Shang Tsung
SHANG TSUNG
Shang Tsung was born on the Earth thousands of years ago. An adept sorceror,
he pledged his loyalty to Shao Kahn and
was made a free-roaming sorceror, able to travel from realm to realm without
detection. At Kahn's request, Shang Tsung entered the Shaolin Martial Arts
Tournament and became it's champion. He not only defeated his opponents, but
drained their souls as well. His mission was to win ten tournaments in a row,
for then Shao Kahn would be able to step through the dimensional barriers and
claim Earth as his own. Shang's confidence proved to be his undoing, as he
was defeated in the next tournament by a Shaolin monk named Kung Lao.
Shang journeyed to the Outworld in defeat. Prematurely aged and weakened from
his defeat, his life was nonetheless spared by Kahn. The emperor granted him
immortality, and sent him back to Earth with the massive
Goro and his bodyguard Reptile to once again
take control of the contest. This time, Goro entered the tournament,
and quickly defeated the reigning champion Kung Lao. Having taken control,
Shang absorbed Lao's soul, and thus a centuries-long reign of terror descended
on the once noble tournament. He retained the memories of the souls he
absorbed, and through Kung Lao he learned of the Temple of Elements. He also
became aware of another free roaming sorceror, Quan Chi
, who served a fallen Elder god Shinnok. Quan
Chi desired to know the location of the temple, and Shang offered to disclose
the location, for a price. Shao Kahn had held on to the late Queen
Sindel's soul, and
Shang asked Shinnok to take the soul, taint it with evil, and reincarnate it
on Earth. This too would allow Shao Kahn to enter the Earth realm, and it
would serve as a backup should Shang's original plan fail.
Goro remained undefeated throughout the years, and Shang continued to
absorb the souls of those the Shokan prince bested in combat. Nine generations
passed, and Shang never lost control of the tournament. Almost five-hundred
years after he and Goro arrived on the Earth realm, the tenth Shaolin
tournament was about to take place. Shang, desiring the strongest souls for
this final tournament, began searching for the most skilled warriors to
compete. He personally invited Rayden, the powerful
god of thunder that was the protector of the Earth and one of those Shao Kahn
was attempting to decieve. He hired Sub-Zero to
compete, and resurrected his deceased rival Scorpion
to face him. Many fighters came to Shang's hidden palace to fight in the
tournament; some by accident and some to restore the competition's honor. The
group of fighters was the best that Shang Tsung had seen during his five-
hundred year reign.
Shang watched in delight as warrior after warrior fell. Goro continued
to decimate his opponents, and Shang eagerly drank their defeated souls.
Believing victory was ensured, Shang was surprised when a Shaolin warrior named
Liu Kang defeated and killed Goro. His long reign
over, Shang and Reptile had no choice but to flee back to the Outworld.
Returning to Shao Kahn's court, Shang begged for his life when he told his
emperor of his defeat. He revealed a new plan, one to lure the Earth warriors
into the Outworld for another tournament. No matter what the outcome, they
could keep the warriors and use them to unbalance the furies. Intrigued by
Shang's plan, Shao Kahn let him live and even restored his youth. Now
possessing more power than ever, Shang would compete in the tournament to
absorb more souls for his emperor.
The tournament turned out to be a disaster, as Shao Kahn was defeated
in battle and the Earth warriors escaped. Tired of attempting to win the Earth
realm through tournaments, Kahn was pleased when Shinnok finally finished the
complex spell that resurrected
Queen Sindel on Earth. The portal between the realms opened,
and Shao Kahn began the invasion of the Earth. Shang's magic talents were
needed to locate the surviving humans on Earth so that they could be
eliminated. However, during this time, Shang learned a startling fact: once
his services were no longer needed, Shao Kahn was going to kill him and
consume his soul. Thus, Shang turned against his master just as a group of
Earth warriors attacked. Using their attack as a diversion, Shang escaped
from the Outworld to parts unknown.
APPEARANCE LIST
1. Mortal Kombat
2. Mortal Kombat 2
3. Mortal Kombat 3
4. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
5. Mortal Kombat Trilogy
6. Mortal Kombat Mythologies (cameo in cinema scene)
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