The Five Elements Mountain, composed of the five great mountains of "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth," had suppressed the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who wreaked havoc in the celestial realm five hundred years ago.
Now that the Buddhist seal was torn away, the Great Sage stirred, causing the mountains to shatter and the earth to split.
Without the seal, the Five Elements Mountain could no longer restrain the Great Sage.
A stone monkey leaped out from the collapsing mountains.
Laughing triumphantly, the stone monkey declared, "That old rascal Tathagata! He wanted that Tang Sanzang to rescue me someday, making me indebted to him so I’d obediently follow him to the West like a dog. Hah! What a deluded plan!"
"Little did he know, I’ve found Jiang Liuer and Tang Sanzang myself!"
The Great Sage soared on auspicious clouds to where Tang Sanzang and Jiang Liuer stood.
With practiced courtesy, he bowed and said, "Thank you both for journeying here to remove the seal and grant me freedom."
Jiang Liuer studied the Great Sage with curiosity.
The figure before him lacked the majestic aura he had imagined.
The monkey’s face was narrow, his eyes blazing gold. Moss clung to his head, ivy sprouted from his ears. Patches of grass grew where sideburns should be, and green algae covered his chin.
Dirt caked his brows, mud smeared his nose.
His fingers were thick, his palms coarse.
Layers of grime coated his body.
He looked utterly disheveled.
"You’ve been crushed under a mountain for five centuries—your fur’s sprouting weeds. Where’s the grandeur of the Heaven-defying rebel?" Tang Sanzang remarked. "Clean yourself up first."
The Great Sage paused, touching his head to find it indeed overgrown with debris.
His eyes flashed with fury—not toward the humans, but toward the western skies. "Had the Jade Emperor not scorned me, would I have rebelled? Had Tathagata not imprisoned me, would I be reduced to this? Today I rise from the Five Elements Mountain. Tomorrow, vengeance shall be mine!"
"Why bother cleaning? A simple spell will suffice." The Great Sage snapped his fingers, shedding all grass, ash, mud, and moss.
His fur now gleamed—though he remained completely naked.
"Ha! Missing clothes? No matter. I’ll visit the Dragon Palace again. The old Dragon King owes me favors. Last time he gave me treasures; this time won’t be different."
His laughter made Jiang Liuer realize the Great Sage wasn’t as aloof as legends claimed—just hardened by centuries beneath a mountain.
"Care to join me at Flower-Fruit Mountain?" the Great Sage offered. "My subjects will feast you royally."
"Unnecessary," Tang Sanzang refused. "We came to remove the seal and gauge this world’s depth. Our task is done. We depart now."
He added, "But Jiang Liuer personally tore the seal and calls you ‘senior.’ Shouldn’t you reward him beyond mere thanks?"
Tang Sanzang was negotiating benefits on his behalf!
Jiang Liuer knew to stay silent—adult matters were best left to adults. He was just a twelve-year-old boy.
"The Great Sage isn’t stingy," the monkey pondered. "My master forbade revealing his name, not his arts. So I’ll teach you the Seventy-Two Earthly Transformations as repayment."
"But too much at once breeds incompetence. Learn the first three transformations. Master them, and I’ll grant three more. Repeat this cycle until all seventy-two are yours. Mastery lets you evade Heaven’s Thunder, Yin Fire, and Raging Winds—the Three Calamities."
He pressed a finger to Jiang Liuer’s forehead, imprinting the first three transformations: Communion with Spirits, Summoning Deities, and Mountain Shouldering.
"Senior, what are the Three Calamities? Why avoid them?" Jiang Liuer asked.
"Once you attain immortality, Heaven sends them to destroy you," the Great Sage explained smugly. "Survive them, and you transcend the cycles of rebirth—ageless, deathless, rivaling the cosmos itself!"
Jiang Liuer gasped. Such power! Did this mean the Great Sage had already achieved eternal life?
"Thank you for this wisdom!"
...
Jiang Liuer didn’t linger in the Great Sage’s world. Something told him monumental events were brewing—staying longer would only interfere.
After farewells, he returned to his cave, mind ablaze with possibilities.
Communion with Spirits allowed communication with netherworld beings. Mastery meant freely traversing the Nine Hells and Eighteen Levels of Hell.
Summoning Deities let him command minor gods like local earth spirits. At higher levels, even celestial warriors might obey.
Mountain Shouldering granted strength to carry peaks effortlessly. Perfected, he could lift even an unsealed Five Elements Mountain.
The Seventy-Two Transformations weren’t mere evasion techniques—they contained divine powers!
Jiang Liuer’s excitement peaked when Hu Yuyu’s voice interrupted.
Transformed into human shape, she rushed over, sniffing and prodding him.
"It’s really you! But..." She frowned. "Why do you smell like monkey?"
Jiang Liuer kept straight-faced. "I visited a senior—a monkey spirit. How long was I gone?"
"Two incense sticks’ time."
Relief washed over him. Time flowed equally here—no decades lost like the woodcutter who rotted watching immortals play chess.
"I’ve gained three supernatural arts," he said. "I’ll practice them before confronting Wolf Den Cave."
Hu Yuyu nodded eagerly. "As you command."
...
"Golden Cicada’s reincarnation vanished! Even you can’t trace him—what now?"
The impatient Moksha paced, iron staff in hand.
Guanyin opened her eyes. "He’s returned. A powerful being teaches him—one even I cannot discern. Jiang Liuer mentioned this mentor is a monkey spirit..."
Her thoughts drifted to the Great Sage who once shook Heaven.
