The Divine Power Armor (神力甲 : Shenli Jia) is a mystical regalia of absolute pitch-black hue, meticulously crafted in the form of fish-scales. It is constructed from thin black metallic plates, intricately joined by a series of bizarre and mysterious mechanical fastenings. While the hallmark of such fish-scale armor is typically its light weight—allowing for fluid, unobstructed movement—this particular design often sacrifices defensive strength; however, the "Divine Power Armor" is a peerless treasure that cannot be mentioned in the same breath as ordinary mail!
Owing to the profound enigmas woven into its frame, it remains a coveted prize that martial artists and sovereigns alike dream of possessing, all for the promise of absolute invulnerability. Its divine virtue ensures that neither blade nor any manifestation of internal power can inflict harm upon the wearer. Though it appears as a standard soft-mail vest shielding the chest, these jet-black scales move with a will of their own! Whenever a weapon, fist, or foot lunges to strike, the overlapping scales shift and slide to shield the targeted flesh, behaving as if they were a living entity. Thus, one who dons this regalia is truly an 'invincible sovereign, unslayable and indestructible.'
The Divine Power Armor was forged from the meteoric black iron of the heavens, possessing the exceptional quality of being feather-light yet preternaturally strong. No armament in the world can shatter or even mar its surface with a single scratch. Whether it be the profound internal energy (Neigong) of a supreme master, the force of a fist, a kick, hidden projectiles, or any sharp blade that pounces upon it—all such destructive powers are utterly dissipated upon impact, failing to graze the wearer in the slightest.
The armor itself is composed of numerous thin, oval-shaped black iron plates, meticulously woven together through small, intricate mechanical fastenings installed at the rear of each metal sheet.These mechanisms are linked by fibers crafted from a blend of gold, divine silk, and even human hair!This makes the armor not only exceptionally sturdy but also imbued with an astounding mystical power, serving as a protective barrier that is difficult to find an equal for.Chen Shuyuan, the Sect Master of the Divine Eagle Sect, knows well the inestimable value of the "Divine Power Armor" (Shenli Jia); thus, he wears it upon his person at all times to guard against the malice of enemies who might be watching to strike at any moment.
Legend in the Jianghu tells that it was originally an object that descended from the heavens and struck the earth many hundreds of years ago.As it plunged down, it created a brilliant trail of blue, red, and yellow light that spanned the night sky, streaking from the West.The brilliance was so glorious and radiant that roosters began to crow in the dead of night, for they mistook the light for the approaching dawn.
Upon reaching the earth, it produced an earth-shattering rumble as it struck a mountain with ferocious force, causing the foothills to collapse and sending vast clouds of dust swirling through the valley.The people were struck with alarm and swarmed to witness this celestial marvel; yet, once it touched the ground, it emitted an extremely intense heat!For seven days and seven nights, no soul could touch or even draw near it due to the scorching temperatures that radiated everywhere.This meteorite was as large in diameter as an ox-drawn cart, glowing with a brilliant, shimmering orange and azure radiance.Anything that drew near would be incinerated, and even the surrounding rocks melted in no small amount.It was not until the eighth day, when a storm raged with continuous rain for three days and three nights, that the object finally cooled.When the heat vanished, the outer shell cracked and disintegrated into powder; revealed within was a solid mass of pitch-black metal the size of a horse's head, long and oval in shape with a surface as smooth as polished jade.
When tidings of the meteoric black iron from the heavens were broadcast, masters of the forge from every corner of the land converged to behold the celestial marvel with avaricious hearts. Initially, a clamorous dispute erupted as to who held the rightful claim to such a treasure; yet, upon attempting to strike or touch the ore, the majority turned back in dejection, for they knew full well it was an undertaking beyond their meager prowess. Only the most renowned artisans remained to confer amongst themselves, eventually reaching an accord to take turns attempting to transmute the metal. However... as moons waxed and waned, not a single soul was able to smelt or forge it into any form. In the end, they were compelled to return the object to its resting place, for the pitch-black ore remained utterly markless and devoid of any blemish from their collective efforts.
Whether through smelting, planing, scraping, pounding, hammering, slicing, cutting, filing, or polishing, none could achieve a transformation so much as the width of a single hair upon the surface of that celestial mass! The masters of the forge, their spirits waning, collectively bestowed upon it the moniker 'The Unshapeable Black Iron' and erected a shrine over its site, where it became a sacred relic for the masses to venerate.
Decades hence, Zhang Tiefeng (张铁锋)—a swordsmith of illustrious renown and a formidable martial expert—remained undeterred by the dark rumors. He journeyed to claim the iron for his own, yet despite ten years of iron determination and painstaking effort, the metal still refused to yield to his forge. Until one destined day, Zhang Tiefeng, besieged by a gnawing frustration, sought counsel from a Taoist companion. The both of them engaged in a long parley and reached a consensus: this was no matter that could be mastered by common knowledge of the forge alone; rather, it had already entered the profound realm of the Alchemical Arts (炼金术 : Lianjinshu). Thus, if one desired to shape or transform this divine object, it was necessary to offer a supreme price in exchange... and for mortal men, no treasure carries more weight than life itself!
Driven by an obsessive infatuation with forging a divine weapon, Zhang Tiefeng became blinded by his own desires. He toiled with an iron resolve, searching for a way to transmute that celestial ore; as the days waned, his condition grew increasingly severe, his spirit seemingly no longer dwelling within his frame, as if he were possessed by a malevolent demon. At last, reaching his wit's end and finding no earthly means to smelt or shape that mass of meteoric black iron from the heavens, the man surnamed Zhang resolved to sacrifice his own wife and children—three lives in total! He shaved their heads clean and hurled them into the roaring furnace while they were yet breathing!
Ultimately, the celestial iron underwent a transformation; yet it did not melt into a molten stream to be cast into ingots for forging. Instead, it fractured and splintered into a multitude of small, flat, oval-shaped plates. Each piece was thin and feather-light, yet preternaturally strong beyond belief. Whether struck, slashed, pierced, or hammered, not a single armament could graze the surface of those metallic scales; they remained utterly markless and devoid of any blemish from his efforts.
Zhang Tiefeng thus resolved to fashion them into a suit of fish-scale armor. Since the scales could not be pierced for common wiring, he crafted thousands of minute, miraculous mechanical fastenings from steel and bonded them to the black plates using the secretion of the "Divine Silkworm" (Gǔ Cán : 蛊蚕)—a rare and mystical insect used for sorcery by the Miao tribes of the South, procured for him by his Taoist companion. He then wove these fastenings together into a regalia using gold fibers intertwined with divine silk and the hair of his sacrificed wife and children!
In the end, he succeeded in transforming the black iron into a divine armor of inestimable hardiness, one which no armament or even the profound internal energy (Neigong) of a supreme master could hope to harm. Most remarkably, the metallic scales of this divine regalia could move with a will of their own, for they were mounted upon miraculous fastenings that were preternaturally sensitive to even the slightest touch!
Furthermore, should it be donned by a supreme master who has achieved the mastery of internal energy (Neigong), the metallic scales of this regalia become even more responsive to one's will.By merely guiding one's vital breath (Qi) through instinct, the wearer can command the scales to shift and shield various parts of the frame, requiring almost no physical movement at all!Truly, it is an astounding mystical treasure, much-coveted by all who roam the Jianghu.
Immediately upon its successful creation, its renown resounded throughout the land. A multitude of people thirsted to claim this regalia for their own, believing that the preternatural strength of the meteoric black iron and its bizarre mechanical fastenings would grant them absolute invulnerability.
Yet... it is whispered that because it was forged through the unwilling sacrifice of human lives, the regalia is imbued with an overwhelming malevolent curse.Whoever dares to possess it, or even venture near, is destined to meet a violent death!This represents an extreme paradox of the armor: its strength bestows invincibility upon the wearer, yet to hold it is to invite your own demise!
Even Zhang Tiefeng, its creator, upon completing and testing the regalia, suddenly erupted into a long and maniacal laughter before coughing up a copious mass of fresh blood.He drenched the armor in his own lifeblood and breathed his last right then and there! Fortunately, he had committed the details to paper, allowing others to learn the harrowing history of the Divine Power Armor's birth.
Since that destined hour, the regalia has been swept into a never-ending cycle of struggle for possession.It began with his Taoist companion, who, upon finding the swordsmith surnamed Zhang dead, concealed the black iron regalia within a bundle and stealthily fled the scene.A rumor circulated that after its completion, for every three days that wax and wane, at least one soul must perish due to this armor!The first to meet this fate after the creator was naturally that very Taoist... it is whispered that the cause of his death was the plunging of his own hairpins deep into his eyeballs!