Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 232 - 226: Bodhisattva Manjushri’s Fierce Attack on the Flowing Sand River [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
Bodhisattva Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva proudly deployed the Forty-Nine Days of Seven Nails Art.
The Buddhists anticipated this, while the immortals were terrified. But Sha Chen was completely unaffected; he even felt that the power of his Primordial Spirit had improved significantly, which made him frown.
Could it be that there’s a problem with my hearing? Or did Manjushri and Samantabhadra deceive me and actually not cast any spell at all?
Sha Chen almost doubted Manjushri and Samantabhadra’s intentions, but he felt such suspicion was unlikely.
It was highly probable they had cast the spell, but it indeed had no effect on him. However, he had no idea why.
According to the conversation between Manjushri and Samantabhadra, the Flowing Sand River Cave was not capable of blocking attacks on the Primordial Spirit.
In reality, Sha Chen also knew that while the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji could block many Divine Powers and spells, it struggled against attacks targeting the Primordial Spirit.
The Black Tortoise Armor was much the same; the defensive capabilities of these two layers against Primordial Spirit attacks were very weak.
Therefore, during those forty-nine days, Sha Chen was extremely anxious.
But to his surprise, nothing happened. This was unexpected and rather baffling.
It was also unlikely his Primordial Spirit was strong enough to render the spell ineffective. After all, no matter how strong his Primordial Spirit was, it couldn’t compare to Zhao Gongming’s.
「Suddenly.」
Sha Chen looked up at the hanging Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup, his expression growing complex.
He murmured, "If I’m not mistaken, it’s likely the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup blocked the Nail Seven-Arrow Book, leaving me unharmed. It even transformed the curse into spiritual power, bolstering my Primordial Spirit."
Sha Chen was not wrong, and he soon verified this fact.
The Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup emitted bursts of light. Even though Sha Chen was not actively cultivating his Primordial Spirit, its power was still growing stronger.
It was the Nail Seven-Arrow Book at work, but it was intercepted by the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup and converted into the power of the Primordial Spirit.
Overjoyed, Sha Chen connected his mind to the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup, learned the causes and effects, and discovered it was indeed so.
He then burst into laughter.
The Black Bear Spirit was so frightened he nearly suffered a cultivation deviation. Eyes bloodshot, he grasped his long spear and looked around warily.
"Master, what has happened? Did those gods break in?" the Black Bear Spirit asked, his eyes red.
Sha Chen said, "No. Continue your cultivation and do not be influenced by external distractions."
He then threw over an Immortal Pill that healed the Primordial Spirit, which helped the Black Bear Spirit regain his composure, before having him continue his cultivation.
Although the Black Bear Spirit had been fearful throughout his recent cultivation, by following Sha Chen, his cultivation base, physical body, and Primordial Spirit had all advanced rapidly.
His innate talent was considerable—being able to fight Sun Wukong to a standstill during the Journey to the West demonstrated his formidable strength and exceptional talent.
His slow progress was only due to being self-taught, lacking proper guidance and authentic Divine Powers and Cultivation Techniques.
Since following Sha Chen, his strength had soared. He had never even dared to dream of reaching his current high-order Greater Primordial Golden Immortal realm.
Yet, within a mere century, he had accomplished it.
And he also had the prospect of soon breaking through to the peak Greater Primordial Golden Immortal realm, or even aspiring to become a Daluo Golden Immortal in the future.
The Daluo Golden Immortal Realm was previously unimaginable to him, a state to yearn for but seemingly forever out of reach.
In the original story, the Black Bear Spirit sided with Guanyin partly to save his own life and partly to use the power of Buddhism, hoping to receive Guanyin’s guidance to step into the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm.
But by the end of the Journey to the West, he had not entered the Daluo realm and remained a Mountain God guarding Luo Jia Mountain.
This was mainly because Buddhism was wary of him and wouldn’t teach him all their Divine Powers and Cultivation Techniques, thus keeping him on a leash.
Sha Chen didn’t bother with such reservations. Anyone who joined him was treated as one of his own; they mined together and worked for him.
As fellow workers, how could he not impart the tools of the trade?
He treated everyone equally, teaching Divine Powers and Cultivation Techniques. Once they learned, they went out to mine, gathering resources for him.
This was the secret behind the Black Bear Spirit’s rapid progress. If things continued at this rate, and if Sun Wukong had not received support from Sha Chen, it was highly likely that upon his release from Five Finger Mountain, Sun Wukong wouldn’t even have been able to defeat the Black Bear Spirit, following his original trajectory.
But Sun Wukong was exceptionally talented, and Sha Chen also needed him to draw the attention of Buddhism and the Heavenly Court, so he invested in his development.
And with that investment, Sun Wukong’s power soared.
The Black Bear Spirit continued his cultivation, his power advancing daily. If not for the dangers of this place, he would not have wanted to leave.
Sha Chen, too, was thinking that if it were not for the dangers outside, he would have sent the Black Bear Spirit out to gather resources long ago.
Having stayed here for a year or so, the Black Bear Spirit had already used up about seventy to eighty percent of the resources Sha Chen had given him. If he continued cultivating, he would likely start consuming Sha Chen’s personal reserves.
Sha Chen himself cultivated sparingly and cautiously, living frugally, yet he still set aside a share for the Black Bear Spirit. The mere thought of the expense made him wince.
Maybe I should turn him over?
Sha Chen was just entertaining the thought for a moment; turning over the Black Bear Spirit was out of the question.
Because that would confirm the accusation that he was colluding with demons.
Moreover, nurturing the Black Bear Spirit had not been easy. Handing him over would only give the Heavenly Court and Buddhism other pretexts to target Sha Chen.
Once he was sure that the Nail Seven-Arrow Book was completely useless, Sha Chen put his mind at ease and continued his cultivation.
Now, cultivating his Primordial Spirit, physical body, and Mana all required vast amounts of resources.
This also demanded significant mental energy and time, making Sha Chen feel that time was perpetually insufficient.
「Outside.」
Bodhisattva Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva waited for half the day, chatting with the immortals, expecting Sha Chen to succumb to the pain and emerge from the water to beg for mercy.
But there was no sound for a long while, and Sha Chen seemed unharmed.
The Flowing Sand River was eerily quiet.
Bodhisattva Manjushri’s face showed a trace of embarrassment. With a chuckle, he said, "Sha Chen is truly remarkable, living up to his great reputation. Being able to withstand ’Thousand Swords Piercing the Heart,’ he indeed has such endurance."
The crowd nodded in agreement; indeed it was true.
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva nodded and said, "If Sha Chen can endure ’Thousand Swords Piercing the Heart,’ it’s quite normal for him to withstand the Nail Seven-Arrow Book for a while."
"Let’s wait. After one day, he will surely have a splitting headache and come out of the water to beg for mercy," he added.
「The next day.」
The Flowing Sand River still showed no signs of activity, and Sha Chen had not surfaced to beg for mercy.
Bodhisattva Manjushri smiled and said, "It seems Sha Chen’s endurance is indeed remarkable; he has managed to hold out for a day. Not bad. Our efforts were not in vain."
The immortals all nodded, their faces wreathed in smiles.
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva also smiled and said, "Yes, if he couldn’t withstand even a day, wouldn’t that make us a laughingstock here?"
Jinzha also nodded along. "Sha Chen has something about him; his ability to endure for a day is indeed understandable."
Bodhisattva Manjushri held up three fingers and said, "Let’s wait for him three more days. After three days, he’ll surely surface to beg for mercy."
Everyone nodded frequently, agreeing deeply.
Li Jing also believed Sha Chen wouldn’t last three days, even chuckling, "Perhaps three days won’t even be necessary."
The immortals laughed heartily, echoing his sentiments.
Three days, then another three days, and yet another three days.
Roughly ten sets of three days passed, amounting to a month.
Sha Chen still showed no intention of emerging. Bodhisattva Manjushri’s expression could no longer remain composed; his face was ashen, his cheeks twitching.
Seeing him, all the immortals took a detour. They really didn’t want him to notice that they were secretly trying to suppress their laughter.
Li Jing also avoided Bodhisattva Manjushri for a few days, truly not wanting an awkward encounter. The atmosphere was so awkward, you could cut it with a knife.
But then, Bodhisattva Manjushri could not take it anymore. In the Buddhist Pagoda, he grabbed a knife, intending to chop off the head of the straw man that bore Sha Chen’s name and into which countless sharp arrows had already been inserted.
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva looked troubled and, in a flurry, said, "Don’t do it! If you chop off his head, I’m afraid he will die."
Jinzha also hastily interjected, "Perhaps Sha Chen is struggling desperately in the Flowing Sand River, in unbearable pain, and simply cannot surface to beg for mercy."
"If you chop off his head and he dies or his foundation is destroyed, we wouldn’t be able to explain it to the Jade Emperor."
Bodhisattva Manjushri snorted coldly and still slashed down with the knife, beheading the straw man.
The entire Formation flickered with light, then burrowed into the Flowing Sand River.
Bodhisattva Manjushri snorted and said, "If he dies, I myself will go to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and plead for a new life for him. If he doesn’t die right now, my resentment will not be appeased."
Everyone sighed, but they were helpless.
Bodhisattva Manjushri said, "Alright, he’s already dead. Without Sha Chen’s spiritual power and Mana supporting it, the Black Tortoise Armor can’t possibly defend against me."
He then prepared to personally attack the Flowing Sand River.
Jinzha said, "Revered One, if you do this, wouldn’t Sha Chen harbor resentment towards you?"
Bodhisattva Manjushri said, "He is already dead, and I am going to save him. He resents me? He should be grateful to me."
He then left the others behind and headed back to the Flowing Sand River.
The immortals, seeing Bodhisattva Manjushri illuminated with Buddha’s light, were all struck with amazement and, at the same time, puzzlement.
After Jinzha explained the situation to Li Jing, and Li Jing informed the rest of the immortals, they all understood that Sha Chen had supposedly ’died’!
Each of them was overwhelmingly shocked.
Li Jing’s expression was complex. He said, "I never expected such a good opportunity to be seized by him."
"It looks like I, the Marshal, should send word to the King of Hell in advance. This karmic debt must be established."
"Amitabha."
Bodhisattva Manjushri chanted the Buddhist Law and began to assault the Flowing Sand River.
The Buddhist Law illuminated all, and the roar of Buddhist power echoed.
The Flowing Sand River trembled; wind and waves surged wildly.
The winds and waves of the Flowing Sand River were treacherous and turbulent.
Behind Bodhisattva Manjushri, clouds gathered from all eight directions, forming into a giant of golden light—it was a Buddhist Buddha, its face unseen.
The light of Buddha shone brightly, making its first appearance. Thousands of Buddhas paid homage, and the Great Buddhist Hand Seal was struck.
The giant golden Buddha was immensely vast, like the Heavenly Palace itself. A single finger was like a great river, one palm like a thousand hectares of mulberry fields.
When the palm imprint fell, it blotted out the sky and sun. The world plunged into darkness, ghosts wailed and wolves howled, and all mist and smoke dispersed.
Under the illusory projection of the golden Buddha, Bodhisattva Manjushri appeared as small as a speck of dust, yet he was the one controlling the Buddha’s projection.
All the immortals were stunned beyond measure.
Such Great Divine Power showcased that even if Bodhisattva Manjushri was not a Quasi-Saint, he was certainly a Peak Daluo Jinxian.
His power penetrated heaven and earth, both astounding and terrifying.
Li Jing, upon seeing this, was also aghast, murmuring, "With my current strength, even if I were to use the Linglong Tower, I might not be able to withstand Bodhisattva Manjushri’s assault."
"If I can’t manage it, Sha Chen definitely can’t. Moreover, since Sha Chen is already ’dead,’ the Flowing Sand River Cave is destined to become history."
But then, at that moment, within the Flowing Sand River Cave, Sha Chen finished his cultivation. He frowned, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and gazed out at the great Buddha hand seal beyond the Flowing Sand River.
He was not dead.
In fact, not only was he not dead, but the divine power from the Nail Seven-Arrow Book’s straw man had ultimately transformed into Primordial Spirit power, greatly strengthening his Primordial Spirit.
It was equivalent to ten thousand years of arduous cultivation.
Now, his Primordial Spirit had advanced even faster than his cultivation base and physical body, stepping into a higher realm. It could already be considered the Great Accomplishment Realm of the Daluo Primordial Spirit, meaning his Primordial Spirit was comparable to that of a High Order Daluo Golden Immortal cultivator.
Sha Chen stood with his hands behind his back, troubled. This is a hassle. I really don’t want to fight you, but don’t push me.
He grabbed the Plantain Fan and instantly manifested his Three Heads and Six Arms, along with the Wings of Wind and Thunder.
With various Magical Tools in hand, he stood tall and imposing, as if holding up the heavens and planting his feet firmly on the earth.
