The Red Sand Battle

The fight began with a challenge from the Ancient Immortal of the South Pole to Chang Shao.  The latter, riding his deer, dashed into the fray, and aimed a terrific blow with his sword at Hsien-weng’s head, but White Crane Youth warded it off with his Three-precious Jade Sceptre.  Chang then produced a two-edged sword and renewed the attack, but, being disarmed, dismounted from his deer and threw several handfuls of hot sand at Hsien-weng.  The latter, however, easily fanned them away with his Five-fire Seven-feathers Fan, rendering them harmless.  Chang then fetched a whole bushel of the hot sand and scattered it over the enemy, but Hsien-weng counteracted the menace by merely waving his fan.  White Crane Youth struck Chang Shao with his jade sceptre, knocking him off his horse, and then dispatched him with his two-edged sword.

After this battle Wu Wang was found to be already dead.  Jan Teng on learning this ordered Lei Chen-tzu to take the corpse to Mount P’eng and wash it.  He then dissolved a pill in water and poured the solution into Wu Wang’s mouth, whereupon he revived and was escorted back to his palace.

Further Fighting

Preparations were then made for resuming the attack on Wen Chung.  While the latter was consulting with Ts’ai-yuen Hsien-tzu and Han Chih-hsien, he heard the sound of the Chou guns and the thunder of their troops.  Wen Chung, mounting his black unicorn, galloped like a whiff of smoke to meet Tzu-ya, but was stopped by blows from two silver hammers wielded by Huang T’ien-hua.  Han Chih-hsien came to Wen’s aid, but was opposed by Pi Hsiang-yang.  Ts’ai-yuen Hsien-tzu dashed into the fray, but No-cha stepped on to his Wind-fire Wheel and opposed him.  From all sides other Immortals joined in the terrific battle, which was a turmoil of longbows and crossbows, iron armour and brass mail, striking whips and falling hammers, weapons cleaving mail and mail resisting weapons.  In this fierce contest, while Tzu-ya was fighting Wen Chung, Han Chih-hsien released a black wind from his magic wind-bag, but he did not know that the Taoist Barge of Mercy (which transports departed souls to the land of bliss), sent by Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, had on board the Stop-wind Pearl, by which the black storm was immediately quelled.  Thereupon Tzu-ya quickly seized his Vanquish-spirits Whip and struck Han Chih-hsien in the middle of the skull, so that the brain-fluid gushed forth and he died.  No-cha then slew Ts’ai-yuen Hsien-tzu with a spear-thrust.

Thus the stern fight went on, until finally Tzu-ya, under cover of night, attacked Wen Chung’s troops simultaneously on all four sides.  The noise of slaughter filled the air.  Generals and rank and file, lanterns, torches, swords, spears, guns, and daggers were one confused melee; Heaven could scarcely be distinguished from earth, and corpses were piled mountains high.