Simply put, Sun Wukong both escaped Buddha’s palm and didn’t fully escape it. However, both parties cheated in the process — yet neither point truly mattered, for the gods cared only whether Wukong was defeated. Why is this so?
We previously roughly calculated Tang Monk’s age in the novel Journey to the West. Today, let’s examine how old Sun Wukong was. Unlike Tang Monk, Wukong was not an ordinary mortal; he was both a demon and an immortal, so his lifespan was naturally much longer than a human’s. Now, let’s attempt to calculate…
Since every immortal in Journey to the West can ride clouds and mists, why does the Heavenly Court bother raising horses?
Gradually, Wukong began to question his fate:“This is all Tathagata’s fault! He sits comfortably in his paradise, hoarding scriptures! If he truly cared about spreading truth, he should have delivered them himself to the East. Instead, he sent us through endless trials. Now my master lies dead! I’ll confront Buddha—demand the scriptures or freedom…
Toward the end of the third watch, the eldest demon (Lion King) was heard saying:
The three demons confronted the Monkey King and his two companions at the eastern gates of the city. The battle raged on until the very hour of twilight, when the sky gradually darkened and night cast its veil of darkness everywhere.
The second demon returned to the Lion-Camel Cave, trembling from head to toe. Before he even arrived, his brothers had already learned that he had been captured and dragged away without any consideration by his trunk.