In the depths of their underwater kingdom, the mighty Dragon Lords quaked with fear. Before them pranced Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. The legendary troublemaker been hatched from a stone, schooled in divine magic, and was currently brandishing the Dragon Lord’s most treasured weapon.
Di kedalaman kerajaan bawah lautnya, para Raja Naga yang perkasa gemetar ketakutan. Sun Wukong, sang Raja Kera, berjingkrak- jingkrak di hadapan mereka. Sang pembuat onar legendaris yang terlahir dari batu dan menguasai sihir, kini tengah mengacungkan senjata milik Raja Naga yang paling berharga.
This magical staff, originally large enough to measure the depth of a great flood, now obeyed the Monkey King’s will and shrank at his touch. Terrified of this bewildering power, the Dragons graciously allowed Sun Wukong to keep the staff. The Monkey King stowed the weapon away, and gleefully sped back to his kingdom to show this treasure to his tribe of warrior monkeys.
Tongkat ajaib ini, yang aslinya cukup panjang untuk mengukur kedalaman banjir besar, kini mematuhi perintah Raja Kera dan menyusut dalam genggamannya. Takut akan kekuatannya yang mengejutkan, para Naga membiarkan Sun Wukong mengambil tongkat itu. Sang Raja Kera pun membawa pergi tongkat tersebut, dan bergegas kembali ke kerajaannya untuk memamerkan hartanya kepada para kera prajuritnya.
After a lavish celebration, Sun Wukong fell into a deep sleep. But just as he began to dream, the Monkey King quickly realized two things. The first was that this was no ordinary slumber. The second was that he wasn’t alone. Suddenly, he found himself caught in the clutches of two grisly figures. At first the Monkey King didn’t know who his captors were. But as they dragged him toward their city’s gates, Sun Wukong realized his deathly predicament. These were soul collectors tasked with transporting mortals to the Realm of the Dead. This was the domain of the Death Lords, who mercilessly sorted souls and designed gruesome punishments.
Seusai perayaan meriah, Sun Wukong tertidur lelap. Namun saat dia baru saja bermimpi, sang Raja Kera segera menyadari dua hal. Pertama, ini bukanlah mimpi biasa. Kedua, dia tidak sendiri. Tiba-tiba, dia sudah berada dalam cengkeraman dua sosok mengerikan. Awalnya sang Raja Kera tidak tahu siapa yang menangkapnya. Namun saat mereka menyeretnya menuju gerbang kota, Sun Wukong menyadari ancaman yang dihadapinya. Mereka adalah pengumpul roh yang bertugas membawa makhluk fana ke Alam Baka. Inilah daerah kekuasaan para Raja Neraka, yang menyortir roh-roh tanpa ampun dan merancang hukuman mengerikan.
From here, the kingdom of death was laid out before him. He could see the Death Lord’s palaces, and the fabled bridge across the river Nai He. Manning the bridge was an old woman who offered worthy souls a bowl of soup. After drinking, the spirits forgot their previous life, and were sent back to the world of the living in a new form. Further below were the souls not worthy of reincarnation. In this twisting maze of chambers, unfortunate spirits endured endless rooms of punishment— from mountains spiked with sharp blades, to pools of blood and vats of boiling oil.
Dari sini, kerajaan kematian terbentang di hadapannya. Dia bisa melihat istana para Raja Neraka, dan jembatan dalam legenda di seberang sungai Nai He. Wanita tua penjaga jembatan memberikan semangkuk sup untuk arwah yang baik. Setelah meminumnya, mereka lupa akan kehidupan sebelumnya, dan dikirim kembali ke dunia dalam wujud baru. Jauh di bawahnya adalah para roh yang tak pantas terlahir kembali. Di dalam labirin bilik-bilik ini, para roh malang itu disiksa tanpa henti— dari pegunungan pedang tajam, hingga kolam darah dan tong minyak mendidih.
But Sun Wukong was not about to accept torture or reincarnation. As the soul collectors attempted to drag him through the gates, the Monkey King whipped out his staff and swung himself out of their clutches. His battle cries and the clang of weapons echoed throughout the underworld. Sensing a disturbance, the ten Death Lords swooped upon him. But they had never met such resistance from a mortal soul. What was this unusual creature? And was he a mortal, a god— or something else?
Tapi Sun Wukong tak sudi disiksa atau dilahirkan kembali. Saat para pengumpul roh berusaha menyeretnya melewati gerbang, sang Raja Kera menghunus tongkatnya dan kabur dari cengkeraman mereka. Teriakan perangnya dan dentangan senjata bergema di seluruh alam baka. Mendengar kekacauan, sepuluh Raja Neraka muncul di hadapannya. Namun mereka tak pernah menghadapi perlawanan seperti ini. Makhluk aneh apa ini? Apakah dia makhluk fana, dewa— atau sesuatu yang lain?
The Lords consulted the Book of Death and Life— a tome which showed the time of every living soul’s death. Not knowing what category this strange being was under, the Death Lords struggled to find Sun Wukong at first; but the Monkey King knew just where to look. Unfortunately, the records confirmed the Death Lord’s claim— Sun Wukong was scheduled to die this very night. But the Monkey King was not afraid. This was far from the first time he’d defied destiny in his quest for wisdom and power. His past rebellions had earned him the power to transfigure his body, ride clouds at dizzying speeds, and govern his tribe with magic and martial arts. In this crisis, he saw yet another opportunity.
Mereka membuka Kitab Kematian dan Kehidupan— kitab yang menunjukkan waktu kematian setiap makhluk hidup. Karena tak mengetahui jenis makhluk aneh ini, para Raja Neraka awalnya kesulitan menemukan Sun Wukong; akan tetapi sang Raja Kera tahu kemana harus mencari. Sayangnya, catatan membenarkan dugaan para Raja Neraka— Sun Wukong akan mati malam ini juga. Tapi sang Raja Kera tidak gentar. Ini bukan pertama kalinya dia menentang takdir dalam perjalanan mencari kearifan dan kekuatan. Pemberontakannya di masa lalu memberinya kekuatan untuk berubah wujud, menaiki awan kencang, dan memimpin sukunya dengan sihir dan ilmu bela diri. Dia kembali melihat celah dalam krisis ini.
With a flash of his nimble fingers, the Monkey King struck his own name from the Book. Before the Death Lords could respond, he found the names of his monkey tribe and swept them away as well. Liberated from the bonds of death, Sun Wukong began to battle his way out of the underworld. He deftly defeated endless swarms of angry spirits— before tripping on his way out of the kingdom.
Dengan jari-jemarinya yang gesit, si Raja Kera membuang namanya dari Kitab. Sebelum para Raja Neraka bereaksi, dia menemukan dan membuang pula nama para kera di sukunya. Terbebas dari belenggu kematian, Sun Wukong mulai berjuang keluar dari alam baka. Dengan gesit dia mengalahkan kawanan arwah murka tanpa henti— sebelum tersandung keluar kerajaan.
Just before he hit the ground, Sun Wukong suddenly awoke in his bed. At first he thought the journey might have been a dream, but the Monkey King felt his new immortality surging from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. With a cry of triumph, he woke his warriors to share his latest adventure— and commence another round of celebration.
Tepat sebelum menghantam bumi, Sun Wukong terbangun di ranjangnya. Tadinya dia mengira petualangannya itu hanya mimpi, namun si Raja Kera merasakan kekekalan baru meruak dari ujung kepala hingga ujung ekornya. Dia berseru, membangunkan para prajuritnya untuk bercerita— dan kembali berpesta pora.