Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 237 - 231: Beat the Bodhisattva until he admits defeat【Fourth more subscription required】_1

Chapter 237: Chapter 231: Beat the Bodhisattva until he admits defeat【Fourth more subscription required】_1

Sha Chen’s words were truly insane.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and the others were already scared witless, their eyes bulging as if they were about to scatter like birds and beasts.

Bodhisattva Manjushri was already injured and could not possibly dodge it.

Another arrow would kill him.

Even if Sha Chen deliberately avoided vital points, he wouldn’t survive, as the Shooting Sun Divine Arrow carried an aura of destruction.

Once hit, the arrow would vanish, waiting for the next accumulation of power before it could emerge from the ground again.

Manjushri Bodhisattva hastily said, "Sha Chen, stop your hand."

Sha Chen replied, "The Li brothers slandered me, and you all are trying to harm me, yet you ask me to stop?"

Manjushri Bodhisattva urgently said, "Regarding today’s matter, I admit defeat. For ten thousand years, I shall not set foot within half a step of Flowing Sand River."

HISS.

Everyone gasped in shock.

What Bodhisattva Manjushri said was tantamount to surrender.

He was none other than the lofty, peak Daluo Jinxian Bodhisattva Manjushri, just half a step away from the Quasi-Saint realm.

It was said that he was the most likely among the Honorable Buddhists to step into the Quasi-Saint Realm within the next five hundred years. Yet, he was apologizing to a demoted junior.

Even if he hadn’t admitted wrongdoing, he had admitted defeat.

Not setting foot within the Flowing Sand River was tantamount to showing weakness, a roundabout acknowledgement of error.

Everyone was shocked, but upon further thought, it seemed only natural.

If it had been them, their actions would not have been better than Bodhisattva Manjushri’s, for they would have died from a single arrow.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva seemed about to speak but then sighed, nodding and shaking his head slightly in the end.

Only then did Sha Chen put away the Shooting Sun Divine Arrow and say, "Bodhisattva Manjushri, please keep your promise. Today, I will spare your life."

Bodhisattva Manjushri spat out a mouthful of blood and completely passed out.

The Arhats hastily assisted him, returning to the Buddhist Pagoda.

In fact, Manjushri Bodhisattva had not fainted but merely pretended to; otherwise, it would have been too much of a loss of face.

He was, after all, a distinguished figure in Buddhism, one of the five great Bodhisattvas, with heaven-piercing strength and just half a step away from the Quasi-Saint Realm.

In the past, Sha Chen would have had to kneel and speak to him.

Now, to have been badly injured by him, it would likely take a hundred, if not a thousand years, before he could fully recover.

Moreover, he had admitted defeat, and Sha Chen didn’t give him any face at all, announcing in public that he would spare his life.

This was equivalent to not only injuring him but also slapping him on the face.

Detestable, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva looked at Sha Chen, furrowed his brows, and without a word returned to the Buddhist Pagoda.

The Li brothers wanted to follow, but before they could enter, the Buddhist Pagoda turned into a streak of light and headed towards Lingjiu Mountain.

The million heavenly soldiers and the Li brothers were left staring at each other, dumbfounded and at a loss.

They really had no face to stay any longer and had to leave first, waiting for the storm to pass before doing anything further.

After all, in actuality, they were the ones making unreasonable trouble.

The Li brothers harbored monsters and even condoned them dealing with Marshal Tianpeng. Sha Chen came out to defeat the monsters. This was upholding justice, a righteous act.

In this matter, they not only did not support it, they even opposed it.

They even tried to harm Sha Chen, a truly disgraceful act.

If they could have subdued Sha Chen, they could have quickly cut through the mess and whitewashed the wrongs.

But they couldn’t defeat Sha Chen and were instead injured by him, even allowing Sha Chen to personally declare he was sparing their lives, which was equivalent to Buddhism losing all face.

After returning, it was very possible Manjushri Bodhisattva would still face mockery from other corners, especially from his opposing forces.

Staying now would only lead to further loss of face.

Neither face nor substance, nor the advantages of timing, terrain, and popular support, were on their side.

There was no point in staying.

So they left.

They didn’t even greet Li Jing and the others and hurriedly departed.

Li Jing and the others had complicated expressions and wanted to speak but stopped, finally choosing silence.

After a moment of silence, Li Jing ordered a withdrawal of the troops by a thousand li, retreating out of the boundaries of Flowing Sand River.

But the net of heaven and earth was not removed, and the surveillance remained, with even more spies dispatched.

As for Li Jing and his people, they made camp at a great distance, with eternal golden clouds in the sky marking their lodging place.

After settling all of this, Li Jing planned to bring people to negotiate with Sha Chen again.

Though he felt it impossible to make Sha Chen surrender without a fight, he still had to try.

But when they arrived, the Flowing Sand River had already returned to its original state.

Sha Chen was nowhere to be seen; they couldn’t even see the Black Tortoise Cave.

Li Jing’s face turned grim as he said, "I don’t know why, but I feel the river water of Flowing Sand River has become murkier and more terrifying."

"One glance seems to suck you in deep, unable to extricate oneself. I don’t know if it’s an illusion or if at this juncture, Flowing Sand River has grown stronger."

Everyone also noticed and began to discuss amongst themselves.

Li Jing said, "Let’s go back. We will decide after receiving the Jade Emperor’s orders."

Now, he too was stuck in a difficult situation.

Even with the Jade Emperor’s command, he had no confidence in taking Flowing Sand River.

If the Jade Emperor ordered a retreat, he feared he might still be blamed upon his return.

In any case, he would please neither side.

Li Jing’s eyes darted around. He had to think of a solution quickly.

After returning to the clouds, he immediately ordered a lockdown on the news of Bodhisattva Manjushri being injured by Sha Chen. But he feared it couldn’t be kept secret forever; the news would inevitably spread sooner or later.

Subsequently, he ordered his subordinates to take turns on guard duty. He also sent a message back to the Heavenly Court, requesting that the Jade Emperor allow Zhao Gongming’s The Mysterious Altar Department to dispatch experts to dedicate all efforts to capturing the spider demonesses.

Since the spider demonesses were connected to Sha Chen, capturing them would either provide leverage against Sha Chen or reveal his secrets.

Then, Li Jing gradually received news that aside from the spider demonesses’ connection to Sha Chen, the Black Bear Demon was also likely related to Sha Chen.

This information came from Buddhism.

They had always been dealing with the Black Bear Demon, particularly focused on Luo Jia Mountain.

Muzha had also speculated on that possibility. Perhaps the Black Bear Demon was aligned with Sha Chen, but it wasn’t certain.

Now Buddhism had sent a message confirming the high likelihood of this possibility.

Even if it wasn’t the case, it didn’t matter anymore.

They must capture the Black Bear Demon and extract information from him regardless.

Li Jing issued an order to report to the Jade Emperor and dispatch Zhao Gongming’s The Mysterious Altar Department to capture both the spider demonesses and the Black Bear Demon.

Once captured, they would be thrown directly into the Heavenly Prison for interrogation.

As for them, they distanced themselves and took turns at watch, day and night, awaiting the Jade Emperor’s final command.

Jinzha and Muzha, meanwhile, immersed themselves in cultivation, especially since Muzha was still severely injured.

As for Jinzha, his scheme was exposed. Even if he vehemently denied it, everyone knew he was in cahoots with the demons, framing Sha Chen.

Even though he denied it, everyone knew he was behind it.

They just didn’t dare to speak it aloud.

To avoid this humiliation, Jinzha chose to seclude himself, only emerging when news arrived, ready to lend a hand.

If he managed to capture Sha Chen, it would be a great merit; all his stains would be washed clean.

「Within Flowing Sand River.」

Sha Chen relayed what he had heard to the Black Bear Demon, who had just finished his cultivation and was completely dumbstruck.

Why were they after him now?

Couldn’t they stay firm and capture Sha Chen by attacking Flowing Sand River instead? Why go after him?

I know the secret, but would I dare tell them?

The Black Bear Demon, on the verge of tears and filled with anxiety, said, "Master, what should I do? Zhao Gongming is an external disciple of the Sect of Interpretation, but with strength that reaches the heavens and penetrates the earth, he is probably not inferior to those direct disciples of the Sect of Interpretation, even surpassing Bodhisattva Manjushri and Samantabhadra."

Zhao Gongming’s strength was indeed formidable, very likely to be a Quasi-Saint, and even one of the top among them.

The moment his twenty-four Sea-Pinning Beads were deployed, no one could contend against them.

During the Divine Enthronement War, Bodhisattva Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Guanyin had all battled against him, and all were defeated by him.

The might of Zhao Gongming was extraordinary, a monster in his own right.

Moreover, he had three sisters, the Empress San Xiao.

The strength of the Empress San Xiao was also very formidable, not inferior to the twelve Golden Immortals of the Divine Enthronement; they even beat each of the Divine Enthronement’s twelve Golden Immortals one by one.

In the end, it was only after The Sage Laozi and Lord Yuan Shi personally intervened that the three of them were defeated. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

One could imagine how strong the three sisters were and how terrifying Zhao Gongming, their brother, must have been.

Only a Saint could kill him. If the Divine Enthronement’s twelve Golden Immortals were defeated by him, he was definitely a Quasi-Saint, and a leading one at that.

The thought of Zhao Gongming leading The Mysterious Altar Department in pursuit was enough to send shivers down the bear’s spine.

The more the Black Bear Demon thought about it, the more frightened he became, saying, "Master, you must save me! Zhao Gongming is no mere person; his strength is outrageous! Over the years, leading the Heavenly Court Xuantan Department, he has pursued and killed countless demons, earning a fearsome reputation far and wide."

Sha Chen frowned. He didn’t need the Black Bear Demon to tell him about Zhao Gongming’s might.

During his time as the Great General for Folding the Curtain in the Heavenly Court, Zhao Gongming was someone who adhered to commands but never attended court.

Unless summoned personally by the Jade Emperor, he would only go to the Bright Palace for a private audience.

The Mysterious Altar Department was in charge of the Heavenly Court’s pursuit and arrest responsibilities. All divine beings and demons who committed offenses fell under their jurisdiction.

Sha Chen was just quietly serving his punishment at Flowing Sand River. If he attempted to escape, he would fall under Zhao Gongming’s authority.

Then, with The Mysterious Altar Department’s deities chasing him all across the world, he would be unable to escape his fate.

If even Sha Chen felt it was inevitable, the Black Bear Demon was even more certain of his doom.

He almost wet himself from fear, and he cried.

Sha Chen consoled him, "Old Bear, enjoy a good meal, live it up a bit."

The Black Bear Demon’s eyes lit up, "Master, I knew you cared about me, thinking of my well-being even at times like this."

"I understand, you want me to relax, live while I can, and let things sort themselves out when we get there, right?"

Sha Chen said, "Old Bear, I’m telling you to do whatever you want now, because once Zhao Gongming catches up to you, all that will be left is to await death."

The Black Bear Demon immediately knelt down, weeping bitterly, begging Sha Chen to save him.

Sha Chen naturally couldn’t just abandon him. After all, it was his bear, who worked for him, and it hadn’t been easy to cultivate him to his current strength.

He reassured him, "Don’t worry. You’re in Flowing Sand River; Zhao Gongming can’t find you here. During this time, focus on your cultivation. Don’t even think of leaving unless you make a huge breakthrough in strength."

The Black Bear Demon said, "Master, how about I stay here and cultivate with you to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm before I leave?"

Sha Chen rejected the idea without hesitation, "Wishful thinking! That would require so many resources. Even what you’ve brought back wouldn’t be enough."

The Black Bear Demon was about to speak when Sha Chen’s expression suddenly changed.

He quickly took out the Wanli Soul Chasing Mirror and saw reflected in it the Southern Sea’s shores, millions of miles to the south by the riverbank.

Seven spider demonesses had been surrounded by Wen Zhong and his men. In the sky, there were also the four Sky Kings and thousands upon thousands of celestial soldiers and generals.

Moreover, twenty-seven of the twenty-eight constellations from the Department of Stars had also taken action.

Upon seeing this, the Black Bear Demon was dumbfounded.

"My goodness, Master, are your sisters that mighty, to make the Heavenly Court mobilize so many to capture them?"