WEBVTT 00:00:09.377 --> 00:00:11.987 In the depths of their underwater kingdom, 00:00:11.987 --> 00:00:14.967 the mighty Dragon Lords quaked with fear. 00:00:18.196 --> 00:00:23.166 Before them pranced Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. 00:00:25.099 --> 00:00:30.362 The legendary troublemaker been hatched from a stone, schooled in divine magic, 00:00:30.362 --> 00:00:35.514 and was currently brandishing the Dragon Lord’s most treasured weapon. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:35.514 --> 00:00:37.144 This magical staff, 00:00:37.144 --> 00:00:40.970 originally large enough to measure the depth of a great flood, 00:00:40.970 --> 00:00:44.960 now obeyed the Monkey King’s will and shrank at his touch. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:47.680 Terrified of this bewildering power, 00:00:47.680 --> 00:00:52.644 the Dragons graciously allowed Sun Wukong to keep the staff. 00:00:52.644 --> 00:00:55.014 The Monkey King stowed the weapon away, 00:00:55.014 --> 00:00:58.350 and gleefully sped back to his kingdom to show this treasure 00:00:58.350 --> 00:01:00.664 to his tribe of warrior monkeys. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:00.664 --> 00:01:06.075 After a lavish celebration, Sun Wukong fell into a deep sleep. 00:01:06.075 --> 00:01:07.795 But just as he began to dream, 00:01:07.795 --> 00:01:10.990 the Monkey King quickly realized two things. 00:01:10.990 --> 00:01:15.010 The first was that this was no ordinary slumber. 00:01:15.010 --> 00:01:18.780 The second was that he wasn’t alone. 00:01:18.780 --> 00:01:23.530 Suddenly, he found himself caught in the clutches of two grisly figures. 00:01:23.530 --> 00:01:27.026 At first the Monkey King didn’t know who his captors were. 00:01:27.026 --> 00:01:30.020 But as they dragged him toward their city’s gates, 00:01:30.020 --> 00:01:33.960 Sun Wukong realized his deathly predicament. 00:01:33.960 --> 00:01:37.682 These were soul collectors tasked with transporting mortals 00:01:37.682 --> 00:01:39.822 to the Realm of the Dead. 00:01:39.822 --> 00:01:41.922 This was the domain of the Death Lords, 00:01:41.922 --> 00:01:46.542 who mercilessly sorted souls and designed gruesome punishments. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:49.051 --> 00:01:53.321 From here, the kingdom of death was laid out before him. 00:01:53.321 --> 00:01:55.745 He could see the Death Lord’s palaces, 00:01:55.745 --> 00:01:59.021 and the fabled bridge across the river Nai He. 00:01:59.021 --> 00:02:04.236 Manning the bridge was an old woman who offered worthy souls a bowl of soup. 00:02:04.236 --> 00:02:07.596 After drinking, the spirits forgot their previous life, 00:02:07.596 --> 00:02:10.852 and were sent back to the world of the living in a new form. 00:02:10.852 --> 00:02:14.814 Further below were the souls not worthy of reincarnation. 00:02:14.814 --> 00:02:17.024 In this twisting maze of chambers, 00:02:17.024 --> 00:02:21.034 unfortunate spirits endured endless rooms of punishment— 00:02:21.034 --> 00:02:27.168 from mountains spiked with sharp blades, to pools of blood and vats of boiling oil. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:27.168 --> 00:02:32.591 But Sun Wukong was not about to accept torture or reincarnation. 00:02:32.591 --> 00:02:35.641 As the soul collectors attempted to drag him through the gates, 00:02:35.641 --> 00:02:40.501 the Monkey King whipped out his staff and swung himself out of their clutches. 00:02:40.501 --> 00:02:45.011 His battle cries and the clang of weapons echoed throughout the underworld. 00:02:45.011 --> 00:02:48.940 Sensing a disturbance, the ten Death Lords swooped upon him. 00:02:48.940 --> 00:02:52.000 But they had never met such resistance from a mortal soul. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:54.295 What was this unusual creature? 00:02:54.295 --> 00:02:57.935 And was he a mortal, a god— or something else? NOTE Paragraph 00:02:57.935 --> 00:03:00.635 The Lords consulted the Book of Death and Life— 00:03:00.635 --> 00:03:04.565 a tome which showed the time of every living soul’s death. 00:03:04.565 --> 00:03:08.335 Not knowing what category this strange being was under, 00:03:08.335 --> 00:03:12.075 the Death Lords struggled to find Sun Wukong at first; 00:03:12.075 --> 00:03:15.337 but the Monkey King knew just where to look. 00:03:15.337 --> 00:03:19.345 Unfortunately, the records confirmed the Death Lord’s claim— 00:03:19.345 --> 00:03:24.101 Sun Wukong was scheduled to die this very night. 00:03:24.101 --> 00:03:26.311 But the Monkey King was not afraid. 00:03:27.766 --> 00:03:30.686 This was far from the first time he’d defied destiny 00:03:30.686 --> 00:03:32.911 in his quest for wisdom and power. 00:03:32.911 --> 00:03:36.821 His past rebellions had earned him the power to transfigure his body, 00:03:36.821 --> 00:03:42.591 ride clouds at dizzying speeds, and govern his tribe with magic and martial arts. 00:03:42.591 --> 00:03:46.731 In this crisis, he saw yet another opportunity. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:46.731 --> 00:03:48.874 With a flash of his nimble fingers, 00:03:48.874 --> 00:03:51.961 the Monkey King struck his own name from the Book. 00:03:51.961 --> 00:03:53.901 Before the Death Lords could respond, 00:03:53.901 --> 00:03:58.191 he found the names of his monkey tribe and swept them away as well. 00:04:00.831 --> 00:04:03.781 Liberated from the bonds of death, 00:04:03.781 --> 00:04:07.561 Sun Wukong began to battle his way out of the underworld. 00:04:07.561 --> 00:04:11.286 He deftly defeated endless swarms of angry spirits— 00:04:11.286 --> 00:04:14.119 before tripping on his way out of the kingdom. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:14.119 --> 00:04:20.105 Just before he hit the ground, Sun Wukong suddenly awoke in his bed. 00:04:20.105 --> 00:04:23.025 At first he thought the journey might have been a dream, 00:04:23.025 --> 00:04:26.331 but the Monkey King felt his new immortality surging 00:04:26.331 --> 00:04:29.676 from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. 00:04:29.676 --> 00:04:34.622 With a cry of triumph, he woke his warriors to share his latest adventure— 00:04:34.622 --> 00:04:37.562 and commence another round of celebration.