In this chapter, the Destined One will encounter several formidable bosses: The Scorpionlord, Daoist Mi, The Duskveil, and the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master. First, let’s introduce The Scorpionlord and Daoist Mi.
According to the Shadow God Diagram, near the West Liang Kingdom of Women lies The Mountain of Venom. The ruler of this mountain was originally a Scorpion Queen, also known as a Guai of Desire, who was highly skilled in Taoist sexual practices and had numerous dual cultivation Dao partners. The Scorpionlord, a male scorpion demon, caught the eye of the Guai of Desire due to his impressive physique, becoming her lover. Together, they had a brood of little scorpions.
In a society where females held higher status, the Guai of Desire was disappointed to see that all of The Scorpionlord’s offspring were male. She not only neglected their training but also began to distance herself from The Scorpionlord. Unyielding, The Scorpionlord took his children and moved out of the mountain to live on its outskirts.
After Tang Seng and his companions passed through the West Liang Kingdom of Women on their journey to the West for scriptures, a Guai of Desire kidnapped Tang Seng. Sun Wukong summoned his celestial rival, Dawnstar, whose crowing instantly killed the Guai of Desire. Before leaving, Sun Wukong also set fire to the residence of the Guai of Desire. Meanwhile, as Sun Wukong was setting the mountain ablaze, The Scorpionlord, who lived outside the mountain, sensed something amiss and ventured inside. There, he found his once beloved Guai of Desire had died a tragic death.
Filled with rage, The Scorpionlord vowed to avenge the Guai of Desire. After some investigation, he learned that it was Dawnstar from the heavens who had killed the Guai of Desire. Thus, he devoted himself to intense cultivation, hoping to exact revenge for the Guai of Desire.
Although the Guai of Desire had taught The Scorpionlord some cultivation techniques, because The Scorpionlord was not female, he found it difficult to make significant progress, and the renown of The Mountain of Venom gradually declined. Hearing that the Huanghua Temple housed a highly revered expert, who was also a top figure among insect guais and bore a grudge against Dawnstar, The Scorpionlord took his children to seek refuge with this expert, the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master.
In the game, the Destined One battles The Duskveil, and The Scorpionlord also joins in to help the Destined One defeat The Duskveil, who is actually Dawnstar. During the fight, The Scorpionlord is killed first by The Duskveil. With his dying breath, he laments, “Alas, my four children.”
If the player attacks The Scorpionlord earlier, when he is severely wounded, he will plead for mercy, claiming he has a great vengeance to exact and asks to be let go. After defeating The Scorpionlord, his final words are, “My dear wife, it is my incompetence. How can I ever avenge your death?” This expresses The Scorpionlord’s sorrow for not being able to avenge his beloved. It’s worth mentioning that The Scorpionlord’s four sons were actually already killed by the Destined One; they are the previously encountered four Scorpion Princes.
Overall, The Scorpionlord’s character is truly tragic. Although he was just one of the many lovers of a Guai of Desire, he loved her deeply and never gave up, even knowing that his enemy was among the Immortals in the heavens. In contrast, when Dawnstar disappeared in the game, the other Twenty-Eight Constellations were too afraid to be associated with Sun Wukong and Dawnstar, so they did not dare to descend to find Dawnstar. Only Kang-Jin Star was willing to go down to look for her, revealing the true nature of their relationships.
In the story of Daoist Mi, the young Daoist Mi once ventured alone to Pan Si Ling to seek revenge but was captured by a Yaoguai and trapped in a cave where he endured numerous hardships before barely escaping. When he returned to his village, the weavers there forced him to lead them back to retrieve a jade shuttle. After the Qing Yi Fairy (apparently his second sister, judging by her attire) slaughtered the weavers, she spared young Daoist Mi’s life and sent him away.
Dragonfly Guai and other minor Yaoguai, because of their past acquaintance, took young Daoist Mi to Huang Hua Temple, where he met the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master. Young Daoist Mi witnessed how the great Yaoguai devoured humans and chose not just to stay but to become one of them. Once, to avenge his father, he wore mourning clothes and ventured alone into the den of Yaoguai. Eventually, cornered by the cruel realities of life, he willingly abandoned his humanity to become a creature of the night. Beyond his mourning attire, he wore a Taoist robe and a stone mask that severed ties with his past, summarizing his life.
The ‘Mi’ in Daoist Mi signifies decadence and despondency, akin to being dispirited. Observing Daoist Mi’s attire, he wears the traditional Daoist topknot, adhering to the ancient teaching of “body, hair and skin, received from one’s parents,” which dictates that Daoists typically do not cut their hair but rather tie it up in topknots. Common styles include the Tai Chi topknot and the Hun Yuan topknot, with Daoist Mi’s resembling the former. His robe is exceedingly worn and simple, typical of Daoist robes with wide sleeves, though his are so frayed that the cuffs are nearly invisible. The neckline of his robe is embroidered with Bagua motifs, aligning with Daoist Mi’s Taoist image.
Daoist Mi’s mask likely holds no significant meaning, possibly a technique of Game Science to cleverly conceal simplicity. On one hand, the mask adds a layer of mystery to the character, making him difficult to decipher, and on the other, it avoids the complexities of facial modeling for the character, saving time and effort.
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