Deer-Power Great Immortal

In Chapter 46, a headless tiger already lay upon the execution platform—Tiger-Power Great Immortal had just perished in the decapitation contest, his head carried off into the moat by a dog. Below the stage, the King of Chechi stood pale-faced, while the civil and military officials remained as silent as cicadas in winter. Standing among the crowd, Deer-Power Great Immortal watched as his sworn brother's corpse reverted from human to tiger form; for a fleeting moment, he must have wavered. Yet, he did not recoil—he petitioned the King to challenge Tang Sanzang to a second round: the disembowelment contest. He believed he was certain to win, for he had mastered a technique of "opening the belly to remove the organs and restoring them as before." His confidence stemmed half from genuine skill and half from a gambler's desperation: Brother Tiger-Power was dead, and if he did not win, both Ram-Power Great Immortal and himself would be finished. He had to step forward.

Deer-Power's Talents: Calling Rain and Disembowelment

Deer-Power Great Immortal was originally a white deer spirit. Like Tiger-Power, he rose to prominence in the Chechi Kingdom through the art of calling rain. The Three Great Immortals had once joined forces to summon rain—a collective achievement—but in the official records of merit, Tiger-Power was ranked first, Deer-Power second, and Ram-Power third. This ranking was not based on the depth of their cultivation (as all three were equally matched), but rather on the "ferocity" of the beasts—the tiger being the most fierce, the deer in the middle, and the ram the weakest.

Deer-Power's position among the three was rather awkward: in terms of prestige, he was outshone by Tiger-Power (who was the Chief State Preceptor and appeared most often); in terms of special skills, he was outmatched by Ram-Power (who possessed the unique "Cold Dragon Protection" art). Caught in the middle, he had the lowest presence. In Chapter 44, when the three performed rituals at the Three Pure Ones Temple, Tiger-Power presided over the ceremony and Ram-Power assisted the sacrifices; Deer-Power's role was closer to merely "being present"—he was neither the core nor an ornament, but a diligent second-in-command.

However, he possessed a unique specialty: disemboweling oneself to remove the organs and restoring them as before. This so-called "belly-opening journey" involved slicing open one's own abdomen, removing the internal organs to display them to the crowd, and then placing them back inside—the wound would heal, and the person would be restored to wholeness. This technique has a theoretical basis in the internal alchemy of Daoism: once internal alchemy reaches a certain level, a practitioner can "internally visualize the five viscera," gaining total control over their own organs. Deer-Power Great Immortal externalized this alchemical skill into a performative stunt—not for the sake of cultivation, but to prove that he was "extraordinary."

In the contests between Chapters 45 and 46, calling rain was the first bout. The Three Great Immortals competed against Sun Wukong in a magical duel to summon rain. Tiger-Power Great Immortal took the stage to perform the rite, calling for wind and rain, and nearly succeeded—but Wukong located the Four Sea Dragon Kings and the Thunder and Lightning Gods responsible for the rain in the heavens and told them to ignore the Three Great Immortals' commands. Consequently, while the three chanted their spells on stage for a long time, the celestial deities refused to cooperate, and not a single drop fell. Wukong then recited a simple charm, and the rain poured down in torrents. The essence of this rain-calling contest was not a test of magical power, but a test of who had connections in the heavens—Wukong had once wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and the gods knew and respected him; the Three Great Immortals were merely three animals who had cultivated into spirits, and no one in heaven knew them.

Having lost the rain-calling, the decapitation contest followed. After Tiger-Power Great Immortal died, Deer-Power stepped forward.

The Eagle and the Viscera: A Death More Gruesome than Tiger-Power's

The rules for the disembowelment contest were as direct as those for decapitation: an executioner would slice open the belly and place the internal organs on the platform, and the contestant would then use their own power to put the organs back and heal the wound. The first to do so would win.

Deer-Power Great Immortal went first. He performed the act himself—requiring no executioner—slicing open his abdomen and removing his organs one by one, arranging them neatly on the stage. The scene was visceral: a man dressed as a Daoist publicly disemboweling himself in the royal court, pulling out intestines, liver, heart, and lungs, all while maintaining a calm expression as he prepared to put them back. Half of the watching King and officials were likely gagging.

Wukong had been waiting for this exact moment. Deer-Power's internal organs were exposed and completely unprotected—this was his most vulnerable instant. Wukong plucked a body hair, transformed it into a goshawk, dove from the sky, snatched up the organs from the platform with sharp talons, and flew away.

Deer-Power Great Immortal was stunned. His belly was open, and his organs were gone—not knocked away by a blow, but carried off by an eagle. He used his last remaining strength to attempt restoration, but how can a body without internal organs be restored? His wound would not close, blood surged forth, and he died on the spot. His corpse instantly reverted to its original form—a white deer with an empty belly, lying in a pool of blood.

If Tiger-Power Great Immortal's death was "absurd," Deer-Power Great Immortal's death was "gruesome." Tiger-Power at least had his "head carried away"—the stroke that severed the head from the body was instantaneous, and the pain was limited; Deer-Power, however, had lived through the act of slicing open his own belly, only to watch his organs be snatched away and slowly bleed to death. He had ample time to realize he was finished, and ample time to feel terror and despair—this death carried a cruel irony: the very skill he took pride in became the means of his destruction. Had he not known how to "open the belly and remove the organs," he would not have chosen this event for the contest, and would not have exposed his weakness to the enemy.

Wu Cheng'en gave less attention to Deer-Power than to Tiger-Power—Tiger-Power was the leader of the three, with more buildup and narrative space; Deer-Power was the second-in-command, dying after Tiger-Power and before Ram-Power, serving a "progressive" narrative function. Tiger-Power died absurdly, Deer-Power died gruesomely, and Ram-Power died ironically—the three deaths form a complete arc moving from the farcical to the cruel to the blackly humorous.

The order of the Three Great Immortals' deaths also implies a deeper meaning: the strongest (Tiger-Power) died first, the second strongest (Deer-Power) followed, and the weakest (Ram-Power) died last. This was not because Wukong chose to fight the strongest first, but because the Three Great Immortals stepped forward in order of "who was most confident"—Tiger-Power was the most confident, so he went first; Deer-Power felt the need to avenge his brother, so he went second; Ram-Power was pushed along, so he went last. Confidence killed Tiger-Power, loyalty killed Deer-Power, and Ram-Power—he died from something more subtle: the hope of a fluke.

Related Characters

• Tiger-Power Great Immortal — The leader of the three state preceptors of the Chechi Kingdom, a tiger spirit. He died in the decapitation contest when his head was carried off by a dog; Deer-Power's desire for revenge led him to volunteer for the disembowelment contest.
• Ram-Power Great Immortal — The third of the three state preceptors of the Chechi Kingdom, an antelope spirit. The last of the three to die, he was fried into mutton in the boiling oil pot contest.
• Sun Wukong — The primary opponent, who transformed into an eagle to snatch away Deer-Power's organs during the disembowelment contest; he won all three bouts through stratagem.
• Tang Sanzang — The representative of the Buddhist faith in the contests, who emerged victorious with the secret help of Wukong.