Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 381 - 375: Taking Action Against the Tongtian Hierarch [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
At this moment, the Tongtian Hierarch’s expression was exceptionally serene.
As if all matters failed to stir his heart, the affairs of the world irrelevant to him.
Outside, the three Demon Kings—the Green Lion, Bai Xiang, and Golden Winged Dapeng—were still clamoring, even assaulting the Flowing Sand River, utterly unrestrained. The land within tens of thousands of miles, both heaven and earth, was disturbed by their uproar. The gods dared not approach, and the Buddhists dared not speak. The Mountain Gods and the Earth Gods had all hidden away.
These three Demon Kings were unlike ordinary mortals; having descended to the world as demons, they were unrestrained by anyone. Even if the Jade Emperor himself were to come, they would not show him any respect. The Green Lion and Bai Xiang were somewhat manageable, being the mounts of the two Honorable Buddhists, Manjushri and Samantabhadra, although they sometimes also disregarded discipline. However, if the two Honorable Buddhists were to arrive, they could still subdue them. The Golden Winged Dapeng was different; he respected no one. Should Manjushri and Samantabhadra dare approach, he would even dare to devour them. He would not even respect the Tathagata Buddha, let alone others.
Therefore, those with power inferior to theirs would simply take a detour upon seeing them, not daring to utter a word.
Now, Buddhism was extremely peaceful, with no one stepping forward to stop them. This made many leaders of the Three Realms understand something. The appearance of the three Demon Kings might have some connection to Buddhism, perhaps even being orchestrated by it. At the same time, everyone was quite expectant. The strength of the three Demon Kings was formidable. The power of the Green Lion and Bai Xiang was not less than that of Manjushri and Samantabhadra; they were both at the Pinnacle Daluo level and possessed even more overpowering physical bodies, giving them an edge over the two Honorable Buddhists. They had been subdued as mounts in the past due to a surprise attack by Manjushri and Samantabhadra, with the assistance of Ran Deng Buddha, which led to their defeat. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to subdue the Green Lion and Bai Xiang. As for the Golden Winged Dapeng, his strength was even greater than the other two. Though he was the third among them, his power was perhaps at the level of a Quasi-Saint.
Such powerful individuals, appearing at the Flowing Sand River and clamoring to confront Sha Chen. Everyone had reason to believe this might be Buddhism’s instigation.
Sha Chen looked at the Tongtian Hierarch and said, "Saint, outside, the Green-haired Lion and Six-toothed White Elephant, who were once your disciples, have now come to provoke us. How should this junior proceed?"
The Tongtian Hierarch calmly replied, "They are now with Buddhism, no longer my disciples. What you do is your affair."
Sha Chen nodded and said, "If this junior happens to kill them in the fray, you won’t get angry, will you, Saint?"
The Tongtian Hierarch stopped talking and just continued drinking and eating.
Sha Chen then understood. The Tongtian Hierarch might seem indifferent, but he probably cared deep inside. It was said that the Tongtian Hierarch was extremely protective of his own. Although the Green Lion and Bai Xiang had betrayed their sect to become the mounts of Honorable Buddhists and joined Buddhism, however, they were the ones who had stood up for the Tongtian Hierarch in the past, upholding the face of the Sect of Interpretation. They had dueled with others, were defeated by a surprise attack, and then subdued to become mounts. Their situation was utterly different from that of Tathagata; it was not of their own volition but due to their inferior strength. Subsequently, they were defeated and, to save their lives, had no choice but to surrender. This could be seen as understandable. It was very possible that the Tongtian Hierarch, moved by compassion, did not wish for them to die at Sha Chen’s hands. Sha Chen realized then that the Tongtian Hierarch’s silence was a clear indication he did not want him to slay the Green Lion and Bai Xiang.
Since that was the case, he opted to ignore them.
Outside, the Green Lion, Bai Xiang, and Golden Winged Dapeng continued their provocation with considerable pride and arrogance.
"Sha Chen, you’re a coward! If you’ve got the guts, come out and face the three of us. We won’t bully you; just pick any one of us, and we’ll have a fair duel."
"HAHA! People say you, Sha Chen, have boundless Mana and great Divine Powers. To think you are actually a coward, a shrinking turtle!"
"From now on, the legend of Sha Chen will be shattered, and in its place will rise the three of us brothers! You better hide in the Flowing Sand River and never come out. If you do, upon seeing us three brothers, you better take a detour, or else kneel and wait for us to pass!"
Sha Chen’s face grew somewhat gloomy.
Although he had long ago reached a state where worldly matters did not affect his heart, he wouldn’t easily be swayed or incited by others’ words. But the three Demon Kings were a bit too arrogant; their taunts were clearly directed at him. Obviously, neither they nor any outsiders knew that he had already reached the Quasi-Saint Realm. Their daring to come and provoke surely wasn’t without reason. Sha Chen was very familiar with the Journey to the West. Although the three Demon Kings were loud and brazen, the Green Lion and Bai Xiang were not mindless. They probably knew their strength was evenly matched with Yang Jian, whom they had recently encountered. Aware that Sha Chen had also fought Yang Jian to a draw, their daring to still come and stir trouble meant they were definitely instigated by someone. Furthermore, if they weren’t being instigated, they wouldn’t be so brazen and arrogant as to reveal their identities and issue a challenge. After all, they had already joined Buddhism and become the mounts of Manjushri and Samantabhadra. Even when descending to the mortal realm as demons, as part of the cause and effect of the Journey to the West, they could not be so high-profile. Otherwise, if someone reported their actions to Buddhism, prompting the two Honorable Buddhists to subdue them, they would likely have to return obediently. But they were not afraid. They were not at all worried about their identities being exposed, nor were they concerned that Manjushri and Samantabhadra would call them back. Sha Chen was utterly convinced they had come prepared.
Sha Chen furrowed his brows. His Divine Consciousness swept out, while his Six Ears of All Heavens also listened to the myriad worlds. The rustle of wind and the stirring of grass within a million miles around the Flowing Sand River were as clear to him as the back of his hand; he could even distinctly hear the heartbeats of the Celestial Soldiers and Generals at the Ninth Heaven Southern Heaven Gate. Looking out with his Illusion-Breaking Divine Eye, he could clearly see people in an inn a million miles away rehearsing a script—he could even make out the words "human collision" written on it. His divine eyes and ears were so extraordinary precisely because his Primordial Spirit had grown increasingly strong, making his Great Divine Powers even more profound.
After his repeated and thorough inspections, although many immortals, buddhas, demons, and devils were paying attention to the events here, there was no actual threat. At least, none that could threaten his safety. The most formidable were the three Great Demon Kings, particularly the Golden Winged Dapeng, whose strength should be at the Intitial Quasi-sage Level.
Sha Chen did not wish to confront him because the Golden Winged Dapeng’s strength was not beneath his own. His physical body was also strong, and he was extremely fast. If Dapeng took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and enter the cave dwelling, even if Sha Chen could eventually defeat him, the interior would certainly be turned into a mess, or even flattened. For this reason, it would be a loss not worth the gain.
Sha Chen hesitated for a moment and did not open the protective arrays of his dwelling.
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "You seem to be worried about being inferior."
Sha Chen said, "It is said that the Golden Winged Dapeng is a descendant of Yuanfeng. He was also a renowned figure in ancient times, with strength that could pierce the heavens and shake the earth, a Quasi-Saint. It’s normal for me to worry about being inferior to him, isn’t it?"
The Tongtian Hierarch chuckled. "He’s just a leaping clown. If his ancestor, the Great Sun Jin Peng, were around, now *he* would be a true hero. But this one is nothing more than a canary kept at Lingjiu Mountain."
Sha Chen secretly stuck out his tongue. A big shot was indeed different; even their tone of speech was distinct. In the Journey to the West, the Golden Winged Dapeng was the only demon who, without relying on any Magical Tools, could leave Sun Wukong helpless and completely overwhelm him in all aspects. Even later, the Buffalo, when fighting Sun Wukong in single combat, only managed to fight to a draw, relying on Magical Tools for victory.
The Tongtian Hierarch said indifferently, "Your physical body must already be a Primeval Chaos Law Body, right? Come, punch me."
Sha Chen was stunned and said with dismay, "Saint, please don’t joke. How could a junior like me dare?"
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "Enough nonsense. When I tell you to punch, you punch."
Sha Chen frowned. He didn’t understand, but suddenly a chilling sensation washed over him, as if he were facing a life-or-death crisis. He was horrified as if facing death itself, profoundly shocked, and inexplicably terrified. He felt as though the Tongtian Hierarch had become a different person, seemingly intent on taking his life. That feeling of impending doom, of his life being claimed, drove him to despair.
In this life-or-death moment, he could no longer care about anything else. Facing the Tongtian Hierarch, he didn’t hesitate and immediately threw a punch with all his might. His immense Divine Power burst forth. The Divine Power within his major acupoints—thunder, flames, Gang Winds, sandstorms, and even a hint of spatial power—all converged on his fist, instantly exploding. The power was, as expected, boundless and terrifying.
Sha Chen found it hard to believe. Was his fist really that powerful? And this was without even considering Mana or other Great Divine Powers. Yet, it was already so powerful that it shocked him profoundly.
BOOM!
The Tongtian Hierarch smiled faintly and casually slapped out a palm, directly catching his punch. All of Sha Chen’s power was neutralized in that instant, and the chilling pressure he had felt also vanished without a trace. He was terrified, staggering back, drenched in cold sweat, his hair standing on end, feeling as if needles were pricking his back.
His mouth dry, he stammered, "Saint, just now... just now... this junior was offensive."
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "This power of yours is indeed that of a Primeval Chaos Law Body. It’s just a pity you lack a specialized Body Refining Decision. You’ve advanced by relying on fortuitous encounters, and it looks like you’ve hit your limit here."
Sha Chen hesitated, on the verge of speaking. In fact, he did possess Body Refining Decisions. The True Dragon Body Breaking Technique and the Yuanfeng True Secret he had acquired previously were both specialized Body Refining Decisions. However, those were too unique. While he possessed the Essence Blood of a True Dragon and a Yuanfeng, allowing him to practice them, he lacked the inherent advantages that a True Dragon or Yuanfeng would have. He could cultivate them, but the effects were suboptimal. Now, he had the Celestial Shen Sha Physique Refining Decision, a Body Refining Decision that could allow him to achieve astonishing results and walk the path of an Ancestral Witch. Of course, Sha Chen would not share this secret.
The Tongtian Hierarch said, "I will keep an eye out for you later and see if I can find a Body Refining Decision suitable for your current stage."
Sha Chen said gratefully, "Thank you, Saint. If possible, it would be best if it could be exchanged for resources."
The Tongtian Hierarch tapped his forehead and said, "Don’t be such a miser. The foundation of cultivation is the cultivation method; resources are external aids. If you run out of resources but possess a cultivation method, you can still progress through diligent cultivation. Otherwise, no matter how abundant your resources, you won’t be able to advance effectively."
Sha Chen didn’t dare to speak further. You’re a Saint, so whatever you say is right.
Outside, the three Great Demon Kings continued to curse loudly, brimming with pride and arrogance.
The Tongtian Hierarch said indifferently, "Your physical body is more formidable than that canary outside; you don’t need to fear him."
Sha Chen said, "Saint, do you want this junior to confront the Golden Winged Dapeng? But... this junior doesn’t wish to stir up trouble."
