Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 377 - 371: Interrogating the Tongtian Hierarch [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
The Tongtian Hierarch arrived.
He was the last person Sha Chen wanted to see right now. It wasn’t that his relationship with the Tongtian Hierarch had soured; rather, their relationship had always been quite good. The Tongtian Hierarch had only ever wanted to take Sha Chen as his disciple, and even when he couldn’t succeed, he never forced the issue. He certainly never harbored any intention of persecuting Sha Chen. All along, he had been rather friendly toward him.
But this could change with time. The Sha Chen of the past was insignificant; the Tongtian Hierarch had enough patience and was confident enough that he could make Sha Chen submit and become his disciple. But now it was different. Sha Chen had changed. He had grown. In just over two hundred years, Sha Chen had reached the Quasi-Saint Realm.
No doubt, the Tongtian Hierarch was also becoming restless. Sha Chen’s growth was simply too rapid. If he continued to grow at this rate, what could the Hierarch teach Sha Chen in the future? What reason would Sha Chen have to become his disciple? Impossible. If this continued, Sha Chen would not become his disciple.
Thus, Sha Chen was worried that if the Tongtian Hierarch felt hopeless about taking him as a disciple, he might fly into a rage and threaten him directly. That was what Zhenyuanzi had been thinking. If Zhenyuanzi had thought Sha Chen was easy to deal with and of average strength, he would surely have wanted to take him as a disciple. If one attempt failed, he would have given several more chances; the Ancestor of Earth Immortals possessed that much patience. But when Zhenyuanzi discovered Sha Chen, he had already grown and reached the Quasi-Saint Realm. What could he teach Sha Chen? He had nothing to offer; instead, he wanted what Sha Chen possessed. So, Zhenyuanzi hadn’t even bothered trying to take him as a disciple and had instead resorted to force. Alas, Zhenyuanzi failed.
Sha Chen couldn’t be sure whether the Tongtian Hierarch would become another Zhenyuanzi. If the Tongtian Hierarch really acted like Zhenyuanzi—failing to persuade with reason and emotion and then, in a fit of humiliated rage, resorting to force... Sha Chen would absolutely be unable to resist.
Sha Chen was deeply conflicted at this moment. He didn’t know whether the Tongtian Hierarch’s heart had changed, and a Saint’s mind was the hardest to fathom. He truly didn’t know. He had been avoiding this issue for some time; it had been more than ten years since his breakthrough to the Quasi-Saint Realm. He had thought that since there had been no word from the Tongtian Hierarch, the Hierarch must have forgotten, which would have been for the best.
Who knew whether it would be a blessing or a curse, but a curse couldn’t be avoided if it was meant to come. What was destined to arrive still arrived. The Tongtian Hierarch’s appearance at this time gave Sha Chen a splitting headache.
The Tongtian Hierarch stood outside with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression tranquil. Since uttering his first sentence, he had not spoken again.
Sha Chen rose and, looking at the Tongtian Hierarch outside, furrowed his brow. He believed that although the Tongtian Hierarch could not enter, he must be able to see him and even easily hear his voice. But the Tongtian Hierarch now stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes closed, waiting as if he expected Sha Chen to open the main gate. He spoke no more.
Sha Chen gritted his teeth, went to the gate, and said, "Is the one outside the venerable Tongtian Hierarch, the Saint?"
The Tongtian Hierarch opened his eyes and spoke indifferently, "Boy, you’ve grown bold, daring to question me like this?"
However, Sha Chen said, "This junior wouldn’t dare, but ten years ago, Saint Zhenyuanzi caused a disturbance here. I’m still apprehensive, so I must confirm if it’s truly the Saint before daring to invite you in."
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "That old coot Zhenyuanzi wouldn’t dare impersonate me."
From that remark alone, Sha Chen knew the person outside was undoubtedly the Tongtian Hierarch, not an imposter. But to be on the safe side, he still asked, "May I ask the Saint, the first time you came to Flowing Sand River, what of mine did you eat?"
The Tongtian Hierarch replied, "Peaches." He seemed to know Sha Chen was worried about an imposter, so he didn’t waste words and answered directly.
Sha Chen continued, "May I ask the Sect Hierarch, when you passed by this place, you imparted your teachings to this junior. Apart from myself, another person also benefited from your grace. May I ask who that was?"
The Tongtian Hierarch replied, "Tianpeng."
Sha Chen could now be one hundred percent certain that the person outside was indeed the Tongtian Hierarch. And because of this, he was even more troubled.
He said with difficulty, "Please forgive me, Saint, but I am still unable to discern whether you are Zhenyuanzi in disguise. If..."
WHOOSH.
The Tongtian Hierarch now held a sword in his hand—the Qingping Sword. Its appearance shook heaven and earth.
He said calmly, "Zhenyuanzi also has a Qingping Sword? Boy, don’t try to be slippery with me. The Chaos Chicken Cover might have blocked me in my previous state, but it can’t block me when I’m holding the Qingping Sword."
"The only reason I haven’t struck is out of concern for destroying it and wasting your painstaking efforts."
Sha Chen was startled. He wasn’t sure if this was true or not, but he was certain the Tongtian Hierarch was about to get angry. The sword had been drawn.
With an awkward smile, he hurriedly opened the gate of the cave dwelling and went out to meet the visitor. "Please come in, Saint," Sha Chen said. "This junior has just been jumpy and overly cautious, like a startled crane, especially after Saint Zhenyuanzi came bullying. He threw his weight around and picked on the weak, so this junior has to be on guard."
He still decided to let the Tongtian Hierarch in, for there was no stopping him. After all, he didn’t know whether the Hierarch’s wielding of the Qingping Sword truly made him invincible. Besides, there was no feud between them. On the contrary, he actually owed the Tongtian Hierarch quite a few favors. Now he could only bet that the Tongtian Hierarch was a man of honor, one who wouldn’t resort to bullying.
The Tongtian Hierarch sheathed his Qingping Sword, patted Sha Chen on the back of his head, and said, "Got some nerve now, have you? If I hadn’t drawn my sword, you think I couldn’t have come in?"
Sha Chen laughed awkwardly and replied, "With the Saint’s abilities, you can come and go from Flowing Sand River as you please. Who is this junior to have any say in the matter?"
The Tongtian Hierarch gave him a sidelong glance, sat down unceremoniously, and said indifferently, "Are you mocking me?"
Sha Chen broke into a cold sweat and quickly responded, "The Saint is joking. Even if I had the gall of Heaven, I wouldn’t dare mock you, Saint."
The Tongtian Hierarch chuckled. "And yet, you dared refuse to become my disciple."
Why bring that up again? Sha Chen rolled his eyes and simply ignored the comment. Excusing himself, he went to the kitchen to prepare food and drinks for the Saint.
The Tongtian Hierarch watched Sha Chen for a moment, then surveyed the entire Flowing Sand River Cave dwelling with a complicated look in his eyes. He didn’t always keep an eye on Sha Chen, just occasionally sending his divine consciousness to scan this area when the interest struck him. Previously, he had been busy rebuilding the Sect of Interpretation, constantly training disciples and recruiting talent. As a result, he hadn’t paid much attention to Sha Chen. But he hadn’t expected that after so long, when he next wanted to check on Sha Chen’s situation, he would find that the cave dwelling had undergone earth-shattering changes. The entire cave dwelling had become more impregnable and had expanded in size; the Immortal Elixirs cultivated in the ground had multiplied several-fold. There were even more innate Spiritual Roots. Before, Sha Chen’s possession of the peach tree, the osmanthus tree, and the ignorance willow tree was shocking enough, but now there were also the Chinese parasol tree and the ginseng fruit tree!
When he saw the ginseng fruit tree, he was almost dumbfounded. He thought Sha Chen might have raided Wuzhuang Temple; no wonder Zhenyuanzi went after Sha Chen! But after careful calculation, it turned out the ginseng fruit tree was not from Wuzhuang Temple; it was new, and Sha Chen’s ginseng fruit tree was even better and more dominant than the one at Wuzhuang Temple. He considered a possibility: Sha Chen’s ginseng fruit tree was a Tree King, ten times better than the one in Wuzhuang Temple! With this thought, he was somewhat shaken.
Trying to calculate the events surrounding Sha Chen in recent decades, he found he could not. Apart from Sha Chen’s place being shielded by the Deception of Heaven Talisman and the Sky Covering Umbrella, the main reason was that the impending calamity of the Journey to the West was obscuring fate. The secrets of heaven cannot be calculated. Even as a Saint, he could not divine them.
Therefore, the Tongtian Hierarch decided to come in person to Flowing Sand River, partly to relax his tense body from the recent efforts to rebuild the Sect of Interpretation. Although he was a Saint and it appeared as if everything he did was effortless, he actually faced many restrictions. After all, his rebuilding of the Sect of Interpretation conflicted with the interests of other Saints and their various powers. Thus, he faced considerable resistance, mainly from other Saints.
There were many former disciples he had reached out to, sending subtle signals inviting them to return, but all his attempts had failed. It wasn’t that his call was ineffective, but other Saints were secretly sabotaging his efforts. For instance, Zhao Gongming and many others who once belonged to the Sect of Interpretation and now held positions in the Heavenly Court—aside from a willing few—were no longer inclined to return. Although the title of a Saint’s disciple was prestigious, the Sect of Interpretation was no longer as glorious as before. They saw little future in it and naturally were reluctant to return. After all, they had joined the Sect of Interpretation not out of a desire to be subservient, but because the Sect was powerful and offered them backing and resources. Yet when the Sect was attacked from all sides, they scattered like monkeys when the tree falls. To go back to an uncertain future was not something they wished to do. The Tongtian Hierarch had also had a tough time over these decades, constantly wracked with mental and physical exhaustion. Coming here was a rare chance to relax.
Sha Chen soon brought out fine wine and dishes. Then he said, "Saint, please enjoy the wine and food."
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "Your place is quite nice. Sometimes I quite envy you for having such a Xanadu, a place to retreat from the world."
Sha Chen was immediately on alert. Could the Saint have taken a fancy to his cave dwelling?
He hastened to reply, "You jest, Saint. This junior is unaspiring, like mud that can’t be plastered to a wall. But you are the Sect Hierarch, a Saint Tiandao! Countless eyes are upon you, and you must contend for hegemony, fight for karmic luck and faith. How could you possibly live in seclusion?"
The Tongtian Hierarch paused. He had merely been speaking his thoughts aloud; he had no real intention of secluding himself here—that would be impossible. First and foremost, his nature was ill-suited to a life of seclusion. How could he hide away when he desired to compete in everything? Furthermore, as Sha Chen had pointed out, he was a Saint who needed to vie for karmic luck and faith; such idleness would only allow others to surpass him. The path of cultivation is such that without advancement, there is decline. His path was one of becoming a Saint through merits in the Realm of People. He couldn’t achieve that hidden away here, unable to accumulate merit.
However, Sha Chen’s words had rankled him somewhat, and he became inclined to tease Sha Chen. He chuckled and said, "You’re mistaken. I do quite fancy the idea of living in seclusion. What if you set aside a portion of your land here for me? Would you be willing?"
Sha Chen’s face twitched. Of course, that wouldn’t do.
But his face beamed as he said, "Of course, there’s no problem at all, Saint! If you like it, you’re always welcome. There will always be a place for you here."
"Surely if the Saint were to stay, no one would dare to bully this junior anymore, especially that Zhenyuanzi. If he knew the Saint was here, he definitely wouldn’t dare to cause trouble."
