Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 257 - 251: Tongtian Hierarch Wants to Recruit Jin Chanzi【Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets】_1
Daoist Hanshan still ran away. He fled into the distance, and once out of Guanyin’s sight, he used the Qingyun Zong to further increase the distance between them.
Guanyin was still entangled by Nezha and Chang E, as well as the Eight Immortals and others. However, Guanyin was Guanyin, after all. With her status, she merely hinted about converting the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi. Everyone tactfully chose not to persist too much. More than an hour later, Guanyin was finally able to send them all away. Only then could she turn towards the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi and say, "He left you behind and departed. Is the Dao still in your heart?"
The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi said, "It was I who let him leave."
Guanyin said, "How laughable. He abandoned you and left, yet you still insist on following him to learn the Dao. My Buddhism has been so compassionate towards you, never abandoning or forsaking you, yet you discard Buddhism to cultivate the Dao. This is truly foolish."
The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi chuckled. "Are you truly compassionate towards me? If so, then release me."
Guanyin said, "To release you would be truly cruel. I cannot bear to see you walking further and further down the wrong path, so you must re-cultivate the Buddhist Law."
The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi snorted coldly. "Don’t even think about it."
Guanyin smiled. "In this lifetime, I will personally teach you and then accompany you on the journey to the West for the scriptures."
At this moment, not far from Yingchou Stream at Five Finger Mountain, Sun Wukong had been looking out over this area and could also hear snippets of the dialogue.
He muttered under his breath with annoyance. People of Buddhism are really shameless. Old Li was right; they stop at nothing to convert people into Buddhists. They even think that anyone who doesn’t learn Buddhism knows nothing. Old Li said that Buddhism also wants to convert me, so it seems I must guard my true self and not let them lead me astray.
Subsequently, Sun Wukong whispered again, then raised his voice to the sky, shouting, "Old Li, you promised that once I reached a High Order of Da Luo Golden Immortal, someone would come to set me free! Three years upon three years, how long has it passed? Where are they? Not even a shadow to be seen!"
It must be said, Sun Wukong was indeed a stone monkey of bright mind, endowed with the fortune of Wa Huang and truly remarkable talent. With Sha Chen’s guidance and strong support, along with the various immortal pills and peaches he had previously stolen, and other divine objects, in just two hundred years, he had actually stepped into the realm of a High Order of Da Luo Golden Immortal, half a step faster than Sha Chen.
But he didn’t wait for the rescuer promised by Li Bai. Just as he was feeling sorry for himself, Sun Wukong suddenly had a realization.
Damn it! Don’t tell me that scripture-seeker is the one destined to free me? Old Li said that atop Five Finger Mountain, there’s a Buddha Verse that requires someone from Buddhism to uncover; otherwise, it would have to be forcefully broken. Old Li also mentioned that I, Sun Wukong, am the scripture-seeker that Buddhism wishes to convert. The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi just so happens to be from Buddhism. Could it be that only he can set me free?
Upon realizing this, Sun Wukong almost spat blood, then he burst into a tirade of curses.
"Guanyin, you old hag! If you dare kill Jin Chanzi, I, Old Sun, will never let you off!"
He cursed and ranted incessantly, showing no signs of calming down.
「Flowing Sand River.」
Sha Chen took a long breath, a hint of relief in his eyes. Daoist Hanshan had not died and had managed to escape. With his lotus root body, if he were to hide again, it would be extremely difficult for Guanyin to find him. He wouldn’t have to reveal himself.
Unfortunately, the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi had fallen into Guanyin’s hands. He wondered if Guanyin would discover the cultivation seed he had left in Jin Chanzi’s mind. He also didn’t know how Guanyin intended to deal with Jin Chanzi. If she were to kill him outright while monitoring his reincarnation, it would disrupt Sha Chen’s carefully laid plans. The memories of this lifetime’s Jin Chanzi might be erased by Guanyin. Therefore, his past memories might no longer exist. The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi in the next lifetime would very likely be a blank slate.
Sha Chen furrowed his brow, unsure of what to do. He felt the need to come up with a plan, but a plan was not so easy to come by. Moreover, if he truly intended to save the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, then Sha Chen would have to confront Guanyin. And it would be a direct confrontation.
Sha Chen furrowed his brow. He still wanted to face Guanyin directly—or rather, he didn’t wish to face anyone at all. Why not just cultivate peacefully, where everyone can be content? Isn’t that possible? But avoiding confrontation wasn’t an option.
For now, there’s no good solution, so Jin Chanzi must fend for himself. However, what surprised me was why the Eight Immortals, Chang E, and Nezha all appeared at Yingchou Stream at that specific time? Logically, it would be coincidental enough for one or two to show up, yet three appeared all at once. If someone told me it wasn’t orchestrated, I wouldn’t believe it.
A flicker of doubt crossed Sha Chen’s eyes. Who exactly is saving me, or perhaps, saving Jin Chanzi?
He felt that something was amiss. It was just too convenient. If it wasn’t orchestrated by someone, he wouldn’t believe it. But he couldn’t figure it out. He wasn’t good at divination to begin with, let alone matters that involved Guanyin. Even if Guanyin were part of the divination, he was even less likely to discern anything. So he was left in the dark, temporarily putting it aside.
「Zi Zhi Cliff.」
The Tongtian Hierarch received Golden Spirit Holy Mother and the Empress San Xiao. The four of them were awaiting the teachings of the Tongtian Hierarch. Due to the calamity of Divine Enthronement, their physical bodies had been destroyed, and their Primordial Spirits were enshrined. Now that they planned to re-enter the Sect of Interpretation, the Tongtian Hierarch naturally had to help them reconstruct their physical bodies to allow them to proceed further. Their physical bodies had already recovered a fair amount, but still needed mending. The best method of mending was not refinement, but preaching the Dao, using its principles to mend the lingering traces.
After Tongtian Hierarch had finished speaking, Yunxiao, the eldest sister among the Empress San Xiao, said, "Master, why did you have us go out and release dazzling lights to lure Nezha into appearing?"
Qiongxiao, also puzzled, said, "Disciple even disguised herself as a peerless great demon and was chased by the Eight Immortals. If it were any other time, I definitely would not have tolerated such treatment."
Bi Xiao added, "Disciple also lost more than a dozen first-class elixirs, all of which were harvested by Chang E."
All three sisters were complaining about having done a thankless job.
Tongtian Hierarch had a smug smile on his lips as he said, "I have taken a liking to someone and plan to take him as my disciple; you were there to help him."
Golden Spirit Holy Mother’s eyes shone brightly. "Master has taken a liking to Daoist Hanshan? He indeed has some talent. In less than two hundred years, he’s reached the pinnacle of the Golden Immortal realm. If he were in the Primordial Chaos, he would probably be somewhat famous as well."
Upon hearing this, the San Xiao all nodded in agreement. If that were the case, then he truly had talent and was worthy of being their junior brother.
However, Tongtian Hierarch chuckled. "Hehe, he’s but a mere incarnation, not yet worthy of me taking him as my disciple."
What!?
All four, including Golden Spirit Holy Mother, were shocked. Daoist Hanshan was actually an incarnation? He was the one who persuaded Jin Chanzi to abandon Buddhism and cultivate the Dao—such a renowned figure, yet only an incarnation!
The Tongtian Hierarch didn’t say much, only sneered inwardly. Merely the One Qi into Three Pure Ones technique. Does Sha Chen really think he can deceive me? It’s just that I haven’t exposed him.
As it turned out, he had long known that Sha Chen possessed the Divine Power, One Qi into Three Pure Ones, but he had never brought it up. He also knew that Daoist Hanshan was an incarnation of Sha Chen, but he did not know how many other incarnations Sha Chen had. It was only because he was interested in the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi that he paid attention to Daoist Hanshan and inferred this. Had it not been for his interest in the matter, he wouldn’t have known.
Golden Spirit Holy Mother said, "Master plans to subdue Jin Chanzi?"
The San Xiao were stunned, somewhat bewildered and caught off guard. Clearly, the Tongtian Hierarch’s decision was confounding to them.
Golden Spirit Holy Mother hurriedly said, "Master, Jin Chanzi is Buddhism’s scripture-seeker, and he is also a disciple of the Tathagata. Taking him as a disciple is letting him off too easily!"
The San Xiao sisters nodded as well, deeply concurring. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"I teach without discrimination," Tongtian Hierarch said. "Although Jin Chanzi is a disciple Duo Bao took in after entering Buddhism, he has already died. The one who has reincarnated is no longer considered Jin Chanzi. Moreover, Buddhism wants to undertake their scripture pilgrimage, and I am not pleased. For me to personally step in and accept him as a disciple would indeed be letting him off too easily. Let’s wait and see."
In fact, what he meant to say was that Sha Chen had already taken Jin Chanzi as a disciple. By the time he takes Sha Chen as a disciple, won’t Jin Chanzi become his grand-disciple? This way, their lineage and seniority wouldn’t get muddled. But even if it did, it wouldn’t matter. In the Primordial Chaos, lineage and seniority are often quite muddled anyway. Sun Wukong is a disciple of Subhuti, and Subhuti is an External Incarnation of Zhunti, which means Sun Wukong is essentially a disciple of Zhunti. Zhunti’s disciple also took Monk Tang as a disciple, and Monk Tang is a disciple of the Tathagata. However, after entering Buddhism, the Tathagata also took Jieyin and Zhunti as his masters. This chain of relations could confuse anyone.
Tongtian Hierarch had already made up his mind; he was fond of Jin Chanzi and did not wish to see Buddhism’s scripture pilgrimage proceed smoothly. Golden Spirit Holy Mother and the others naturally understood what to do next.
Afterwards, Golden Spirit Holy Mother said, "Master, I have discovered a remarkable talent. He has extraordinary gifts; in just over a hundred years, he has already cultivated to the initial stage of the Greater Primordial Golden Immortal realm, and his mastery of the Eight-Nine Profound Art and the 72 Polymorphic Transformations is impeccable."
Tongtian Hierarch uttered an "Oh" and said, "If he is good, then you should guide him well."
Golden Spirit Holy Mother was taken aback for a moment. She originally wanted to introduce Chen Sha to the Tongtian Hierarch, but seeing the Hierarch’s lack of interest, she let the matter rest for the time being.
It seems Master is troubled by Buddhism’s scripture pilgrimage and cannot intervene personally. As disciples, we should help alleviate Master’s worries and difficulties. Very well. After I’ve disrupted their scripture pilgrimage, I’ll report back to Master and then introduce Chen Sha to him.
Chen Sha, an incarnation of Sha Chen who was practicing ascetically on Jinao Island, was already exasperated by constantly being pestered by his Elder Sister of the crane lineage. But he couldn’t beat her in a fight, so he had to let her pester him.
That day, while Chen Sha continued his cultivation, Fairy Yunyao came again.
She said, beaming with a smile, "Junior Brother, did you know? Master went to see the Founder and plans to introduce you to him!"
Chen Sha nearly suffered cultivation deviation from panic. Introduced to the Tongtian Hierarch? This is bad! Chen Sha wanted to run, but Fairy Yunyao had already blocked his escape route.
Yunyao said, "Junior Brother, why are you so afraid of the Founder? Don’t leave! I haven’t even had a chance to meet the Founder myself."
Chen Sha said, "Yunyao, you had better step aside, or I won’t hold back."
Yunyao puffed out her chest, nearly bouncing Chen Sha away. Hands on her hips, she huffed, "Go on then, don’t hold back if you dare!"
Chen Sha, having no other choice, said, "Elder Sister, please, I beg you, step aside."
Yunyao replied, "You’re begging me? When I’ve been asking you for years to take me out to have fun, what did you say?"
Chen Sha was extremely helpless. "Elder Sister," he said, "I am a serious person, dedicated to cultivation. I won’t rise to that kind of bait."
