It can be seen from The Journey to the West that Wu Cheng'en sympathizes with Buddhism and hates Taoism. Why else did Taoism become a villain?
From the Southern and Northern Dynasties, stimulated by Buddhism, a foreign religion, Taoist thought quickly hatched into Taoism, which led to thousands of years of disputes between Buddhism and Taoism. In folk Buddhism, Taoism is relatively weak, but in the Tang, Song and Ming dynasties, there was always an emperor who was good at Taoism, so the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism was aroused. Both sides have their own winners and losers. On which side will people stand and attack each other? This situation did not end until the Qing dynasty, because the Qing emperor was not good at Taoism, and two books appeared in the Ming dynasty. This fully illustrates the competitive relationship between the two religions. Wu Cheng'en believed in Buddhism, so he deliberately belittled Taoism. Monkeys make trouble in heaven, and the highest Taoist god is vulnerable. The Jade Emperor had to ask the Buddha to make peace. A large number of immortals on the Western Heaven Road are Taoist priests, aiming at demonizing Taoism, and Taoism does not show weakness. The Taoist worshiper Xu wrote a table of immortals, and repeated it, saying that Buddhism is a branch of Taoism and the westernization of Laozi. Half of the teachers are supported by immortals, and the other half are cut and abandoned disciples. A bunch of monsters are snoring all over the fairy array. The focus is on demonizing Buddhism, not on sympathy and disgust, but on religious exclusion. For believers, only they believe in the true God, and other religions are false gods, which will inevitably attack each other. Look how many Buddhists and Christians are fighting each other, just like these books.