Journey to the West: LEVEL UP (Book 1)

4

Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen Fight

Lu Bu is defeated at last

After that incident, Lu Bu then left to search for Sun Wukong, ready to fight. Remembering Diaochan's advice, he first bought new armor and disguised himself to look like the god Erlang. Since they were of similar physical stature, it wasn't too difficult for him to do so. Then he ascended into the skies and headed towards the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. He arrived there in less than a few minutes as he was rather fast at flight. Several monkeys guarding the gate tried to stop him, but he slew them with a single strike of his halberd. As more and more monkeys armed with sticks and stones came out to fight against him and get crushed almost instantly, their king began to notice that there was a disturbance and went to respond to the threat with his golden-banded staff.

"Rambunctious monkey!" Lu Bu, disguised as Erlang Shen, declared doing his best voice impersonation of the god. "The heavens have issued a decree that you would accompany the monk Tripitaka on the journey to the Western Heaven, yet you sit here idle. What is the meaning of this? I have been sent here by the Jade Emperor himself to subdue you for your negligence and your abandonment of your duties."

"It's not my fault," Wukong lamented. "I tried my best, but regardless of everything, my master sent me away. He did not believe me when I told him that there were enemies trying to kidnap him, and accused me of murdering innocents." Because Lu Bu's disguise was not magical in nature, Sun Wukong could not sense the fraud with his magical detection abilities. Diaochan had told him as much, and warned him to avoid magical disguises for that reason.

"Silence, insolent wretch!" Lu Bu attacked Wukong with his halberd. "I've been ordered to put you to death, and that's what I will do!" He also attacked the rest of the mountain, causing avalanches and slaying monkeys that got in his way.

Sun Wukong attacked him. "You've slain my monkey brethren! Now I will show no mercy!" They then fought for over half a day with not a single sign of who the victor would be. Then, Lu Bu, still disguised as the god Erlang, allowed himself to get hit in the shoulder and faked a retreat.

Sun Wukong gave chase, but Lu Bu was nowhere to be found. Still believing Lu Bu to be Erlang Shen, Wukong somersaulted into the clouds to search the heavens for any sign of him.

The monkey searched through earth and heaven

Through the continents five and the oceans seven

From day to night, then from night to day

He set foot across the entire Milky Way

His eyes red from insomnia and rage

He knew that there was a war to wage

With light feet, traveling atop his cloud

Hollered the Handsome Monkey King aloud,

"God Erlang – you are nothing but a psychotic brute

And you attacked the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit

For the likes of you, I show no mercy with my staff

And in the end, it will be I who has the last laugh!"

Searching through the vast Milky Way, from the golden gates of the Beginning to the dark closures of the End, Sun Wukong traveled on his somersault cloud. He's traveled through all of the continents, climbed the heights of Mount Everest and descended to the bottom of the deepest trench. It took him five days to find the real god Erlang after searching every location within the entire galaxy, but he found him meditating alone in a cave on a planet from a faraway solar system, cultivating his immortal energy.