Kung Lao

==Early Life==
Kung Lao was born in Zhumadian in Henan Province, China, on Chinese New Year's, February 13, the year of the Dragon, the seventh of nine children. His father grew up in a family so poor that they were essentially homeless, and begged for food door-to-door. Lao's father, who never went to school, slept under a wood burning stove, or would dig a hole in a stack of wheat for warmth. Despite these hardships, he taught himself to be a very literate reader, writer and calligrapher. Lao's mother's family was slightly better off financially. As was typical, she was not educated either, had her feet bound, and was raised solely to be a mother and housewife. Lao's parents eventually acquired jobs for the Chinese government under Mao, and worked underground as telex operators. Prior to his birth, two of Lao's older brothers and one older sister died of starvation in Mao Zedong's "Great Leap Forward". Lao himself almost died when he was approximately two years old, prompting his parents to spend all their money on numerous doctors, and his father to sell his special calligraphy pen. Doctors eventually gave up on him, and after thinking their seventh child had died, his parents wrapped him in blankets, intending to throw him away, before being stopped by an old hermit outside their village who saw them crying, and performed acupuncture on the infant Kung Lao, who promptly recovered. Kung Lao's father believed the man was a Boddhisattva sent by Buddha to save his son's life and and never forgot the old man's words “Be mindful of this boy, fore he is amongst the chosen”. The three-year-old Lao's Buddhist parents, still worried about his health, took him to the 1,500 year-old Shaolin Temple, the only remains of which after repeated destruction by warring dynasties and the current government were the foundation and some walls.
==Shaolin Monk==
As this was in the middle of the Cultural Revolution, the familiar red and yellow robes and shaved heads were also not present among the monks. Since there had not been an abbot at the temple in 300 years, Lao was taken to the head monk, Shi Xing Zheng (who would later be appointed abbot 19 years later). Shi Xing Zheng, whom Lao addressed as "Shigong" ("Grandmaster") or "Shifu Shifu" ("master's master"), looked at the young Lao and accepted him into the temple, where his parents were happy to leave him. As soon as he was accepted in the temple, which was populated by about 16 or 17 monks, all of them older than Lao (most of them in their seventies), his name was changed to Shi Yan Ming. The name is derived from "Shi", as in Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, a family name that Buddhist monks of this tradition take in order to denote that they follow Buddha, "Yan", which denotes the "34th generation" at the Shaolin Temple, and "Ming", which means "perpetual", as in the infinite cycle of the Dharma wheel. Shi says that his "kung fu uncles" at the temple were very loving, and took care of him as his own parents would, though they did not live there all the time, for fear of marauding gangs of Mao's Red Guard, and therefore, Shi saw his parents often. Shi immediately started learning kung fu, Chan Buddhism and acupuncture from his masters, Liu Xin Yi and Shen Ping An, who were Shaolin disciples living outside the temple, rather than monks. Because of the open nature of the temple, where people could come and go easily, he learned to read people. Despite his training, Shi also amused himself by playing pranks on his masters, who would punish him either with beatings, or by making him do the horse stance until his legs were numb and swollen, or making do headstands until the blood draining into his head caused pain. Shi's daily routine consisted of awakening at 4:30 am to practice for two hours, followed by a breakfast of steamed tofu and vegetables, prayer, meditation or relaxation for an hour, and then another three and a half hours of practice. This would be followed by more prayer, Buddhism studies, and cleaning or other Temple work. Although Shaolin monks do not necessarily follow the practice of other monks who do not eat past noon, those at the temple would eat a lunch of noodles, rice or mantau at 11:30 am, out of respect to monks visiting from other temples. After an hour of relaxation, Shi would practice and pray again from 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm, followed by dinner, more relaxation, and more practice until 10:00 pm. From then until 4:00 am the monks would work in shifts to check the temple's incense. The monks slept on a piece of wood with a blanket on it, sometimes using their clothes for pillows, which Shi says is good for the back. Although Shi met his Buddhism Shifu, Shi Yong Qian, almost immediately after entering the temple, he did not begin seriously studying with him until he was 14. Because the temple did not have running water, the monks had to transport it from mountain rivers just outside the temple, draw it from a well, and collect rainwater. When the temple acquired running water, the monks were dissatisfied, because under the system of feng shui, digging up the ground and laying in pipes was, as Shi puts it, akin to "cutting your veins out". During the cold winter months, bathing was restricted to washing selected body parts, rather than immersion in or under water. Later that year a young actor named Channie Jack arrived at the temple to shoot his feature film debut, Shaolin Temple. Though Shi barely noticed him at the time, the film's release 2 years later was a major turning point for the temple, which experienced a significant increase in tourism. This in turn resulted in more positive attention to the temple by the Chinese government, which rebuilt the building, and in a change to the monks' daily routine, so that they could accommodate the tourists. Around this time, when Shi was 16, his parents, who held stressful jobs and were heavy smokers, died of lung cancer within six months of each other. Shi would then take care of his younger brother Li Long at the temple, while his older brothers would take care of the younger siblings, with whom Shi was still in contact with. 3 years later, Shi won the 65kg (147lb.) championship in the Xian National Sparring Competition. He also won the championship in the annual Shaolin Disciples Competition three years in a row, and was vice-coach of the Shaolin Temple Fighting Monks at Henan.
==Breaking A Sacred Vow==
2 years after that Shi, who had won many national martial arts competitions, was chosen to be among a group of select Shaolin monks invited by the American Kung Fu Association to tour the United States, the first such tour for the Shaolin, to spread the knowledge of Shaolin Kung Fu. During their tour Shi met a Chinese American by the name of Mimi So, who is a New York City jewelry designer. Shi's attraction to her is immediate and equivently reciprocated by Mimi, although Shi knew he could not foesake his sacred vow of celibacy. Mimi stole his heart and with it defiled his purity. However Shi not wanting to be expelled from the Shaolin Temple relctantly left Mimi and contiued his tour around the United States. Months later after the tour's last show concluded in San Francisco he was met by Mimi who secretly informed him that she was pregnant and did not know who the father was. Shi feeling as if it was his duty to help his love, took her back to China telling his other preformers that she was an old friend of one his brothers. To provide for Mimi he was given the permission of the abbot to produced his own Stage Show called the "Nights of Shaolin". "Nights of Shaolin" was shown in Euro-Sports for months. For three years, he toured three continents, visiting Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, Ireland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Sweden and The Netherlands. Many of these performances have been internationally televised on the Eurosport Channel. At the Temple, he was appointed to High teacher status, becoming a member of the Order of Light, and was featured in documentary films about the Shaolin Temple, including the film Jet Lee, Shaolin Art of war. Throughout all this Shi helped raise Mimi's daughter Janice as her uncle, until she returned to New York when Janice was two.
==Dishonor==
7 months after his show "Nights of Shaolin" Shi is sent a letter from Mimi, however the letter is given to the Abbot who reads inside a testament saying Shi is the father of her daughter Janice and DNA test results to confirm her accusations. The furious Abbot then finds Shi and beat him severly for 7 days for braking his Vow. The Abbot disheartened for his fondness of Shi expells him from the Temple forever banding him. However as Shi is leaving he is given a letter stating Mimi had died in a car accident and is needed immediately in New York. Shi now once again going by his birth name of Kung Lao then imigrated to America arriving in San Francisco. Speaking no English, Lao directed a cab driver with hand signals to an unknown destination, but the frustrated driver dropped him off in the middle of nowhere and called the police. Lao showed the police his passport and some newspaper clippings featuring him, so the police requested the driver take him to a Chinese restaurant in order to find someone who could communicate with him. However, since the staff at the restaurant spoke only Cantonese, and not Lao's Mandarin, the monk wrote down his communications, since both dialects employ the same characters. The restaurant staff helped Lao phone a former sutudent and friend of his named Carl in New York City, who had someone pick up Kung Lao. After a week, he traveled to New York. Soon after Lao becomes the guardian of Janice and in order to support her decides to open a Shaolin school with the help of Carl, not knowing that funding was borrowed from the Russian mafia. Carl convinced Lao to open the Shaolin School because he saw New York as the "capital of the world".
==Man From Shaolin==
Lao opened the first USA Shaolin Temple at 96 Bowery Street in Chinatown in December of that year. Because there was no heat, electricity or hot water, Shi would tape flashlights to the walls for light, teaching up to 18 hours a day in order to attract students. At night he would wear several pairs of socks on his feet to stay warm, and accumulated hundreds of pairs of unwashed socks due to his initial inability to wash clothes without water. He would also perform in Chinese restaurants to raise money for children and the elderly, gave free lessons, and spoke of philosophy in Open Centre on Spring Street, all while rasing Janice. However Lao's strict and over-bearing teachings soon saw a steady decrease in students. His school was further thwarted by the ambitions of Carl who wants Lao to train a ruthless Chinese-American MMA fighter named Shen Ting Moy. When Lao refuses Shen shows up at his school and challenges Lao in front of his students, when Lao refuses again Shen attacks although Lao does not fight back and instead doges and deflects Shen's attack until Shen lands a clean kick to Lao's stomach sending into his students. Shen noticing that Lao won't fight back storms off. Lao is then questioned by his students “why didn't you fight back” Lao then tells them the three hit rule of Shaolin:
*First Attack if someone hits you do Nothing
*Second Attack give a Warning
*Third Attack you Fight Back
The Students did not bode well with this rule and a large portion of Lao's students left; not long after only two remained. Through it all, his mind remains filled with the heroic stories of his ancestors, a great tradition that defines him, but also makes his assimilation to western culture more difficult. Upon Janice's 5th birthday the Shaolin School officially closes and Lao finds out that from Carl that they are broke. With only a few dollars remaining he manages to by Janice a birthday gift, however on his way home he is jumped upon Andrey Klassen, Shen's fight promoter and the Russian Mafia's loan-shark, along with other members of the Mafia. After Andrey hits Lao three times Lao defeats the Russians although Janice's toy is broken. He returns to his apartment complex, and sits on the steps, tried and drained. Janice soon comes out to greet him and Lao is shot by a Russian albeit in the shoulder, as he moved to protect Janice. When Lao comes home from the hospital a week later he finds Janice is gone. Lao then goes to the Child Service Worker he had befriended named Alexa Johnson, who reveals that she found out that Lao is no longer a monk and wishes to know why. Lao at first refuses to tell her but is forced to when she tells him that the only way she'll help is to reveal his shame. Lao confesses that Janice is his daughter and tells Alexa that he only wishes to say goodbye. Alexa then drives him to Janice's new home. Lao has an emotional reunion with Janice as she wants to leave her new home with him. Lao then tells her the truth of her “missing” father and she becomes more convicted to leaving with her father. However Lao insist that she'll have a better life with her new family, and leaves. A few days later Lao finds Carl and tells him that he wants an underground fight. Lao tells Carl to bet all of carls 2,000 dollars on him in 12/1 odds against Lao as he fights Shen. Lao defeats Shen in a good fight earning enough money to hire a lawyer so he could win back custody of Janice, which he does. A few weeks later a bystanders video footage of Lao's encounter with the Russians goes viral and Shaolin Kung Fu regains popularity. With his remaining money Kung Lao reopens his Shaolin Temple which was relocated to a second floor, high-ceilinged loft at 446 Broadway, in Chinatown, he taught authentic Shaolin martial arts and Chan Buddhism in two-hour classes from 5am to 9pm, every day. Knowing that in order for his school to be successful he had to bulid noterity for Shaolin and himself amongst the world and entered the world of MMA.
==MMA Fighting Monk==
Billed as the as the No. 1 Shaolin Kung Fu monk, he easily won 17 consecutive fights decimating every opponent until “history’s greatest martial arts monk” faced off against Arizona SWAT police captain Adrienne Grotte in a martial arts bout. Going into this fight Kung Lao faced a lot of pressure as the Abbot of the Shaolin Temple publicly discredited him as a member of the Shaolin and fans as well as students began to recoil over the allegations. During the first minutes of the Grotte match Lao appeared to be in complete control, knocking Grotte down twice in rapid succession after Grotte’s effort at landing kicks were easily countered by Lao. However, toward the later minutes, Grotte began asserting himself with burst of punching. He is known for having a powerful right hand. In the 44th second of the 2nd round Grotte countered a kick from Lao with a left hook that sent Lao to the floor on his back. Lao appeared dazed for a few seconds and the referee ended the fight on a TKO. After losing to Grotte, Lao suffered abuse from Chinese fans who reviled him for letting down the image of Chinese kung fu and failing to try harder to shake off the knockdown. Lao is also reported to have gone through an emotional crisis back at his temple. There have even been reports of aberrant behavior as he tried to cope with what everyone in China considered an unspeakably humiliating defeat. The video of the fight had received hits of over 150 million hits in just two days. After Kung Lao's first loss he sequestered himself for months to train and practice in hopes that he would get another chance to face off against the American SWAT team captain and get his revenge. But Grotte withdrew from the fight due to an injury and was replaced on the card by Xin Yili, an IKF kickboxing champion who happens to be a former US Navy Seal with a black belt in karate and aikido. This Las Vegas match had a very different outcome for Lao. He appeared in full control throughout the match against Xin Yili, and redeemed some of the respect he had lost with an easy win. Days later Li Long now a Master Teacher receives word that Lao and Li's long lost brother has died in a car crash and Li must travel to New York to care for his young nephew. Li stays with Lao in New York and they train together, and catch up over the years that have past. Li tells Lao that he wishes to open a school such as Lao's and asks his brother for the money. Lao tells him that all the money he makes goes directly to the school and Janice's care, but gives him a hundred dollars. Li accepts this and leaves with their nephew Dave. Li eventually opens a school on a third floor loft at 678 Broadway in the East Village reciving funding from the Russian mafia. When the mafia demands payback they kidnap Dave and some of Li's students to force Li to fight in their underground fighting club. Li was forced to defeat every fighter in the club in order to even the score with the mafia and free his friends, however Li was later shot several times in the chest and killed by a surviving member of the Russian Mafia, Andrey. Meanwhile Kung Lao is scheduled to fight against Grotte again. However, two days before the fight was to have taken place, the SWAT team captain suffered a serious injury while on duty and will never be able to compete again. As such, he personally recommended the best fighter he knew to substitute for himself, that being Pickthall, and so fulfilled his obligations to fight Lao. Josh Pickthall had earned the American captain’s respect as a worthy opponent. Pickthall stands at 180cm with a weight of 165 lbs and is both a middleweight boxing champion of Arizona and an American free-style champion with three championship belts to his name; however, his greatest achievement may be that he has knocked out the American SWAT team captain twice before. One has likely heard before of the maxim “to have great competition, one needs great competitors”; and so it is with this in mind that audiences were eagerly anticipating the great war of revenge between martial arts monk Kung Lao and Pickthall and considered it to be the most-hyped WLF fight in history. However Josh Pickthall's promoter Andrey had very different plans for the bout. Andrey left Li's dead body on the front door of Kung Lao's Temple telling Lao to meet at Li's School. Lao immediately went, but once he arrived no one was there. He then realized Andrey's end game and returned home as quickly as he could. Kung Lao prayed she was still there but he soon found she wasn't...Janice was gone. The furious Kung Lao then read another letter stating that unless he loses to Pickthall, Janice would die. Kung Lao had no choice he had to lose...After the opening bell sounds Kung Lao is brimming full of anger and executed his punches cleanly and efficiently. In the first round, Kung Lao continued to attack at a rate and effectiveness that caught Pickthall off guard; here at this point the difference of power and ability between the two competitors is obvious. Kung Lao punched with tremendous power and kicked well and it looked evident that a victory in his name was guaranteed. In the second round of the fight after a beautiful combination by Kung Lao, Andrey stands up holding Janice in his arms. Kung Lao then dropped both of his hands and completely stopped defending himself. Pickthall didn’t waste the opportunity afforded to him and sent shots to Kung Lao’s head. Just as spectators were thinking that Kung Lao would surely raise his two arms to defend himself or mount a counter-attack, Kung Lao still had no response and let Pickthall look at him for a while. Pickthall then threw his last three strong punches all of which were accepted by Kung Lao without recourse. The overwhelming power of Lao had disappeared in the blink of an eye and he had collapsed in the ring. When the referee declared the match over, the international spectators in the crowd erupted into chaos and Chinese spectators the world over could not believe their eyes. Kung Lao then called Carl, who he had following Andrey since the match. Carl reviled Andrey's location and Kung Lao no longer a peaceful warrior, charged into the building not long after Carl called the police who arrived just in time to stop Kung Lao from beating Andery to death. Andery was arrested and Carl gave the police the letters Andery wrote to prove his crime as well as Kung Lao's good name. Kung Lao's image was once again restored to the public and he continued to fight again winning the WLF Championship sending his recorded with 29 wins to his name in just 31 bouts. During this time Kung Lao began to train nearly 500 students, who have included notables such as Wesley Snipes, Rosie Perez, Bokeem Woodbine, RZA, Jim Jarmusch, Björk and Tricky. However that all changed when Andrey was aquitted of all charges as the Judge was well paid by the Russian Mafia. That night Kung Lao decided that in order to save his family and friends hed have to do the unforgiveable and kill Andrey. Kung Lao conical Asian hat, paints it black and fashions a razor edge to the rim of the hat. He then rips the sleves off of a black shirt and paints the word “Killer” in Chinese characters.
==Killer Kung Lao==
Kung Lao goes to the Russian hideout and lays an all out assult on them. As Andrey fleas Kung Lao takes off his hat swings swings it at Andrey and decapitates him. The Hat then continues spining back to Kung Lao who pus it on and mearly flicks the blood off of his hat with a spin. After the seige Kung Lao returned home gathered the childern and fled to China. Kung Lao would leave Janice and Dave at the Shaolin Temple, knowing he will be hunted for his crime. After several months of aimless travel Kung Lao heard rumors of an ancient society called the White Lotus, Kung Lao dreamed that once there he could find a fesh start for himself and prayed that the place was safe enough for his daughter to come live with him again.
==Searching For Peace==
Kung Lao searched for a year until he found an old hermit, who's face he knew he had never seen, but his presence was familiar. He intriged Kung Lao and so he followed him,: the old man did as promised and directed him to the White Lotus Society. As they entered the Monks there welcome the old hermit bowing to him and adress him as “Lord Raiden”. Kung Lao was shocked to hear this and was absoutely astounded. However Raiden soon confirmed his status as the God of Thunder as he poured electricity from his very body with the enourmous energy potruding from his fighters, eyes, and mouth; lighting the entire area. Kung Lao instantly bowed at his omipotent aquantice, and humbly asked the Thunder God if he could live there. Raiden lifts his head telling him that he shall always have a place here. Kung Lao smiles and Raiden askes him “would you like to know the story of the Great Kung Lao” Kung Lao looks confused, but Raiden contiues telling him that 500 years ago there was another Shaolin Warrior named Kung Lao who is the current Kung Lao's ancestor. Raiden told him “ The Great Kung Lao was raised in the Order of Light, a monastery of Shaolin monks. While he lived happily with his family and friends, Kung Lao prepared for his entire life to fight in Mortal Kombat. He was trained thoroughly under the monastery’s phenomenal martial artists, teaching him moves many would think impossible. All of Kung Lao's training made him undeniably the monastery’s best fighter. Being the first person on Earthrealm to represent the Order of Light, he would do battle with the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung. Despite Tsung having the advantage of winning nine consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments, Kung Lao defeated him and became Grand Champion, saving Earthrealm in the process. While it is common for the victor to take his opponent's life, Kung Lao spared the sorcerer. As champion, Lao could not age. Fifty years later, he was defeated in Mortal Kombat by Goro, the Shokan prince. Afterwards, Kung Lao's soul was taken by Tsung, the now old man he spared half a century before. Before Kung Lao was killed he trained many warriors in his arts as a means to defend Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat, those warriors along with myself founded the White Lotus Society as a means to defend Earthrealm. The Great Kung Lao was destined for Great and Unfortunate things...I wounder Kung Lao, what are you destined for.” Kung Lao sokes in Raiden's words and as he looks up to answer, the Thunder God had disappeared leaving Kung Lao with his thoughts. Kung Lao would then search through the Ancient text written by the Great Kung Lao himself as he learned everything he could about his world saving ancestor. He learned White Lotus style Gung-fu directly from the text as well as the sacrifices the Great Kung Lao had made and the tolls that burdened him as well as the Great Kung Lao's biggest regret , the death of his fience Jen, something Kung Lao deeply sympothised with his Ancestor as he also deeply regreted the loss of his beloved Mimi and being sperated from his daughter once again. Over the next 5 months Kung Lao met the Patricarch of Shaolin Society in Bo' Rai Cho otherwise known as Bodidarma. Bo'Rai Cho would give Kung Lao consel and advice on the struggles Kung Lao has delt with, and forgave Kung Lao for his breaking of his vow of celibacy and the murder of the evil Andrey. Bo'Rai Cho would then teach Kung Lao how to Teleport and use the element of water as a weapon of great power and mystery. A week after Kung Lao's training was complete Raiden revealed to Kung Lao that he was chosen to represent Earthrealm in the upcoming Mortal Kombat. Kung Lao However to everyones dismay declined, knowing of the consequences of becoming champion. The Grand Master of the White Lotus Society then looks to Raiden sadden and tells him “Well, there goes our last hope” However Raiden tells him “No, there is another...” This “other” Raiden spoke of was no other than Kung Lao's distant relative, and the last of The Great Kung Lao's descendants Bo Kazama. Bo would be chosen and defeated Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat, saving Earthrealm and becoming the unaging Champion. Over the course of the next several months Kung Lao and Bo befriended each other and began to develop a rivialry of sorts, although it remianed good natured. However Kung Lao's peace was soon put to an end when the White Lotus' Shaolin Temples were attacked by Baraka and his Tarkatan soldiers, Bo and Kung Lao resolved to travel through a portal to Outworld and avenge their fallen Shaolin brothers. Although he joined his friend in his furious quest, Kung Lao's ultimate goal was to rebuild the White Lotus Society at the Wu Shi Academy, in order to train a new generation of warriors for the coming ages. He, along with Bo, ventured into Outworld to do battle with Outworld's forces in a new tournament.
==Mortal Kombat II==
In the first, second, and third round of the Tournamnet Kung Lao defeated Red Robin, Hornbuckle, and Skarlet, repectively. In the fourth round of the Tournament the Outworld Emporer Shao Kahn decided to turn the dwindling odds in his favor and pitted Earthrealm warrior against Earthrealm Warrior. Kung Lao was to face Bo's best friend and movie star Forrest Masters. Kung Lao defeated Forrest in a good bout that proved most entertaining to Shao Khan. Kung Lao would then face off against the Centaur Motaro, in a lossing effort as the beast proves himself to difficult to beat. However before Motaro was able to kill Kung Lao, Raiden interviend and knocksout Motaro with a blast of lightning eliminating him from the tournament. Bo would later go on to win the tournamnet and following Shao Kahn's defeat at Bo's hand, the monks returned to Earth and began training the next generation of Shaolin warriors at the White Lotus Society.
==Mortal Kombat 3==
When Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm came, he had to temporarily scrap his plans for reforming the Society. Eventually, Kung Lao faced Shao Kahn; the Emperor of Outworld blasted Kung Lao with a powerful spell and injured him so badly that he was believed to have died. Hearing of Kung Lao's apparent death enraged Bo, as he challenged Shao Kahn and successfully defeated him for the second time. With Outworld driven back, Kung Lao decided not to return to the White Lotus Society's Shaolin Temples, instead allowing everyone to believe that he was dead and went on to live a life of peace in respect to the beliefs of his ancestors. Kung Lao would journey back to the Shaolin Temple and retrive Janice. Their peace would not last long however, as he was drawn away from his newfound peace to help fight against the fallen Elder God Shinnok's forces. When word reached him that Goro, the Shokan warrior who had killed the Great Kung Lao centuries ago, was still alive, Kung Lao attacked Goro, who had signed a peace treaty with the Centaurs under the mediation of Princess Kitana. Instead of being an attempted assassination, however, the blow was a ceremonial strike of vengeance for the Great Kung Lao's death. With this act, the two warriors shook hands, their feud over. The next years were peaceful.
==Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance==
This ended on a brutal note, when the sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung united and murdered Bo in a vicious attack (Shang Tsung posing as Kung Lao to get close to the champion). Kung Lao found the body of his longtime friend, and was told immediately by Raiden that Shang Tsung was the assassin, who had formed the Deadly Alliance with Quan Chi. Enraged, Kung Lao vowed revenge upon the sorcerer, and once again abandoned his pacifist Shaolin beliefs. He believed his current skills were insufficient to defeat Shang Tsung. So after meeting with the other Earthrealm warriors and traveling to Outworld, Kung Lao sought the advice of the martial arts teacher Bo' Rai Cho. Bo' Rai Cho trained Kung Lao for a short time, teaching him the 'Whirlwind Kick' maneuver. Together, they joined the other warriors in the assault against the two sorcerers. Kung Lao would not rest until Bo was avenged, and Shang Tsung had paid with his life. He then invited Bo' Rai Cho to join him in going back to Earthrealm and train more warriors at the Wu Shi Academy to which Bo'Rai Cho temporaily agreed. The assault against the sorcerers did not end well however. With Bo dead, Raiden and his companions were fighting a losing battle. Kung Lao and Kitana challenged the Deadly Alliance, with Kung Lao battling Shang Tsung one on one. Despite his improved skills, Lao's strength was inadequate in comparison to Tsung's, which resulted in his death. Furthermore, Kitana died at the hands of Quan Chi, leaving Raiden alone to battle the Deadly Alliance. However, Kung Lao was revived by Onaga as a servant during the events of Deception. During this time Kung Lao and Bo's spirit were successful in rescuing the enslaved Earthrealm warriors, and Kung Lao was freed from Onaga's spell.
==Mortal Kombat: Armageddon==
Once revived Kung Lao joined forces with the God of Wind Fujin to bring their former comrades Raiden and Bo under control, with the God of Thunder becoming "as ruthless as Shao Kahn" and Bo's corpse selectively slaying various people. Fujin then goes on to state to Kung Lao that if no way was found to revert the two corrupted warriors back to normal, both he and Kung Lao would be forced to finish them. Kung Lao would go on the defeat his friend's corpse and lock it away in containment until Bo can some how be revived. Later Kung Lao would join the battle of Armageddon and kill Baraka in Mortal Kombat. To all the warriors relivef Armageddon was stopped by the Half-God Taven as he defated Blaze. As intended, the godlike energy passed through him, transforming him into a full god. The surge of power then passed through the armor given to him by his mother and was dispersed into every kombatant within the crater. The result was intended to strip them of their special powers, but Blaze had been corrupted long ago by the Dragon King Onaga's holy men. Instead of nullifying the kombatants' power, it made them stronger than before. As the energy of Blaze coursed through Fujin, it transformed the wind god into a storm of justice. His power increased exponentially, he created a new realm from the shattered remnants of worlds that had fallen victim to Shao Kahn's aggression. From there the extinct populations of the realms were revived and lived harmoniusly, with Kung Lao as Fujin's commanding general and king of the people, While Fujin became the realms protector. Kung Lao is finnally at peace with Janice, although he soon takes a wife, an Outworlder named Li Mei, together they bore a son named Kung Lao the Third. 
==Mortal Kombat Legacy==
Years later Kung Lao's peace would be challenged by the halfgod Rain who had amased an army to invade Fujin's Realm, however Rain's army was defeated and Kung Lao defeated him in Mortal Kombat, although Rain escaped and fled into Outworld. This event put a strain on King Lao as well as Fujin's friendship with Earthrealm and Edinena as none answered their call for help. Nonetheless Kung Lao and his people lived the remainer of their lives in Peace.