Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 321 - 315: The Immortal and Buddhist Realms are Shocked [First More, Please Subscribe]_1
The Three Holy Mother called out at the border of the Flowing Sand River.
At first, Sha Chen simply listened and did not respond because he recognized the voice and breath of the Three Holy Mother as quite angry, indicating an ill-intentioned visitor. Sha Chen was not foolish; without a clear understanding of the situation, he was not going to respond, even if the person was the renowned Three Holy Mother.
The Three Holy Mother continued to shout from outside, but Sha Chen gave no response, which made her frown deepen, and her anger grew stronger.
"Indeed, guilt written all over, too cowardly to show your face, truly despicable."
The Three Holy Mother stood atop a cloud, her expression growing dark as she gazed upon the majestic Flowing Sand River, her mood turning gloomier.
「Bright Palace.」
The Jade Emperor was reviewing memorials when Heavenly Official Pang came to report. Heavenly Official Pang was an external Divine Official of the Heavenly Court; Wang Lingguan served internally. Together, they were the Jade Emperor’s left and right hands. On a daily basis, he assisted the Jade Emperor in supervising the Three Realms, possessing great authority but maintaining a low profile, which endeared him to the Jade Emperor. He returned this time to report news.
Heavenly Official Pang said, "Your Majesty, Yang Chan has gone to the Flowing Sand River."
The Jade Emperor initially did not want to concern himself with the matter, but both individuals were of great interest to him. Yang Chan was his niece, and the Flowing Sand River harbored Sha Chen, who was the person causing him the most headaches recently.
What business could these two have with each other?
The Jade Emperor asked, "What is happening?"
Heavenly Official Pang replied, "After Yang Chan went to the Flowing Sand River, it seemed her tone wasn’t very pleasant, and her attitude wasn’t friendly either – it appears she has gone to call him to account."
"Call him to account?"
The Jade Emperor paused, then asked, "Does she have a grudge against Sha Chen?"
Heavenly Official Pang answered, "There is no known animosity. For the previous three hundred years, she has been in the Nuwa Palace following Wa Huang, learning Dao techniques. She descended from the mountain last year and returned to Guanjiangkou half a year ago. The Flowing Sand River was her first stop after leaving Guanjiangkou."
The Jade Emperor nodded, then said, "If it is not her own grudge, then her going to the Flowing Sand River with resentment must be for the sake of Yang Jian."
Heavenly Official Pang said, "Since the day Yang Jian left the Heavenly Court, he has never left Guanjiangkou and is reportedly in seclusion."
The Jade Emperor said, "He has already broken through to Quasi-Saint and can still restrain himself from causing me trouble – he has truly matured."
He then added, "Yang Jian’s seclusion is most likely influenced by Sha Chen. After all, he has been inside the Flowing Sand River, and before their fight, they talked for quite an extended period."
Heavenly Official Pang remained silent, quietly listening.
The Jade Emperor continued, "Has Yang Jian visited Yunhua?"
Heavenly Official Pang replied, "He has not."
The Jade Emperor furrowed his brow, surprised, "That’s odd. In the past, after a big quarrel with me, he would ignore my protests and rush to Peach Mountain to stay for a day."
"Although I explicitly forbade him from going there and even issued decrees to admonish him, he would still go regardless. This time, his unexpected compliance has put me ill at ease."
Heavenly Official Pang suggested, "Perhaps, he realizes his mistake."
The Jade Emperor shook his head, "Others may realize their mistakes, but he would not."
He then instructed, "Continue to monitor the Flowing Sand River and keep an eye on Yang Chan."
Heavenly Official Pang bowed and took his leave.
The Jade Emperor gestured and asked, "How goes the capture of the Spider Spirit and the Black Bear Spirit, these demons? Why has there been no news for such a long time?"
Heavenly Official Pang returned and continued, "These demons are said to be banding together and communicating with each other. Lord Zhao has attempted several encirclements, all ending in failure."
The Jade Emperor said, "Zhao Gongming has truly disappointed me. After such a long time with no results, how can I continue to trust him?"
Heavenly Official Pang coughed and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Zhao is willing but unable—it’s not due to incompetence."
The Jade Emperor knew he was hinting for him to be cautious with his words. In truth, he was also frustrated. Failing to capture the demons meant being unable to learn about the situation within the Flowing Sand River. It was just a couple of words to vent his feelings. After all, he was the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the Three Realms—couldn’t he express his dissatisfaction?
Nevertheless, the Jade Emperor did not pursue the matter further, for the Heavenly Court heavily relied on Zhao Gongming. He also needed Zhao Gongming to suppress the members of the Chan Sect active at the court. Such are the calculations of an emperor’s heart.
"Then let Zhao Gongming expedite the matter. As long as the demons are at large, they pose a constant threat to the stability of the Three Realms."
"I’ve heard that General Shen Gongbao of the North Sea has a knack for persuading others and possesses methods for locating people. Have Zhao Gongming seek him out; they could work together to capture the demons quickly."
Heavenly Official Pang bowed and went to carry out his orders.
The Jade Emperor’s gaze was profound as he murmured, "Yang Chan, what exactly brings you to the Flowing Sand River?"
「Elsewhere.」
On the side of Buddhism, Maitreya Buddha, who was in charge of the Flowing Sand River, and a few other Buddhists, were all in disarray. The actions of Sha Chen often came as a surprise, leaving them somewhat mystified and unclear.
At the moment, Maitreya Buddha was cursing up a storm.
"I sent you to capture those demons and you all failed to do so, what use are you?"
"If the demons cannot be captured, we can’t extract information about the Flowing Sand River from them. Don’t you realize that?"
Maitreya Buddha looked at his subordinates, berating them severely.
Seeing them silent, he waved his hand and said, "Continue to gather intelligence. We must capture the Black Bear Spirit and the others before Zhao Gongming does."
Since the people from both the immortal and Buddhist realms began suspecting that the Black Bear Spirit and the Spider Spirit had relations with Sha Chen, both sides had been trying to capture them. But now, unlike before, the Black Bear Spirit, who had reached the rank of Daluo Golden Immortal, was now running around with Red Boy in the Demon World. People from the realms of immortals and Buddhists could not easily enter there, let alone capture them overtly. Ordinary immortals and Buddhists would not be able to defeat the pair, nor would the higher-ups have the time to always keep them in check. Therefore, until now, neither the Black Bear Spirit nor Red Boy had been captured.
Some had already contacted Tianpeng, suspecting him of having relations with Sha Chen, but after several probes, Tianpeng maintained that his relationship with Sha Chen was nothing out of the ordinary. He also claimed to have entered the Flowing Sand River, but that was over a hundred years ago, and the place was desolate. His statements were even less detailed than the reincarnation stories of Jin Chanzi, leaving the people of both realms unsure whether Tianpeng was telling the truth or not.
Resorting to violence was out of the question. Firstly, Tianpeng had already become a Daluo Golden Immortal; secondly, he still bore the title of Marshal Tianpeng, and his Nine-Tooth Rake was forged by Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad, tying him in some manner to the Lord. Moreover, these past years, Tianpeng had always been loitering around the vicinity of Wuzhuang Temple, seemingly wanting to meet Lord Lao Zi but unable to do so. People from the realms of immortals and Buddhists naturally did not wish to offend Lord Lao Zi.
However, the initiative by Buddhism to lead Tianpeng astray persisted unchanged, continuing to torment him. Although they tormented and plotted against him, they would not take Tianpeng’s life. And Tianpeng merely suffered without divulging any information about the Flowing Sand River – he kept silent to the death. Naturally, no one dared to search his soul.
「Lingshan Separate Courtyard.」
The Honorable Fuhu Arhat approached Maitreya Buddha and whispered, "Lord Buddha, Three Holy Mother Yang Chan has gone to the Flowing Sand River with an unpleasant tone. It seems there might be a conflict."
After making some calculations, Maitreya Buddha exclaimed in astonishment, "She has only left the mountain recently; how could she have a conflict with Sha Chen?"
"It’s mostly related to Yang Jian; if not, it may have something to do with that lady from Nuwa Palace."
The Honorable Fuhu was somewhat incredulous, saying, "It must be related to Yang Jian, right? What merits or abilities does Sha Chen have to be involved with Wa Huang!?"
Maitreya Buddha replied, "If it were in the past, they most likely wouldn’t be related. He wouldn’t attract the attention of Wa Huang, but now, times have changed."
Honorable Fuhu was silent for a moment.
Maitreya continued, "Sha Chen’s powers now match the wonders of creation; he is already a Daluo Golden Immortal and one of its most outstanding figures. He managed to tie in a fight with Yang Jian, and his future holds limitless potential."
"At one time, Wa Huang personally praised Yang Jian, saying he has the bearing of a Saint, destined to be exceptional among men. Thus, the name ’Little Saint’ spread throughout the Three Realms."
His eyes flickered as he said, "A man, less powerful than Yang Jian, managed to fight him to a draw. Whether or not Yang Jian held back, it’s enough to draw Wa Huang’s attention."
"You have people keep a close eye on them. Regardless of whether Sha Chen has contact with Wa Huang, the moment he steps out of the Flowing Sand River, send someone to kill him."
Upon hearing this, Honorable Fuhu’s body shuddered, and he said, "Lord Buddha, aren’t we supposed to convert him? If we kill him, how can we convert him?"
Maitreya, the Honorable Buddha, said, "Haha, do you think we can still convert him as usual? To make him become a Buddha on the spot, we can no longer let him voluntarily lay down the butcher’s knife. Instead, we should break his hands ourselves, so he’s unable to wield the knife."
As clever as he was, Honorable Fuhu immediately understood and said, "Lord Buddha is wise. If Sha Chen dies but his soul remains, we can send his soul to the Samsara Platform and have Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva bless him with Buddhist Law. In his next life, he will surely be connected to Buddhism."
Both of them laughed heartily, for it was indeed so. Then, Maitreya Buddha asked, "How is Guanyin doing over there?"
"Ever since her incarnation as White Bone was killed, Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Dao heart has been unstable and she has been in seclusion for years, never appearing in public," replied Honorable Fuhu.
Maitreya nodded and said, "Luckily she’s in seclusion, otherwise, with our prolonged inability to subdue Sha Chen, she would have nagged incessantly."
"Hopefully, she dies in seclusion. Haha, that would be quite fitting with her often-repeated line, ’If I don’t enter hell, who will?’"
With a faint smile, Honorable Fuhu chose not to respond to those words.
Maitreya Buddha then said, "By the way, how is your eldest disciple brother Xianglong doing? With Jin Chanzi sent into reincarnation, he must be heartbroken again, right?"
"Jin Chanzi was his dear friend, and he even celebrated with drinks when Jin Chanzi left Buddhism for Daoism. As word of this reached the ears of the Buddha, he has been in Siguo ever since," responded Honorable Fuhu.
Maitreya Buddha remarked, "Siguo? Haha, let me give him a hand. These years while he has presided over the Arhat Hall in Lingjiu Mountain, you haven’t had the chance to stand out. I’ll lend you my support."
Overjoyed upon hearing this, Honorable Fuhu feigned alarm, "Lord Buddha, please don’t. He is my eldest disciple brother, a dear and loving friend, a brother in arms."
Maitreya Buddha laughed heartily and said, "Relax, we won’t kill him, just send him down to the mortal world for a while. I’ve grown tired of seeing him around."
