If you only stick to the main story in Black Myth: Wukong, you're going to miss out on a lot of the content the game has to offer. The world is packed with secrets including NPCs and their side quests that reward unique items, hidden areas, and secret bosses. If you want to fill out every record in your journal and collect all of those trophies, here's a list of all the secrets we've found across the chapters.

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Chapter 1 Secrets

The secrets start from the very first chapter of the game, and there's not one but two hidden bosses to uncover as you explore. The first is Elder Jinchi and the second is Red Loong. There are also Transformation Spells and missable Spirits that you'll want to bag before you wrap up the chapter.

Skandha of Form

Before you've even jumped into the action in Black Wind Mountain, you can find a Key Item that will prove useful much further on into the game. From the Front Hills Keeper's Shrine in the Forest of Wolves, you'll work your way toward your first boss fight with the Bullguard. Opposite the mini-boss, you can find a stream of water. As you approach it, you'll see a monkey near the statue in the water, who will run off. Go to the statue after the monkey has disappeared and pick up the Skandha of Form from it.

Transformation Spell: Red Tides

In the Forest of Wolves, you'll find a Wolf Guai called Guangzhi. This Yaoguai Chief is optional but the wolf guards one of the bells necessary to unlock another secret in the chapter. To make it even more worthwhile to fight him, he drops a great Transformation Spell called Red Tides. This is a powerful transformation to have unlocked so early on, with a focus on fire damage.

Wandering Wight - Missable Spirit

The Wandering Wight boss isn't a secret, but the Wandering Wight Spirit is missable and that's not made clear. You'll need to pass the Wandering Wight to get out of the Forest of Wolves and onto the next part of Chapter 1 - Black Cloud, Red Fire, but it can be tempting to leave the challenging fight until the end and return to it later. Whatever you do, beat him before you unlock the secret area in Chapter 1 that requires ringing the bells.

To be clear, if you defeat him on your first encounter with him, you won't be able to collect his spirit until you've got the Gourd further on in the chapter. But if you don't defeat him before ringing the bells and unlocking the secret area in Chapter 1, you'll miss him entirely!

Secret: Ancient Guanyin Temple - Elder Jinchi and the Fireproof Mantle

If you find and ring the 3 bells in Chapter 1 you'll automatically be transported to a secret version of the Ancient Guanyin Temple. When you get there, you can fight the Yaogui King Elder Jinchi, who resembles the Wandering Wight Spirit. Defeating him earns you the Fireproof Mantle Vessel, which can be a huge help in this Chapter.

Red Loong

Though Red Loong can be found in Chapter 1, you'll actually need to wait until Chapter 2 before you can access the secret boss. Once you've collected the Loong Scales from Chapter 2, return to the Keeper's Shrine called Outside the Forest and head to the nearby waterfall. With the Scales in your possession, you can now enter the waterfall and fight Red Loong.

Chapter 2 Secrets

Chapter 2 has a lot more secrets to uncover, including another hidden area that opens up after finishing a side quest and some Key Items that will help you reach missable bosses.

King of Flowing Sands and Second Rat Prince - Missable Spirit, Item, and Hidden Boss

The fight against the King of Flowing Sands and Second Rat Prince can either result in a missable spirit or another boss being hidden, depending on the choices you make.

When you start the fight, you'll see two health bars. If you defeat the Second Rant Prince first, you won't be able to obtain the Second Rat Prince's Spirit. Nor will you get the Pungent Flesh Chunk. Instead, the King of Flowing Sands will run into the nearby cave and call upon the First Prince of Flowing Sands.

If you want to get the spirit, you need to beat the King of Flowing Sands first. You can then use the Pungent Flesh Chunk to call out the First Prince of Flowing Sands yourself in the nearby cave.

The Buddha's Eyeballs - Shigandang

In the Fright Cliff section of Chapter 2, you may notice the glowing yellow eyeballs that sit in the Buddha Heads scattered around the area. There are 6 Buddha Heads to find, each with a Buddha's Eyeball inside.

When you have all 6, you'll want to take them to the area where you fight The Stone Vanguard, near Rockrest Flat. Putting them into the rock in the arena will reveal a secret boss called Shigandang.

Skandha of Feeling

Defeating Shigandang will also reward you with the Skandha of Feeling. Just like the Skandha of Form, this will come in handy later on.

Shigandang Vs. Stone Vanguard

If you get the Buddha's Eyeballs and pop them into the rock before you fight the Stone Vanguard, you can use the secret boss to your advantage. Put the Eyeballs into the rock to call on Shingdang, and let stone meet stone.

The Man-in-Stone and Transformation Spell: Azure Dust

Chapter 2 has a side quest that's worth doing to both unlock a merchant and gain another Transformation Spell. This quest is for the Man-in-Stone and will send you up to fight the Mother of Stones mini-boss. Upon completion, you'll return to the Man-in-Stone, only to have to give him a beatdown for trying to deceive you. Once he's been dealt with, you can get your Transformation Spell, and be able to buy important items off of him such as the Sobering Stone.

The Loong Scales

The Loong Scales are tucked away in an area that's so easy to miss. You have to crack a wall in the First Prince of Flowing Sands boss room to get any idea they exist and it's not obvious that you can do this whatsoever. Either bait the boss to smash the wall for you or use powerful attacks from Azure Dust (if you finished the Man-in-Stone Questline) or Wandering Wight to split the wall.

Squeeze through the crack in the wall to find a treasure chest that has the Loong Scales inside. Once you have them, a voice will speak to you (and will continue to do so whenever you're close to any of the hidden Loong bosses).

Black Loong

When you've got the Loong Scales, you can also access the secret boss in Chapter 2 that you can find behind a sandfall. From Rockrest Flat Keeper's Shrine, go right and up the stairs to find the sandfall. With the Loong Scales in your inventory, you can step right through it into the hidden cave.

The Druken Boar and the Kindgom of Sahali

The drunken boar (or the Yellow-Robed Squire as he's officially known) can be tricky to find, tucked away at the back of Rockrest Flat. But if you want to unlock the chapter's hidden area, you must complete his side quest. The questline has multiple steps, which start with you needing to bring him a Sobering Stone, either from the Windrest Hamlet or from the Man-in-Stone (once he becomes a merchant).

When he's sobered up, find him again at the Crouching Tiger Temple and bring him a Jade Lotus. After one more interaction with him, back at Rockrest Flat, you'll have to fight him to enter the secret Kingdom of Sahali.

The Kingdom of Sahali - Tiger Vanguard and Fuban

You're in for two fights when you enter the Kingdom of Sahali. The first miniboss you'll take on is the Tiger Vanguard, who will deem you worthy to meet his king once you've defeated him. The king will then ask for your assistance in bringing down a giant boss in the sand called Fuban. Besting Fuban will give you the Wind Vessel, which you'll want to use in this chapter.

The Mad Tiger in the Well

There's a whole family of tigers to meet in Chapter 2, and one of them is the Mad Tiger, which you can find in a well near Sandgate Village. To uncover the well, you'll need to start off by finding and fighting Tiger's Acolyte in Windgate Village. He'll drop an Old Rattle-Drum which you can use in three spots across the chapter to uncover its secret. Once you've found all three and used the drum, a well will be revealed near Sandgate Village. Drop down into it and go head-to-head with the Mad Tiger.

Chapter 3 Secrets

The secrets in Chapter 3 will have you continuing to fight hidden bosses, collecting the spirits of important captains, and taking you to an NPC hub.

The Great Pagoda

When you stumble upon The Great Pagoda in Chapter 3, you can enter it. However, it will appear as little more than an empty room, potentially with tapestries hanging already (depending on the secret areas you've found and cleared so far). The Great Pagoda is actually linked to a secret area that you can access after Chapter 5, so jump down to the information on Mount Mei, which you can find at the bottom of the page.

The Purple Seals

When you wake up in the Pagoda Realm, you'll find prison cells with magic purple seals preventing you from entering them. Behind the very first door is an NPC, and you'll want to get in there for some unique loot, so you'll need to track down a boss tucked away in the prison called Captain Lotus-Vision.

Defeating him and taking his spirit will automatically unlock the purple seals, and you can then talk to the NPC and take the Spell from the two-headed dead rat in the cell with him.

Transformation Spell: Ashen Slumber

The prisoner in the cell in the Pagoda Realm can be accompanied by the body of a two-headed rat depending on your actions from Chapter 2. You'll need to have spoken to the Rat Guai trapped in a little building in Sandgate Village. If you do this, you'll find the body of the two-headed rat in the cell and be able to take the Ashen Slumber Transformation Spell from them when you finally unlock the seals.

The Four Captains

Captain Lotus-Vision forms part of a larger questline in Black Myth: Wukong, that also involves the NPC in the sealed cell. There are actually four captains you can fight in this chapter; two of them are unmissable, but Captain Lotus-Vision and Captain Void-Illusion need to be found. When you have the souls of all four of them, you can return to the NPC in the cell and receive a unique weapon.

Cyan Loong

Just like in Chapters 1 and 2, there's a Loong boss waiting for you in Chapter 3 as well. Wait until you're on top of the giant turtle, and turn away from the Keeper's Shrine. Head for the water and listen out for the sound of the voice that speaks to you each time you're near a Loong boss. You'll see a stone statue of a dragon by the water, that will automatically turn into Cyan Loong as you approach it with the Loong Scales.

The Painted Realm and Zodiac Village

After riding the giant turtle to the Bitter Lake, you'll land on the North Shore. If you turn back on yourself and head up the beach toward the cabin, you'll find an NPC in the water. This is Chen Loong and if you fight him and then collect the tonic he wants from Xu Dog, he'll give the Ruyi Scroll. This takes you to a completely different area in the Painted Realm called Zodiac Village. This is a hub where a number of the NPCs you've met will go, and you can even unlock the ability to upgrade armor.

Yin Tiger Fight and Transformation Spell: Ebon Flow

Not only does unlocking Zodiac Village introduce the Yin Tiger and the ability to upgrade armor, you can also challenge him to a duel. Doing so will reward you with a new armor set to craft, a new curio slot, and the Ebon Flow Transformation Spell.

Turtle Tear Soak and Apramana Bat

Continue straight on from the North Short of the Bitter Lake Keeper's Shrine and keep going to the end until you see a skeleton. The Apramana Bat will appear, and defeating it will allow you to interact with the snake skeleton. A cutscene will play, where the large turtle will shed a tear, and you can go and collect it from the shoreline near the turtle's head to collect the Turtle Tear Soak.

Skandha of Thought

You can collect the Skandha of Thought in Chapter 3 when you reach the Mindfulness Cliff Keeper's Shrine in the Valley of Ecstasy. To the right of the shrine, there's a large canyon, and there's actually a path below that you can drop down onto. If you follow this path, you'll find the monkey again and be able to collect the Skandha of Thought from the head.

Transformation Spell: Hoarfrost

In the New Thunderclap Temple, there's an optional boss called the Monk from the Sea. Explore the right side of the temple and you'll come to an open area, where the Monk from the Sea will jump out at you from an altar. After defeating the optional mini-boss, you'll be rewarded with Hoarfrost.

Non-Void and the Fox

Toward the end of Chapter 3, in the Forest of Felicity, you can find the soul of a fox guai trapped in a corpse along the path to the New Thunderclap Temple. The fox will hand you an object that allows you to shapeshift and take on her form and asks that you seek revenge. Wear the fox guise when you get to the New Thunderclap Temple, to find the monk who betrayed here. It's only when you're in fox form that Non-Void will show himself as a boss for the chapter.

Chapter 4 Secrets

Skandha of Choice

The Skandha of Choice can be found in Chapter 4. Go right from The Purifying Spring Keeper's Choice and up the stairs and through the gap in the wall. Follow this path along to the right, and cross the bridge. Then turn left and look for the white sacs that block a path going down. Smash through these and go down here to find a Buddha head, where the monkey from previous chapters will be sitting. Once the monkey has run off, take the Skandha of Choice from the Buddha's head.

Yellow Loong and Transformation Spell: Golden Lining

As you might've guessed by this point of the game, the Loong bosses can be found in various chapters hidden away. To find Yellow Loong, you'll need to wait until Chapter 4. As you make your way through the Webbed Hollow, you'll start to work toward the bottom of the area, past the Cliff of Oblivion. This is where you can find the Relief of the Fallen Loong, with the boss battle taking place nearby.

Defeating him will reward you with a powerful Transformation Spell called Golden Lining, where you can become Yellow Loong and use his shock-infused long combo attacks.

Purple Talisman Altars and the Supreme Inspector

You can find 4 Purple Talismans in the Webbed Hollow and Temple of the Yellow Flowers. Find them all to interact with a secret mini-boss for the chapter called Supreme Inspector and an additional character for your Journal.

Purple Cloud Mountain

You'll need to beat the Venom Daoist twice in Chapter 4 to gain access to Purple Cloud Mountain. You can first fight him in the Webbed Hollow, and then fight him again in the Temple of Yellow Flowers. After this fight, a wall will appear that will allow you to go to Purple Cloud Mountain.

The Scorpionlord Boss - Purple Cloud Mountain

Just after the Bounds of Deity's Abode Keeper's Shrine, you can find the Scorpionlord. Go near the building that he protects and smash the pots, and he'll jump down for a fight. As you might expect, anything that will help you against poison resistance will help you against him.

Daoist Mi and the Snake Lady - Purple Cloud Mountain

As you begin to follow the path in Purple Cloud Mountain, you'll encounter a weeping snake curled around a tree. To help her out, you need to find the Daoist Mi, who waits near the Petalfall Hamlet. He'll ask you to find Violet Hail for him, which you can obtain from the yellow-robed enemies in the area. Once you have it, Daoist Mi will become a boss with two phases.

The Duskveil - Purple Cloud Mountain

Up at Cloudnest Peak, you'll find The Duskveil. This is the final boss of the secret area, so killing it will trigger a cutscene and transport you out of the area. You'll also receive the Weaver's Needle Vessel from completing this fight.

Chapter 5 Secrets

The Five Carts and Bishui Cave

At the start of Chapter 5, you’ll encounter the Pale-Axe Stalwart. He’ll ask you to destroy the Five Carts in Chapter 5, but you’ll only actually need to tackle 4 of them. 3 of these can be found along the main path, but one can be found if you double back on yourself after the rolling spiked ball has gone toward the end of the chapter and enter the Cooling Slope.

Ma Tianba and Transformation Spell: Dark Thunder

You only need to take on 4 of the 5 Elemental Carts in Chapter 5, but there is a fifth one you can find in Furnace Valley. This dead cart has already been dealt with by Ma Tianba the Horse Guai. He can be found in each chapter, but the interaction with him in the fifth chapter is important for unlocking a Transformation Spell.  If you want to pick this up for yourself, interact with the cart BEFORE you fight against Keeper of the Flaming Mountains. After the Keeper of the Flaming Mountain boss fight, return to the cart and pull the string to get the Dark Thunder Transformation Spell.

Samadhi Fire Crystal and the Flint Bosses

There are three bosses in Chapter 5 that will reward you with Samadhi Fire Crystals. These are:

• Flint Chief - Furnace Valley
• Flint Vanguard - Cooling Slope
• Mother of Flamlings - Cooling Slope (give 4 Flame Ores to summon her)

Getting the Samadhi Fire Crystals will allow you to craft the Staff of Blazing Karma.

Baw-Lang-Lang

When you've beaten the five carts and cracked through the ice to get into the cave, you're not quite yet in the Bishui Cave realm. To do this, you need to step toward the center of the room. However, if you take a left first and go to the open zone, you can find another of the frog bosses

Bishui Cave - Top Takes Bottom, Bottom Takes Top

Once you've entered Bishui Cave, you can find the first of the two bosses just after the Purge Pit Keeper's Shrine.

Bishui Cave - Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast

At the end of the Bishui Cave, you can find the second secret boss, which is the Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast.

Top Takes Bottom, Bottom Takes Top Spirit

Not only does the ball smash through and create a path for you to take toward the Cooling Slope, but it also lands near The Emerald Hall. From the Emerald Hall Keeper's Shrine, head up the stairs the same you did to continue through the chapter. You'll see the ball slammed into a nearby rock. Approach it, and you can absorb the spirit.

Chapter 6 Secrets

Giant Shigandang

You'll need to collect four Skandhas across Chapters 1-4 to be able to reveal the Giant Shigandang in Chapter 6. The Skandhas to collect are:

• Chapter 1 - Skandha of Form
• Chapter 2 - Skandha of Feeling
• Chapter 3 - Skandha of Thought
• Chapter 4 - Skanda of Choice

Mount Mei

Yes, The Great Pagoda is actually available in Chapter 3 but you won't want to do anything with it until Chapter 6. When you've cleared Chapter 5 and completed all the secret areas in previous chapters, and finished the Treasure Hunter side quest, you can return to the Great Pagoda and enter one of the tapestries to unlock an entirely new area.

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