Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 419 - 413: Asking Yang Jian to Make a Move Again [Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets Requested]_1

Chapter 419: Chapter 413: Asking Yang Jian to Make a Move Again [Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets Requested]_1

The immortals all turned their gaze towards the person who had spoken. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He was no stranger but the renowned Wen Quxing.

As the immortals looked on, the Jade Emperor also furrowed his brow and said, "Minister Xu, how do you view this matter?"

Wen Quxing replied, "Your Majesty, Sha Chen’s arrogance and disrespect are indeed unforgivable offenses. However, if word gets out that we directly impose a sentence for refusing a reward, it will make the Heavenly Court look weak."

He continued, "What’s more, Sha Chen’s remarks have already revealed his heart. He has lost faith in the Heavenly Court and, even more so, has become disloyal and distant from Your Majesty."

The immortals all nodded in agreement.

The Jade Emperor himself couldn’t help but sigh. He knew that Sha Chen was disloyal to him and could not be won over. In any case, the policy of appeasement had been a complete failure.

Wen Quxing went on, "Since he has become disloyal and distant, Sha Chen is no longer of use to us. Unless we resort to force. But, since no one in our Heavenly Court can breach Flowing Sand River, we can’t even pose a threat to him."

The Fire Virtue Star Lord Luo Xuan stepped out and said, "Minister Xu, with all due respect, I believe you’re mistaken. The Mysterious Altar Department has reported that Sha Chen is connected with numerous demons, many of whom are powerful and make offerings to him. If we cut off his supply of offerings, it will hinder his cultivation and certainly pose a threat to him."

Among the immortals, one person’s expression remained calm and unremarkable. But now, his heart trembled and his eyes flickered. He was none other than Kui Mulang, the leader of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, who had already returned from the mortal realm.

Apart from him, another person in the Lingxiao Palace also had flickering eyes and an uneasy demeanor—the newly ascended Jinghe Dragon King.

After Luo Xuan, the Fire Virtue Star Lord, made his statement, he looked around at the immortals present with a meaningful glance.

He scoffed, "Sha Chen was never a good person. Colluding with demons, his crimes are too numerous to list. I disagreed when the Heavenly Court wanted to reward him. Now is the perfect time to settle scores, and it would be with just cause."

Many gods nodded their heads, finding this reasonable. However, some shook their heads, feeling that it was too hasty.

Wen Quxing smiled and said, "Star Lord Luo has a point, but that’s not how this should be handled. Sha Chen could simply deny any collusion with those demons, and we would have no grounds to convict him."

Luo Xuan then said, "But Minister Xu, surely you know that when the Heavenly Court speaks, the world believes us, not Sha Chen!?"

The immortals’ expressions turned solemn for a moment, then they smiled and nodded.

Wen Quxing furrowed his brows, seeming to want to speak but stopped himself, then shook his head and flicked his sleeves. He cursed, "The foolish cannot be taught."

Luo Xuan was quite pleased with himself, ready to rally the immortals to pressure the Jade Emperor into declaring war on Sha Chen.

At that moment, the Jade Emperor himself said, "My ministers, please calm yourselves and let Minister Xu finish his statement."

Wen Quxing then spoke, "Sha Chen’s actions, while perhaps understandable from his perspective, have certainly caused the Heavenly Court to lose face. Moreover, it shows that he no longer trusts the Heavenly Court and is of no more use to us. In that case, why not send him to Buddhism as a favor to them?"

The immortals became angry.

"What kind of talk is that? Sending him to Buddhism? Wouldn’t that make us a laughingstock?"

"Absolutely not! We must make Sha Chen pay."

"We were able to suppress Sun Wukong before, so what’s suppressing a mere Great General for Folding the Curtain in comparison?"

The immortals argued incessantly, each standing their ground.

The Jade Emperor’s gaze flickered; he already had a plan.

As Wen Quxing said, Sha Chen truly is a difficult person to deal with, and I currently lack the confidence to completely subdue him. But to simply hand him over to Buddhism? I’m not willing to do that either. However, completely subduing him also seems unrealistic right now. This puts me in a difficult position; I’m unsure what to do. And I also understand now that conciliation is no longer an option with Sha Chen. His heart has changed; kindness will only make him more avaricious. Only by taking a hard line, by suppressing him and instilling fear, will he submit.

At that moment, the Jade Emperor decided to use the same method against Sha Chen as he had against Sun Wukong: to completely suppress him so that he would never rise again.

If that still fails, I can push Sha Chen toward Buddhism, thereby doing them a favor. Then, even if Sha Chen can’t become a spy for the Heavenly Court, we can leverage this connection to extract more benefits from Buddhism. In any case, it’s a no-lose situation. However, how can I forcefully suppress Sha Chen? How can I ensure he never rises again? That is the crucial question!

After the Jade Emperor made his decision, he hinted at it to the immortals several times. Understanding his intentions, they stopped arguing. Instead, they sought ways to suppress Sha Chen.

Li Changgeng kept his head down and said no more, knowing it was futile and that he lacked the ability to deal with Sha Chen.

The immortals discussed this at length, unsure who could be summoned to handle Sha Chen.

At last, it was the Fire Virtue Star Lord Luo Xuan who stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we can certainly send Zhao Xuantan to deal with Sha Chen. With his formidable strength, breaching Flowing Sand River and capturing Sha Chen should be a simple task."

Zhao Gongming was not present, but several of his trusted subordinates were. Upon hearing this, all eyes turned to the four great Divine Officials of the Mysterious Altar Department.

Xiao Sheng, leader of the four Divine Officials, saw that attention had shifted to Zhao Gongming. He stepped forward, cupped his fist, and said, "Lord Zhao Xuantan has already considered this matter. Dealing with Sha Chen isn’t difficult; the challenge lies in breaching the Flowing Sand River Cave."

He continued, "Lord Zhao also stated that if someone can breach the Flowing Sand River Cave, he himself, Zhao Tianjun, will personally apprehend Sha Chen and present him to Your Majesty."

The immortals were once again bewildered, exchanging glances. That was as good as saying nothing at all. Everyone knew the most difficult aspect of the Flowing Sand River was its impregnable defense; if they could breach the cave, they would have stormed in long ago.

Nevertheless, Xiao Sheng’s guarantee relieved the immortals somewhat. After all, Sha Chen was no simple adversary; even if they could get in, there was no guarantee anyone could defeat him. Xiao Sheng’s assurance that Zhao Gongming would take action eased their minds somewhat. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to be the vanguard.

The Jade Emperor asked, "In that case, do any of you have a method to break the Flowing Sand River Cave?"

The immortals shook their heads, utterly at a loss.

The Jade Emperor roared in fury, "Useless, all of you! In the entire Heavenly Court, you are supposed to be the elite, Divine Officials of outstanding ability, yet not one of you can breach the Flowing Sand River Cave?!"

The Fire Virtue Star Lord Luo Xuan spoke again, "Your Majesty, the Flowing Sand River Cave is indeed impregnable, but it’s not true that no one has ever breached it. It’s rumored that over a hundred years ago, Yang Jian nearly split the Flowing Sand River Cave open with the Seal of Fanning the sky, forcing Sha Chen out to fight."

His eyes sparkled as he continued, "Although Sha Chen’s cave is stronger now, Yang Jian has also grown more powerful. If we can persuade him to use the Seal of Fanning the sky again, perhaps he could smash that cave dwelling to smithereens."

The immortals looked at each other before nodding in agreement, one after another.

Even the Jade Emperor furrowed his brows, seemingly contemplating the feasibility of this plan.

But there were those who scoffed.

Wen Quxing, playing the contrarian, said, "Lord Luo seems to have forgotten that Yang Jian has rebelled. He’s no longer part of the Heavenly Court; he even opposes us, and we still haven’t found a way to deal with him."

Luo Xuan retorted, "Unable to deal with Yang Jian? Laughable. Our Heavenly Court is brimming with talent; there are ways to handle a mere Yang Jian. It’s merely a question of whether we truly want to deal with him decisively."

Then he glanced meaningfully at the Jade Emperor before adding directly, "Yang Jian is still useful, especially given his experience dealing with Sha Chen. If we could get him to act again, our chances of success would be significantly higher."