Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 397 - 391: As Bright As Day [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
The Jinghe Dragon King ground his teeth and said, "Damn it, how could the people of Buddhism show up too?"
Ao Lie said angrily, "This is too much, too much indeed! Has Buddhism started to bully our Dragon Clan too?"
Dragon Girl snorted. "It was fortunate that I turned down Guanyin when she came to take me as a disciple."
All three of them were from the Dragon Clan, and naturally, they were furious at Buddhism’s interference.
Sha Chen replied indifferently, "As I’ve mentioned before, Buddhism needs the Journey to the West to respond to the Journey to the West calamity, so they naturally have to make preparations in advance. And the Dragon Clan has always been a part of the Journey to the West calamity."
With his understanding of the Journey to the West, the Dragon Clan was entwined throughout the entire Journey to the West calamity. Whether it was the Jinghe Dragon King being beheaded at the onset, or later Ao Lie being appointed as Guangli Bodhisattva of the Eight Divisions to end the ordeal—all were related to the Dragon Clan. Not to mention, there were many other incidents involving the Dragon Clan. At least one-tenth of the eighty-one tribulations were related to the Dragon Clan! Their high-frequency involvement wasn’t voluntary. The Dragon Clan was simply being targeted. This wasn’t unjustifiable, considering the Dragon Clan used to be too powerful and still had the potential to regain its power. Getting the Dragon Clan under control in advance was the right approach for any powerful force.
Although Jinghe Dragon King was furious, he was more fearful and anxious, saying, "Now that Buddhism has also joined in, what should we do? Is there really no hope left!?"
He was truly frightened. After all, Buddhism had risen rapidly since the Divine Enthronement and possessed two Saints, making its power overwhelmingly strong. The Dragon Clan could provoke the Heavenly Court, but not Buddhism.
Now, with Buddhism and the Heavenly Court joining forces to deal with Jinghe Dragon Palace, Jinghe Dragon King felt a sense of despair.
He despaired, "How could this happen? If Buddhism gets involved too, we’re doomed."
But Ao Lie said, "Uncle, don’t worry. So what if it’s Buddhism? If it comes to it, we’ll fight them."
Dragon Girl retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about? What right do you have to fight Buddhism? Not to mention the countless experts in Buddhism, you can’t even defeat the Fuhu Arhat at Jinghe Dragon Palace. Furthermore, it’s highly likely someone stronger from Buddhism is behind Fuhu Arhat and hasn’t fully shown themselves. It’s possible they’re already here but undetected."
Sha Chen rarely nodded in agreement, praising, "Mengmeng is right this time. The person behind Fuhu Arhat should be Maitreya Buddha, and they might have joined forces with Ran Deng. Nearly half of Lingjiu Mountain standing united in hostility against us is not good news. However, the presence of Fuhu Arhat at Jinghe Dragon Palace doesn’t necessarily mean a stronger person is lying in wait, as it would be excessive to deal with merely a Jinghe Dragon King."
Despite feeling belittled, Jinghe Dragon King thought Sha Chen was making sense. If figures like Maitreya Buddha were to appear against him, he wouldn’t even have a chance to flee to this place.
Sha Chen said, "I’ve done some calculations, and there indeed are no stronger beings in Jinghe Dragon Palace. However, just the Eight Immortals and the Eighteen Arhats are troublesome enough."
He continued, "Fortunately, Xianglong is not here. Given the strength of those currently arrayed against us, Golden Winged Dapeng should easily win. But after that, Dapeng will be in a lot of trouble."
Sha Chen was quite troubled, as he hoped to use his identity as Golden Winged Dapeng in the future to take advantage of Buddhism. This exposure meant that Golden Winged Dapeng openly opposed Buddhism, likely making them vigilant and making the world realize that Golden Winged Dapeng was no longer aligned with Buddhism. Moreover, people from Buddhism might very well conspire against or even attempt to subdue Golden Winged Dapeng, with a high possibility of Tathagata personally intervening. If that were the case, it would be very unfortunate. With Tathagata personally intervening, things would seem very ominous.
Jinghe Dragon King became even more anxious. He felt slightly safer with Sha Chen, while his Jinghe Dragon Palace was being targeted by both Buddhism and the Heavenly Court. Even if they survived this time, the next time might be even more dangerous. Jinghe Dragon King was troubled and fearful.
Sha Chen glanced at him and chuckled, "Dragon King, are you afraid?"
Jinghe Dragon King replied bitterly, "Who wouldn’t be afraid when targeted by both Buddhism and the Heavenly Court?"
Ao Lie said, "Eh, Uncle, you’re mistaken. Brother is also targeted by both Buddhism and the Heavenly Court, but he doesn’t fear them at all. He keeps opposing them and still roams free—no, he’s above the law—no, that’s not right, he’s the one that got away..."
Sha Chen smacked him on the head. "If you can’t speak properly, then keep quiet."
Dragon Girl also glared at Ao Lie, quite annoyed and even tempted to hit him.
Sha Chen said, "As for the matters of the Dragon Palace, rest assured for now. Golden Winged Dapeng should be able to handle it. As for future matters, we will discuss them later."
He added, "If things escalate this time, neither the Heavenly Court nor Buddhism would dare to act rashly. After all, the Jade Emperor hasn’t been on the throne for long; if his subordinates commit so many outrageous acts, it wouldn’t reflect well on him. As for Buddhism, if they overtly meddle too much in affairs beyond their sphere, many would oppose them." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Jinghe Dragon King’s eyes lit up as he thought of the Chan Sect and the Sect of Interpretation.
Then he probed, "River Lord, I heard you have a significant relationship with the Sect of Interpretation. Empress San Xiao once made a scene at Wuzhuang Temple for you. Are you truly a high disciple of Tongtian Hierarch?"
Sha Chen furrowed his brows and said, "No, don’t talk nonsense. Also, how do you know about Empress San Xiao battling at Wuzhuang Temple? And you say it was for me?"
The Jinghe Dragon King said, "When Empress San Xiao besieged Zhenyuanzi, she openly declared it was to stand up for you."
Sha Chen felt a headache coming on. He never expected that San Xiao would already have been exposed. He couldn’t even quietly develop in peace now. But then again, it might be a good thing that San Xiao was exposed. It was probably their exposure that had saved him much trouble.
Sha Chen hesitated for a moment before deciding to explain, "Actually, although I have a deep relationship with San Xiao—they even regard me as a sworn older brother—the most they can do is prevent those top powerhouses from messing with me. That alone doesn’t guarantee my safety. One must become strong to live in peace and not be provoked by others. Only when you become powerful will others not dare to bully you."
Jinghe Dragon King, Ao Lie, and Dragon Girl all nodded in agreement, finding Sha Chen’s words very sensible.
They had a deep understanding: their Dragon Clan identity didn’t grant them any great glory, but rather brought many constraints. If they grew stronger themselves, others would not dare to gossip or bully them. Otherwise, no matter how much one relied on others, there would still be situations where their supporters fell. The saying goes, "Mountains you rely on may collapse, and people you rely on may leave"—this was exactly the idea. One must become strong enough to command respect and deter contempt from others. Sha Chen’s words were unpolished but held profound truth; indeed, they needed to become powerful.
Ao Lie said, "Brother, we must grow stronger; we must become mightier than we are now. In the future, I will be the protector of the Dragon Clan."
Dragon Girl snorted, "You might as well save your breath. I will be the one to protect the Dragon Clan."
The two looked set to start arguing.
The Jinghe Dragon King, however, replied with a wry smile, "In the future, the Dragon Clan will have to rely on you two; I’m no longer capable."
Sha Chen chuckled, "Why so self-deprecating, Dragon King? You’ve just broken through to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm and are at the zenith of your power. Becoming even stronger is only a matter of time."
Jinghe Dragon King said, "There’s no need for such undeserved praise, River Lord. I’m well aware of my own limited capabilities. Without your ginseng fruit wine and Peaches of Immortality, I would never have had the chance to step into the Da Luo realm in this lifetime. Now that I have entered the Da Luo realm, the most I can achieve is the high-stage of Da Luo; I dare not dream of anything beyond that."
He shook his head and smiled bitterly. "I lack the talent, the destiny, and the opportunities."
Sha Chen then said, "Dragon King, you said you’d dedicate your life to me. Your terrestrial water network is vast beyond compare, and I’ll need you to campaign across the lands for me, gathering resources. If you continue to belittle yourself, you’re not fit to dedicate your life to me."
Jinghe Dragon King was taken aback. For a moment his blood boiled with fervor, but then his spirit deflated. "River Lord, it’s not that I’m belittling myself, but I genuinely lack the talent and the destiny. All my opportunities have been exhausted."
Ao Lie and Dragon Girl remained silent; they knew that Jinghe Dragon King wasn’t being unduly modest but was indeed speaking the truth.
Sha Chen, however, was unconcerned and said, "I have already altered your talent once; altering it further won’t be a problem. Even if you can’t become a Quasi-Saint, I can still help you gain the talent to reach Pinnacle Daluo. As for your so-called destiny, that’s hardly worth mentioning. Now that you’ve met me, consider your destiny altered."
He continued, "As for opportunities, I will provide them. You must have lost your Dragon Clan’s core Cultivation Method, haven’t you?"
Jinghe Dragon King said, "Indeed, the Dragon Clan’s core Cultivation Technique has long been lost. Even I possess only a small portion of it, which is how I’ve achieved what I have today."
Upon saying this, he sighed endlessly.
Ao Lie and Dragon Girl, on the other hand, had their eyes light up, their breathing growing heavier.
Sha Chen said, "Ao Lie, tell him."
Ao Lie immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Uncle, Brother has already found our Dragon Clan’s core Cultivation Technique, the True Dragon Body Forging Technique! Not only have my sister and I practiced it, but we’ve also sent it back to our clan."
Then he added, puzzled, "Didn’t Father tell you?"
Jinghe Dragon King was overjoyed and astonished. "Really? You’ve truly found the complete True Dragon Body Forging Technique?"
He then cursed, "No, your father has been avoiding me. How would he tell me about the True Dragon Body Forging Technique?"
Ao Lie’s face reddened, unsure of what to do.
Sha Chen just smiled to himself; he knew why the West Sea Dragon King hadn’t informed Jinghe Dragon King about the True Dragon Body Forging Technique. It was likely that the West Sea Dragon King knew the Jade Emperor was plotting against Jinghe Dragon King and, fearing a leak of the technique, chose to remain silent. Moreover, the Dragon Clan tended to operate independently, each member valuing their own treasures and, as the saying goes, "sweeping the snow only from their own doorstep." When one family acquired a precious item, they would rather keep it hidden, unknown to others. Relations among the Four Seas Dragon Kings were one thing, but even with their more distant kin within the Dragon Clan, they tended to hoard and conceal. It wasn’t just them; every race in the Realm of People had similar practices. Even blood brothers would keep secrets from one another, hiding and concealing what they had.
