Heifeng Guai (), also translated as the Black Wind Demon, is a character from the 16th century Chinese novel ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popu ...

''. He is a demon based in a cave on Black Wind Mountain (黑風山). His true form is a

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

but he appears as a dark-complexioned man armed with a Black Tassel Spear. He steals Tang Sanzang's cassock during a fire.

Sun Wukong The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...

goes to confront him later to take back the cassock but fails so he seeks help from

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

. The Black Wind Demon eventually surrenders to Guanyin after she uses one of the artifacts that the Buddha gave her (similar to the ring on Sun Wukong's head), and becomes the mountain's

guardian deity A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a Nature spirit, spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concep ...

.Wu Cheng-en: Journey to the West, chapter 23.

''Journey to the West''

During their journey to obtain the scriptures, Tang Sanzang and his disciple encountered the Guanyin Temple. However, they were targeted by Elder Jinchi, a greedy and foolish monk, who set fire to the temple in an attempt to harm them. The Black Bear Spirit went to extinguish the fire but took the opportunity to steal the precious Kasaya robe bestowed upon Tang Sanzang by the Buddha. Sun Wukong engaged in multiple battles with the Black Bear Spirit but failed to retrieve the robe, so he sought help from Guanyin Bodhisattva in the South Sea. Guanyin Bodhisattva transformed into Lingxu, a close friend who was supposed to celebrate the Black Bear Spirit's birthday, and presented an elixir as a gift. The Black Bear Spirit swallowed the elixir, disguised as Sun Wukong, but suffered great pain and revealed its true form. Guanyin Bodhisattva retrieved the Buddha's robe for Tang Sanzang and used the Golden Cincture to bind the Black Bear Spirit, compelling it to convert to Buddhism and become a guardian deity of in the South Sea.

References

Journey to the West characters Chinese deities Shapeshifting Fictional demons {{novel-char-stub