0:00:09.377,0:00:11.987
In the depths [br]of their underwater kingdom,

0:00:11.987,0:00:14.967
the mighty Dragon Lords [br]quaked with fear.

0:00:18.196,0:00:23.166
Before them pranced Sun Wukong, [br]the Monkey King.

0:00:25.099,0:00:30.362
The legendary troublemaker been hatched [br]from a stone, schooled in divine magic,

0:00:30.362,0:00:35.514
and was currently brandishing [br]the Dragon Lord’s most treasured weapon.

0:00:35.514,0:00:37.144
This magical staff,

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originally large enough to measure [br]the depth of a great flood,

0:00:40.970,0:00:44.960
now obeyed the Monkey King’s will [br]and shrank at his touch.

0:00:44.960,0:00:47.680
Terrified of this bewildering power,

0:00:47.680,0:00:52.644
the Dragons graciously allowed [br]Sun Wukong to keep the staff.

0:00:52.644,0:00:55.014
The Monkey King stowed the weapon away,

0:00:55.014,0:00:58.350
and gleefully sped back to his kingdom [br]to show this treasure

0:00:58.350,0:01:00.664
to his tribe of warrior monkeys.

0:01:00.664,0:01:06.075
After a lavish celebration, [br]Sun Wukong fell into a deep sleep.

0:01:06.075,0:01:07.795
But just as he began to dream,

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the Monkey King [br]quickly realized two things.

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The first was that [br]this was no ordinary slumber.

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The second was that he wasn’t alone.

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Suddenly, he found himself caught [br]in the clutches of two grisly figures.

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At first the Monkey King didn’t know [br]who his captors were.

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But as they dragged him toward [br]their city’s gates,

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Sun Wukong realized [br]his deathly predicament.

0:01:33.960,0:01:37.682
These were soul collectors [br]tasked with transporting mortals

0:01:37.682,0:01:39.822
to the Realm of the Dead.

0:01:39.822,0:01:41.922
This was the domain of the Death Lords,

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who mercilessly sorted souls [br]and designed gruesome punishments.

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From here, the kingdom of death [br]was laid out before him.

0:01:53.321,0:01:55.745
He could see the Death Lord’s palaces,

0:01:55.745,0:01:59.021
and the fabled bridge [br]across the river Nai He.

0:01:59.021,0:02:04.236
Manning the bridge was an old woman [br]who offered worthy souls a bowl of soup.

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After drinking, the spirits [br]forgot their previous life,

0:02:07.596,0:02:10.852
and were sent back to the world [br]of the living in a new form.

0:02:10.852,0:02:14.814
Further below were the souls [br]not worthy of reincarnation.

0:02:14.814,0:02:17.024
In this twisting maze of chambers,

0:02:17.024,0:02:21.034
unfortunate spirits endured [br]endless rooms of punishment—

0:02:21.034,0:02:27.168
from mountains spiked with sharp blades, [br]to pools of blood and vats of boiling oil.

0:02:27.168,0:02:32.591
But Sun Wukong was not about to accept [br]torture or reincarnation.

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As the soul collectors attempted to drag [br]him through the gates,

0:02:35.641,0:02:40.501
the Monkey King whipped out his staff [br]and swung himself out of their clutches.

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His battle cries and the clang of weapons [br]echoed throughout the underworld.

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Sensing a disturbance, [br]the ten Death Lords swooped upon him.

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But they had never met such resistance [br]from a mortal soul.

0:02:52.000,0:02:54.295
What was this unusual creature?

0:02:54.295,0:02:57.935
And was he a mortal, a god— [br]or something else?

0:02:57.935,0:03:00.635
The Lords consulted [br]the Book of Death and Life—

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a tome which showed the time [br]of every living soul’s death.

0:03:04.565,0:03:08.335
Not knowing what category [br]this strange being was under,

0:03:08.335,0:03:12.075
the Death Lords struggled [br]to find Sun Wukong at first;

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but the Monkey King [br]knew just where to look.

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Unfortunately, the records confirmed [br]the Death Lord’s claim—

0:03:19.345,0:03:24.101
Sun Wukong was scheduled [br]to die this very night.

0:03:24.101,0:03:26.311
But the Monkey King was not afraid.

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This was far from the first time [br]he’d defied destiny

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in his quest for wisdom and power.

0:03:32.911,0:03:36.821
His past rebellions had earned him [br]the power to transfigure his body,

0:03:36.821,0:03:42.591
ride clouds at dizzying speeds, and govern[br]his tribe with magic and martial arts.

0:03:42.591,0:03:46.731
In this crisis, [br]he saw yet another opportunity.

0:03:46.731,0:03:48.874
With a flash of his nimble fingers,

0:03:48.874,0:03:51.961
the Monkey King struck [br]his own name from the Book.

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Before the Death Lords could respond,

0:03:53.901,0:03:58.191
he found the names of his monkey tribe [br]and swept them away as well.

0:04:00.831,0:04:03.781
Liberated from the bonds of death,

0:04:03.781,0:04:07.561
Sun Wukong began to battle [br]his way out of the underworld.

0:04:07.561,0:04:11.286
He deftly defeated endless swarms [br]of angry spirits—

0:04:11.286,0:04:14.119
before tripping on his way [br]out of the kingdom.

0:04:14.119,0:04:20.105
Just before he hit the ground, [br]Sun Wukong suddenly awoke in his bed.

0:04:20.105,0:04:23.025
At first he thought the journey [br]might have been a dream,

0:04:23.025,0:04:26.331
but the Monkey King felt [br]his new immortality surging

0:04:26.331,0:04:29.676
from the top of his head [br]to the tip of his tail.

0:04:29.676,0:04:34.622
With a cry of triumph, he woke his [br]warriors to share his latest adventure—

0:04:34.622,0:04:37.562
and commence another round [br]of celebration.