Flaming mountains. Constant lava. Everything is red, orange, or some shade of "burning to death." Black Myth: Wukong really stops holding your hand once you hit the Bishui Cave and the surrounding charred peaks. If you thought the Yellow Wind Sage was a wall, the chapter 5 Wukong bosses are more like a furnace designed to melt your patience.
Honestly, the difficulty spike here isn't just about health bars. It's about the sheer visual chaos. You’re fighting massive spirits while the floor is literally trying to kill you. You’ve probably already met the Pale-Axe Stalwart—he’s the warm-up act. But the real meat of the Flaming Mountains lies in the Five Element Carts and that massive, terrifying Yaksha King at the finish line. It’s a gauntlet.
The Fire-Spitting Carts are a Total Chore
Let's get the annoying stuff out of the way first. The Five Element Carts. These aren't just boss fights; they are environmental puzzles that require you to talk to the Pale-Axe Stalwart to actually complete the questline. You'll find the Brown-Iron, Gray-Bronze, and Crimson-Silver carts scattered throughout the main path. They aren't particularly complex, but their flamethrower attacks have a lingering hitbox that will catch you if you're greedy with your light attack finishers.
The real pain is the Rusty-Gold Cart. You'll find this one guarding the entrance to the secret area, and it hits significantly harder than its brothers. Most players make the mistake of staying directly in front of these things. Don't do that. You want to bait the flame breath, dodge to the side, and whale on the wheels. It’s tedious. It’s grindy. But you need to kill them all if you want to see the "real" ending of the chapter.
Red Boy and the Sudden Shift in Vibe
Red Boy is the poster child for Chapter 5. He’s arrogant, fast, and uses a spear that feels like it has twice the reach it actually does. The first phase is a dance. He loves to fly into the air and slam down, creating shockwaves of fire. If you’ve been relying on the Wandering Wight spirit for easy staggers, you might find Red Boy moves too quickly for it to land reliably.
Cloud Step is your best friend here. When he starts his multi-hit fire combos, just vanish. Let him swing at the air. Use the Immobilize spell only after he finishes an animation, because he has a nasty habit of breaking out if you try to catch him mid-flight.
Transitioning to the Yaksha King
Then things get weird. Red Boy transforms into the Yaksha King, and the fight becomes a tragic, high-stakes duel. This is arguably one of the best-designed chapter 5 Wukong bosses because it rewards precision over panic-rolling. The Yaksha King has these massive sweeping claw attacks that cover half the arena.
Wait for the blade extensions. He will thrust his weapons into the ground, and blades will pop up in a line toward you. Most people dodge backward—big mistake. Dodge through the blades. If you stay close to his legs, his larger sweeping moves often go right over your head. It’s a spectacle, but it’s also a gear check. If your defense isn't at least hovering around 300, his grab attack will likely one-shot you.
The Secret Boss: Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast
If you managed to finish the cart questline, you get access to the Bishui Cave. This is where the Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast lives. This thing is a tank. It’s a massive, fiery bull-chimera that charges relentlessly.
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There's a trick here that most people miss on their first run. You can actually lead the beast to break through the ice walls in the arena. Doing this changes the environment. If you lead it into the right areas, you can actually freeze the lava or change how its elemental attacks interact with the floor. It’s a rare moment where Black Myth: Wukong lets you use the environment to weaken a boss rather than just hitting it until it dies.
Use the Fireproof Mantle. Seriously. If you’re trying to fight the chapter 5 Wukong bosses without the vessel from Chapter 1, you’re basically playing on hard mode for no reason. The mantle makes you immune to burn damage for a short window, which is vital when the Beast covers the entire floor in magma.
Why the Bull King's Family Matters
The narrative weight of these fights is heavy. Unlike the random demons of the earlier chapters, the Bull King’s family has a history with Sun Wukong. You aren't just clearing a path; you're dismantling a family. The dialogue during the Yaksha King fight is some of the most poignant in the game, focusing on the cycle of revenge and the burden of the past.
It's easy to skip the cutscenes when you've died ten times, but pay attention to the dialogue from the Pale-Axe Stalwart. He provides the context that turns these bosses from mere obstacles into tragic figures. The game doesn't explicitly tell you everything—you have to piece together the Bull King’s reluctance to fight from the journal entries and the subtle animations during the cinematics.
Survival Tips for the Flaming Mountains
- Upgrade your Gourd: By now, you should have found enough Luojia Fragrant Vines to have at least 8 or 9 sips. If you’re still at 6, go back to Chapters 3 and 4. You’ll need the sustain.
- The Pillar Stance: While Smash Stance is the go-to for most, Pillar Stance is surprisingly effective against the fire carts. It keeps you off the ground, which saves you from taking tick damage from the burning floor.
- Resistance over Raw Defense: Swap your curios to focus on Fire Resistance. Reducing the "Burn" build-up is more important than shaving off 5 points of physical damage.
- Spirit Choice: The Non-Able spirit is great here for the passive stat boosts, but the Earth Wolf can also help with much-needed staggers against Red Boy.
The chapter 5 Wukong bosses are a test of how well you've mastered the game's core mechanics—dodging, spell management, and knowing when to back off. It’s a brutal stretch of the Journey to the West, but the gear you craft from the Yaksha King’s soul is some of the best in the game.
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To make the most of your Chapter 5 run, ensure you have completed the "Five Element Carts" side quest before finishing the main boss of the area. This unlocks the Bishui Cave, providing the materials needed for the Bull King armor set, which offers the highest defense in the game. Focus on crafting the Fireproof Mantle and keeping your Fire Resistance stats high through medicine and curios. Once the Yaksha King is down, revisit the Pale-Axe Stalwart to conclude his storyline and collect your final rewards for the region.