But K’ung Hsuean did not approve of this plan, and a fight took place between the two champions.  At one moment Chun T’i was seized by a luminous bow and carried into the air, but while enveloped in a cloud of fire he appeared with eighteen arms and twenty-four heads, holding in each hand a powerful talisman.

The One-eyed Peacock

He put a silk cord round K’ung Hsuean’s neck, touched him with his wand, and forced him to reassume his original form of a red one-eyed peacock.  Chun T’i seated himself on the peacock’s back, and it flew across the sky, bearing its saviour and master to the Western Paradise.  Brilliantly variegated clouds marked its track through space.

Arrangements for the Siege

On the disappearance of its defender the defile of Chin-chi Ling was captured, and the village of Chieh-p’ai Kuan, the bulwark of the enemy’s forces, reached.  This place was defended by a host of genii and Immortals, the most distinguished among them being the Taoist T’ung-t’ien Chiao-chu, whose specially effective charms had so far kept the fort secure against every attempt upon it.

Lao Tzu himself had deigned to descend from dwelling in happiness, together with Yuean-shih T’ien-tsun and Chieh-yin Tao-jen, to take part in the siege.  But the town had four gates, and these heavenly rulers were only three in number.  So Chun T’i was recalled, and each member of the quartette was entrusted with the task of capturing one of the gates.

Impediments

Chun T’i’s duty was to take the Chueeh-hsien Men, defended by T’ung-t’ien Chiao-chu.  The warriors who had tried to enter the town by this gate had one and all paid for their temerity with their lives.  The moment each had crossed the threshold a clap of thunder had resounded, and a mysterious sword, moving with lightning rapidity, had slain him.

Offence and Defence

As Chun T’i advanced at the head of his warriors terrible lightning rent the air and the mysterious sword descended like a thunderbolt upon his head.  But Chun T’i held on high his Seven-precious Branch, whereupon there emerged from it thousands of lotus-flowers, which formed an impenetrable covering and stopped the sword in its fall.  This and the other gates were then forced, and a grand assault was now directed against the chief defender of the town.

T’ung-t’ien Chiao-chu, riding his ox and surrounded by his warriors, for the last time risked the chance of war and bravely faced his four terrible adversaries.  With his sword held aloft, he threw himself on Chieh-yin Tao-jen, whose only weapon was his fly-whisk.  But there emerged from this a five-coloured lotus-flower, which stopped the sword-thrust.  While Lao Tzu struck the hero with his staff, Yuean-shih T’ien-tsun warded off the terrible sword with his jade ju-i.