Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 290 - 284: Immortal Buddha Tray Asks Jin Chanzi and Yang Jian [Request for Subscription and Monthly Tickets] _1
No one would question their identity as righteous individuals. Nor would anyone oppose them. They only thought that, if possible, they would seize the opportunity to eliminate Sha Chen, take possession of Flowing Sand River, and discover the secret to Sha Chen’s rapid increase in strength. Of course, they also felt that if Sha Chen were willing to join them, that would be for the best. If not, then they would destroy him.
The entire Li Family had suffered a setback here at Flowing Sand River and held no positive feelings for it, being even more dissatisfied with Sha Chen. Li Jing had already lost his initial intention to win over Sha Chen, realizing that Sha Chen simply looked down on the Li Family. Moreover, they had framed Sha Chen, oppressed him, and even become his enemies. It was already a good outcome if it didn’t lead to a fight to the death; to think of subduing Sha Chen and forming a friendship was highly unlikely. Under such circumstances, Li Jing naturally wanted to find a way to crush Sha Chen completely. In fact, he had voiced these sentiments several times already. Within a month, he had suggested attacking Flowing Sand River no less than thirty times, but his proposals were never approved. Everyone else was simply indecisive.
However, this time, it seemed a decision had been made. The Heavenly Court felt that since Erlang God Yang Jian had entered Flowing Sand River a month ago, not rescuing him might lead to trouble. As for Buddhism, there was even less need for discussion. Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation had entered Flowing Sand River, and there had been no news of him for a long time. They still needed the Scripture Seeker for the Journey to the West and could not stand by and watch him perish. If the Scripture Seeker were killed by Sha Chen in Flowing Sand River, that would be one thing, but remembering how Sha Chen had previously kidnapped people only to release them later, they felt uneasy. They were now not worried that Sha Chen would kill the reincarnated Jin Chanzi, but rather that he would *not* kill him. If he wasn’t going to kill him, why invite him into Flowing Sand River for such an extended period!?
Guanyin had once asked a previous reincarnation of Jin Chanzi what he had seen and learned in Flowing Sand River, and what exactly Sha Chen had done to him. She received no satisfactory answers. Since she couldn’t use soul-searching, she could only resort to tempting spells to try and coax the reincarnated Jin Chanzi into revealing the truth. The answers she obtained were ambiguous, and Buddhism knew Sha Chen had already interfered. The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi had been kidnapped into Flowing Sand River in his past life, leading to problems in this life. Although decades had passed, it inevitably led to speculation. This time, Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation was again captured by Sha Chen, and Buddhism was also anxious. They feared Sha Chen would instill some undesirable ideas into the reincarnated Jin Chanzi and decided not to wait any longer, instead seeking a way to rescue him.
However, not many people came from Buddhism’s side. Among them were Bodhisattva Pilanpo and Ju Liushun Buddha, a former Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect who had joined Buddhism with The Goddess of Mercy and others. Ju Liushun Buddha, originally a well-known Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect, became very famous after joining the Western Sect. He was made a Buddha with a higher status than even Manjushri and Samantabhadra. His actual strength was likely considerable. However, Ju Liushun Buddha’s performance in the Divine Enthronement was rather mediocre, with most of his achievements resulting from sneak attacks. His strength, compared to Manjushri and Samantabhadra, was probably on par. This time, he came under orders with Bodhisattva Pilanpo and some Buddhist Arhats, planning to assist the Heavenly Court in rescuing the Scripture Seeker and Erlang God. The Buddhist Arhats were no ordinary figures either. They were the Eighteen Arhats, including Xianglong and Fuhu; all eighteen of them had come. It could be said that Buddhism sent quite a few people this time. With many renowned individuals participating, they regarded this operation as more important than the last one involving Manjushri and Samantabhadra. But they still chose to let the Heavenly Court lead the charge, with themselves in a supporting role.
It was also because Buddhism had deployed many important figures this time that Li Jing repeatedly proposed attacking Flowing Sand River, showing his full confidence. The Heavenly Court also dispatched numerous personnel, including the Eight Immortals with Li Jing, the Four Heavenly Kings, the thirty-six Heavenly Generals, and the seventy-two Earthly Fiends. This demonstrated the great importance the Heavenly Court attached to this matter. Wang Lingguan also came. His role was still that of a supervising officer, and he was prepared to attack Flowing Sand River, then take the opportunity to ambush those within.
Consequently, just as everyone was preparing to attack Flowing Sand River, its gates swung open wide, and its waters parted.
While everyone was stunned, Yang Jian’s voice bellowed from within Flowing Sand River. Then, a figure, insignificant as dust compared to Flowing Sand River itself, shot out like a streak of light. Behind it, a massive body as imposing as Mount Tai extended an arm, like the Great Wall, striking towards that streak of light. The sight was immensely visually striking. Anyway, all the immortals and Buddhas, both in the heavens and on earth, were dumbfounded and shocked. What on earth was going on?
They saw the speck of dust that had shot out from Flowing Sand River instantly transform into a golden giant—it was none other than Erlang God Yang Jian himself. He wielded a three-pointed, double-edged lance and emanated a divine light from his third eye, striking the Great Wall-like arm, but he was unable to inflict any injuries.
Yang Jian pointed his lance at the arm and shouted, "Sha Chen, our sparring is over! If we fight again, it will be a battle to the death!"
The arm retracted, the gates closed, and Sha Chen’s voice emerged, "Erlang God Yang Jian, very good. Indeed, very good. I will remember you."
Then, Flowing Sand River returned to normal.
Everyone was dumbstruck and frozen in place, wondering what exactly had happened!
However, when Yang Jian flicked his sleeve, sending out the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, held him, stepped onto the clouds, and returned to the midst of the celestial beings and Buddhists, everyone realized what had happened. It became clear that Yang Jian had been battling Sha Chen. They had been fighting for a long time within Flowing Sand River and had now brought the fight outside.
The celestial beings and Buddhists gathered around. The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi had a troubled expression, his hands pressed together as if he had suffered a great injustice. Li Jing, Wang Lingguan, and others surrounded Yang Jian, sizing him up and down. Li Jing even took out the Demon-revealing Mirror to confirm the person before them was real before they felt relieved. The Roaring Sky Dog returned to Yang Jian’s side, circling him with great joy.
Wang Lingguan asked, "Erlang God, did you gain anything in Flowing Sand River?"
Yang Jian glanced at him and said, "Sha Chen is very strong. I fought with him for a month, and neither of us gained the upper hand. He’s truly too formidable. If I were at the same cultivation level, I wouldn’t be his match."
Upon hearing these words, everyone was shocked and dismayed. They couldn’t believe Yang Jian held Sha Chen in such high regard, nor could they fathom that Sha Chen had become so powerful. Yang Jian’s strength was witnessed by all. If not unbeatable below the Quasi-Saint Realm, he was very close. Yet, he had fought Sha Chen for a month without a conclusive victor. If Sha Chen were truly at the same realm as Yang Jian, he could indeed overpower Yang Jian. Terrifying! They were all stunned and incredibly shaken. It was beyond their imagination that Sha Chen could have become so mighty as to make many among them feel ashamed.
The Eight Immortals looked at each other; they privately admitted that individually, they were no match for Sha Chen. Perhaps only by joining forces could they hope to contend with him to some extent. The Eighteen Arhats also exchanged glances, similarly revealing shock and disbelief in their eyes. If it were them, they feared they would be no match. Probably only the Honorable Xianglong could fight him to a draw; even the Honorable Fuhu might not suffice.
The Honorable Xianglong’s strength was known to be great. He already possessed the capabilities to attain Buddhahood but was hindered by his impure senses. Thus, he lacked the great wisdom of a Buddha and found it difficult to achieve enlightenment. However, being accorded the title of ’Honorable,’ even though his celestial rank remained that of an Arhat, his status was already akin to that of a Buddha. After all, in Buddhism, the strong were respected. While a Buddha held a high position of reverence, if an honorable being proved stronger, their merit would certainly be acknowledged. Take, for example, the two great protectors of Buddhism, Brahma and Indra. Their powers were vast, said to even surpass those of the Tathagata Buddha, yet their roles were merely that of protectors. Nonetheless, if the Buddha faced monumental issues, he would still need to consult with these two. Aside from their formidable might, it was also their seniority that demanded sufficient respect, even if their celestial ranks were below that of the Buddha.
The Honorable Xianglong, rumored to be nearing the Quasi-Saint Realm, had strength about even with Yang Jian’s. However, his expression was quite grave. As Yang Jian had said, Sha Chen was formidable, possessed numerous Magical Tools, and had vast Divine Powers. If they were at the same rank, even he would be no match for Sha Chen. In just two hundred years, Sha Chen had risen from a True Immortal to his current level. Given another two hundred years, perhaps no one present could be his rival.
Understanding this, Li Jing quickly said, "In that case, I implore everyone not to hold back! Let us swiftly destroy Flowing Sand River and capture Sha Chen!"
The celestial beings and Buddhists all wore somber expressions, looking at one another, uncertain whether to take action.
At this time, Yang Jian said, "King Li, Flowing Sand River is indestructible. It was already highly improper for me to act without first attempting to teach or warn. If you, King Li, also punish without teaching, wouldn’t that tarnish the Heavenly Court’s reputation?"
Li Jing asked, "Shall we just let Sha Chen remain beyond the law then?"
Yang Jian gave him a glance and said, "King Li, what do you mean ’beyond the law’? General for Folding the Curtain is a convict serving his sentence here. He has not left, so it cannot be counted as him being beyond the law."
Li Jing eyed Yang Jian up and down, saying, "If I hadn’t used the Demon-revealing Mirror to check your identity, seeing how you defend Sha Chen, I would have thought you were him in disguise!"
Yang Jian huffed, "King Li, I’m not defending him; I’m stating facts. It was indeed improper of me to act without first trying to teach. Furthermore, I only fought him to a draw and was fortunate to escape from Flowing Sand River. If you all decide to proceed, I will not lead the way. Should any misfortune befall you there, you will have only yourselves to blame."
Li Jing’s expression changed subtly. If someone else had said this, he wouldn’t have cared, perhaps even dismissing it with disdain. But with Yang Jian saying it, he began to worry. If even Yang Jian spoke of ’escaping,’ then the others, should they go in, would likely fare far worse. Thus, Li Jing felt a little intimidated. He glanced towards the Buddhist contingent, thinking that if they took the lead, he might still consider attacking Flowing Sand River.
But the Buddhists were not fools. The strength of Ju Liushun Buddha and the Honorable Xianglong was roughly on par with Sha Chen’s, though Ju Liushun Buddha’s own strength might even be less than that of the Honorable Xianglong. Bodhisattva Pilanpo was powerful in her own right but perhaps not suited for a direct assault of this nature. These two were essentially the Buddhist leaders. If they were to attack Flowing Sand River, it would cause Sha Chen to resent Buddhism, diminishing any willingness he might have to join them. Secondly, they would have to lead the assault, putting themselves at risk. Many Buddhists present were their trusted subordinates; it was unacceptable for them to perish here.
However, if there was a sufficient reason, they could use it as a pretext to summon reinforcements from Lingjiu Mountain. Thus, they looked towards the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi. Ju Liushun Buddha asked, "Siguo, did you suffer maltreatment at the hands of Sha Chen within Flowing Sand River?"
All the celestial beings and Buddhists turned their attention to the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, suspecting that since he had only just emerged, he must surely have suffered greatly.
The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, however, said, "Not at all. This humble monk was well-fed and well-treated inside. Master Sha Chen was extremely courteous to me."
