Chapter 451: Six Roots United, the Great Sage Returns

Comrades perform a sky‑offering; their magical power knows no bounds!

In many films, killing an important person close to the protagonist to trigger the hero's transformation and breakout is a common screenwriter trick.

But protagonists who die right at the start are truly few.

In Cheng Long and Li Lianjie's collaboration *The King of Kung Fu*, the opening does feature Sun Wukong being outwitted by the Jade Frontier War Sage and turned to stone.

From the overall plot, Sun Wukong in that film clearly isn't counted as the protagonist.

But viewers now see it differently, since the movie is titled *Black Myth: Wukong*—they can't just replace the hero, can they? What puzzles the audience even more is why the headband spell, which vanished after attaining Buddhahood, suddenly reappears.

The only reasonable explanation is that it never truly disappeared; it merely went into hiding.

A critic who pondered the issue found this conjecture increasingly plausible.

Because the headband spell can only be recited a handful of times, if it isn't spoken continuously, Sun Wukong won't feel any headache.

As for the notion that wearing it on the head can't be unnoticed, that's not an issue.

When Sun Wukong sought the Buddha on Spirit Mountain to have the headband removed, the Buddha told him to feel around himself, and only then did he discover the headband was gone.

Thus the truth is that the Buddha merely concealed the headband rather than eliminating it. If Sun Wukong honestly served as the Victorious Buddha of the West, following the Tathagata's precepts, he naturally would no longer feel the restraint.

But if he disobeys, the item can be used at the crucial moment to put Sun Wukong in mortal peril.

That soft spot can be exploited a lifetime! The critic, thrilled by this, thought that just this angle alone could make a solid review.

He even expanded the analogy, likening it to a leader managing people by holding a subordinate's Achilles' heel—publicly saying the matter is over and urging everyone not to bring it up.

In reality it's all about keeping a trump card; that's the world's norm! On the big screen, an old monkey on Flower‑Fruit Mountain stands before a rock and tells a group of young monkeys the tale of the Great Sage.

He says that within the massive stone beside him lies the Great Sage's corpse, and after his fall, his six roots scattered across heaven and earth, becoming six spiritual relics that each fled.

If anyone can locate the Great Sage's six roots, gather them, and bring them back here, perhaps the Great Sage could be revived.

Immediately, a monkey dressed in gray cloth, bearing a resemblance to the Great Sage, steps forward, brandishing a Golden Cudgel of his own.

The old monkey says, "You've managed to find the Great Sage's Golden Cudgel; you must be a Heaven‑Chosen one. If you venture out to search, there may be a chance to collect the six roots!"

The monkey immediately agrees to set out for the six roots and bids the old monkey farewell.

He then says the monkey left Flower‑Fruit Mountain, quickly reached Black Wind Mountain, engaged in a great battle with Guangzhi and Elder Jinchi, and ultimately retrieved one of the six roots, the "Eye‑Seeing Joy."

Jiang Heng gives this segment particular emphasis.

After all, the original game's chapters are too lengthy to fit into a single film; time simply doesn't allow it! After editing, the final plot was limited to Black Wind Mountain, Yellow Wind Ridge, Little West Heaven, a rematch with Yang Jian, and a massive rampage through the Heavenly Palace.

Black Wind Mountain was retained because that segment is truly rich in substance.

The Black Bear Spirit and Elder Jinchi have been acquaintances and friends for a hundred years; the Black Bear Spirit indeed possesses some skill, having taught Jinchi longevity techniques that granted him a long life.

After Elder Jinchi became the head of the Guanyin Zen Temple, his greed grew; whenever he saw a fine kasaya he couldn't resist, which ties to the "Eye‑Seeing Joy."

Consequently, Elder Jinchi perished from his own greed, dying in a sea of flames and turning into a wretched lingering soul.

In this film, the Black Bear Spirit obtains one of the Great Sage's six roots, returns to Black Wind Mountain, and rebuilds the Guanyin Zen Temple.

Moreover, he uses the root instrument to resurrect his old friend Ling Xuzi and Elder Jinchi, and even appoints a new white‑clothed scholar. Unexpectedly, resurrected Jinchi becomes trapped by his obsession, turning into a wandering ghost across the mountain.

When he faces the Little Saint and is about to be utterly defeated, he suddenly awakens, sorrowfully declaring "I no longer want that kasaya, I don't want it," moving the few listeners to a wistful feeling.

A critic murmurs, "When the Great Sage saw the Sea‑Calming Divine Needle he wanted to take it; what's different about Jinchi and the Black Bear? The first root instrument, 'Eye‑Seeing Joy,' is essentially greed—a craving for wealth and power, an insatiable, endless desire! The Great Sage once snatched the Sea‑Calming Divine Needle, and Jinchi and the Black Bear's pursuit of Tang Seng's kasaya are manifestations of that same greed."

When Elder Jinchi declares "I don't want that kasaya any more," it finally marks his release from greed, though everything has already passed!

In this film, the "Eye‑Seeing Joy" root instrument resides within Elder Jinchi's body, so no battle with the Black Bear Spirit is required.

The reason, of course, is that the Black Bear Spirit in the original work is so powerful that he is not weaker than the Great Sage.

It's reasonable for the Heaven‑Chosen to want to win; the adaptation therefore demands some brainwork.

Of course, the Black Bear Spirit eventually appears and says a few profound words to the Heaven‑Chosen.

He basically means that he hoards the Great Sage's root instruments not out of covetousness for relics, but in eager anticipation of the day the Great Sage returns.

The plot may seem abrupt, yet upon reflection it's quite understandable.

Because the Black Bear Spirit now isn't the mountain‑guardian deity behind Guanyin's temple; he's returned to his own sect's stronghold, Black Wind Mountain, a trajectory reminiscent of Sun Wukong's.

Moreover, one bears the headband spell, the other a forbidden seal spell, both controlled by Buddhist artifacts.

Now one is dead, the other has returned to his original sect and lives peacefully.

Thus his claim of hoarding one of the Great Sage's "six roots" and hoping to see the Great Sage return is also reasonable.

It's merely a case of shared suffering, a feeling of mutual sorrow.

The endings differ only because the initial choices differed.

When faced with the Heavenly Court's siege, Sun Wukong would rather die than submit.

As for the Black Bear Spirit, perhaps he's just on a year's leave; when the leader summons him, "Little Black" will obediently return to stand guard as security.

After the Black Wind Mountain arc comes Yellow Wind Ridge.

This segment further embodies the flavor of *Black Myth*.

When the head‑less Lingji Bodhisattva appears to heal the Heaven‑Chosen, the audience still thinks he's benevolent.

But after watching the trimmed adaptation, viewers increasingly sense something amiss.

The people of the Sahari Kingdom were fine, yet they all turned into rats; who could have done it? The more one thinks, the more it points to Lingji Bodhisattva! If not Lingji, perhaps it was the Buddha himself.

In the original *Journey to the West*, Manjushri Bodhisattva, following the Tathagata's decree, went to the Crow Chicken Kingdom to find a person to inherit the Golden Body Arhat's position; he failed to convert the kingdom's king and was instead bound and submerged in river water for three days and three nights.

It was the Six Heavenly Soldiers who happened to pass by and discovered him, allowing Manjushri to escape.

Later, the Crow Chicken king was pushed into a well and drowned for three years.

Thus, although the film never explicitly explains why the Sahari people turned into rats, the audience can roughly infer it.

When the story reaches *Little West Heaven*, the Old Buddha Huangmei appears, further confirming the viewers' suspicions.

Some even think *Black Myth* truly lives up to its name, because Huangmei here grows increasingly wicked!

According to Maitreya Buddha, this boy participated in the siege of the Great Sage, obtained more than one root instrument, and even stole his treasure. Afterwards, Huangmei returned to *Little West Heaven*, went back to Little Thunder‑Sound Temple, held a Dharma assembly, summoned the Golden Dragon, the Turtle‑Snake generals, Prince Xiao Zhang, and the Four Demon Generals; using the Great Sage's root instruments and the Human Seed Pouch's power, he defeated the Turtle‑Snake, captured and bewitched the Golden Dragon, the Four Demon Generals, and Prince Xiao Zhang.

He then rebuilt the Treasure Temple, propagated his Pure Bliss Sect, continued his misdeeds, and to save labor costs even turned workers into demons to remain in the temple.

Nearby demons also flocked over, being bewitched by him.

In the film, the role of Yellow Eyebrows is played by veteran actor Wang Hui Chun; shaving his bald head wide and glaring with his big eyes, he truly exudes domineering presence.

As for the role of Kang Jinlong, it is Tang Yan, who hasn't had big-film resources for a long time.

Speaking of which, after Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother, Tang Yan also starred in many films, but they were mostly low- to mid-budget productions; when he played Jiang Heng in the big film, what he gained were basically just supporting roles.

During the film's preparation, Jiang Heng initially wanted to cast actors according to the appearance of Kang Jinlong in the game, but after searching around he found that Guo Cai Jie resembled somewhat.

The problem is that this person is not an artist under iQiyi, and has been signed with a company for several years since debut.

If we cast her as Kang Jinlong, that would be a pure waste of resources! Because in this film, the female roles have very little screen time, even the romance between Zhu Bajie and Zhu Er has been cut.

Kang Jinlong, who descended to the mortal realm to seek roots out of admiration for the Great Sage, is considered the female lead of this film, making her quite important.

Moreover, the audience in this world doesn't know what the original Kang Jinlong looked like, so they won't feel any sense of incongruity.

Thus, after careful consideration, Jiang Heng gave the role of Kang Jinlong to Tang Yan, who hadn't played a female lead in a big film for a long time.

The effect, naturally, was also not bad! Perhaps due to being a natural-born love-brain, when she played that infatuated young girl, she felt quite like she was playing herself.

Consequently, many viewers felt that her portrayal of Kang Jinlong outshone Yang Chan in Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother, and could basically rival Zi Xuan from Chinese Paladin.

Speaking of which, after passing the Small Western Heaven level, the Chosen One had collected a total of four roots.

Then he encountered Yang Jian; after a great battle, Yang Jian actually lost.

And from his third eye flew out the fifth root, Opinion Desire! Yang Jian laughed through tears: "I'm finally free—it's not that I can't beat you, but your will is too strong, too tormenting!"

It turned out that the Great Sage's Opinion Desire resided in Yang Jian's third eye, continually tormenting his will and body, much like a psychic magic attack.

Yang Jian also truly couldn't understand why the Great Sage would rather die than yield, even if it meant committing suicide to remove the golden hoop!

"Once that golden hoop is worn, it grows into the flesh and lasts until death! Congratulations, brother—you are no longer bound or shackled!"

The Chosen One exclaimed in shock, "I've only collected five roots; I'm still missing one—I don't know where it is!"

Yang Jian laughed loudly, "There's no such thing as a Chosen One—you are the final root; when the Six Roots United, the Great Sage Returns!"

That voice rang through the clouds, shook heaven and earth, and spread throughout the three realms and six paths.

"Six Roots United, Great Sage Returns!"

"Six Roots United, Great Sage Returns!"

The echo lingered for a moment, and the Chosen One burst into loud laughter: "Ah, I see—I'm not the Chosen One; I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and now I am no longer bound!"

As he spoke, golden chainmail, phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, and lotus-silk cloud-stepping shoes appeared on his person; the Chosen One, originally dressed in plain cloth, became the mighty Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

He brandished the golden hooped staff and charged toward the distant heavenly soldiers and generals, the Four Heavenly Kings.

Yang Jian simply sat on the ground, smiling as he watched.

At that moment, Nezha suddenly appeared, saying, "Second brother, are you just going to sit there and watch?"

"The Jade Emperor is, after all, my uncle—I really shouldn't help the monkey fight him! And you?"

"I'm waiting for the Great Sage to knock down Li Heavenly King's pagoda!"

Yang Jian smiled and said, "You've been waiting for this moment for a long time, haven't you?"

"Aren't you the same?"

In the distance, Sun Wukong successively broke through the Southern Heaven Gate and the many buildings he encountered along the way, only rushing to before the Hall of Lingxiao.

Along the way, although some astral officials and commanders intercepted him, their strength was far inferior to that of the Great Sage when he previously caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

The thunder division could not muster its full thirty-six thunder generals, only having twenty-something, and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions had only a dozen or so present.

As for Sun Wukong at this moment, first he is free of the tightening spell's restraint; second, seemingly due to having returned after retraining, his strength has far surpassed before, and indeed, by his own power alone, he makes the heavenly soldiers and generals wail and howl like ghosts and wolves.

Looking over, Zhu Bajie, who was watching the battle from afar, clicked his tongue and said, "Brother Monkey is also a tough guy—he's used all the retraining methods, and he really bet right; if he had this strength back then, he wouldn't have suffered five hundred years of being crushed!"

Seeing the Nine Luminaries officials bring a group of heavenly soldiers and generals as reinforcements, Zhu Bajie raised his rake and shouted, "Older brother, don't panic, Old Pig is here!"

On the ground, Nezha suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Yo, the pagoda has fallen!"

Having said that, he mounted the wind-fire wheels and lifted the fire-tip spear, then rushed upward.

Yang Jian also rose, stretched lazily, and muttered to himself, "Uncle, uncle, it's not that the nephew is betraying his kin; it's really that this inhumane law that oppresses all beings ought to be changed!"

"Don't panic, Brother Wukong, I, Yang Jian, am coming!" Having said that, he leapt onto the clouds and headed straight for the Heavenly Court.

Inside the nearly collapsed Hall of Lingxiao, the Jade Emperor wore a mournful face, saying, "I just knew those three are all rebellious rascals—even my own nephew can't be relied upon!"

Inside the main venue, the audience burst into laughter upon hearing that.

Some said, "Describing the three great rebellious rascals is quite fitting, isn't it?"

"Yang Jian, Nezha, Sun Wukong—the three great rebellious rascals of the Heavenly Court—haha, this plot adaptation is great!"

A female student unfamiliar with the story background asked her friend, "Isn't Nezha, the Third Prince, a great general of the Heavenly Court? Why would he rebel for no reason?"

The boyfriend beside her, upon hearing this, became energized, and vividly described to his girlfriend how, in the TV drama, the Pagoda-Holding Heavenly King, when excited, recalls the expression of forgetting to take his pagoda.

"Let me tell you, Garen is 'man with tower, tower with man'; Li Heavenly King is 'tower with man, man with tower'—if the tower is gone, he can't possibly survive, right?"

"Ah, would Nezha really kill him? Surely not!"

Of course not—although from the plot's perspective, if Jiang Heng, Li Heavenly King had no pagoda in his hand, Nezha could go kill him.

But the storyline can't go that way—you can exchange a few blows, but you can't truly let Nezha kill Li Heavenly King, or the censors wouldn't allow it! So, in the end, this film has Sun Wukong utterly smash the Hall of Lingxiao, which symbolizes the Heavenly Court, into utter ruin.

Unlike in previous film and television adaptations, where they merely smashed a signboard. (End of chapter)