The Old Sect Master remembered well the inward anguish of being unable to step into the Song capital to establish his seat as the preeminent power in the land.It remained a lingering ranker for Chen Shuyuan—a man perfectly endowed with both power and prestige, and possessed of supreme martial prowess; though many seasons had passed, he forgot it not.
Many times, Sect Master Chen mused: how many within the Jianghu secretly harbored a mocking sneer that the mighty Divine Eagle Sect—shaking the very earth with its wealth, manpower, and authority, and backed by the state itself—still maintained its hearth in the remote reaches of Taiyuan within Shansi Province?
From the banks of the Fen River where the Divine Eagle Sect stood, heading towards the Imperial Capital of Kaifeng, was a distance exceeding eight hundred li.Even for a caravan seasoned in travel, it would require ten days to traverse the vast plains and weave through the mountains to arrive...Such a grueling journey made him appear as one dwelling in a desolate wilderness, a barbarian land.To the eyes of the martial world in the capital, Master Chen believed many surely dared to hold him in contempt as the leader of a rustic, remote sect.
Establishing a foothold in the Imperial City, for him, would be near-tantamount to proclaiming himself the "Sovereign of the Martial World."
For with the power and prestige he currently commanded, every warrior beneath the heavens dared not set themselves as his adversary, as if cowed by his awe-inspiring might.Throughout these past twenty years, almost no soul had raised their head to challenge him openly; there were only those who plotted secret assassinations, a matter that required vigilant protection.The Old Master knew well that the higher one stands, the more prominent the target; throning above the masses, he was an eyesore to many, and thus he had to remain on guard at all times.
Nevertheless, those surreptitious methods served only to confirm that the warriors of the world were mired in fear of him, lacking the courage to reveal their countenances for an open clash.At this thought, the Old Master felt a surge of secret satisfaction, reflecting upon his absolute prestige that had suppressed the Jianghu until no soul dared to issue a challenge ever again.
Even though he wielded absolute power over the Jianghu and possessed great prestige throughout the land, and even though Emperor Song Renzhong himself bestowed honor upon him, there still remained the Kaifeng Tribunal within the capital! This was the seat of Lord Bao Zheng, known across the four corners of the earth as a man who was scrupulously honest and scrupulously virtuous. Given the Divine Eagle Sect's half-righteous and half-evil conduct, it was an utter impossibility to avoid a clash with this pillar of the state should they attempt to establish their hearth within the Imperial City.
To confront a man of such virtue was near-tantamount to meddling with the divine virtue of Heaven itself, thereby setting one as an enemy of Heaven and Earth! Heaven and Earth possess their own principles, just as the state possesses its laws; to offend the law is to be an adversary of the nation. Master Chen knew full well that no matter how illustrious or mighty a sect became, it could never prevail against the power of the state!
Furthermore, Lord Bao was surrounded by peerless masters of great renown. Foremost among them was the "Imperial Cat," Zhan Zhao (展昭), a hero whose martial arts were so supreme and high-reaching that he was revered by warriors across the land. Even the "Five Rats of Hollow Island (陷空岛五鼠 : Xiàn Kōng Dǎo Wǔ Shǔ)," who were the greatest and most influential heroes of the age, accepted his prowess and held him in profound esteem.
Moreover, Lord Bao was attended by four supreme experts who had pledged their service: Wang Chao (王朝), Ma Han (马汉), Zhang Long (张龙), and Zhao Hu (赵虎). To clash with these four alone would be a matter of extreme difficulty.
Wang Chao wielded a long saber, distinguished by his cold composure and a penetrating wisdom in planning.Ma Han was proficient with the spear and possessed a monstrous strength.Zhang Long was a master of staff techniques, yet even more fearsome was his reputation as a deadly detective and a master of disguise.Zhao Hu utilized swift twin sabers; though he appeared hot-tempered and brash, he was a man of honor who possessed a keen eye for opportunity.
These four were masters of the foremost rank, and when they acted in concert, their coordinated strikes amplified their power manifold.
Yet, the cause for gravest concern was Gongsun Ce (公孙策), the advisor of penetrating wisdom and vast knowledge. It remained uncertain whether this man possessed martial skills, for no soul had ever witnessed or heard tidings of him engaging in combat. Nevertheless, his sheer intellect alone was terrifying to behold. On one occasion, Chen Shuyuan inquired of his Chief Steward, Liang Jingtian, how his own intellect compared to that of Gongsun Ce. The Chief Steward, the very "brain" of the Divine Eagle Sect, merely offered a sad smile, shook his head, and spread his palms in a gesture of absolute helplessness. If a man of Liang Jingtian's station manifested such an air, then Gongsun Ce was indeed a personage one must never dare to provoke!
These seven individuals alone, acting as the primary helmsmen of justice, were already an arduous force to withstand.When coupled with the host of scrupulously honest officials under his command, Lord Bao Zheng's Kaifeng Tribunal possessed a lethal and majestic power.Furthermore, when joined by the warriors of the Jianghu and the teeming masses who revered such virtue, they comprised a "force immeasurable," wielding the power of the Heavens and receiving the absolute support of the Earth!Truly, it was a bastion too formidable to be resisted.
Though he possessed supreme martial prowess, the protection of the Divine Power Armor (Shenli Jia), and was overflowing with power and prestige; though he commanded a wise Chief Steward, valiant sworn brothers, and ten thousand subordinates across the land, and even held a Golden Imperial Plaque—his grandeur was indeed beyond calculation.Yet, to provoke a clash with the Kaifeng Tribunal was near-tantamount to challenging the authority of Heaven and Earth and the might of the State itself.It would incite the righteous host of the martial world and set him as a collective enemy of the people under heaven.Even with his great station, he could not withstand such an onslaught; thus, to refrain from courting disaster in Kaifeng was the most prudent course of action.
Nevertheless, though he checked his advance, he by no means abandoned his grand ambition.Bao Zheng was but a mortal man, and mortals must eventually succumb to death or stumble into error.Should he wait for the destined hour... when Lord Bao was washed away by the tides of time or the fickle nature of men, that organization of virtue would surely deteriorate.Only then could he expand into the capital; such a path would be both righteous and far more appropriate. [
Yet, the Sect Master was acutely aware that he was many seasons senior to Lord Bao.If he were to await the day Lord Bao vanished, might he not reach the end of his own life-breath first?Should he wait for another to topple the Prefect, might he himself be "dealt with" by others before that hour arrived?This was the agonizing torment that besieged the mind of the ambitious Chen Shuyuan, pricking his heart unceasingly.
Relinquishing this grand design was a jagged thorn in the heart of the Divine Eagle Sect Master.Moreover, he appeared as one burdened by an ill fate, watching his own slow decline while awaiting the day he must bequeath the fruits of his lifelong toil to others.For though he possessed a wife and a dozen concubines, not a single one had been able to grant him a rightful heir.
At times, Master Chen mused that this was the "Karmic Sin" for the massacre he had perpetrated against the family of his benefactor, the former Master Lin Xiu.Perhaps the Heavens had unleashed a "Heavenly Punishment," condemning him to be childless.Reflecting upon this, regardless of his power, he was reduced to a mere vessel... one who simply "waited to deliver" everything he had painstakingly built for others to enjoy in his stead.
Unless... he were to become indestructible and immortal, only then could he remain in possession of all those things he had painstakingly seized, making them his own for all eternity.Though such a matter appeared as naught but a dream-like legend, it was a fantasy for which men of power—from antiquity to the present, and surely into the far reaches of the future—would forever thirst: to be immortal and endure for all time.
The legends of this world are manifold, and the marvelous tales yet unencountered are without end.Though many legends of the Jianghu be false, there are some that are truth!For instance, the Divine Power Armor which he now commanded, and the Shennu Zhijie (གཞོན་ནུ་ཞི་བྱེད : Youthful Stillness) Scripture that had prolonged the lifespan of the demon Yin Zhang for over two hundred years, were living testimonies the Old Master had touched with his own hands.Thus, he harbored a hope and a persistent inclination to heed any legend concerning immortality!
Within the Jianghu, there circulate numerous legends and whispered accounts regarding mystical artifacts capable of extending a mortal's lifespan to the point of immortality.Foremost among them was the tale of a cryptic scroll known as the 'Golden River Canon' (金河宝典 : Jin He Bao Dian), rumored to be a manual of internal energy circulation (Neigong) bequeathed to the world by a mysterious sage from an island in the Eastern Sea.
No soul knew this individual's true name or surname; they merely referred to him as the 'East Sea Divine Sage' (东海神贤 : Dong Hai Shen Xian). It was recounted that once the Sage had mastered the technique and attained the stage of being indestructible and immortal, he soared unto the highest heavens and ascended as an immortal deity (Xian) at last.This was one of the many myths whispered among men... Chen Shuyuan had heard this tale and a multitude of others, yet he could only dream that even one of them might prove to be the truth!
The mystical pearl of a thousand-year sea turtle, the blood of an emerald snake demon, the divine scale-stone of Goddess Nuwa (女媧), the eye of Pangu (盤古), the Sea-Sun-Obscuring Qi technique (滄海遮日功 : Cāng Hǎi Zhē Rì Gōng), and the Golden River Canon—these and many other tales were whispered incessantly across the Jianghu.Though there were seasons when he felt dejected and considered abandoning such foolish obsessions, he would recall his encounter with that brass-masked demon, "Yin Zhang."That entity had mastered the art of siphoning the vital energy of others into his own frame to attain a longevity of over two hundred years, which rekindled Chen's hope that at least one of these legends must be truth!
Many times, those blinded by such myths engaged in ruthless slaughter and strife to seize these treasures, only to find themselves possessing naught but worthless refuse.Despite frequent failures, there were always those who refused to abandon their search, and tidings of mystical artifacts appeared unceasingly to be contested among men.Yet, for Chen Shuyuan, though he thirsted for such prizes, he maintained enough clarity of mind to refrain from entering the crimson fray of bloodshed based merely on whispered rumors.
It was because he was advanced in years! He was acutely aware that his remaining time was limited; thus, before committing his full efforts, there must be sufficient evidence to warrant his belief.Having experienced a multitude of disappointments throughout his long history, he always deliberated with a prudent mind before acting.
Then, two seasons of years ago, the Chief Steward Liang Jingtian approached him with startling tidings: there was evidence that the "Golden River Canon" (金河宝典 : Jin He Bao Dian) was indeed a reality!Although it might not be a divine scripture bequeathed to the world by celestial deities, a bizarre manual of internal energy (Neigong) known as the Golden River Canon truly existed in this mortal world!
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