Wukong soon arrived at the front gate. As soon as he crossed it, he resumed his usual form and raised his voice in an authoritative tone:
“Divine Rival Monster, release Golden Wisdom at once!”
He shouted it again with such force that all the little demons were quickly awakened.
Confrontation outside the cave
After bidding farewell to the lady, the monster headed toward the Pavilion of Dissection(Hall of Dismemberment).
Immediately donning his armor and summoning all his demon troops, he marched toward the main gate, holding in his hands a battle axe.
The monster asked in an authoritative voice:
“Where is the man claiming to come from the Purple Kingdom? Tell me at once your real name and surname, as well as the martial arts you have mastered! Judging by the boldness with which you address me, they must truly be unparalleled.”
Upon hearing Sun Wukong’s name, the monster exclaimed:
“So you’re the one who threw the Heavenly Palace into total chaos! If it’s true that you were released on the condition that you accompany Master Tang on his long pilgrimage westward, care to explain why you’ve strayed from your mission? Don’t you think it would be more sensible for you to mind your own business rather than becoming a mere servant of the Purple Kingdom and coming here seeking death?”
The Monkey King retorted:
“From your words, one can see how ignorant and wicked you are! I came to your cave because the Lord of the Purple Kingdom requested it, and I accepted out of gratitude for his hospitality. You should also know that there I am respected even more than the king himself, who regards me as a god. Given such signs of appreciation, how dare you utter the word ‘slave’? It is you who mocks the principles of heaven, not I! Don’t run away—taste my rod!”
The Bells of Destiny
They clashed more than fifty times in succession, but neither managed to gain the upper hand. Seeing the strength displayed by the Monkey King, the monster realized he couldn’t defeat him. Blocking one of the iron staff’s blows with his axe, he said:
“I think we should pause the fight for a moment, Pilgrim Sun. I haven’t had breakfast yet, and I must eat something before continuing. As soon as I do, I’ll return and finish you off.”
The Monkey King understood he wanted to go for the bells. Setting aside his staff, he replied:
“A good hunter never chases a tired hare. Go ahead and eat as much as you want. The sooner you return, the sooner I’ll end your life.”
The monster returned inside the cave and ordered the woman:
“Immediately bring my bells!”
The woman had no choice but to open the chest and hand them over to the beast, who ran off joyfully outside.
The woman felt so devastated that she slumped onto a chair and wept bitterly, desperately wondering whether the Monkey King would manage to escape alive.
Neither she nor the monster knew that the bells she had just handed over were fake.
Clash of Deception
As soon as he reached the open field, the monster positioned himself against the wind and shouted:
“Don’t run away, Sun Wukong! Watch as I shake these bells a bit!”
The Monkey King laughed and replied:
“Do you think I don’t have ones just like yours? What makes you think that if you shake yours, I won’t do the same with mine?”
The monster asked:
“What kind of bells do you have? Why don’t you take them out so I can have a look?”
The Monkey King lightly shook his iron staff, shrinking it down to the size of a small sewing needle, and calmly tucked it into his ear. Then he untied the three golden bells from his waist and said to the monster:
“Take a good look—aren’t these three purple-golden bells?”
The monster thought, clearly surprised:
“How strange! How can these bells be exactly the same as mine? Even if they were cast using the same mold, they should have some slight differences—a mark here, an imperfection there. How can they be identical? Would you mind telling me where you got them?” he added, raising his voice.
“Do you mind telling me where yours came from?” the Monkey King repeated.
The monster confessed with surprising naivety:
“They were refined by Lao Tzu, the most knowledgeable being in the Dao, in his Eight-Trigram Crucible.”
“Well, mine come from the very same crucible too. Although you may find it hard to believe, my bells are female and yours are male—that’s why they’re so similar,” explained the Monkey King, laughing heartily.
The monster replied:
“How can you speak of their gender when they were forged during the very process that produced the elixir and do not belong to the animal realm? At any rate, I’m willing to admit yours might be genuine if they can produce something terrifying when shaken.”
The Monkey King admitted:
“You’re right. Everything else is just empty talk. To show I’m not afraid of you, I’ll let you go first.”
Without hesitation, the monster shook the first bell three times in a row, but no fire came from its mouth. He did the same with the second, but no smoke emerged either. The third followed the example of the other two and didn’t even release a speck of ash.
Perplexed, the monster exclaimed:
“What a strange thing! It seems the world has turned upside down. These bells are as useless as stones for crossing a river! I’m convinced that, since they’re male, upon seeing the female ones they’ve become completely disoriented.”
Inferno Unleashed: Flames, smoke and dust
The Monkey King mocked:
“Stop shaking them—let me try mine and see what happens.”
No sooner had he said this than he grabbed the three bells with one hand and shook them all at once. Instantly, a great mass of reddish fire, greenish smoke, and yellowish ash burst forth, enveloping the entire mountain and the trees growing upon it.
To make matters worse, Sun Wukong recited an incantation and, turning toward the southwest, shouted loudly:
“Let the wind rise!”
The hurricane fanned the flames, seeming to borrow all the uncontrollable force of the air itself. From among the reddish flames arose a mass of black smoke that completely darkened the skies, while the earth was covered in a thick rain of yellow dust.
Struck with awe at such a spectacle, the Divine Rival Monster tried to flee, but found no path to escape through.
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