Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 352 - 346: Jiang Ziya Starts to Question His Own Life【Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets】_1
Sha Chen’s bland words struck Jiang Ziya like a heavy blow.
He felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his face a mask of bewilderment and disbelief.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Ziya said, "Although I am not as important as I imagined, ’I dare not forget the worries of the world even with my lowly position.’"
Sha Chen laughed heartily. "Well said. ’I dare not forget the worries of the world even with my lowly position.’ However, you sacrificed me, not yourself."
"I did not wish to enter Buddhism, but you insisted on making me. I did not want to join Buddhism, but you insisted on me joining. Haha, Jiang Ziya, you are coercing the virtuous into vice, committing acts that trample upon human lives, yet you still boast that you are doing it for the world."
He bellowed, "Is it now acceptable to commit acts of great treachery, harm the natural order, and coerce the virtuous into vice, all under the guise of doing it for the world?"
WHOOSH.
He stretched out his hand, and the Giant Que Sword flew up, hovering before Jiang Ziya, pointed directly at his brow.
Frightened, Jiang Ziya stumbled backward repeatedly.
Sha Chen said, "If that is so, if I say you bewitch the public with fallacies, coerce the virtuous into vice, harm the natural order, defy the Heavenly Dao, and act against Heaven, would it be justified to kill you?"
Jiang Ziya, both shocked and angry, said, "What right do you have to enact Heaven’s will?"
Sha Chen replied, "You can see the future, and so can I. But I have proven that I see further than you. Do I not have the right then?"
At that, Jiang Ziya was at a loss for words. For a moment, he did not know how to respond. He was flustered.
Normally, he could use his clairvoyance to command the world and have countless people submit to him. Even those with greater cultivation and strength than him, as long as they did not match his predictive powers, had to listen to him. People like Yang Jian, whose strength was above his, still had to heed his commands. The reason was that he could see further into the future; he knew the trajectory of the Heavenly Dao.
But now, Sha Chen had proven him wrong; he had miscalculated Yang Jian’s future. And Sha Chen had also foreseen the very future Jiang Ziya had predicted, knowing the outcome of the Arhat Buddha that Jiang Ziya had heard about.
From this, it was evident that Sha Chen’s predictive abilities were indeed superior to his own. If it had happened once or twice, he could have dismissed Sha Chen’s words as nonsense, lucky guesses, or perhaps the Buddhists had revealed the outcome to Sha Chen in advance to sway him.
But having witnessed Sha Chen’s use of the Zhou Tian Xingchen Technique, he knew Sha Chen’s powers of divination truly surpassed his own.
At this moment, Jiang Ziya felt utterly shaken. He no longer had the confidence to persuade Sha Chen, nor did he feel capable of convincing him.
Jiang Ziya was disheartened, staggering until he reached the stone table, where he poured himself a cup of wine, lost in his thoughts.
This time, Sha Chen did not scorn him but let him be.
As for himself, he got up and began to meditate and cultivate. Because others were present, and they were not of one heart, he would not delve deeply into his practice. Instead, he would simply consume elixirs to strengthen his cultivation.
From within the Eight-Treasure Water Tower, the spider spirits had been watching this scene unfold.
They felt both hatred and fear towards Jiang Ziya.
Seventh Mother said, "That old scoundrel is the renowned Taigong Jiang Ziya. I thought he was a righteous and dignified old man, but to think he’d be so unreasonable."
San Niang said, "Why don’t we join forces and kill him?"
Er Niang, however, said, "No, we can’t beat him. We haven’t broken through yet."
Even though the spider spirits had all reached the pinnacle of the Greater Primordial Golden Immortal realm, none had made the next step. Even the strongest, the Eldest Sister, had not broken through, always lacking that final push.
Without breaking through, they could not advance further. No matter how incredible their Greater Primordial Golden Immortal realm was, without becoming Daluo Golden Immortals, they could not stand against Jiang Ziya, who wielded the Beat God Whip. Even if they all advanced, they would still be no match. With the Beat God Whip, Jiang Ziya’s power was formidable and unmatched among those of the same realm. The whip was powerful, not only against deities but also extremely effective against demons.
Torn between hesitation and fear, they were filled with resentment but helpless.
The Eldest Sister said, "Let’s not make things worse. If Elder Brother wanted to kill him, he could do it with a single slap."
"And since Elder Brother hasn’t killed him, he must still respect Jiang Ziya’s status, or perhaps he has some reservations. In any case, let’s not cause trouble for Elder Brother."
The sisters, though reluctant, listened and did not cause any trouble.
While Sha Chen sat in meditation, Jiang Ziya remained seated at the stone table, as if pondering life. He seemed like an old monk in deep meditation, his spirit unsettled. His mental fluctuations were immense.
Sha Chen occasionally opened his eyes to glance over before continuing his retreat. Jiang Ziya was indeed questioning his life, considering whether he had been wrong.
He had fallen into self-doubt and denial. But the conviction of his Dao heart, which had been firm for so many years, was now beginning to crumble and shatter. The more he doubted himself and his life, the more he felt that he had been wrong. Sha Chen had entirely negated his present and affirmed his past. This trust and fair recognition made it impossible for him to refute.
Jiang Ziya himself was an eloquent man, his silver tongue capable of arguing black into white. However, that was when he stood on the side of righteousness, enacting Heaven’s will. At that time, with the Beat God Whip in his hand, he represented the will of Lord Yuan Shi. Moreover, the decision for Divine Enthronement had also been made by the Three Pure Ones. Consequently, he represented not just one Saint, but several. His will was the will of the Saints. His intentions were the intentions of the Saints. Whoever dared to defy them was deemed a rebel; whoever refused to obey was seen as an insurgent. Even King Zhou, who embodied the will of the Daoists, was in the wrong.
Sha Chen, though cultivating at the time, had this matter weighing on his mind. When he met Jiang Ziya, he struggled internally, debating whether to kill him or simply to drive him away. But as he cooked, he took the time to ponder over it and decided to convert Jiang Ziya. Those who cannot be killed should simply be converted. He intended to make Jiang Ziya one of his own. Even if it was only in spirit that Jiang Ziya stood with him, that would be enough. Because Jiang Ziya was a stubborn man. If Jiang Ziya truly aligned with him, even if he did not betray the Chan Sect, he would certainly speak and act on Sha Chen’s behalf. Of course, as long as Jiang Ziya didn’t betray the Chan Sect, he wouldn’t wholeheartedly stand with Sha Chen. He would only do what he thought was right. However, Sha Chen could tell him what was right and what was wrong. If Jiang Ziya wanted to do the right thing, then the right thing would also be as Sha Chen dictated. In other words, Sha Chen would dictate the will of the Heavenly Dao. Jiang Ziya, in turn, would be enacting Heaven’s will. Previously, Jiang Ziya had done this to others; now, the tables had turned, with Sha Chen doing it to him.
Before, Jiang Ziya would use grand moral principles to manipulate others, coercing them into joining his camp to fight for King Wu against King Zhou. Otherwise, they would be accused of defying the heavens. And anyone who did not comply with his wishes was branded as abetting King Zhou’s tyranny, a heinous crime against the Heavenly Dao. Those who went against the heavens deserved death, and those who abetted tyranny deserved annihilation. With this tactic, Jiang Ziya controlled countless people. Even after Divine Enthronement ended, he remained the benefactor of many. And through the Investiture of the Gods, he made countless people owe him a favor. Even those who bore grudges against him, once listed in the Investiture of the Gods, owed him a debt of gratitude. Upon seeing him, they had to greet Mr. Fei Xiong with respect.
This was where Jiang Ziya’s power lay. Yet he never expected that, as fortunes rotate, Sha Chen would now use the same tactic on him. And he was oblivious to being trapped in the scheme. Simply because Sha Chen had shattered his confidence, broken his pride, demolished his arrogance, and trampled upon his self-esteem. Sha Chen was more formidable than him.
「Three days later.」
Sha Chen opened his eyes again and noticed Jiang Ziya’s hair had turned even whiter; even his eyebrows were as pale as spun silk. He looked exhausted, resembling an old man on the verge of death.
「Another seven days passed.」
Jiang Ziya aged even more; his skin sagged, his spirit wilted, yet his eyes remained trapped in an abyss of self-doubt. He continued to question life, doubting and denying himself.
Sha Chen merely glanced at him a few times and then stopped paying attention, no longer guiding or negating him.
Jiang Ziya was a man of strong personal convictions; if he believed something was right, he could even deny Lord Yuan Shi. For instance, he recognized the value of the Journey to the West and would oppose any schemes from Lord Yuan Shi or his fellow apprentices to interfere with it. For this reason, he was not very popular among his fellow apprentices. After Divine Enthronement, his fellow apprentices seldom saw him.
Jiang Ziya, having acknowledged the importance of the Journey to the West, naturally did his utmost to protect it. He believed it to be in accordance with the Heavenly Dao, and anything contrary would be utterly heinous.
Given his nature, persuasion was futile; it was only effective to negate him first and then lead him. How he would later reconcile everything and fill in the gaps in his understanding was up to him. If Jiang Ziya accepted something, he would then come up with countless ways to rationalize it. Once he had explained it to himself, that became his perceived truth. Even if Sha Chen, who had guided his thought process, later presented differing views, Jiang Ziya would resist him. But because Sha Chen had guided him to this point, he would respect Sha Chen. Even if he disagreed with Sha Chen, he wouldn’t have much courage to openly defy him. He could oppose, but not rebel. This was similar to Jiang Ziya’s attitude toward Lord Yuan Shi: he knew the Journey to the West was inevitable, yet Lord Yuan Shi tacitly allowed his disciples to sabotage it—an act that went against the Heavenly Dao. But Lord Yuan Shi was a Saint and his master. Jiang Ziya couldn’t possibly defy him, so he could only occasionally offer advice.
「Perhaps, another half year passed.」
Jiang Ziya’s hair was now completely white, his skin sagged like that of a nonagenarian, and his entire being emanated an aura of decrepitude.
Sha Chen was in closed-door cultivation. During this half-year period, he too had undergone many experiences. He had attained elementary proficiency in the Zhou Tian Xingchen Technique and had also enhanced the defenses of his abode. Since Jiang Ziya had breached the Black Tortoise Armor and the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, he focused primarily on fortifying the Tian Luo Treasure Cover. That artifact was not from Lord Yuan Shi but from Kunpeng, its defensive power unparalleled. He focused on reinforcing this item, so that even if Jiang Ziya brandished the Beat God Whip, he likely wouldn’t be able to breach it.
Meanwhile, he continued to delve into the Three Pure Ones Taoism, igniting the Mystic Artifact of The Nine Orifices in his mind’s eye. Around him were Wutong trees and the Enlightenment Tea, as well as the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup. He immersed himself in enlightenment twice.
He reached an initial understanding of the Tao Te Ching and also brought his comprehension of the Quasi-Saint Chapters of both the Jade Pure Scripture and the Green Duckweed Scripture to an elementary level.
