Narrow Escape

That was right—the golden, gleaming staff that thrust straight into the heavens, churning up a huge "chrysanthemum" in the sky, was the Ruyi Jingu Bang. More precisely, it belonged to Sun Wukong of the "alternate Journey to the West world"!

Sun Wukong of this world had thrown his Ruyi Jingu Bang into America in another world, bringing Jason to The Forbidden Kingdom world to save him. Pilgrim Sun of the "alternate Journey to the West world" (to distinguish him from this world's Sun Wukong), on the other hand, had sent his Ruyi Jingu Bang to this world. Jade Warlord then threw it out, taking it once more to The Forbidden Kingdom world. In fact, Pilgrim Sun's Ruyi Jingu Bang served two purposes at once: "status" and "transportation."

Jade Warlord's true identity was now obvious. He was actually one of Pilgrim Sun's "monkey-hair clones"! Only Pilgrim Sun and his clones could wield the Ruyi Jingu Bang freely! Of course, he had not been transformed from just any random monkey hair. He had been transformed from one of the three monkey hairs Guanyin Bodhisattva had given Pilgrim Sun back then. (Do not use the original Journey to the West as a reference.)

Unlike clones transformed from ordinary monkey hairs, Jade Warlord possessed a strong independent consciousness. Though his life was controlled by Pilgrim Sun, and he had to carry out whatever Pilgrim Sun ordered, Jade Warlord was unwilling to remain Pilgrim Sun's puppet and tool. He had never regarded Pilgrim Sun as his master—at most, as a brother!

That was why Jade Warlord had displayed such intense hostility upon first meeting Sun Wukong five hundred years ago—otherwise, Lu Yan's explanation in the original movie had been rather far-fetched. Much of that hostility had been directed at Pilgrim Sun, who controlled his fate.