Black Myth: Wukong: Unveiling the True Faces of the Local Earth Gods Everywhere

I
In *Black Myth: Wukong*, a total of four local earth gods appear, namely the Earth God of Heifeng Mountain, the Earth God of Huangfeng Ridge, the Earth God of Xiaoxitian, and the Earth God of Flaming Mountain.

Interestingly, although many earth gods appeared in the original *Journey to the West*, except for the Earth God of Flaming Mountain, the other three did not. Since they didn't appear, it gave *Black Myth: Wukong* the opportunity to redefine them, thus resulting in their strange images in the game:

The Earth God of Heifeng Mountain is a ginseng spirit. The Earth God of Huangfeng Ridge is a spirit within a stone. The Earth God of Xiaoxitian has become a human-headed bird.

As for why they were elected as earth gods, the illustrated book of the Earth God of Xiaoxitian does provide an explanation:

"When the Heavenly Court selects earth gods, they generally prefer to choose spirits of plants. However, Xiaoxitian is famous for having a Wind God as its earth god."

The reason why the Heavenly Court likes to select spirits of plants is mainly because of their familiarity with the local area. After all, as earth gods, local minor deities are naturally given priority. When it comes to familiarity with local customs and practices, plants that have cultivated for thousands of years are surely the most knowledgeable, so they have a greater chance of being selected.

Don't think that earth gods are low-level minor deities in the Heavenly Court with low status and little power. In fact, they are powerful figures in local areas:

Let's take a few examples. When ordinary people plan to build a house, repair a road, or do any earthwork, they must first pay respects to the earth god. Otherwise, it will be considered an illegal project. When merchants want to open a store or transport goods, they also need to pay respects to the earth god to seek good fortune for business. That's why some earth gods are depicted holding gold ingots or jade ruyis. Even when a couple gets married, an old person passes away, or a child is born, people will go to pay respects to the earth god to choose an auspicious date and ensure safety...

II
In the world of *Journey to the West* where gods and demons fill the sky, the earth god is indeed insignificant. However, for the living beings in a certain area, it's a different story:

"According to the heavenly rules, the earth god has the responsibility to inspect and care for the living beings in this area and protect the local soil and water."

Since the earth god usually stays underground, theoretically, he is under the jurisdiction of the King of Hell. But as he is in charge of matters in the mortal world, nominally, he also comes under the jurisdiction of the Earth God. For example, when Sun Wukong asked the Earth God of Liulin Slope in Biqiu State about Qinghua Village, he said:

"The King of Biqiu is also the lord of my land. It is only natural for this minor god to keep an eye on things. However, the demon is extremely powerful. If I were to reveal his affairs, he would come to bully me. That's why I haven't done so."

From this, we can see that the earth god is actually under the jurisdiction of the human emperor. After all, even the Ten Kings of Hell would bow respectfully when they saw Li Shimin, the human emperor of the mortal world. The Tang King was puzzled and asked them why.

The Ten Kings of Hell replied:

"Your Majesty is the king of the mortal world, and we are the kings of the underworld. This is only natural. Why be overly modest?"

In this way, the earth god is like a connecting hub, linking the mortal world, the underworld, and the Heavenly Court. They have become the minor deities closest to ordinary people and the ones most likely to be encountered.

Of course, it is still uncertain whether the earth god is the lowest-ranked deity with an official position in the Heavenly Court. After all, some earth gods have underworld soldiers under them. As for whether these underworld soldiers have official positions or are temporary workers, we don't know. Presumably, they should at least be provided with social security!

For example, when the Earth God of Flaming Mountain first appeared, he brought a carved-beak and fish-gill ghost (an underworld soldier) to deliver food to Tang Seng and his disciples. Later, he also led a group of underworld soldiers to besiege the Bull Demon King, which is also reflected in *Black Myth: Wukong*.

III
Another example is the Earth God of Wujiguo. At that time, Sun Wukong recited a spell to summon them and asked for help with hunting:

"Those gods immediately ordered the local underworld soldiers to stir up a gust of wind to gather wild animals. They caught hundreds of pheasants, mountain fowls, antelopes, fat Muntjacs, foxes, badgers, raccoon dogs, rabbits, tigers, leopards, wolves, and other beasts and presented them to Sun Wukong."

As low-level minor deities, most earth gods do their best to show hospitality to the Pilgrimage to the West team when they arrive, providing them with a lot of convenience. There is the Earth God of Luojia Mountain who gives equipment, the Earth God of Flaming Mountain who delivers food, and the Earth God of Jindou Mountain who helps with directions, and so on.

Most of the time, with just a spell from Sun Wukong, they would scurry out promptly, answering every question without the slightest hesitation. This often gives us the impression that the earth gods everywhere show great respect to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and are deliberately currying favor with the Pilgrimage to the West team.

But is the real situation really like this?

In *Black Myth: Wukong*, a total of four earth gods appear, but each earth god has a different attitude towards the Monkey of Destiny, and there are even completely opposite situations!

The Earth God of Heifeng Mountain did not appear in the original *Journey to the West* and is the one who helps the Monkey of Destiny the most. This earth god is a ginseng spirit, with whiskers all over his body, looking rather strange. However, he is also the most dedicated among all the earth gods that appear in the game, going about his work in an orderly manner every day:

"On this day, as usual, the Earth God of Heifeng Mountain was patrolling the common affairs in the mountain when he saw an old Taoist coming from afar."

This old Taoist is Patriarch Bodhi. He not only gave the earth god a basket of rare things and panaceas but also taught him two techniques, the Body-Freezing Technique and the Technique of Gathering Form and Dispersing Qi, and asked him to pass them on to the Monkey of Destiny.

IV
Interestingly, the above screenshot is an early game promotional picture. When the real game was launched, the pipe in the earth god's hand was replaced with a back-scratcher. I don't know why?

The Earth God of Heifeng Mountain probably has some connection with Sun Wukong. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep sizing up the Monkey of Destiny and saying things like "it seems like...". Of course, he is also playing the role of a guide. After all, when the Monkey of Destiny first arrived here, he was completely confused and didn't know how to play.

The Earth God of Huangfeng Ridge is a bit of a scoundrel. He's the type who wants to be involved in good things but stay away from bad ones. When the Yellow Wind Great King fought against the Buddha Head Stone Monster (Shi Gandang), he once asked the earth god for help, but was rejected:

"The earth god watched from the sidelines. Therefore, when dividing the essence of the Buddha Head, the Mountain God got a share, but he didn't. This made him extremely jealous."

The thinking of the Earth God of Huangfeng Ridge is really quite strange. After the Yellow Wind Great King was subdued and Shi Fu left, he actually set his sights on Shi Mu. As a result, taking advantage of the unpreparedness of the stone spirits, he hugged Shi Mu and absorbed most of her essence. Consequently, he became a spirit within a stone.

Later, he deliberately tricked the Monkey of Destiny into dealing with Shi Mu. After the Monkey of Destiny completed the task, he taunted him and then started the profiteering business.

The Earth God of Xiaoxitian is the most interesting. He is the only flying earth god and the only one who can tell fortunes:

"Before you came, I divined a lot. Guess what it said? Action is not as good as inaction. You have talent but no luck. If you want to court death, I won't stop you. The Earth God of Xiaoxitian is here to welcome the Monkey of Destiny!"

Judging from the end of this chapter where he throws the Human Seed Bag to Maitreya Buddha, this earth god is probably on Maitreya Buddha's side. After all, the real master of this land is Maitreya Buddha.

V
As for the Earth God of Flaming Mountain, he is even more remarkable. Just looking at the scale of his earth temple, it's与众不同 (unique)!

In my opinion , the earth temple of Heifeng Mountain looks like a peach tree. When the Monkey of Destiny offers incense, the peach blossoms bloom one after another. It is the most poetic of all the earth temples.

The earth temple of Huangfeng Ridge is indeed a small temple. There are two "door gods" at the entrance, which also look like Buddha statues. Presumably, because the original earth god became a spirit within a stone, the one who replaced him is the Headless Monk, that is, Lingji Bodhisattva. After all, this makes it convenient for him to come out and play the three-stringed instrument and promote the local cultural characteristics when he has nothing to do. If you offer incense to him, he will open the temple door, and there is a small golden Buddha enshrined inside.

The Earth God of Xiaoxitian is a human-headed bird, so his earth temple is actually a bird's nest. There's nothing special about it. It doesn't even have a door. Even if you offer incense, only a little snow will fall. There's no obvious difference before and after. It's very simple.

The earth temple of Pansi Ridge is the most desolate. It has been occupied by little spiders, and the local earth god has never appeared. Either he's gone or been removed. After all, this is a business run by the Heavenly Court. Monsters in other places are left to roam freely, but here they are kept in captivity and need to be watched over by high-level gods.

The earth temple of Huaguo Mountain is the sturdiest. They are built like fortresses, with a few large characters on them. I stared at them for a long time, and it seems like it says "Xi Zi Pavilion" (Pavilion for Treasuring Characters). One character is hard to recognize. Presumably, when the Heavenly Court and Lingshan besieged the monkeys on Huaguo Mountain, as a low-level god, the earth god also had to send troops, so the earth temple was built into the shape of a battle fortress.

VI
Then there is the very special earth temple of Flaming Mountain. Among all the earth temples, it is the one that shows its spiritual power as soon as incense is offered.

After all, it's the Flaming Mountain. Everywhere is filled with fire, and even the earth temple is not spared. So, before incense is offered, the earth temple is flowing with magma, and the two talismans at the temple entrance have turned into black charcoal. However, if incense is offered, the two talismans at the entrance will emit golden light, and instantly the earth temple will return to normal, and even the surrounding flames will disappear.

Looking closely at the two talismans, there are characters like "cloud" and "rain" on them. The general meaning is clear. As long as you offer incense to the earth temple, you can pray for rain and ensure the safety of the area.

The reason why the Earth God of Flaming Mountain has this ability is mainly that his background is slightly different from the other earth gods. The other earth gods probably got their positions through local competition, while he was sent down from above.

Whether in the original *Journey to the West* or in *Black Myth: Wukong*, the Earth God of Flaming Mountain is a remarkable figure, and there is a faint indication that he has feelings for Princess Iron Fan.

For example, in the original *Journey to the West*, the Earth God of Flaming Mountain is one of the few who take the initiative to approach Tang Seng and his disciples, and he also gives directions many times. Originally, this had nothing to do with the Bull Demon King. It was the Earth God of Flaming Mountain who deliberately led the conflict to Jade-Faced Fox's place and led the underworld soldiers to wipe out all the little demons there.

At first, he gave a reason for his actions:

"First, fanning out the flames can ensure the Master's journey forward. Second, permanently eliminating the fire disaster can protect the living beings here. Third, it allows me to return to the Heaven and report back to Lord Laozi's decree."

However, after the task was completed, he didn't leave. Instead, he insisted on staying with Princess Iron Fan:

"Great Sage! Taking advantage of this woman's deep knowledge of the method to extinguish the fire and cut off the root of the fire, return her the fan. This minor god wishes to stay here and live in peace, saving the people of this area. I only hope to receive some offerings. This would truly be a great kindness."

VII
In *Black Myth: Wukong*, this Earth God of Flaming Mountain has an even sadder fate. As the ultimate "licking dog", in the end, he has nothing!

Originally, he had a bright future. He studied under Lord Laozi. As long as he steadily tended the furnace in the Tushita Palace, it would not be long before he became a full-fledged immortal. Unfortunately, his master asked him to do a dirty job by keeping some evidence of Lingshan's destruction of the Yaksha Kingdom and taking in the essence of Red Boy.

Everything that followed seemed to be predestined. The Earth God of Flaming Mountain had a beautiful senior sister, and he gradually fell in love with her. Sadly, he was always the one doing the dirty work. In the end, the woman he loved married the Bull Demon King, and he even had to help her raise the child. From the illustrated books of various little demons, it can be seen that the Earth God of Flaming Mountain is like Red Boy's father. He taught Red Boy skills, trained his subordinates, and did almost everything that could be done.

For example, when Red Boy passed by Huangfeng Ridge with Guanyin Bodhisattva, he saw the Stone Vanguard. Then, this naughty child wanted a similar one in Flaming Mountain. His parents didn't take it seriously, but the earth god remembered it. Later, he created the Flint Commander in Flaming Mountain and trained a group of stone spirits, hoping to get closer to Princess Iron Fan in this way.

Unfortunately, he was still being played. The only time he got close to Princess Iron Fan in the game, he was extremely excited:

"Senior sister, since coming down to the mortal world, this minor god... has never been this close to you before."

Sadly, the hand he was so eager to hold turned out to be a pig's trotter. Just imagine, the Earth God of Flaming Mountain was showing deep affection, but in the end, he found that in the room, a pig transformed into Princess Iron Fan was holding his hand, Red Boy transformed into the Bull Demon King's concubine was getting angry, and there was you watching the scene with great interest.

VIII
For the Earth God of Flaming Mountain, he doesn't care about taking revenge for the Yaksha Kingdom, the plan of the Monkey of Destiny, or his master's grand scheme. All he cares about is being able to live together with his senior sister and staying away from this place full of troubles.

Unfortunately, his act of showing disrespect to his mother was seen by Red Boy. After he was injured by the Monkey of Destiny, he was killed by his adopted son, Red Boy. Presumably, it was because of the words he said:

"Kids should keep their mouths shut. When I got to know your mother, your father was probably still pulling a plow, not knowing where to plow the fields."

Although Red Boy is naughty, he still has feelings for his parents and sister. If you show disrespect to his mother, belittle his sister, and humiliate his father, of course he will kill you and take the Breath-Holding Talisman.

Just as the Earth God of Flaming Mountain himself said:

"He felt a bit disappointed, but he also understood that his status was never enough. No matter how many dirty jobs he did for his master, in his master's eyes, he was never worthy of her."

This is the only earth god who dies in *Black Myth: Wukong*, and he is also the most powerful one. Alas!

However, it's interesting that in the waiting screen of the game, it is mentioned that after the Monkey of Destiny offers incense to the earth temple, the earth god will fill the Monkey's gourd with wine. It's understandable for the earth gods of Heifeng Mountain and Xiaoxitian. They can pour the wine themselves. Maybe Lingji Bodhisattva can do it for the Earth God of Huangfeng Ridge. Although the earth gods of Pansidong and Huaguo Mountain didn't appear, presumably there is also a department for this. It's also reasonable to assume that they secretly fill the gourd with wine.

But the Earth God of Flaming Mountain has been killed by Red Boy. When the Monkey of Destiny goes to offer incense to the earth temple again, and he still fills the gourd with wine. What kind of spirit is this?

IX
Of course, in the original *Journey to the West*, there are many local earth gods who are even more distinctive than the Earth God of Flaming Mountain. Most of them both respect and fear Sun Wukong. They would rather not show up to meet him if they can avoid provoking him.

For example, when the Earth God of Jindou Mountain came to deliver a message as mentioned before, instead of being grateful, Sun Wukong even wanted to beat him:

"You damned hairy ghost! Since you knew I was coming, why didn't you come to greet me earlier? Why are you being so sneaky? What's the reason for that?"

Then there was the Earth God of Luojia Mountain. He kindly gave a saddle. It would have been fine if Sun Wukong didn't express his gratitude, but he even laughed at Tang Seng who was kowtowing:

"Look at him, just kowtowing towards the sky without end. It makes the Great Sage laugh out loud and the Handsome Monkey King extremely happy."

Tang Seng was puzzled by this, and Sun Wukong even explained:

"You don't understand. For someone as sneaky as him, he deserves a beating. Just for the sake of the Bodhisattva, I spared him. How dare he accept my bow?"

Actually, in Sun Wukong's mind, the local earth gods are of too low a rank to deserve his gratitude. Most of the time, Sun Wukong is known for being tough. Whether the earth god comes out on his own initiative or is summoned by his spell, his first words upon meeting are often a threat to beat them. For example, when at the Eagle Sorrow Gorge, he wanted to beat the earth god:

"Stick out your ankles! Each of you will get five whacks to let me relieve some stress!"

When they arrived at the Spider Cave, Sun Wukong kept chanting the spell. The local earth god clearly heard it and was so anxious that he was running around in circles like a millstone, but he just didn't dare to come out. This earth god was quite capable and even had a wife. His wife asked him why he didn't go out.

He said:

"If I go to meet him, his cudgel is so heavy. He'll beat me regardless... He always likes to drink free wine and especially likes to beat the elderly."

X
Presumably, in *Black Myth: Wukong*, the earth god of the Spider Cave doesn't dare to come out to show the way. On the one hand, it's related to Sister Four. After all, she wants to see the Monkey of Destiny as soon as possible and guide him forward. On the other hand, he's probably afraid of being beaten by the monkey. After all, Sun Wukong has a reputation for being prone to beating the elderly.

These earth gods who are afraid of Sun Wukong are relatively easy to deal with. Just chant the spell a few more times. But if they encounter those who are not afraid of Sun Wukong, then this monkey is going to be in trouble.

For example, the earth god of Pingdingshan, together with the Mountain God, mobilized several mountains to press down on the monkey firmly, almost crushing him to death:

"The Great Sage was weak and limp. Caught in this method of pressing down with Mount Tai, he was so oppressed that his three vital spirits were in chaos and blood spurted from his seven orifices."

This scared the Golden-Headed Guardian into a cold sweat. He quickly appeared and summoned the earth god and the Mountain God, asking them what was going on and why they were so bold as to cooperate with the demon to press down on the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

At first, the earth god and the Mountain God didn't cooperate, constantly shouting that they didn't know what was going on and didn't know who they were pressing down on. Later, they came to their senses. The Jade Emperor couldn't even kill Sun Wukong. How could they hold him down?

"You're dead meat. If he gets out one day, will he spare you?"

The earth god and the Mountain God repeatedly confirmed and begged to let Sun Wukong out without beating them. Only then did they do so. Even so, Sun Wukong didn't let them off verbally and shouted that he would give each of them two whacks.

Relatively speaking, the earth god of Pingdingshan wasn't the most ruthless. Although he gave Sun Wukong a hard time and even made him bleed, after all, no one died, and they finally obediently let him go. But in *Journey to the West*, there was a local earth god who was so audacious that he actually took one of Sun Wukong's lives!

XI
It was in Chechi Country. The three national preceptors, the Tiger Strength Great Immortal, the Deer Strength Great Immortal, and the Goat Strength Great Immortal, were determined to compete with Sun Wukong and the others. In the end, they were so desperate that they insisted on a decapitation contest.

To ensure that he could kill Sun Wukong, the Tiger Strength Great Immortal chanted a spell to summon the local earth god and promised him a lot of benefits:

"Hold the head firmly. After I defeat the monk and report to the king, I'll rebuild your small ancestral hall into a large temple and turn your clay statue into a real golden body."

Unexpectedly, the earth god actually agreed immediately. Just because the other party knew some Five Thunder Magic, he didn't recognize the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong. He really exerted all his strength to hold down the head that was cut off from Sun Wukong:

"It turned out that those local earth gods, because he knew the Five Thunder Magic, obeyed his commands and secretly held down the head of the Pilgrim."

If you have read the original work, you will know that I (anyone whose account name is not Yang Jiaofeng发作 is plagiarizing) am not wrong. Sun Wukong's cut-off head was not retrieved until they left Chechi Country. At that time, under desperate circumstances, Sun Wukong could only grow a new head and abandon the old one.

Don't think that just because Sun Wukong has seventy-two transformations, losing one head doesn't matter. In fact, it does!

Just as Zhu Bajie said, seventy-two heads are exactly seventy-two heads. Losing one head means breaking the spell. Just like autumn starts with a single fallen leaf, even if the Tathagata Buddha's six -丈 (about 20 feet) golden body loses a bit of its golden luster on the little toe, it's also considered a broken state.

That is to say, losing one head is equivalent to Sun Wukong dying once, and it also broke his Diamond Body. This later made it impossible for him to withstand the stinger of the Scorpion Spirit or the Yin-Yang Two-Gas Bottle of the Roc:

"What can I do? My ankles are burned soft! I've become a disabled person!"

So, although the position of the local earth god is not high, sometimes they can even be a matter of life and death!