Twin Dragons
Absolute Power
"Duke Zhihui!"
The chicken flew down before all the resting rhino soldiers. Before long, the general of the army came out to greet him.
Zhihui arrived at the secret army encampment outside of Northern Wudang's stronghold. The entire location was the perfect hiding location for the army because the trees in the area gave them cover from the prying eyes that looked down upon the land inside the towers.
"Duke Zhihui, to what do we owe the honor?" asked General Tongliao, the rhino in charge of the military operation.
"I am here to announce that we are to hold off on the attack for a little while longer," Duke Zhihui told them.
"Really?" Tongliao looked surprised. "But all of the Emperor's men along with our Southern Wudang recruits are ready."
Zhihui looked around at the army encampment in the forest. Mixed in with the rhinos were several other animals, from boars to leopards to wolves to sheep to water buffalo practicing their weapon forms. All of them hailed from Southern Wudang and were joining imperial forces to take on their former comrades in Northern Wudang.
"We currently have two scouts infiltrating the palace," Zhihui told Tongliao. "We are in need of their intelligence."
"Are the rumors of Pai Mei true?" asked a male tiger who hailed from Southern Wudang.
"That is what we are hoping to find out," Zhihui said plainly.
"I see, so what do we do now?" asked the rhino general.
"We wait for as long as it takes," Zhihui replied. "So in the meantime, there will be no war."
"I see," Tongliao looked disappointed but knew better than to question the one Duke whom the Emperor trusted. "In any case, would you like some tea?"
"That would be splendid, thank you," Zhihui sat down at the encampment.
"I'll have my men bring you some white tea," promised General Tongliao.
oooo
"Greetings and salutations!"
The gates of Northern Wudang's stronghold opened up.
"Huh?" Sanzu's face contorted up in confusion at seeing the sight before him.
Rather than anyone of status and importance, all Sanzu saw were a black goose and a brown bear, both of whom didn't even look combat-experienced. And with them was a food cart.
"Hi partner!" Ping told the confused pangolin. "My name is Chang and my partner here is Huaxia!"
"How do you do?" Li Shan waved.
"Uh, what's this all about again?" Sanzu asked.
"Well, the two of us are a pair of traveling food venders and we were just wondering if there were any hungry mouths in the palace who'd like some treats!"Ping gestured to his food stand.
"Uh… let me get a second opinion," Sanzu looked around.
Scorpion just so happened to be walking by.
"Scorpion!" Sanzu called out. "Come forth."
"What may I do for Pai Mei's star pupil?" asked Scorpion.
"You're the poison expert," Sanzu told her. "Examine what they have and make sure there's no poison."
Mr. Ping and Li Shan looked at each other.
"You want in, you'll have to wait for an inspection from our regular poison inspector, Scorpion," Sanzu told the two.
"That's perfectly understandable!" Mr. Ping smiled.
"Pardon me," Scorpion scurried past the two and began opening up the food cart and examining the food inside.
"Have I seen you two somewhere before?" Sanzu looked at the two curiously.
Both Li and Ping realized that it wasn't long ago that Sanzu had come over to Southern Wudang and probably gotten a glimpse of them both before his battle with Po.
"Uh, I don't think so," Li Shan said nervously.
"Can't recall the last time we bumped into each other," Ping told him.
"Eh, must be my mind playing games with me," Sanzu shrugged, not caring to investigate the two even further.
Both of Po's dads were immensely grateful that the dye on their feathers and fur did a great job in fooling Sanzu.
"We have reasonable prices too," Mr. Ping told them, showing Sanzu the menu.
"These prices are indeed fair," Sanzu took a look.
"I examined everything," Scorpion finally joined the pangolin. "These two are clean. There's no poison in any of the food."
"Well, I don't see why we can't give you the time of day," Sanzu gestured for 'Chang' and 'Huaxia' to join them inside.
"You're gracious indeed sir," Mr. Ping smiled.
oooo
"This is the main kitchen," Sanzu showed the two.
The kitchen of the Taoist stronghold was big and spacious, the likes of which were meant for a king. On their way, both Ping and Li Shan couldn't help but be dazzled by the wealth and opulence of the palace.
"So pardon my curiosity, sir," Mr. Ping said to Sanzu. "But I couldn't help but notice all sorts of interconnected streams and artificially constructed pools in this palace. Are there aquatic kung fu masters here?"
"Indeed there are," Sanzu confirmed. "Master Mugan is one of them. She's a goldfish who practices kung fu. And the other water-dwelling resident is the Lightning General, Lei Dian."
"Goldfish, huh?" Li shan looked interested. "That's not somebody you'd expect to be a kung fu practitioner."
"Master Pai Mei is willing to take on any student as a kung fu pupil," Sanzu told them. "There was only one exception over the years… a Chameleon who desired to learn the art. She was accepted at first but just as quickly spurned."
Both Li Shan and Ping looked at each other in surprise. Not least of all because the Chameleon was the previous foe their son had faced when he and Zhen had teamed up together for the first time.
"Chameleon?" Ping realized who Sanzu was talking about. "If you don't mind me asking, why did your master reject her? Surely not because she's a small animal."
"Her size and species had nothing to do with it," Sanzu answered. "She was rejected because of what she was on the inside and because of what she would be capable of in the future if Master Pai Mei had taught her."
"Sounds like this Chameleon had issues," Li Shan nodded.
"Pai Mei would have taken her as a student but luckily for us, Prophet Yuan saw through her and made sure she was expelled," Sanzu confirmed.
Soon, the kitchen door opened up to reveal Hui, the messenger goose. Luckily for both Mr. Ping and Li Shan, the goose did not seem to recognize who they were in their disguises despite having seen both of Po's dads previously.
"Sanzu, there is going to be a meeting soon," Hui informed him. "We need you in the main hall."
"Well, it's probably something important," Sanzu shrugged and turned to both cooks. "Listen, you two make yourselves at home and prepare your meals. I'll be back shortly."
As Sanzu left the room, both Ping and Li looked at each other, hardly believing their plan was so far a success.
"We got a LOT farther than I thought we would," Li said to Ping.
"And now, it's time for us to do some digging," Mr. Ping told his friend.
"What are we looking for specifically again?" asked Li Shan.
"Honestly, I don't even know," the goose shrugged. "But if we can find anything that can help Po defeat these guys, I'd say it's worth snooping around."
"Alright, we may as well give it a try," the panda agreed.
The two walked out of the kitchen and went down the hall. Various kung fu students walked past them, paying the two no attention. The fact that both Ping and Li Shan were in cooking uniforms and looking rather inconspicuous also helped. It seemed that everybody in Northern Wudang was headed somewhere for something important.
As Li Shan crossed a bridge over an inside moat, he looked down to see lily pads and various other water plants.
"See that?" Li pointed out. "Sanzu said there was a goldfish who lives in these waters and some other water dwelling animal."
"I wonder what species the other guy is," Ping mused.
Suddenly, a large serpentine shape was seen in the water by both panda and goose. An eerie silence surrounded the halls as the massive shape in the water moved past both Ping and Li Shan, going to parts unknown.
"W-What was that just now?" Li stammered.
"I think we'd better go," Ping looked down the hall.
The two of them continued until they reached a massive golden door, which was presumably where Pai Mei resided and conducted his business in.
"Let's give this a try," Li Shan slowly opened up the door and peeked inside.
"Is the coast clear?" asked Mr. Ping.
"Looks like it," Li confirmed. "Let's go."
Both Li Shan and Ping looked around. The entire room was ornate, befitting of an Emperor and many kung fu artifacts, uniforms, and weapons decorated the walls. In what looked like the throne room, both of Po's fathers saw a bright green gem engraved into the top part of the throne chair.
"I think I understand why the Emperor feels so threatened," Li looked at Ping. "Pai Mei's certainly got ambition to go far beyond being a kung fu master."
"Let's see, maybe there are hidden plans in here somewhere we could find," Mr. Ping looked around.
"Maybe behind that desk?" Li pointed out.
The two walked over to an imperial desk nearby and began rummaging. Soon, however, the two heard footsteps.
"Better hide!" Li scrambled.
The two quickly put everything back inside the desk and hid behind nearby columns.
As the two took a peek, they saw Pai Mei and his gorilla prophet walking into the room.
"Hui certainly has a good eye to spotting things we can't see," Pai Mei rubbed his beard as he walked towards his throne. "He spotted that army hiding in the forest with his keen vision."
"I have glimpsed the future," Yuan told his master. "And I foresee only victory for you now if you engage."
"That was never in doubt," Pai Mei sat down on his throne. "It is good the current Emperor fears me. And the fact that he's young and inexperienced is even better. All his life, Qianlong has lived in the shadow of his more accomplished father. Certainly his father was a ruthless murderer who ended many lives to ensure his reign but he was also an able ruler and administrator who could run government affairs properly and ensure peace for the country."
"Qianlong has none of those qualities," Yuan pointed out, smiling.
"His father's reign of peace has truly stunted Qianlong's growth," Pai Mei pointed out. "Being spoiled his entire life in an imperial palace has made Qianlong weak, rotten, and lecherous. All that wine, women, and palace luxuries have worked against turning him into a true warrior and a decisive ruler."
"Everything is set now for my ascension," Pai Mei looked up. "And if for some reason I encounter setbacks… I still have the Heart of Xi'an in my possession."
Both Li Shan and Mr. Ping perked up at the sound of the so-called "Heart of Xi'an".
"Rumors have been going around that I sold my soul to a dreaded demon lord but the truth of the matter is that with your help, Prophet Yuan, I excavated the heart of this ancient demon, Xi'an," Pai Mei continued. "It's true that I have amassed much power for myself over the decades in the practice of kung fu… but should I ever come across an insurmountable threat, the Heart of Xi'an will be my ace in the hole."
Soon enough, the door opened up as Hui entered.
"Master Pai Mei," Hui informed the monkey. "Everybody has been gathered together."
"Good, I will address them," Pai Mei got off his throne room as he, Yuan, and the messenger goose left the room.
"Did you hear that?" Li Shan looked at his partner in crime. "Pai Mei's got some demon artifact."
"We've got to let Po know!" Mr. Ping cried.
"Any idea where this Heart of Xi'an is?" Li Shan finally looked around the throne room.
"Eh… it could take us forever to look for it," Ping told him. "Maybe it's best if we retreat and let Po know."
oooo
"Po, I was thinking of something," Shengqi told the panda.
"What's that?" asked Po.
"I was thinking of the worst case scenario," Shengqi told him. "But in the event the combined Southern Wudang and Imperial army does not succeed, I believe we are left with one final option."
"Where are you headed with this?" asked Po.
"The military option may fail and our army may be defeated," Shengqi acknowledged. "But in that event, there may be one more way to de-throne Pai Mei. However, it may be a long shot."
"Well, I'm all ears," Po offered.
"Sir, you have new guests," a Taoist disciple came up to Shengqi.
"Let them in," Shengqi agreed.
"Wonder who that could be," Tai Lung stopped his leg kick practices with Bao.
Soon, the two guests appeared before the White Lotus Society and Southern Wudang.
"Shifu?" Po exclaimed. "Tigress?!"
"Nice to see you too, Po," Tigress walked up.
"Master Shengqi," Shifu bowed. "I see you've already gotten acquainted with my two former students."
"Yes, Po and Tai Lung have been most gracious guests," Shengqi bowed to Shifu.
"That's awesome!" Po walked up to Shifu and hugged him. "That gang's back together again!"
"Is the Valley of Peace secure?" asked Tai Lung as he and Bao walked up to the group.
"Yes and no," Shifu confirmed. "We were also invaded by Pai Mei's forces. Luckily, all of us and the new Dragon Warrior were able to defeat them."
"Yes!" Po pumped his fist into the air. "I knew Zhen could handle herself!"
"After that, we decided we needed to come here to see you, Master Shengqi," Shifu concluded.
"Is Lei Lei doing okay?" Tigress asked Bao on the side.
"She's doing alright," Bao confirmed. "But right now, the Village is also in the crosshairs of Pai Mei and that's why we're all here."
"I see," Tigress acknowledged. "We'll do everything we can to help them."
"It is good that you've come here Shifu," Shengqi told Shifu. "For you see, right now I believe there is a path to victory in the event that a military strike on Pai Mei will not work."
oooo
"Do you remember where the exit is?" asked Ping as he and Li Shan headed down the corridors.
"I think we're almost there," Li pointed out.
"You two!" Hui ordered, catching a glimpse of them. "Come with me right now!"
"Err, yes sir," Li gulped as he and Ping followed the evil messenger goose.
The goose took them outside where Pai Mei's followers and elite students all stood.
"You two are just in time," Sanzu said to Li and Ping. "You get to see Northern Wudang in action."
"You've got a good eye for these things, Hui," Pai Mei appeared, rubbing his beard. "What do you say we give the army hiding in our midst a warm welcome?"
"I say it is well beyond time," Hui agreed.
The messenger goose created a massive energy construct in the air resembling a bow and arrow. Soon enough, the arrow fired from the bow, disappearing into the forest.
oooo
Inside the forest, the chi arrow struck a tree right next to where Zhihui and Tongliao were talking. At once, they realized what was going on.
"They've found us!" Duke Zhihui realized.
"Your orders?!" Tongliao got up, holding his weapon.
"We have no choice now," Zhihui sighed. "They know we're here. We must sound the alarm and attack!"
One rhino blew his horn alerting the imperial forces to alert everyone as both Southern Wudang and Imperial troops got up, grabbing their weapons.
"Attack!" Tongliao shouted.
All the combined troops rushed out of their hiding place in the forest and ran towards Pai Mei's forces who were standing outside their castle.
"With me, my elite!" Pai Mei shouted.
From the streams, multiple rhinos got taken down in unison.
"What?!" one rhino looked down.
At once, Mugan leaped up from the stream, punching him across the face and knocking him into another platoon of rhinos, taking them all down.
"They have a goldfish?!" Tongliao knocked back an attacking Northern Wudang foot soldier with his mace and stared in disbelief.
"That's not all they have…" Zhihui looked up as he kicked away a Northern Wudang goat attacking him from the side.
Yuan leaped into action next, using his massive body to beat back and barrel through multiple rhinos who tried to attack him.
"The age of Qianlong will soon be over and the age of Pai Mei will begin!" Yuan beat his chest as a pink aura began to envelope his body.
Roaring ferociously, Yuan slammed the ground, splitting the ground beneath him and sending multiple rhinos flying.
"Fight on, men!" Tongliao cried.
Zhihui attacked Hui, taking out his sword and slashing at him multiple times.
After Hui dodged a few blows, Zhihui finally struck true and kicked Hui to the ground.
"A good shot," Hui complimented, getting back up. "But we are playing on different fields!"
Hui increased the chi surrounding his body until he was enveloped inside a gigantic war elephant construct holding two battle axes. The elephant trumpeted his trunk into the air and kicked Zhihui back, knocking the rooster into Tongliao.
With that, Hui began to carve a path of destruction inside of his giant elephant construct, sending dozens of imperial troops flying as he began his rampage.
Walking calmly, Sanzu stood in front of hundreds of rhinos who surrounded him and pointed their spears at him.
Smiling, Sanzu activated Heaven's Chariot as his body began to hum with both a golden chi and electricity. Turning into a spinning ball of destruction, Sanzu knocked down multiple rhinos, destroying their swords, shields, and axes alike as he barreled into them, knocking all of them aside and breaking their bones on contact. Spinning around everywhere, Sanzu struck multiple rhinos and bounced off of them like a pinball. At that point, he'd lost track of how many rhino soldiers he'd taken out but soon he realized he was out of imperial soldiers as a fresh contingent of Southern Wudang soldiers charged him.
"My former comrades," Sanzu smiled. "I'm saving the best for last."
Sanzu leaped into the air and transformed into his spinning ball form again. He then rained down a destructive cannonball attack, striking the ground where all of the Southern Wudang soldiers stood, annihilating them in a single powerful explosion from to all the excess energy he was giving off. The shockwave itself even reached Hui and Tongliao, knocking them back further from the battle.
"What… what is all this power?" Zhihui looked shocked.
"My nephew was one of those rhinos who survived Tai Lung's jailbreak," Tongliao gripped his weapon nervously. "Not even Tai Lung displayed this level of power!"
Before long, more and more of the combined troops were being driven back by Pai Mei's elite.
Near the river, multiple rhinos attempted to catch their breath in the heat of the battle. However, something was stirring inside that river. Before long, a serpentine body emerged from the waters as electricity began to crackle in the atmosphere.
All of the rhinos turned around in consternation and what they saw frightened them even more.
It was a monstrous dragon-like creature under the mid-day sun lifting its body out of the water in the same manner as a swan.
"I see you've all met the Lightning General," Pai Mei stepped forth confidently. "Lei Dian, show them what you are capable of!"
The giant, oversized electric eel, known as Lei Dian, smiled as electricity surrounded his body.
"With pleasure, master!" Lei Dian vowed in a raspy voice.
At once, a powerful surge of electricity erupted from Lei Dian's body, electrocuting and taking out hundreds of rhinos and Southern Wudang soldiers at once.
"No, this can't be!" Zhihui stammered. "We're… we're losing!"
More and more of the imperial forces fell as Zhihui and Tongliao headed back.
"The battle's not over yet," Tongliao told Zhihui. "We have one more weapon at our disposal."
"By all means, show me what you have," Pai Mei gestured for his elite minions to stand back.
"Get him!" Tongliao ordered.
Hundreds of rhinos charged Pai Mei. Sighing, Pai Mei leaped into action, striking and taking out dozens of attackers with his chi-infused palm strikes, sending multitudes of rhinos flying left and right.
"Could this really be all you have left?!" Pai Mei taunted.
The tamarin leaped into a crowd of rhinos, grabbing one of them by the head and unleashing the Five Fingered Blast Punch into his skull.
"Aaaahhhh!" the rhino cried.
The other rhinos tried to get Pai Mei but the monkey leaped into the air as the rhino he was holding on to exploded, taking out dozens of rhinos in an energy explosion.
"He truly is a monster," Zhihui acknowledged.
A few hundred more rhinos charged Pai Mei but the old master merely planted his palm into the ground, unleashing the Five Fingered Blast Punch into the ground. Before long, Pai Mei's chi had enveloped the entire battlefield the rhinos were on.
Pai Mei then smiled and unleashed his most powerful version of the Five Fingered Blast Punch, causing the ground under the rhinos to go up in an explosion that, from Zhihui and Tongliao's view, seemed to take up an area equivalent to that of a medium sized town.
Turning his attention back to Zhihui and Tongliao, Pai Mei smiled, pleased that nearly all of the invading army had been decimated.
Fortunately for Tongliao, there were about a hundred or so troops left and all of them had their weapons ready.
"Open fire!" Tongliao shouted.
Several rhinos appeared through the forest with cannons. There were about twenty of them in total as they opened fire on the Pai Mei clan.
"Sanzu," Pai Mei beckoned, allowing his prize pupil to leap into action to display his own army's might.
From out of nowhere, Sanzu struck all the cannonballs with his spin attack, destroying all of them.
"Impossible," Tongliao gasped. "These cannons were the future of warfare."
"And now they're ancient history," Pai Mei said mockingly. "But feel free to take one more shot at me if it'll make you feel better."
"I… I won't let it end this way!" Tongliao ran toward a nearby cannon and pointed it directly at Pai Mei.
At once, he opened fire and unleashed a powerful cannonball towards Pai Mei.
The old master smiled as chi surrounded his body. Pai Mei caught the cannonball with his bare hand as the fiery shot reached him.
"Is THIS supposed to be a display of your power?" Pai Mei taunted as he began to walk forward with the cannonball still spinning in his hand. "If so, try harder… because I AM absolute power!"
Pai Mei leaped up into the air and began spinning around with the cannonball in his hand, creating a dazzling Yin Yang display in the air. By now both Tongliao and Zhihui knew of the cannon re-direction that Po pulled off years ago at the Battle of Gongmen City… but neither of them had expected Pai Mei to be capable of the same move.
Finally, Pai Mei stopped his spinning and hurled the cannonball back, destroying the remaining soldiers and their cannons in a huge explosion behind both Zhihui and Tongliao.
"This… this can't be," Tongliao stammered, falling to both knees.
"It seems that the Emperor needs a reminder of the formidable power Northern Wudang is capable of to realize his place," Pai Mei stated as his elite followers gathered around him.
At that point, both Tongliao and Zhihui realized that the battle was lost.
"Do… do what you must," Zhihui sighed, acknowledging defeat.
"I would not kill you," Pai Mei told him. "For you see, we need you to return alive and let the world know of our power."
Pai Mei turned to Yuan, Sanzu, Hui, Mugan, and Lei Dian who stood next to him.
"Let's give them a display," Pai Mei told his followers.
At once, Pai Mei and his elite students powered up. Ominous winds blew through the air as their chi flared up.
"I… I have a bad feeling about this," Zhihui told Tongliao.
With their chi combined together, Pai Mei and his elite students unleashed an unearthly shriek as their powers combined together and surged into the air, clearing the clouds in the sky as Tongliao and Zhihui were blown back by the sheer force of the power surge. The color of the power surge soon became iridescent as the combined chi of Pai Mei and his elite ominously melded together, blasting into the sky.
"What is this power?!" Zhihui cried as he and Tongliao got blown back into a tree and had to hold on to the branches for dear life.
The huge energy spike from Pai Mei and his students continued to surge unabated into the sky as the rooster and rhino general could only look on in fear.
oooo
"That is not good," Shengqi looked out the window along with the rest of the White Lotus Society and the two members of the Jade Palace. "Even I had no idea they've become so powerful in all this time."
In the distance, all of them saw a massive power surge of iridescent colors blasting into the sky and clearing the clouds apart. It was both a magnificent and frightening display of power that none of them had ever witnessed before.
"Such power," Tai Lung noted with awe in his eyes.
"If we weren't facing such a serious situation, I'd say that looks awesome," Po muttered.
"How are we gonna beat THAT?!" Bao looked nervous as Tigress put a hand on his shoulder.
"This is the threat we are faced with," Shifu said solemnly. "I think it's safe to say that if we don't defeat Northern Wudang, then the entire country will be crushed underneath Pai Mei's heel."
"Yeah," Po continued looking on at the ongoing surge of energy. "I really hope my dads are okay…"
To be continued.