The Chinese Super Squadron Known As The Eight Immortals Crossing The Sea

The story of the Eight Immortals Across the Sea is called "Ba Xian Guo Hai" in Mandarin. Xian is the word meaning immortal or some may loosely translate it as "saint". It was said that the eight of them were born in either the Tang or Song Dynasty in Ancient China. So who are the Eight Immortals? They have been banded together as a superhero team and several accounts how they became a team of eight. Take note that I haven't completely seen any series based on them but I'd actually want to check at least one series based on them. The superhero team provides a lot and I mean a lot of crazy action you'd find in the Wuxia genre.

The members of the eight immortals would be the leader Lu Dongbin, the old man Zhang Guolao, the iron crutch carrying Li Tieguai who helped the sickly, the musician Han Xiangzhi, the flower carrying Lan Caihe, the fan carrying Chung Lichuan, the tablet carrying Cao Guojiu and the the lotus stick carrying fairy He Xiangu. Each one of them fulfilled various trials to become part of the legendary Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea.

The Singaporean series features the superhero team fighting against the Tongtian Jiaozhu (Grandmaster of Heaven) who is the third disciple of Hongzun Laozu (Ancestor of the Great Balance) and is the younger brother of Yuanshi Tianzun (Primordial Lord of Heaven) and Taishang Laozun (Grand Supreme Elderly Lord) who are among the Elder Gods. In short, the elder god Tongtian Jiaozhu may also be China's counterpart of Shinnok in Mortal Kombat. Other enemies they face are the Dragon King of the East Ocean who tends to revive after many times he's been thwarted together with his children and Pangolin a lustful demon who has sexual advances towards He Xiangu.

The story also focuses on other figures that act as their aid. Some of their known allies would also involve Sun Wukong, the Boddhisatva Kuan Yin also known as Avalokitesvara in Indian (who in some versions has He Xiangu as her apprentice), the Buddha, the Jade Emperor Tian Gong, the Jade Empress Wangmu Niangniang, Erlang Shen and Bai Mudan (White Peony). Sun Wukong's account can usually be seen in several adaptations of the epic Journey to the West which I may or may not talk about some other time.

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