Sect Master Chen placed absolute trust in his Divine Power Armor (神力甲 : Shenli Jia), so much so that he dared to stand motionless, inviting the full brunt of the finger technique. In his heart, he calculated: if Yin Zhang struck the armor and the rebound force shattered his bones into minute dust, Chen would seize the wretch and interrogate him, forcing out the truth of the scripture. Or, should Yin Zhang attempt any trickery to flee, Chen would pursue him to the ends of the earth, even if he had to mobilize the entire strength of the Divine Eagle Sect (神鹰派 : Shen Ying Pai); for this was the only thread linking him to the legend of the "Everlasting Life" (Shennu Zhijie) scripture.
Yin Zhang, who had cast aside his steel chain and bronze bell, lunged forward with fingers pressed together until he was mere inches from the Master. Yet, instead of unleashing the finger strike, he abruptly halted his stance, his feet planting firmly into the earth. He stood directly before Sect Master Chen Shuyuan, so close their breaths mingled, and then suddenly raised his hand to unmask his brass mask! Though Chen had guarded his frame with the utmost caution, the visage revealed behind the brass struck him still with complete stupefaction!
That which resided beneath the mask could no longer be called a human face; it was more akin to the countenance of a thousand-year-old dried corpse! The face was hollow and sunken, the skeletal structure of the cheekbones and jaws protruding sharply. The eyes were but deep, black pits, receding into their shrunken, ash-colored sockets. The nose was flat and shriveled, its tip crumbling away, while the lips were parched and cracked, revealing a row of dark, twisted, and yellowed teeth. The skin was parched and leathery, etched with deep-seated wrinkles, devoid of any sign that it belonged to a living man.
In that moment of shock, even a man as wary as Chen Shuyuan was frozen in a daze. Suddenly, Yin Zhang whipped off his leather gloves, revealing only emaciated, shriveled hands that clutched both of the Sect Master's wrists. The Golden Blade fell and struck the earth with a metallic clank. The corpse-like visage drew closer, and as the lips began to move, a rapid, low-pitched chant emanated from his maw. Sect Master Chen felt himself fall under an arcane spell, his frame paralyzed and unresponsive to his will; his divine armor, though peerless in strength, provided no ward, for this was no external onslaught but an attack upon the spirit!
Chen Shuyuan felt his vital energy being ruthlessly drained from his frame through his arms and breath. It was a sensation of his body being violently twisted and crushed, his power waning as his consciousness began to blur. Since achieving the pinnacle of the Divine Eagle Sect's arts and coming into possession of the Divine Power Armor (Shenli Jia), he had never faced a crisis of such magnitude.
Yet, the Sect Master had not reached his high station through ease; he had bathed in blood and cleaved through countless spears and blades to survive. Abruptly focusing his mind, he exerted his remaining vigor to emit a sharp, piercing whistle. In a flash, Yin Zhang was forced to release his grip and leap backward, leaving the Sect Master to slump onto the earth in a kneeling posture.
The reason Yin Zhang let this golden opportunity slip was that he had to evade the front hoofs of a sturdy black steed that had reared high, about to crush his feather-shawled frame. "Fur-clad beast!" the corpse-faced man roared in a raspy voice, twisting his body and slamming his palm into the horse's flank with a thundering noise. The monumental force sent the horse hurtling through the air like a weightless hemp sack until it crashed into a pile of boulders, causing them to collapse. Gore erupted from the beast's orifices as its life-breath ceased instantly.
All this transpired in but a heartbeat; yet for a supreme master, a moment's distraction can herald total defeat. Chen Shuyuan snatched his Golden Blade and, as Yin Zhang struck the horse, launched a counter-offensive with the ultimate third-level stance of the Sky-Soaring Eagle Sword Technique. Alert to the danger, Yin Zhang pivoted to elude the blow, then pressed his hands together and struck out with the full strength of the Pang-Kunti Finger!
His two thumbs slammed into the Sect Master's chest with a resounding crack and a deafening boom. Suddenly, Yin Zhang's frame was sent soaring like a kite with a broken string before crashing heavily to the earth, raising a cloud of dust. Indeed, this was the preternatural rebound force of the Divine Power Armor!
From his fingers to his shoulder, Yin Zhang's bones were reduced to shattered dust by his own reflected energy, leaving him with severe internal injuries. From his parched maw, he spat a copious mass of black blood that carried a strange, nauseating stench.
"Yin Zhang... I have received your Pang-Kunti Finger; now, reveal the secrets of the Eternal Youth Scripture (青春永驻术 : Qingchun Yongzhu Shu)!" Chen Shuyuan demanded.
Sect Master Chen stumbled backward three or four paces before finding his footing, snorting as he gasped for breath. He had sustained injuries from the ruthless siphoning of his vital energy, coupled with a lingering ache in his chest from the Pang-Kunti Finger strike, which filled him with profound surprise. Despite being clad in his Divine Power Armor the destructive force of the finger technique had somehow seeped through to his frame—an occurrence that was utterly unprecedented.
The strange man upon the earth erupted in a dry laugh before coughing up a copious mass of black blood. After a moment, he struggled to turn his body to the side, attempting to prop himself up, yet it was in vain; he was utterly bereft of the vigor needed to stand once more. The creature, resembling a thousand-year-old dried corpse, hacked up a large pool of congealed dark blood before speaking in a voice that was both raspy and broken.
"You vile person, relying upon your magic armor to secure victory over me... yet, no matter, for I have given my word," the man wheezed. "On account of you surviving the siphoning of your vital energy... and as this old Lama has dwelled in this world for far more than enough, for you to assist me in being freed from the mortal world today proves that the two of us are bound by an extraordinary fate."
From those words, Chen Shuyuan began to piece together the myriad threads within his mind, ruminating upon the origins of the strange entity concealed beneath the mask. Though his calculations only brought him close to part of the truth, the mere thought caused the hair upon the Sect Master's body to stand on end!
"Are you... the venerable Lama Tenzin Dorje!?" the Celestial Sword Divine Eagle inquired with a voice filled with absolute stupefaction.
"It is indeed I... I am Lama Tenzin of the Serkang Monastery (Golden Temple)" the one who had used the name Yin Zhang and hid his frame behind the brass mask declared in a voice that was both raspy and intermittent.
This revelation was earth-shattering for Chen Shuyuan, for the onslaught of Lama Tenzin Dorje within the borders of the Middle Kingdom (Zhongguo) was a tale that transpired over 150 years ago. At that time, the supreme expert was said to be over fifty years of age; if one were to calculate the seasons until this hour, the individual before him must be no less than 200 years old! Truly, this was a lifespan that exceeded the boundaries of ordinary mortals many times over!
"Then it means the divine scripture truly contains the secrets of everlasting life, which has granted you such extraordinary longevity!". Chen Shuyuan's eyes bulged with an uncontrollable delight as he stared at the ancient master.
The entity with the corpse-like visage heaved a heavy, raspy sigh, resembling a man on the very brink of death.He parted his parched lips to speak:
"Support me into a sitting posture, and pay close attention. I shall divulge the history of the sacred Shennu Zhijie (Youthful Stillness) scripture for you to receive and inherit... yet, you must take a solemn oath to keep this matter shrouded in absolute secrecy!"
Chen Shuyuan offered a nod of consent and moved to prop up the frame of Lama Tenzin.As he stooped to embrace the body and lift it upright, the Lama suddenly leaned his brow forward until it made contact with the Sect Master's, and began to chant an arcane incantation!
The Celestial Sword Divine Eagle realized in a flash of alarm that he had fallen for a treacherous snare at the hands of this death-defying demon!
Chen Shuyuan's frame went instantly numb, rendering him incapable of movement; his vital energy was being ruthlessly siphoned out through the point of contact on his brow and his very breath!
...........