Genghis Khan 成吉思汗 - 15 (End)

But even this was not enough to satisfy the desire of Genghis Khan. He wanted something more, something his army could not give him, which is why in 1222, this man traveled towards Genghis Khan's court. He was a revered¹ Taoist monk². From him, Genghis Khan sought just one thing.

"I told him how my life was a divine mission. I'd been sent to Earth to conquer the world. I spoke³ of the prophecies, the battles, my ambitions, my age. I asked what medicine he had brought to prolong my earthly existence."

It was only then the monk realized Genghis Khan was asking for the secret elixir⁴ of eternal life. Unfortunately, the monk could only offer him advice about prolonging life through sexual abstinence(禁欲), but not immortality⁵.

There is nothing to indicate that Genghis Khan took the monk's advice. Recent scientific evidence suggests that perhaps one in two hundred men alive today can trace their genetic⁶ lineage to Genghis Khan. Four years later, he embarked⁷ on one more campaign of conquest, into China.

According to legend, these were the last words of Genghis Khan.

"I've conquered for you, a large empire. But my life was too short to take the whole world that I leave to you."

He appointed his son Ogodei(窝阔台) to succeed him as Khan.

Genghis Khan died without having achieved what he believed was his destiny- to conquer the entire world. In the years after his death, his sons carried out his wish, doubling the size of the empire. They returned to Europe and invaded Russia, Poland and Hungary. But in 1242, approaching Vienna, the new Khan died. Mongol law decreed that all chiefs return to elect a new leader, and Europe was spared the Mongol terror.

A century later, his mighty⁸ empire began to crumble⁹. His reputation has made him one of history's immortals¹⁰, a reputation enhanced by the mystery of his burial. It is said that every witness to his funeral cortege was executed to keep the site of the tomb secret. Today almost eight centuries later, the burial place of Genghis Khan remains¹¹ undiscovered. There is no grave, no mausoleum, no monument to this bloodthirsty conqueror¹², the most successful military commander the world has ever known.

elixir: a magical or medicinal potion, especially (in former times) either one supposedly able to change metals into gold or (also elixir of life) supposedly able to prolong life indefinitely

lineage: a sequence of species each of which is considered to have evolved from its predecessor

cortege: a solemn procession, especially for a funeral

1 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

2 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 elixir   

n.长生不老药，万能药

参考例句：

• There is no elixir of life in the world.世界上没有长生不老药。
• Keep your mind awake and active;that's the only youth elixir.保持头脑清醒和灵活便是保持年轻的唯一灵丹妙药。

5 immortality   

n.不死，不朽

参考例句：

• belief in the immortality of the soul 灵魂不灭的信念
• It was like having immortality while you were still alive. 仿佛是当你仍然活着的时候就得到了永生。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

8 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

9 crumble   

vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁

参考例句：

• Opposition more or less crumbled away.反对势力差不多都瓦解了。
• Even if the seas go dry and rocks crumble,my will will remain firm.纵然海枯石烂，意志永不动摇。

10 immortals   

不朽的人物( immortal的名词复数 )； 永生不朽者

参考例句：

• Nobody believes in the myth about human beings becoming immortals. 谁也不相信人能成仙的神话。
• Shakespeare is one of the immortals. 莎士比亚是不朽的人物之一。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 conqueror   

n.征服者，胜利者

参考例句：

• We shall never yield to a conqueror.我们永远不会向征服者低头。
• They abandoned the city to the conqueror.他们把那个城市丢弃给征服者。