When Wukong finally returned to the spot on the mountain where he had left Tang Monk and the others, he found no one there; everyone had vanished.
The circle he had drawn with his iron bar was still visible, but inside it there was no sign of the horse. Worried, he turned his gaze toward the tower and other buildings, only to find that they too had disappeared. In their place stood only some oddly shaped rocks.
The Monkey King exclaimed, discouraged:
“That’s it! They must have surely fallen into the danger I warned them about.”
A Faint Trail
Following the horse’s tracks, he traveled five or six kilometers along the road heading west, without finding any further trace of his companions. Just when he seemed most disheartened, he suddenly heard someone speaking from the northern slope. He approached cautiously and saw an old man accompanied by a very young servant.
Wukong bowed respectfully before the elder and said:
“This humble monk greets you.”
“Where are you from?” the old man asked, returning the greeting.
The Monkey King replied:
“I come from the Eastern Land, and we are traveling to the Western Paradise in search of the Buddha’s scriptures. There are four of us monks in total. Since my master hadn’t eaten for several days, I went off to beg for some vegetarian food. I advised him to sit at a bend in the mountain and wait for me without moving, but when I returned, both he and my two other brothers had disappeared. I don’t know which way they could have gone. May I ask if you’ve seen them?”
“Did one of them have a long snout and big ears?” asked the old man.
“Yes, yes,” the Monkey King replied quickly.
“And did another have a dark complexion and was pulling a horse carrying a pale-faced, strong-looking monk?” the old man asked again.
“Yes, yes,” Sun Wukong repeated.
Then the old man declared:
“They took the wrong path. A while ago, I passed through this area and saw that the path they followed has led straight into the jaws of a terrible monster.”
“Please tell me what kind of monster it is and where he lives, so I can go look for them,” begged the Monkey King.
The Golden Helmet Mountain
The old man warned:
“This is the Mountain of the Golden Helmet, and within it lies the similarly named Golden Helmet Cave, home to the Great King One-Horned Buffalo. He possesses countless magical powers and is a master of martial arts. It’s quite possible your companions have already lost their lives.”
“I truly appreciate your kindness and the information,” replied Sun Wukong, bowing repeatedly.
The Monkey King lifted his tiger-skin robe and tightened it around his waist with a sash. Then he raised high his golden-ended iron bar and ran into the mountains in search of the monster’s cave. As he passed a cliffside, he noticed that the rocks were even stranger in shape than elsewhere, and just below a greenish ledge, he saw two stone doors. Before them stood many demons armed with spears and swords.
Confrontation at the Cavern
Wukong approached the entrance of the cave and shouted furiously:
“You little demons! Go immediately into the cave and inform your master that Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, disciple of the holy monk from the Tang court, has arrived. Also tell him that if he wants all of you to remain alive, he must release my master immediately!”
The demons rushed into the cave and told their lord:
“Out there, Great King, is a hairy-faced monk with a large mouth who calls himself Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. He demands the immediate release of his master.”
The monster exclaimed, visibly pleased:
“He’s finally here! Ever since I left my old palace and descended to earth, I’ve had no chance to practice martial arts. Now at last I have someone worthy to face me.”
He ordered his weapons to be brought, and instantly all the demons began shouting excitedly. Almost immediately, they brought out a spear over four meters long and handed it to him. The monster raised his voice and shouted:
“All of you must follow my orders. Whoever advances shall be rewarded, and whoever retreats shall be executed!”
All the demons promised to obey willingly. Pleased with their bravery, the beast marched to the gate of his mansion and arrogantly asked:
“Who is this Sun Wukong?”
“It’s me—your ancestor Sun!” said Wukong, stepping forward.
“If you release my master, nothing will happen to you,” he continued. “Otherwise, you’ll die before you even have time to choose your grave.”
The beast roared in response:
“Careful with that big mouth of yours! Why don’t you explain what kind of powers you have to dare speak to me like that?”
Sun Wukong retorted arrogantly:
“Cursed beast! You must be the only one who doesn’t know of the Monkey King’s might!”
The monster replied provocatively:
“Since you insist on testing your strength against mine, I’ll make you a proposal: if you can withstand three attacks from me, I’ll spare your master. If not, I’ll kill you as well.”
The Monkey King shouted:
“Cursed beast! Stop wasting time! I was just about to fight you. Come here and taste my iron rod!”
Clash of Titans
The two opponents clashed more than thirty times, yet neither gained the upper hand.
Observing how perfectly Wukong wielded his bar throughout the battle—not making a single mistake—the monster exclaimed, jumping with joy:
“What an extraordinary monkey! Truly, he has all the qualities needed to plunge the heavens into chaos!”
They continued fighting for more than twenty consecutive rounds.
As the battle raged, the monster signaled his minions to swarm Wukong. Swinging sabers, swords, clubs, and spears, they charged forward and soon surrounded the Monkey King completely.
Wukong threw his iron bar into the air and shouted:
“Transform!”
Instantly, it multiplied into hundreds and thousands of identical bars, which flew at the demons like flying snakes.
Seeing this, the monsters trembled in terror and, covering their heads and necks as best they could, fled into the cave.
Disarmed and fled
“You certainly are bold,” said the beast, smiling contemptuously.
“But allow me to show you a little trick.”
He pulled a bright white band from his sleeve and, throwing it into the air, shouted:
“Attack!”
All the iron bars became one again—and then were absorbed by the band. In this way, the Monkey King was left completely unarmed and was forced to leap desperately aside to save his life.
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