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04 Five Elements Mountain

Taishang Laojun drew a bracelet from his sleeve. "This weapon is called the Vajra Ring," he said. "It is the treasure with which I protect myself, and it may lend Erlang a helping arm." With that he hurled it down through the heavenly gate. Wukong was locked in bitter combat with Erlang and the rest when the Vajra Ring fell from the sky without warning and struck him square on the head. He lost his footing at once and tumbled. He scrambled up and ran, but Erlang's Howling Celestial Dog caught him and bit him on the calf, and down he went again. "You mad dog!" Wukong cursed. "Why aren't you home guarding the yard, instead of biting me?" Before he could rise the gods swarmed over him, pinned him down and bound him with rope, then drove a hooked blade through his collar-bone so that he could change shape no more. Erlang escorted Wukong up to the heavenly court. The Jade Emperor was overjoyed and ordered the Demon King of Great Strength to hack the demon ape to pieces. The Demon King received the order and had Wukong taken to the Demon-Execution Terrace and bound to the demon-subduing pillar. Yet neither axe nor sword, spear nor blade could so much as wound him. The Southern Dipper star grew angry and ordered the fire gods to burn him, but the flames would not catch. The thunder gods struck him with bolts of lightning, and still not a single hair of Wukong's body was harmed. The Demon King had no choice but to report back. "Then… then how shall we deal with him?" the Jade Emperor asked in dismay. Taishang Laojun said, "This demon ape has eaten the immortal pills and his body has become adamantine. Better to put him in my Eight-Trigrams Furnace and refine him with gentle and fierce fire by turns. Once the elixir is drawn out, his body will naturally turn to ash." The Jade Emperor thought this sound. He had the heavenly soldiers unbind Wukong and hand him over to Laojun, and at the same time brought out imperial wine and bright pearls to richly reward Erlang. Erlang gave thanks and returned to Guanjiangkou. Laojun returned to the Tushita Palace, untied Wukong's ropes and removed the hook from his collar-bone, then pushed him into the Eight-Trigrams Furnace and ordered the Taoist attendants and boys who tended it to fan the fire to a blaze. The furnace was divided into the eight trigrams: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun and Dui. Seeing that there was no fire in the Xun position, Wukong squeezed himself beneath it. The wind there drove thick smoke that reddened his eyes — and, unexpectedly, gave him "fiery eyes and golden pupils." Forty-nine days passed in a flash. Judging the firing complete, Laojun opened the furnace to take out the elixir. Wukong was rubbing his eyes when he heard the furnace lid move; he snapped his eyes open, saw the light, could not hold himself back, leapt out — and kicked the Eight-Trigrams Furnace over as he went. He marched straight out. The Taoists and boys rushed to stop him, and he knocked them down one by one. Laojun ran up and grabbed at him, and Wukong sent him tumbling head over heels before breaking free and escaping. Out of the Tushita Palace, Wukong pulled the golden-hooped rod from his ear and shook it in the wind until it was thick as a bowl. Then he began to lay about him left and right: the Nine Luminaries slammed their doors and bolted them, the Four Heavenly Kings vanished without a trace — not one god could stand against him. He fought his way right up to the Hall of Lingxiao and was about to charge in when Wang Lingguan, aide to the True Lord Yousheng, who was on duty at the hall, blocked him with a golden whip. "Where do you think you're going, wretched ape? While I am here you shall not run riot!" Wukong said nothing, only raised his staff and struck; Lingguan raised his whip to meet him.

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