Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 401 - 395: A Group of Immortals Want to Break the Flowing Sand River [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1
Emperor Zhenwu drew the Sword of Exorcising Evil, tossing it to Wang Lingguan.
Wang Lingguan’s eyes blazed as he held the renowned Sword of Exorcising Evil.
Rumor had it that the Sword of Exorcising Evil could split mountains, part seas, rend the heavens, and cleave the earth; it was omnipotent. He had never expected to see it with his own eyes today.
Moreover, he was the one to wield it!
All the immortals watched Wang Lingguan. He, not one to shirk responsibility, lifted the sword, ready to cleave the Flowing Sand River apart.
At that moment, Iron Crutch Li of the Eight Immortals stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Emperor Zhenwu, Sha Chen was, after all, an exiled general of the Heavenly Court, one of our own. He is not guilty of any crime this time. To destroy his cave dwelling without first attempting to reason with him is, ultimately, not a wise course of action."
The immortals looked at each other, and some soon nodded in agreement.
Yet there were also those who were indifferent.
Emperor Zhenwu said, "Punishing without teaching? I sent someone to knock on his door, and he didn’t come out. That means he doesn’t take me seriously, which is tantamount to refusing to be taught. If I destroy his cave dwelling, what can he possibly do to me?"
As he spoke, his domineering presence was unmatched.
The immortals were left speechless.
Iron Crutch Li, along with Zhang Guolao and others, could only shake their heads helplessly. Emperor Zhenwu’s power reached the heavens and penetrated the earth; he was a Quasi-Saint and the one leading this action. They truly could not persuade him otherwise.
They simply felt that this approach was not good.
Lv Dongbin said, "Your Majesty Zhenwu, Sha Chen is, after all, a general demoted by His Majesty the Jade Emperor. Furthermore, His Majesty the Jade Emperor has sought several times to reward him and grant him an official title, all of which he has declined. In the Heavenly Court, he has already earned a fine reputation. If we rashly destroy his cave dwelling, I fear it will reflect poorly on us and might invite criticism."
Wang Lingguan’s gaze flickered; he was a man of the Jade Emperor and had come here on a secret mission to urge Emperor Zhenwu to forcefully deal with Sha Chen.
By exacerbating the tension between Emperor Zhenwu and Sha Chen, the Jade Emperor could then mediate, thus compelling Sha Chen to wholeheartedly submit and pledge complete allegiance to the Jade Emperor.
Of course, in that case, Emperor Zhenwu and Sha Chen would become irreconcilable enemies, locked in a struggle to the death.
But what did that matter to the Jade Emperor!?
Wang Lingguan then said, "Sha Chen refused the rewards from His Majesty the Jade Emperor, showing his lack of appreciation. This time, we are pursuing fugitives, and his lack of cooperation raises suspicion that he is harboring them. We cannot let him off easily."
Lv Dongbin countered, "We all know the truth about whether the Jinghe Dragon King is a criminal. And whether Sha Chen is harboring him is mere speculation. To assign guilt so bluntly is rather improper, wouldn’t you agree?"
Wang Lingguan retorted, "Lord Dou Rong, the Wu Qu Xing, once said he saw with his own eyes the Jinghe Dragon King arrive at the borders of the Flowing Sand River. The local Mountain God and Earth God also stated that the Jinghe Dragon King vanished upon reaching this place. If Sha Chen isn’t sheltering him, then where else could he be?"
Lv Dongbin had no words to counter.
But he still felt that this operation was far too excessive.
He had participated in the ambush against the Golden Winged Dapeng, yet the Wu Qu Xing had still been killed, which filled him with simmering anger.
However, as one of those who had wrongfully accused the Jinghe Dragon King, he knew just how grievous that injustice truly was.
The Wu Qu Xing had occupied his Dragon Palace cave dwelling and imprisoned his wife and children. Regardless of whether the Golden Winged Dapeng was associated with the Jinghe Dragon King, even if there was a connection, any retaliation would have been justified.
After all, the Wu Qu Xing had committed atrocities first, imprisoning another’s wife and children! Was he not even to allow them to seek revenge!?
Or were they saying that just because the Jinghe Dragon King hadn’t died (while the Wu Qu Xing had), he was therefore guilty!?
Moreover, they didn’t even know if the Golden Winged Dapeng had any connection to the Jinghe Dragon King; in fact, they believed there was no connection at all.
After all, the Golden Winged Dapeng harbored resentment toward the Dragon Clan. Historically, the Dapeng and Dragon Clans were mortal enemies, constantly slaughtering and attacking one another.
To claim that the Golden Winged Dapeng was connected to the Jinghe Dragon King and acting on his behalf was more outrageous than a baseless accusation; it was tantamount to calling a deer a horse.
But still, despite knowing it was unlikely and feeling that their side was being unreasonable, Lv Dongbin found it difficult to voice any opposition.
After all, the Jade Emperor had ordered the capture and interrogation of the Jinghe Dragon King.
And Emperor Zhenwu had personally taken action because he happened to be free and because he was the esteemed mentor of Dou Rong, the Wu Qu Xing—who had also been one of Emperor Zhenwu’s capable generals in the Heavenly Court.
Dou Rong’s death had left Emperor Zhenwu heartbroken and furious.
Since Emperor Zhenwu couldn’t defeat the Golden Winged Dapeng or catch him, he could only vent his anger on the Jinghe Dragon King.
Of course, he (Emperor Zhenwu) had an intuition that the Golden Winged Dapeng was somehow related to the Jinghe Dragon King. Albeit a rather inexplicable feeling, he trusted his gut. That was why he had insisted on coming here.
Of course, he also knew that Dou Rong, the Wu Qu Xing, had indeed acted excessively before, but he was well aware that it had been at the Jade Emperor’s command.
It wasn’t that the Wu Qu Xing truly wanted to commit such heinous acts. In other words, Emperor Zhenwu felt that the Wu Qu Xing’s transgressions didn’t warrant death. However, because the Wu Qu Xing had died due to the affair involving the Jinghe Dragon King, he (Emperor Zhenwu) felt compelled to step in.
In essence, the situation was akin to this: the Wu Qu Xing had murdered families, extorted people, and bullied men and women. Then, a survivor managed to escape. While the Wu Qu Xing lay in wait for this survivor, he was killed by a righteous intervener. Subsequently, Emperor Zhenwu, unable to defeat this righteous person, could only redirect his anger and blame toward the escaped survivor.
If that survivor hadn’t escaped, how would the Wu Qu Xing have gotten into trouble? If the survivor had been dealt with quickly, the Wu Qu Xing could have departed, and naturally, there would have been no further issue. Ultimately, it was the fault of that escapee, the Jinghe Dragon King. That was why Emperor Zhenwu had come to make trouble for the Jinghe Dragon King.
If it could truly be confirmed that the Jinghe Dragon King was in cahoots with the Golden Winged Dapeng, that would be perfect; he would avoid any infamy.
The spirits of the immortals were actually somewhat deflated, as they all knew their current expedition lacked a just cause. Lacking a just cause naturally meant their morale was low and their confidence was weak.
The Eight Immortals all lacked enthusiasm. Iron Crutch Li, Zhang Guolao, and Lv Dongbin had all tried to dissuade Emperor Zhenwu, but their pleas were rejected. They had no rebuttal and dared not leave, yet staying felt deeply uncomfortable.
As for Wang Lingguan, he glanced at Emperor Zhenwu, received a nod of approval, and then, Sword of Exorcising Evil in hand, advanced to a position above the Flowing Sand River.
With a wave of his hand, the Flowing Sand River parted, revealing the Black Tortoise Cave. Just then, the Black Tortoise Cave appeared—dark as a primeval behemoth, lying prostrate in the mud, a daunting sight.
Looking at it again, Wang Lingguan felt a sense of his own insignificance.
At the same time, apprehension gnawed at him: Zhenyuanzi himself had failed to breach the Flowing Sand River Cave; could *he* possibly succeed?
Even with the renowned Sword of Exorcising Evil in his hand, he feared it might still be in vain!
But Emperor Zhenwu was brimming with confidence, and the Sword of Exorcising Evil indeed had a renowned reputation for being able to crush metal, shatter jade, and break through anything.
He felt it was worth a try.
However, Wang Lingguan was also worried. His strength was no longer a match for Sha Chen. If this provoked Sha Chen into emerging and going on a killing spree...
...he would be the first target, likely unable to dodge in time, and could very well lose his life. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
After hesitating a moment, he decided to make his move.
After all, Emperor Zhenwu was present, his strength extraordinary. If Sha Chen truly burst out of the cave dwelling, his (Sha Chen’s) attack would surely be swift. He (Wang Lingguan) just needed to dodge in time.
Then Emperor Zhenwu would naturally deal with Sha Chen, and he himself would be safe.
With this thought, Wang Lingguan made his move.
With a SWISH, he drew the Sword of Exorcising Evil.
WHOOSH.
A divine light descended from the sky, enveloping Wang Lingguan, and the Sword of Exorcising Evil shone with a dazzling radiance.
He turned his head, looking back at Emperor Zhenwu.
Emperor Zhenwu said indifferently, "The Sword of Exorcising Evil summons auspicious signs from heaven and borrows celestial power. Nothing can withstand it."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lingguan was overjoyed.
As expected of the Sword of Exorcising Evil! To be able to borrow celestial power... indeed, nothing could withstand it!
His confidence bolstered, he focused his entire being, infusing both his Mana and Primordial Spirit into the sword, instantly amplifying its power tremendously.
SWISH.
Wang Lingguan made a direct downward slash, instantly producing a magnificent sword light.
The immortals who witnessed this gasped, their eyes wide with shock.
Even Lv Dongbin, renowned for his Swordsmanship, was stunned and felt a pang of envy.
If his Pure Yang Sword were as powerful as the Sword of Exorcising Evil, his own strength would be even greater!
The brilliant light of the sword struck the cave dwelling, but it failed to break it open. In fact, it didn’t even manage to make the cave dwelling tremble.
Myriad golden lotuses bloomed into existence only to instantly vanish.
Wang Lingguan was stunned. With his sword strike having failed, he was momentarily at a loss for what to do.
He turned back, intending to look at Emperor Zhenwu.
But the sword flew from his grasp and into the hand of Emperor Zhenwu, who had already risen to stand proudly atop the Dragon Chariot.
With the divine sword in hand, he made a downward slash.
The immortals exclaimed in admiration.
This slash was more than ten times more powerful than Wang Lingguan’s. It was as if it could cleave the very heavens. Breaking open the Flowing Sand River Cave with it, they presumed, would not be an issue.
The immortals looked and saw the Flowing Sand River Cave shudder, the earth cracked, and the Flowing Sand River was slow to heal.
But the Flowing Sand River Cave remained utterly unmoved, without a single scratch.
HISS!
The immortals gasped again, astounded by the sturdiness of the Flowing Sand River Cave. It was truly unbreakable.
