Xuanzang, a devoted monk, embarks on a perilous journey to western India in search of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures. Along the way, he encounters Sun Wukong, who is bound inside a large rock by Guanyin for his mischievous behavior. Xuanzang frees the monkey king, who becomes his disciple and protects a girl from a pig‑monster, who in turn becomes the new pupil Zhu Bajie. A water imp, or kappa, is renamed Sha Wujing and also joins the group as a disciple. When Sun Wukong captures a monster in a massive stone and hurls the ball he obtains from it, a snow‑capped holy mountain rises, revealing the Ho‑den Hall pagoda that houses the sacred scriptures. Xuanzang then petitions the Tathagata Buddha to grant him the holy texts, and Nyora…