In this episode, the Destined One will encounter antagonist characters such as Venom Daoist, Elder Amourworm, Centipede Guai, and Bodhisattva’s Right Hand.
Venom Daoist was sent by Erlang, the Sacred Divinity, to test the Destined One. After their battle, during the escape animation, it is revealed that Venom Daoist’s true form is that of a centipede, proving he is one of the centipede spirits from the Meishan brothers. Tasked by Erlang, the Sacred Divinity, to test himself with poison, he discovers the secrets of the centipede spirit, and is ultimately killed by the Destined One.
In Black Myth, all hidden map NPCs are essentially brothers of Erlang, the Sacred Divinity. Erlang, the Sacred Divinity, sends them to test the Destined One, and they are all from the Meishan brothers. For instance, the Whiteclad Noble in Chapter One is Snake Guai. The Yellow-Robed Squire in Chapter Two is Pig Guai (referred to in the drumming task as the drunken pig). The Green-Capped Martialist in Chapter Three is Sheep Guai, who tests the Destined One three times in the melon field. The Venom Daoist in Chapter Four is a centipede spirit, who enters the scene to gain the trust of the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master.
As for Elder Amourworm, it originally stemmed from Kunlun. The backstory of Elder Amourworm mentions that someone from the Celestial Court cast two celestial eggs downward. The spiritual essence in the mortal realm is not as abundant as in the celestial realm, resulting in the eggs being unable to fully develop into Celestial Beasts. This caused a significant loss of their magical abilities and altered their appearances drastically. One of these eggs was used to transform sinners, while the other was hidden away by those with intentions. Due to its transformation into a different creature, it was then named Elder Amourworm.
The game also explains that Elder Amourworm has two modes. One is laying eggs that are consumed by humans—the eggs then gnaw on the host’s internal organs, and depending on the innate talents of the host, different types of worms are born. The second mode occurs if the eggs are not consumed; they hatch into adult worms. These worms then encase themselves, transforming any person placed inside, a process some Cultivators hope to use to temper their bodies, though it often results in the loss of their senses. The Elder Amourworm from The Webbed Hollow originated from the Celestial Court; after the Destined One slays the Elder Amourworm, they present it to Chen Loong in the Village of Six-Six, who remarks that he has only seen such a creature in the Celestial Court. Connecting this to the game’s narrative, the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master must have obtained the Elder Amourworm eggs from the Celestial Court, with one being implanted into Dawnstar (The Duskveil) and the other turning into a worm that escaped to The Webbed Hollow.
Thus, the emergence of Elder Amourworm should be related to the celestial eggs. The Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master obtained the celestial egg, the treasure needle, and the great sage’s Root Instrument, and took over Ziyun Mountain. Upon hearing the news, Dawnstar went to investigate and was soundly defeated by the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master. Later, the Daoist Master fed one of the celestial eggs to Dawnstar as an experiment, transforming her into The Duskveil.
Another celestial egg, covered by a mouthful of celestial blood spat out by Dawnstar, spawned the Elder Amourworm. The Elder Amourworm retains some characteristics of the celestial egg, and consuming its eggs greatly increases one’s power but gradually turns the consumer into a Guai. These eggs were used by the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master to deceive those who came seeking immortality through Cultivation, turning them into sacrificial victims for alchemical experiments.
The Centipede Guai is the first minor BOSS character encountered by players in the Black Myth: Wukong demo. In Chinese folklore, the Centipede Guai is said to be either a centipede or a whip scorpion, while the millipede is known as a horse centipede. Judging by the appearance of the Centipede Guai, its upper body shows distinct features of a whip scorpion, including a coiled body and an oval carapace, evidently inspired by certain rat-like creatures. Thus, it can be deduced that the original model for the Centipede Guai is the whip scorpion, rather than a centipede.
In the game, the Bodhisattva’s Right Hand is likely a derivative of the Buddha’s Hand. When the Destined One defeats the Bodhisattva’s Right Hand, they pick up a dropped item, which turns out to be a Buddha’s Hand. According to the lore in The Duskveil, the phrase “Yesterday was the gesture of holding a flower, today it becomes a severed limb” readily brings to mind the Buddha’s Hand. The gesture of holding a flower typically refers to a specific hand gesture of significant meaning within Buddhism and Zen Buddhism.
This gesture originates from a Buddhist anecdote known as the “flower sermon,” which is tied to the transmission of spiritual understanding in Zen. It is said that Sakyamuni Buddha once held up a flower at a gathering on Vulture Peak, and while all his disciples were perplexed, only the venerable Mahakasyapa smiled. Buddha then transmitted the “silent teaching” to Mahakasyapa.
The gesture of holding a flower, within its specific cultural and religious context, is richly symbolic and easily linked to the hand of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. Moreover, The Duskveil mentions, “If Heaven and Earth indeed have this fate, let them leave this miraculous chance of survival to the mother.” The Duskveil refers to the designed-to-die Dawnstar, whose mother is Bodhisattva Pilanpo. Combining these speculations, it is highly probable that the hand of the yaoguai known as Bodhisattva’s Right Hand belonged to Bodhisattva Pilanpo, whose hand was severed.
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