"Brother Monkey, I come!"
"Eldest Brother, we are here!"
As Sun Wukong chanted the spell, two streaks of starlight descended, manifesting two figures beside him.
One was a grotesque, tusked boar-demon with a massive head and ears, while the other had a ghastly blue face, fanged like a drowned ghost, his expression grim. These were none other than the infamous Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing from Journey to the West.
Like Sun Wukong, their forms were monstrous, unmistakably demonic—far from the bumbling, comical Pig or the plain-faced Friar Sand of television adaptations. This was their true appearance, as recorded in the original Journey to the West.
"Brother Monkey, even you have moments when you can't win? Ho! Are our opponents today two Demon Kings?"
The pig demon with a bulging belly hefted his nine-toothed rake over his shoulder, patted his stomach, and widened his eyes as he looked at Roy and Luo Hao. Then his piggy eyes lit up with delight as he exclaimed, "Oh-ho! Turns out there's a beauty here too, just like a celestial fairy descended to the mortal world! No problem, no problem! Brother Monkey, let this old pig lend you a hand!"
Zhu Bajie was always a lecherous fellow, having been banished to the mortal realm for harassing the Rainbow Skirt Fairy—one of the Chang'e maidens. Now, seeing Luo Hao dressed in the ethereal robes of the Moon Palace, her sleeves fluttering like celestial silk, he naturally grinned and agreed with a chuckle.
"Second Brother, this Demon King is incredibly powerful, no less than the Great Sage of the demon race. Don't let us capsize here."
Though his face was hideously terrifying, Sha Wujing—the most "honest and sincere" among the three sworn brothers—offered his advice.
"Old Pig, enough nonsense! You and Third Brother hold off these two Demon Kings while I buy some time. Once we've smashed their skulls open, the three of us brothers can raise hell and have a grand reunion in this land of Wa!"
Sun Wukong kicked Zhu Bajie in the rear, sending him stumbling.
Zhu Bajie didn't take offense—likely long accustomed to such treatment—and instead roared with laughter. "…Since the master isn't here today, Brother Monkey, we'll follow your lead. I wonder if we can finally have some meat today—this old pig has been eating vegetarian for so many years, I've lost hundreds of pounds!"
Then, the pig demon's eyes flashed with savagery as he raised his nine-toothed rake and charged. "…Come on, come on! Let your Grandpa Pig teach you a lesson, Rakshasa Kings!"
"Luo Hao, how about we switch opponents? You deal with Sha Wujing, and I'll handle Zhu Wuneng!"
Seeing Luo Hao's displeased expression, Roy knew she was furious at Zhu Bajie's lecherous gaze, so he spoke up first.
Luo Hao's expression softened slightly. She had already resolved to wring every drop of fat from this pig and slice his greasy flesh a thousand times to vent her hatred. Roy's suggestion aligned perfectly with her wishes. Disgusted, she shot Zhu Bajie a glare and replied, "…Very well. This pig demon is yours, Brother. Fighting him would only dirty my hands!"
"…Though I never expected the Great Sage Equal of Heaven would have a spell to summon subordinate gods."
As she spoke, Luo Hao sidestepped Zhu Bajie's nine-toothed rake with a single step, instantly swapping positions with Roy.
Roy stifled a laugh, amused at how Luo Hao could climb a ladder when offered—even calling him "Brother" just to avoid dealing with the repulsive pig.
"Yahahahaha—Don't run, beauty! Come fight this old pig for three hundred rounds!"
The pig demon, with his massive head and ears, howled twice before Roy blocked his path.
"You there, step aside! This old pig only has eyes for beauties!"
Zhu Bajie brandished his nine-toothed rake like a farmer's tool, yet wielded the divine weapon—bestowed upon him by the Jade Emperor—flawlessly. The rake tore through the air with thunderous flashes, black radiance flickering as the earth trembled beneath its might.
Though Roy had been trained in all eighteen weapons, the nine-toothed rake was an exotic armament he had never encountered before. Still, his martial prowess was divine, leaving him unfazed. He didn't even need to summon the Hand of Jacob, merely channeling curse power into his hands as he engaged Zhu Bajie in a fierce duel, neither gaining the upper hand in the short term.
The two clashed countless times in an instant, battling from the heavens to the earth and back again.
Meanwhile, Sha Wujing and Luo Hao were locked in combat. The third sworn brother fought with deadly seriousness, unleashing killing techniques from the outset.
"The Curtain-Raising General deftly commands the naval forces, driving out all demonic heretics, summoning dragons to bring rain!"
BOOM————
There was originally a great river in the outskirts of the capital. As Sha Wujing chanted the divine words, the river suddenly surged violently, transforming into an eastern water dragon that roared at the sky and crashed into the mountain peak, toppling it instantly. The rushing waters, combined with Sha Wujing's precious staff, swept Luo Hao into the raging river.
After becoming a demon, Sha Wujing had been a water spirit of the Flowing Sands River, naturally capable of stirring storms and waves.
"Haha, if even Third Brother is getting serious, this old pig can't fall behind!"
"I am also known as the True Lord of the Heavenly Marshal of the North Star, the Supreme Father and Spiritual Master of the Nine Heavens, the Primordial Sovereign of the Grand Void. With my martial prowess, I manifest the Northern Star!"
Zhu Bajie recited an extremely long Taoist incantation, after which his body began to rapidly expand, assuming a titanic form. He grew three heads and six arms—though the comical part was that all three heads bore pig-like faces. His six arms wielded swords, halberds, axes, staffs, bows, and more, while his body was clad in pitch-black armor. This was the true form of the Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng, as recorded in the Taoist scripture The Supreme Polar Record of Subduing Demons and Slaying Ghosts.
Seeing Zhu Bajie unleash his divine authority, Roy finally grew serious. Spreading his angelic wings, he moved with divine speed to confront Zhu Bajie. Though Zhu Bajie's massive form granted him immense power, his agility suffered greatly. Roy threw a punch, channeling the power of scripture into a dragon-subduing force that struck Zhu Bajie squarely in the chest.
"Saintess Subdues the Dragon!"
The terrifying force hit Zhu Bajie like a high-speed train. Even with his titanic form, he was merely dragon-sized—no match for Roy's power, which could subdue even dragons. With a pained cry, Zhu Bajie was sent flying, his enormous body tumbling wildly through the outskirts of the capital, turning the once-beautiful scenery into a wasteland.
Grass was trampled, flowers crushed—it was a scene of utter devastation.
"That hurt like hell!" Zhu Bajie spat out a mouthful of blood. Before using his divine authority, Roy had fought him evenly, but now, the moment he unleashed his power, he was already injured.
Roy couldn't help but marvel inwardly. In the past, he would have needed multiple divine authorities to defeat Zhu Bajie. But now, even without using any, his sheer martial skill and vast reserves of divine energy were enough to hold his own. With just one or two techniques from the Hand of Jacob, he could gain the upper hand. His combat prowess had truly undergone a qualitative transformation.
Only in battle did Roy realize how worthwhile his grueling training in the Land of Shadows had been.
Meanwhile, Luo Hao, seeing Roy effortlessly send Zhu Bajie flying, refused to be outdone. She activated her divine authority Thousand Flower Profuse Blooming—a power usurped from the Wood Elemental God, the Grand Duke of Jupiter—imbuing plants with demonic properties to absorb water energy and break Sha Wujing's authority. Then, with a single palm strike to Sha Wujing's chest, she wounded him as well.
Yet defeating her enemy brought Luo Hao no pride—only shame, which made her cover her face in humiliation.
After all, Roy had fought Zhu Bajie—who was stronger than Sha Wujing—to a standstill without even using his divine authority. Then, without even deploying a full authority, just a single move had injured Zhu Bajie.
Yet Luo Hao had been at a disadvantage in her battle with Sha Wujing without using her Authorities, only turning the tables after unleashing her full power. The contrast was stark. For a sect leader who prized face above all and had never admitted defeat in her life, such a victory was too shameful to mention.
"Slay demons, rend evil spirits—this is the sword that massacres Rakshasas!"
"Snakes and dragons offer flesh and bone as tribute, flames forge iron into steel, hammer blows temper steel into divine blades, and clear waters cool the blade's edge!"
"Bajie, Brother Sha! Step aside—this is the moment for Old Sun to slaughter the Rakshasas!"
Suddenly, an overwhelming divine power erupted from the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, as if capable of crushing all creation. He concentrated all attributes of 'steel' into himself, elevating the divinity of his sword's steel, transforming into something akin to the 'Last of Steel' for a brief moment!
"This is—"
Roy's heart tightened. He recognized this as the Great Sage's ultimate secret technique!
***
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