What's with the Outer Eight Gates?
The Outer Eight Gates was a plot in Journey to the West. It referred to a series of dangers and difficulties that the four disciples of Tang Sanzang encountered on their way to the Western Heaven. One of them was the encounter with the "Fire Sea Demon Lord" on the Flaming Mountain. His "Fire Spear" could spray high-temperature flames, making it difficult for the four disciples to move forward. In order to deal with the attack of the Fire-tipped Spear, Sun Wukong came up with a way to use the Ruyi Jingu Staff to turn into a long stick and freeze the Fire-tipped Spear in the air, thus solving the predicament of the Flaming Mountain. The Outer Eight Gates was a classic plot in Journey to the West. It showed the difficulties and dangers that Tang Sanzang and his disciples experienced on the way to obtain the scriptures. It also showed the wisdom and courage of Sun Wukong and other characters. This plot had also been used as a reference by many other literary works and movies.