During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Xiguan (played by Jet Li), a lay disciple of Shaolin, was a member of the Tiandihui and tried to restore the Ming Dynasty. Hong Xiguan was betrayed by his fellow apprentice Ma Ning'er (played by Ji Chunhua), and his family was killed by traitors. Fortunately, his youngest son Wen Ding (played by Xie Miao) escaped the disaster. After Hong Xiguan stabbed Ma Ning'er to death, he wandered around the world with Wen Ding. Hong Xiguan and his son met the fraudulent Zhu Xiaoqian and Hongdou mother and daughter, and many things happened. Shaolin was robbed, and Master Zhishan tattooed the treasure map on the backs of five young lay disciples to prevent them from being taken away by the court. He also sent a secret letter to Hong Xiguan, asking him to escort them to the Tiandihui. However, after Ma Ning'er was severely injured by Hong Xiguan, he did not die, but turned into a monster covered in poison and invulnerable to swords and guns. He killed the chief helmsman of the Tiandihui and hunted down the five children...