CGTN releases the third part of its "Black Myth: Wukong" game companion guide today – The Webbed Hollow and Flaming Mountains.
You can read Part 1: Origins, released on August 23, here, and Part 2: The New West, released on August 25, here.
In this edition, we will interpret the scenes of the fourth and fifth chapters of the game, and analyze the differences between the plots in these two places and the original novel. In today's companion guide, Zhu Bajie and Red Boy are the key characters.
Follow CGTN to dig out clues from their appearances in the original "Journey to the West"!
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong." /CGTN
Part 3: The Webbed Hollow and Flaming Mountains
Location 1: The Webbed Hollow (the name in the game)
In the game, The Webbed Hollow is an enigmatic environment filled with spider webs. The lighting is dim and the terrain is complex, featuring numerous caves, passages and areas of varying heights. Players encounter a series of storylines related to Violet Spider, the spider spirit, in The Webbed Hollow.
In the original novel, Cobweb Ridge (the name of the location in the original novel) is characterized by its towering mountains and extensive ridges. It is a remote and sparsely populated area. As the saying goes, "Demons and fairies seek a place to hide, and there is no one to live alone without neighbors." On this ridge lies the Gossamer Cave, home to seven spider spirits.
(The above content is referenced from Chapter 72 of "Journey to the West": The Seven Emotions confuse the basic in Gossamer Cave; At Filth-Cleansing Spring Pig forgets himself.)
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong" featuring The Webbed Hollow. /CGTN
Character 1: Zhu Bajie
In the game, Zhu Bajie is a key character in the player's exploration of The Webbed Hollow plot. Within the game's narrative, he has a complicated past with the Violet Spider. Players gradually uncover this backstory through their interactions with him.
However, in the original novel, Zhu Bajie and the spider spirit do not share any emotional entanglement. Among the master and disciples, Zhu Bajie stands out as a particularly dramatic character. His presence adds numerous humorous elements to the novel, making the story more vivid. In Chapter 31, Sun Wukong is expelled by Tang Sanzang for fighting the Corpse Fiend three times. Later, Tang Sanzang is transformed into a tiger by the Monster Yellow Robe. Using his eloquence and wit, Zhu Bajie successfully provokes Sun Wukong into returning. Ultimately, they save Tang Sanzang and allow the group to continue their journey.
(The above content is referenced from Chapter 31 of "Journey to the West": Pig moves the Monkey King through his goodness; Sun the Novice subdues the ogre through cunning.)
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong" featuring Zhu Bajie. /CGTN
Character 2: Violet Spider (the name in the game)
In the game, Violet Spider is the boss among the spider spirits. The emotional entanglement between her and Zhu Bajie is a crucial plot point. The misunderstandings and regrets between the two deeply resonate with players.
In the original novel, seven spider spirits reside in Gossamer Cave. The master and disciples pass by a nearby manor, where Tang Sanzang goes to beg for food but mistakenly enters Gossamer Cave and is captured by the spider spirits. During the ensuing negotiations, the spider spirits repeatedly clash with Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. Ultimately, under Zhu Bajie's threats, the spider spirits flee to seek refuge with their senior brother, the centipede spirit known as Demon King Hundred-eye.
(The above content is referenced from Chapter 72 of "Journey to the West": The Seven Emotions confuse the basic in Gossamer Cave; At Filth-Cleansing Spring Pig forgets himself.)
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong," introduction of Violet Spider. /CGTN
Character 3: Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master (the name in the game)
In the game, the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master is the final boss in the fourth chapter, and he is hostile to the player due to his own ambitions and goals.
In the original novel, the Hundred Eyes Demon King (the character's name in the original novel) is a centipede spirit with a thousand years of cultivation. He transforms into a human form and becomes a Taoist priest at Yellow Flower Temple. In Chapter 73, the seven spider spirits complain to their senior brother, and subsequently, the master and disciples arrive at Yellow Flower Temple for the night. Their tea is poisoned by the Hundred Eyes Demon King. According to the novel's description, "Came from a thousand eyes like fire. To left and right they seemed like golden pails," indicating his immense power. Sun Wukong is unable to resist him, but with the help of Bodhisattva Vairambha, he uses embroidery needles to break the golden light of the Hundred Eyes Demon King and subdue him.
(The above content is referenced from Chapter 73 of "Journey to the West": The Emotions bear a grudge and inflict disaster; The Heart's Master smashes the light when he meets the demons.)
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong" featuring Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master. /CGTN
Location 2: Flaming Mountains (the name in the game)
In the game, players embark on their fifth journey at Flaming Mountains. While searching for Wukong's fifth relic, the Grieved Body (one of the six relics in the game, along with the "Craving Eyes" mentioned in Part 1), players will compete with Red Boy for the Grieved Body. Through continuous battles, they will also uncover the past and little-known secrets of the Flaming Mountains.
In the original novel, the Fiery Mountains are a place fraught with difficulties and obstacles on the journey of the master and disciples to obtain the scriptures. According to the novel's description, "they're over 250 miles of flame. Not a blade of grass can grow anywhere around." When Tang Sanzang and his disciples passed through this area, they are trapped by the intense heat and have difficulty proceeding. To extinguish the fire and cross the mountain, Sun Wukong tries to borrow the plantain fan three times. This leads to many events involving Princess Iron Fan (the character's name in the original novel) and the Bull Demon King (the character's name in the original novel). After numerous twists and turns, he finally succeeds in borrowing the plantain fan, extinguishes the fire on the Fiery Mountains, and continues the journey westward.
The Fiery Mountains are mentioned in many chapters of the original novel.
(The above content is referenced from Chapter 59 of "Journey to the West": Sanzang's way is bocked at the Fiery Mountains; Monkey first tries to borrow the Plantain Fan.)
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong" featuring Flaming Mountains. /CGTN
Character 1: Rakshasi and Bull King (the name in the game)
In the game, players will find information related to the Rakshasi and the Bull King in the fifth chapter, which makes the plot of the game more full.
In the original novel, Princess Iron Fan (the character's name in the original novel) and the Bull Demon King (the character's name in the original novel) appear in Chapters 59 to 61. Unlike the Bull King in the game, in the original novel, he is known as the Strongarm Demon King. His eyes are exceptionally bright, and his roar is thunderously loud. Princess Iron Fan (or Rakshasi), on the other hand, derives her name from her possession of an "immortal iron fan" that can extinguish fires.
(The above content is referenced from Chapter 60 to 61 of "Journey to the West": The Bull Demon King gives up the fight to go to a feast; Monkey tries the second time to borrow the Plantain Fan; Zhu Bajie helps to defeat a Demon King; Monkey makes a third attempt to borrow the fan.)
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong" featuring Rakshasi. /CGTN
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong" featuring Bull King. /CGTN
Character 2: Red Boy (the name in the game)
In the game, Red Boy is the final Yaoguai king in the fifth chapter of the game and the son of Rakshasi.
In the original novel, Red Boy primarily appears in Chapters 40 to 42. His main skill is Samadhi Fire. According to the description in the original novel, "he also said a spell and breathed out fire." Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie fought against him, but Red Boy used Samadhi Fire, leaving Sun Wukong helpless. Even the rain from the Dragon King could not extinguish the fire. In desperation, Sun Wukong went to the South China Sea to seek help from the Bodhisattva Guanyin. The Bodhisattva devised a plan to make Red Boy sit on a lotus throne, thereby binding him. In the end, Red Boy was subdued and became Page Sudhana.
(The above content is referenced from Chapter 41 to 42 of "Journey to the West": The Mind-Ape is defeated by fire; The Mother of Wood is captured by a demon; The Great Sage reverently visits the Southern Sea; Guanyin in her mercy binds the Red Boy.)
Screenshot of a game scene from "Black Myth: Wukong" featuring Red Boy. /CGTN
Stay tuned for Part 4!
CGTN will soon publish part four of its Journey to the West vs. Black Myth: Wukong companion guide – Uncover the Story of Vessels. Stay tuned, and please leave your comments and questions below!
(The names of the game characters are referenced from "Black Myth: Wukong." Other names are referenced from the third edition of "Journey to the West," published by Foreign Languages Press in 2001.)
Read more:
Black Myth: Wukong - Secrets from 'Journey to the West'
Black Myth: Wukong – Secrets from 'Journey to the West' Pt. 2