Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 34: Fighting the Evil Dragon

The water curtain, struck by the long whip, instantly opened like a sluice gate, and seawater poured out from the crack. The crack vanished in an instant, and the entire water curtain descended with immense force, as if the entire sky were pressing down.

Wukong knew the pressure in the water must be extremely high, so he exerted all his strength, channeled his magic power, and used his water-controlling skill. Indeed, it was the ultimate technique of the Water Ape Sage—countless waves poured down, yet not a single droplet touched Wukong’s body.

Not daring to stay there any longer, Wukong struggled upstream. The dragon looked utterly incredulous, filled with shock, anger, and resentment. He was shocked that this monkey possessed such water-controlling powers; ordinary water-avoidance techniques could hardly withstand the crushing pressure of the seawater—resulting in severe physical injuries or even the destruction of one’s soul. This was a technique he had always found effective. He was resentful that his palace, built with great effort, had been destroyed in an instant.

Seeing Wukong fleeing upstream, ignoring the fate of his many aquatic kin inside the palace, he swung his silver whip and chased after him. Though fast, Wukong couldn’t compare to this dragon, which had lived in water its entire life. In just a short while, he was caught up. Wukong had to use his water-controlling skill again and turn around to fight, so he couldn’t focus on both at once.

After just ten exchanges, he took two whips to his body. Though not critically injured, the pain was deep. Since arriving in this world, Wukong had never been at a disadvantage in direct combat. Now terrified, he ignored everything else and rushed upward, hoping to reach the surface before settling accounts with the evil dragon.

The escape was grueling, but the dragon wasn’t in a hurry. It simply struck Wukong repeatedly with its whip. Fortunately, Wukong had a strong physique and the aid of the Heavenly Gang variables, allowing him to dodge most of the blows and avoid serious injury.

Finally, the seawater gradually became clearer. Realizing he was about to emerge, Wukong mustered his remaining strength, leaped out, and disappeared into the sea. When he reappeared, he was already on the surface.

Wukong cursed loudly, “You wretched dragon! Be a man and come out so I can beat you with my staff!”

The dragon calmly emerged from the water, smiling, floating with the waves, and sneered, “How was that few whips earlier? Hmph! I didn’t want to take advantage of you, but who would have thought you’d dare destroy my palace? How can I let this go lightly? Just because I’m on the surface, does that mean I’m afraid of you?”

Wukong said, “Very well, very well. Whoever leaves first is the loser, how about that?”

The dragon replied, “Then it’s settled!”

The two clashed again, each wielding their weapons. In terms of skill, they were evenly matched. Yet, Wukong, consumed by rage, struck with fierce blows, while the dragon, underestimating his opponent, soon fell behind. Within just thirty exchanges, Wukong struck the dragon’s left foot with his staff.

The dragon let out a loud roar, clearly enraged. It revealed its true form—thirty zhang long—and its silver whip slipped into its body, twisting like dragon tendons within. Wukong chuckled to himself, thinking, “No matter how strong you are, can you really defeat the Bull Demon King?” He then used a technique, bending his body and swaying, stretching to thirty zhang in length, and the two began fighting fiercely on the sea surface.

Wukong’s mastery of the Staff of Equaling Heaven grew sharper, and with the golden staff’s adjustable length, the dragon still couldn’t gain the upper hand. The dragon coiled its body, opened its mouth, and spat a blast of flames straight at Wukong. Seeing the flames’ red-black hue, Wukong guessed they were no good and quickly dodged. But the dragon had anticipated this move; with a flick of its tail, it created a clone—much smaller than the original but incredibly fast—its single horn charging straight at Wukong.

Wukong swung his staff at the clone, hitting its horn squarely. To his surprise, the dragon, though appearing fiercely aggressive, was merely an illusion. If he had stayed calm and observed carefully, he would have recognized it, but in the chaos of battle, he couldn’t react in time. The strike missed, wasting all his strength into nothingness. His body leaned forward as he fell backward into the sea.

Seeing Wukong plunge into the water, the evil dragon, having planned everything, wouldn’t miss such an opportunity. It waved its silver whip, instantly swirling up vast amounts of water to cover the spot where Wukong had fallen. Having failed to gain an advantage in the air battle, it devised a plan to lure Wukong into the sea.

As he fell forward, Wukong realized he had been tricked. Knowing he couldn’t defeat the dragon in the water, he used a transformation technique, his true form already on the clouds. Seeing the dragon return to the sea to search for him and not reappear, he grew frustrated. When had he ever suffered such a loss?

He changed his mind, soared higher into the clouds, flew far away, and then descended into the sea elsewhere. After swimming for a while, he encountered a catfish. Wukong learned the location of the Northern Sea Dragon Palace and used a water-avoidance spell to head straight there.

Upon arriving at the palace, the Northern Sea Dragon King Ao Shun rushed out in panic upon seeing Wukong. Wukong, without hesitation, explained his purpose: to investigate the origin of the evil dragon.

Aoshun said, “Great immortal, please calm your anger. This evil jiao is not a species from my Northern Sea. It dwells deep in the far north of the Northern Sea and never comes out under normal circumstances, nor does it harass my aquatic creatures.”
Wukong said, “You old dragon, are you two in cahoots?”
Aoshun hurriedly replied, “I wouldn’t dare. That evil jiao is arrogant and proud. Though I have met it once, it never even looked at me properly. It always acts alone and shows no signs of forming alliances, so I dare not interfere.”
Wukong asked again, “What’s so special about that deep place in the far north of the Northern Sea?”
Aoshun replied, “That area is near the sea’s core. Ordinary aquatic creatures cannot withstand the swirling force of the core and end up shattered to pieces.”
Wukong asked further, “Do you know what abilities it has?”
Aoshun smiled bitterly. “Great immortal, you overestimate me. Though I am the ruler of the Northern Sea, I rely solely on my ancestral legacy. My magical powers are weak—how could I possibly know that evil jiao’s abilities?”
Wukong assumed Aoshun wasn’t lying. After exchanging a few words, he took his leave.
Wukong had come for nothing, and his anger remained unrelieved. He stepped out of the sea, feeling depressed, and couldn’t help but let out a long roar that even scared the birds in the sky away.
After the roar, two figures appeared in the distance—Wang Yu and Feng Tong. They had been enjoying themselves in the sea when they heard Wukong’s strange roar and rushed out to check.
Wukong recounted the entire battle. Feng Tong and Wang Yu were helpless; they were not as skilled as Wukong, knowing only basic spells like water avoidance and waterescape techniques. The saying “Catching tigers on land, capturing jiaos in water” refers to ordinary species. For extremely rare dragons like the sea-submerging jiao, they naturally wouldn’t dare to go after it.
Feng Tong said, “It’s never too late for a gentleman to seek revenge. Once Wuzhiqi has fully recovered from his injuries, we’ll make sure he captures that evil jiao and avenges you.” Wukong was skeptical. Though Wuzhiqi was known as the Water-Raising Divine Ape, he might not be as powerful as such a dragon.
Feng Tong said, “Don’t doubt it. Wuzhiqi became famous tens of thousands of years ago. He can traverse rivers and seas, and all dragons in the world bow to him. No matter how powerful that little jiao is, it can’t defeat Wuzhiqi in water.”
Wukong asked anxiously, “But how long will it take for Wuzhiqi to recover from his injuries?”
Feng Tong hesitated. “It’s hard to say. The water here is extremely pure, so it won’t take long to restore his original energy. But his injuries are severe, and his mind is damaged—it might take a whole year.”
Wukong scratched his head, impatient. He had many things to do and couldn’t wait a year. If he wasn’t mistaken, that evil jiao was very likely the “Sea-Submerging Great Sage”—the Jiao Demon King among the Seven Great Saints.

By logic, this Jiao Demon King should have become his brother, but the two ended up fighting by mistake, and he destroyed his palace. Now they are enemies—what should he do? In “Journey to the West,” the section about the Seven Great Saints is only briefly mentioned, and he doesn’t know why these seven became brothers. He imagines the situation must be very different from what it is now, and the variable lies in Wu Zhiqi.
In “Journey to the West,” Wu Zhiqi appears only once as the Water Mother Goddess, still suppressed by the Great Sage and National Teacher Wang Bodhisattva. Now that Wu Zhiqi has been freed, the course of events has taken a different path. If Wu Zhiqi stepped in to subdue the Jiao Demon King, things might return to the original storyline, paving the way for the Seven Great Saints to reunite in the future. But Wu Zhiqi is injured, and if things drag on for a year or two, who knows what other changes might occur. Wukong thought of the Peng Demon King as well—another fight that ended in defeat—making him even more frustrated, so he sighed.