How Sun Wukong escaped the underworld - Shunan Teng

Summary

In this thrilling tale, the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, steals a treasured magical staff from the Dragon Lords and returns to his kingdom to celebrate with his warrior monkeys. However, his victory turns to peril when he is dragged into the Realm of the Dead by soul collectors. Facing certain death, the Monkey King defies fate by erasing his name from the Book of Death and freeing his tribe. After battling spirits and narrowly escaping, he awakens in his bed with newfound immortality, ready to share his victory with his tribe and begin another celebration.

Takeaways

• 😀 Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is a legendary figure known for his mischievous ways and mastery of divine magic.
• 😀 The Dragon Lords fear Sun Wukong due to his incredible power, particularly his ability to wield their most treasured weapon, a magical staff.
• 😀 The magical staff can shrink and grow according to Sun Wukong's will, further showcasing his unique abilities.
• 😀 After a victorious celebration with his warrior monkeys, Sun Wukong falls into a deep, unusual sleep, which leads him into the Realm of the Dead.
• 😀 The Monkey King is captured by two soul collectors, beings tasked with transporting mortals to the afterlife.
• 😀 Sun Wukong soon realizes that he is in the domain of the Death Lords, where souls are sorted and punished.
• 😀 The underworld is a terrifying place, with various forms of punishment for unworthy souls, including sharp blade mountains and vats of boiling oil.
• 😀 Sun Wukong does not accept his fate and uses his strength and magical staff to escape from the soul collectors and resist the Death Lords.
• 😀 The Death Lords consult the Book of Death and Life, where they find that Sun Wukong is scheduled to die, but he defies fate by erasing his name from the book.
• 😀 In his rebellion, Sun Wukong frees not only himself but also his entire monkey tribe, making them all immortal and starting a new battle to escape the underworld.
• 😀 The Monkey King ultimately awakens from the underworld and realizes that he has gained immortality, continuing to share his victory with his warriors in another celebration.

Q & A

Who are the Dragon Lords in the story?

The Dragon Lords are powerful, mythical beings who rule over an underwater kingdom. They are initially shown to be fearful of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, because of his magical abilities and strength.

What is the significance of Sun Wukong's magical staff?

The staff is a magical weapon originally used by the Dragon Lords. It can change size at Sun Wukong's will, shrinking to a size he can carry easily. It represents both his power and the treasure he obtained from the Dragon Lords.

How does Sun Wukong acquire the magical staff?

The Dragon Lords, fearing Sun Wukong's power, allow him to keep the staff after he demonstrates his ability to control it. They are terrified of its power, which leads them to relinquish it to him.

What happens when Sun Wukong falls asleep?

While Sun Wukong sleeps, he experiences a strange and unusual dream. He wakes up to find himself caught by two grim figures, the soul collectors, who are tasked with transporting souls to the Realm of the Dead.

Who are the soul collectors?

The soul collectors are figures responsible for transporting souls to the Realm of the Dead. They are shown dragging Sun Wukong to their city, which is the domain of the Death Lords.

What is the Realm of the Dead like in the script?

The Realm of the Dead is a grim place where souls are judged and either reincarnated or punished. It includes palaces of the Death Lords, a bridge across the Nai He River, and areas where souls face various punishments, such as spiked mountains and pools of boiling oil.

What is the significance of the Nai He River in the story?

The Nai He River is an important element of the underworld, where souls must cross the bridge guarded by an old woman offering soup. Drinking the soup causes souls to forget their past lives and be reincarnated, highlighting the process of life and death.

How does Sun Wukong escape the clutches of the soul collectors?

Sun Wukong uses his magical staff to fight back. He swings the staff and escapes the soul collectors’ grasp, leading to a battle within the underworld as he tries to flee from the realm of death.

What does Sun Wukong do when he learns of his scheduled death?

Upon realizing that he is scheduled to die, Sun Wukong defies the Death Lords' book by erasing his own name and the names of his monkey tribe members from it, thus freeing them from the cycle of death and reincarnation.

What is the Book of Death and Life?

The Book of Death and Life is a mystical tome that records the time of death for every living being. The Death Lords consult it to determine Sun Wukong’s fate, only to find that he is supposed to die that night.

How does the story end?

The story ends with Sun Wukong waking up in his bed, realizing that the entire journey might have been a dream. However, he feels the surge of immortality within him, having successfully defied death. He shares his victory with his warriors and begins another round of celebrations.