Chapter 597

Guanyin ignored the villagers kneeling and worshipping, gazing at the dirty little wooden hut, and said: "You wicked monkey, won't you come out?"

With a "creak".

The sealed wooden door opened, and Sun Wukong stepped out, holding his golden hooped staff in one hand against his shoulder, followed by the White Dragon Horse.

Sun Wukong did not look at Guanyin, wearing an arrogant expression.

Guanyin furrowed her brow slightly: "Monkey..."

"So annoying." Sun Wukong impatiently waved his hand, took a step to the riverbank, raised his head to look at Guanyin, and said: "You can't even manage your own fish?"

Guanyin was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Truly a wicked beast, you two go down there."

Zhu Wuneng and Zhu Bajie silently returned to Sun Wukong's side.

Guanyin no longer paid attention to Sun Wukong, turned her lotus throne to gaze at the Tongtian River, and threw the bamboo basket in her hand downward.

The bamboo basket landed on the river surface, bobbed twice, and quickly sank into the water.

Shortly after, the calm Tongtian River began to churn with waves, and a huge black shadow slowly emerged beneath the surface.

Many villagers saw it and nearly fainted from fright.

Could this massive shadow be the river god they have always worshipped?

The faint, bloodthirsty aura of the demonic creature was enough to make these villagers tremble, turning them into little white rabbits beneath the fangs of evil wolves.

Splash!

A huge wave surged into the sky, and in midair it was as if a sudden, brief shower had been sprinkled.

A giant red-and-white carp leapt out of the water.

A beam of light shot from the bamboo basket above, enveloping the giant carp and lifting it out of the Tongtian River.

One could see that this carp had long whiskers, an astonishingly large mouth, and its proportions far exceeded those of normal fish.

And in its gaping mouth, there were actually upper and lower rows of teeth.

These teeth were not sharp; each resembled a human molar, and due to its enormous size, they also resembled giant millstones, making one's heart palpitate.

Under the light of the bamboo basket, the carp spirit gradually shrank, taking on a half-human, half-fish form, and entered the enlarging bamboo basket.

The bamboo basket did not return to Guanyin's hand, but instead fell back onto the Tongtian River, drifting to the shore.

"Wicked beast, won't you kneel and apologize?" Guanyin's voice came.

"No need to apologize, just return my master..." Zhu Wuneng said.

"I'm talking to you!" Guanyin's stern voice interrupted Zhu Bajie's words, as if a thunderclap echoed in the sky.

"You wicked beasts! In the past you committed heinous crimes, deserving of annihilation of both body and spirit! I helped you seek a sliver of life, letting you atone through service, protecting the pilgrims on their journey to the Western Heaven."

Guanyin's voice was cold and stern: "I never expected you couldn't even protect a small pilgrim, but instead harmed my little fish."

"Such useless wicked beasts, why should I keep you?"

"But since heaven values life, I will give you another chance: kneel, repent before my fish, and I will forgive you, allowing you to resume your journey to the Western Heaven."

Saying this, she waved her hand.

A mass of bubbles emerged in the Tongtian River, and when the bubbles detached from the river water, they burst on their own.

Inside lay Tang Luo, flat on his back.

"......" Zhu Wuneng couldn't help but look at Zhu Bajie.

Could Guanyin Bodhisattva actually be one of the masterminds behind the scenes?

He had once had a slight suspicion, but when the truth was confirmed, he still felt his spirit shaken.

This Bodhisattva had clearly been helping them all along.

"Hehehe... hahahaha!" Sun Wukong covered his face and began to laugh wildly.

As Zhu Wuneng said, upon seeing Guanyin again, he had already wanted to "brandish his sword and face her," but now he no longer needed to hold back.

His fighting spirit and murderous aura burst forth without restraint.

"Rude beast! Obtuse and insensible!" Guanyin coldly snorted, began chanting a complex incantation in her mouth—exactly the Tightening Spell.

Sun Wukong's rising aura stalled, as if the rising flames had suddenly been extinguished, his loud voice suddenly cut off.

"Indeed, it does."

Zhu Bajie muttered: "The Golden Horn also knows the Tightening Spell, so there's no reason this 'Guanyin Bodhisattva' wouldn't."

Even, Zhu Bajie suspected the Tightening Spell might have originated from this very person.

After all, he chants the Tightening Spell far more skillfully than Golden Horn does, and in battle, Golden Horn has no leisure to chant the Tightening Spell.

This person seems to handle heavy burdens with ease.

Sun Wukong propped himself up with his golden hooped staff, not letting himself fall; though his breath was weak, the fire in his eyes burned wildly.

"Kneel, kowtow, and repent!"

Guanyin's voice sounded sharp and piercing, at the same time carrying a sense of glee: "I give you a chance! You must learn gratitude."

Zhu Bajie looked at Guanyin in the sky and muttered: "You're deceiving yourself."

"Wicked obstacle! What did you say!" Guanyin's gaze fell upon Zhu Bajie, extremely stern.

Zhu Bajie said indifferently: "I'm saying, you've played role-play too long, gotten too deep into character, and truly taken yourself to be Guanyin?"

Guanyin furrowed her brow: "Wicked obstacle, kneel and apologize!" but completely ignored Zhu Bajie's question.

Zhu Bajie shook his head, then continued to mock: "Looks like you've forgotten what your master said back then."

"Back then..." Guanyin's face changed slightly.

"The poor monk once said, if I ever see you leave the lotus pond half a step, I'll make you into a grilled fish." A cold voice sounded from behind: "Looks like you've forgotten. You scum, is your memory really only seven seconds long?"

"Guanyin" caught a glimpse of a flash of blood, and instantly trembled; the lotus beneath her seat instantly bloomed and shattered.

The petals formed a pair of nine-sectioned copper hammers, falling into "Guanyin"'s hands, about to smash backward.

However, a hand had already moved a step ahead, grabbing the back of his head.

A semi-transparent lapis flame burned in Tang Luo's hand, swiftly igniting this "Guanyin."

Crack.

With a shattering sound, Tang Luo forcibly twisted the "Guanyin's" head one hundred and eighty degrees, turning that face toward himself: "Heh, the old habit of incomplete transformation has been corrected, but do you think the Bodhisattva Guanyin knows you transformed into this appearance?"

This Guanyin was none other than the Great King of Inspiration from the Tongtian River back then!

When he was taken away by Guanyin back then, Tang Luo had already said that if this fish dared to leave the lotus pond, next time he would make him into a grilled fish.

At that time, the Great King of Inspiration had a fish head, and was only a little better looking than the carp spirit beneath his feet.

Now that habit has been corrected; he has completely transformed.

Moreover, the form he transformed into was precisely Guanyin's likeness!

When Zhu Bajie carried the lotus platform over, he faintly smelled a fishy odor, confirming Tang Luo's speculation at the time.

"Bodhisattva?"

The carp spirit in the bamboo basket looked utterly bewildered, what on earth had happened?

But he wasn't given time to think; Sun Wukong's Golden-Hooped Rod had already smashed down.

Tang Luo restrained the Great King of Inspiration, leaving him no leisure to continue reciting the Tight-Fillet Spell; once freed, Sun Wukong immediately struck.

The carp spirit barely dodged, half his body smashed to pieces by the Golden-Hooped Rod, and he plunged into the Tongtian River.

Sun Wukong glanced at the "Guanyin" above his head; this guy now belonged to Tang Xuanzang, it was none of his business.

Very decisively, he leaped into the Tongtian River, chasing the carp spirit to kill it.

"He isn't the real Guanyin; his identity is the same as this carp — a fish raised by the real Guanyin." Zhu Bajie explained to Zhu Wuneng.

Zhu Wuneng nodded.

Simply put, it's a fish impersonating its fish owner, and also one of the masterminds behind the scenes.

Now walking into the trap of its own accord, it fell into Tang Luo and the others' net.

Despite having his head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, the Great King of Inspiration did not die; on the contrary, the power unleashed by the lapis flame gave him tremendous confidence.

Power roared; the Nine-Petal Red Copper Hammer in his hand tore and twisted the air, smashing ruthlessly toward Tang Luo's head, who had already restored his original appearance.

Wanting to smash this still-familiar face to bits.

Tang Luo still gripped the Great King of Inspiration's head with one hand, while his other hand swung toward the direction from which the Nine-Petal Red Copper Hammer attacked.

The back of his hand struck the copper hammer.

An explosive sound like thunder; the Great King of Inspiration's palm was nearly torn in two, unable to hold the copper hammer any longer.

The copper hammer flew toward the sky; Zhu Bajie leaped up, catching the hammer: "Returning it to you!"

The hammer turned into a crimson meteor, trailing a whistling sound, and crashed into the chest of the Great King of Inspiration, who could not break free.

Tang Luo opportunely released his hand, stepping aside; the Great King of Inspiration, man and hammer together, fell diagonally toward the Tongtian River.

Just as the Tongtian River was about to churn up towering waves and the Great King of Inspiration was about to enter his "home terrain" advantage.

Tang Luo raised his hand and slapped downward.

Lapis Nirvana Great Hand Seal!

The giant palm arrived a step ahead, brushing past the Great King of Inspiration and descending into the Tongtian River below.

The Tongtian River's surface instantly collapsed; the enormous palm shadow occupied this river region, and waves even more terrifying than the ones the Great King of Inspiration had hastily stirred up began to surge.

A massive water curtain rushed into the clouds.

In an instant, the entire sky was "covered" by river water.

The Tongtian River ceased flowing in a split second; the river water in this area, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals inside, aquatic plants and debris, and the hidden water palace the carp spirit had established — all were squeezed by the immense force under Tang Luo's Great Hand Seal and flung into the sky!

Including Sun Wukong and the carp spirit battling in the Tongtian River.

The Great King of Inspiration was washed by the water curtain onto his right arm; the water that was originally his "friend" and weapon now turned into sharp blades and heavy hammers.

Washing his right arm into a mass of blood foam, sending it flying into the clouds along with the copper hammer.

The Great King of Inspiration plummeted to the wet riverbed bottom.

The river water in the sky did not fall.

Instead, under Zhu Bajie's control, it truly formed a complete Heavenly River, slowly flowing; the river water flowing down from the upper reaches of the Tongtian River was also blocked by Zhu Bajie.

It did not surge over.

"What are you looking at?" Zhu Bajie revealed his original form, "Do you think only you know water?"

"Give me the fan." Tang Luo extended his hand.

Zhu Bajie tossed over the Banana Leaf Fan he had seized from Jin Jiao; Tang Luo caught it and fanned it toward the Great King of Inspiration.

A sheet of firelight surged out, not the fire dragon Jin Jiao had fanned out.

A pure sea of fire replaced the original river water, falling into the Tongtian River's bed.

Tang Luo fanned several times in succession; firelight permeated, flames formed crimson magma, a "magma fire sea" took shape.

Several cracks also appeared on the Banana Leaf Fan, with flames flickering in and out of view.

Unlike Jin Jiao's skillful usage, Tang Luo's use unleashed excessive power, almost exceeding the Banana Leaf Fan's endurance limit.

The burning Great King of Inspiration rushed out of the "fire river"; Tang Luo casually struck a palm, smashing him back down.

"Tang Xuanzang!"

A shrill scream came from the Great King of Inspiration's mouth; the flames on his body could no longer be extinguished.

Burning the lapis flame made him unable to even stabilize his own power, forcing him to focus solely on defending against this fire sea's onslaught.

Tang Luo pressed downward; the Great Hand Seal pushed the Great King of Inspiration, who had just poked his head out, deep into the fire sea.

"Amitabha."

With his other hand held upright before his chest, Tang Luo proclaimed a Buddhist invocation, "A monk does not speak falsehoods."

He said he would grill a fish, so he grills a fish.