In this episode, the Destined One will encounter bosses such as Yellow Loong, Baw-Li-Guhh-Baw, Zhu Bajie, and Violet Spider.
Yellow Loong, like the other three Dragon Gods mentioned earlier in the story, is a child of the Dragon King of Jing River. He has the highest level of magical power, hence he is the most anthropomorphized. The first chapter’s Red Loong was unable to communicate, completely retaining a dragon’s form; the second chapter’s Black Loong could walk upright, but still had many dragon elements in his body and head, and his walking posture wasn’t quite human-like; the third chapter’s Cyan Loong had some corals on his body and head, but his body was already human-shaped. His leg joints were different, more like those of a wolf, and he wore a military commander’s attire and began to speak. By the time of the fourth chapter’s Yellow Loong, besides having dragon horns on his head, his face and body were completely human, and he wore human robes and boots, speaking in a normal human style and voice. It is evident in Black Myth that the higher the magical power and cultivation, the more human-like one becomes.
The Destined One meets Baw-Li-Guhh-Baw, an original character from the game, similar to the previously encountered Lang-Li-Guhh-Baw, a toad turned Yaoguai and a boss in The New West. This character does not appear in the original Journey to the West. The name Baw-Li-Guhh-Baw and its tonal similarity to the minor Yaoguai Ba-Bor-Ben from the original Journey to the West is likely a tribute by Game Science to the classic tale.
In the original text of “Journey to the West,” Zhu Bajie was initially Marshal Tianpeng under the Jade Emperor in the Celestial Court, in charge of the River of Heaven. Handsome in appearance, he was expelled from the Celestial Realm by the Jade Emperor for drunkenly harassing Chang’e and causing destruction at the Bullfighting Palace. Banished to the human world, he mistakenly reincarnated as a pig. Zhu Bajie arrived at the Cloud Stacked Cave in Mount Fuling, marrying the cave master’s second sister as a live-in son-in-law. It was during this time that Guanyin Bodhisattva, following the decree of Buddha, was on her way to Chang’an to find a scripture seeker. As she passed by Mount Fuling on a cloud, Zhu Bajie attacked her. However, Guanyin persuaded Zhu Bajie to embrace goodness and convert to Buddhism, which Zhu Bajie agreed to.
Guanyin gave Zhu Bajie the Dharma name “Pigsy” and instructed him to maintain a vegetarian diet, abstain from meat, and wait for the scripture seeker. When Tangseng traveled westward to obtain scriptures and passed through Gao Lao Village, he was subdued by Sun Wukong and became Tangseng’s disciple. Tangseng, considering Zhu Bajie’s “honesty,” often defended him and blamed Sun Wukong, leading Zhu Bajie to sow discord between Tangseng and Sun Wukong. This caused Tangseng to expel Sun Wukong twice until the “True and False Handsome Monkey King” incident, after which the disciples reconciled and proceeded together to the west to obtain the scriptures. When encountering Yaoguai, Zhu Bajie began to take the lead bravely, proving to be a strong ally for Sun Wukong. Together, they defeated many demons, including the Bull Demon King, the Nine-Headed Bug, the Leopard Guai, and the Python Guai. Although Zhu Bajie still harbored a weakness for beauty, his resolve had significantly improved, ultimately defeating several female demons such as the Jade-Faced Fox, the Princess of All Saints, and the Apricot Fairy. After obtaining the scriptures, Buddha appointed Zhu Bajie as the “Cleanser of the Altars” Bodhisattva.
The portrayal of Zhu Bajie in games differs significantly from the original text of “Journey to the West.” In the text, Zhu Bajie has a black face and short hair, resembling a wild boar, embodying the image of a large wild pig. However, in games, Zhu Bajie is designed to be short and cute, even adorable.
In the original text of *Journey to the West*, there is no character named Violet Spider. This character was introduced in a game adaptation, where one of the seven spider spirits was named Violet Spider and developed a romantic subplot with Zhu Bajie.
Some readers may wonder why Violet Spider appears as an elderly woman in the game, while Zhu Bajie remains unchanged. Based on the original *Journey to the West*, we can make some conjectures.
Zhu Bajie was formerly Marshal Tianpeng in the Celestial Court, where he frequently attended the peach banquets. These banquets, held in honor of the Queen Mother of the West’s birthday, featured peaches and divine elixirs that granted immortality. As Marshal Tianpeng, Zhu Bajie had access to these life-prolonging delicacies.
Furthermore, during his quest for the sacred texts, Zhu Bajie also consumed the Ginseng Fruit, which matures only once every nine thousand years and produces only thirty fruits per cycle. These fruits, resembling a newborn infant, can extend one’s life significantly—if smelled, they grant 360 years of life, and if eaten, they extend life by 47,000 years. After obtaining the sacred texts, Zhu Bajie was granted a Buddha Position and became a Bodhisattva, which inherently includes the gift of immortality.
In contrast, Violet Spider was merely an ordinary female Immortal, who, after falling into the mortal realm and losing her spiritual powers due to her longing and emotional suffering, aged rapidly. Immortals who cease their spiritual practices and fall into evil ways can lose their divine form and powers, eventually leading to the loss of their lifespan. Violet Spider’s rapid aging was exacerbated by her emotional distress and injuries inflicted by Eight Precepts before she fell to earth. If it weren’t for the Root Instrument sustaining her life, she would have perished long ago. Thus, when she encountered Eight Precepts, she appeared much older.
Login with Google