1 00:00:09,377 --> 00:00:11,987 In the depths of their underwater kingdom, 2 00:00:11,987 --> 00:00:14,967 the mighty Dragon Lords quaked with fear. 3 00:00:18,196 --> 00:00:23,166 Before them pranced Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. 4 00:00:25,099 --> 00:00:30,362 The legendary troublemaker been hatched from a stone, schooled in divine magic, 5 00:00:30,362 --> 00:00:35,514 and was currently brandishing the Dragon Lord’s most treasured weapon. 6 00:00:35,514 --> 00:00:37,144 This magical staff, 7 00:00:37,144 --> 00:00:40,970 originally large enough to measure the depth of a great flood, 8 00:00:40,970 --> 00:00:44,960 now obeyed the Monkey King’s will and shrank at his touch. 9 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,680 Terrified of this bewildering power, 10 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:52,644 the Dragons graciously allowed Sun Wukong to keep the staff. 11 00:00:52,644 --> 00:00:55,014 The Monkey King stowed the weapon away, 12 00:00:55,014 --> 00:00:58,350 and gleefully sped back to his kingdom to show this treasure 13 00:00:58,350 --> 00:01:00,664 to his tribe of warrior monkeys. 14 00:01:00,664 --> 00:01:06,075 After a lavish celebration, Sun Wukong fell into a deep sleep. 15 00:01:06,075 --> 00:01:07,795 But just as he began to dream, 16 00:01:07,795 --> 00:01:10,990 the Monkey King quickly realized two things. 17 00:01:10,990 --> 00:01:15,010 The first was that this was no ordinary slumber. 18 00:01:15,010 --> 00:01:18,780 The second was that he wasn’t alone. 19 00:01:18,780 --> 00:01:23,530 Suddenly, he found himself caught in the clutches of two grisly figures. 20 00:01:23,530 --> 00:01:27,026 At first the Monkey King didn’t know who his captors were. 21 00:01:27,026 --> 00:01:30,020 But as they dragged him toward their city’s gates, 22 00:01:30,020 --> 00:01:33,960 Sun Wukong realized his deathly predicament. 23 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:37,682 These were soul collectors tasked with transporting mortals 24 00:01:37,682 --> 00:01:39,822 to the Realm of the Dead. 25 00:01:39,822 --> 00:01:41,922 This was the domain of the Death Lords, 26 00:01:41,922 --> 00:01:46,542 who mercilessly sorted souls and designed gruesome punishments. 27 00:01:49,051 --> 00:01:53,321 From here, the kingdom of death was laid out before him. 28 00:01:53,321 --> 00:01:55,745 He could see the Death Lord’s palaces, 29 00:01:55,745 --> 00:01:59,021 and the fabled bridge across the river Nai He. 30 00:01:59,021 --> 00:02:04,236 Manning the bridge was an old woman who offered worthy souls a bowl of soup. 31 00:02:04,236 --> 00:02:07,596 After drinking, the spirits forgot their previous life, 32 00:02:07,596 --> 00:02:10,852 and were sent back to the world of the living in a new form. 33 00:02:10,852 --> 00:02:14,814 Further below were the souls not worthy of reincarnation. 34 00:02:14,814 --> 00:02:17,024 In this twisting maze of chambers, 35 00:02:17,024 --> 00:02:21,034 unfortunate spirits endured endless rooms of punishment— 36 00:02:21,034 --> 00:02:27,168 from mountains spiked with sharp blades, to pools of blood and vats of boiling oil. 37 00:02:27,168 --> 00:02:32,591 But Sun Wukong was not about to accept torture or reincarnation. 38 00:02:32,591 --> 00:02:35,641 As the soul collectors attempted to drag him through the gates, 39 00:02:35,641 --> 00:02:40,501 the Monkey King whipped out his staff and swung himself out of their clutches. 40 00:02:40,501 --> 00:02:45,011 His battle cries and the clang of weapons echoed throughout the underworld. 41 00:02:45,011 --> 00:02:48,940 Sensing a disturbance, the ten Death Lords swooped upon him. 42 00:02:48,940 --> 00:02:52,000 But they had never met such resistance from a mortal soul. 43 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,295 What was this unusual creature? 44 00:02:54,295 --> 00:02:57,935 And was he a mortal, a god— or something else? 45 00:02:57,935 --> 00:03:00,635 The Lords consulted the Book of Death and Life— 46 00:03:00,635 --> 00:03:04,565 a tome which showed the time of every living soul’s death. 47 00:03:04,565 --> 00:03:08,335 Not knowing what category this strange being was under, 48 00:03:08,335 --> 00:03:12,075 the Death Lords struggled to find Sun Wukong at first; 49 00:03:12,075 --> 00:03:15,337 but the Monkey King knew just where to look. 50 00:03:15,337 --> 00:03:19,345 Unfortunately, the records confirmed the Death Lord’s claim— 51 00:03:19,345 --> 00:03:24,101 Sun Wukong was scheduled to die this very night. 52 00:03:24,101 --> 00:03:26,311 But the Monkey King was not afraid. 53 00:03:27,766 --> 00:03:30,686 This was far from the first time he’d defied destiny 54 00:03:30,686 --> 00:03:32,911 in his quest for wisdom and power. 55 00:03:32,911 --> 00:03:36,821 His past rebellions had earned him the power to transfigure his body, 56 00:03:36,821 --> 00:03:42,591 ride clouds at dizzying speeds, and govern his tribe with magic and martial arts. 57 00:03:42,591 --> 00:03:46,731 In this crisis, he saw yet another opportunity. 58 00:03:46,731 --> 00:03:48,874 With a flash of his nimble fingers, 59 00:03:48,874 --> 00:03:51,961 the Monkey King struck his own name from the Book. 60 00:03:51,961 --> 00:03:53,901 Before the Death Lords could respond, 61 00:03:53,901 --> 00:03:58,191 he found the names of his monkey tribe and swept them away as well. 62 00:04:00,831 --> 00:04:03,781 Liberated from the bonds of death, 63 00:04:03,781 --> 00:04:07,561 Sun Wukong began to battle his way out of the underworld. 64 00:04:07,561 --> 00:04:11,286 He deftly defeated endless swarms of angry spirits— 65 00:04:11,286 --> 00:04:14,119 before tripping on his way out of the kingdom. 66 00:04:14,119 --> 00:04:20,105 Just before he hit the ground, Sun Wukong suddenly awoke in his bed. 67 00:04:20,105 --> 00:04:23,025 At first he thought the journey might have been a dream, 68 00:04:23,025 --> 00:04:26,331 but the Monkey King felt his new immortality surging 69 00:04:26,331 --> 00:04:29,676 from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. 70 00:04:29,676 --> 00:04:34,622 With a cry of triumph, he woke his warriors to share his latest adventure— 71 00:04:34,622 --> 00:04:37,562 and commence another round of celebration.