Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told – Chapter 119: The Nine-Headed Worm

Wukong had long heard of the Nine-Headed Worm’s fame. In “Journey to the West,” even when the Monkey King and Zhu Bajie attacked together, he still captured Zhu Bajie, showing great prowess. This time, Wukong was cautious; he shed his disguise, revealing his true form—a terrifying giant ape three zhang tall. He put away his Golden Cudgel, his sharp teeth like steel blades, and his claws gleaming with menace.

The Nine-Headed Worm spread its wings and flew diagonally, circling and soaring. It lunged at Wukong with its sharp claws, but Wukong was unafraid and met it with his own long arms. Just as their claws were about to touch, the Nine-Headed Worm retracted them, suddenly stopping mid-air. Then, a head emerged from its waist, opening its mouth to bite Wukong—a highly bizarre move.

Wukong calmly twisted his waist, lifted his ape legs, and hooked one foot under the head’s jaw. The tenth head, struck, retreated in pain. The Nine-Headed Worm was shocked—this was its ultimate killing move, one no one had ever escaped. Yet this monkey not only dodged it easily but also counterattacked. How could he not be afraid? Unbeknownst to him, Wukong had already remembered that it was the tenth head from its waist that had captured Zhu Bajie, so he was prepared.

Others saw only the nine heads on its neck; the tenth head was so deadly that no one knew about it. Wukong said, “If you can grow an eleventh head, I’ll admit defeat.” The Nine-Headed Worm didn’t reply. It spread its iron-like wings and launched a fierce attack. Wukong blocked a few times with his arms, realizing the worm’s wings were far inferior to those of the Golden Roc. The monster’s true strength lay in its heads.

Seeing he couldn’t defeat Wukong, the Nine-Headed Worm stopped fighting and shouted, “Where did you monkey come from? I’ve never heard of you before.”
Wukong asked, “And where did you come from?”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “Listen well. I am a descendant of the ancient divine beast, the phoenix—known as the Nine-Headed Phoenix.”
Wukong sneered and said, “You’re good at putting yourself on a pedestal. If the phoenix gave birth to an ugly freak like you, it would probably strangle you first.”
Though offended by Wukong’s insult, the Nine-Headed Worm wasn’t angry. Instead, it asked, “Do you also come from that realm?”
Wukong nodded, not surprised. It wasn’t unusual for the Nine-Headed Worm to come from that world—after all, Mencius was also captured by Laozi. Wukong said, “Seeing that you’re firmly established here, you must have been here for some time.”
The Nine-Headed Worm reverted to its multi-faced form and said, “I’ve gone through several minor calamities. I wonder what the four great continents look like now.”
“A minor calamity? What’s that?” Wukong, now back in his white-robed scholar guise, asked.

The Nine-Headed Worm said, “This realm is called Jie Sha, which naturally means killing amidst calamity. Do you think this name is meant to scare people?”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “If it’s just a minor calamity, it must be a bit better.”
The Nine-Headed Worm nodded, then shook his head and said, “One calamity is harder than the next. Once, this realm was populated with many people, but now only three or four out of ten remain.”
Wukong asked with a smile, “We are enemies, not friends. Why tell me these things?”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “What does it matter whether we’re enemies or friends? When fighting, there’s no distinction between victor and loser. So why fight anymore? I’m thinking that when a greater calamity comes, it would be good to find some powerful allies to help us escape this realm.”
Hearing “escape this realm,” Wukong’s heart stirred. Then the Nine-Headed Worm continued, “With our abilities, we’ll eventually return to that realm, so we’ll inevitably meet again. Since there’s no deep enmity between us now, why not put aside past grievances and become friends?”
Wukong laughed heartily and said, “Brother, you truly have a broad mind. If that’s the case, I’ll admit my fault for hurting you before.”
The Nine-Headed Worm waved his hand and said, “It’s fine that you hurt them. They were all opportunists; none of them were from our demon race.”
Suddenly, Wukong had an idea and asked, “By that logic, if I’m not from the demon race, things might not end well?”
The Nine-Headed Worm was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, “The worst evil in the world is humans. If you’re human, even if I can’t defeat you, I’ll still make your life miserable.”
The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
The Nine-Headed Worm led Wukong back to Luoyun City. When the demons saw Wukong, they were shocked—this man could even fight evenly with the city lord; he was truly remarkable. In the demon race, only the strong were respected. The Nine-Headed Worm introduced Wukong to the group of demons, who still called him “Sun Wukong.”
A banquet was held in a side hall of Luoyun City. After a few rounds of drinking, all previous grievances were forgotten. Wukong asked about the Nine-Headed Worm’s background, and he explained in detail.
The Nine-Headed Worm claimed to be a descendant of ancient divine beasts, though he wasn’t completely lying. His ancestors weren’t phoenixes but rather offspring of a giant snake and a nine-headed pheasant.
Recalling this, Wukong realized that the head that protruded from the Nine-Headed Worm’s waist was indeed different from the ones on his neck—it resembled a snake’s head rather than a bird’s. So that was the reason.
Wukong then said with a smile, “In that case, your claim to be a phoenix does have some basis.”
The Nine-Headed Worm was stunned and asked, “What basis?”
Wukong replied, “As the saying goes, ‘When a chicken flies onto a branch, it becomes a phoenix.’ Isn’t that right?”
The Nine-Headed Worm laughed heartily, then grew slightly resentful and said, “Since I was born, everyone who saw me said I brought bad luck. As a result, I’ve destroyed many families.”

Wukong said, “I also have a few demon brothers in that realm. Others look down on us, but I believe demons are a hundred times better than immortals.” As soon as he said this, the room was filled with applause. Wukong continued, “Though people may belittle or neglect us, we must not undervalue ourselves. Survival of the fittest—everyone born must have a purpose!” The Nine-Headed Worm agreed, “Exactly. Back then, I killed many people, causing a huge uproar, and was pursued by numerous heavenly soldiers. So I hid in a place in Xiniuhuo Continent to practice.” “Four or five thousand years ago, a Taoist found me. I thought he was sent by the heavenly court to capture me, so I fought back. But he didn’t even lift a finger to capture me. I thought he wanted to kill me, but instead he said nothing and threw me into this realm. Over the past few hundred years, he occasionally came to teach me his magical skills and martial arts. Most of my current abilities are thanks to him.” Wukong thought to himself that this person must be the Celestial Venerable Lingbao. The Nine-Headed Worm continued, “Though this place is good, people still long for their homes and will eventually return.” Wukong agreed wholeheartedly. Unlike the Nine-Headed Worm, he knew this realm was not the main realm of the Journey to the West. If he spent his whole life here, he would miss many great things in the other realm—how could he be content? He then asked, “Brother, you mentioned earlier that after the great calamity, there would be a way to leave this realm?” The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “That’s right! How long have you been in this realm? Have you heard of the rumors about the Cycle of Eras here?” Wukong shook his head in confusion. “I’ve only been here for three days and know only a few people, so of course I don’t know.” The Nine-Headed Worm then began to explain in detail—his words were truly astonishing. According to the rumors, the cycle of this realm’s heaven and earth lasts 19,600 years per cycle. One cycle is divided into twelve eras, represented by the twelve zodiac animals: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. Each era lasts 1,080 years. If we trace the origin of creation based on this, at the end of the Xu era, heaven and earth become dark and all things cease to exist. Another 540 years pass, entering the Hai era, during which everything is in darkness, with no living beings—this is the time of pure chaos. Another 540 years pass, and as the Hai era ends and the Zi era begins, chaos starts to stir, and gradually clarity returns. In terms of the twenty-four solar terms, it corresponds to “Midway through the Winter Solstice, the heart of heaven remains unchanged. Where the first ray of yang emerges, all things have not yet been born.”

At this point, heaven finally takes root. Another 540 years pass, and as heaven and earth are fully formed, the light and ethereal elements rise upward, giving rise to the sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets. The sun, moon, stars, and planets are known as the Four Symbols. Hence, it is said that heaven opens at the hour of Zi. Another 540 years pass, and as Zi comes to an end and the hour of Chou approaches, things gradually become solid. The I Ching says, “Great is the Qian principle! Supreme is the Kun principle! All things arise as they naturally follow heaven.” At this point, the earth begins to solidify.

Another 540 years pass, during the hour of Chou, and the heavy and turbid elements settle downward, giving rise to water, fire, mountains, stones, and earth. Water, fire, mountains, stones, and earth are known as the Five Elements. Hence, it is said that the earth is formed at the hour of Chou. Another 540 years pass, and as Chou ends and the hour of Yin begins, all things come into being. The classics say, “Heavenly energy descends, while earthly energy rises; when heaven and earth combine, all things are born.” At this point, heaven is clear and earth is firm, with yin and yang in harmony. Another 540 years pass, during the hour of Yin, and humans, birds, beasts, and all other things appear in heaven and earth—this is what is meant by heaven, earth, and humanity, with the three powers in their proper places.