Final fight

"ORA!"

Wukong swung her weapon at Yu Shen, but he instantly grew dragon scales on his arm to block the attack.

Clang!

Yu Shen felt his arm tremble violently from the impact and glared at Wukong.

'Strong. No wonder she's so confident, but…!'

He suddenly slammed the ground, creating a shockwave that threw Wukong off balance.

Taking advantage of the opening, Yu Shen immediately lunged with his razor-sharp claws.

'I don't know how she defeated Bai Ling, but I won't make the same mistake!'

Just as he was about to pierce Wukong's side, his arm was caught.

"!!"

Wukong got close to his face, smirking arrogantly.

"Strong, but your combat experience is absolute garbage."

She tightened her grip and hurled him aside.

"Ruyi Jingu Bang! ENLARGE!"

Yu Shen was sent flying, crashing through several large boulders.

Wukong then turned to Yu Long and Zhu Bajie.

"Hey, horse, piggy. Still able to stand?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIGGY, YOU DAMN MONKEY?! WHY DIDN'T YOU COME EARLIER?!" Bajie yelled angrily.

"Fine, I won't save you then. I'll just carry master and Yu Long when this fight done."

"Sis, I'm sorry…"

"As long as you understand."

Wukong glanced at Yu Long's wounds, then at Tang Sanzang.

"...Master, seriously."

She only smiled. Wukong knew the buff she had received was because Master had unleashed his power—before passing out.

Maybe one day, she'd teach him how to control it properly.

"Alright, checked everything. You guys seem fine!"

"FINE, MY ASS!!" Bajie screamed, pointing at his wounds.

"See ya! I'm gonna go beat that guy up again! Oh, and make sure to protect master!"

With that, Wukong leaped toward the spot where Yu Shen had been sent flying.

"Still alive, you rebellious son of the Grand Supreme Elder?"

"Oh? So you do remember me?" Yu Shen walked forward, his body now covered in black dragon scales.

"How could I not? Yu Long is your sister, after all."

"Do you remember me because I'm that old man's son? Or because I actually made an impression on you?"

Wukong stiffened for a moment—then burst out laughing.

"Hahaha—what's this? Are you sulking because no one acknowledges you? Sorry, but I don't care about my enemies' emotional issues."

"...No wonder you have so many enemies, monkey."

"I take pride in that, actually."

"Fine then. If you don't care, neither do I. I'll make sure you understand the power I wield."

Scales, a tail, and a dragon's head grew on his humanoid body.

"Cool."

RAGGHHHHHH!!!

Yu Shen lunged forward, slashing at Wukong in rapid succession.

She scoffed, intending to stand her ground.

Then—her golden hair faded back to brown.

"Ah."

Yu Shen's claw tore into her, drawing blood.

"...My buff ran out at the worst possible time?!"

Wukong blocked another claw strike with her staff, but Yu Shen opened his jaws, gathering dark energy.

Seeing this, Wukong immediately spat in his eyes.

"Ugh—!" Yu Shen flinched, clutching his face in irritation.

Seizing the moment, Wukong ignited flames on her staff and struck him hard on the chin.

Yu Shen gritted his teeth, grabbed both of her arms, and hurled her into the sky.

He then fired a blast of dark energy straight at her.

Wukong, still mid-air, pointed her staff toward Yu Shen.

"JINGU BANG, ENLARGE!!"

The tip of her staff expanded instantly, smashing through Yu Shen's attack. Clicking his tongue in frustration, he dodged to the side.

The battle raged on, neither giving an inch, as the surrounding landscape crumbled under the force of their clash.

The battle raged on for minutes, both fighters trading countless blows—yeah, I'm not in the mood to describe every single one.

'This bastard is tough. He's taken so many hits and still keeps going,' Wukong thought, blocking another strike.

"What's wrong, monkey?! Are you scared?!" Yu Shen roared.

'Ugh, you should be grateful I'm not at my best right now.'

They continued clashing until Yu Shen started feeling uneasy.

'Why hasn't she gone for a fatal strike yet? Is she stalling for time? But why?'

The more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

Then—out of nowhere—he heard the wind howl unnaturally in his ears.

"...!!"

Instincts kicked in. He dodged immediately—just in time. The sudden gust of wind sliced off a chunk of his scales.

His eyes darted toward the source, only to see someone standing atop a boulder.

"...You bastard. You betrayed me!!"

Bai Ling smirked, bloodied and missing an arm—the price of his loss to Wukong.

"Betrayed? What are you talking about? Since when did I ever serve someone who couldn't even defeat me in the first place?"

"Don't mess with me! I'm the one who brought you back to life, and this is how you repay me?!"

"Oh, come on. I already helped you out as thanks. But this time, I'm settling my debt with her." Bai Ling pointed at Wukong.

Yu Shen turned to Wukong, who simply whistled.

"What did you do?!"

"As his master, you don't know a damn thing about him, huh? My master is way better than yours."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Wukong grinned.

"Simple."

***

Bai Ling coughed up blood onto his robes before collapsing.

Wukong wiped some blood off her cheek and approached Bai Ling.

"Congratulations, kid. You won. Your prize? This old man's life."

Bai Ling grinned, satisfied.

To him, battle was pure joy—especially against the strong.

And to die at the hands of a powerful opponent? That was an honor. Being on the list of defeated foes of the strong? That was his thrill.

Wukong glanced at him—then spat on his face.

"...Actually, I changed my mind. I'm not killing you."

"Huh?"

"You looked way too satisfied just now. I get what kind of guy you are. No way in hell am I letting you die on your terms."

"O-oi oi… Think this through. I killed your two little sisters right in front of your master. Hell, I even intended to kill you too. You have to kill me."

Wukong spat on his wounds this time.

"Nice try. Too bad I've gotten more patient. And I do need your strength."

"My strength?"

"Pretty sure my two little sisters are up against a powerful enemy. My master's buff won't last forever. I need someone like you to help me kill him."

"...And if I refuse?"

"You'd have to be a complete idiot. I know a lot of people stronger than me. Help me, and you won't regret it."

Bai Ling thought for a moment before forcing himself to his feet.

"Well, fine. If you're not gonna kill me, I'll tag along. I wanna see how strong the warriors of this era are. Hopefully, stronger than the ones from my time."

"Don't worry. You won't be disappointed."

***

Yu Shen blocked attacks from both sides.

Even heavily wounded, he wasn't weak—in fact, he fought even more ferociously, relying on a single arm.

Wukong constantly harassed him, summoning clones to keep him from launching any major attacks.

"YOU. ALL. DESERVE. TO DIE!!!"

Yu Shen roared, releasing a surge of energy.

Wukong and Bai Ling leaped back as all her clones vanished into smoke.

Yu Shen transformed into a massive dragon, soared into the sky, and began charging energy in his maw.

"I'LL BLOW THIS ENTIRE PLACE TO HELL, YOU DISGUSTING, WORTHLESS FILTH!!"

"Rude."

Yu Shen unleashed an overwhelmingly powerful energy blast at them.

Bai Ling formed a hand sign.

"Heavenly Technique: Fish-Cleaving Blade."

In an instant, the energy beam was sliced apart like tofu—along with Yu Shen's face.

Deep gashes tore across his head, blood pouring as he howled in pain.

Before he could react, Wukong spun her staff.

She split into three clones, all raising their staffs high.

"JINGU BANG, ENLARGE!"

The staffs expanded, and all three Wukongs struck Yu Shen's head.

BOOM!

The impact sent him crashing into the ground with a thunderous thud.

Wukong and Bai Ling landed, watching the crater.

"...?"

He was gone.

"Tch. Didn't expect him to be good at running. Wasted my damn energy," Bai Ling sighed, about to go after him.

But before he could move, Wukong stopped him.

"No need. His fate's already sealed." She casually picked her ear and walked off toward her master, the horse, and the pig.

"...Well, if you say so."

Bai Ling took that as his cue to leave. Debt repaid.

Meanwhile…

"SHIT!! MY BLOODLINE BECOME PURE, AND I STILL LOST?!"

Yu Shen leaned against a wall, slamming his fist in frustration.

"My entire plan—I sacrificed EVERYTHING—EVERYTHING!! And I still couldn't beat those two worthless animals?!"

He clutched his bloodied, scarred face.

"Where did I go wrong?! No… No, this is because of him. That bastard—her master!"

Something had felt off about him from the beginning.

Tang Seng was supposed to be bald—not some guy with a full head of hair!

And he was the one who had restored Yu Long's strength and boosted Wukong.

Such a dangerous potential… He had to be eliminated. Immediately.

But first, he needed to recover. Plan his escape.

He staggered forward, only to stop dead in his tracks.

Someone stood before him.

"...Shit."

A woman dressed in white Taoist robes. A single red eye on her forehead.

Erlang Shen.

She stared at him emotionlessly, not making a move.

But he knew—she didn't need to move.

Like Wukong, she was strong enough to bring chaos to the heavens.

If she was here, that meant his fate was sealed.

"Guhuhuhahahaha!!!"

Laughing like a madman, Yu Shen glared at her.

If he was going to die, he'd at least go out with one final attack!

As he prepared to strike—

Erlang Shen raised her hand.

"Pointless."

A single slap.

Yu Shen's body was instantly reduced to a smear of blood on the wall.

Without a word, Erlang Shen glanced toward Wukong's group—then walked away.