Red Sun Stellar System, Mars
This unfortunate planet has once again welcomed Zhang Zheng for the third time.
Zhang Zheng and Sun Wukong were both floating in mid-air.
Sun Wukong held his golden staff and pointed it at Zhang Zheng.
Zhang Zheng wielded the Storm War Axe, his entire body glowing with boundless lightning, turning the sky into a sea of thunder.
The sound of thunder roared around Zhang Zheng.
Sun Wukong, not too far from Zhang Zheng, couldn't help but scratch his ear.
"Young man, Old Sun is going to make a move."
With that, dozens of clones of Sun Wukong appeared, all charging towards Zhang Zheng.
Surrounded by dozens of Sun Wukong clones, Zhang Zheng remained calm. He was no longer the inexperienced fighter from a few months ago.
After two months of fighting with the solar-powered Pan Zhen and two battles with Morgana, he had gained considerable combat experience. He had also become familiar with the powers of the world's main deity, knowing that with strength, he could stay calm.
The lightning power from the Storm War Axe erupted, delivering an indiscriminate strike against all the Wukong clones.
Sun Wukong, seeing his clones taken out by a single blow from Zhang Zheng, was not worried. If Zhang Zheng were troubled by his clones, then he would be surprised!
"Not bad, the power of thunder is substantial. I wonder how your close combat ability fares. Just so you know, with the current power of your lightning, you can't harm my indestructible body."
With that, Sun Wukong's main body charged at Zhang Zheng at high speed. The golden staff lengthened and thickened, smashing down from above. Before the staff even got close, the immense wind pressure had already stirred the dust on the ground into the sky.
Zhang Zheng glanced at the situation on the ground and his eyes twitched. Such power! They were still in mid-air, hundreds of meters above the ground.
The golden staff was heavy, and with Sun Wukong's rapid swing and gravitational acceleration, Zhang Zheng could already tell the force of the blow.
However, the Storm War Axe was forged from a white dwarf star, and in terms of weight, it was not inferior to any weapon.
Zhang Zheng, confident in his strength, was not intimidated by Sun Wukong and swung the Storm War Axe to deflect the golden staff.
The staff brushed past Zhang Zheng's body and struck the ground, causing a huge explosion. Once again, poor Mars suffered a major blow, with the surface being shattered into pieces.
Dust billowed into the sky, and Zhang Zheng used telekinesis to create a shield to keep the dust out.
Sun Wukong, on the other hand, put away his golden staff and used his immense dark energy to blow away the dust.
Seeing this, Zhang Zheng no longer hesitated. He charged towards Sun Wukong, unleashing the full power of the Storm War Axe and delivering a powerful strike.
Sun Wukong reacted quickly, raising his golden staff to block from above.
With a loud clash, the two weapons collided.
Sun Wukong was surprised by the weight of the Storm War Axe and was knocked backward.
Zhang Zheng was also surprised by the result, as it was his first time setting the Storm War Axe to such a high weight.
Sun Wukong was slammed into the ground, creating another large pit in the already battered surface.
Zhang Zheng knew Sun Wukong would be fine. Compared to the hardness of the ground and Sun Wukong's indestructible body, the ground was like a sponge. So Zhang Zheng decided to pursue.
Furious lightning power shot from the Storm War Axe into the pit where Sun Wukong was.
The intense heat and paralysis effect of the lightning singed Sun Wukong's fur.
"Kid, that's enough. Old Sun is going to get serious."
With that, Sun Wukong used his dark energy to withstand the lightning and charged at Zhang Zheng, swinging his staff at him. After Zhang Zheng blocked the attack, Sun Wukong quickly changed tactics, using flashy combat techniques to press Zhang Zheng with a flurry of blows.
Zhang Zheng was dazed.
As expected of the Great Sage, his combat skills were several levels above Pan Zhen's.
But then again, the main attack technique of the Solar Star is stellar energy-driven.
Among mages, Pan Zhen was already quite skilled in close combat.
Thinking of Pan Zhen, Zhang Zheng felt a bit nostalgic. Every mage indeed has a penchant for close combat.
After taking several hits from Sun Wukong, Zhang Zheng decided to counterattack.
He enhanced the power of the Storm War Axe with the Power Stone, greatly increasing the power of the lightning.
Sun Wukong did not expect the lightning's power to increase so much and was caught off guard.
The indestructible body's defenses were breached.
Sun Wukong felt like he was about to be cooked and quickly shouted at Zhang Zheng, "Old Sun admits defeat. Stop!"
He had no choice but to admit defeat. He was getting seriously injured, and escaping was not an option as the lightning had completely paralyzed his body.
Upon hearing Sun Wukong's surrender, Zhang Zheng ceased the lightning attack.
Sun Wukong, a third-generation divine body, was not heavily injured and would recover shortly.
"Are all young people like this now?"
"They really don't know how to hold back."
After recovering, Sun Wukong complained to Zhang Zheng.
"Sorry, Monkey King. I didn't expect the lightning power to increase so much. It was my first time trying to amplify the lightning, and I didn't gauge the intensity well."
Zhang Zheng blushed slightly as he spoke.
Once again, he had failed to control his power properly.
If it weren't for Sun Wukong, someone else, or one of those angel girls, would probably have been in serious trouble.
"Alright, don't blame yourself. Just remember, if the power isn't critical, try not to use it recklessly. Otherwise, it might do more harm than good."
Sun Wukong, having a high opinion of Zhang Zheng, offered this advice.
"Thank you, Monkey King. I will remember."
Zhang Zheng accepted Sun Wukong's advice gratefully.
Afterwards, the two flew into space, and Zhang Zheng used the Reality Stone to restore Mars to its original state.
If Mars was destroyed, Earth would be affected too. Although not as significantly as the Moon, Zhang Zheng didn't want to take any chances.
Then Zhang Zheng and Sun Wukong returned home.
...
When Zhi Xin saw Zhang Zheng and Sun Wukong coming out of the room, her expression was somewhat strange.
She knew that Zhang Zheng could heal quickly with the power of time, but since this took so long, she was curious.
However, with Lian Feng present, Zhi Xin didn't rush to ask Zhang Zheng.
"Great Sage, are your injuries healed?"
Lian Feng, seeing the two come out, asked.
Though she was curious why Sun Wukong's armor seemed to have signs of melting, she knew which questions were appropriate and which were best avoided.
"Healed. We just sparred a bit."
"I lost. The young people today are incredible."
Sun Wukong, being a seasoned figure, could see their curiosity. He felt there was nothing to hide and straightforwardly answered.
This was also a sign of Sun Wukong's open-mindedness. He did not mind losing to Zhang Zheng.
"Monkey King was just a bit careless."
Zhang Zheng defended his idol, trying to save face for Sun Wukong.
"There was nothing careless. Losing is losing. Rest assured, Old Sun can handle it."
Sun Wukong wasn't concerned about winning or losing and stated directly.
"Then let's head back."
Seeing things were about wrapped up, Lian Feng decided to return to report to Dukao.
"Let's have a meal before we leave."
Zhang Zheng wanted to keep Sun Wukong around a bit longer, as it was his first meeting with his idol.
"Forget it, I still have to test those kids from the Armored Brigade tonight."
"I heard two of them are your students. Do you want to come and see?"
Sun Wukong, knowing Zhang Zheng's connections, extended the invitation.
"Yes, Zhi Xin and I will watch, but we won't make an appearance. We'll watch the live stream at home."
Zhang Zheng also wanted to see but was too lazy to go in person.
"Fine, we'll leave then."
With that, Sun Wukong and Lian Feng departed.
Zhang Zheng then turned his attention to the Armored Brigade.