Everyone stepped into the castle hall, confronting the Demon God Nuwa face-to-face, the atmosphere instantly growing taut to the extreme.
Nuwa slowly rose to her feet, radiating a mysterious and formidable aura that sent a sudden, heavy pressure washing over everyone.
"Subodhi, you still dream of accomplishing your goal on this Journey to the West? What sheer delusion!" Nuwa's voice was icy and majestic, seeming capable of freezing a person's soul.
Holding his fly whisk with a gaze as resolute as a blazing torch, Subodhi replied, "Nuwa, today is the day your obstruction ends!"
With that, Subodhi struck first. Chanting an incantation, he waved his fly whisk, and a brilliant blue light surged straight toward Nuwa like a soaring blue dragon, claws bared with an extraordinary, fierce momentum.
Nuwa smiled faintly and flicked her delicate hand, instantly meeting the blue light with a multicolored radiance. The two forces collided, erupting in an instant into a powerful energy wave that caused the castle to tremble slightly.
Seeing this, Wukong let out a loud shout: "Take this from Old Sun!" Brandishing the Ruyi Jingu Bang, he leaped into the air and smashed it fiercely down toward Nuwa. Empowered by his immense strength, the Ruyi Jingu Bang shone with a dazzling golden light, as if it would shatter everything in its path.
Nuwa sidestepped easily, dodging Wukong's fierce attack. With a flick of her finger, a tongue of fire surged toward Wukong.
Executing a graceful flip in midair, Wukong nimbly evaded the flames and charged at Nuwa again without a moment's hesitation.
Bajie and Shaseng refused to be outdone. Bajie brandished the Nine-Toothed Rake while Shaseng wielded the Monster-Subduing Staff, joining the intense battle together.
Gonggong roared as he unleashed an even more powerful Water Control Technique, instantly transforming the surging torrents into a massive water dragon that roared toward Nuwa.
Third Prince Nezha hurled the Universe Ring, which instantly split into several golden halos flying at Nuwa from multiple directions.
Yet Nuwa handled it all with ease, her spells shifting unpredictably, leaving the group unable to gain the upper hand for a time.
Seeing this, Subodhi thought to himself, "Continuing like this is by no means a good strategy; I must find an opening in Nuwa's defenses."
He continued his attacks while carefully observing Nuwa's movements.
Just then, Nuwa revealed a slight opening. Quick-eyed and fast-handed, Subodhi chanted an incantation, and his fly whisk suddenly burst into brilliant radiance, transforming instantly into countless runes that shot toward Nuwa.
These runes contained immense Taoist power, and if they struck, their might would surely be extraordinary.
Nuwa's expression shifted slightly as she hurriedly cast a spell to block them.
Seizing the opportunity, Wukong dashed right in front of Nuwa and brought the Ruyi Jingu Bang crashing down.
Nuwa caught the Ruyi Jingu Bang in both hands, locking into a deadlock with Wukong.
Spotting his chance, Bajie brought his Nine-Toothed Rake down in a fierce strike against Nuwa's back.
With no other choice, Nuwa released the Ruyi Jingu Bang and leaped backward.
Seizing the momentum, the group launched an even more ferocious assault.
Brilliant lights flashed inside the castle, accompanied by the endless sound of colliding spells.
Gradually forced into a corner, Nuwa's eyes revealed a trace of anger and resentment.
"Do you really think you can defeat me like this?" Nuwa shouted, a powerful force suddenly erupting from within her and shooting straight into the clouds as a beam of light.
The sky instantly filled with dark clouds, thunder, and lightning.
Waving both hands, Nuwa manipulated this immense power and charged at the group.
Subodhi shouted loudly, "Everyone be careful, this is Nuwa's ultimate technique!"
One by one, the group unleashed their strongest defensive spells.
Wukong's body shone with golden light, forming a sturdy protective shield.
Faint auras also surrounded Bajie and Shaseng.
Gonggong wrapped the water currents around himself to form a water shield.
Third Prince Nezha protected himself with the Universe Ring.
Subodhi waved his fly whisk, and a massive curtain of light instantly appeared before them.
Nuwa's power collided with the group's defenses, producing a heaven-shaking roar.
The castle began to crumble as stones rained down.
"Oh no, this place is going to collapse!" Bajie cried out in alarm.
Subodhi yelled, "Everyone, break out!"
Led by Subodhi, the group smashed through the confines of the castle and burst out into the open.
Nuwa followed closely behind, her power seemingly undiminished.
"Today I will make sure none of you return alive!" Nuwa launched another attack.
Subodhi and the others continued their stubborn resistance, and the two sides fell into a stalemate.
Just as everyone began to feel exhausted, Subodhi suddenly hatched a plan.
He said to Wukong, "Wukong, draw Nuwa's attention while I set up a formation."
Nodding in assent, Wukong charged at Nuwa once more and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Nuwa, if you've got the guts, come fight Old Sun one-on-one!"
Provoked by Wukong, Nuwa directed her full attack at him.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Subodhi quickly drew a complex formation pattern on the ground, chanting an incantation.
The formation gradually took shape, radiating a formidable aura.
"Now!" Subodhi roared.
Wukong darted away swiftly, and Nuwa, unable to check her momentum in time, stepped straight into the formation.
The formation activated instantly, blazing with light as it trapped Nuwa within.
Nuwa struggled desperately inside the formation, attempting to shatter her bonds.
The others hurriedly cast their spells to reinforce the formation's power.
At last, Nuwa's strength was gradually worn down by the formation, and her form grew increasingly weak.
"You..." Nuwa's voice was filled with bitterness.
Subodhi said, "Nuwa, your obstruction ends here!"
As her power was completely exhausted, Nuwa dissolved into a beam of light and vanished.
The group had finally triumphed over Nuwa, but they were all utterly exhausted.
"Master, what should we do next?" Wukong asked.
Gazing toward the west, Subodhi replied, "We press on. No matter how many hardships and obstacles remain, we must never give up."
After taking a brief rest, the group resumed their Journey to the West.
Traveling a distance further, they arrived at a mysterious valley.
Thick fog billowed through the valley like a heavy curtain, shrouding the path ahead completely.
Holding his fly whisk with a solemn expression, Subodhi said in a deep voice, "Everyone be on your guard. This fog carries a malign aura; we may face trouble."
Scarcely had his voice faded when an eerie laugh echoed from the thick fog.
"Hahahaha, you think defeating Nuwa means you can journey on smoothly? How naive!"
Startled, the group instantly turned watchful gazes in all directions.
Suddenly, a group of dark figures rushed out of the fog like wraiths, pouncing directly toward them.
Reacting swiftly, Wukong let out a sharp cry, "Outrageous fiends, do not be so arrogant!" Brandishing the Ruyi Jingu Bang to whip up a violent gale, he met the dark figures head-on.
Those dark figures moved with extreme speed, their forms shifting unpredictably and elusively.
Seeing this, Bajie brandished his Nine-Toothed Rake and cursed, "Daring to launch a sneak attack, let's see how you like Old Pig's might!"
Shaseng was not to be outdone either, wielding his Monster-Subduing Staff as he joined the fray.
Gonggong roared, using both hands to unleash his Water Control Technique as surging torrents transformed into water dragons that crashed into the dark figures.
Third Prince Nezha hurled the Universe Ring, which split into several golden halos flying toward the dark figures.
Yet these shadowy entities seemed utterly insensible to pain and devoid of fear of death, pouring forth in an endless stream.
Gradually, the group fell into a tight spot, growing fatigued from the countermeasures.
At that moment, Subodhi's gaze narrowed as he discovered the dark figures' weakness, and he shouted loudly, "Attack their heads!"
Hearing this, everyone concentrated their power and launched their attacks directly at the heads of the dark figures.
Sure enough, the dark figures tumbled down one after another, dissolving into wisps of black smoke that vanished into thin air.
Just as the group breathed a sigh of relief, a deep roar echoed from the depths of the valley.
A massive beast, its body the size of a mountain, slowly emerged from the dense fog.
Covered from head to toe in sharp spikes and with demonic red light flashing in its eyes, the beast sent chills down everyone's spines.
Startled, Bajie stepped back a few paces and cried out, "What kind of monster is this? So terrifying!"
Showing not a shred of fear, Wukong called out, "Care not what it is, Old Sun will go match wits with it!" With that, he rode his Somersault Cloud right up to the beast and brought the Ruyi Jingu Bang crashing down hard.
The beast lashed out with a massive claw to meet the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and the collision produced a thunderous crash.
Wukong was knocked back several paces, his arm tingling with numbness.
Gonggong and Nezha also unleashed their spells to assist Wukong.
Yet the beast's defenses were exceptionally strong, and the group's attacks seemed hard-pressed to inflict any substantial damage upon it.
Frowning deeply and pondering for a moment, Subodhi waved the fly whisk in his hand and chanted an incantation.
A brilliant beam of light shot forth from the fly whisk, transforming into a massive precious sword that flew toward the beast.
The sword struck the beast's back, causing it to let out a painful roar.
Seizing the opportunity, Wukong leaped onto the beast's head and brought the Ruyi Jingu Bang smashing down with all his might.
The beast struggled wildly, attempting to shake Wukong off.
Bajie and Shaseng hurried forward, attacking the beast's legs with the rake and staff respectively.
Working together with one heart, the group finally brought the beast down with a crash as it could no longer hold its ground.
Just as everyone prepared to catch their breath, they noticed that the fog in the valley had grown even thicker, as if eager to swallow them whole.
"This is bad, there is something strange about this fog!" Subodhi said with a severe expression.
At that very moment, a mysterious voice echoed from the fog: "You cannot escape. This is my domain!"
Heart-palpitating anxiety gripped the group as they wondered what kind of danger awaited them next.