Journey to the West: Break the entire Western Heaven!

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A shout suddenly came from the water, and then three water demons rose up, one with the head of a shrimp, another with the head of a fish, and the last one was a green turtle with a shell on its back. Each of the trio held weapons in their hands—a knife, a fork, and a shield—making them look quite formidable and well-prepared for a feast.

The three water demons had been sent by the Linggan King of the Tongtian River to capture young boys and girls. These fellows were accustomed to swaggering along the riverside, used to the people cowering before them, bowing and scraping, and calling them 'Your Excellency.' Naturally, they looked down on the folks on the shore with high and mighty airs.

But as soon as the three had taken their positions, they felt several pairs of glowing eyes looking at them from the shore.

These gazes were different from the ones they were used to, which were filled with fear, timidity, dread, and reverence. But these eyes bore a stark and naked desire!

Instinctively, the three water demons clamped their legs together and followed the gazes to their source.

On the riverbank, a bald man was riding a horse, accompanied by a monkey, a pig, and a robust man, all of whom were wiping their drool while looking at the demons with great excitement.

The pig-headed one couldn't help but say, "Master, isn't this what they call 'speak of the devil?' Our luck's so good, we'd be doing ourselves a disservice not to find money just by stepping outside!"

Sun Wukong said, "Brother Sha, what do you think of these three river delicacies?"

Sha Wujing stroked his chin, eyeing the three water demons critically, "They're fresh, that's for sure, though a bit young. The meat isn't top-notch, but good enough to whet the appetite. Personally, I suggest stir-frying the shrimp, slow-cooking the fish, and the turtle can be braised, stewed in soy sauce, or made into a soup. Master, what are you in the mood for?"

Hearing this, the faces of the three water demons turned black.

The fish-headed water demon had the worst temper, and with a wave of his big knife, he shouted, "How dare you, you foolish humans, be so disrespectful to us?"

Bang!
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A stick fell, and the fish-headed water demon was smacked to the ground, reverting to its original form—a two-meter long mandarin fish!

Sun Wukong casually tossed the fish to Sha Wujing and said, "Brother Sha, I'd like a spicy fish head."

"Right on it!"

Sha Wujing pulled out a large cleaver, which Zhu Ganglie quickly grabbed, "No need to prepare this kind of knife anymore, I'll take care of it for you."

Sha Wujing was speechless for a moment but then took out another kitchen knife and skillfully chopped off the fish head, cleaned it of its gills, and split it in two before placing it in a pot. He then sprinkled on some prepared chopped chili from his Sumi Bag, cranked up the heat, and the aroma quickly filled the air.

Only then did the shrimp demon and the turtle demon snap back to their senses, exclaiming in shock, "You dare to attack the subordinates of the great Linggan King? You're finished..."

A dark shadow blocked the moonlight, and looking up, the two demons saw a three-meter tall pig above them and swallowed hard.

"Run!"

The turtle demon turned to flee, but Zhu Ganglie's big hands reached out...

Before long, a one-and-a-half meter long shrimp was roasting over the fire pit, while a fish head and turtle soup were stewing in pots. A bald man, a monkey, a pig, and a muscle-bound man sat cross-legged there, thoroughly enjoying their meal.

In the water, a figure shivered as it retreated into the deeper parts of the river.

Meanwhile, the sound of music and singing arose nearby, and turning their heads, the group saw a funeral procession approaching in the distance.

The crowd had gloomy faces and bowed heads, intermittently letting out sighs of lamentation.

Only two children were running around happily...

"Someone else has passed away," Zhu Ganglie said as he ate.

Sun Wukong shook his head and sighed, "Such is the life of mortals; birth, aging, sickness, and death are all predetermined. Unable to escape the constraints of the Three Realms or the elements of the Five Phases, they are ultimately just a handful of dust. Life cycles on, without end…"

Although they were aware of the death, they weren't saddened.

In their eyes, the fate of mortals was fixed. If anyone was to blame, it was those who had failed to transcend the cycle of rebirth with the limited strength of their life. There was nothing else to be said.

Tang Sanzang, from the beginning to the end, paid no attention to these events. He just kept on eating.

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The disciples, seeing their Master thus, also bowed their heads and began to eat.

The funeral procession seemed to have no intention of greeting them, and so they each went their separate ways and left.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the Heavenly River.

"Report! Report! Great King, trouble is afoot! A bunch of particularly fierce monks have killed our Aquatic Tribe, and they're eating on the shore right now!"

Upon hearing this, the River Spirit King, who was in the middle of studying ways to eat boys and girls, instantly flew into a rage and stood up abruptly, saying, "What audacity! From whence do these monks hail, daring to wreak havoc in my Heavenly River and even dare to injure my Aquatic Tribe?"

"Great King, I don't know where those monks came from. One has a bald head shiny as a Luminous Pearl, a monkey with a furry face and a thunder god's mouth, a pig three meters tall, a strapping man four meters tall, and there is also a white horse..."

"Hold on!" bellowed the River Spirit King.

The little demon immediately dared not speak any further.

The River Spirit King pulled out an album and showed it to the other party, "Could it be these monks that look like this?"

The little demon leaned over, took a look, and then nodded his head frantically, saying, "Great King, it's these monks! The spitting image!"

The eyes of the River Spirit King instantly lit up...

The little demon also realized something and asked, "Great King, could it be that they are Tang Sanzang and his entourage?"

The River Spirit King chuckled and said, "Shrimp General, if your eyes haven't deceived you, it should be them. Go, rally the troops, armed with knives, follow me, kill the monkey, snatch the bald head!"

"Yes, Great King!"

The Shrimp General immediately scurried off to make the call, and in no time, eighty thousand members of the Aquatic Tribe all converged, what with shrimp soldiers carrying forks, crab soldiers with spears, soft-shelled turtle spirits with hammers, and all sorts of fish—carp, loach, whitefish, crucian carp, catfish, toad spirits, water snake monsters, and all sorts of jumbled Aquatic Tribe members gathered.

Eighty thousand Aquatic Tribe members formed their ranks at the bottom of the Heavenly River, each brandishing their weapons, baring their fangs, and roaring ferociously, "Long live the Great King, may the Great King be eternal!"

The River Spirit King sat on his throne, looked at the eighty thousand minions below, and laughed heartily, "As the saying goes, train the army for a thousand days, use it for one moment. You all have followed this Great King for many years, enjoying the finer things in life, now this Great King is going to capture a monk above. Are you willing to risk your lives in an act of filial piety for this Great King?"

The crowd of Aquatic Tribe members below all shouted in unison, "Willing..."

The word "willing" just seemed to hang in the air without completion, and instead, whispers began to spread amongst them.

"Brother Shrimp, what did the Great King just say?"

"Something about life-risking strength."

"I didn't say 'willing,' did I?"

"No, neither did I."

"That's good then..."

...

"Brother Loach, the Great King didn't call us here to go out and steal food, did he?"

"Seems like he wants us to fight to the death."

"I suddenly have a stomachache. Can you ask for leave on my behalf later?"

"My wife is about to give birth. I was hoping you could ask for leave for me."

"Let's ask for leave together..."