Volume One, Chapter Four: The Journey Westward, Part Two

On the westward journey, a small figure appeared beside Tang Xuanzang. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven finally decided to travel with him and confront the myriad gods and Buddhas once more.

After a week of travel, they arrived at Eagle Sorrow Ravine on Snake Coil Mountain, the residence of the Third Prince of the Jade Dragon.

As the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, Tang Xuanzang naturally knew their whereabouts. At that moment, he dismounted his horse and stood silently beneath the mountain ravine, gazing at the flowing stream without uttering a word.

Sun Wukong looked at the ravine and muttered to himself, “Aolie is tough to deal with. This Golden Cicada reincarnation might just swallow you whole.”

“Amida Buddha, whether swallowed or eaten, if it can quell his resentment and assist the Human Emperor, then even if I die, I shall have no regrets,” Tang Xuanzang said, clasping his hands and quietly chanting a Buddhist sutra.

Sun Wukong glanced at him, a slight smile curling his lips. “You, monk, are indeed different from those Buddhists, but Aolie isn’t as easily fooled as I am. This fellow…”

Boom!

Before he could finish, the ground shook violently. Suddenly, a white figure shot out from the ravine, heading straight for Tang Xuanzang.

Sun Wukong’s expression changed. He dashed toward the still-standing Tang Xuanzang, his right hand rising to his ear. In the next instant, the massive dragon body clashing through collided with the Ruyi Golden Cudgel wielded by Sun Wukong.

The attack’s direction was forcibly altered. Though Tang Xuanzang’s life was spared, the white horse beside him was swallowed whole.

Having devoured the white horse, Aolie’s form soared into the clouds, disappearing once more into the mist of the ravine.

“Great Sage Equal to Heaven, have you become a lackey of Heaven as well?” Aolie’s voice echoed from the clouds, laced with deep resentment toward Heaven.

Sun Wukong said nothing in response. He looked at Tang Xuanzang, who still chanted calmly, then sheathed his staff.

“Come out. No fighting today. Let’s talk about Heaven,” he said.

“Horse Keeper! I never thought you’d truly become Heaven’s lackey. Have you forgotten how they’ve treated you all these years?”

“Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink. I don’t have the patience to waste on you!” Sun Wukong’s eyes hardened, golden light flashing within them. Before Aolie could reply, Sun Wukong vanished from sight.

Tang Xuanzang did not intervene, aware of Aolie’s deep-seated hatred for Heaven. Since ancient times, dragons have been the most formidable force in the world, and even Heaven once feared them greatly. But over time, the gods and Buddhas stripped the human race of their fortune, growing stronger while the dragons weakened.

Aolie’s father, the West Sea Dragon King Ao Run, understood that once Heaven grew stronger, the dragons would be their primary target. To protect the dragon clan under Heaven’s rule, Ao Run had no choice but to hand over Aolie to Heaven’s judgment after the pearl of the dragon clan was set ablaze by the third prince — a gesture of submission.

This act allowed the dragon clan to survive for centuries. Yet Heaven never ceased its efforts to diminish the dragons’ power, continually stripping away their fortune, leaving them helpless.

Now, Heaven’s strength far surpasses that of the small dragon clan.

Only after Sun Wukong subdues Aolie can true negotiations begin.

Minutes after Sun Wukong disappeared, a colossal figure suddenly fell not far from Tang Xuanzang, stirring dust and smoke.

As the dust settled, Aolie’s massive dragon head appeared before Tang Xuanzang, panting heavily. His once pure white body was now covered with scars.

Sun Wukong sat atop his head, eyes blazing with killing intent, causing Aolie to tremble in fear. Though he struggled fiercely, it was all in vain.

“If I didn’t need to use you, you wouldn’t have been so lucky today!” Sun Wukong said.

“What exactly do you want? How far must Heaven push me before it stops?” Aolie growled.

“Who told you we’re Heaven’s emissaries? Just because we sensed the Golden Cicada’s identity? No wonder Ao Run entrusted you, a fool, to Heaven.”

Aolie paused, puzzled. “If not Heaven’s orders, then why disturb my peace at Snake Coil Mountain?”

“Amida Buddha, Third Prince, we mean no disturbance. We come because of the strange celestial phenomena. Surely you have noticed them?”

Tang Xuanzang spoke slowly, gazing up at the clouded sky.

Aolie turned to him. “What? You plan to go aid the Human Emperor?”

Then, Aolie’s enormous form shrank until he was a graceful young man in white robes, though Sun Wukong still pressed him down with his staff, making him look rather comical.

Sun Wukong chuckled and stepped away from Aolie’s head, allowing him to rise.

Aolie glanced at Tang Xuanzang with a sneer.

“This world a thousand years later is filled with gods and Buddhas. Do you think the wars of a thousand years ago were truly necessary? It was just more heads for Heaven.”

“That’s only our current space. If the past can summon our present selves, that means on some timeline, past and present coexist. Must the past’s future be the same as ours?”

Tang Xuanzang spoke, then absentmindedly gazed at the sky, murmuring, “If the Human Emperor can break the shackles of time and summon us from parallel worlds, his power must be extraordinary. Though he failed in this space-time, could the other timeline be different?”

Aolie’s expression shifted, as if a new world had opened before him. The universe was a complex weave of parallel timelines, each brimming with endless possibilities. The Human Emperor’s current timeline just happened to be parallel to theirs, and his ability to breach time and summon them proved his exceptional strength.

He looked to the heavens and murmured, “You mean… maybe we can reverse the future in another timeline?”

“Who knows? It might be possible,” Tang Xuanzang smiled gently, eyes full of warmth.

At that moment, Sun Wukong stepped forward, slinging an arm around Aolie’s shoulder.

“Well, Little White Dragon, how about joining us to fight against Heaven?”

Aolie said nothing, expression unreadable, quietly watching the darkening sky.

The three stood silently until dusk. When Tang Xuanzang gathered his scattered belongings and prepared to leave, he heard the neigh of a horse behind him.

Turning, he saw that Aolie had transformed into the White Dragon Horse, signaling for Tang Xuanzang to place his luggage upon him. Thus, a new companion joined their journey to defy Heaven, with only two disciples remaining to complete their party.