Tang Sanzang and his two disciples, Bajie and Sha Wujing, arrived at a forest around noon, feeling hungry, so he asked the two disciples to go out and beg for alms.
Seated on his luggage, Tang Sanzang heaved long sighs and short gasps, trapped in a dilemma, with Laozi's words endlessly circling in his mind which gave him a tremendous headache. He had never expected that Tathagata would set such an elaborate conspiracy in motion, intensifying the conflict between Buddhism and Daoism to such an extent.
As Tang Sanzang awaited the return of his disciples from their alms round, the Six-Eared Macaque had already arrived, holding a porcelain cup and a bowl of vegetarian rice, laughing as he said, "Master, see how you can't even have a proper meal without Old Sun. What could those two blockheads Bajie and Sha Wujing achieve compared to Old Sun's capabilities?"
Furrowing his brows slightly, Tang Sanzang, with a heart as clear as a mirror, said, "You macaque, I have already expelled you from my discipleship, so why have you come back?"
With a sheepish grin, the Six-Eared Macaque replied, "Master, don't drive me away. I'll listen to your commands from now on. Let me accompany you on your journey to the Western Heaven to obtain the True Fruition."
Tang Sanzang then said, "Alright, I will forgive you this time."
The Six-Eared Macaque scratched his head in confusion; the script as told by Buddha Ancestor should not have developed this way. At this moment, Tang Sanzang should have scolded him, and then, in a rage of humiliation, he would have knocked Tang Sanzang to the ground with his staff!
Tang Sanzang continued, "From now on, do not casually kill again. Follow me closely to the Western Heaven to obtain True Fruition."
He probably knew in his heart that the Six-Eared Macaque was not Wukong, and to save Wukong's life, he decided to do the opposite of what was expected.
Extremely clever by nature, the Six-Eared Macaque had a sudden inspiration; he smashed the porcelain cup and vegetarian rice to the ground and furiously declared, "You bald donkey, Old Sun risked his life to save you! Yet you show no gratitude, accusing Old Sun of killing recklessly? Fine, Old Sun alone will be enough to reach the Western Heaven and retrieve the true scriptures! Take that!"
His Compliant Iron Staff swept out, striking Tang Sanzang squarely in the back, instantly knocking him off his luggage to the ground, where he fell unconscious.
"Wukong..." Tang Sanzang spat blood and called out silently in his heart before falling silent.
Frightened that he might have killed Tang Sanzang, the Six-Eared Macaque jumped upon discovering Tang Sanzang was still breathing. He hastily grabbed the kasaya, travel pass, and other important items, somersaulted into the air, and rode the clouds straight for Flower-Fruit Mountain in the Dongsheng Immortal State. Not long after his departure, the two disciples, Bajie and Sha Wujing, returned from begging, only to find Tang Sanzang collapsed on the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. They hurried over in shock.
"Master, who has injured you?" Bajie pinched Tang Sanzang's Renzhong acupuncture point, channeling a stream of mana into him, and immediately revived him from death.
"Wukong..." Tang Sanzang murmured, then his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness again.
Bajie cursed, "It must've been that monkey head. Harbouring resentment after being driven away by Master, he returned and harmed Master, taking the tribute. Truly despicable!"
Sha Wujing then said, "Without the travel pass and kasaya, how can we proceed to the Western Heaven? I'll go to Flower-Fruit Mountain to confront that monkey and reclaim them."
Sha Wujing, eager to resume his divine status in the Heavenly Court, did not dare to neglect the task of the pilgrimage assigned by the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother. With more urgency than even Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing pinched a handful of earth, scattered it into the air and, using the Earth Escape Technique, left for Flower-Fruit Mountain. Zhu Bajie only urged him to return quickly, knowing he was no match for Wukong and would likely receive a beating. The monkey had long disliked him, and now that they had fallen out, he might well suffer a few blows.
The Six-Eared Macaque's mana was not an iota less formidable than Wukong's. In the Dao of Immortals, there are four realms, the first being the "True Immortal," the second "Taiyi Golden Immortal," the third "Daluo Golden Immortal," and the highest "Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal," each with three layers. Sha Wujing was merely in the first layer of the Taiyi Golden Immortal, known as the "Elixir Realm," while Wukong's mana had reached the third layer of Taiyi Golden Immortal, called the "Heavenly Human Realm." Perhaps under Mount Meru's Buddha Ancestor's guidance, the Six-Eared Macaque had already attained the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal. As expected, Sha Wujing returned with nothing to show for his effort, having been beaten away by the Six-Eared Macaque. Out of frustration and anxiety, he had no choice but to journey to Mount Luojia in the South Sea to seek help from Bodhisattva Guanyin.
Sha Wujing's Escape Technique was far inferior to Wukong's; the journey took several days, but he finally reached Mount Luojia.
Upon seeing Sha Wujing, Mu Zha asked, "Sha Wujing, instead of going to the Western Heaven to retrieve the scriptures, what brings you here?"
Knowing that Bodhisattva was commanded by Buddha Ancestor to protect them on their journey to the Western Heaven, Mu Zha did not challenge Sha Wujing. He went to inform Guanyin, and with her agreement, invited Sha Wujing in.
Upon entering, Sha Wujing saw Wukong standing next to Guanyin and, in a rage, accused, "You rowdy monkey, how dare you deceive Bodhisattva here? Take this!"
With Guanyin present, Sha Wujing had no concerns, and he picked up his crescent spade, intent on striking, but Guanyin intervened, urging him not to act rashly.
Frowning, Guanyin asked, "You disciples should be working together to protect San Zhang and obtain True Fruition in the Western Heaven. How did it come to infighting among you?"
Sha Wujing, in tears, explained, "Bodhisattva, you're unaware. On the road, this monkey killed about a dozen bandits. Angered by his reckless killing, Master expelled him. But unexpectedly, he returned midway to injure Master and steal the travel pass and kasaya!"
Guanyin countered, "Wukong has been here with me for four days now, only asking me to remove his Tight Hoop. He hasn't left even for a moment."
Shocked, Sha Wujing queried, "Then who is that macaque at Flower-Fruit Mountain?"
Guanyin's thoughts stirred slightly as she shook her head in secret and pushed Wukong. A surge of mana erupted from her fingers and entered Wukong's body as she spoke in a soft voice, "Don't worry, once you and Wukong reach Flower-Fruit Mountain, whether it's true or false will become clear! If it's fake, naturally I won't spare Wukong; but if it's real, then you two should join forces to take back your package."
Guanyin's approach was covert, undetected by Wukong, who, hearing someone impersonating him and committing misdeeds, couldn't help but become furious and said, "Sha Wujing, don't say another word! You and I will go to Flower-Fruit Mountain, and then we'll see!"
Sha Wujing knew Guanyin never spoke untruths, so he bowed to her and said, "Alright, then I shall heed the Bodhisattva's words."
They both mounted the clouds and left Mount Luojia. Seeing how slow Sha Wujing's escape technique was, Wukong couldn't help but scoff, grabbed Sha Wujing's shoulder, hopped on a somersault cloud and sped away – their speed increased immensely. Within moments, the two had arrived at Flower-Fruit Mountain next to the Ao Lai Kingdom in the Dongsheng Immortal State.
As the somersault cloud dispersed, landing them on Flower-Fruit Mountain, they indeed saw the Six-Eared Macaque, who was identical to Wukong, sitting on a stone platform, drinking and making merry with a group of monkeys.
Wukong, who had already suppressed his anger, felt it erupt upon seeing the Six-Eared Macaque and shouted, "What demon are you, daring to impersonate me?"
"And what demon are you? I am Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven who raised Havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago!" replied the Six-Eared Macaque with a sneer.
Enraged beyond control, Wukong left Sha Wujing behind, picked up his golden-banded staff, and struck at the Six-Eared Macaque's head – had it been Mount Tai, it would have shattered under his full-powered blow! Yet the Six-Eared Macaque drew out his Compliant Iron Staff to parry upwards, and upon collision, the sound of metal clashing reverberated deafeningly, causing both to step back.
Sha Wujing was secretly shocked – when did this monkey gain such powerful mana? Both monkeys were fiercely strong!
The macacas cried out in alarm and scattered as Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque continued their fierce battle, sticks swinging and the earth quaking beneath them.
Both monkeys, as one of the Four Great Divine Monkeys born from heaven and earth, possessed innate divine power. The Six-Eared Macaque, free from the restraints of the Tight Hoop and growing more powerful by the day, especially after gaining pointers from the Buddha Ancestor, was no trivial adversary. It was only with Guanyin's assistance that Wukong could fight him to a draw.
Wukong opened his mouth to expel a great fog, employing the "Spread Fog" skill from the Seventy-Two Transformations. This was no ordinary fog but the filthiest miasma in the world. Those with insufficient mana who got ensnared by the fog turned to bloody water in an instant.
The Six-Eared Macaque retorted, "Do you think you're the only one who knows the Seventy-Two Transformations? Watch me 'Ride the Wind!'"
The technique "Ride the Wind," also part of the Seventy-Two Transformations, created a fierce soothing wind so powerful it could displace a person's Three Souls and Seven Spirits and disperse their Primordial Spirit. The wind promptly scattered Wukong's fog, revealing his form, and the indistinguishable true from the false monkeys clashed once more.
Wukong challenged, "Demon, dare you accompany me to the Bodhisattva to verify the truth?"
The Six-Eared Macaque laughed, "Why should I fear?"
He was secretly shocked. Sun Wukong's mana should have been constrained by the headband, making progress impossible, yet now he exhibited the prowess of a Daluo Golden Immortal, which was truly beyond comprehension.
The two chased and fought, while Sha Wujing, not as adept in escape, failed to keep up and could only reluctantly return to Tang Sanzang to report the situation.
Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque reached Mount Luojia, where they were stopped by the Dragon Girl, Mu Zha, and others. They incessantly called each other 'demon' before being taken to the Bodhisattva's sanctuary.
Guanyin slightly furrowed her brow – she could differentiate, yet dared not speak more of it and opted to recite a spell to resolve the situation, then instructed them to go to the Celestial Palace and use the "Demon-Revealing Mirror" to ascertain the truth.
After Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque left for the Celestial Palace amid their fight, Red Boy asked, "Bodhisattva, which one is my second uncle? Can you not tell them apart?"
Guanyin shook her head slightly – how could she not differentiate? From the beginning, she had infused mana into Wukong's body; with his soul out of his body and his Wisdom Eye open, he could distinguish. However, the matter was of great importance. Remembering the profound secrecy of the Tathagata, Guanyin shuddered with fear and could only pretend to be confused, secretly aiding Wukong to prevent him from being killed by the Six-Eared Macaque.
When the two reached the Heavenly Court, they asked the Jade Emperor for help, but the Demon-Revealing Mirror failed to discern the true from the false, leaving them no choice but to return to the Lower Realm to seek Tang Sanzang's judgment.
After the two had left, the Jade Emperor clenched his fist and cast a silent glance towards the locations beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, thinking to himself, "The Three Pure Ones deceive me too much; how can I assist in breaking the plans of the Buddhist Sect?"
Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque went back to search for Tang Sanzang, who could only give a wry smile – how could he, a mortal man of flesh, discern the truth? Tang Sanzang claimed he could not pinpoint who was real and Bajie suggested, "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the Netherworld possesses immense divine power, ranking foremost among the Four Great Bodhisattvas. Perhaps you two elder brothers can descend and have him distinguish the truth."
Wukong harbored no fear, but the thought of Ksitigarbha King's unfathomable depth made the Six-Eared Macaque wary of any further interaction. However, considering the Buddha Ancestor's miscalculation and finding Sun Wukong's mana to be unexpectedly formidable, unable to kill him, the Six-Eared Macaque had no choice but to follow Wukong to the Underworld to seek Ksitigarbha King.
The outcome uncertain, please listen to the next part for the resolution.