Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 429 - 423: Sky Shielding Talisman 【Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets】_1

Chapter 429: Chapter 423: Sky Shielding Talisman 【Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets】_1

"Congratulations on your cultivation breakthrough, you have the following choices."

"Choice one: Cultivate without delay to make a name for yourself, and receive as a reward the [Sword of Immortality Quad-set]. Sword of Immortality Quad-set: The Sect of Interpretation’s Tongtian Hierarch’s top four innate divine swords, forming the four cornerstone swords of the Sword Array of Immortality, possessing boundless power, all of which were already damaged at the time of Divine Enthronement."

"Choice two: Although your cultivation has broken through, you’re still quite weak. Continue to cultivate and receive as a reward the [Sky-covering Talisman]. Sky Shielding Talisman: A talisman generated between heaven and earth, capable of shielding against the probing of the Heavenly Dao, blocking the spying of yin and yang, reversing the yin and yang of heaven and earth, and even Saints are unable to calculate and spy on it."

Sha Chen looked at the options, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.

Naturally skipping the Sword of Immortality Quad-set, his gaze settled on the Sky Shielding Talisman, and his eyes went wide. To shield against the probing of heaven, to block the spying of yin and yang. A talisman so defiant of heaven was simply a must-have for someone like him, a die-hard old-timer of the cultivation world. With it would come the perfect completion of his abode. In the future, not even Saints would know what happened here. Previously, even with the Deception of Heaven Talisman, Sha Chen found it hard to shield against the scrutiny of Saints, but now with the Sky Shielding Talisman, even Saints would be oblivious to whatever transpired within Flowing Sand River. It wasn’t just the confines of the abode, but the entire range of Flowing Sand River that was beyond scrutiny. Entering the Flowing Sand River would be like stepping into a place hidden from the gaze of heaven.

Sha Chen was overwhelmed with excitement.

Although the Flowing Sand River Cave had been imperceptible to others, Saints could still see through it. However, as the calamity of the Journey to the West approached, heaven’s calculations fell into disarray, and even Saints found it difficult to divine. But now, no matter whether the calamity of the Journey to the West had arrived or not, Saints would be unable to divine it. Especially since Saints nearby found it easier to spy. Even if unable to divine, the entirety of the cave abode was like transparent to Saints upon proximity. At most, it was like a layer of paper on a window; they could still see vague images if they really tried. But with this Sky Shielding Talisman, even Saints outside the abode could see nothing within. Naturally, they couldn’t divine it either. This place had truly become a deadspot for Saints, a place that would vex any Saint who arrived.

Sha Chen was overjoyed, thrilled beyond belief, and immediately chose to continue his seclusion instead of going out.

Then, he obtained the Sky Shielding Talisman and directly refined it for use, covering the entire territory of Flowing Sand River with its range. It wasn’t just the cave abode—it included the entire Flowing Sand River and even stretched beyond, to a hundred li[note: approximately 30 miles or 50 kilometers] outwards. No Saint could divine what transpired within this area, and those below the level of Saints would be led to incorrect conclusions, producing erroneous results.

Once Sha Chen had refined and used the Sky Shielding Talisman, far away at Zi Zhi Cliff, the Sect Hierarch Tongtian furrowed his brow. "Strange, I can no longer divine the situation in the Flowing Sand River. Just now, I sensed Sha Chen might have had a breakthrough, which piqued my interest, but now, I feel nothing at all."

The Sect Hierarch Tongtian scowled. "It seems that the boy has obtained something extraordinary. The last time I went there, I was barred from entering, nearly unable to get in. It was only by good fortune that the boy harbored no ill intent and allowed me in; otherwise, it would have been quite embarrassing."

"Now, not only can I not enter, but I can’t even probe. He is quite the peculiar and cautious young man."

Deeply inhaling, the Sect Hierarch’s eyes took on a profound depth. "The calamity of the Journey to the West has arrived, huh? This calamity seems to be larger than imagined." With a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he added, "And everything has become harder to discern. There used to be traces to follow, but now, it appears even more indecipherable."

The Hierarch chuckled softly, his eyes deep and profound, before summoning his disciples to send them down the mountain for trials. The disciples all accepted their orders and descended the mountain.

「Meanwhile.」

Far away in the Tushita Palace of Paul et Virginie, Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad suddenly furrowed his brow and stretched out his hand in bafflement, attempting to divine. Afterward, he chuckled wryly, "Now, even I can’t divine what’s occurring inside. It’s been how many years since something incalculable by Saints has appeared?"

With a strange expression, Lord Lao Zi murmured to himself, "Previously, I couldn’t gain entry, and now I can’t even divine a general sense of what’s happening inside, let alone get it completely wrong. I wonder if the situation is the same with my actual body."

"If that’s the case, the emergence of an anomaly will surely lead to bloodshed and chaos. The future Journey to the West calamity, which should have been insipid, should not have been this dramatic."

Gradually falling silent, Lord Lao Zi concluded, "It appears that I must make a personal visit to Buddhism. The sooner the Journey to the West calamity begins and concludes, the sooner my debts of gratitude are repaid, and henceforth this matter has nothing more to do with me."

「A similar situation was occurring at Kunlun Mountain.」

Lord Yuan Shi, who had kept a low profile, was in fact always monitoring the situation in Flowing Sand River. Not long ago, he sensed a powerful aura releasing within the Flowing Sand River, signaling that a mighty being had broken through. When he tried to sense the specifics of that mighty being’s aura, he discovered that he had been shielded from it, completely ignorant of everything happening within the Flowing Sand River. While he had been able to divine a bit previously, now he could divine nothing, nor could he probe any further.

Lord Yuan Shi looked puzzled and rather disheartened. "What exactly happened? Is it because I am too far away? In that case, it seems I have to find time to go and see for myself."

Lord Yuan Shi fell silent.

Many were paying close attention to Flowing Sand River, and previously, some people with their formidable abilities could catch glimpses of the activities within Flowing Sand River. Even if they could not grasp the whole picture, they were able to glimpse a part of it. Now, no matter what Divine Powers or Magical Tools they used, they could not ascertain what was happening inside Flowing Sand River. Even more so, they had lost all knowledge of the Flowing Sand River domain. Such a significant event had taken place, leaving them confused and scrambling to make various calculations and tests, before they headed to Flowing Sand River again. Many did not dare to get close and probed from afar.

Sha Chen paid them no mind at all. Having made a breakthrough in his cultivation, he had strengthened the defenses of Flowing Sand River and then chose to continue his cultivation practices. He felt that his current strength was still not strong enough.

After another three years of secluded cultivation, almost all of Sha Chen’s accumulated resources had been depleted, with very little remaining. However, his cultivation had become consolidated, and his Primordial Spirit had reached the pinnacle of the Intermediate Stage of Semi-saint, just one step away from entering the High-rank Quasi Saint Spiritual Realm. This was all thanks to the aid of the Treasured Lotus Lantern, which had taken his Primordial Spirit to the next level.

"Congratulations, big brother, on your breakthrough. What realm has your cultivation reached now?"

Ao Lie and Dragon Girl had ended their seclusion, having been startled by the overwhelmingly powerful aura from Sha Chen. Now, feeling the powerful and seemingly boundless aura emanating from Sha Chen, they felt as if they were facing the vast heavens, a mayfly shaking the mighty tree.

Sha Chen responded indifferently, "A few years ago, I reached the Intermediate Stage of Semi-saint, and now it has stabilized."

Ao Lie and Dragon Girl gasped in amazement, their eyes wide with shock and their scalps tingling, yet also filled with immense joy.

Dragon Girl exclaimed with delight, "Brother General, you’re so amazing! Who would’ve thought that over three hundred years ago, you were only a True Immortal."

Sha Chen glanced at her and said, "And who would have thought that over two hundred years ago, you were only a Greater Primordial Golden Immortal, and now you have become a Peak Daluo Jinxian."

Dragon Girl was startled and then broke into a proud smile.

After decades of secluded cultivation, she and Ao Lie had frantically absorbed and refined resources, ignited their latent potential, and comprehended the profound Dao Techniques Sha Chen had imparted to them. They had made a breakthrough to the Pinnacle Daluo Realm, and now they were the strongest beings in the entire Dragon Clan, aside from their current Clan Leader Yinglong, whose life and death were unknown. Even their elders and the one called the number one prodigy of the Dragon Clan, Ao Moang, were no match for them! At the very least, in terms of cultivation, they were beyond reproach. In fact, they were also the fastest progressing and strongest individuals in the history of the Dragon Clan.

Ao Lie too smiled with pride but nevertheless clasped his fists and said, "This is all thanks to the Dao Techniques imparted by you, big brother, and the perfect environment you provided for us to cultivate here. Otherwise, we would never have been able to reach our current state in this lifetime."

His words weren’t an exaggeration but the truth.

Considering their innate potential, reaching the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm would have required countless opportunities and likely the span of an entire lifetime to achieve. But after following Sha Chen, their natural talents and potential were unfolded, and their aptitudes were greatly improved. Moreover, they had regained the lost ancient Cultivation Techniques of the Dragon Clan and received guidance in Dao Techniques from Sha Chen. Altering their innate abilities raised their ceilings infinitely. Acquiring the lost ancient Cultivation Techniques gave them a clear path forward. Furthermore, having someone to guide them in Dao Techniques was like always having a supremely powerful master showing the way. These three conditions influenced their potential heights, and they had also plundered and exhausted the entire Dragon Clan’s resources for their own use. If they still couldn’t advance quickly, it would be an affront to the reputation of the Dragon Clan. Their innate potential and Cultivation Techniques, as well as the Dao Techniques imparted by Sha Chen, transformed their potential heights. And the resources they acquired allowed them to reach their predetermined heights much faster – that was all. Nothing more extraordinary than that.

Sha Chen nodded and said, "Your breaking through to Pinnacle Daluo is acceptable, but don’t be complacent. You’re still too slow and too weak. When you become Quasi-Saints or when you can help the Dragon Clan change its fate, or even become Peak Quasi-Saints, only then can the Dragon Clan truly defy fate."

Ao Lie and Dragon Girl looked grave and nodded earnestly. Sha Chen’s words indeed carried weight. If they wanted to change the fate of the Dragon Clan, their current strength was far from sufficient, for the powers that hindered the progress of the Dragon Clan regarded people at their level as nothing more than ants, insignificant.

Suddenly, Dragon Girl flashed a grin, threw herself into Sha Chen’s arms, and said, "Brother General, becoming a Quasi-Saint is too difficult. How about I marry you, and you become powerful in my stead? Then you can stand up for our Dragon Clan. How’s that?"

Without hesitation, Sha Chen rejected her and began to push her away.

Dragon Girl then said, "Brother General, don’t be so heartless."

Sha Chen’s cheek twitched. What, this tactic is being used on me again?! No, wait. That’s none of my concern.

Sha Chen was about to push her away when Three Holy Mother finished her secluded cultivation. With hostility in her eyes, she came between them, pulled Dragon Girl up, and pushed her away.

She snorted, "Harlot, try that on me if you dare, and stop harassing my big brother."