Enter Mala Mala Jong
Jack was going over the list of Shen-Gong-Wu, trying to keep track of who had what. At the same time, Wuya sensed the Shen-Gong-Wu she had been waiting for: the Heart of Jong. With this, the Heylin team could bring Mala Mala Jong to life. According to legend, Mala Mala was considered the life form of the Shen-Gong-Wu combined. And the more this beast acquired, the more powerful it would become.
Dojo brought the Xiaolin team to a forest where the trees were filled with orange and brown trees leaves of autumn. Omi reached inside a tree and pulled out a squirrel, who was getting ready for the coming of winter. Omi had a terrible fear of squirrels and began running around in panic. He continued running until he crashed into a tree, from where fell the Heart of Jong.
Unsurprisingly, Jack, Max, and Wuya showed up, ready to take the Shen-Gong-Wu and run. Jack tried to escape using his heli-pack, but Clay reeled him in with his lasso. Jack lost his grip on the Heart of Jong. Max was about to retirieve it, but Omi reached it the same time she did. It was time to engage in a Xiaolin Showdown. In this game, whoever would gather the most acorns within the time limit of two minutes would be declared the winner. Omi wagered his Jetbootsu against Max's Lotus Twister.
With the Lotus Twister, Max extended her arms and reached the tallest limbs of the trees. Omi used the Jetbootsu to fly around as he gathered acorns. At the halftime, Omi's pile was greater than Max's. She had one minute left, but that was all she needed. Using the Lotus Twister, she stretched her body and used her hands and feet to hold herself between two trees. When Omi came her way, Max used herself like a slingshot and sent him flying in the opposite direction, making him land in his pile of acorns. The time elapsed and Max was the winner.
The Xiaolin warriors returned to the temple at sunset. Omi was disappointed for losing another Showdown to Max. Master Fung sensed his disappointment and decided to offer words of wisdom to encourage optimism. "Life is like a river, young monk. It has its ebbs and flows."
Emily agreed. "We can't all be winners all the time. And like we are always reminded, a loss can be greater than a gain. It's the natural balance of a give-and-take relationship."
Master Fung nodded. "Precisely, Emily. While we are endeavoured to acquire Shen-Gong-Wu, it is not the end of all life as we know it if we should lose one." But it was too soon of him to say that. Master Fung was aghast to hear that the loss this time was the Heart of Jong.
Wuya was more than satisfied. Max was definitely a more worthy and reliable partner than Jack. Now with their Shen-Gong-Wu, they could bring Mala Mala Jong to life. Together, Max and Jack put in place the Helmet of Jong, the Jetbootsu, the Two-Ton Tunic, the Third Arm Sash, the Eye of Dashi, the Fist of Tebigong, the Shroud of Shadows, and the Heart of Jong. Now that Mala Mala Jong was alive, Wuya decided she no longer needed Jack around. She was ready to rule the world with Max and this demon at her side.
Created from the many Shen-Gong-Wu, Mala Mala Jong was capable of using all of their powers. The Xiaolin warriors knew that they had to protect their Shen-Gong-Wu and not let their enemies take it. Master Fung ordered his students to take the treasures and flee from the temple, but Raimundo wanted to stay and fight back. His master and friends wouldn't allow it. The matter wasn't for debate. Everyone's safety was more important. After gathering the Shen-Gong-Wu from the vault and securing it in a treasure chest, the young monks boarded on Dojo and the dragon carried them to the far mountains.
Outside, it was cold and raining, but the Xiaolin warriors were safe inside a cave. Raimundo kept alerting everyone that Mala Mala Jong was attacking the temple and that their teacher and the other monks needed help. The others were aware of the situation, but until they could think of a plan to stand against Wuya and Mala Mala Jong, all they could do was keep the Shen-Gong-Wu safe as they were instructed to do.
"The Heart of Jong must be the key," Omi wondered. "Wuya seemed most desperate to acquire it."
Emily agreed. "And you saw how terrified Master Fung was when he heard we lost it."
"So if we take out the Heart, Mala Mala goes back to being Shen-Gong-Wu again," Kimiko said in conclusion.
Clay had an idea. "We can use the Serpent's Tail to go through the Two-Ton Tunic and take out the Heart of Jong."
"But the Serpent's Tail wouldn't protect us from the Eye of Dashi's lightning blasts," Kimiko reminded him.
"There is one thing," Emily thought out loud. "If we had the Golden Tiger Claws, we could go inside Mala Mala Jong and come out with the Heart of Jong in a heartbeat."
Her friends like the idea and asked Raimundo for his opinion, but when they looked around, they saw that he was gone.
Raimundo no longer had the patience. While no one was looking, he grabbed the Sword of the Storm and hurried on his way back to the temple. But when he got there, he saw the monks lying on the floor in defeat. He tried to help them, but Mala Mala Jong took him by surprise. Raimundo tried to attack using the Sword of the Storm, but it had no effect. The demon warrior used the Eye of Dashi to attack Raimundo and take the Sword.
"Well, well," Max said, wiping her brow. "I thought one of you would have the gall to come back and fight and who would have thought it would be you? Oh, Raimundo, never knowing what you get yourself into. Where are the others?"
Raimundo refused to comply. "First of all, step back. You got dog breath. Second, I'm not telling you anything."
"Is that so?" Max asked. "That's okay. You don't have to. I have other ways of knowing." She began using the power of her Cobalt Star shards to look inside Raimundo's mind. After getting all the information she needed, she told Wuya where to go.
"I didn't know you could do that," Raimundo told Max.
"There a lot of things I can do that you don't know about," Max said, holding her shards between her fingertips.
Back in the cave, the plan was arranged. "If we can use the Serpent's Tail to go to the Earth's core, we can retrieve the Golden Tiger Claws and seize the Heart of Jong," said Omi.
"But it's the Earth's core," Emily reminded him. "No one can survive down there."
Suddenly, a voice spoke inside her head. "You and your friends cannot, but I can."
Emily gasped. "Millennia," she asked.
"You may be able to withstand blazing heat under my protection, but being an immortal deity, I am able to withstand the intensifying dangerous heat of the core more than you. I will be the one to retrieve the Golden Tiger Claws."
"How can you do that?" Emily asked.
"I cannot without a physical form. So I request that you let me use your vessel as though it were my own," Millennia explained.
Emily was trying to make sense of her words. "You mean… possess my body?"
"Your body will be protected while I am in control," Millennia promised. "You will not feel anything."
It was the only chance Emily and her friends had to stop Mala Mala Jong, so she was ready and willing to submit. "As the Blessed Virgin said when the Angel came before her, let it be done just as you say." At that instant, Emily began to lose consciousness. Her friends saw her and wondered what was going on.
Emily's form began shining with radiance, her hair was flowing like it was in a breeze, and her eyes began glowing with a white light. Using Emily's body, Millennia inhaled deeply as she breathed in the air of the Earth. She also looked down and flexed her fingers. It had been many eons since she came to the world in physical form.
"You all right there, Emily?" Clay asked in concern.
"Emily is safe," Millennia assured him. "She is resting inside here," she said, placing her hand over her chest."
"Hold on, you're not Emily?" Kimiko asked.
Omi gasped in astonishment. "It is the Great Goddess Millennia!" He began bowing before her. "Forgive me, Great Goddess. I am not deserving to gaze upon your divine features with these humble eyes nor am I deserving to foolishly stand in your presence."
Millennia smiled compassionately. "At ease, Xiaolin warriors. I stand before you wishing to help you save your world. I have taken over Emily's body for the moment to protect her as I make the journey to retrieve the Golden Tiger Claws."
"No, Great Goddess," Omi pleaded. "Allow me to be the one to go."
"Emily has already given herself up so that the deed may be done," Millennia told him, "not based upon my request alone, but to save you, her friends. She cares deeply about every one of you. If she did not, she would not act selflessly. If you understand the terms, then I must ask, are you willing to comply and put your trust in us?"
Thinking back, they did say that they appreciated Emily's efforts and promise that they would help her. So they decided to put their trust in Millennia and let her have her way.
"Thank you," Millennia said gratefully. "Now, I require the Serpent's Tail."
Clay pulled it out of the chest and gave it to her. "You'll make it there and back safely, right?"
"As fast as the speed of light," Millennia promised. She used the Serpent's Tail and began traveling deep inside the Earth.
To buy the time their friend needed to go to the Earth's core and recover the Golden Tiger Claws, the rest of the monks kept themselves steady. They saw Mala Mala Jong coming and began using their Shen-Gong-Wu to keep the demon warrior at bay. Clay used the Tongue of Saiping to call upon the animals of the mountain and the forest at the base to attack and hold off Mala Mala Jong. To escape, the demon warrior used the Shroud of Shadows. Now the animals couldn't fight an enemy they couldn't see.
Mala Mala Jong appeared at the entrance to the cave. Omi used the Orb of Tornami to hose down Mala Mala, but the demon warrior used the Sword of the Storm to part the waters and grab the Orb from him. Kimiko tried using the power of the Monkey Staff, but Mala Mala stopped her and seized it as well.
Kimiko grabbed the Star Hanabi and used it to attack the ceiling, causing a cave-in. The rocks crushed Mala Mala, but he quickly reformed.
Wuya cackled triumphantly. "End of the line, Xiaolin warriors. You put up an excellent fight, but you lost all the same. But I'm in a merciful mood. Swear your allegiance to me and I will spare your miserable lives," she offered.
The Xiaolin warriors refused. Wuya gave the word to destroy them. Suddenly, Max's Cobalt Star shards began reacting. "Can it be?" she asked herself. At the same time, Mala Mala began weakening. Just then, a great light flashed, revealing Emily with the Golden Tiger Claws and the Heart of Jong in her hands.
"It's Millennia," Kimiko cheered. "She's back! And she brought Emily back too."
Wuya was in shock. "M-M-M-Millennia?" she asked in fear. "But-but-but how?"
"The Golden Tiger Claws have the power to transport the user anywhere they desire in this world," she answered, "including inside a demon." She stood up and said, "Wuya, I am offering you a chance to make the right decision. Renounce your evil ways and leave in peace or repent and be purified."
Wuya whimpered, not wanting to meet an ending fate. She fled from the cave.
Max continued looking down at her Cobalt Star shards. "This is why my shards were reacting."
"My powers are still not what they used to be, but they are slowly being restored. I had to protect Emily in her effort to save her friends by daring to go where no human could survive, let alone live," Millennia explained. "In any similar situation, the Dark Lord will do the same to you in order to keep you safe. The more shards you acquire, your powers will be able to reach a new peak. The Dark Lord will be able to do things he was unable to do in the past because of the circumstances."
Max nodded. "I understand."
Millennia turned around and faced the rest of the Xiaolin warriors. "My friends, contrary to what you may believe, the Dark Lord and I are both here to help defend this world from being plunged into despair. You must embrace that Max is not your enemy. But be warned that one of you will betray you and tread on the path of evil. But that is necessary for him in order to face his destiny. I was able to help you this once. This next battle, you will have to fight on your own. But I will always be with you." Finally, she dispatched Emily.
Max caught her friend as she fell back. "She's going to be fine," Max promised the warriors. "Using the power of the Gods just takes a lot of strength. For now, let's get you back to the temple."
Everyone agreed. "Thank you, Max," said Omi.
"Don't thank me. I didn't do much."
"But you are helping us now. Does this mean we can trust you to join us on the path of good?"
"Believe what you wish, Omi. But let's just say I don't want to spoil it." So everyone gathered the Shen-Gong-Wu and returned to the temple.