How to Find the Secret Bishui Cave and Beat the Bishui Beast

Bishui Cave is a hidden area in Chapter 5 where you can obtain materials to craft the Bull King's Set. This area is particularly tricky to access because you need to find the Pale-Axe Stalwart several times in different locations. Your progress also varies slightly depending on if you're doing Ma Tianba's questline. This quest can be completed after beating the Chapter 5 boss.

Starting the Quest

You begin the questline by defeating the Pale-Axe Stalwart right near the start of Chapter 5. He's in the middle of a battle with several surrounding revenants. After winning the fight, speak to him and exhaust his dialogue options before moving on to the first Elemental Cart. You need to interact with 5 Elemental Carts to enter Bishui Cave and 3 of them are directly along the path you need to take to progress the main story. This guide focuses on the other 2 as they're a bit more difficult to find.

Elemental Carts

• There are 4 Elemental Carts you need to defeat and 1 which is already broken by the time you come across it. Here are the locations of the 3 Carts you encounter as part of progressing the main story. You can learn more about how to beat these Carts with the Rusty-Gold Cart section of the guide.
• The Brown-Iron Cart is found in the Woods of Ember on the ridge above where you met the Pale-Axe Stalwart.
• Towards the end of the Woods of Ember you encounter the Gray-Bronze Cart blocking your progress in a narrow passageway.
  • The Fireproof Mantle Vessel is especially helpful for avoiding its attacks as you run down the corridor toward the boss.
• After defeating these Carts, you can return to the Pale-Axe Stalwart near his original location in the Woods of Ember. Speak to him again and exhaust his dialogue options.

Broken Cart

While exploring the Furnace Valley you encounter a Broken Cart, how you deal with this cart depends on whether or not you interacted with Ma Tianba, the Horse Guai previously on your journey. Start from the Furnace Valley, Valley Entrance Shrine, and head down the ridge until you see lava flows on your right.

Jump down into the lava field.

• Jump off the ridge into the lava flow.
• Head up and to the right until you encounter a broken Cart guarded by a Guai that looks similar to the Macaque Chief.

Now, if you haven't spoken to Ma Tianba throughout your journey, you may not need to do much here. Interact with the Cart, and attempt to pull the whip out until you exhaust all the dialogue options. If you weren't able to pull the whip out after interacting with it, then you need to do a few more steps to resolve Ma Tianba's quest. Continue through to the Emerald Hall then defeat the Keeper of Flaming Mountains and his Yin-Yang Fish. Once you do, return to the broken Cart and remove the whip to receive the Dark Thunder Transformation. When there's no option to interact here, you're done with this Cart.

Crimson-Silver Cart

The Crimson-Silver Cart is the last of the Carts you need to defeat to progress the main story. It's located on the ridge just past the Emerald Hall. If you spoke to him a second time the Pale-Axe Stalwart joins you in the fight. Speak to him, and exhaust his dialogue before continuing with the main story.

Bishui Cave Location

You find the entrance to Bishui Cave at the end of the Cooling Slope in the Field of Fire. You can only take this path after making your way up the slope, through the gauntlet guarded by Top Takes Bottom, Bottom Takes Top, and finishing the cutscene where Pingping dispels the fire using the Plantain Fan.

After the flames are dispelled, head up the slope.

• Start from the Field of Fire, Ashen Pass III Shrine, and head up the slope, around the midpoint, you reach an area where you can turn and head down a new path, this is the Cooling Slope.
  • Alternatively, you can start from the Field of Fire, Fallen Furnace Crater Shrine at the other end, and head down the slope to reach the Cooling Slope.
• Continue down the Cooling Slope to reach the Shrine near the bottom.

At the end of the path is a large open area with a doorway sealed over in ice. If you've done everything correctly up until this point you should find the Pale-Axe Stalwart here, and once you enter the area the Rusty-Gold Cart spawns, beginning a battle. If you enter this area and the Rusty-Gold Cart doesn't spawn you may need to go back to speak with the Pale-Axe Stalwart at one of his previous locations. Alternatively, you might need to return to the broken Cart in the Furnace Valley and interact with it if the whip is present.

Rusty-Gold Cart

Remember to rest at the Cooling Slope Shrine and restore your resources before beginning the fight. If you don't have the Fireproof Mantle equipped, put it on before you rest so that you can use it on the fight. Also if you haven't upgraded your weapon in a while, you can backtrack to craft the Staff of Blazing Karma which gives 100 Attack, 40 Defense, and 10 Burn Resistance in addition to enhancing Smash Stance moves.

Rusty-Gold Cart Boss Tips

Get away from the fire breath.

Depending on where you stand, the Carts attack you in different ways. When you're standing in front of the Cart, it uses direct attacks, breathes fire, and shoots projectiles if you get too far away. If you move to the side, the Cart vents flame, and when you go behind it switches to reverse in an attempt to run the Destined One over. Here are a few particularly notable attacks:

• During your battle, the Rusty-Gold Cart frequently uses Fiery Breath to deal damage in a frontal cone. You can use your Fireproof Mantle to negate the damage from the Cart's breath attack and give yourself some breathing room. Alternatively, move away from the Cart until the attack finishes.
  • Sometimes the Cart spins in a circle continually breathing flames as it does, you can dodge through the breath and allow the Cart to rotate away from you.
• After executing a sequence of melee attacks the Cart raises its arms and roars releasing a fiery explosion. This attack has a fast animation making it difficult to avoid. You can use Cloud Step to build distance if you're struggling to dodge this attack.
• When the Rusty-Gold Cart's hand glows red, that means it's about to use a grab attack. You can time your dodge to avoid the swing or use a Transformation to prevent the grab. Having your Fireproof Mantle active also prevents a majority of the damage from the grab.

Once you defeat the Rusty-Gold Cart you see a short cutscene with the Pale-Axe Stalwart where he points you toward the ice wall before passing away. Interact with the ice wall and it shatters, after that travel through the passage to a large open room and approach the pillar in the center to enter Bishui Cave.

Top Takes Bottom, Bottom Takes Top

The first boss you encounter after entering the cave is Top Takes Bottom, Bottom Takes Top. This time the two Guai separate and alternate between attacking you independently. When you're using Charged Heavy Attack be careful of the timing, they frequently jump into the hemisphere or raise it to shield themselves from damage. Here are a few tips and tricks to take them down!

Top Takes Bottom, Bottom Takes Top.

• First up, when focusing on one foe, keep the other in your peripheral vision, throughout the course of the fight they swap between being active and passive so you need to keep an eye on the inactive boss to prevent yourself from being blindsided.
• Both Top Takes Bottom and Bottom Takes Top can jump into their hemisphere and then roll around the arena with a charge attack. Keep an eye on the active boss and dodge each charge as it passes.
• Aside of this, keep an eye on their regular attacks and keep doing damage. Neither boss has much health but they're difficult to burst down due to the way they shield themselves throughout the fight.
• Their most dangerous attack is a jump similar to the effect of the Top Takes Bottom, Bottom Takes Top Spirit. Both bosses come together to form a rolling sphere which charges you several times then jumps into the air 5 times creating an explosion each time they land. You can counter this by jumping or timing your dodges, alternatively, you can use Pillar Stance and hop onto your staff and negate the entire sequence.

You can wear the Fireproof Mantle to avoid damage from the burning ground that appears throughout the fight. Once you defeat one of the two foes the other is much easier to deal with. Then continue through the cave, Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast awaits you at the end.

Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast

This fiery beast uses several aggressive attacks, often breathing flame, creating fire trails, and empowering its attacks with lava. Wear the Fireproof Mantle to make yourself immune to the burning ground effects and some of the beast's more fiery attacks. When you defeat Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast you get materials used to craft the Bull King's set and a new weapon.

Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast Boss Tips

Most of the Beast's attacks are easy to deal with, but he uses a few more complex sequences throughout the fight. There aren't really special phases on this fight so you should use your Mana for damage whenever a good opening presents itself as opposed to saving it for a specific phase.

The boss roars and rears up creating multiple explosions, get away!

• When Bishui roars and slams his claws into the ground he's about to unleash a powerful attack. This creates an explosion around the boss, which then erupts again after a short delay. Get away from the boss to avoid the aftershock or time your dodges to stay close to the boss.
• One of his more annoying moves is the fire breath, which takes the form of a wide frontal cone. If you're able to quickly get behind the boss this is a good time to deal damage. Otherwise, focus on getting out of range or using the Fireproof Mantle if your health is low.
• From time to time he charges across the room 3 times, leaving a trail of fire behind with each charge. Dodge the charge as the boss approaches, if you have the Fireproof Mantle equipped the fire trails can be ignored.
• Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast has a frenzy attack where he leaps into the air several times dealing damage and causing a fiery eruption each time he lands. During this time you can dodge each to build focus but it's safest to just get away from the boss.
• There are two more attacks that you don't need to worry about when close to the boss but can be a problem at range. First up, from a distance, the boss leaps into the air and throws 2 fireballs at the Destined One. Time your dodges to avoid damage and try to close distance. Second, he ends some of his attack sequences with a big slam. This is easy to avoid by dodging to the left or right but also sends a linear shockwave across the room meaning you need to dodge even if you aren't near the boss!

After you defeat Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast you're teleported back to the original cave. You can quickly explore your surroundings to find Baw-Lang-Lang in the area nearby.

Video Guide

Check out this video guide by Tenkiei to learn more about how to complete the questline, where to find the Secret Bishui Cave, and some tips for defeating Bishui.

Summary

To enter Secret Bishui Cave you need to find and deal with the 5 Elemental Carts. 3 are along the path you need to take to progress the main story. One is already broken and involves Ma Tianba's questline. The last one is located at the cave's entrance, you fight it to resolve the Pale-Axe Stalwart's quest. Inside the cave you find Top Takes Bottom, Bottom Takes Top and Bishui, Golden-Eyed Beast.

• Defeat the Pale-Axe Stalwart then speak to him.
• Progress the main story and beat the Brown-Iron and Gray-Bronze Carts, then return to the Pale-Axe Stalwart.
• You next encounter the broken cart, if you're on Ma Tianba's questline you need to resolve that next.
• After defeating the Crimson-Silver Cart, speak to the Pale-Axe Stalwart near the Emerald Hall.
• Once Pingping dispels the flames in the Field of Fire, proceed to the Cooling Field.
• Defeat the Rusty-Gold Cart to gain entrance to Secret Bishui Cave.

Written by: Tenkiei