The golden-winged roc was hiding among the lower clouds, feeling deeply dejected. He was no ordinary creature, being the younger brother of the Great Peacock Ming Wang Bodhisattva from the Western Heavens. Born with a pair of storm-wielding wings, his true form featured a left wing that conjured winds and a right that wrapped thunder—truly formidable. Each flap of his wings could cover a distance of ninety thousand miles.

 

Since his birth, aside from the Western Tathagata Buddha, he had never met an equal. Driven by curiosity, he had traveled to the Eastern Victorious Divine Continent for leisure and, upon hearing of Mount Huaguo, he had come to see it himself.

 

To him, although the scenery of Mount Huaguo was extraordinary, it still could not compare to the wonders of the Western Heavens. Being proud and aloof by nature, he spoke his mind openly, which unfortunately enraged a wild ox, leading to a fierce battle.

 

To his utter astonishment, he found himself unable to gain the upper hand with his abilities alone, and was forced to engage in evasive combat, suffering a humiliation he hadn't experienced for a millennium.

 

Seeing that the monkey above was also a formidable opponent, he realized that seeking justice might be difficult this time.

 

While Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King were conversing superficially, both were inwardly cautious. Wukong, coming from a future era, knew that the golden-winged roc was a cunning and ruthless adversary who would not let the matter rest after a setback.

 

Indeed, not long into their conversation, Wukong felt a chilling surge from below as a huge sharp beak emerged from the clouds, aiming directly at them with an imposing force. Wukong swung his staff to strike it.

 

At that moment, the Bull Demon King shouted, "Let me handle this!" Nursing a grudge against the roc, he dove down headfirst, his horns gleaming as they met the roc's sharp beak.

 

Wukong was horrified; a head strike was risky and could lead to mutual destruction. As expected, the roc, seeing the Bull Demon King descending, showed an expression of disbelief and hurriedly turned to dodge, but in his haste, the Bull Demon King's right horn caught on the roc's right wing.

 

With a loud crack of thunder, both screamed in pain. The Bull Demon King's right side of the face was scorched by the thunderous wing, while the roc fared worse, his wing drooping, unable to fly.

 

"Brave ox! Today, unless I reduce you to ashes, I shall not return to the Western Heavens!" the roc declared furiously.

 

The Bull Demon King, channeling his mystical energy to heal, chuckled, "With a broken wing, where can you, birdman, flee?"

 

Witnessing such fierce combat shocked Wukong. Reflecting on himself, he realized he had never endured such trials in battle, whereas the Bull Demon King, naturally inclined towards combat, grew stronger with more formidable opponents, prompting Wukong to inwardly voice his shame.

 

Despite his severe injury, the roc seemed unconcerned, knowing such wounds required only a bit more effort to heal. However, with the Bull Demon King's robust physique, he admitted he had no way to inflict harm. Silently, the roc was plotting how to gain an advantage by cunning, recalling an encounter from years ago; he decided to employ a strategy of discord, aiming to set the two adversaries against each other to create an opportunity for himself.

 

Unbeknownst to him, Wukong was also taken aback by seeing the roc's true form—a massive body about five hundred yards long, with wings spanning over a thousand yards, and a beak and claws as dark and sharp as wrought iron. A glowing pearl adorned his head, his golden eyes reflecting sunlight and moonlight, and his feathers like golden blades, terrifying to behold.

 

The roc opened his massive beak and said, "Consider yourself a worthy opponent. Today, I challenge you two to a duel; dare you accept?"

 

The Bull Demon King laughed, "Why should I not?"

 

The roc proposed, "Not far from here lies a manor known as the Wuzhuang Temple, behind which grows a ginseng fruit tree with several fruits. How about we three go there and compete for these fruits?"

 

Before the Bull Demon King could reply, Wukong interrupted, "Hold on!"

 

"Are you afraid?" the roc taunted.

 

Wukong smirked, thinking to himself, "Clever golden-winged roc, truly devious. Others might not know, but I'm aware that Wuzhuang Temple is the residence of the ancestral earth immortal, Zhen Yuanzi. Without real power, how could he guard that tree? It seems the roc has suffered a setback there before and is using this as a way to manipulate others."

 

The Bull Demon King telepathically warned, "Brother, do not agree; the master of Wuzhuang Temple is quite formidable, and even I cannot handle him." Wukong replied, "Fear not, I have this under control."

 

Wukong then questioned the roc, "You mentioned taking the fruits, but your details are vague. How many should we take, and what happens to the one who picks them first? And what about the loser?"

 

Seeing Wukong seemingly agree, the roc said, "Whoever picks first wins. If you lose, you'll give me Mount Huaguo. Though not ideal, it could serve as a palace."

 

The Bull Demon King retorted, "Less talk if you lose, then what?"

The golden-winged roc said arrogantly, "If I lose, you may kill or flay me as you wish."

 

Sun Wukong replied, "That’s quite a bold statement. According to you, should we pick hundreds of fruits?"

 

The Bull Demon King awkwardly said, "Little brother, you are unaware that the ginseng fruit is a spiritual root of heaven and earth. There are at most thirty fruits on the tree; where would we get hundreds?"

 

The golden-winged roc responded, "You, old bull, do have some knowledge."

 

"I’ve been cultivating for thousands of years," said the Bull Demon King. "How could I not know such trivial matters?"

 

The roc glanced sideways, "You boast of thousands of years; I have been enlightened for ten thousand."

 

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Based on this, Brother Bull’s talent must far surpass yours." His words silenced the golden-winged roc.

 

Wukong continued, "Regardless of who gets there first, we should each take four ginseng fruits—one for each of us, including my sister-in-law. How about that?"

 

"One word to settle it!" agreed the roc.

 

Wukong added, "Although this wager is of great importance, I won't take advantage of you. Wait until you've healed your injuries, and then we’ll go to Wuzhuang Temple. How about that?"

 

The roc was slightly surprised but then transformed back into human form and sat down to heal.

 

Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King communicated telepathically, "Brother, this roc will surely want us to lead, allowing him to benefit from behind. What do you think we should do?"

 

The Bull Demon King pondered for a moment and replied, "It’s simple; we just follow behind him."

 

"Wouldn’t that appear as if we are afraid of battle, damaging your great reputation?" Wukong asked.

 

"What should we do then?" the Bull Demon King inquired.

 

Wukong chuckled, "Just watch and act as the situation requires."

 

Within half an hour, the golden-winged roc had healed. His feathers were resplendent as before. He stood up and said to Wukong, "Let's go!"

 

Wukong responded, "Hold on!"

 

Surprised, the roc asked, "What now, are you afraid?"

 

Wukong smiled, "Where exactly is Wuzhuang Temple, and how far from here? If you don’t tell us, wouldn’t you be taking advantage?"

 

"It’s six thousand li to the northwest. I will ride the clouds slowly, not taking any advantage," the roc declared.

 

"Good, lead the way!" said Wukong.

 

The roc slowly advanced on his cloud, with Wukong and the Bull Demon King following. The Bull Demon King was puzzled by Wukong's intentions and kept asking him, but Wukong did not respond, only telling him not to make a move.

 

Along the way, Wukong saw the roc’s cloud transform into a dragon-like shape beneath his feet, which was quite majestic. He recalled a legend that from youth, the roc preyed on dragons, though he wasn't sure if it was true. The roc’s cloud dragon changed unpredictably, sometimes raising its head to the sky and at other times transforming into clouds and rain, playing joyfully.

 

The cloud beneath the Bull Demon King always resembled a large bull. Wukong wondered what the old bull thought of riding himself. With a mischievous smile, Wukong transformed his own cloud into the shape of a roc, then sped ahead of the golden-winged roc.

 

Just as he passed, the roc said, "We’ve arrived, go down!" He didn’t even glance at Wukong.

 

With a blank expression, Wukong slowly descended through the clouds.

 

Below them lay a truly magnificent mountain: towering peaks and rugged terrain. The sun shone on the verdant forests creating layers of red mist; the winds stirred the deep ravines, sending multicolored clouds flying. The streams wound gracefully, and the mountain ridges stacked endlessly. The scene of blooming and fading flowers atop the mountains and the clouds moving over the ridges was enchanting. This was truly a blessed land of immortals, akin to the legendary Mount Penglai.

 

The trio walked in the mountains and soon saw clusters of pines and multi-tiered pavilions. At the entrance, the pine-covered slope was serene, and the bamboo paths were tranquil. White cranes delivered floating clouds, while monkeys occasionally offered fruits. The profound air of Dao and the ethereal residence of immortals were truly boundless. On the left of the mountain gate was a stele with ten large characters: "The Eternal Blessed Land of Mount Wanshou, the Heavenly Abode of Wuzhuang Temple."

 

Wukong felt an inexplicable thrill. Zhen Yuanzi, the Grand Immortal, was a true master. In "Journey to the West," Sun Wukong could not exhibit any skills in his presence, relying only on his resilience to endure beatings.