After 300 bone-rattling rounds, Erlang Shen suddenly grew into a towering giant—fangs bared, red hair flying, his massive spear whistling through the air. Not to be outdone, Wukong transformed too, matching him size for size, wielding his golden cudgel like a thunderbolt.

The sight was enough to make seasoned generals lose their nerve. Marshals Ma and Liu were too scared to wave their flags. Generals Beng and Ba dropped their swords. Chaos erupted as the Mei brothers led their troops, along with eagle hounds and bowmen, straight toward the Water Curtain Cave.

The monkey army fell apart. Four of Wukong’s elite guards were scattered. Thousands of magical beasts were captured. Monkeys screamed, tossed their weapons, and ran for the hills like birds flushed from the trees.

Wukong, still locked in combat with Erlang Shen. When he glanced down at the battlefield, he panicked. He broke off, shrank down, and ran like mad.

“Running won’t save you!” Erlang Shen shouted. “Surrender, and I might spare your life!”

But Wukong wasn’t listening. He bolted for the cave entrance—only to find it blocked by the six Mei brothers.

“Going somewhere, Monkey?”

Wukong didn’t answer. He shrunk his golden cudgel, tucked it behind his ear, and shapeshifted into a sparrow, fluttering up to a tree and freezing in place.

The six brothers looked around, baffled. “He’s gone!”

Erlang Shen arrived and immediately spotted the trick. With a smirk, he transformed into a hawk and dove.

Wukong flapped once and turned into a giant cormorant, soaring through the clouds. Erlang Shen gave chase, morphing into a sea crane.

Wukong dived into a stream and became a fish. Erlang Shen dove in after him, now a fish-hunting bird.

Wukong darted and rolled beneath the surface. Erlang Shen studied the fish, then pounced—“Gotcha!”

But Wukong flipped out of the water and turned into a snake, slithering into the grass. Erlang Shen transformed again, this time into a gray heron.

Now Wukong shifted into a gaudy river bird, hoping the ugly form would repel his pursuer. But Erlang Shen just scoffed, “Nice try. No one likes a flower pheasant, not even me.” He snapped back to his real form, whipped out a slingshot, and let it fly.

Wukong tumbled off a cliff, rolling and twisting midair, then transformed into a tiny Earth Temple. His wide mouth became the door, teeth the gate, tongue the Bodhisattva, eyes the windows, tail the flagpole.

Erlang Shen arrived and squinted. “Since when do temples put their flags in the back? This monkey’s trying to lure me in so he can bite me!” He punched the window and kicked the gate.

Inside, Wukong broke into a cold sweat. “Uh-oh! Those were my eye and teeth!” With a leap, he shot back into the sky.

Erlang Shen chased him again but missed. His brothers soon caught up.

“Got him?”

“No,” Erlang Shen muttered, rubbing his jaw. “He turned into a temple. Almost had him. Slippery devil.”

“Where is he now?”

“Gone. Again. You guys stay on watch. I’ll hunt from above.”

Meanwhile, Li Jing, holding the demon-revealing mirror, hovered beside Nezha in the clouds.

“See anything?” Erlang Shen asked.

Li Jing shook his head. “He hasn’t flown past. I’ve had the mirror pointed this way the whole time.”

Erlang Shen laughed. “Don’t bother. That monkey turned invisible and probably snuck back to my temple at Guan Jiang Kou.”

With that, he bolted back home.

Sure enough, Wukong had beaten him there. He disguised himself as Erlang Shen and strolled into the temple like he owned it. The ghost judges all bowed. “Master’s back!”

Wukong casually flipped through the incense register and read the offerings and wish lists.

Just then, someone shouted, “Wait! Another master just arrived!”

The ghost judges froze. Two Erlang Shens?

The real one burst in. “Has anyone seen the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven?”

The confused ghost judges pointed inside. “Just one Master in there, reading the prayer scrolls…”

Erlang Shen stormed in. Wukong dropped the act, flashed a toothy grin, and said, “No need to yell! This temple belongs to me now!”

Out came the golden cudgel.

They fought from the temple to rooftop, from sky to forest, finally clashing back at Mount Huaguo.

This time, the Heavenly army was ready. The Mei brothers and their troops surrounded Wukong. There was nowhere left to run.

Back in Heaven, Jade Emperor and all the gods were growing anxious. News from the front had gone quiet. Guanyin finally suggested, “Your Majesty, why not go to the Southern Heavenly Gate and see for yourself?”

Jade Emperor agreed. The entire heavenly court followed.

From above Mount Huaguo, the gods watched the chaos unfold. Wukong and Erlang Shen were locked in a savage duel.

Guanyin leaned over and said, “Erlang Shen’s tough, but he hasn’t caught him yet. Let me give him a little help.”

Taishang Laojun chuckled. “Hoow exactly do you plan to help?”

Guanyin smiled. “I’ll toss my pure vase with willow branches. Just a little bonk on his head. Won’t kill him, but might buy Erlang Shen a chance.”

Taishang Laojun shook his head. “That vase? Made of porcelain. One toss, it’ll shatter. No good. I’ll handle this myself.”

From his sleeve, he drew out the diamond snare—a mystical weapon immune to fire, impervious to water, and deadly to illusions. “This baby helped me turn barbarians into Buddhas. It’ll work just fine on a rowdy monkey.”

Without another word, Taishang Laojun hurled the snare. It spun through the air and landed squarely on Sun Wukong’s head.

WHAM!

Wukong dropped like a rock mid-fight, face-first into the dirt. He struggled to get up—only to have Erlang Shen’s divine hunting dog sink its teeth into his calf. Down he went again.

“Stupid mutt!” Wukong cursed. “Can’t bite a real villain, just comes after me!”

Before he could wriggle free, the Seven Saints closed in. They tied him up tight, pierced his shoulder blades with hooks, and left him pinned and helpless.

Taishang Laojun calmly retrieved the snare, then flew back to Heaven with Jade Emperor, Guanyin, the Queen Mother of the West, and the rest of the divine VIPs.

The Four Heavenly Kings and the celestial troops returned to camp, showering Erlang Shen with praise.

But Erlang Shen stayed humble. “Please, I was just doing my part. It was a team effort. Credit goes to all the gods and Jade Emperor’s divine favor, of course.”

Generals Kang, Zhang, and company suggested, “Let’s strike while the iron’s hot. Drag the monkey straight to Heaven for judgment!”

Erlang Shen shook his head. “You don’t have a mandate to meet Jade Emperor. Let me and the Celestial Generals handle the report. You stay behind and secure Mount Huaguo. We’ll share the glory when I return.”

Orders given, he soared off toward the Tongming Palace.