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Sun Wukong possessed the practical Body-Freezing Spell, yet used it sparingly—only in limited scenarios.
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After leaving the Black Rooster Kingdom, the pilgrims traveled by day and rested by night. About half a month had passed when they came upon a mountain so high it truly touched the clouds and cast shadows over the sun itself. Tripitaka felt deeply discouraged and stopped his horse, calling for Wukong.
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Bajie led the way, followed closely by the resurrected king. Monk Sha helped the Master mount his horse, while the Monkey King brought up the rear.
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As he walked, Bajie was thinking to himself: “What a wretched life! I was sleeping peacefully when that cursed monkey tricked me into hauling a corpse! Disgusting! I’ll make him pay—I’ll beg the master to recite the Headache Spell!”
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When the first watch of the night had sounded, the Monkey King was still not asleep. He crept over to Bajie’s bed and shouted directly into his ear: “Wake up, already!”
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Wukong leapt into the air and soared skyward. He opened wide his fiery eyes and gazed westward. Sure enough, he spotted a city not far off—about fifty kilometers away. As he drew near, he saw that it was shrouded in an eerie mist and constantly battered by a ghostly wind.
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By the dim light of the oil lamps, Tripitaka spent a long time meditating on the King Liang’s Water Litany (Liang Dynasty Water Repentance Liturgy), followed by the recitation of the Authentic Sutra of the Peacock(True Peacock Sutra).
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The Kingdom of Black Rooster does not appear in any real historical records and is a fictional nation created by the author of Journey to the West. However, the story and certain plot elements in the Black Rooster Kingdom evoke associations with the Liang Dynasty during Emperor Wu’s reign.