The journey to the West has ended in triumph. Zhu Bajie has shed his old unruly ways and been appointed Messenger of the Pure Altar. Though he now dwells among the Buddhas and can feast on offerings from every corner of the world, deep down he still can’t let go of the warmth and memories of mortal life in Gao Village. One day, he rides the clouds home. His belly still full of rich food, he is stopped by sobs carrying the scent of roasted sweet potatoes. He runs into Li Laosan, a neighbor who once gave him a roasted sweet potato, and learns that the demons of Black Wind Mountain are levying exorbitant taxes and oppressing the people. They extort heavy tolls from passersby, leaving ordinary farming families broken and struggling to survive.
Remembering the bonds he shared with his old neighbors and holding fast to the Buddhist calling to save the world, Marshal Tianpeng, who once fought the heavenly host and subdued demons and monsters, cannot bear to see mortals suffer, even now that he has attained godhood. He brings his cloud down, hefts his nine-toothed rake, and resolves to rid the people of evil and return to the Gao Village he has long yearned for. Along the way, he is bound by the warmth of home and old friends, and faces one trial after another as demons run rampant. Bajie sheds the laziness and evasiveness he showed on the journey to the West, revealing his true chivalrous nature as he begins a new chapter: the Messenger of the Pure Altar returns home to slay demons and protect the everyday lives of ordinary people.
