Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 282 - 276: Jiang Ziya Discusses Sha Chen [Request for Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
Yang Jian looked at Yin Jiao, dazed for a moment. Then he laughed, his smile bright and shining, and said, "Senior brother, could it be that our Senior Martial Uncle has taken a fancy to Sha Chen and wishes to take him as a disciple?"
Yin Jiao frowned slightly. Everything should be left unsaid, for it lost its beauty once spoken aloud. Nevertheless, he still nodded and replied, "Master mentioned that he wants to find me a junior brother."
Yang Jian said, "If that’s the case, then why did our Senior Martial Uncle still allow senior brother to bring the Seal of Fanning the sky over?"
He really didn’t understand. If he wanted to take Sha Chen as a disciple, why lend the Seal of Fanning the sky to Yang Jian, letting him confront Sha Chen!?
Yin Jiao smiled and said, "If junior brother requests it, Master wouldn’t refuse to grant this favor."
Yang Jian thought for a while, and he seemed to have understood.
So, Guang Chengzi planned to play the good man to the extreme, but also wanted to drive Sha Chen into a corner. In the end, the Seal of Fanning the sky lent to Yang Jian, allowing him to break through the Flowing Sand River, made Yang Jian the villain, and the power of the seal would leave a psychological shadow on Sha Chen. Afterward, if Yang Jian showed mercy, or Yin Jiao stepped in to plead for mercy at that time, sparing Sha Chen’s life, then Sha Chen would owe Guang Chengzi a favor. At that time, wouldn’t Sha Chen bow his head and pledge allegiance?
Yang Jian finally understood. It was an overt plot, a blatantly obvious scheme, and yet Sha Chen couldn’t really say anything about it. Justice demanded it to be so.
Yang Jian thought for a moment, then said, "Don’t worry, senior brother. I also do not wish to be an enemy of the General for Folding the Curtain; he is a respectable person."
This statement was not out of respect for Sha Chen’s strength or character. It was purely out of respect for Sha Chen’s attitude towards life!
Yang Jian himself had experienced great ups and downs in life, with a turbulent past and a broken family, which is why he chose to live reclusively at Guanjiangkou. But he claimed to live in reclusion, yet if something truly significant happened, the Heavenly Court would still expect him to step forward and handle it. In the end, he could not escape the fate of taking action.
Then Sha Chen truly managed to live in seclusion, hiding in the Flowing Sand River, dwelling in a quiet corner, diligently cultivating—not contending with heaven, not fighting with earth, not associating with people. That truly was living in recluse, without strife or contention with the world.
This attitude towards life was what Yang Jian admired, envied, yet could not attain for himself. Thus, if it had not been a request from the Jade Emperor, he would have neither confronted Sha Chen nor sought to befriend him. Leaving aside the fact that Sha Chen’s attitude towards life greatly appealed to him, even Sha Chen’s talent and potential made Yang Jian reluctant to become his enemy. However, he had no choice but to act. For his mother, for Princess Yunhua, for his family, for the obsession of his lifetime, he had to make a move.
Yang Jian said, "Don’t worry, senior brother, I don’t wish to kill him either. It’s just that once we truly start fighting, it’ll be hard to hold back, so I’d ask senior brother to watch over the fight."
Yin Jiao nodded with a smile and said, "Understood. Come, let’s have a hearty drink to this."
The two of them drained their cups.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food, Yin Jiao took out the Seal of Fanning the sky and placed it before Yang Jian.
He patted it and said, "Junior brother, take it. Making a great achievement starts today."
Yang Jian nodded and replied, "Thank you, senior brother."
Picking up the Seal of Fanning the sky, Yang Jian’s entire demeanor changed, becoming very sharp.
Although he admired Sha Chen as a person and acknowledged him, and didn’t even want to be Sha Chen’s enemy, when he had to be, he would still take action. Once he acted, he would do so with his full strength, taking the matter seriously.
「Heavenly Court. Bright Palace.」
The Jade Emperor had summoned only a very few people to discuss the major affairs of the Three Realms, and he was also concerned about the matter of Sha Chen. Upon hearing the report that Yin Jiao had arrived at the Flowing Sand River, he smiled and invited the courtiers to view the situation through the Tongtian Mirror.
Li Jing had slowly started to regain some of the Jade Emperor’s trust, but not much, and was seated at the end of the table. Li Changgeng and Wang Lingguan, along with the Eight Immortals, were also present, with Li Jing at the last seat.
Beyond them was another person, not of the Heavenly Court, but one who had shone brilliantly during the time of Divine Enthronement: Jiang Ziya. During the Divine Enthronement, Jiang Ziya did not grant himself a divine title, hence he had no deity position. However, he assisted the Heavenly Court in the Divine Enthronement and, as a second-generation disciple of the Chan Sect and a disciple of Lord Yuan Shi, his status was indeed lofty. Even the Jade Emperor had to be extraordinarily polite to him.
This time he came for other matters, but it just so happened that he encountered Yang Jian about to attack the Flowing Sand River. He was specially invited by the Jade Emperor to watch the battle.
The Jade Emperor said with a smile, "Mr. Fei Xiong might not know, but that Sha Chen is my close guard, the General for Folding the Curtain. He made a mistake and was demoted to the mortal world. Yet, he does not repent and has claimed territory for himself, making it a place where even my troops cannot enter."
With these words, he defined the nature of Sha Chen’s actions: Sha Chen had carved out a kingdom for himself, disrespecting the orders of the Heavenly Court.
Li Changgeng started to speak, then hesitated. It was one thing to talk about this here, but if word got out, wouldn’t others feel the Jade Emperor was very displeased with Sha Chen? This would completely push Sha Chen to the opposition. If Sha Chen truly defected to Lingjiu Mountain, he would not remember the Jade Emperor’s kindness. How could he then serve as an inside ally?
He coughed. With a flash of realization in his eyes, the Jade Emperor understood that he had misspoken. Coughing again, he said, "However, his crime can be either serious or trivial. It’s just that he is overly cautious. He always feels someone is out to harm him, and he doesn’t even trust me."
Li Changgeng immediately clasped his fists and said, "Indeed, Your Majesty has repeatedly offered him rewards and pardons for his crimes, yet he has refused every time."
Li Jing picked up the thread and said, "Sha Chen simply does not recognize good from bad."
Jiang Ziya smiled slightly, making no comment on the situation.
Stroking his beard, he said, "Yang Jian has come to Kunlun Mountains to borrow the Seal of Fanning the sky. Evidently, it is to break through the Flowing Sand River."
The Jade Emperor said, "That’s likely. Everyone, please watch and see whether the defenses of the Flowing Sand River are strong enough to withstand the Seal of Fanning the sky."
Jiang Ziya said, "I have calculated that the defenses of the cave residence within the Flowing Sand River consist of the Black Tortoise Armor and the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, both of which are magical tools of my Chan Sect. To break through, one might not necessarily need the Seal of Fanning the sky, but with it, there’s an eighty percent chance of success."
Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor nodded and then asked, "How did Sha Chen come to possess the magical tools of the Chan Sect?"
Jiang Ziya answered, "The Black Tortoise Armor originates from the ancient divine beast Black Tortoise after its death. Legend has it that it died at the hands of my master, and after using the last of its strength to escape, it fell in the Flowing Sand River."
"After hearing of this, my master chose not to pursue the matter nor pay it any mind, merely feeling a sense of poignant regret about those past events."
The Jade Emperor nodded, surprised to learn of such a past event.
Jiang Ziya continued, "Besides the Black Tortoise Armor, Sir Li also mentioned that when attacking the Flowing Sand River, he saw the birth and destruction of myriad golden lotuses. That betrayed the presence of our Chan Sect’s treasure, the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji."
"My master once used the Innate Five-Color Flags to confront my Martial Uncle. However, the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, one of those flags, was severed by the Sword of Immortality. My master then buried it at Fenbao Cliff, intending to reforge it when the time was ripe. Unexpectedly, it ended up in the hands of another."
The Jade Emperor’s eyes sparkled as he commented, "In that case, it seems Sha Chen stole the magical tools of the Chan Sect. Mr. Fei Xiong, you can certainly go and claim them."
Jiang Ziya chuckled and shook his head, "Your Majesty misunderstands. Although the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji did end up in Sha Chen’s hands, it wasn’t stolen by him. Instead, the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji flew from Fenbao Cliff to find him of its own accord."
The Jade Emperor was puzzled, as were all the assembled immortals.
Jiang Ziya went on, "The Sword of Immortality had erased the spirit of the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji and destroyed its Spiritual Root. My master believed it would take a million years for it to regain its spirit and be reforged, so he never bothered with it. However, to everyone’s surprise, the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, unwilling to be buried and forgotten, actively sought out someone fated to it. It found Sha Chen and was thus restored to its original state."
The Jade Emperor and the others were somewhat shocked. They knew that magical tools could choose a fated person, but they had never heard of a broken magical tool regenerating so quickly.
Could it be that Sha Chen attracted the attention of magical tools more than even Saints did, making it easier for him to be favored by them!?
Jiang Ziya said, "I am also very curious as to how Sha Chen managed to fully restore the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji."
"Moreover, my master has heard that Sha Chen understands the Eight-Nine Profound Art and the 72 Polymorphic Transformations, even the thirty-six transformations, as well as the Imperial Gods’ Thunder. All these divine powers and cultivation techniques belong to the Three Pure Ones’ disciples, yet they are mastered by this outsider. My master is quite perplexed."
"However, my master has stepped out of the Three Realms and does not dwell within the Five Elements. He wishes not to be troubled with worldly dust and thus did not concern himself with it. I, on the other hand, wish to know the reason. This way, I can also reassure my master that the divine powers of the Three Pure Ones have not been leaked."
The Jade Emperor said, "In that case, since Mr. Fei Xiong plans to visit the Flowing Sand River, you should set out quickly, or else Erlang will have captured Sha Chen."
Stroking his beard, Jiang Ziya said, "If that is so, it would save me some effort."
All the immortals laughed heartily.
Li Jing’s eyes shifted cunningly. Indeed, it was he who had reported that Sha Chen knew so many divine powers and cultivation techniques of the Three Pure Ones’ disciples. Then, the people of the Chan Sect went to inquire and investigate. After discovering the truth, they dispatched Jiang Ziya from the mountain. The main purpose of Jiang Ziya’s descent from the mountain was actually for other matters, but the affair regarding Sha Chen was also very important. Therefore, Jiang Ziya spoke at such length in the Bright Palace.
The Jade Emperor waved his hand, and the events occurring at the Flowing Sand River were reflected upon the Tongtian Mirror.
All the immortals turned their attention to it. They all believed that with Yang Jian personally taking action, possessing the Seal of Fanning the sky, and with Jiang Ziya himself stating there was an eighty percent chance, breaching the defenses of the Flowing Sand River would be just a matter of time. But as they continued to watch, their expressions changed.
「Flowing Sand River.」 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Yin Jiao handed over the Seal of Fanning the sky to Yang Jian and taught him the incantation, temporarily entrusting Yang Jian with control of the seal.
He then retreated to one side and said with a light smile, "Junior brother, if you wish to break the Flowing Sand River, I cannot stop you. But please, be merciful."
Yang Jian looked deeply at Yin Jiao and nodded slightly.
In truth, he was forced to suffer in silence. Yin Jiao was acting on orders, planning to subdue Sha Chen without declaring his intent openly, leaving him, Yang Jian, to play the villain, while Yin Jiao would appear as the good man afterward. Yet, he could not voice any objection.
Hovering above the Flowing Sand River, Yang Jian declared loudly, "General for Folding the Curtain, know that I, Yang Jian, come bearing the mandate of Heaven to exchange moves with you. Since you refuse, I will enter myself."
Having said that, he recited the incantation and hurled the Seal of Fanning the sky downwards.
