left, Ksitigarbha said, "Can you truly not tell?"
Dixian smiled helplessly and said, "I can tell, but it involves the Lord of the Great Tribulation, so I dared not speak."