In all the heavens and earth, only the Six-Eared is spoken of.

"Qingxia! Why are you doing this?!" Sun Rong shouted in both anxiety and anger. "Even if you finally have my body, you will never possess my soul—what is the point of all this?!"

"Hmph! It's your body that I want!" Qingxia retorted furiously. "Five hundred years ago, I missed my chance, letting you slip away to my sister, Zixia! This time, in this cycle of reincarnation, I will not let you follow that monk to the Western Paradise, no matter what!"

"Feelings are not something you can force," Sun Rong replied, then leapt from the city wall and walked away.

Qingxia hurried after him. "Where are you going?"

Sun Rong halted and said, "I'm going back to save my wife!"

Qingxia sneered. "I'm sure the God Erlang has already taken that wretch back to Heaven. You have no power now—what can you possibly do?"

Sun Rong's face stiffened. "Even so, I must go back to save my wife!"

Qingxia folded her arms, her eyes cold as she stared at Sun Rong's awkward expression. "Even if you make it to Heaven, do you really think you can defeat the God Erlang?"

Sun Rong steeled himself. "That's none of your concern! Whether I can or not, I will rescue my wife!"

Seeing that nothing she said could sway him, Qingxia felt a chill seep into her heart. She spat, "Fine, go save her! If you can't, then die at the hands of the God Erlang for all I care!"

Sun Rong looked back at Qingxia, hesitated, but finally could not help himself. "Then... take care."

Qingxia did not respond, turning away, tears welling in her eyes as she struggled to hold them back.

Sun Rong sighed, descended the city wall, took his horse, and rode straight toward the Liu family village in Huayin. Soon, he disappeared from sight.

...

Three days later, in the city of Huayin.

Dark clouds pressed low over the small southern city. Clad in golden armor, the God Erlang sat solemnly with thousands of heavenly soldiers atop the clouds, gazing silently at the lonely city below.

Beside him, the Four Heavenly Kings held Yang Chan captive and asked, "True Lord, now that we've captured the Holy Mother, why do we linger here?"

God Erlang arched his brows, watching as a scholar rode swiftly into Huayin below, and said coldly, "That wretch is ungrateful and disrespectful—he deceived my sister into breaking heavenly law and living with him! Just thinking of it makes me want to skin him alive, tear out his sinews, and imprison his soul beneath the Rakshasa Sea for all eternity!"

"Second Brother, please, no!" Yang Chan pleaded through tears. "I chose to marry Yanchang of my own will. If you must hate someone, hate me—do not harm him!"

"Hmph!" God Erlang shot her a sidelong glance, his voice icy. "The more you plead, the more determined I am that he shall die with no grave to receive him! Four Heavenly Kings, where are you?"

The Four Heavenly Kings knelt and answered, "At your command!"

God Erlang swept his arm toward Sun Rong. "Seize Liu Yanchang—execute him at once!"

The Four Heavenly Kings replied, "As you command!"

Yang Chan grew frantic and remorseful. "Second Brother, all the fault is mine! If someone must die or suffer, let it be me—leave Yanchang out of this!"

The Four Heavenly Kings hesitated, then turned to God Erlang. "True Lord, this..."

"Four Heavenly Kings, why do you delay?!" God Erlang thundered, his face cold with fury. "Obey my command at once!"

The Four Heavenly Kings could only bow again. "As you command!"

Then Mali Hai lifted a pipa, strung with four strings for earth, water, fire, and wind. As he plucked, wind and fire surged forth, striking Sun Rong from the clouds.

Next, Mali Qing presented his secret sword, the Azure Cloud Blade, inscribed with four characters: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind. The wind it summoned was black, filled with countless spears and halberds. Any caught by its edge would be torn to shreds; the fire conjured golden serpents that writhed in the air, blanketing the land in black smoke that blinded and burned all in its path, scorching half of Huayin city.

Then Mali Shou threw out the Hundred-Treasure Bag, from which emerged a creature shaped like a white rat, known as the Golden Fox Mink. Released into the air, it transformed into a white elephant with flying wings at its sides, and swallowed Sun Rong whole.

Finally, Mali Hong wielded the Primal Chaos Umbrella. When opened, darkness fell, and as it spun, the world trembled; it drew Sun Rong's soul into its depths.

"Husband!" Yang Chan watched as, in an instant, her beloved Sun Rong was destroyed. Her face turned deathly pale as she pointed at God Erlang and cursed him. "Yang Erlang, you heartless beast! If only I could tear your flesh and drink your blood!"

"Hmph, Sister, this is for your own good!" God Erlang replied, then ordered the Four Heavenly Kings, "Take her to Mount Hua. Without my command, no one is to enter or leave!"

The Four Heavenly Kings obeyed, escorting Yang Chan to the foot of Mount Hua, then set enchantments to turn the place into a prison.

When all was done, Mali Hong took the soul of Sun Rong from the Primal Chaos Umbrella and brought him to the North Sea, casting him into the sea's abyss to keep company with the Water-Sundering General, Shen Gongbao, who had long been imprisoned there.

...

No one knows how much time passed before, in his dazed state, Sun Rong encountered a white-faced monk who called himself "Wutian." The monk tapped Sun Rong awake with a flick of his finger and told him of Yang Chan's fate:

After being taken by God Erlang, Yang Chan was imprisoned under Mount Hua. Soon, she gave birth to a son, whom she named Chenxiang.

Chenxiang was born on Mount Hua. Fearing God Erlang would harm him, Yang Chan wrapped the baby, wrote a letter in her own blood, and entrusted him to the Bluebird to deliver to the Liu family in Luozhou.

When Chenxiang turned ten, one day, Qin Guanbao, the son of Lord Qin, mocked Chenxiang for having no mother and being born out of wedlock. Furious, Chenxiang accidentally killed Qin Guanbao and fled home, confessing everything to Old Master Liu.

Left with no choice, Old Master Liu revealed the truth. Upon learning it, Chenxiang resolved to rescue his mother from Mount Hua and fled Luozhou.

That same day, Ancestor Lü was meditating when he felt a stir in his heart. Casting a divination, he learned that Chenxiang was coming to Mount Hua to save his mother. Thinking this was a righteous deed, he decided to help.

Lü personally waited at the foot of the mountain. When Chenxiang arrived, he saw a Daoist and hurriedly paid his respects. "Master, is this Mount Hua?"

"Why do you seek Mount Hua?" the Daoist asked.

"To rescue my mother."

"Who is your mother, and where is she now?"

"My mother is the youngest daughter of the Jade Emperor, the Holy Mother. My uncle Yang Jian has trapped her beneath a boulder on the mountain, so I have come to save her."

"You must not! Yang Jian is a fierce deity of Heaven, ruthless and highly skilled in battle. At your age, you are no match for him. Give up this thought!"

Chenxiang's eyes widened. "To save my mother, I will challenge him, even if it costs me my life!"

"Such spirit!" Lü said to Chenxiang. "If you are willing, I can teach you martial arts—what do you say?"

Overjoyed, Chenxiang knelt and acknowledged Lü as his master. From then on, he trained diligently, mastering all eighteen martial skills. One day, Lü had to leave and instructed Chenxiang to continue practicing.

Chenxiang closed the temple gates and trained with spear and staff until he grew hungry. When his master did not return by mealtime, he cooked for himself. In the kitchen, he found nine dough oxen and two dough tigers. Though puzzled, hunger prevailed and he ate them all, instantly feeling immense strength. When he picked up his usual weapons, they felt light as feathers.

Looking around, he found an iron pestle the width of a bowl and eight feet long, which he wielded with ease. At that moment, Lü returned, laughing heartily. "Good! Good!"

Chenxiang put down the pestle and knelt. Lü told him, "Your training is complete. Now you may go rescue your mother. The key to the mountain is with your uncle Yang Jian, who is guarded by a fierce dog and a powerful eagle. I give you two pills—the round one subdues the dog, the long one subdues the eagle. Use them when the time comes."

Thanking his master, Chenxiang set off with the iron pestle to find Yang Jian.

At the heavenly gate, he saw many celestial generals surrounding a majestic, proud deity and bowed. "I am Chenxiang, here to save my mother and ask my uncle for the key to the mountain."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian's brows shot up and his eyes glared. "Bold wretch! How dare you? Begone now if you value your life!"

Judging from his demeanor, Chenxiang guessed this was Yang Jian. He first tried to reason. "Please give me the key, so I may free my mother."

"Impudent! If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll never know my power!" Yang Jian drew his three-pointed, double-edged blade and struck at Chenxiang's head.

Chenxiang raised the iron pestle, and with a mighty swing, there was a sharp crack—the blade snapped in two, the upper half flying into the sky.

God Erlang fumed, roaring for his Heavenly Hound. The hound sprang into the air, jaws agape. Chenxiang threw the round pill, which the hound swallowed, instantly clamping its jaws and falling to the ground, writhing in agony.

Seeing his dog slain, Yang Jian released his divine eagle. Its wings blotted out the sun, its talons sharp as knives. Chenxiang threw the long pill, and the eagle's wings froze in mid-air; it could neither soar higher nor descend.

Now the once-mighty God Erlang was left purple-faced and weak, slumping onto a stone.

Chenxiang stepped forward and demanded the key. Yang Jian had no choice but to order a celestial general to fetch it—a gleaming crescent axe.

Carrying the axe, Chenxiang called out for his mother, searching from north peak to south, from south to east, but could not find her.

Despairing, he wept so bitterly that day turned to night and sun and moon lost their light. A mountain god, moved by his filial piety, came and said, "Devoted child, your mother is on the western peak."

Revived, Chenxiang climbed the west peak and shouted, "Mother!" At once came the reply, "My son, I am here!"

Leaping into the air, Chenxiang raised the iron axe and struck the summit. A flash of golden light and a thunderous crash split the peak asunder, and out walked the Holy Mother. Mother and son embraced in tears, their joy after centuries of separation.

...

After hearing Chenxiang's tale, Sun Rong suddenly attained enlightenment, transformed into the Six-Eared Macaque, and declared, "Heaven and earth, above and below—there is none but I, the Six-Eared Macaque!"